HAVANA (AP) Cuban Jewish leaders said Friday that they celebrated Hanukkah with imprisoned U.S. government subcontractor Alan Gross this week, two days after he marked four years in custody.
A statement from Beth Shalom Temple said community president Adela Dworin and vice president David Prinstein met with the Maryland
man for two hours on Thursday, the last day of Hanukkah, as they have done on other Jewish holidays.
Gross and his visitors lit candles, prayed and had foods associated with the holiday including latkes and chocolate coins. They also discussed a letter he sent this week urging President Barack Obama to personally work for his release and saying he fears his country has abandoned him.
"During the encounter we could see that he was in better spirits, more physically recovered," the temple's statement said.
Gross, 64, says he has lost about 100 pounds in detention, suffers from arthritis and is allowed to leave the small cell he shares with two other inmates for just one hour a day. He said in his letter that but for occasional visitors and phone calls, he feels "completely isolated from the outside world."
