'The property was stolen by the Cuban government'

The World
This home once belonged to the Schechter family in Cuba

Re-claiming what was once theirs. That's what hundreds, maybe thousands of Americans whose families once owned property in Cuba are hoping to do.

And it's the focus of the latest round of talks between US and Cuban officials starting Tuesday in Havana.

We're talking about property that was seized after Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959. It's one of the thorniest issues that US and Cuba are still trying to resolve now that relations between the two countries are warming up. 

The Schechter family once owned property in Cuba and they have filed claims to get it back.  

Amy Schechter Rosoff is the daughter of the Americans who owned the property.

She says her family first settled in Cuba around 1902 and that her grandparents helped establish a Jewish community there. They owned a home and shirt factory. In the 1950s, Amy's parents also had a farm in Pinar del Rio. 

The Schechter family in Cuba in the early 1930s

Amy's releatives in front of their home in Cuba, early 1930s. Back row, L-R: Aunt Nancy (Schechter) Hertzberg, Grandfather Morris Schechter, Grandmother Jeanette Schechter and Uncle Israel Schechter. Front row, L-R: Amy's father Roy Schechter and Uncle Silvio Schechter. 

Credit:

Schechter family collection

The property Amy says "was stolen by the Cuban government." And the story she heard was that one day her father went to their farm and was met by armed soldiers. Amy's parents left Cuba for good in 1960. 

And last Amy knew was her grandmother's home was occupied by the Chinese ambassador.  

The Schechter family has three claims on file. "It would certainly be an incredible thing to get that part of our family history back. The house was quite a legacy in the family," she says. 

The Schechter family house in Cuba

Front of Amy's grandmother's house in Cuba. Amy's cousin Bob took this picture about 10 years ago. The house became a residence for the Chinese Embassy. 

Credit:

Bob Schechter

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