Death of Fidel Castro Brings ‘Faith and Hope' to Havana on the Hudson

Cuban-Americans in Union City hope to start a new chapter for their families with the death of the former leader

What to Know

  • Fidel Castro died at the age of 90 on Friday, bringing mixed reactions to Cuban-Americans in Union City, New Jersey
  • The enclave once had the largest Cuban population outside of Miami
  • Only 11% of Union City's current residents are Cuban, according to the latest census data

While the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro was met with celebratory cheers from the exile community in South Florida, reactions were mixed for Cuban-Americans in New Jersey.

Nicknamed 'Havana on the Hudson', Union City was once the U.S. city with the largest Cuban population outside Miami. Many were forced to flee during the 1950s to escape the pressures of Castro's regime. 

On one hand, cars honked in celebration, signaling the symbolic end of an era. Angela Ortega, who said his father was a torture victim, honked her horn for Cubans stateside and abroad. 

"I'm very happy for my father, who was tortured by him for years," she said, her voice breaking. "And I'm happy for all the Cuban people who are still there and have no idea what's going on."

"It's very powerful being Cuban American that his time has come," said Monica Ceballo, a Union City resident. "Hopefully now it's faith and hope for the Cuban people."

For others, the happiness comes with the end of a lingering pain. Hundreds of families were forcibly uprooted from Cuba to New Jersey, including Jose Cardenas, whose family felt the stifling grip of Fidel Castro.

"I hate the man. He did a lot of damage to my family," he said tearfully. "It's pretty rough. In my heart, I'll always be a Cuban."

The faces of firing squad victims line the white walls of Eduardo Ochoa's office. They are only a fraction of the thousands that were killed. Ochoa, a former political prisoner for three years, says he's one of the lucky ones.

"I saw many people killed in the firing squad, I saw many 20-30 years in prison," he said.

He and others in the Cuban community hope that instead of celebrating a death, the world will commemorate the lives lost under the Castro regime and look toward a promising future in Cuba.

"Love based on human rights, freedom, liberty and democracy. That's our dream for the future generation of Cuba."

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