Welcome to Cuban Hebrew Congregation of Miami, Inc.

by Rabbi Marc Lamb

I wanted to describe some  of the Jewish cruise I took down the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf. 

One of the cities we visited was Worms.

Worms is one of the three legendary SHUM cities—Speyer, Worms, and Mainz—named from the Hebrew initials ש-ו-ם (Shin–Vav–Mem). These cities were the heart of medieval Ashkenazi Jewry, home to great scholars, vibrant communities, and the earliest expressions of Jewish life in northern Europe. Together, SHUM represents both the cultural brilliance and the deep suffering of Ashkenazi Jews during the Middle Ages. To walk through Worms is to walk through nearly a thousand years of Jewish resilience.

Standing before the Rashi Synagogue in Worms, I was overwhelmed—not only by its stark beauty, but by the weight of its history. This house of worship, first built in 1034, has been destroyed five times over the centuries. And five times, it has risen again.

Each stone tells a story. Of medieval Jews who studied Torah in its chambers, of women who lit Sabbath candles behind its walls, of prayers whispered in hope and desperation. It was here that Rashi, one of our greatest scholars, learned and taught—planting seeds of learning that still flourish across the Jewish world.

And yet, time after time, the synagogue was shattered. By Crusaders, by fire, by pogroms—and then, in 1938, by the Nazis during Kristallnacht. That was the worst. This time, the destruction was not just physical. It was symbolic, ideological—an attempt to erase not only a building but a people.

But the Nazis failed.

What moved me most was learning that when the synagogue was rebuilt after the war, it was done using the original rubble—the very stones that had been torn down in hatred were lifted up again in defiance and faith. There is something profoundly Jewish in that act. We do not discard our brokenness. We rebuild from it.

This place, to me, has become more than a synagogue. It is a monument to Jewish perseverance, a physical embodiment of the verse, “Netzach Yisrael lo yishaker” – The Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change His mind.

Visiting Worms deepened my understanding of why the Jewish people need a homeland. In a world that has so often tried to uproot and erase us, we need a place where Jewish identity is not merely tolerated, but thrives. The synagogue in Worms stands as a witness: we have wandered, we have wept, but we have never disappeared.

Its survival is not just architectural—it is spiritual. Worms is a reminder that though our buildings may fall, our people endure. Though we are scattered, we are never lost. Though our enemies may rise, they do not prevail.

Like the synagogue itself, the Jewish people may be broken, but we are never destroyed. We carry our memory in our hearts, and our future in our hands. And we rebuild—always.

Cantor/Rabbi Rachelle Nelson was born and raised in Miami Beach Florida. She attended the University of Miami on a music scholarship in music education and minored in voice and theory composition. She also served as Cantorial soloist at her future congregation, Temple Israel of Greater Miami. 

Cantor Nelson is a major composer of Jewish music in the world today, and her compositions can be heard in almost every Reform and conservative synagogue (even Chabad), in the U.S. and Europe. She has received numerous rewards and honors for her contributions in music and her volunteerism within the community. 

After graduation from U.M., Rachelle applied to Hebrew Union College, School of Sacred Music in NYC, now known as the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. She was one of the very first women to enter the college to begin a five-year program. 

In her last two years of Cantorial School, Rachelle traveled weekly back and forth, New York to Miami and Miami to New York to serve as the Student Cantor at Temple Israel of Greater Miami. This would become her first long-term pulpit after graduation in 1984 for the next 8 years.

In 1991, Rachelle became the Cantor of Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Fla. She served Temple Beth Am for almost 30 years. During that time, Rachelle studied long distance at the Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk, (The Rabbinical Academy), and graduated on June 11, 2015, in New York. 

In the past three years, Cantor Nelson has had the joy and opportunity to serve Temple Israel once again as Cantor in Residence. She has been able to be part of an incredible community of very committed Jewish leaders. As this extraordinary congregation will be closing its doors after 103 years of service to the Jewish community, Rachelle is ready to embark on her next journey as Cantor/Rabbi for Shabbat eve. services at Cuban Hebrew Congregation on Miami Beach.

Cantor Nelson is an extremely proud mother of twin daughters, Dr. Rebecca Yaras (Dr. Reed Yaras and baby Samuel Harrison Yaras), and Leah Goldstein (Jesse Goldstein and baby Sarah Ella. Goldstein). She is also mother of Lyla Nelson, a trained 14-pound service dog whose Hebrew is better than her moms.

Cantor Nelson feels blessed everyday of her life!