Two years ago, Ziff said, he moved from Pico-Robertson to the Israeli city of Modi’in.

Ziff said the congregation was clearly in mourning.

Yossie Ziff walked down Pico Boulevard on Sunday, still teary-eyed from the morning service at the synagogue down the road.

Benjamin Ziff, charge d’affairs at the U.S. embassy in Cuba, dismisses claims that the administration has implemented few changes.

“Cuba’s future lies in its private sector and those who say it is a necessary evil are completely wrong,” Ziff said in an interview.