Greek Romaniote Jews in NY. A visit to a rare Jewish community

This is a spot that I have long wanted to visit but never had a chance to do so. Today I had the opportunity to personally meet with Marcia Hadad Ikonomopoulous- the director of the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum- who was gracious enough to give me a private tour of the place as well as provide me with some of her great written publications on the history of the community. The Janina community is truly a fascinating one. Many people aren't aware of its existence- how its traditions differ from both the Ashkenazic as well as the Sephardic one.

I also met and chatted with a long-time member of the Synagogue, a dignified gentleman by the name of Ilias Hadjis who arrived in the USA in 1955. Mr. Hadjis, was born in Athens in 1937, and spent the occupation hiding in the Pilion Mountains and Athens. Here Mr. Hadjis speaks about the history of the Synagogue and its members:





Here Mr. Hadjis talks about how his family survived the Holocaust-which took a horrific toll upon Greek Jewry. He first asked me if I had several hours to spare, but we somehow managed to condense it into several minutes:



The Synagogue is currently undergoing restoration. A grant from the city is enabling a moderate scale expansion and renovation. In the plans are: a multimedia room with videos and computers that would tell the history of the community, a large library and a cafe. All in all, it was a charming and pleasant visit, I strongly urge everyone to hop over for a visit, you won't be sorry.