tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5430695820579569872024-03-12T17:57:57.444-07:00Romaniote Jews and Italkim/Bene RomaStudies on the indigenous Jewish communities of Southern Europe and the Balkans.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-78828693190810398182014-02-23T04:18:00.002-08:002014-02-23T04:18:36.584-08:00This Blog is Back Up and Running. No More Spam.I have changed the settings and cleaned up as much as I could to make it readable once again.<br />
<br />
Hope to see all of you here soon.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your continued support.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-58565796880093045292012-12-27T05:36:00.003-08:002012-12-27T06:11:59.255-08:00Counting Down From Destruction and Looking Forward to Redemption; On an Interesting Custom of Romaniot (and many Sephardim too).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">"Corfu ketuboth are distinguished for using double dating, the year since creation and the year since the destruction of the Temple. The two dates on this ketubah read at the wedding of Yani, the son of Rap</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">hael De Osmo, and Esther, daughter of David De Mordo, are 5573 and 1745. The decoration is calligraphic, inscribing verses from the Books of Isaiah and Ruth which speak of bridegroom, bride, rejoicing, and blessings, (Ketubah, Corfu, 3 Heshvan, 5573 (1812), Hebraic Section, Library of Congress Photo)".</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RxL_P5y1gJg/UNxMEL6NMdI/AAAAAAAAAeU/vv47ktPMopQ/s1600/corfu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RxL_P5y1gJg/UNxMEL6NMdI/AAAAAAAAAeU/vv47ktPMopQ/s320/corfu.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">(photo and description of Ketubah graciously provided by</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"> Mary Raz from the "Greek Jews" group on Facebook).</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The custom of calculating the years since the destruction of
the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>
seems to have been a widespread one across the Balkans. Both Sephardim and
Romaniotes prided themselves on their roots from the exiles of Jerusalem (Sephardim
would often refer to 'The exiles from Jerusalem that is in Sepharad', mentioned in
Obadiah, while Romaniotes and Italkim [like De Rossi, for instance] cited oral tradition that they arrived in the
area as Titus' slaves after the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth
in 70 CE).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Eliezer ben Yehuda began his Zionist project of reviving Hebrew as a spoken language, he encountered strong Sephardic support. This community, which people like A. Papo in his<b> Sephardim in the United States</b>, dubbed 'zionist in nature', was enthusiastic about such a project. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://forward.com/articles/14296/if-ben-yehuda-had-made-time-the-way-he-remade-hebr-/" target="_blank">Philologos</a> writing in the Forward newspaper:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...Yet when Ben-Yehuda began publishing his weekly Hebrew
newspaper Hatsvi in <st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city> in the autumn of 1884,
the date on its first issue was, “Friday, 5 Heshvan, 1816 years since the
destruction of the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>,
5645.” (There was no Gregorian date at all.) This formula was followed in the
first seven issues of Hatsvi, after which “5645” was dropped. From then on, the
only year on the masthead referred to the destruction of the <st1:placename w:st="on">Second</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype>,
which Ben-Yehuda chose to date to the beginning of the Romans’ siege of <st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city> in 68 C.E. rather
than to their final victory in 70. In everything else that he published, including
his monumental 16-volume dictionary, he followed the same system.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ben-Yehuda was an ardently nationalistic Zionist and an
equally ardently anti-religious secularist, and his method of dating served
both ideologies, replacing a chronology that started with God’s creation of the
world with one that started with the loss of Jewish political independence in
antiquity. And yet, just as he was always looking for justifications in Hebrew
sources for his many linguistic innovations, so was his dating rooted in the
past. Counting the years from the destruction of the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city> was actually quite common among Jews
in the early centuries of the Christian era and was a system used in many
ancient Hebrew documents and contracts. Although its year zero was eventually
replaced by that of Creation, traces of it can still be found in Sephardic and
Yemenite prayer books. Thus, for example, in some Sephardic liturgies for the
fast day of the Ninth of Av, the day of mourning for the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>, there is the passage: “Alas for the destruction of the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>! Alas for the burning of the Torah! Alas
for the murder of righteous Jews! Alas for the sorrow of the Messiah [in having
his coming delayed]! Today is ______ number of years since the destruction of
our holy shrine.”</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
Notes:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catriel Cellabos from the Western Sephardic Debate group (on Facebook) points out:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>We say something like this after 'arbith of 9 de Ab (the traditional date that commemorates the destruction of both Temples), in
Spanish: "Nuestros hermanos hijos de Israel, por nuestros pecados etc."
with the number of years</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-27692905363828994682012-12-24T03:51:00.001-08:002012-12-24T03:51:09.841-08:00Article on Romaniots (Bene Romania) by Steven Bowman <br />
<h1 class="book-title" style="background-color: #e6e6e6; font-family: Georgia, Brillonline, KadmosU, Antinoou, Gentium, Brill, 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Times New Roman', 'SBL Hebrew', Sylfaen, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.111em; margin: 0px;">
<br /></h1>
<article class="content" data-entry="encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world--romaniots-bene-romania-COM_0018540" style="background-color: #e6e6e6; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, Brillonline, KadmosU, Antinoou, Gentium, Brill, 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Times New Roman', 'SBL Hebrew', Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.618;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
<strong>Romaniots (Bene Romania)</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
The term <span id="i1000018540001"></span>Romaniot stems from the self-identification of the Greek-speaking Orthodox Christian population of the Balkans as <i>Rhomaioi</i> (Romans), that is, descendants of the citizens of the Roman Empire, which continued in its<span id="i1000018540003"></span>Byzantine incarnation until 1453. As citizens of the empire, the Jews were also <i>Rhomaioi</i> (Greek) or <i>Romani</i>(Latin), hence Romaniot (Heb. <i>romaniotim</i>). As a minority in a hostile Christian environment, the Romaniot Jews were subject to restrictive laws and constant harassment by the <span id="i1000018540002"></span>Orthodox Church, which treated them as a foil to the triumphalism of Christianity. Nonetheless, Judaism remained a permitted religion in the empire, and successive attempts by emperors to forcibly baptize Jews during the Middle Byzantine period were countered by the church on the grounds that <span id="i1000018540004"></span>baptism must be voluntary. In this regard the Orthodox Church differs significantly from the Roman Catholic Church, which treats baptism as an indelible act and allows persecution and punishment of “Judaizers.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
The vicissitudes of the Jews under Orthodox rule can be briefly summarized as follows: Under the <span id="i1000018540005"></span>Christian Roman Empire (from Constantine through Justinian and his successors), they were prohibited by law, with occasional exemptions, from participating in government, the courts, the army, and the universities, from holding and converting slaves, and from building new synagogues. During the Middle Byzantine period (Herakleios to Romanos Lekapenos), they were subjected to four attempts at <span id="i1000018540006"></span>forced baptism, a state tactic apparently repeated by <span id="i1000018540007"></span>Ioannes Vatazes in the rump empire of Nicaea in the thirteenth century. In the wake of the tenth-century Byzantine Crusades, Jews migrated into the empire, and by the twelfth century flourishing communities of Rabbanite and Karaite Jews were to be found throughout the <span id="i1000018540008"></span>Balkans and Anatolia. The Late Byzantine period (Michael Palaeologos to Constantine Palaeologos) saw further improvement in the political position of the Jews, who, along with the Armenians, provided economic resources for the weakened imperial government.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
After his <span id="i1000018540009"></span>conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II appointed Gennadeios Scholarios as patriarch over the entire Roman population. By 1455 the Romaniots, now formally <span id="i1000018540010"></span><i>zimmis</i> (<i>dhimmis</i>) (see <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/dhimma-COM_0006670" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;"><i>dhimma</i> </a>), had succeeded in establishing their own autonomous community (later <i>millet</i>) under the leadership of <span id="i1000018540011"></span>Moses <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/capsali-moses-ben-elijah-SIM_0004960" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Capsali</a>, appointed chief rabbi (<i>rav</i> <i>manhig</i>) of the Romaniot communities forcibly relocated to the capital, now called Istanbul, as part of the sultan’s efforts to repopulate the devastated city. In the cadastral register of 1477, the transplanted Romaniot communities numbered about fifteen hundred households and constituted some 10 percent of the city’s denizens. They were to hold the status of <span id="i1000018540013"></span><i>sürgün</i> (forced migration) throughout most of the Ottoman period. This restrictive status, which deprived them of freedom of movement, placed the Romaniots at a distinct disadvantage compared to the Sephardi Jews, who enjoyed the more liberal status of <span id="i1000018540014"></span><i>kendi</i> <i>gelen</i> (voluntary migration to the sultanate) granted them by Sultan <span id="i1000018540015"></span>Bayezid II.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
According to later Sephardi memory (considered doubtful by some modern scholars) Bayezid invited the banished Jews of the newly united kingdom of Catholic Spain to his realm. In any case, they arrived shortly after 1500, and within a generation had supplanted the structure established for the Romaniots in the first seventy years after the conquest. Moses Capsali (d. ca. 1498) was succeeded by <span id="i1000018540016"></span>Elijah <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/mizrahi-elijah-ben-abraham-SIM_0015500" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Mizraḥi</a> (d. 1526) as <i>rav manhig</i>. Successive rabbis continued the institution for another generation until it fell into abeyance. In 1835 the office of <i>haham</i> <i>başı</i>(Heb./Turk. <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/haham-bas-chief-rabbi-COM_0008940" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Hakham Bashi</a> - chief rabbi) was established as part of the <span id="i1000018540017"></span><a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/tanzimat-reforms-period-COM_0020950" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;"><i>tanzimat</i> reforms</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
The Romaniot population of Istanbul consisted of both <span id="i1000018540018"></span>Rabbanite and Karaite Jews, who alternated between cordial and hostile relations. The twelfth-century Itinerary of <span id="i1000018540019"></span><a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/benjamin-ben-jonah-of-tudela-COM_0003980" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Benjamin of Tudela</a> informs us that a fence separated the two communities to prevent communal strife. In the fifteenth century, Karaites studied with Rabbanite teachers. In the sixteenth century, conservative Romaniots prohibited teaching Karaites, while Karaites nearly split their community over internal rivalries. The Greek-speaking <span id="i1000018540020"></span>Romaniot congregations numbered forty-seven in 1540, each with its own synagogue named for its city or area of provenance; they were still listed as <i>sürgün</i>, as were the Karaites, in late seventeenth-century Ottoman documents and numbered some fifty-two hundred of the eighteen thousand Jews in Istanbul. Ottoman sources record a decline in the Romaniot population of the capital between 1535 and 1688, most likely due to the better legal status of the Sephardim as well as the mingling of the congregations and intermarriage between the two groups. The vicissitudes of urban life in the Ottoman capital, in particular fire and plague, also contributed to the decline.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Outside the capital <span id="i1000018540021"></span>Romaniot communities flourished in Epirus and the Peloponnese. The Romaniot communities in the Ionian islands, the Archipelago, Crete, and the Dodekanisoi (Dodecanese) came under the control of Venice; Genoa controlled Chios; and later the Angevins took the Ionian islands. The Romaniots in these areas became Italian-speaking until they were rejoined to the Greek kingdom in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During the Ottoman period (Grk. <i>Turkokratia</i>) the Romaniots were under Turkish protection and usually lived within the walls of the <i>kastro</i> that controlled each city and town. The Jewish communities of the <span id="i1000018540022"></span>Peloponnese (also called<a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/morea-COM_0015710" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Morea</a>, which later included Boeotia and Attica) were destroyed in 1821 during the initial stage of the Greek Revolution. During the <span id="i1000018540023"></span>Holocaust the Jewish inhabitants of the main Romaniot centers of Ioannina (<a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/yanina-yanya-ioannina-SIM_0022250" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Yanina</a>) and Corfu were deported to their deaths in Auschwitz. Over ten thousand Romaniots (and over fifty thousand Sephardim) were sent to Nazi concentration camps. About eight thousand members of the Greek-speaking communities of the mainland either served with the resistance or hid in the mountains, many under the protection of the resistance.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
The question of a neo-Romaniot identity among contemporary Greek Jews, who are primarily Greek-speaking even if of Sephardi origin, is in a state of flux among locals and scholars. Romaniot Jewry is characterized by its use of<a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/judeo-greek-SIM_0012350" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;"><span id="i1000018540024"></span>Judeo-Greek</a>, which preserves archaic elements (especially among Ioannina Jews) from its development over the past two millennia. Their <span id="i1000018540025"></span>synagogue rite is also unique to the regions from Corfu to the Black Sea (e.g., <i>Maḥzor</i><i>Romania</i>, <i>Maḥzor</i> <i>Korfu</i>) and is characterized by the use of Greek and a highly developed <span id="i1000018540026"></span>liturgical poetry (<i> <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/piyyut-liturgical-poetry-COM_0017690" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">piyyuṭ</a></i><i>im</i>) that derives from Byzantine Palestine in Late Antiquity. Romaniot culture also further developed the midrashic tradition inherited from the Hellenistic period and from later Palestinian Jewish scholars. Kabbala and philosophy were particularly studied during the late Byzantine and early Ottoman periods along with medicine, astronomy, and Bible commentary. In addition, their customs present a mix of Late <span id="i1000018540027"></span>Antiquity Palestinian Jewry and contemporary Byzantine and post-Byzantine customs (primarily marriage, as in the medieval use of stephanomata [wreaths], and dowry arrangements), many of which are discussed by <span id="i1000018540028"></span>Joseph <a class="internal" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/caro-joseph-ben-ephraim-COM_0005060" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: initial;">Caro</a> in his <i>Bet</i> <i>Yosef</i>. This ancient Jewry, once numbering in the millions in Roman and Byzantine times, comprises only a few hundreds in modern Greece and perhaps a myriad of identifying descendants in its diaspora.</div>
<div class="byline" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Steven Bowman</div>
<div class="bibliography" id="d7909066e197" style="border-top-color: rgb(205, 205, 205); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; line-height: 1.618; margin: 20px 0px; padding: 20px 0px 0px;">
<h2 style="color: #11216e; font-size: 20.799999237060547px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.111em; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">
Bibliography</h2>
<div id="d7909066e198">
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
The <i>Bulletin of Judeo-Greek Studies</i> has an ongoing bibliography on the topic.</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Bowman, Steven. <i>Jews of Byzantium, 1204–1453</i> (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1985).</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Goldschmidt, Daniel. “On the Mahzor Romania,” <i>Sefunot</i> 8 (1964): 205–236. Heyd, Uriel. “The Jewish Communities of Istanbul in the Seventeenth Century,” <i>Oriens</i> 4 (1953): 299–314.</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Rosanes, Solomon. <i>History of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire</i>, vol. 1 (Tel Aviv: Dvir, 1930) [Hebrew].</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Rozen, Minna. <i>A</i> <i>History of the Jewish Community in Istanbul: The Formative Years, 1453–1566</i> (Leiden: Brill, 2002).</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
Weinberger, Leon. <i>Anthology of Hebrew Poetry in Greece, Anatolia and the Balkans</i> (Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1975).</div>
<div class="bibl" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">
———. <i>Rabbanite</i> <i>and Karaite Liturgical Poetry in South-Eastern Europe</i> (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1991).</div>
</div>
</div>
</article><div class="citation" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, Brillonline, KadmosU, Antinoou, Gentium, Brill, 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Times New Roman', 'SBL Hebrew', Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.199999809265137px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; overflow-x: auto; padding: 20px;">
<h5 style="color: #11216e; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.111em; margin: 0px;">
Citation</h5>
Steven Bowman. " Romaniots (Bene Romania)." <span class="citationitalic" style="font-style: italic;">Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World</span>. Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Brill Online , 2012. <span class="citationunderline" style="text-decoration: underline;">Reference</span>. National Library of Israel. 24 December 2012 <http: encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world="encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world" entries="entries" referenceworks.brillonline.com="referenceworks.brillonline.com" romaniots-bene-romania-com_0018540="romaniots-bene-romania-com_0018540"></http:></div>
Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-22205161840329790142012-04-04T07:52:00.001-07:002012-12-24T07:10:22.226-08:00The Colchamiro כל חמירא family; Romaniote Jews and Passover<h2>
</h2>
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniotes" target="_blank">Romaniote Jews of Greece</a> always maintained a special relationship with the holiday of Passover. As a result
they took on the names that are associated with the holiday, as both
personal names and surnames. Names li<span class="text_exposed_show">ke Pessah, Matza (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Matza" target="_blank">famous Greek-Jewish family</a> in Israel), and Hametz (I had the privilege of meeting a young Romaniote Rabbinical student with this surname, Tzvi Hametz, last year). Tzvi also mentioned to me that he knew of a
Greek-Jewish family who took on the amusing surname of 'kol hamira'.
This Aramaic prayer כל חמירא וחמיעא is recited during the evening
preceding the 14th of Nissan, and renders all the left-over unleavened
bread in one's property null and void. It also recited by many on the day of the 14th, while burning the left-over hametz. The formula and translation follows (courtesy of J<a href="http://www.jewishinstlouis.org/page.aspx?id=109005" target="_blank">ewish in St. Louis</a>) :</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_ContentControl3" style="display: inline-block; width: 600px;"></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li>Perform
the search and gather up all the crumbs as a family project. Tie them
in a bundle, which will be burned the next morning.</li>
<li>After the search, recite the following formula:<br /><i><br />Kol
chamira va-chami’ha d’ika vir’shuti, d’la chamitei u’d’la viartei u’d’la
yadana lei livteil v’lehevei hefker k’afrah d’ar’ah.</i><br /><br />All
manner of leaven which is in my possession, that I have not seen or
removed, shall be annulled and considered as the dust of the earth.</li>
<li>On Wednesday morning, recite the following as you burn the chametz.<br /><br /><i>Kol
chamira va-chami’a d’ika virshuti, da-chazitei u’d’la chazitei
d’chamitei u’d’la chamitei, d’viartei u’d’la viartei livteil v’lehevei
hefker k’afra d’ar’ah.</i><br /><br />All chametz in my possession, whether
I have seen it or not, whether I have removed it or not, is hereby
nullified and owner-less, as the dust of the earth.</li>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">A little online searching brought me to a <a href="http://colchamirofamily.tripod.com/thename.html" target="_blank">webpage</a> that was created by a member of this mentioned family (spelled there 'colchamiro'). </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show">According to one version of the family story, this is how the name came into being:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;">The story we
always tell is that our ancestor was a rag merchant in Greece and was very meticulous
about picking good scraps; that he would look through the goods as carefully as one looks
for leaven on Passover. The prayer that one says after locating all leaven in the house is
called "Kal Chamira" and so his friends and associates said he was so picky that
he might as well say "Kal Chamira" over his rag finds. Supposedly he was known
by this name in Greece and gave it when arriving at Ellis Island, and that the immigration
officials invented their own spelling.</span></blockquote>
See more about this remarkable family <a href="http://colchamirofamily.tripod.com/index.html" target="_blank">here </a><br />
<br />
<br />
and <a href="http://colchamiro.net/" target="_blank">here</a><br />
<br />
Professor Rae Dalven who wrote a book on the<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> Ioannina Romaniotes</span> entitled <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Jews-Ioannina-Rae-Dalven/dp/0930685032" target="_blank"><i>The Jews of Ioannina</i></a>, writes:<br /> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">
"My mother's maiden name was Kalchamira (spelled Colchamiro in the
United States). The family explanation is that her father, a cloth
merchant, used to examine material as closely as if he were searching
for leaven (hametz). This was associated with the statement made the
night before the eve of Passover, beginning KAL HAMIRA DE IKA BIRSHT
(May all leaven in my possession)."</span></blockquote>
<br />
By a stroke of incredible coincidence, an Israeli journalist researched this very same same topic, at the same time as I did. His article appears <a href="http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4213032,00.html" target="_blank">here</a> (in Hebrew).Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-40577824101521169522010-01-17T15:20:00.000-08:002012-04-04T08:02:19.513-07:00More details and photos of Hania Synagogue attack.At the excellent <a href="http://abravanel.wordpress.com/">Abravanel Blog</a>.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-88271536189003478162010-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:002010-01-17T12:54:29.967-08:00Greek Jew Yitzhak Ganon Rebuilt his life after Horrors.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N4Slt_OAI/AAAAAAAAAVU/sqFFReoXOfw/s1600-h/garno.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N4Slt_OAI/AAAAAAAAAVU/sqFFReoXOfw/s320/garno.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427814236669556738" border="0" /></a><br /><p id="spIntroTeaser"><strong>Sixty-five years ago, infamous Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele removed Yitzhak Ganon's kidney without anesthesia. The Greek-born Jew swore never to see a doctor again -- until a heart attack last month brought his horrific tale into the open.</strong></p> <p>He is a thin man. His wine-red cardigan is a little too big, and his legs are like matchsticks in his brown pants. Yitzhak Ganon takes care of himself. He's freshly shaven, his white mustache neatly trimmed. The 85-year-old sits on a gray sofa, with a cushion supporting his back. He is too weak to stand by himself, but he still greets a guest in German: "Guten Tag."</p> <p> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('iPhone') == -1) { document.writeln('<div class="spMInline">'); document.writeln('<scr'+'ipt type="text\/javascript">'); document.writeln('<!--'); document.writeln("OAS_RICH('Middle2');"); document.writeln('\/\/ -'+'->'); document.writeln('<\/scr'+'ipt>'); document.writeln('<\/div>'); } // --> </script></p><div class="spMInline"> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- OAS_RICH('Middle2'); // --> </script><span class="quchnoad" style="display: none;"></span> </div> Speaking is hard for him. "Slowly, Abba," his daughter Iris says, and brings him a glass of water. Her father has never in his life complained of any pain, she says. <p>A month ago he came back from his morning walk and lay down. "Are you sick, Papa?" Iris asked. "No, just a little tired," Yitzhak Ganon answered, before going to sleep. But after a few hours he was still tired. "I don't need a doctor," he told his daughter.</p> <p>The next morning things were even worse. Ganon's wife and daughter called a doctor, who diagnosed a viral infection and told him to go to the hospital. Ganon resisted, but finally realized his life was in danger. At some point he stopped fighting the doctor's orders.</p> <p> <b>'Just One Kidney'</b> </p> <p>His family brought him to the hospital in his home town of Petach Tikva near Tel Aviv. He had hardly been admitted when he lost consciousness. Heart attack, the doctor said. The blood clots were cleared with the help of tiny balloons, and the doctors put five stents in him. "We thought he wouldn't survive the operation," said Eli Lev, the doctor. "Especially since he had just one kidney."</p> <p>When Yitzhak Ganon came to, he told the doctors where he lost the other kidney -- and why he had avoided doctors for 65 years. A reporter from the Israeli paper <i>Maariv</i> heard about the story. And now, weeks after the operation, Ganon is ready to tell his story to a German reporter for the first time.</p> <p>He stretches his back and looks at a photo on the living room wall. It shows the Acropolis in Athens. "I come from Arta, a small city in northern Greece. It happened on Saturday, March 25, 1944. We had just lit the candles to celebrate the Sabbath when an SS officer and a Greek policeman burst into the house. They told us we should get ourselves ready for a big trip."</p> <p>The 85-year-old slides the sleeve of his shirt up and uncovers his left forearm. The number 182558 is tattooed there in dark-blue ink.</p> <p> <b>Tied Down</b> </p> <p>The transport to Auschwitz took two weeks. His sick father died on the journey. Upon arrival, they had to strip and submit to an inspection. Ganon's mother and five siblings were then sent to the gas chambers.</p> <p>Yitzhak Ganon was taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau hospital, where Josef Mengele, the so-called "Angel of Death," conducted grisly experiments on Jewish prisoners.</p> <p>Ganon had to lie down on a table and was tied down. Without any anesthetics, Mengele cut him open and removed his kidney. "I saw the kidney pulsing in his hand and cried like a crazy man," Ganon says. "I screamed the 'Shema Yisrael.' I begged for death, to stop the suffering." </p> <p>After the "operation," he had to work in the Auschwitz sewing room without painkillers. Among other things, he had to clean bloody medical instruments. Once, he had to spend the whole night in a bath of ice-cold water because Mengele wanted to "test" his lung function. Altogether, Ganon spent six and a half months in the concentration camp's hospital.</p> <p> <b>'Just Fatigue'</b> </p> <p>When they had no more use for him, the Nazis sent him to the gas chamber. He survived only by chance: The gas chamber held only 200 people. Ganon was number 201. </p> <p>On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops. Yitzhak Ganon made it back to Greece and found his surviving siblings -- a brother and a sister -- and emigrated to Israel in 1949. He got married. And he swore never to go to a doctor again. "Whenever he was sick, even when it was really bad," his wife Ahuva says, "he told me it was just fatigue."</p> <p>But now Ganon is happy he finally went to the hospital after his heart attack. One week later, he had another heart attack, and was given a pacemaker. "If the doctors hadn't been there," he says, smiling for the first time, "I would be dead now." Yitzhak Ganon has survived, again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Source: <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,666327,00.html">Der Spiegel</a><br /></p>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-84666291477040684802010-01-17T12:37:00.001-08:002010-01-17T12:42:36.775-08:00Some Good News; Decent Greeks Decry Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N1blqOIkI/AAAAAAAAAVM/miFtXf8I07o/s1600-h/mj.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N1blqOIkI/AAAAAAAAAVM/miFtXf8I07o/s320/mj.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427811092737696322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N1SdHvA4I/AAAAAAAAAVE/bztTjepiPeg/s1600-h/genimage.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/S1N1SdHvA4I/AAAAAAAAAVE/bztTjepiPeg/s320/genimage.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427810935826744194" border="0" /></a><span id="MiraWebMsgHeader"><table class="readTableHeader" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr style="padding-left: 3px;"><td class="genBoldLabel" width="5%" align="right" nowrap="nowrap"><br /></td><td colspan="2" nowrap="nowrap"><br />Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos</td></tr> <tr style="padding-left: 3px;"><td class="genBoldLabel" align="right" nowrap="nowrap">Subject:</td><td colspan="2">Christians citizens demonstrate in support of Jewish cemetery in Ioann ina</td></tr> <tr style="padding-left: 3px;"><td class="genBoldLabel" align="right" nowrap="nowrap">To:</td><td colspan="2"> <span id="dropdown" addr="Undisclosed-recipients:;" class="genPulldown" onmouseover="'javascript:try" onmouseout="'javascript:try"> <span onclick="'javascript:eUI.address_default(this," id="etd_Undisclosed-recipients%3A%3B">Undisclosed-recipients:;</span> <span class="noprint" onmousedown="'return"> <img src="https://mail.ramapo.edu/images/eui/gen_address_dropdown.gif" border="0" /> </span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </span> <input name="msgid" value="9" type="hidden"> <input name="uid" value="2721" type="hidden"> <input name="mbox" value="user.jweisber" type="hidden"> <div style="padding-left: 3px; height: 100%;" id="MiraWebMsgDiv"><br /><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:'Tahoma','sans-serif';font-size:12pt;" target="_blank" >Normally I would wait for our monthly e-newsletter to pass on recent news from Greece, but some news deserves to be passed on immediately, especially when it is such good news.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>Too often, negativity makes the front page.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>In recent years, anti-Semitism is all too prevalent.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>What then can be more emotionally rewarding than to pass on the news of a recent mass demonstration against anti-Semitism?<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>Where did this demonstration take place?<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>In Ioannina!<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>It was organized by the Christian citizens of the city and was heralded as a “a human chain against racism.” The cemetery was surrounded by the citizens of Ioannina to show their support for the Jewish community of the city and to publically show their outrage at recent desecrations of Jewish tombstones.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>In addition, a public exhibition was held, highlighting the ancient Jewish presence in the city and the importance of the Jewish cemetery as a monument to the long Jewish presence in Ioannina.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>The committee that organized the public display of support made the following statement: “The Jewish cemetery is not only the religious space of the Jewish Community but, also, a cultural monument of our city, the protection of which, like other historical monuments of our city, is the duty of every citizen.”<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></span>Let us all applaud the good citizens of Ioannina who organized and took part in this historic event.<span style="" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Photos of the event can be found in the attachments.</span></span></span></p><br /><br />Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos<br />Museum Director<br />Kehila Kedosha Janina<br />280 Broome Street<br />NYC, NY 10002</div>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-59202048498539519082010-01-17T12:12:00.000-08:002010-01-17T12:44:54.799-08:00Jew Hatred Flourishes on the Island of Crete. Hania Synagogue Attacked Again! When will this end?With shock and sadness I forward this report received from my friend Nikos Stavroulakis of a destructive fire two nights ago at the restored and much-loved Etz Hayyim synagogue in Hania, Crete. The fire severely damaged the recently restored ezrat nashim (former women's section) of the historic synagogue, and entirely destroyed the library and computer stations. Additional damage from soot and water to the rest of the structure and furnishing can be repaired, but at a considerable cost.<br /><br />Here is Dr. Stavroulakis's report in full (also posted on the Etz Hayyim blog with more photos):<br /><br />At approximately 12:20-1:00 AM on the night of the 5th January, a serious attack was made on the fabric of the Synagogue. One or two or even more individuals made their way into the south garden of the synagogue by climbing over the iron gate. Subsequent to this they set about making an improvised incendiary device by tearing open a large Ottoman cushion in the mikveh and then with the contents stuffed a canister that was filled with some flammable liquid which was then set afire under the wooden stair of the ezrat nashim. (The upper floor of the women’s section (ezrat nashim) serves as the office of the director as well as a library and reading room and contains valuable books in various languages on Ottoman, Byzantine and Jewish art and architecture as well as resource books on European and Near Eastern History from pre-historic times as well as a large section on Cretan history. A computer and CD player with over 150 CDs of Sephardic liturgical and secular music were also kept in the office.)<br /><br /><br /><br />Within probably minutes the assailants had taken off and the fire produced smoke that poured into the synagogue proper and then out into the street through the oculus in the facade of the synagogue.<br /><br /><br /><br />Yannis Pietra, an Albanian emigrant living not far from the Synagogue, smelled the smoke and looking into the street saw it belching out of the facade and called the police, fire-station and then set off to find the director who arrived not long after along with Besnik Seitas the handyman of the Synagogue. At roughly the same time a young Moroccan, Nasr Alassoud, also traced the smoke that was coming down the street to the harbor. He proved to be a much needed hand by the director. By 1:45 AM the fire brigade had extinguished the fire and the police had begun their work. But the residual damage was only going to be apparent the next day.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anja Zuckmantel-Papadakis, our librarian and her husband arrived not long after the fire was extinguished. What was quite notable was the lack of ‘locals’ despite the quite incredible noise of the synagogue alarm system and sirens from the two fire engines screeching through the neighborhood. What was even more disturbing and an obvious sign of a lack of civic responsibility was the apparent lack of sensitivity to the fact that had the synagogue been engulfed in flames at least half of the old city of Hania would have gone up in flames as the narrow streets and inaccessible quarters would have prevented access by the fire brigades.<br /><br /><br /><br />By 7:00 AM a deposition was made by the director with the police and the somewhatience of assessing the damage done was carried out. Members or the Synagogue fraternity: Paola Nikotera, Konstantine Fischer, Sam Cohen and David Webber were on hand to examine what had taken place – to books, structure as well as to assist the police in establishing evidence part of which was a bar of soap that had been thrown against the outer wall. (A common anti-semitic quip in Greek runs…’I'll make you into a bar of soap!’) As the mains of the Synagogue had been disconnected in the course of extinguishing the fire, we were informed that it would perhaps take up to a week to have them reconnected. The prospect was met when Mr Giorgos Archontakis, an engineer, offered to help us with this. As we were dealing with this, Angeliki Psaraki our photographer arrived to take pictures of the damage and later with Mr Archontakis. These two were successful in submitting the necessary papers to the Electric Company and by 5:00 PM we had electricity again which considerably raised morale though the damage by now was even more apparent.<br /><br />The Siphrei Torah were fortunately well protected in their Ehal but the walls of the interior of the sanctuary as the wooden ceiling have been streaked and covered by water laden soot as well. Much of the naked stone on the interior has been badly stained and by early evening we set in motion plans for the cleaning of the walls and even ordered the scaffolding. By late evening our carpenter, Mr Manthos Kakavelakis had taken measurement for the new stair as the old one was completely gutted in the fire and we had discussed the creation of a solid stone wall to protect the new library entrance. This structure will be articulated so as to include the entrance to the mikveh. All of the carpets of the synagogue (some 30 odd and most of them antique Turkish) had been covered with soot and messed about by the fire-fighters and police. These have been packed up in readiness for cleaning.<br /><br />On the 6th January, a day after the fire we assembled together to recite Shaharith prayers at 9:00 as is our custom.<br /><br /><br /><br />The atmosphere was understandably sombre but the director – Mr Stavroulakis – tried to divert some of the understandable anger by looking over what had happened over the past 24 hours or so. We must be angry over what has happened to our synagogue. If we were not it would be an indication that we were either indifferent or morally numb. But exactly against what is our anger directed? The urban context in which Etz Hayyim figures at this moment must be considered carefully and any indifference on the part of the citizens to the material fabric of this city and its collective ‘psyche’ is tantamount to abetting to a degree the desecration of monuments, of homes and sites of common meeting. What we must be angry about is the ignorance that determines racism, discrimination or badly examined lives.<br /><br /><br /><br />We have tried at Etz Hayyim to be a small presence in the midst of what is at times almost aggressive ignorance. We have done this to such a degree that our doors are open from early in the morning until late in the day so that the Synagogue assumes its role as a place of prayer, recollection and reconciliation. In many ways we have been successful through this quiet presence – perhaps our ‘silent presence’ wears not too well on some and is even a source of annoyance to others. Often I have pointed out that we are perhaps the only synagogue of significance in Greece, possibly Europe, where there is little if any overt sign of protective security. Hand-bags are not checked, ID cards and passports are not examined, and one is not obliged to sign in. This character of the Synagogue must not change and the doors must remain open – or we have given in to the ignorance that has perpetrated this desecration. Our awareness of what ignorance can do to us will certainly determine how certain repairs are to be made – but at the same time we must be cautious about allowing ignorance to affect or determine the nature of our presence. We will have a heavy burden of funding the necessary renovations and we hope that you as either old friends or new ones will assist us.<br /><br />Any donations will be deeply appreciated and, of course, welcome.<br /><br />ALPHA BANK (Hania, Crete)<br /><br />Account name: Friends of Etz Hayyim<br /><br />Account # 776-002101-087154<br /><br />IBAN: GR74 0140 6600 7760 0210 1087 154<br /><br />Nicholas Hannan-Stavroulakis / Director Etz Hayyim Synagogue/ Hania<br /><br />In the USA, tax-deductible charitable contribution will also be received by the International Survey of Jewish Monuments (ISJM). Checks can be sent to ISJM, P.O. Box 210, 118 Julian Place, Syracuse, NY 13210. Write "Hania" on the memo line. 100% of all funds will be transferred for use by Etz Hayyim.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos<br />Museum Director<br />Kehila Kedosha Janina<br />280 Broome Street<br />NYC, NY 10002Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-5840981643668304622010-01-06T14:16:00.000-08:002010-01-06T14:17:12.282-08:00More Details on the attack on the Synagogue in Crete<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Friends,</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">At approximately 12:20-1:00 AM on the night of the 5th January, a serious attack was made on the fabric of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_0">Synagogue</span>. One or two or even more individuals made their way into the south garden of the synagogue by climbing over the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_1">iron gate</span>. Subsequent to this they set about making an improvised <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_2">incendiary device</span> by tearing open a large Ottoman cushion in the mikveh and then with the contents stuffed a canister that was filled with some flammable liquid which was then set afire under the wooden stair of the ezrat nashim. (The upper floor of the women's section (ezrat nashim) serves as the office of the director as well as a library and reading room and contains valuable books in various languages on Ottoman, Byzantine and Jewish art and architecture as well as resource books on European and Near Eastern History from pre-historic times as well as a large section on Cretan history.<br /><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">A computer and CD player with over 150 CDs of Sephardic liturgical and secular music were also kept in the office.<br /><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Within probably minutes the assailants had taken off and the fire produced smoke that poured into the synagogue proper and then out into the street through the oculus in the facade of the synagogue.<br /><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> Yannis Pietra, an Albanian emigrant living not far from the Synagogue, smelled the smoke and looking into the street saw it belching out of the facade and called the police, fire-station and then set off to find the director who arrived not long after along with Besnik Seitas the handyman of the Synagogue. At roughly the same time a young Moroccan, Nasr Alassoud, also traced the smoke that was coming down the street to the harbor. He proved to be a much needed hand by the director. By 1:45 AM the fire brigade had extinguished the fire and the police had begun their work. But the residual damage was only going to be apparent the next day. Anja Zuckmantel-Papadakis, our librarian and her husband arrived not long after the fire was extinguished. What was quite notable was the lack of ‘locals’ despite the quite incredible noise of the synagogue alarm system and sirens from the two <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_3">fire engines</span> screeching through the neighborhood. What was even more disturbing and an obvious sign of a lack of civic responsibility was the apparent lack of sensitivity to the fact that had the synagogue been engulfed in flames at least half of the old city of <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_4">Hania</span> would have gone up in flames as the narrow streets and inaccessible quarters would have prevented access by the fire brigades. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">By 7:00 AM a deposition was made by the director with the police and the somewhat depressing experience of assessing the damage done was carried out. Members of the Synagogue fraternity: Paola Nikotera, Konstantine Fischer, Sam Cohen and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_5">David Webber</span> were on hand to examine what had taken place – to books, structure as well as to assist the police in establishing evidence part of which was a bar of soap that had been thrown against the outer wall. (A common anti-semitic quip in Greek runs...'I'll make you into a bar of soap!') As the mains of the Synagogue had been disconnected in the course of extinguishing the fire, we were informed that it would perhaps take up to a week to have them reconnected. The prospect was met when Mr Giorgos Archontakis, an engineer, offered to help us with this. As we were dealing with this, Angeliki Psaraki our photographer arrived to take pictures of the damage and later with Mr Archontakis. These two were successful in submitting the necessary papers to the Electric Company and by 5:00 PM we had electricity again which considerably raised morale though the damage by now was even more apparent.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The Siphrei <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_6">Torah</span> were fortunately well protected in their Hekhal but the walls of the interior of the sanctuary as the wooden ceiling have been streaked and covered by water laden soot as well. Much of the naked stone on the interior has been badly stained and by early evening we set in motion plans for the cleaning of the walls and even ordered the scaffolding. By late evening our carpenter, Mr Manthos Kakavelakis had taken measurement for the new stair as the old one was completely gutted in the fire and we had discussed the creation of a solid stone wall to protect the new library entrance. This structure will be articulated so as to include the entrance to the mikveh. All of the carpets of the synagogue (some 30 odd and most of them antique Turkish) had been covered with soot and messed about by the fire-fighters and police. These have been packed up in readiness for cleaning.<span> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">On the 6th December, a day after the fire we assembled together to recite Shaharith prayers at 9:00 as is our custom. The atmosphere was understandably sombre but the director – Mr Stavroulakis – tried to divert some of the understandable anger by looking over what had happened over the past 24 hours or so. We must be angry over what has happened to our synagogue. If we were not it would be an indication that we were either indifferent or morally numb. But exactly against what is our anger directed? The urban context in which Etz Hayyim figures at this moment must be considered carefully and any indifference on the part of the citizens to the material fabric of this city and its collective 'psyche' is tantamount to abetting to a degree the desecration of monuments, of homes and sites of common meeting. What we must be angry about is the ignorance that determines racism, discrimination or badly examined lives. We have tried at Etz Hayyim to be a small presence in the midst of what is at times almost aggressive ignorance. We have done this to such a degree that our doors are open from early in the morning until late in the day so that the Synagogue assumes its role as a place of prayer, recollection and reconciliation. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">In many ways we have been successful through this quiet presence – perhaps our ‘silent presence’ wears not too well on some and is even a source of annoyance to others. Often I have pointed out that we are perhaps the only synagogue of significance in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_7">Greece</span>, possibly <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_8">Europe</span>, where there is little if any overt sign of protective security. Hand-bags are not checked, ID cards and passports are not examined, and one is not obliged to sign in. This character of the Synagogue must not change and the doors must remain open – or we have given in to the ignorance that has perpetrated this desecration. Our awareness of what ignorance can do to us will certainly determine how certain repairs are to be made – but at the same time we must be cautious about allowing ignorance to affect or determine the nature of our presence.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">We will have a heavy burden of funding the necessary renovations and we hope that you as either old friends or new ones will assist us. Any donations will be deeply appreciated and, of course, welcome. <br /><br /><br />Nicholas Hannan-Stavroulakis / Director <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1262816101_9">Etz Hayyim Synagogue</span>/ Hania<br /><br />Parados Kondylakis<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">P O Box 251,<br />Hania 73100, Crete</span></span>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-25888682196517149042010-01-05T10:52:00.000-08:002010-01-05T10:54:30.582-08:00Small fire extinguished inside Hania's old quarter synagogue(ΑΝΑ-ΜPA) -- A small fire was reported in the early morning hours of Tuesday inside a synagogue in Hania's historic old quarter, on the island of Crete. <p> According to fire brigade reports, the blaze was centred under a wooden ladder that leads to the library. </p><p> Firefighters immediately rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire before it threatened the temple and the adjoining library, which features roughly 1,600 rare books and manuscripts.</p><p> Authorities in the Cretan port city said the synagogue's main doors were locked and that the alarm system sounded when firefighters broke down the main gate to enter the building.</p><p> However, a full investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.</p><p> The medieval synagogue in Hania's old quarter is amongst the most noted Jewish temples in Greece, functioning as both a cultural centre and a house of worship. </p>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-10029480279758815472008-11-30T02:11:00.000-08:002008-11-30T02:12:09.792-08:00Jewish Geneaology in Italy<a href="http://www.italian-family-history.com/jewish/genealogy.html">http://www.italian-family-history.com/jewish/genealogy.html</a>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-66322118579515376802008-04-14T09:55:00.000-07:002008-04-14T09:57:52.306-07:00An interesting article on the Romaniote Jews<a href="http://www.vivid.ro/index.php/issue/90/page/feature/tstamp/1202906886">http://www.vivid.ro/index.php/issue/90/page/feature/tstamp/1202906886</a>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-91243598207468066492007-11-22T21:34:00.000-08:002007-11-28T03:07:01.241-08:00An interview with the grandson of a Romaniote Greek-Jewish war hero<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/R0zUvSatBJI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/SjUBSESv9g4/s1600-h/n773776755_152824_9772.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137715183785673874" style="" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/R0zUvSatBJI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/SjUBSESv9g4/s320/n773776755_152824_9772.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/R0zUqSatBII/AAAAAAAAAHI/QX0Ogr535zM/s1600-h/Mordechai-frizis.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137715097886327938" style="" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/R0zUqSatBII/AAAAAAAAAHI/QX0Ogr535zM/s320/Mordechai-frizis.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/R0zJoCatBHI/AAAAAAAAAHA/C6vSlBKLpZ4/s1600-h/Mordechai-frizis.jpg"></a><br /><div><div>Rabbi Mordechai Frizis (pictured, top) is the Grandson -as well as namesake- of a famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordechai_Frizis">Greek- Jewish war hero </a>(pictured, bottom).<br /><br />Born and raised in Athens , he served for a time as the Rabbi of Salonika (once known as the 'Jerusalem of the Balkans') before making aliya. He currently resides with his wife and daughter in Israel.</div><br /><div><em>What was it like growing up Jewish in Greece? did you experience allot of anti-Semitism? if yes, was it mostly racially or religiously motivated?</em> </div><br /><div>Growing up in Greece as a Jew, is not so easy, either physically or spritually but mainly spiritually. I was raised in the Jewish community of Athens untill the age of 18. Me and my family were very involved in the life of the community (Synagogue, Jewish primary school etc.) My father and I were also elected members of the community's board.<br /></div><div>Greek society is a very traditional Orthodox Christian society, with little tolerance of anyone who is different.Of course there is anti-Semitism in Greece. The motives are many:</div><br /><div>a) Religious motives: First of all, the Jews are the 'killers' of Jesus, servants of Satan & the anti-Christ, some people believe until today that we drink Christian blood on Pesach, and that we are subhuman. When I was in High School, one of my classmates-upon finding out that I was Jewish- was incredulous, where were my horns and tail she asked. Many Christians believe that Israel is Satan's work & that Jews and Zionists rule over all the governments of the world. For them we are the Enemy number one, more than Turkey. They believe that the Freemasons, and even the Catholic Pope, are our spies in our total war against Orthodox Christianity and the 'holy' Greek nation...The word 'Jew' means 'Judas', traitor. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion & other anti-Semitic books are legal & best-sellers in Greece.<br /></div><br /><div>b) Racial & nationalistic motives: The religious anti-Semites many times collaborate with neo-Nazi and neo-fascist groups but there is a difference between them. Some neo-Nazis preach against everything Jewish, even against Jesus and Christianity. Some prominent professors at the University have similar ideas and they preach for a new pagan Greece free from all Jewish influence.Most of the Nazis and fascists (they are legal in Greece) continue to have good relations with the Orthodox Christian Church and they preach for a bigger Greece (see Byzantine empire), sans immigrants and of course Jews. Today in Greece there is a big fascist\orthodox Christian and anti-Semitic party inside the Greek parliament (L.A.O.S).Some Nazis admire openly the Holocaust, but most of them deny it altogether as a Jewish-Zionist conspiracy.There is a lot of anti-Semitic graffiti in public places and also many times Nazis vandalize Jewish cemeteries.<br /></div><br /><div>c) Political\leftist\anti-Zionist motives: In Greece there are also a big number of anti-Zionist\anti-American Socialists and Communists. In theory they are against racism and anti-Semitism, but when they speak against Israel and Zionism, there are no practical differences between them and the Nazis. Most of the media speak like this; We are the 'killers' of Arab babies, imperialists, racists, fascists, the real enemies of all healthy humanity, the bosses of the US and Bush...Very often there are huge pro-'Palestinian' rallies in Greece. They openly support Hamas, Hezbollah, Sadam-'the martyr' and Al-Qaeda!When the Twin Towers were attacked, many Greeks were happy...Some said that it was a heavenly 'punishment' or another Jewish conspiracy...Personally, when I went to a public high school (in Greece we do not have a Jewish one) I met all of these kinds of anti-Semites first hand. For many classmates and even for the teachers I was an alien, not a real Greek!<br /><br />Many times a found my desk vandalized with Nazi, anti-Semitic and pro-Arab graffiti, and sometimes I had physical fights with some anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi bullies. In those years ('94-'95) I started to publish articles in some prominent newspapers about the problem of anti-Semitism in Greece.Also some prominent TV programs invited me to speak about the situation, after a violent attack of neo-Nazis against a female high-school student.The central Jewish Greek committee didn't like that. For them, everything had to be ok, For them there was never any anti-Semitism in Greece...Many times they tried to prevent me from speaking or writing in public about the manner. For some of them I was an 'extremist'...Unfortunately, many Jews didn’t exactly admire their Jewishness, some are also ashamed of it, either because they didn’t want to be the 'alien' or the 'enemy', or because of fear (this is also one of the main reasons for the high rate of assimilation in Greece). When I became Rabbi of the Jewish community of Salonika, 4 years ago, I didn't see any difference in the situation.Let's hope that with G-d's will, the Jewish youth will give a chance to Judaism, Zionism & Aliyah to Israel, rather than assimilation & 'compromise' with the situation, because we don't know what will be in the future (this year in a formal gallop poll 25% of the Greeks vote that they don't want to have Jewish neighbors living next door to them)!<br /><br /><em></em></div><div><em>You are named after your grandfather who was a Greek war hero, do you feel a strong connection to the man?</em><br /><br /></div><div>About my grandfather, yes I can say that I have a strong connection with his image. I grew with all these stories about him. Unfortunately, for many decades his name and actions were not known to the public, because of his Jewishness. After many efforts on the part of my father, the truth about his heroism, started to be revealed at last in a part of the Greek society.He (Mordechai) loved Greece, as he loved Judaism. Even though he was a major officer in the army, he was a traditional Jew and also a Zionist (for a period he was the president of the Zionist organization of the Jewish community of Halkida).The merit of his heroism saved his family during the days of the German occupation.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>When the Nazis demanded that every Jew of the area of Athens had to go to the offices of the community and give all their information to be written in catalogues, my grandmother took my father anf his two older sisters and went there. They chose a line and when their turn arrived, my grandmother started to give information. When the clerk, who was a Greek Christian non-Nazi veteran soldier, heard our family name, he immediately asked if she had any connections with the general Frizis. My grandmother said that she was his widow. He stopped writing, and quietly said: 'I was one of his soldiers. Listen to me-I will not write your name down. Take your children and don't come back here, never!'...Today, as a religious Jew, I think that it was a pity that he gave his life for a foreign land (it wasn't easy for him to become a major, because of his Jewishness), but I respect his heroism and his willingness to sacrifice for a cause that he believed in.<br /><br /><br /><em>You are a Romaniote Jew, many Jews (let alone regular people) are completely ignorant of this community and their unique customs. Many Jews tend to lump all Greek Jews together and label them conveniently Sephardim. Also, the study of Greek Jews and their experiences during the Holocaust is woefully inadequate. What do you think is a good solution to mend this problem?</em><br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Unfortunately, the special customs of the ancient communities of the Romaniote Jews today are almost forgotten. The biggest Romaniote community of Yannina, before World War II, was almost completely destroyed during the Holocaust.The Jews of modern Greece, are mostly not religious. Some of them are simply traditional. About the customs of the elders (both Romaniote & Sepharadi), there is a big confusion in the minds of the younger generations.Also about the Holocaust, Jews from Greece are astonished when they find other Jews that know nothing about their tragedy.The last years, here in Israel, there are efforts to teach about the Holocaust, as not only an Ashkenazi tragedy.On the other hand, many Jews are surprised to find out, that Jews exist in Greece altogether. It seems that generally we have a lack of education.</div><br /><div><em>You have since relocated to Israel, may I ask what motivated you to do so and would you recommend it to others?<br /></em></div><br /><div>I had two basic motives for my Aliyah:<br /></div><div></div><div>A) One positive: I grew in a very traditional & Zionist family. Israel always was our spiritual homeland.<br /></div><div></div><div>B) One negative: The anti-Semitism in school, made me feel more Jewish & Zionist than before.<br /></div><div>I remember myself at the age of 14, drawing Israeli flags in my textbook in high school...Ideologically, I believe that there will and must be an end to all Jewish 'Diaspora', exile & 'galut', not only in small communities like Greece, but also in the big ones, like US, France, Argentina, etc.I recommend Aliyah, even if it is not an easy step, at all. Life in Israel is not simple at all, but only here, even with all the problems, we have a special destiny & real hope as a nation!<br /></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em>Is there a Greek Jewish community in Israel and are you involved in it?</em><br /></div><br /><div>There were Jewish Greek communities in Israel, before and after World War II, like in Jaffa, Haifa, Tel-Aviv & Jerusalem.Today the children of these Greek Jews are totally Israeli in culture.There is also a Kibbutz, but most of the 'real' Greeks there are elders.There is a very tiny Aliyah of young Jews from Greece today and we are in contact with most of them.<br /></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em> </div><div><em></em> </div><div><em>I know this is a sensitive topic to many but I would love to know your views on the relationship between different sectors of Israeli Jewish society. There are tensions often between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews as well as religious and non-religious. There are also tensions often between the Charedi community and the Dati Leumi one. What do you think is the solution for this?</em><br /><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, these tensions are not healthy at all for our nation.The tensions between Ashkenazi & Sepharadi, today is not as strong as it was in the beginning of the state. In any case, how can we want the Redemption, when we are not ready to become ONE people, with ONE united Halacha for every Jew! The tensions between religious and non-religious, are most of time, products of extreme elements, specifically, small leftist anti-religious groups. The leftist Israeli media often blows it way out of proportion in order to turn the majority of non-religious(but not anti) or traditional Israelis, against the 'dangerous' religious Jews. We have to be clever and explain our points of view with respect to the others, but we need not be apologetic. The tensions between Haredi & Dati Leumi Jews are also a knife in the back of Judaism. Let's just say that in Israel today these tensions are not so endemic and as strong as it was in the past the reason is the quite and <em>parve </em>'zionisation' and 'israelisation' of a large number of young charedi Jews. We have to be more united and look at what connects us rather than what separates us.We have to remember that if we will not be united in a peaceful manner, our enemies, G-d forbid, will do it for us...because an Arab butcher-terrorist or a neo-Nazi skinhead doesn't differentiate between us when he hurts us. For him, Ashkenazi or Sepharadi, religious or non-religious, Zionist or anti-Zionist, rightwing or leftwing, Haredi or Dati Leumi, Israeli or Diaspora Jew, all of us are targets for him!<br /><br /><em>Thank you so much for your time!</em></div></div></div></div>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-53080059254964185462007-11-04T17:31:00.000-08:002007-11-10T16:55:30.126-08:00Greek Romaniote Jews in NY. A visit to a rare Jewish community<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry55OOkdzCI/AAAAAAAAAF0/fPwa9kAtels/s1600-h/DSCN0458.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry55OOkdzCI/AAAAAAAAAF0/fPwa9kAtels/s320/DSCN0458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129170310957747234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry6biukdzEI/AAAAAAAAAGE/3pIJWqB-d0U/s1600-h/DSCN0461.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry6biukdzEI/AAAAAAAAAGE/3pIJWqB-d0U/s320/DSCN0461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129208046540409922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry532ukdy_I/AAAAAAAAAFc/thGrWU3489k/s1600-h/DSCN0443.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry532ukdy_I/AAAAAAAAAFc/thGrWU3489k/s320/DSCN0443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129168807719193586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry54vukdzAI/AAAAAAAAAFk/f2TzkG0HDuE/s1600-h/DSCN0449.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry54vukdzAI/AAAAAAAAAFk/f2TzkG0HDuE/s320/DSCN0449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129169786971737090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry53eukdy-I/AAAAAAAAAFU/4blrZGHU9eQ/s1600-h/DSCN0441.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry53eukdy-I/AAAAAAAAAFU/4blrZGHU9eQ/s320/DSCN0441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129168395402333154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry55A-kdzBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/KWPBW_66Btc/s1600-h/DSCN0450.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/Ry55A-kdzBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/KWPBW_66Btc/s320/DSCN0450.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129170083324480530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kkjsm.org/">This</a> is a spot that I have long wanted to visit but never had a chance to do so. Today I had the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">opportunity</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">personally</span> meet with Marcia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hadad</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ikonomopoulous</span>- the director of the<span style=";font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:85%;" ><strong><em><span style="font-size:100%;"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kehila</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kedosha</span> Janina</span></em></strong></span><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:85%;" ><strong><em></em></strong></span> 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.<br /><br />I also met and chatted with a long-time member of the Synagogue, a dignified gentleman by the name of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Ilias</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Hadjis</span> who arrived in the USA in 1955. Mr. Hadjis<b style="color: black; background-color: rgb(160, 255, 255);"></b>, was born in Athens in 1937, and spent the occupation hiding in the Pilion Mountains and Athens. Here Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Hadjis</span> speaks about the history of the Synagogue and its members:<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzQGg309vevNtXMQRwA9QhrCaKz9XhzIS6VUVL5XfENE4NU8aTOgmSYeeA78hORMDMpJMNJy8102BKs8tsnWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Here Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hadjis</span> 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:<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFNlIaDWnJA8PlcW3n8dO58KpNjGifuHxKgFnr0VXwxyu44K5CxzoEAFGJBtkcXgKJrZ1z_NuHx1E72kAV8A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />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.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-56083452839639649742007-05-03T09:33:00.000-07:002007-11-07T00:30:31.835-08:00What is the difference between Romaniote Jews and Italkim/Bene Roma?I addressed this very question to some eminent historians.<br /><br /><em><strong>According to most of the sources I came across, the term "Romaniote Jews" refers to the "indigenous" Jews of Greece and the Greek isles before the Sephardim settled there.<br /><br />My question is, does this term also apply to the first Jews of Italy (also referred to as 'Italkim' or 'Bene Roma') who are neither Sephardic nor Ashkenazic but have their own distinct customs?<br /><br />According to the website of the Israeli Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the term "romaniotes' does apparently apply to the Roman Jews see <a href="http://www.amalnet.k12.il/meida/art_megama/Jart.doc">here</a> Chapter 4.4 הקהילות היהודיות השונות באיטליה: <strong>רומניוטים (בני רומא – החל מהעת העתיקה </strong><br /><br />And secondly are there any significant differences in customs between the 2 groups (other than language of course)<br /></strong></em><br /><br />These are some of the answers I received.<br /><br /><a href="http://web.gc.cuny.edu/History/pages/profs/gerber.html">Jane Gerber</a> wrote:<br /><br /><em>My understanding is that Romaniote derives from Roma but in the sense of Byzantium, not Rome. I've never heard the term used for Jews of Italy. When speaking of Italian minhag the descriptive term used is Roma as in Rome. Obviously the sound is the same although I don't think that Jews ever thought of the two groups in the same breathe. As for differences in custom, take a look at Rae Dalven's book on the Jews of Janina where she has some interesting data on the differences in liturgy, piyyutim, names etc.<br /><br />Hope this helps clarify. The Janina Synagogue ( Kehilla Kedosha Yanina) on Broome Street in New York has a website that might be of help. Marcia Haddad Idenopolous is a great spokesperson for the Romaniote uniqueness.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Jane Gerber</em><br /><br /><strong>Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos</strong> wrote:<br /><br /><em>Thank you for your question and for your research leading up to it. The term 'Romaniote' was not coined until the Byzantine period and was used by Jews in the 'Eastern' Roman Empire. The scholars now use the term to refer to Hellenized, Greek-speaking Jews, the indigenous Jews of the Eastern Mediterranean. As for the indigenous Jews of Italy, their minhag does have similarities to that of the Romaniotes, both keeping close ties with Jerusalem after the Diaspora. I think the confusion arises because of the term 'Romaniote' which many people [rightly so] interpret as 'from Rome.' The problem is that the 'Rome' the Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews were referring to was in the East, not on the shores of the Tiber River.<br /><br /><br />Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos<br />Museum Director<br />Kehila Kedosha Janina<br />280 Broome Street<br />NYC, NY 10002</em><br /><br /><a href="http://rosenzweig.huji.ac.il/Staff/mendesflohr.htm">Paul Mendes-Flohr</a> wrote:<br /><br /><em>There are Jews who settled in what in the countries currently called Greece and Italy before the destruction of the Second Temple. Their descendents are differentiated from the "Sephardim" who immigrated thither with the expulsion the Jews from Spain and later Portugal. The designation of the former, whom you called the "indigenous" Jews, varies.<br /><br />Bi-vrachah,<br /><br />Paul</em><br /><br /><br /><strong>Randy Belifante</strong> wrote:<br /><br /><em>It seems to me that the term Romaniote Jews applies to the Jews of Greece and that the Jews of Italy is a distinct group. The Romaniote spoke Greek from the time that they left Palestine for Greece at the beginning of the Common Era, and they also maintained a different set of customs and rituals. For a more expert voice on the subject, you might wish to consult with our expert on Greek (and Italian) Jews, Ms. Stella Levi, who is herself from Rhodes. I hope that this has been of some assistance.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Randy Belinfante<br /><br />Randall C. Belinfante M.A.,M.S.,MLS.<br />Librarian / Archivist<br />American Sephardi Federation<br />15 W. 16th street<br />New York, NY 10011<br />(212) 294-8350 x.3<br />RBelinfante@asf.cjh.org </em>Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-61276734745070464622007-03-22T13:11:00.000-07:002007-05-03T08:31:30.097-07:00Franco Don Calo<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/RgLi9mcgoII/AAAAAAAAACQ/OeFZ6_yh0Dg/s1600-h/n505629667_4726_6368.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_vw2A4A3jacM/RgLi9mcgoII/AAAAAAAAACQ/OeFZ6_yh0Dg/s320/n505629667_4726_6368.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5044844080528400514" /></a><br /><br /><br />Franco Don Calo (of an old Roman Jewish family claiming descent of Rabbi Kalonymous* the sage) speaking at a <a href="http://shealtiel.com/shealtiel/home/home.asp?A67">Shealtiel family</a> reunion on the common Davidic ancestry of the two families.<br /><br /><br /><em>*Legend has it that a member of the family -originating in Italy and Provence-was invited to settle in Germany by Charlemagne in 887 and is considered the progenitor of a large part of Ashkenazic Jewry see more <a href="http://www.isragen.org.il/NROS/BIB/SHD/Bonnet/AndresBonet-E.pdf">here</a></em><br /><br />A member of this family, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenio_Cal%C3%B2">Eugenio Calo</a> is considered a national hero in Italy.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-53169420553476647022007-02-11T13:54:00.001-08:002007-05-03T08:31:47.464-07:00The D'ancona family of Toronto Canada; Unlikely Hassidic powerbrokersThe D'anconas are an Old Italian Jewish family, members of which settled in Toronto, Canada and became followers of the Hassidic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobov">Bobov</a> sect.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-4776963564148362282007-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:002007-03-26T13:23:33.028-07:00Bene Roma in the news. Yonatan Bassi, overseer of the Gaza "disengagement" ; A disgrace to Italkim?Dividing the Land / Balancing act <br /><br /><em>FROM HAARETZ ARCHIVES '05</em><br /> <br />By Ari Shavit <br /> <br />The two farmers who met with Yonatan Bassi in his office in Sderot at the end of last week were distraught. Up until the past few days they did not believe the disengagement plan would be implemented. Even now they find it hard to believe it will happen. It can't be, they tell Bassi, who is the head of the government's Disengagement Administration. The grass is growing, the hothouses are full. The thought that all this will be uprooted is so insane. So inconceivable. However, when orders for produce suddenly stopped arriving at the beginning of the week, the penny dropped. Suddenly they looked up from their work and understood that maybe it will happen, after all. Even though there is no way it can. After all, they put everything they had into the hothouses. Into the saplings. Into the rare species. Into the irrigation system and the packing house. Twenty-five years of hard work. <br /><br />Around the table sat members of Bassi's team. For months they have been conducting quiet negotiations with the residents of Gush Katif, the Gaza Strip settlement bloc, which is to be evacuated. They meet with them in distant coffee shops and in remote villages, like Shin Bet security service handlers. They try to persuade them, to break down their wall of denial. In the end, though, it is Bassi himself who is conducting the dialogue with the two agitated farmers. He is the one who shows them the maps. Here, this is the alternative land that has been prepared near Kibbutz Zikim, just north of the Gaza Strip. If they only say the word, if they will only fill out the forms, they can start to move the plants on Sunday. And the rare species. And the irrigation system and the packing house. The 25 years they invested in the receding soil of Gush Katif.<br /><br />Bassi has a round, kind face. In jeans, sandals and knitted skullcap, he talks to the two men as one farmer to another. He suggests that they start slowly, 10 dunams (2.5 acres) at first. They should use the compensation money they will receive for the house to finance the transportation. There is no need to decide now on permanent housing; it is better to wait as the tragedy unfolds, as the emotional storm gathers and passes; it is wrong to make long-term decisions now. But the forms must be filled out immediately. The hothouses. To dismantle the farm. To pack up the house. Within less than four days to move it all inside the Green Line. <br /><br /><br /> <br /><strong>Bassi is 57. He was born in 1948 in Sde Eliahu, a religious kibbutz. He is the offspring of an old Venetian family, and believes he is bringing the spirit of Italian Jewry to this job, too. The moderation, the humanism, the recoiling from fanaticism.</strong> And everything that exists in the Zionism of the Torah and labor. Everything that was lost in the spoilage of 1967. For the past 20 years, Bassi has held a series of land-settlement posts: deputy chairman of the Beit She'an Valley Regional Council; director general of the Beit She'an Valley regional industrial plants; director general of the Agriculture Ministry in Yitzhak Rabin's government; chairman of Mehadrin, a real estate company. However, since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed him head of the Disengagement Administration late last summer, Bassi has been perceived as a traitor by many in the religious Zionist movement. As the evil figure of the disengagement scheme.<br /><br />Like a leper<br /><br />Bassi is pained by this ostracism, but does not regret accepting the appointment. He describes the difficulties faced by his six children, the abuse two of his grandchildren have suffered. He talks about beloved members of the kibbutz who cut him off, treat him like a leper. But he clears his throat and with an embarrassed laugh he says that in retrospect, even the ostracizers will understand. As will the boycotters. Because at this time disengagement is necessary. At this time, disengagement is Zionism.<br /><br />Yonatan Bassi, 40 days before disengagement, is it clear to you what we are facing? Can you tell me what is going to happen?<br /><br />"The scenario looks very clear to me. In the two weeks before the disengagement takes place there will be an exodus. The exodus from Gush Katif. The people who are now trickling out at a very slow pace will become a flow. Two days before `D-Day,' the flow will become a tidal wave. And then, on August 16, there will be a great silence. In my view, when the Israel Defense Forces enters, it will be met by only about a third of the settlers." <br /><br />What you are saying is that just as in some wars the IDF found empty Arab villages, at the moment of the disengagement it will find empty settlements.<br /><br />"Ganim and Kadim [settlements in the northern West Bank] are already outside. They are all on the way to Afula. We have finished paying compensation to the great majority of their residents. Homesh [in the same area] is expected to move to Kibbutz Yad Hannah. The contracts have already been signed. In the northern area [of Gaza] - in Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit - there are about 400 families who, in my estimation, will all leave voluntarily. What remains is Gush Katif. My assessment is that of the 1,100 families there, about half will leave before D-Day and the rest will stay." <br /><br />Meaning that of 8,000 settlers who are slated for evacuation, only about 2,500 will still be in their homes when the IDF knocks at the door. <br /><br />"Correct. But even among those who remain there are many who will board the buses without resisting. Many will be in a situation in which the entire contents of their homes will already have been removed. They will eat breakfast, there will be a knock on the door and they will leave. Very few will resist by force." <br /><br />If that is true, then the trauma everyone is anticipating will not take place. <br /><br />"Don't get confused: The trauma will be terrible. Even for those who will experience it over a cup of coffee, it will be terrible. But the images will not be what people are concerned they will be. There will be resistance at Netzarim, at Atzmona. And maybe by a few families in Neveh Dekalim. But in principle the population of Gush Katif is one of good people who aren't lawbreakers. The one place where things might be different is in Sa-Nur [in the northern West Bank]. Something very bad is liable to develop there." <br /><br />What will it look like in actual fact? On evacuation day, will people have somewhere else to go? <br /><br />"In the first two-three days they will be in hotels. We have prepared a large number of hotel rooms in Be'er Sheva and in Ashkelon. We will sort things out there. If anyone is injured, heaven forbid, during the evacuation, they will be treated. If families are split up, they will be reunited. And then, when the storm passes, whose who have organized a temporary home for themselves will be sent to it. Those who have not will be sent to one of the 600 apartments we have rented or to one of the 600 mobile homes we have prepared." <br /><br />`Two alternatives'<br /><br />What about their belongings? After all, those who will not leave on time will leave all their property behind.<br /><br />"The State of Israel has prepared a shipping container for every family. Those who leave voluntarily will have the container brought to their home so they can pack their things properly. Those who do not leave voluntarily will have their belongings packed by the IDF in the container, which will then be sealed. All the containers will be concentrated at an army base in the south until the people are established in their temporary homes and ask for the container." <br /><br />What about permanent solutions? <br /><br />"In the first stage almost everyone will move to interim quarters. But in the end about 450 families will live in Nitzan and about the same number in the Nitzanim communities [all in the Ashkelon region]. About 200 families will live in Ashkelon and another 200 in the Ashkelon periphery. There will be a community at Yad Hannah and a community at Hafetz Haim [a religious kibbutz] and a community at Mavki'im [a moshav] and perhaps at other places as well. A few hundred others will be scattered around the country." <br /><br />Are there solutions for the farmers, too? <br /><br />"All told, there are about 160 active farmers in Gush Katif. Only 50 of them will want to continue farming. We have allocated them about 1,600 dunams [400 acres] in Zikim and about 400 dunams [100 acres] around Ashkelon. There will be a solution for everyone who wants to go on farming. At most they will have to travel 15 minutes from their house to the hothouse. That is not terrible. It is not a tragedy." <br /><br />According to what you're saying, everything is just fine. <br /><br />"Until not long ago we were under assault. The papers reported that the state is not ready for the evacuation. When I read that I guffawed inside. The state took a giant stride in its preparation for the evacuation. There is nothing that could have been done that we did not do. Look, in the army I was a battalion commander, a brigade commander and a deputy division commander. And I tell you that the IDF did not prepare for any war the way it has prepared for disengagement. The Ministries of Social Affairs, Housing and Education also did incredible work. Contrary to the external image, the State of Israel is a powerful system. It has immense strengths. And I think that the organizing for disengagement is a certificate of maturity for the State of Israel. There are not many democracies that are capable of shouldering a decision like this during peacetime and carrying it out the way Israel is about to do." <br /><br />Do you yourself have any doubts about the decision? <br /><br />"There are about 10 million people living between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. Of them, more than four million are Palestinians. If we say that a population transfer is neither moral not practical, we are left with two alternatives: either to divide the land or to turn Israel into a binational state. Therefore, if we want to maintain a country that is both Jewish and democratic, we have to reduce the geography to augment the demography. To bring about a separation between Jews and Arabs along the ridge of a hillside is difficult. I don't see how it can be done. But to leave Gaza is possible. It can be implemented. At the price of removing 1,500 families from the Gaza Strip, we are ridding ourselves of the demographic and democratic responsibility for 1.4 million Palestinians. This act is so necessary, this act is so right, that in my opinion no rational person can oppose it. The disengagement is a move to save the State of Israel. I am perfectly in harmony with it." <br /><br />Preserving the state<br /><br />Do you view the disengagement as a Zionist act? <br /><br />"Zionism is the desire to build a national home for the Jewish people here. If we do not carry out the disengagement, there will not be a Jewish national home here. There will be only one state, which is liable to be Palestinian. Therefore the disengagement is the realization of Zionism. Anyone who wants to preserve the world's only Jewish state must support disengagement. Without it Zionism does not have a future." <br /><br />But Zionism means planting and you are about to uproot. You are about to carry out a vast act of uprooting. <br /><br />"When the prime minister summoned me and gave me this assignment, he said that only someone who had built and planted could execute it. Only someone who understands what a house is and what a tree is and what a cow is can do this work. And the truth is that today I am a torn individual. I am totally in accord with the rationale of the evacuation, but the feeling is terrible. Terrible. I was the one who established the Gush Katif dairy when I was director general of the Agriculture Ministry. And now I have to retract my own decision. And the people of the moshavim who own the dairy are not cooperating. Because of the political struggle they are not seeing to the future of the cattle. <br /><br />"I have organized an alternative dairy in Be'er Tuvia. And I have also suggested other solutions. It is inconceivable that the dairy will go down the tubes. I am begging the people of Gush Katif to see to the cattle. Have pity on the cows. If we do not evacuate the cows on time and if there is no one to milk them on evacuation day, they will die in great agony." <br /><br />What other issues that you have to deal with do you find especially difficult? <br /><br />"The cemetery. There are 47 graves at Neveh Dekalim, 47 bereaved families. Of them about a dozen are cooperating with us in transferring the graves elsewhere. Two or three say they will commit suicide on the graves of their children. The rest are torn. They don't know what to do. <br /><br />"I, of course, have no complaints to anyone. I do not even judge the political leadership, which is putting heavy pressure on the families. Everyone here is a victim. Everyone is caught up in a tragedy. But in the meantime I have to organize a temporary cemetery and make preparations for the moment when the graves will be evacuated, which is not a simple task. The cemetery stands on soft sand and we have to be very careful to ensure that the bones do not get mixed with one another. And we have to be ready for a situation in which people will have to go to a second funeral for their children a week after they are evacuated. It is one vast hardship after another. A person is still experiencing the trauma of the uprooting and is licking his wounds in a hotel or a caravan he has just arrived at - and already he has to rebury his loved one at a new and strange place, which is not of his choosing. The truth is that it is horrific." <br /><br />`Hamas flag on ruins'<br /><br />You do not like the idea of demolishing the homes, either. Do you find it horrific, too?<br /><br />"I do not like the plan to demolish everything. I really do not like that plan. I do not understand why a Hamas flag on a heap of ruins is better than a Hamas flag on a house that is standing. Symbolically, it may even be worse. It is a kind of symbol of destruction. But in my view it goes beyond that. When all is said and done, we wanted the disengagement to carry some sort of message of a budding of reconciliation. We did not want the message to be one of Nakba ["Catastrophe," the Palestinians' term for what happened after 1948]. But here they are going for a bulldozer solution. They are going to send the treads of the D-9 bulldozers over everything. I find that appalling. I find that contrary to history. <br /><br />"Maybe I am naive. Maybe we need a whole generation of severance so that we can talk with the Palestinians. Still, I hoped that a solution would be found. That the Dutch would pay or that the Americans would buy, so that the hothouses, at least, would remain. So the houses would remain. But now we are going to leave mounds of ruins behind us. We are going to leave behind us an area that will look like an atom bomb was dropped on it. With monstrosities of the twisted steel of the demolished hothouses. With the jutting silhouettes of the destroyed houses. What can I tell you - I think it is terrible. It is a nightmare. This is not what peace looks like; this is what war looks like." <br /><br />Will the demolition be carried out immediately after the evacuation? <br /><br />"No. It is a lot worse. It will be done concurrently. To make sure the settlers do not return, the D-9s will advance with the forces and demolish one settlement after another. And the waste will not be removed, of course. It will remain there for generations. The thought of it gives me chills." <br /><br />But you nevertheless bear the responsibility for all of it. You are the uprooter, the evicter, the demolisher. You are the Sennacherib of Gush Katif.<br /><br />"Why only Sennacherib? They call me Eichmann, you know. Judenrat. I will tell you sincerely: It could be that one of the reasons I supported the idea of leaving the houses is to avoid the need to destroy lawns, trees, streets and homes. Because I truly am a `creating' individual. A builder. And here, suddenly, I am about to plunge the land back into chaos. And the closer it gets, the harder it is for me. The thought of a bulldozer crushing the garden of a family and the house of a family is a nightmare for me. But I remind myself that in Ecclesiastes it says that there is a time to plant and a time to uproot. And even though there is something shocking in all this, I understand that this act is essential. And I think that my role is to see to it that things are facilitated for the settlers, who are undergoing a terrible thing. I think the cardinal test for the State of Israel today is whether it will have the capacity to embrace them, to understand them, identify with them and rehabilitate them." <br /><br />Is Israel doing that? <br /><br />"There are many manifestations of sympathy and empathy. There is a great deal of good will. But, on the other hand, there are expressions of alienation. I was especially outraged by a senior journalist who wrote that he does not understand what the big deal is - after all, it's just moving and he himself has already moved two or three times and it's not so terrible." <br /><br />Why did that anger you so much? <br /><br />"Because it's like not understanding the difference between marriage and rape. The act is the same act. But if it is done voluntarily it has one meaning and if by coercion it has the opposite meaning. Not to understand that the evacuation of Gush Katif is totally different from moving in Tel Aviv is to show terrible insensitivity. That insensitivity infuriates me. I went out of my mind when I read it." <br /><br />It is not your place to be outraged: In your own metaphor you are the rapist. <br /><br />"No. Absolutely not. The rapist is the nation of Israel. The Knesset of Israel, the government of Israel. My task is to be the social worker who is with the rape victim on the day after, and in the year after, until she recovers. And my task is to remember that even though the move is right and necessary, the residents of Gush Katif are its victims. They are the victims of the contradictory decisions of the government of Israel in the 1970s and in the new century."<br /><br />What is the mental state of the settlers? Are you able to conduct a dialogue with them, to discover first-hand what they are undergoing?<br /><br />"They are in a state of vast bewilderment. About half of them are still in a state of denial. Either they do not believe that it will happen or they move between faith and despair. But even among the others, only about 250 families have crossed the Rubicon and submitted forms for compensation. Hundreds of other families are talking to us. But they are afraid. A great many, a very great many, are living a double life. The pressure they are under is really inhuman." <br /><br />Do you accuse the settlers' leadership for in effect terrorizing them? <br /><br />"I do not accuse anyone. My task in this episode is neither that of prosecutor nor judge. After all, I am not being expelled from my home. I do not have the right to judge anyone. But there is one thing that bothers me very much: the children. More than anything else I want to spare the children a trauma. I think that a child must not see his father being dragged off forcefully by soldiers. I think a child must not see his father weeping for his home, which has just been demolished. Experiences like that are liable to cause not only a trauma, but also post-trauma. They are liable to cause the children unimaginable harm. <br /><br />"Therefore, I say that getting children involved in the struggle was a mistake. And the promise the children were given that the evacuation would not take place was dangerous. Even at this late hour I ask the settlers to remove the children from the game. I say to those who intend to resist by force: Fine, resist, but evacuate the children first. Spare the children." <br /><br />You are not talking like the director general of the evacuation; you are talking like a psychologist.<br /><br />"The first thing I did when I assumed this post was to study the evacuation of Yamit [the Israeli area of settlements in northern Sinai, which was evacuated in 1982 under the peace treaty with Egypt]. Studies of the Yamit evacuees show clearly that the greatest harm was done to the children. And the greatest harm was done to those who did not prepare - to those who believed until the last minute that it would not happen, those who continued to work their hothouses until they lifted their eyes and saw IDF soldiers standing at the entrance. <br /><br />"In this I fear that we have failed: We did not succeed in preventing the recurrence of this pattern. We did not succeed in breaching the consciousness of a large number of settlers. That is what concerns me at this time. The resistance will not be great. There is heightened preparedness. But there has been no internalization of what is going to happen. The result is that there will be a terrible trauma and also post-trauma." <br /><br />The trauma will not be confined only to these 8,000 particular settlers - it will affect the entire religious Zionist movement. <br /><br />"True. But there is a positive aspect to that, too. Since the Six-Day War, and more intensively since the Yom Kippur War, the national-religious public has undergone a dangerous process. It has rejected the rational element in the face of the irrational. Instead of going with [Prof. Yeshayahu] Leibowitz and understanding that the concept of `am sgula' [a "chosen," "treasured" or "special" people; see Deuteronomy 7:6] is a demand, they went with Rabbi Kook and believed that am sgula is a promise. That we have the beginning of redemption. That we are promised that the third commonwealth will not be destroyed. That we are on track toward the third Temple. <br /><br />"I think one of the most important results of the disengagement is that it will force the religious Zionist movement to go back to making rational considerations. There will be a great crisis, a severe blow of faith. It is possible that we will see Haredization [a move to ultra-Orthodoxy] on the one hand, and the abandonment of religion on the other. But in the end, I believe that we will return to the correct balance between the rational basis and the irrational basis, between the metaphysical and the physical." <br /><br />What you're saying is that from your point of view, the disengagement is not only the evacuation of 25 settlements, but also a kind of huge act of education - an attempt to bring about the rationalization of religious Zionism.<br /><br />"Just so. We pray three times a day, `May we see your return to Zion in mercy.' We want to return to the Land of Israel. But the question of whether it is the whole land of Israel or half the Land of Israel or a quarter of the Land of Israel is not a religious question. Nowhere in our sources, nowhere, does the concept of `not one inch' appear. There is no imperative of `not one inch.' On the contrary: The concept is one of proceeding slowly, of weighing things realistically. Even if you want Gilead [the biblical area east of the Jordan] to be yours in the end, even if you want Damascus to be yours in the end, you are charged with responsibility for the here-and-now. You are charged with responsibility for the reality in which you live. And if after all the horrors of the 20th century five million Jews have at long last gathered here, we all bear responsibility for them. We must not behave wantonly. And we must also not behave immorally." <br /><br />Has the messianism proved corrupting?<br /><br />"I think that there are elements in messianism which, if we do not struggle against them, are fraught with terrible dangers."<br /><br />Has the occupation inflicted a disaster on us? <br /><br />"Yes. But the occupation was only an instrument. It released from within us the flight from freedom, the flight from rationalism. I am not against messianism. But I am against totalistic messianism. Because totalistic messianism can be lethal. It is liable to bring about a situation in which we will lose this country." <br /><br />You sound like a prominent student of Leibowitz. <br /><br />"There is not a line of Leibowitz's writings that I have not read. He influenced me very deeply. But Leibowitz himself was an extreme person. He too was attracted to the edge, whereas I am looking for the middle. And I am trying to say to my friends: Do not go to the edge. Return to the middle. Return to the balance that we lost immediately after the Six-Day War." <br /><br />Yavneh and its sages? <br /><br />"Yes, Yavneh and its sages. Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai is my exemplary model. An exemplary model of acting within the reality of the situation, of saving Judaism by operating within the reality. My enlistment in this task and my readiness to absorb what I have been absorbing in the past few months stems precisely from that. I see my role in the Disengagement Administration as a mission. The mission is to reduce the trauma, but also to call on my friends to diminish the metaphysical component in our worldview and to expand the realistic component."<br /><br />You know full well that reality will not be content with Gaza, that reality will take us to the next stage, to the West Bank.<br /><br />"The large context of the disengagement plan is two states for two peoples. That is clear. Only the establishment of a Palestinian state will save the Jewish state. But it is clear to me today that it will be impossible to continue along the path in which there is an Arab minority in the Jewish state, but no Jewish minority in the Palestinian state. That is an equation we will not be able to live with over time. It is not fair. It contains an element of Judenrein. Therefore I say today that to the demand for the establishment of two states must be added categorically a demand that a minority of the other nation remain in it." <br /><br />What you are actually saying is that it will be impossible to return to a move of total uprooting of this kind in the West Bank.<br /><br />"Let there be no doubt: We are doing an injustice to 1,500 families. I find that difficult to take. Very difficult. I do not see that we have the internal resilience to cause a similar injustice to a far larger number of families in a different place. When I see how hard it is to move 1,500 families, I ask myself how we will move 15,000." <br /><br />So an additional evacuation in the West Bank is impossible? <br /><br />"I do not know what is possible and what is not. But I don't think that democracy can withstand an act like that. I don't understand those who speak offhandedly of uprooting 50,000 or 60,000 people. When I try to imagine what Gush Katif is soon going to look like, I shudder. Have you ever been to Neveh Dekalim? Can you imagine Neveh Dekalim laid waste? I get chills. Therefore I think that Israel should allow those Jews who so desire, to remain as a minority in Palestinian territory in the future. It will be far better if there are 20 percent Arabs on this side of the line and 20 percent Jews on the other side of the line. Anyone who forgoes that demand is forgoing the demand for peace." <br /><br />If so, the disengagement is the last evacuation.<br /><br />"If the need arises to evacuate, it will be done. If lines have to be shortened, lines will be shortened. But as a comprehensive solution, evacuation is not the right solution. It is not a solution of peace. The right solution is two states for two people with two large minorities."Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543069582057956987.post-18218543063035559152007-02-09T10:22:00.000-08:002007-05-03T08:39:02.555-07:00First a word about the Romaniotes (as distinct from the Bene Roma)According to Wikipedia:<br /><br /><em>The Romaniotes (Greek: Ρωμανιώτες) are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece for more than 2000 years. Their language is Greek. Large communities were located in Thebes, Ioannina, Chalcis, Corfu, Arta, Corinth and on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes and Cyprus, among others. The Romaniotes are historically distinct from the Sephardim, who settled in Greece after the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain.</em><br /><br /><br />The Romaniotes have unfortunately been lumped together with Sephardim (as have most non-Ashkenazim Jews such as the Mountain Jews and Yemenites) but they are a distinct group who are neither Sephardim nor Ashkenazim. They do have a Cutural and genetic affinity however with Ashkenazic Jewry, genetic testing several years ago on Romaniote Jews in senior citizens home has confirmed the latter.Joels W. http://www.blogger.com/profile/07902859333047138964noreply@blogger.com4