More Details on the attack on the Synagogue in Crete

Friends,

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

The Siphrei Torah 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.

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.

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. Any donations will be deeply appreciated and, of course, welcome.


Nicholas Hannan-Stavroulakis / Director Etz Hayyim Synagogue/ Hania

Parados Kondylakis
P O Box 251,
Hania 73100, Crete

Small 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.

According to fire brigade reports, the blaze was centred under a wooden ladder that leads to the library.

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.

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.

However, a full investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.

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.

Jewish Geneaology in Italy

http://www.italian-family-history.com/jewish/genealogy.html

An interesting article on the Romaniote Jews

http://www.vivid.ro/index.php/issue/90/page/feature/tstamp/1202906886

An interview with the grandson of a Romaniote Greek-Jewish war hero

Rabbi Mordechai Frizis (pictured, top) is the Grandson -as well as namesake- of a famous Greek- Jewish war hero (pictured, bottom).

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.

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?

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.

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:

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.

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.

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!

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)!

You are named after your grandfather who was a Greek war hero, do you feel a strong connection to the man?

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.

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.


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?

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.

You have since relocated to Israel, may I ask what motivated you to do so and would you recommend it to others?

I had two basic motives for my Aliyah:

A) One positive: I grew in a very traditional & Zionist family. Israel always was our spiritual homeland.

B) One negative: The anti-Semitism in school, made me feel more Jewish & Zionist than before.

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!

Is there a Greek Jewish community in Israel and are you involved in it?

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.

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?

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 parve '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!

Thank you so much for your time!

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

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

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





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



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

What is the difference between Romaniote Jews and Italkim/Bene Roma?

I addressed this very question to some eminent historians.

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.

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?

According to the website of the Israeli Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the term "romaniotes' does apparently apply to the Roman Jews see here Chapter 4.4 הקהילות היהודיות השונות באיטליה: רומניוטים (בני רומא – החל מהעת העתיקה

And secondly are there any significant differences in customs between the 2 groups (other than language of course)


These are some of the answers I received.

Jane Gerber wrote:

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.

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.

Sincerely,
Jane Gerber

Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos wrote:

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.


Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
Museum Director
Kehila Kedosha Janina
280 Broome Street
NYC, NY 10002

Paul Mendes-Flohr wrote:

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.

Bi-vrachah,

Paul


Randy Belifante wrote:

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.

Regards,

Randy Belinfante

Randall C. Belinfante M.A.,M.S.,MLS.
Librarian / Archivist
American Sephardi Federation
15 W. 16th street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 294-8350 x.3
RBelinfante@asf.cjh.org