Wishing all those who celebrate a Joyous Thanksgiving. There are strong historical connections between Judaism and Thanksgiving. Most of the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving were Puritans, a branch of the Protestant faith. The Puritans strongly identified with the historical traditions and customs of the Israelites in the Bible.

On October 28, Greece stops and remembers Oxi Day when, 80 years ago, the Hellenic Republic stood up to Fascism to prevent the Italian invasion of Greece. Read the article that follows in this newsletter about this important date and the role that Greek Jews played on the battlefield. Hellenes throughout the world will join in the commemoration, even if for most of us it will be virtual.

This year, the High Holiday of Rosh HaShanah ushers in the New Year of 5781, as Jewish families around the world gather for family dinners and wish each other "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." The foods and languages may differ, but the thoughts and prayers are the same. The Shofar is blown; its plaintive cry serves as a call to repentance. This year, 2020, has challenged us in many ways, as a pandemic sweeps across the globe. Rosh HaShanah will be very different this year. We may not have the luxury of large family gatherings. We may not be able to travel to visit loved ones. That does not mean that we will not observe our traditional customs, we will just perform them differently. A major reason for our survival as a people, as the Jewish people, has been our ability to adapt, very often to adversity. We will adapt this year and we will survive.

As we approach the High Holidays, we remind our readers of the tradition of Hashkavoth at Kehila Kedosha Janina. We are not yet sure what the Holidays will be like this year in light of COVID19. Our Board is discussing whether we can be open to celebrate or, if not, what we can do in lieu of gathering together. At Kehila Kedosha Janina, we follow the centuries-old Romaniote custom of our people by reciting Hashkavoth (Memorial Prayers) and the individual names of our dearly departed during the Kol Nidre Yom Kippur Eve service. If you wish to honor your family members or friends in this very special way, please email their names as soon as possible to museum@kkjsm.org.

In July of 1944, the Jewish communities of Rhodes and Kos were rounded up for deportation to Auschwitz Birkenau. Last year, we attended the 75th anniversary of the deportations and this year, the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry was planning to bring one of their annual tours to Rhodes. COVID-19 prevented that. With the help of G-d we will be back in Greece in 2021. This newsletter is dedicated to the Jews of Rhodes and Kos.

In June of 1944, two small Jewish communities in Greece were deported to German concentration camps. This issue will pay tribute to them. In addition, this E-Newsletter is in honor of two very special men who passed in May: Ralph Raphael (age 82) and Alex Samuels (age 93).

This month, we celebrate Shavuot, a Jewish Holiday which, unfortunately is often overlooked. Shavuot is the Biblical Holiday celebrated on Sivan 6 (and 7 in the Diaspora) on the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Sinai. This year it will be celebrated from May 28-30. The Torah is likened to “nourishing milk” which is one reason why we eat dairy on Shavuot. Shavuot means “weeks,” and it celebrates the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period between the second day of Passover and Shavuot. This year, around the world, Shavuot will be quite different in most households as we continue to fight the spread of the coronavirus. We are all in this together.

This month, we celebrate Pesah (Passover), the story of survival, endurance, confronting adversity and how G-d protected us and led us out of Egypt and into Eretz Israel. This year, around the world, Pesah will be quite different in most households as we continue to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Many of us may have to miss the large family gatherings that are symbolic of the Holiday. Our Christian friends may also be deprived of their traditional church services and family dinners. We are all in this together. We have suffered worse in our history. We will survive this. Just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. Please note that both our synagogue and museum are closed until further notice. Understandably, this has caused severe financial hardship. If you see it in your heart to send in a contribution, we would be most grateful.

This month, we celebrate Purim, one of the most colorful and enjoyable Holidays of Judaism. In Greece, this was the Holiday where children received presents and everyone enjoyed dressing up in costumes. We, at Kehila Kedosha Janina, celebrate the Holiday in the traditional Romaniote way. Do join us. Our Spring Holiday schedule is included with this newsletter. To our Christian friends, as they prepare for Easter, we wish them a meaningful Lent.

Monday February 10th marks Tu BiShevat, the beginning of the new year for trees. The holiday originated in the Talmud and was based on the date chosen for calculating the agricultural cycle of taking tithes from the produce of the trees, which were brought as first-fruit offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Tu BiShevat has developed into an ecological holiday that reminds Jews of our connection to the earth and to our role as caretakers of the environment. Some modern practices include donating money to plant trees in Israel or planting trees locally. Such an appropriate holiday for today.

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy Secular New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 2020 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community.

As we close out the secular year of 2019, we wish our Jewish readers a Happy Hanukkah, and our Christian readers a Merry Christmas.

​In the United States, November 11th is commemorated as Veterans’ Day. Originating as Armistice Day it originally remembered the armistice signed in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, ending World War I, the war that was called “The Great War,” and “The War to end all Wars.” Many wars have been fought since, and thousands of lives of both young soldiers and innocent civilians have been lost. It is our wish that we, as human beings, can put an end to this and one day, hopefully, learn to live with each other. This issue is dedicated to Greek Jews, Israeli Jews, and Greek American Jews who fought and died for their countries.

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5780 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anyos Munchos i Buenos. Do join us for holiday services. Our seats are free and our hearts are open.

As we approach the High Holidays, we at Kehila Kedosha Janina, the only Romaniote Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, prepare to celebrate in our historic synagogue and invite all to join us. With our 126th E-Newsletter, we are reminded of how important and special we are. This past summer, as we traveled to Italy and Greece, we were warmly greeted by Jewish communities who now know who we are and applaud our accomplishments.

This past month has been especially busy, with activities across Greece. Our Museum Director was in Greece with a series of tours, sponsored by the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry. More details on the three tours follows.

This Saturday night and Sunday we observe Tisha B’Av, the darkest day in the Jewish calendar. Many calamities have occurred for the Jewish people on this day, including the destruction of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem, first by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and second by the Romans in 70 CE. As we prepare to observe Tisha B'Av, we should have thoughts of Teshuva (repentance) in mind, but we should also contemplate how to strengthen ourselves and our communities. Please join us this Saturday evening August 10 starting at 7:30pm for Minha, Arvith, and Tisha B'Av services.

In the midst of sad news from around the world and a rise of anti-Semitism, we Greek Jews have cause for celebration. In the city of Ioannina, our sister city, where only some 30 Jews live and the Christian population is about 60,000, a Jewish mayor was elected, our own Moisis Eliasaf, President of the Jewish community of Ioannina and Head of Internal Medicine at the University of Ioannina. The people of Ioannina voted for the best man, who happened to be Jewish! Moisis is the first Jew ever elected as Mayor in Greece. See additional articles in this issue about this monumental victory.

From sundown on June 8 to sundown on June 10, Jews throughout the world will celebrate Shavuot, the giving of the Torah. Do join us for morning services on June 9 and June 10 at Kehila Kedosha Janina, where we continue to chant special holiday piyutim according to the Romaniote tradition. The traditional foods eaten are dairy products. Among Greek Jews, cheese bourekas are the favorite.

We are thrilled to announce the latest news from Ioannina: History was made on Sunday June 2, when Moisis Eliasaf, President of the Jewish Community of Ioannina, was elected Mayor of the city of Ioannina. This is the first time that a Jewish person was elected a Mayor in Greece. Kehila Kedosha Janina has a long history with our sister city Ioannina and with Moisis Eliasaf personally. We wish him Mazal Tov, Συγχαρητήρια, and much success! Additional reporting follows in this Newsletter.

This May 19th we will be hosting our fifth annual Greek Jewish Festival, a landmark event that is unique throughout the world. We look forward to seeing you on Broome Street, between Allen and Eldridge, celebrating our special world with food, music, dance and culture.

In April Jews celebrate Pesah, and Christians celebrate Easter. While the coinciding dates might change for those who celebrate the Catholic or Protestant Easter, for Greek Orthodox Christians, the dates always coincide because on the Greek Orthodox calendar, Easter is set on the first full moon after both the Spring Equinox and the beginning of Passover. In Greece, Jews and Christians share many of the same customs and foods for the holidays of Pesah and Easter. 

In March we celebrate Purim, the story of Queen Esther and Mordechai, who foiled the plans of Haman to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire. It is a time of celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people and for Romaniote and Sephardic children to eat sweets and receive presents. Dressing up in costumes was a highlight of the celebration and every time Haman’s name was mentioned, the stamping of feet and the sound of noisemakers are used to drown out his name.

January was a month of remembering the victims of the Holocaust as we and other communities stopped and paid homage to those murdered. In Europe, most countries, including Greece, have remembrance events around January 27th, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year, in the United States, Greek Jewry was remembered by the Consulate of Greece in New York, the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC and the US Congress.

Wishing everyone a joyous Tu B’Shevat, a minor Jewish holiday, this year beginning on January 20th at sundown. "The New Year of the Trees" is one of four "New Years" mentioned in the Mishnah. The earliest-blooming trees in Israel are emerging from their winter sleep and beginning a new fruit-bearing cycle. The holiday is often celebrated in Romaniote and Sephardic Greek Jewish communities with a festive Tu B’Shevat Seder during which we eat of the seven species which the Torah praises: figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, grapes, wheat and barley, and nuts, especially pistachios! May your trees bear fruit and may your families and communities enjoy peace and prosperity in 2019.

As we approach the Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah, we, at Kehila Kedosha Janina, are grateful for our growth within our small Greek-Jewish world and the connections we have made to the outside Jewish and non-Jewish world. We are saddened by the increase in anti-Semitic acts here in the United States and throughout the world. In many ways, Hanukkah is an example of the ability of Jews to overcome persecutions. As a people, we will overcome. As a community, we will persevere. We are forever thankful for the support and love we receive. This love strengthens us and enables us “to go from strength to strength” (לעבור מכוח לכוח).

In the United States, the secular Holiday of Thanksgiving is very popular. It is a great time to eat and incorporate traditional family recipes into the Holiday celebration. The most important aspect of Thanksgiving is often forgotten. It is a day to be thankful. We at Kehila Kedosha Janina are thankful every day for so much. We are thankful for our community, our growth, our vibrancy and for the lovely people we constantly meet.

As we start the New Year (5779) we are overjoyed with the strength and vitality G-d has given us. We see boundless possibilities for the growth of our precious Romaniote community and are so grateful for the productive collaboration we have seen with Sephardic communities here in New York, throughout the United States and world-wide.

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5779 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community.

As we approach the High Holidays, we at Kehila Kedosha Janina, the only Romaniote Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, prepare to celebrate in our historic synagogue and invite all to join us. With our 113th E-Newsletter, we are reminded of how important and special we are. In July, we had the opportunity to visit both Romaniote and Sephardic communities in the Balkans, making important connections and educating others on who we are. Through the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry, the Matza family enjoyed a special tour to their roots, Sephardic Rhodes and Romaniote Ioannina, passing their heritage on to the next generation.

June has been another busy month, with our Museum Director visiting both Washington DC and Israel, forging new connections for our Greek-Jewish community. This newsletter is dedicated to Anna Benjamin Asser and Esther Stone, both of whom left us recently. In July we remember the 9th of Av, a date that is painful for all Jews, as we mourn the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans.

May has been an especially busy month at Kehila Kedosha Janina, as we held, not only our 4th Annual Greek Jewish Festival but, also, our first International Shabbaton preceding it with visiting rabbis from Sephardic communities throughout the United States and, representing the Romaniote world, our own Chaim Kofinas, and Rabbi Gabriel Negrin from Athens Greece.

As we approach the Jewish Holiday of Shavuot, let us pause and reflect on the challenges we face and the gifts we have received. Our world is increasingly challenging, as we, as Jews and, especially, as Greek Jews, face conflicts in the secular worlds we live in. We are forever grateful for the gift of the Torah, with its wisdom and strength, to guide us through troubled times.

We wish Jews throughout the world a joyous Pessach. Do join us at Kehila Kedosha Janina for services. We wish all our Greek-Orthodox Christian friends Kalo Pascha. Don’t forget our annual Greek Jewish Festival on Sunday May 6th.

We wish Jews throughout the world a joyous Pessach. Do join us at Kehila Kedosha Janina for services. We wish all our Greek-Orthodox Christian friends Kalo Pascha.

We wish all our Jewish friends a Happy Purim. Purim in Ioannina was the most popular holiday, a time for children and adults to dress in costume and read the Megilat Esther. Both Esther (in all its variations; Astro, Estir, Steroula, Sterina and Stella) and Mordechai were popular Yanniote names.

As we start the secular year of 2018, we marvel that this is our 106th E-newsletter, and that it has been almost 9 years of reaching out to a continuously growing audience of Greek Jews, Greek-Orthodox Christians and the many who have become interested in our special world. Our first newsletter in February of 2008 was a mere 6 pages long and reached about 1,000 households around the world. We now reach over 8,500 households and rarely is our newsletter less than 20 pages.

Our heartfelt wishes for a healthy and happy Hanukkah and, for those who celebrate Christmas, a joyous Holiday filled with the gifts of love. To all, our wishes for a 2018 where peace will pervade the world, unity will prevail, and we will emphasize what we share in common, rather than what divides us.

As the secular year winds down, we look back over 2017 and are heartened by the vibrancy of our community and the connections we have made with Jewish communities in Greece and Greek and Sephardic Jewish communities throughout the United States. Not only have we created a legacy, we are now assured of a future.

This newsletter is dedicated to the strength and perseverance of the Jews of Greece. A delegation from Kehila Kedosha Janina was honored to spend the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur in Greece and wish to thank our Greek Jewish friends for the love and spirit of Judaism that they shared with us. Photos will follow in this newsletter.

We wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5778 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anyos Munchos i Buenos.

Returning from a month of touring Greece, Cyprus and Israel with two special groups, this E-Newsletter is dedicated to our Greek Jewish Community, both in Greece and in the Diaspora who have had the passion, commitment and wisdom to pass on our special culture and traditions to the next generation. After this month, we are so much more secure in the future of our community than ever before.

We would like to thank those who donated to help repair the earthquake damaged synagogue in Ioannina with special thanks to Kehila Kedosha Janina and The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry. More funds are needed. Please donate generously. This is our heritage. As one of our board members, Jesse Colchamiro, passionately said, “If there is no synagogue in Ioannina, what will my grandchildren and great-grandchildren see when they visit the homeland of our family?

We thank all our friends who attended our third annual Greek Jewish Festival. It was an unbelievable success and we thank those who came, those who financially supported us and those who bragged about us on social media. We welcomed old friends and made new friends as our community continues to grow – over 8,000 people attended! Do check out our photos in this newsletter and on our Facebook Page (Kehila Kedosha Janina). As we catch our breath, we prepare for our festival in 2018!

As we finish commemorating Yom HaShoah, and prepare for Yom Hazikaron (National Day of Remembrance for those who died in defense of Israel) and Yom Ha-Atzma'ut (Israeli Independence Day), we will be publishing photos of Greek Jewish children orphaned by the Holocaust who were sent to Palestine shortly before the establishment of the State of Israel.

We wish Jews throughout the world a joyous Pesach. Do join us at Kehila Kedosha Janina for services (see attachment for schedule). We wish all our Greek-Orthodox Christian friends Kalo Pascha.

On February 22 we were honored by the visit of Rav Elia Richetti, former Rabbi of Venice and Trieste, who performed Chazanut from Norther Italy. The program was brought to us by our friends at Centro Primo Levi as part of the Italian Chazanut Roundtable, a project of Italian Jewish music and liturgy established in memory of Erna Finci Veterbi z’l whose love for tradition and dedication to learning have profoundly contributed to shape the Centro Primo Levi’s principles. This year, Kehila Kedosha Janina was honored to be chosen the venue of this event.

This issue is, once again, dedicated to the memory of Greek Jews who perished in the Holocaust. In New York, on January 25 there were two events remembering the losses, one hosted by the Consul General of Greece in New York, Dr. Konstantinos Koutras, and the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece at Hebrew Union College. The keynote speaker was U.S. Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis. In Lawrence, Long Island, New York at Temple Israel, also on January 25, the Consul Generals of Cyprus and Israel in New York, along with the American Jewish Committee and the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC, commemorated the International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a photographic exhibition commissioned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry of Jewish Holocaust survivors and refugees interned in Cyprus on route to Israel. See information in this newsletter on both events.

This year on January 27th, we will stop and remember the victims of the Holocaust in the International Day of Holocaust Commemoration. Greece has been a member of IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) since 2005 and throughout Greece and at the Greek Consulate in New York City the day will be commemorated with special events. The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 60/7 on 1 November 2005 to designate January 27th, the day on which Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated, as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, so that the world would mark and remember the Holocaust and its victims. This newsletter is dedicated to the victims from Greece. May their Memory be Eternal.

This newsletter is dedicated to Rebecca Hauser Yomtov, who will be celebrating her 95th birthday on December 12th. We also stop and remember the members of her family who perished in the Holocaust. We wish our readers a joyous Holiday season. May the proximity of the Jewish Holiday of Hanukah and the Christian holiday of Christmas bring us closer together, to celebrate what we share in common: love of family and the preservation of our respective traditions.

The New Year 5777 started off with a true simcha as we watched the new sign designating Hy Genee Way appear on the corner of Broome and Allen. See the pictures (in this newsletter) on the moving ceremony. This issue we will honor the Battino Family.

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5777 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anyos Muchos y Buenos. Attached to this e-newsletter you will find our Holiday schedule. Please feel free to join us for services. Our seats are free and our hearts are open.

This is our 90th issue of our e-newsletter and we are so appreciative of the support from around the world. We had no idea what the reception would be but, obviously, it has been overwhelmingly positive. The world around us has changed, the world of Greek Jewry along with it. In 2008, there were not many stories about Greek Jewry, nor events of interest to them. The first e-newsletter in February of 2008 was only 6 pages long. We now struggle to contain the newsletter to under 30 pages! In February of 2008 we hailed the opening of the Hametz family exhibit. This September, a branch of the Hametz family will be joining us in Greece. This issue, therefore, is in honor of the Hametz family (see article in newsletter).

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Hy Genee z"l, Former President of KKJ, in anticipation of the historic co-naming of Broome St (between Allen & Eldridge) as Hy Genee Way. 

As always, we are happy to share news from our community around the globe. You will also notice our new E-Newsletter Email Format and Design. You can also check out our new website kkjsm.org and contact us at either info@kkjsm.org or museum@kkjsm.org. 

Mazel Tov to Jared Pardo on his Bar Mitzvah, hosted at KKJ. Jared is the great-grandson of Isaac (Red) and Betty Mione Pardo, great-great grandson of Abraham and Rachel Mazza Mione, and great-grandson of Elia and Zoe Mione. The Mione family was from Ioannina and the Pardo family from Monastir. We were honored that our Board of Trustee member, Jerry Pardo, chose to have his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah in the synagogue of his ancestors. 

On May 4th Jews throughout the world will stop and remember the victims of the Holocaust. It is important that we remember. It is important that we never forget. This year, at Kehila Kedosha Janina, on May 1st, we will remember the victims and honor the role of Greek Orthodox Christians who risked their lives to save members of our community.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis on Saturday signed up to a campaign launched by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to fight anti-Semitism. Kaminis, who met with a 15-member delegation of the AJC, signed the declaration of Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism and stressed the commitment of the city’s authorities to combat racism and xenophobia. According to a statement by Athens municipal authorities, both the AJC and members of the Central Israeli Council of Greece lauded Kaminis for his determination to stamp out antiSemitism within Athens and the city council. To date, around 60 mayors from Europe and more than 300 in the US have signed the declaration.

On February 11th we were honored with a visit from Rabbi Gabriel Negrin who charmed the group of over 100 who gathered to meet him. He conducted Arvit services in the synagogue and then visited with members of our congregation. Traditional food was served. Avraam Pengas played music. There was dancing, joy and spiritual enjoyment. It was a success on so many levels. We were honored with the presence of the Consul General of Greece, Giorgos Iliopoulos. 

The Greek Jewish Young Professionals gathered to make bourekas in our Ada Finifter Communal Room and Education Center on January 31. If you want to become apart of this exciting new network and are in your 20s and 30s contact Andrew Marcus at GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com to sign up.

We welcome the birth of Vidal Naar, first son of Devin and Andrea Naar. Devin is a Professor of Sephardic Studies at the University of Seattle and the proud son of Saloniklis. May the passion and love for the Greek-Sephardic world live on in Vidal. 

In November, Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece visited Israel, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and had an emotional visit to Yad Vashem. He also paid a visit to the Greek Club in Jerusalem. 

On November 22nd Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to one of our own, Jack Jacobs, who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism on the battlefields of Vietnam. He also holds three Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars. Jack will signing purchased copies of his book, “If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice In America's Time of Need” 

As we approach the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah, we are so grateful for all we have accomplished this year. We invite you to join us for Simchat Torah to dance with our Torahs and partake of our traditional Kosher Greek-Jewish Kiddush. Simchat Torah services will be held on Monday, October 5th at 5:00 pm and Tuesday, October 6th at 9:15 am. 

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5775 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anos Muchos y Buenos. Attached to this e-newsletter you will find our Holiday schedule. Do join us for services. Our seats are free and our hearts are open. 

We celebrate the birth of Molly Rose Hammersla, daughter of Jason and Jessica Hammersla, granddaughter of Arleen and Warren Hammersla, great granddaughter of Jack and Sylvia (Isaac) Cohen, great great-granddaughter of founding members David and Esther Cohen and Morris and Mollie Isaac (all of blessed memory). David and Esther were from Ioannina, and Mollie was from Preveza. Molly Rose is named for Mollie Isaac. 

We congratulate Sydelle Pineiro on the engagement of her daughter Dr. Alisha Pineiro to Stephen Marano. The wedding will take place in January 2016. The future bride comes from a Yanniote family; her great-grandmother was Esther DeCastro Ganis. 

As we prepare for our annual trip to Jewish Greece, we are happy to announce that we will be able to give an additional donation to the Jewish Community of Ioannina of $5,000, making our total donations this year $20,000. This was a tough year for Ioannina due to a massive storm that caused extensive damage to the Jewish cemetery. As always, we never forget our sister city in Greece and are so glad that we were able to help. In addition, through the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry, we will be donating $5,000, matching our donation of 2014, to the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki to be used towards the creation of a Holocaust Education Center in Salonika that will educate the counry and the world on Greek-Jews and their losses during the Holocaust. 

April was a month mixed with joy and sorrow, as we celebrated Pessach, the story of Jewish survival and remembered those who were lost in the Holocaust at Yom HaShoah. Let us never forget those who were lost but, let us take courage from those who survived and went on with their lives, ensuring the continuance of Greek Jewry. This issue, our 75th, is in honor of the Greek- survivors, both those who survived the camps and those who survived in hiding. 

We had a very emotional visit from Shosh Adan from Israel whose father lost his family in the Holocaust. Shosh’s father was Angel Benozilio, the son of David Benozillo and Rene Revach, both of Salonika. Angel survived the concentration camps, married a woman he met in the DP camps, never returned to Salonika, deciding to immigrate to Israel. Angel lost his family in the Holocaust (including his brothers, Daniel and Jacques, and sister, Sol). Shosh is looking for any information on possible family, cousins, etc, who might have survived. 

From the collection of Kehila Kedosha Janina Donated by Henry Watkin from the Ganis family. This issue is dedicated to the Zagha and Sabba families. This is part of our new chapter with our e-newsletters, highlighting a prominent family in our community. The Zagha and the Sabba families have played a prominent role in the Romaniote community in New York and all Zaghas and Sabbas are invited to a special Shabbat on March 28th. 

This issue is dedicated to one of our youngest Board members, Maurice Negrin, and a special kiddush will be sponsored by The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry in his honor on February 28th. We will also commemrate the adara of his grandfather, Moise (Morris) Negrin who passed in 1989. As is our tradition, Maurice proudly carries his Grandfather’s name. This is part of our new chapter with our e-newsletters, highlighting a prominent family in our community. The Negrins have played a prominent role in the establishment of the Romaniote community in New York and all Negrins are invited to this special Shabbat on February 28th. 

Our best wishes to all our readers for a healthy and happy secular new year. May 2015 bring you everything you desire. Our new chapter with our e-newsletters, highlighting a prominent family in our community with family picture and a Shabbat service dedicated to the family started out with great success. We had a beautiful turnout for the adara (memorial service) of Murray Eskononts of Blessed Memory. Thank you to all the members of the Askinazi/Eskononts family for their attendance. In addition, many members of our Board of Trustees attended, honoring Murray who was a past Vice President of Kehila Kedosha Janina. In January, we will dedicate the Shabbat of January 31st to the adara of Hy Genee of Blessed Memory. 

Our new communal room is finished! We have started to book lunch tours for the spring of 2014 and will soon announce our programming schedule. Our Communal Room and Education Center was made possible by a generous bequest from Dr. Ada W. Finifter Z’L’. Our new kitchen will enable us to program our popular Koula’s Kitchen cooking classes and the Education Center will soon host a series of film showings, book presentations and additional exhibits. We thank our architect, Leonard Colchamiro for his expert guidance in making this project possible. 

We lost a special member of our community. Lil Genee, the widow of our past President Hy Genee, passed away at the age of 91. Her funeral was October 31st. Lil was born on the Lower East Side and lived her whole life there. The world around her changed but Lil always remained the same. In the words of her granddaughter, Melissa, she was our “Dancing Queen,” always the first to get up on the dance floor, whether it was to do the Peabody with her beloved Hy or to join the Pashas in the karagouna or the kalamatianos. She will be missed by all who had the honor to know her. 

We celebrate the birth of Austin Abraham, son of Sara and Evan Dudley. Sara is the daughter oi Sandy and Barry Fox. Austin Abraham is the great-grandson of Anna Negrin and Al Hamburg (both of Blessed Memory), the great-great grandson of Joseph Moses Negrin and Serena (Sarah) Ganis Negrin (both born in Ioannina and both of Blessed Memory), the great-great-great grandson of Moses Negrin and Lula Cohen (both born in Ioannina and both of Blessed Memory) and the great-great-great-great grandson of Eliyia Negrin m. Hanoula Cohen (both born in Ioannina and both of Blessed Memory). A pasha is born! 

We celebrate the wedding of Tzvi and Malkie Hametz. Tzvi is the son of Denise and Irwin Hametz, grandson of Isaac Hametz and the great-grandson of Rabbi Israel Hametz. When the Hametz family applied for immigration to the USA, the quotas (put into law in 1924) had already been filled. The Kehila Kedosha Janina wrote a letter to the authorities requesting that the Hametz family be allowed to come to the USA since the services of Rabbi Israel Hametz were needed at the synagogue at 280 Broome Street. A copy of the original letter is on display in the Museum at Kehila Kedosha Janina. 

We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5774 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anos Muchos y Buenos. Attached to this e-newsletter you will find our Holiday schedule. Do join us for services. Our seats are free and our hearts are open. 

This newsletter, our 66th, will, as always, cover news regarding Kehila Kedosha Janina and news concerning Greek Jewry. In addition, we will cover news from our new friends in Bulgaria, Skopje and Bitola. We hope you find our newsletter interesting. Your feedback is of utmost importance to us. If you missed previous issues, they can be accessed on our website (www.kkjsm.org). 

This year, as always, we will be visiting Greece (from June 16th-July2) and our July newsletter will be a bit late but will be filled with fascinating information on our trip to Greece (Salonika, Ioannina and Athens) and a first time visit to Bulgaria, along with a visit to FYROM (Skopje and Bitola/Monastir). 

On April 14th, we held our Annual Yom HaShoah services in our sanctuary, followed by a moving presentation by Isaac Dostis and the showing of his latest documentary film, "The Lost Synagogue of Ioannina." 

This April 7th, we are honored to join with the Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture in an exhibit at the Nassau County Holocaust and Tolerance Museum at Glen Cove specifically created to honor the memory of Greek Jews. As the repository for the history of Jews from Ioannina Greece, we are especially honored that our story will be told. Join us on April 7th. If you haven't RSVP'd, do so now: 516-571-8040. 

Best Wishes to all our friends whether they are celebrating Pessach or Easter. March, unfortunately, will also be the 70th anniversary of the first deportations from Thessalonika and the deportations from the Bulgarian Zones of Occupation in Greece and former Yugoslavia. We stop and remember. 

On March 5th: We will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ioannina becoming part of Modern Greece. There will be a special exhibit for this event and a special book sale in honor of the celebration. On February 21, 1913, Ioannina became part of Modern Greece after 480 years of being part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Our exhibit will explore what life was like for Jews in Ioannina as they “went to bed a Turk and woke up a Greek.” 

It is with great joy that we spread the news of the birth of a grandchild to Lois and Ed Ledner (parents, Damon and Denise Ledner). Jason is the great-grandson of Hy Genee of Blessed Memory and his widow Lil Genee, the great-great grandson of Bechoraki (Morris) and Fani (Firo) Genee (both born in Ioannina), the great great great grandson of Avram Genee and Estrea Negrin Genee, and Morris Jenny and Stamoula Battino Jenny and the great great great great grandson of Haim and Firo Geni. With this distinguished Yanniote lineage, how can he not achieve great things! 

Our congratulations to Gershon Harris on the birth of two additional grandchildren since our last e-newsletter. This makes 13 grandchildren for Gershon and Rena Harris and, fortunately for us, has not impeded Gershon’s ability to promptly send us his excellent column each month. A hearty Mazal Tov! 

The wedding of Matt Colchamiro and Nicci Smidt on September 9, 2012. Matt is the son of Stephen and Ida Colchamiro and the grandson of Mathew and Esther Colchamiro and the great-grandson of Asser Colchamiro and Steroula Eliezer Colchamiro. After Asser died in Greece (according to family legend in August of 1919 from appendicitis while selling goods in Albania) Steroula brought her children to New York to join other members of the Colchamiro family. Steroula and her seven children arrived in 1920. She would have loved this wedding! 

Hag Sameah Sukkoth and Simcha Torah. For Greeks, both Jews and Christian, October is an important month: Greece entered WWII on October 28, 1940 (Oxi Day) and Greece was liberated from Fascist occupation in October of 1944 (October 14). In addition, we at Kehila Kedosha Janina stop and remember the 100th anniversary of the accidental death of David Bellel (see story in this issue). This issue is dedicated to David Bellel of Blessed Memory. 

We would like to thank our friends throughout the world who responded to our appeal for our Museum and generously contributed to ensure that we will continue to function as we have in the past. We are deeply grateful and fully cognizant as we enter 5773 how very fortunate we are. We wish our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year surrounded by family and friends. May 5773 bring peace throughout the world. May we continue to grow and flourish. May our wealth be counted, not in material possessions but, rather, in the love of family, friends and community. L’Shanah Tovah, Xronia Polla, Anos Muchos y Buenos. Attached to this e-newsletter you will find our Holiday schedule. Do join us for services. Our seats are free and our hearts are open. 

In the 5 years that we have published our e-newsletter, we have often asked for funds to help other organizations and, especially, Jewish communities in Greece. Now, Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum needs your help. We have, also, become a victim of the poor economic situation in Greece, losing major donations that have helped sustain us over the years. Therefore, we are appealing for donations to the Museum. Our museum is more than just a repository of the history of Greek Jewry, both in Greece and here in New York, as Greek Jews migrated to the new world. It has also become an educational institution in every sense of the word, holding lectures, film showings and book presentations. We rarely charge for our programs, feeling it more important to share our heritage with an ever-growing audience. We do not charge entrance to our museum on Sundays for the same reason. We really do not want to change our policy. Therefore we need your help. All donations are tax-deductible and can be sent to Kehila Kedosha Janina, 280 Broome Street, New York, NY 10002. We thank you in advance. 

Kehila Kedosha Janina was honored to be represented at the 8th International Conference on Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem. A total of 362 representatives from 54 countries gathered in Israel for three days of intensive presentations centered around the theme “Telling the Story, Teaching the Core: Holocaust Education in the 21st Century.” This e-newsletter will present highlights of the Conference as it relates to Greek Jewry. In addition, our Museum Director, Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, led a tour to Jewish Greece from June 3-18. Highlights of this visit to Greece, plus firsthand accounts and impressions of the atmosphere in Greece and the political and economic situations will also be presented. 

The opening of our Memories Exhibit on May 6th was a great success. Our by-invitation-only reception was well attended. It is always a joy to see our community come out in response to a new exhibit. The exhibit can now be viewed on our website (www.kkjsm.org) under exhibits. 

A new member of our family has entered the world. Lucy Hessman Wertheimer (b. 4/7/2012) daughter of Robin Hessman and Lorin Wertheimer, granddaughter of Erika and Lawrence Hessman, great-granddaughter of Irving Hessman & Esther Colchamiro Hessman, great great- granddaughter of Leon Colchamiro and Julia Mazza Colchamiro and the proud great great great- granddaughter of Jessula Colchamiro and Rachel Galanos Colchamiro. 

This year we will be joining with the Sephardic Jewish Center in Forest Hills to commemorate Yom HaShoah. We usually have our respective events on the same day, preventing those of us who wish to attend the events in Forest Hills from going and making it impossible for those from Forest Hills to come to our event.

This year, The Sephardic Jewish Center in Forest Hills will hold their Yom HaShoah on April 15th and we will hold our memorial service on April 22nd at 2:00. A special film on The Jewish Community of Salonika will be shown at Kehila Kedosha Janina. 

The month of March is one of joyous celebration for Jews throughout the world. The holiday of Purim commemorates the miraculous saving of Jews in the Persian Empire but there are additional ‘Purims” celebrated in certain communities, Ioannina being one (see article by Gershon Harris in this issue). We wish all our Jewish friends Hag Sameah Purim and send our best to our Christian friends as they prepare to celebrate Easter. 

We have started a new series of programs at Kehila Kedosha Janina, “Tell Us Your Story.” Based on the premise that we, at Kehila Kedosha Janina, had a special story to tell, and were fortunbate to have the venue and the opportunity, we are now offering others the same.

The first in our series of programs will be a presentation by Dimitra DeFotis. 

We celebrate the birth of a new member of the extended Colchamiro family. Mateo Ashland Shumays was born on 11/29/11 and is the son of Alyson Beth Schwaber and Adam Shumays , the grandson of Sue Colchamiro Tregerman and StevenTregerman, great-grandson of Mathew and Esther Colchamiro, great-great-grandson of Asser Colchamiro and Steroula Eliezer Colchamiro. Mathew Colchamiro of Blessed Memory was born in Ioannina. Asser died in August of 1919 and, after burying her husband, Steroula brought her 7 young children to the USA by herself. They arrived in June 1920 and were helped by family, especially Asser’s younger brother, Leon Colchamiro, who had arrived earlier. 

Kehila Kedosha Janina is hosting s small reception to thank our neighbors Christine and John Woodward of Woodward Gallery (located at 133 Eldridge Street). 133 Eldridge Street once housed a synagogue and Talmud Torah, both established by Shearith Israel (the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue on W. 70th). During the restoration of the storefront, in preparation for the openign of the gallery, a section of the former synagogue wall was found. John lovingly restored the section, mounted it and presented it to Kehila Kedosha Janina. It now adorns a wall of our museum. Join us as we thank Christin and John. Refreshments will be served.

Our edifice has taken on new dimensions! We are now, in addition to a house of worship, a place of study, a repository of traditions and customs, and a living memorial to Greek-Jewish victims of the Holocaust, a venue for top quality entertainment. 

In September we issued an appeal for funds to help in the repair of the five tikkim severely damaged by moisture in Ioannina. The total amount needed to repair all five tikkim is $25,000 and Kehila Kedosha Janina pledged to match up to $5000. Due to an unprecidented response where readers of our e-newsletter throughout the United States opened their hearts and sent in checks totalling over $12,000, Kehila Kedosha Janina will be able to send over $17,000 to the Jewish Community of Ioannina. We send our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who contributed. 

Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to host a book signing by June Hersch, author of Recipes Remembered, A Celebration of Survival and The Kosher Carnivore. Both books will be available for purchase at discounted prices (Recipes Remembered, A Celebration of Survival for $25 and The Kosher Carnivore for $20). Kehila Kedosha Janina had a very special part in the creation of Recipes Remembered, A Celebration of Survival , enabling the author to include recipes from Jewish Greece, those of Rachel Mosios, Stella Levi and our own Koula Kofinas. 

Things tend to slow down in New York during the summer. The Museum will be officially closed on Sunday, August 14th and Sunday, August 21st but there will be a special concert by “Kol Dodi” a group led by singer Yaron Hanukah from Salonika, who combines Hebrew and Greek music and includes a bouzouki in his arrangements. Avraam Pengas will be performing with the group. The concert will start at 8:00 and the Museum will be open from 7-7:45 for viewing. Tickets will be priced at $18 each and include pre-concert Museum tour. Tickets will be sold at the door but please let us know if you are planning to come. Space is limited. 

On June 11th, a special Bar Mitzvah was celebrated in the sanctuary of Kehila Kedosha Janina. The Bar Mitzvah boy, Joseph Zambelas, the son of Rita and Mickey Zambelas, grandson of Sophie and Harvey Beitler (of Blessed Memory) and great-grandson of Morris & Mollie Matsil (both of Blessed Memory). Officiating at the Bar Mitzvah was Sol Matsil, son of Rabbi Bechoraki Matsil of Blessed Memory. Morris and Bechoraki were brothers. 

We wish our friends a joyous Shavouth. This e-newsletter is being issued 2 weeks early because we will be in Greece on June 1st, leaving May 22nd and returning June 6th. Do join us the weekend of June 24-26 at the annual Pasha weekend in the Catskill Mountains. There will be plenty of Greek music and dancing and, of course, good company. Contact Max Negrin (718- 740-9116) ASAP to assure a reservation. 

Book-signing and presentation by Isaac Benatar, author of Rhodes and the Holocaust. Recently presented his book at the United States Holocaust memorial Museum in Washington DC. Isaac Benatar (LL.B) is a law graduate of the University of London. He was born in Zimbabwe in 1943 and was elected Youth Mayor of the city of Salisbury during 1965-66. Became public prosecutor in Rhodesia from 1970 to 1980. He emigrated to the United States in 1980. 

On March 27th we joined with other organizations on the Lower East Side to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Rabbi Romm of the Bialystoker Synagogue treated us to a thought-provoking discussion of Jewish response to tragedy. The event was co-sponsored by the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy. 

Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum is honored to show a rarely seen documentary film written and directed by Bob Bedford, “Ottoman Salonika,” a collaborative venture of FASSAC (the Foundation For the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture) with Joe Halio and Stu Fishelson. Bob Bedford is the Executive Vice Director of FASSAC, whose mission is to preserve and promote the complex and centuries-old culture of the Sephardic communities of Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Europe, and the United States. 

On January 30th we were honored to host the New York Premier of “Empty Boxcars” by Ed Gaffney. The film gives a very balanced view of the role of the Bulgarians, both in the saving of an estimated 48,000 Jews in “Old Bulgaria” and their complicity in the murder of an estimated 13,000 Jews in “New Bulgaria” (Bulgarian Zones of Occupation in Greece and Yugoslavia). There will be a number of upcoming programs (both at Kehila Kedosha Janina and other venues) which we will, of course, publicize in our e-newsletter. 

Our best wishes for a happy & healthy 2011. May your tables be filled with Greek delicacies. May you be surrounded by loving family and friends. May peace reign throughout the world. May no mother’s son or daughter die in senseless battle. May you all be given the strength to continue with your works of good deeds. May you all do something every day of your life to make the world a better place, even if it is for only one person. 

November was an historic month for us with the opening of our latest exhibit (Dikoi Mas, Los Muestros) about ‘our own’ Greek-Jewish families. The opening on November 14th was attended by over 200 invitation-only guests who had contributed photos to the exhibit, the Consul of Greece from New York, Consul Kyriakopoulos, and a very honored guest, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios. The event was covered by Channel 13, the Greek National Herald, the Hellenic Voice and a local newspaper, the Villager. (Photos and additional information to follow in this newsletter.) 

Our synagogue and museum continue to thrive. Groups from all over the world come to visit. This month, we were especially honored to host the family reunion of the extended Genee family, along with synagogue groups from New Jersey, Manhattan & Long Island and a group of retired educators from the UFT. We are constantly aware of how we walk in someone else’s shoes and we have made our imprints deep so that future generations can walk in ours. Much has changed since the 1927 photo below. The neighborhood has changed. Most of the synagogues have disappeared. Kehila Kedosha Janina is still here and hopes to be for generations to come. 

Our small treasure of a synagogue on Broome Street in Lower Manhattan hosted Rosh HaShonah Yom Kippur, Sukkoth and Simcha Torah services. We are happy to say that our turnouts were excellent this year. We thank Chaim Kofinas for his dedication and commitment and for leading us in our services. We thank Sol Matsil for his invaluable help. Sol is very knowledgeable about the minhag of the Jews of Ioannina. His father of Blessed Memory, Rabbi Bechoraki Matsil, taught it to Sol. Rabbi Matsil would have been very proud. We applaud our shofar blowers, Seth Kofinas, Andrew and Ethan Marcus, and give special thanks for Sol and Koula Kofinas who were there throughout the holidays making sure that everything worked as it should. 

For those of you involved in Genealogical research on Yanniote Jews and/or might wish to visit the graves of their ancestors in Mt. Carmel in Queens New York, we have added to our website (under the link for the United Brotherhood) a complete listing (with disclaimers) of the Brotherhood burials at Mt. Carmel. Access www.kkjsm.org for more information.

On August 8, 2010, we were honored to host the Julis family reunion. Now scattered throughout the United States, many members of the Julis family were members of Kehila Kedosha Janina and the Brotherhood of Janina. Thank you Julis family for a memorable day. 

The heat has been unrelenting in the New York Metropolitan area but that has not stopped us from our regular schedule. Thank G-d for air conditioning. It was one of the few concessions to modernity we allowed in our restoration project. We are honored that Kehila Kedosha Janina was chosen by New York Landmarks Conservancy for a matching grant to do our much needed pointing (this will prevent dampness from entering our building and will ensure the stability of our structure). This grant will be issued through their Sacred Sites division, but first we must raise $5000 to match the funds pledged by New York Landmarks Conservancy. This highly esteemed organization has been instrumental in helping us in the past and we are very grateful. If you want to be part of the continued preservation of Kehila Kedosha Janina, send your checks (made out to Kehila Kedosha Janina) to 280 Broome Street, New York, New York 10002. Thank you in advance. 

On the 20th of July, Jews around the world will mourn the destruction of the Temples. Tisha b'Av is a day of mourning when we pause to reflect on all the pogroms, crusades, inquisitions and holocausts which have befallen Jews over the millennia. It is specifically observed on the date when the Holy Temples were destroyed but gives Jews an opportunity to reflect on other persecutions and atrocities. This year, as we fast and reflect, we ask Greeks, Jews and non-Jews, around the world to reflect on the frightening rise of anti-Semitism in Greece (See article in this issue). Therefore, this issue is dedicated to ‘rational thought,’ something that has definitely taken flight from Greece. It is our hope that it will return soon, that sensible thought will, once again, overpower irrational hate. 

Unlike most of our newsletters, this present one, our 29th, is coming to you directly from Greece. Our Museum Director led a tour to Jewish Greece and Spain. We made new friends and expanded our ever-growing family of internet subscribers. Most important, we visited old friends and will update you on current affairs in Jewish Greece. This issue is dedicated to the small Jewish community of Ioannina, their present concerns and their current needs. We are hoping that Jews (Greek and non-Greek) along with Christians (Greek and non-Greek) will help in the restoration of Torah scrolls, some of which are over 500 years old, that were recently damaged by moisture within the Aron Kodesh inside the old synagogue in Ioannina. 

Pictures for our upcoming exhibit on Families (Dikoi Mas/Los Muestros) continue to come in. We love the fact that our pictures posted in the e-newsletter stir up special memories among our readers. Tica Negrin recognized her beloved grandmother in the photo taken on Broome and Allen. Bernie Battino in uniform was identified by members of his family and for many, like Anita Janiec, the photos are “food for the memories.” This issue we are highlighting some of our most recent acquisitions and a very special photo from the Ganis family that speaks of unfortunate loss. 

Pictures for our upcoming exhibit on Families (Dikoi Mas/Los Muestros) continue to come in. We love the ones submitted by Roberta Cohen Hollander taken on the Lower East Side (how great Allen Street Park looked-the City of New York should have definitely researched this before they put in their gaudy attempt of a ‘park’ at the corner of Allen and Broome-so much for “modern” restoration). As always, thanks to Rose Eskononts, who gives us treasures, this time the engagement photo of her parents Dora Marash and Solomon Capon (both of Blessed Memory). Our favorite, though, was the baby picture of Steve Negrin, taken in Volos (1930’s). 

In February, we were honored to host the Bar Mitzvah of Ethan Pogrebin Klaris, an exceptional young man who, though not from our community of Greek Jewry, will now forever hold a piece of Kehila Kedosha Janina in his heart. His mother, Robin, who works for the New York Times, researched synagogues throughout New York City, wanting to find a very special site for her son’s Bar Mitzvah. She chose us. We are honored. 

January proved to be a painful month for Greek Jews, with two major arson attacks at Etz- Hayyim synagogue in Hania Crete but, as we started the second decade of the 21st century, this tragedy gave us the opportunity to realize how important our ‘community’ was and how, as a ‘community’ we could reach out and give support to Etz Hayyim. It also made us realize that our role in acting as an advocate of Greek Jewry around the world was finally bearing fruit. While, for a long time, we were just a shout in the darkness in protesting the desecrations at the Jewish cemetery in Ioannina, the response to the tragedy in Hania was quite different. Condemnations of the arson attacks were forthcoming. Jewish organizations responded. Greek government officials responded and, most importantly, good people around the world, both Christian and Jewish, responded. We applaud these actions. We gratefully thank those who contributed both individually and through organizations (among them Kehila Kedosha Janina, The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry and The Sisterhood of Janina). 

Thanks to David Bellel, we have contacted and found some fascinating information on the owner of Ezra Cohen’s fabric store. For those not familiar with the Lower East Side, the store of Ezra Cohen, still in existence, had been a prominent feature in the landscape of the Lower East Side. Many assumed that he was a Greek Jew and, although there were many Ezra Cohens in our community and many Greek Jews who dealt in textiles, this was not the case. As discovered by David Bellel, who has long engaged in research on the Lower East Side, sharing many of his findings with us (his family among the original founders of Kehila Kedosha Janina), Ezra Cohen was Syrian Jew. We have now been in touch with his grandson, Michael D. Cohen and plan to collaborate on piecing together the untold stories of non-Ashkenazi Jews on the Lower East Side. 

The opening of the Wedding Exhibit (Something Old, Something New), was, by far, the most successful museum event to date. A standing room crowd of over 175 gathered for the opening of the exhibit, ushered in by Mordy Eskononts breaking the traditional wine glass, and Rachel and Rebeccah Solomon (as flower girls) throwing down rose petals from the balcony.

The exhibit consists of an extensive collection of archival photos (over 250) displayed either in the Museum, in the Wedding Album created for the event or on a music DVD with photos and traditional Greek wedding music. In addition, 19th century wedding dresses on loan from Sylvia Ringel and Henry Watkin, along with dowry items, mikveh shoes (donated by Joseph Bruno Levy) and wedding gifts (donated by Rose Eskononts) complete an exceptional exhibit. “Something Old, Something New” will be on display through the end of October 2010 and, shortly, will appear on our website. 

The Pashas is a social organization created by Greek Jews of the Lower East Side in

1957. As many moved out of the neighborhood in the 1950’s the organization was created to assure that the culture they so loved would not die. Dinner dances are held twice a year (one in New York and one in Florida) and, in addition, at least one weekend in the mountains. The Pashades may be getting older and fewer in number, but the camaraderie is still strong and the dance floor still full. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact us at kehila_kedosha_janina@netzero.net and we will pass your information on. 

Our best wishes for a Happy & Healthy New Year. May 5770 bring you health, happiness and continued productivity. May it be a year of peace throughout the world. As always, we are grateful to our friends who send us news and keep us informed of matters of interest and concern to Greek Jewry. Our e-newsletters now go out to over 4000 households around the world. We inform; we educate and we support Greek Jews wherever they may be living---here in the United States, on the soil of Greece, in Israel and throughout Europe, South America and Australia. If you know others who wish to be part of this ever-growing network, have them contact us at info@kkjsm.org. 

Speaking of weddings, we were honored to host the wedding of Morris Levy and Daniela Smolov at Kehila Kedosha Janina on August 16th. Morris is the great-grandson of Rabbi Jessoula Levy of Blessed Memory, one of our earliest rabbis. Rabbi Jessoula was brought over from Ioannina in 1913 to help serve the growing New York Community. 

We are looking for photos of marriages (not only from Ioannina but of Greek Jews from elsewhere in Greece or in the large Greek-Jewish Diaspora). The pictures should be from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. We have accepted a few from the early 1960s. The pictures can be professionally taken, traditional bride and groom pictures, those taken by guests, table groupings, family groupings, etc. They can have been taken in Greece, here in the USA, or elsewhere. While we prefer the pictures scanned and sent digitally, if you wish to mail originals to us, contact us first on correct mailing address. 

The Jewish Cemetery of Ioannina is situated in what was once an eight-acre field bought by the community from the Ottoman Turkish Despot, Ali Pasha, in the early 19th century. The history of a burial site for the Jews of the city has been one fraught with ceaseless obstacles. The original cemetery was outside the walls of the fortified city (the Kastro), near the market place. Nothing remains of that cemetery but it is believed that tombstones, many going back to the 13th century, were transferred to subsequent cemeteries. In 1892 a later Jewish cemetery was desecrated by the Ottoman authorities and the main site of Jewish burial was transferred to the outskirts of the city, in an area called Kalkan. This later cemetery was leveled in 1922 to build homes for Greek refugees from Asia Minor. It was then that the tombstones were transferred to the field known as Gem, the site of the present Jewish cemetery. 

May 17th witnessed an historic event in the sanctuary of Kehila Kedosha Janina, the baby-naming of Amelia Rose Krivitsky, the great-great-great granddaughter of one of our earliest rabbis, Rabbi David Davidson. Rabbi Davidson served the community before the actual building of Kehila Kedosha Janina. His signature appears on many of the early kettubahs, and he created many of the “Alefs” of the community here in New York at the beginning of the 20th century. Rabbi Davidson was also instrumental in arranging for the Hametz family coming to the USA, his own wife Rebecca being a sister of Rabbi Israel Hametz’s wife Pernoula. We welcome Amelia Rose to the family of Yanniote Jews. We are honored that the family chose our humble synagogue for this important occasion. 

Our apologies for sending this newsletter out late. We have just been so very busy! From a small, humble synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that the world was ready to forget and many thought should be closed, we’ve evolved into a center of activity, visited by thousands from around the world. Our special lunch tours have hosted groups from local synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, retirement communities, the Greek Orthodox Church, Hadassah, National Council of Jewish Women, United Federation of Teachers NYC, small family reunion groups, along with groups from Philadelphia, Washington DC and Maryland (and that is just from April and early May 2009!). If you are interested in our lunch tour, contact us at kehila_kedosha_janina@netzero.net. We are already booking for 2010! 

For Greek Jewry, too often, the holiday of Pesach is tinged with sadness. In both 1943 and 1944, Jews from Greece arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Therefore, as we gather to celebrate our holidays, let us pause for a moment to remember our relatives who perished over 60 years ago. From April 3-28th of 1943, nine transports from Salonika arrived at Auschwitz Birkenau and on April 11, 1944, the Jewish community of Ioannina arrived.

On April 19th, at Kehila Kedosha Janina at 2:00, at our annual Yom HaShoah, prayers in memory will be said in our sanctuary. Please join us. This year, as part of our program, we will honor a Greek Righteous and show our new documentary film on the Holocaust in Greece (produced by Kehila Kedosha Janina, created by Vincent Giordano and narrated by our Museum Director, Marcia Haddad-Ikonomopoulos). 

March 15, 2009 marks the 66th anniversary of the first transport of Jews from Salonika to Auschwitz-Birkenau: 19 additional transports followed. March 25th marks the 65th anniversary of the roundup of the Jews of Ioannina, Arta, Preveza, Athens, Chalkis, Volos, Trikala, Larissa and Kastoria. Most were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. We, here at Kehila Kedosha Janina, stop and remember. 

On January 27th, the Greek Press Office hosted a commemoration in memory of Greek Jews who perished in the Holocaust and in honor of those who survived. Honorable Consul General of Greece Aghi Balta was in attendance and gave a short but moving speech. “Triumph of the Spirit,” a movie about a Jewish boxer from Salonika who survived Auschwitz due to his tenacity as a boxer, was shown.

January 29th: Deputy Representative, Ambassador Dimitri Alexandrakis, along with Ino Benmayor, born in Salonika, the son of a Holocaust survivor, and Leon Mallah, a survivor from Salonika, all now living in New York, spoke at the United Nations in a special program in memory of Greek Jewry. The whole presentation lasted 2 1/2 hours and can be seen on a UN webcast: www.un.org/webcast

On Sunday, December 28th, the Brit Milah of Richard Micah Sherman took place at Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ). This mitzvah celebrated both the Romaniote Yanniote community that worships at KKJ and the former traditional Sephardic presence of the Lower East Side. Sarah, Richard Micah’s mother, is the daughter of Gail Nisman, the significant other of Jesse Colchamiro, grandson of Leon Colchamiro, one of the founders of KKJ. Many of the Colchamiro clan were in attendance at the gathering of more than 100. The baby’s father, Michael Sherman, descends from the Mevorah family from Kastoria. Michael’s grandparents worshiped at KKJ after the Sephardic synagogue at 133 Eldridge ceased operations. The Mevorah family lived across the street from KKJ. 

We welcome the birth of a new member of our community. Samuel Matsa, the son of Morris and Liat, the grandson of Sam and Perry and the great-grandson of Morris Matsa of Blessed Memory, was born on October 13th. His great-grandfather was very active in the Kehila Kedosha Janina after coming to the USA from Greece in 1952.

On Friday, November 28th, Kehila Kedosha Janina was honored to host the wedding of Lana Soyfer and Stan Mitelman. The young couple had been charmed by our historic synagogue and chose the Kehila as the site of their nuptials. 

Our new exhibit, “Our Gang,” the story of Greek Jewish participation in the United States Armed Forces during WWII, opened on November 2nd. The response of our community has been overwhelming and the turnout at the opening reception was heart-warming. Memorable moments at the opening included Jaki Silver (great niece of Mildred Barouch Coffina) reading excerpts from Mildred’s newsletter “Our Gang” and Rose Attas Ferrari reading the last letter written by her uncle Nissim before he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to be included in the 2009 calendar from the 92nd Street Y. When approached by the Y for a recipe from our congregation, we submitted one from Koula Kofinas (the creator of Koula’s Kitchen, our heavily subscribed cooking class). Now, there we are (in November) with a lovely picture of Kehila Kedosha Janina and a recipe of Koula’s “Tourlou.” If you care for a copy of this delicious eggplant, zucchini and potato recipe, contact us at kehila_kedosha_janina@netzero.net. 

On August 26th, Kehila Kedosha Janina hosted one of the members of a “lost branch” of the Colchamiro Family. At our reunion of the Colchamiros in March of 2007, we lamented the fact that we had been unable to find representatives of three branches of the family (that of Simcha, Malka and Dinoula). We knew that most of Dinoula’s family had perished in the Holocaust, and we knew that one of her sons, Max Bakola, had immigrated to the USA in 1914. Since March of 2007 we have been able to find members of all three “lost branches” of the Colchamiro family. They were never truly lost, just, in most cases, disattached from our community here in New York. 

In preparation for our opening of the “Our Gang” exhibit highlighting the contributions of the Yanniote community here in the United States in World War II, audio-visual interviews are now taking place. Marvin and Andrew Marcus videotaped a fascinating interview with Ralph Battino, the recipient of numerous medals (including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart). Future interviewees will (hopefully) include Manny Battino, Max Negrin, Isaac Cohen, Manny Levy and Morris Yomtov. If you would like to take part in this videotaping project, contact Museum Director, Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, at 516-456-9336. 

Our bema and Aron have now been refinished. The original wood has been revealed, both on the structures and on the platforms holding them. We were lucky to find Paolo Spano, a talented local artist born in Italy, who has a history of artistic synagogue restoration on the Lower East Side (he was instrumental in the interior restoration of the Bialystoker Synagogue). Paolo has been commissioned to do restoration of our marble commemorative plaques in the vestibule, a project that will be undertaken after the High Holy Days. 

On May 20th, at Seward Park High School on Grand St. on the Lower East Side, an important announcement was made. The National Trust For Historic Preservation announced its “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places” in the nation. Among the eleven noted was The Lower East Side. In a news conference at Seward Park High School, the National Trust warned that construction of new hotels and apartment towers threatened to efface the Lower East Side’s immigrant past. To quote from a May 21st New York Times article, the National Trust stated the following: “The community, with little recourse for protection is reeling from the recent destruction of its cultural heritage, including the defacing of several historic structures and the loss of First Roumanian Synagogue. Slapdash and haphazard renovations have led to the destruction of architectural detail, while modern additions to historic buildings sharply contrast with the neighborhood’s scale and character.” 

Our Museum Director, Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, visited Toronto in April for a lecture at Temple Sinai and was a guest of the Toronto Holocaust Museum. On returning to New York, Marcia arranged for Kehila Kedosha Janina and The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry to donate a case of books on the Holocaust in Greece to the Toronto Holocaust Museum’s library to help ensure that our story will be told. Excellent connections were made with the Director of the Toronto Holocaust Museum and there are plans for a 2009 exhibit on The Holocaust in Greece in Toronto. 

Our best wishes for a sweet and joyous Pessah to our Jewish friends, and a Kalo Paschah to our Greek Christian friends. Our e-newsletters have been very well received and will remain a permanent monthly feature. We are still working on resolving certain technical glitches. Many still have trouble seeing the images. Therefore, we will include a copy of the e-letter in an attachment in future mailings. 

Our first e-newsletter received acclamations and we are thrilled. As stated, our internet newsletter will become a permanent feature. It will be an additional tool to inform the world of our accomplishments and of events relating to Greek Jewry. There were some glitches that we will continue to work on. Many had trouble seeing the images. Therefore, we will include a copy of the e-letter in an attachment in future mailings. If you are on our e-mailing lists, you will receive our e-letter automatically. If for any reason you do not wish to receive the e-mail newsletter, please inform us. 

Thanks to the internet, our extended family continues to grow. Yanniotes, Greek Jews and friends of Kehila Kedosha Janina have been able to connect with us from all over the United States, Greece and Israel, along with communications from Australia, South America, Mexico, France, Italy, England, Germany, Poland and South Africa.