Patrick Comerford
The Etz Hayyim synagogue in Larissa, in central Greece, has reopened after a full-scale restoration and reconstruction project that began in 2019 but that was stalled due to Covid restrictions and other issues.
The Etz Hayyim (Tree of Life) Synagogue on Kentavron street is one of the oldest buildings in Larissa. It was built in 1866 in the heart of the Jewish neighbourhood of a traditional Sephardic community that has been there continuously for centuries.
Larissa (Λάρισα) is the capital of the Thessaly region in Greece and the fifth largest city in Greece, with a population of over 160,000 people, and the Jewish population of 300 people is the third largest in Greece. Legend says Achilles was born in Larissa and that Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, died here.
While the synagogue was closed, Rabbi Elias Shabethai and the community kept Jewish religious life and traditions alive in Larissa. Services were held in the small community centre, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and High Holy Days were celebrated under a tent in the schoolyard, while weddings and other events were hosted in hotel halls.
The Jewish community of Larissa, including Romaniotes and Sephardim, dates back to the 2nd century BCE. More Jews settled there after the Spanish Inquisition, and they included scientists, philosophers and entrepreneurs. Numbers increased with the arrival of Jews from Puglia and the Peloponnese.
The community had a large number of Talmudists, including Joseph Ben Ezra. Isaac Shalom, a philanthropist from Larissa, supported a yeshiva in Thessaloniki.
As the community developed in the 15th to 18th century, close connections were maintained with other Jewish communities in Thessaloniki, Izmir, Andrianopoulos and Sarajevo.
By the mid-19th century, the Jewish community in Larissa included 2,000 people, and there were seven synagogues. Most Jews lived and still live in the Exi Dromoi (‘Six Streets’) district in the centre of the city, but this was never a ghetto.
Much of the Jewish quarter was destroyed in a fire in 1857, including two of the seven synagogues in Larissa. But the synagogues had been rebuilt by 1860, and a Jewish school was founded in 1865.
There were 2,800 Jews in Larissa in 1882, and they were mainly involved in mercantile activities. After Thessaloniki was absorbed in the modern Greek state in 1913, many Jews from Larissa went there to set up businesses, while others moved to Athens.
On the eve of World War II, there were 2,000 Jews and seven synagogues in Larissa. When the Germans began mass arrests throughout Greece in 1943, 950 of the remaining 1,175 Jews in Larissa escaped into the mountains, where many joined the resistance movements. The 250 Jews who had remained in town were arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where most of them were murdered by the Nazis.
The Etz Hayyim synagogue, at the corner of Kentavron Street and Kyprou Street, is the only one of seven synagogues in the city to have survived. It was looted during the Nazi occupation and was used as a stable, but it was rebuilt by Holocaust survivors and has continued to keep the Jewish community alive in Larissa.
A monument to the Jewish Martyrs was erected in 1987 on the on the square called Plateia Evraion Martyron Katohis (Square of the Jewish Martyrs of the Holocaust). A monument to Anne Frank was unveiled in 1999 in memory of the children who died during the Shoah. The old Jewish cemetery in the Neapoli district was in use until 1900. The new Jewish cemetery is south of the city, in the Alexandroupoleos district.
The restoration and reconstruction project for the Etz Hayyim synagogue was filled with challenges, setbacks, and unforeseen obstacles, the community says on its website. It required relentless dedication by successive community administrations, a project committee, and a team of skilled engineers and technicians. At the same time, the community ensured Jewish community life continued over the last five or six years.
The synagogue reopened last month with three days of celebrations from 12 to 15 June that have been reported extensively on Jewish community sites in Greece and on the Jewish Heritage Europe site. The VIP attendance included the Mayor of Larissa, senior Greek government representative, Jewish and Christian leaders, German diplomats and senior figures from Jewish communities throughout Greece and abroad.
The synagogue was one of eight historic, living synagogues chosen for a new series of six Greek postage stamps and two first covers launched last year.
The President of the Larissa Jewish Community, Moses Manoah, said the restoration of the Etz Hayyim Synagogue ‘seemed like a dream’ 5½ years ago. ‘Today it is a reality, with which we honour our past, celebrate the unity, co-operation and faith that brought this result, and make a promise for the future – a future where our values will continue to be passed on to future generations.’
He said: ‘Etz Hayyim Synagogue is not just a building. It is the heart of our Community. And today it stands tall again, like a tree of life – rooted in the past, turned towards the light.’ He pointed out that ‘our synagogue has stood proud for over 150 years, a symbol of the centuries-old presence of the Jewish Community in Larissa.’
The project was also supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the regional government of Thessaly, and the German state through the German-Hellenic Fund for the Future Programme and the German Consulate in Thessaloniki.
During the ceremonies, tributes were also paid to the support of the Greek Orthodox Church in Larissa, Rhodes, Volos and Thessaloniki, and they closed with singing by the choir of the Greek Orthodox Church of Thessaloniki.
David Saltiel, President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and president of and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, said: ‘I am certain that the Etz Hayyim Synagogue, the ‘Tree of Life’ of the Jews of Larissa, will remain a living beacon of Judaism in Greece – a place open, warm, full of devotion, melodies of prayer and deep emotions.’
The Governor of Thessaly, Professor Dimitrios Kouretas, said ‘the preservation of the history and heritage of the Jewish Community of Larissa is an important chapter for understanding the multidimensional character of the local society. The Jewish Community deserves congratulations for its intense social and charitable activity, its cultural contribution, as the traditions, customs and religious events of the community enriched the cultural mosaic of Larissa and cultivated a spirit of mutual understanding and coexistence … Our debt to memory will always be unpaid.’
He recalled how ‘Thessaly has a long history that is multicultural, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, a history that respects religious tolerance. Thessaly is historically a place of co-existence and mutual respect, a proud place that does not forget its past, a place for natives and refugees, a place for people of every religion. Deep respect for these principles is the axis that leads us to the future. They are fundamental principles on which our democracy is built and which constitute the most effective shield against the nightmares of intolerance and racism.’
Shabbat Shalom, שבת שלום
