Etz Hayyim Synagogue is one of two surviving synagogues in Athens

The Etz Hayyim synagogue in Athens was built in 1904 by Greek Romaniote Jews from Ioannina (Photograph credit: the Jewish Community of Athens)

Patrick Comerford

I have been writing in recent weeks about the restoration of the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Larissa, and the appeal to save the library beside the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Chania in Crete. Etz Hayyim or Tree of Life (כנסת עץ חיים, Ετζ Χαγίμ) is a name commonly used for Romaniote synagogues, and it was the name of one of the oldest synagogues in Thessaloniki.

It is not surprising then that there also a synagogue in Athens named Etz Hayyim. The Jewish community in Athens is the largest Jewish community in Greece, with over 3,500 members. Today, there are two synagogues in Athens, one facing the other, on Melidoni Street in the Thiseio area: the Beth Shalom Synagogue and the Etz Hayyim Synagogue.

There is historical and archaeological evidence of a Jewish presence in Athens dating back to the Hellenistic period. One early synagogues in Athens, dating back to the 2nd century CE, seems to have been identified in the Agora, at the foot of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. However, there is no evidence a Jewish presence in Athens for several centuries.

Jews began returning to Athens after Otto of Bavaria become the Greek king. During his reign, from 1832 to 1862, Athens was transformed from being a small market town with 4,500 residents into a modern European capital. Soon fter he became king, Otto told a group of leading Jewish figures that ‘he considered his kingdom blessed and honoured to contain within its bosom the biblical race of Israel’.

However, Otto’s attitude did not prevent outbreaks of antisemitism. In one of the best-known incidents, the ‘Don Pacifico Affair’, the warehouses of a Jewish businessman and British citizen, David Pacifico (‘Don Pacifico’, 1784-1854), were ransacked in the mid-19th century. The Irish-born diplomat Sir Thomas Wyse (1791-1862) from Waterford, who was the British minister or ambassador, responded swiftly, Britain intervened, and the port of Piraeus was blockaded in 1850 to secure substantial compensation.

The first Jewish community in Athens in modern times was organised formally in 1889. Before that, there were informal prayer meetings in many places, icluding the house of the Yussuroum family on the corner of Ermou street and Karaiskakis streets, often described as first synagogue in Athens. This was the heart of the Jewish quarter in Athens, between Aghion Asomaton Square, Sarri Street and Ermou Street.

The Jewish community in Athens was far smaller in size than the community in Thessaloniki, but relations between Jews in Athens and offiicials and the wider population were always better.

A reign of terror began with the German takeover of Athens during World War II. But prominent public figures, including Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens and the police chief Angelos Evert, worked tirelessly to defend the Jewish community. Evert later testified that he drew his inspiration from the actions, words, and deeds of Archbishop Damaskinos, who had urged the Greek people to save the remaining Jews of Greece. Both were honoured later by Yad Vashem as among the ‘Righteous among the Nations’.

Greece lost more of its Jewish population in the Holocaust, proportionately, than almost any other country in Europe during World War II. Around 65,000 men, women and children were sent to Auschwitz between 1941 and 1944, including about 1,000 Jews sent from Athens in April 1944 after thousands more had fled or had gone underground.

Inside Etz Hayyim, the Romaniote synagogue and the oldest synagogue in Athens (Photograph credit: the Jewish Community of Athens)

Etz Hayyim is the Romaniote synagogue and the oldest synagogue in Athens. It was built in 1904 by Greek Romaniote Jews from Ioannina, and so it is also known among the older members of the community as ‘Yanniotiki’ or ‘from Ioannina’.

Etz Hayyim can hold 300 people but now operates only on major holidays and special events. The synagogue is on the second floor of the building, while the ground floor was used by the Talmud Torah School, and part of it also served as the residence of the rabbi. The first mikveh in Athens was in the courtyard.

Outside, the building is neoclassical in style, while inside the atmosphere is traditionally Romaniote, with the bimah or teivah on the west wall and the holy ark or Aron haKodesh on the facing east wall, while the Torah scrolls are kept in wooden cases or tikim.

After World War II, the building served as a shelter for homeless survivors of the concentration camps, while the ground floor housed a community clinic. It was used in 1953 to accommodate Jews from earthquake-stricken Zakynthos who sought refuge in Athens.

The synagogue suffered serious damage from the 1999 earthquake, mainly to the roof. The entire building was renovated in 2006-2007 and officially reopened on 30 June 2007.

The Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Athens is now used only during High Holy Days and for the great religious celebrations. All regular religious ceremonies are held in the Beth Shalom Synagogue. Both synagogues are led by Rabbi Gabriel Negrin, who succeeded Rabbi Jacob Arar in 2014.

Across the street from the Etz Hayyim Synagogue, the Beth Shalom is a Sephardic synagogue built in 1935 and renovated in the 1970s. It can seat 500 people, and hosts all bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs, weddings, memorial services and visits.

The Holocaust Memorial nearby on Melidoni street was unveiled in 2010. The monument consists of stones laid down in the form of a Star of David set within a planted garden. The stones are engraved with the names of Greek towns and cities whose Jewish communities were destroyed during the Holocaust: Rhodes, Kos, Chania, Iraklion, Preveza, Patras, Zakynthos, Agrinion, Corfu, Ioannina, Kastoria, Florina, Arta, Trikala, Karditsa, Thessoloniki, Kavala, Drama, Serres, Xanthi, Larissa, Veroia, Volos, Halkis, Didimoticho, Athens, Komotini, New Orestiada, Soufli and Alexandroupolis.

The Lauder Athens Jewish Community School runs preschool and primary education programmes for more than 100 children. The Jewish cemetery in Athens is close to the Panathenaic stadium, in a section of the Third Cemetery of Nikaia.

The Jewish Museum of Greece, which faced the former royal garden for 20 years, has moved to a renovated neo-classical house in Plaka. It has collections from the Romaniote and Sephardic communities in Greece. The interior of the former Romaniote synagogue in Patras has been reconstructed on the ground floor.

After the Holocaust, there were still almost 5,000 Jews in Athens; today there are only 3,500, representing half of all Jews in Greece.

Shabbat Shalom, שבת שלום

Chief Rabbi Gabriel Negrin places candles at a Holocaust memorial service … he leads both the Etz Hayyim and Beth Shalom synagogues in Athens (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania launches campaign to saveCrete’s Jewish library

Etz Hayyim Synagogue stands in a small alley off Kondhilaki Streer in Evraiki or the former Jewish quarter in the old town of Chania (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Etz Hayyim, meaning ‘Tree of Life’ (עץ חיים) is a popular name for synagogues. I was writing last week about the reopening of the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Larissa; it is the name of the oldest synagogue in Athens and, closer to home, the name of the synagogue in Milton Keynes. And it is also the home of one of my favourite synagogues, the Etz Hayyim (Ετζ Χαγίμ) Synagogue in Chania.

The phrase is used for the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2: 9). It also found throughout the Book of Proverbs, where it refers figuratively to Wisdom (Proverbs 3: 18) and is associated with ‘the fruit of a righteous man’ (Proverbs 11: 30), ‘a desire fulfilled’ (Proverbs 13: 12) and a ‘healing tongue’ (Proverbs 15: 4).

The plural form Atzei Chaim (עצי חיים) is also used for the wooden poles to which the parchment of a Sefer Torah is attached. In Kabbalah, Etz Ḥayim is the name of a work by Rabbi Ḥayim Vital after the death of Isaac Luria in 1572 and the foundational work for later Lurianic Kabbalah.

The courtyard of the Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania … there have been Jews in Crete for over 2,300 years (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania is vital link in Crete’s 2,300-year-old Jewish heritage, and it urgently needs help to buy the neighbouring building on 24 Parodos Kondylaki Street. The building is rented but is integral part of Etz Hayyim as the home to the library, archives, and essential facilities. But now it is at risk of being lost to commercial development.

The synagogue must raise €300,000 by the end of this summer to secure this vital space and protect it for generations to come as part of the historical identity of Etz Hayyim and to protect the synagogue’s cultural and spiritual significance.

Etz Hayyim Synagogue, in the heart of Chania’s historic Jewish quarter, is the last remaining trace of Jewish life on Crete. This space is more than a synagogue – it is a centre for cultural exchange, reconciliation and education. It welcomes over 30,000 visitors annually, offering a unique window into a rich history of resilience and survival.

The building housing the library has been an integral part of Jewish life in Chania for over 15 years. The property is rented and houses the library, archives and the Evlagon Research Centre, as well as an apartment the caretaker and his family.

The building was owned by the Jewish community until 1945. Now it is at risk of being sold and being used for commercial tourism that would pose threats the historical significance and security of the synagogue. Chania is undergoing rapid gentrification, and many properties being transformed into tourist accommodations, eroding the city’s rich cultural fabric.

Losing this building would mean losing the secure location of the library, its archives and the repository of Jewish history in Crete.

The revival of the Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania is due to the vision and hard work of Nicholas Stavroulakis (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The name of the Evlagon Institute for Cretan Jewish Studies honours the memory of Avraham Evlagon (1846-1933), the last Chief Rabbi of Crete. The library originated in the personal collection of the founding director, Nikos Stavroulakis. It also houses 250 CDs of Romaniote and Sephardi liturgical and secular music.

A significant portion of the collection was lost or damaged in arson attacks in 2010, when the synagogue’s archive were also destroyed, including documentation of its renovation in the 1990s.

The holdings on Jewish history in Crete continue to expand. In collaboration with the University of Crete’s library in Rethymnon, the collection is being integrated into the university’s online library catalogue, improving access for scholars and researchers worldwide.

Etz Hayyim’s archive is also a resource for people of Romaniote and Sephardi descent tracing their family histories in Chania and Crete.

The library is an integral part of Etz Hayyim and houses books, archives,and essential facilities (Photograph: Etz Hayyim

Anja Zuckmantel has been the Executive Director of the Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania since 2014. She worked with Nikos Stavroulakis for over 10 years in putting in place his vision for Etz Hayyim as an inclusive and inspiring place, ‘a true synagogue’.

Nikos died at 85 on 19 May 2017. Since then the team of staff members and volunteers at Etz Hayyim have been working at maintaining the unique character of Etz Hayyim, expanding its outreach, especially in education, research and a variety of initiatives, preserving the memory of the Jewish community of Crete. At the heart of these efforts is the library, built largely on Nikos’s private collection of books and papers and also including the research library.

However, in an email this week, Anja Zuckmantel has reached out to the friends of Etz Hayyim with an urgent request, saying Etz Hayyim is facing a serious challenge.

She points out that the building is a space that safeguards the memory and history of the once-thriving Jewish community of Crete. But it is now up for sale, and unless the synagogue finds the resources to buy it, ‘the space risks being lost to commercial development and overtourism in Hania. At the same time, the synagogue would lose an important pilar in the security arrangements for Etz Hayyim.’

The Aron Hakodesh or Ark in the Etz Hayyim Synagogue (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Etz Hayyim must raise €300,000 by the end of this summer to secure this vital building and preserve its contents for generations to come. ‘Every contribution counts, and even the smallest donation brings us closer to safeguarding this irreplaceable part of our community’s life,’ she says.

A fundraising campaign has started and the urgency of the campaign is further detailed on the crowdfunding page here.

This is not just about a building. It is about protecting the stories, research, and memory of a community almost entirely destroyed during the Holocaust, when the Jews of Crete were deported by the Nazis on the ship Tanais. Tragically, the ship was sunk by a British torpedo – unaware of its human cargo – and the entire community perished.

By the 1950s, Etz Hayyim stood abandoned and in disrepair. But decades later, with the help of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and international supporters, the synagogue was restored and reopened – transforming it into a living monument, a place of worship, and a centre for interfaith dialogue and cultural preservation.

Today, Etz Hayyim welcomes thousands of visitors each year – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – from around the world.

Etz Hayyim commemorated the Cretan Jewish community in Crete last year (2024) with a series of cultural events. A documentary film, The Tanais, by Vicky Arvelaki recently premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, renewing public awareness of this tragic history. You can watch the trailer here.

The fundraising campaign is administered by Etz Hayyim, a legally registered charitable organisation. In her email, Anja Zuckmantel promises ‘all donations contribute to the purpose of the fundraising campaign. We post regular updates on the status of the campaign on our Social Media channels.’

The bimah or prayer platform in the Etz Hayyim Synagogue (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The campaign to ‘Save Our Library, Safeguard Our Future’ can be supported by

• Donating here: https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/etz-hayyim-hania

• Sharing the campaign with family, friends and networks

• Following the campaign on social media

• Subscribing to the monthly newsletter on Substack

All these links are in available in one place.

Shabbat Shalom, שבת שלום

‘Our debt to memory will always be unpaid.’ New life for the Etz Hayyim Synagogue as it reopens in Larissa

The Etz Hayyim synagogue – the last of seven synagogues in Larissa – has been refurbished, and reopened last month (Photograph: Kehila Kadosha Janina Facebook)

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. The synagogue is believed to have been originally a Romaniote structure, but in the post-war restoration it was laid out in a traditional Sephardic style: the echal (Ark) on the east wall and the tevah (bimah) in the centre.

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.

Rabbi Elias Shabethai at the reopening and rededication of the Etz Hayim synagogue in Larissa (Photograph: Kehila Kadosha Janina Facebook)

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 Etz Hayyim synagogue in Larissa (bottow right) in a series of commemorative stamps 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

New stamp series inGreece celebrates eight synagogues and their heritage

A series of six commemorative stamps and two first cover envelopes features eight historic and living synagogues in Greece

Patrick Comerford

Greece has issued a series of six commemorative stamps and two first cover envelopes featuring eight historic and living synagogues in Greece, including synagogues I am familiar with in Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Corfu and Chania.

The six stamps in the series depict the interiors of the historic synagogues of Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Trikala, Ioannina and Rhodes, while the two first day cover envelopes depict the synagogues in Corfu and in Chania in Crete.

The stamps have been in circulation since 18 April, when they were presented at an event organised by the Hellenic Post (ELTA) and the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS).

The images on the stamps are not photographs, but illustrations by the painter and engraver Myrsini Vardopoulou.

The commemorative series of stamps, ‘Synagogues of Greece’, was presented at an event organised by the Hellenic Post (ELTA) and the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), in the Old Parliament, on 18 April 2024, the first day of circulation of the stamps.

The six stamps in the series are illustrated with the historic synagogues in Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Trikala, Ioannina and Rhodes, while the two envelopes present the synagogues in Corfu and in Chania in Crete.

With this special series of stamps, ELTA says it is honouring Greek Jewry and its centuries-old history. The series also draws international attention to the cultural wealth, elaborate architecture, and religious tradition of Greek Jews.

Both the President of KIS, David Saltiel, and the President of ELTA, Daniel Benardout, spoke at the launch of the series.

‘A stamp is not just a pre-paid fee for sending mail. It is a carrier of culture and has its own social role in spreading important messages’, David Saltiel of KIS said. He added that ‘the extremely elegant stamps of the synagogues present the rich religious tradition of the Greek Jews, giving elements from both Sephardic and Romaniote traditions.’

Daniel Benardout of ELTA said: ‘From the depths of history, from ancient times, as far as Romaniote Jews are concerned, and of course later, during the large mass settlement of Sephardic Jews in our country, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the synagogues became the reference points and pillars of Jewish culture, the pre-eminent symbols of Diaspora Jewry.’

He added: ‘We honour this symbol of faith and identity today by issuing these stamps. We honour a cultural heritage, which spanned centuries, generations, dreams, steps towards the future, and at the same time kept intact and alive the imprint of an old, sacred tradition.’

The video prepared by ELTA for the event refers not only to the synagogues on the stamps but also to other historical synagogues throughout Greece. The soundtrack includes the Romaniote, bilingual prayer Adonai ata yadata, sung by the soprano Mariangela Hadjistamatiou, with the musical ensemble Pellegrinaggio al levante.

The stamps were designed by the Greek painter and engraver Dr Myrsini Vardopoulou, who spoke at the launch about the process of designing the stamps. She described how she immersed herself in the Greek-Jewish tradition, and studied each synagogue with care to convey the greatest possible information in order to keep as many of their details as possible.

The director of the Jewish Museum of Greece, the archaeologist Zanet Battinou, in a key speech, presented ‘The Synagogues of Greece through the ages’, with a parallel display of photographs of the synagogues. She described the function, importance, architecture, ritual objects and holy books, as well as the richness of Jewish history and synagogues throughout Greece, from Thrace and Epirus to Crete.

The event included a Jewish song from the soprano Mariangela Hadjistamatiou.

The guests included the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Gabriel Negrin, cabinet ministers, senior government officials, Members of Parliament, ambassadors, representatives of Jewish communities and organisations and philatelists.

Other countries have issued stamps depicting historic synagogues, including Serbia, Romania and Hungary.

Shabbat Shalom, שבת שלום

The video prepared by Hellenic Post (ELTA) for the launch of a series of stamps and envelopes celebrating eight historic synagogues in Greece