MEMORIAL SERVICE for the Jewish Community of
Hania and Christian Greek, Italian and others who perished in the sinking of the Tannais in June 1944 at the hands of the Nazis.
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This is the fourth year that we have been able to have a formal commemoration of the brutal deaths of both Jews and Christians who died in 1944 in the course of a Nazi ‘action’ that united them as victims in one of the many horrors that befell all of us in the course of W/W II. Today the world is in many respects a different place – but in many others it is obvious that we have learned little, and that while we have apparently advanced greatly in a short time that we have still not come to grips with global problems that have become magnified
and are a constant reminder that we have not made the world better –
only faster, more efficient in the machinery of manipulation and destruction.
We have even cast ourselves into the abyss of the universe with no apparent thought about what contagion of destruction our humanity takes with it.

In 1944 our Jewish women, children, old men, young and adults were herded into a ship along with several hundred Christians – some Greeks,
some Italians. The lives of these people were narrowed down within a few hours so that what united them intimately was their humanity and
the end of lives that were not fulfilled. Nothing can be done to either alleviate the terror, pain, or despair that they must have encountered
as their lives were brutally cut off. Memorial services can be read, prayers can be offered, some higher Power pleaded do – but in the end all that
we can offer are our own very personal fears.

There is something terribly wrong with our world. We sit comfortably and feel aloof from the suffering of this world – we also at times drift into a cynical indifference that is the consequence of seeing our ‘leaders’ direct societies in directions that deprive millions of the right of self determination.
Debate and ‘diplomacy’, sheer and aggressive egotism would appear to mark many of our leaders who justify their positions through the balancing of
budgets, and the creation of trade agreements, and military alliances that leave millions of people the victims of abuse. Genocide, international prostitution, slavery, the deprivation of people of the right of self-determination while asserting one’s own right to it – all mark our age. We have learned little if anything.

This Service that we performed this nightw was a memorial. We brought to memory not only the Jewish community of Hania but the community of mankind to which we all belong. It is somewhat easy to live from our heads, to think and to imagine and to let our thoughts ramble and to assume that we are doing something. Essentially, however, it is only with our feet that we can come to grips with our lives. If we begin to think of the immensity of the problems of pain and suffering today it is only natural that we drift into inaction. However, where I am, where I stand is the place from which I can make miracles. We can ask ourselves – how can I bring kindness, forgiveness, patience and concern into our inter-action with people and the world that are about us – it is here that the process of redemption begins.

Read more about the Shoah

At present we are in the process of preparing two CDs of Romaniot interest. One is the complete seder service as recited by the Politis family from Ioannina. The ancient and well into medieval times Romaniot ritual was observed by many Jewries in the Balkans and Anatolian provinces of the Ottoman Empire (including Crete). It eventually fell into disuse due to the enormous impact of the arrival of the Sephardi Jews. The introduction of the printing press (1495 in Istanbul by David ben Nahmias) led to relative mass production of prayer books and especially of Haggadoth with the ensuing result that the creation of hand written siddurim and mahzorim came ot an end and insidiously the Sephardic minhag assumed prominence in many communities. Many years ago when I was collecting artifacts in preparation for the creation of the Jewish Museum in Athens I found on many occasions pieces of paper in prayer books printed perhaps in Livorgno, Salonika or Istanbul that had handwritten directions for the performance of the Seder in Greek but using Hebrew characters. These were the sole remaining evidence of the Minhag Romania. A second CD is being prepared with various liturgical hymns, psalms and poems that are used contemporarily in the communities of Salonika and Athens. These are sung by Mr Leon Gavrielides who is a hazan in Athens and Rabbi Isaac Dayan - formerly Rabbi of Salonika. In collaboration with Prof. Rabbi Nicholas de Lange of Cambridge University we are also working on two related projects. One is to bring out a small facsimili edition of the Book of Jonah. This will eb a forerunner for a larger project which is to bring out a facsimili edition of the entire Mahzor for Yom Kippour according to the Judaeo-Cretan ritual. The only surviving text is now found at the Bodleyian Library in Oxford and is in ms form with large portions in Greek but with Hebrew characters.

In 1941 at the time of the straffing of Hania by the invading Nazis, the women's section of the Synagogue was destroyed. All that remained of it by 1996 when we began the renovation was that base of the staircase and an enormous amount of rubble that the squatters had never bothered to remove. The only description that we have of it is a terse menton of the fact that it was square, large and surmounted by a dome. This was noted by Rabbi Evlagon in 1932. In clearing away this area we discovered the tomb of R. Hillel Eskenazi (d.1710) the whereabouts of which was unknown to Evlagon. Since that time we have cleared this space and made the tomb quite prominent though we still do not have a mehitzah and on occasion we have ladies who prefer to be secluded for their prayers. We have begun to investigate an approach to rebuilding this area. At the moment the office of the Synagogue and the library are housed quite intimately in what was formerly the shamash's lodge. We also have the books, cards and other artifacts for sale in the Synagogue proper which is not the best of solutions. It is our hope that we can re-construct at least the upper portion of the mehitzah and leave the lower section open to the garden and the tomb of R. Hillel as well as the other tombs found in the garden.

Persons who might wish to participate in this important and more or less final aspect of renovating Etz Hayyim should contact the Director.

We have been awarded an initial grant by the World Monuments Fund in New York. Etz Hayyim Synagogue as it stands at the moment was initially funded by the WMF and Lauder and Rothschild Foundations. The new grant has been awarded for the purpose of assisting us to complete one part of the project that was left in abeyance - the 'mehitzah' or women's gallery. This was completely destroyed in the bombing and straffing of Hania by the Nazis in 1941 and its remaining rubble eventually was scattered out over the desecrated graves in the south courtyard.

Originally the women's gallery was entered through a separate door on the south
flank of the synagogue and consisted of a ground floor that connected directly to 1) the synagogue proper, 2) the mikveh and 3) the area where the graves are located. Access was also provided by a large gate that led from the common courtyard that was shared with Beth Shalom Synagogue (destroyed completely in 1941). As almost all of the Jewish houses in the Ovraiki (Jewish Quarter) were equipped with mikvaoth the mikveh of Etz Hayyim was probably used mainly for special purposes - weddings etc..
From work done on this area prior to the reconstruction of the Synagogue it was determined that most likely it was the base of the belfry attached to the building when it was originally a church. In his memoir written in 1932 R. Abraham Evlagon mentions the mehitzah specifically and especially notes that it had a dome. It was in his area, well hidden under the stair that led to the upper floor (from which one could
look into the Synagogue), that we found the grave of R. Hillel Eskenazi -
noted as a tzaddik, hasid and mystic. Evlagon noted in his memoir that the grave had been 'lost' which indeed it was and perhaps it was hidden intentionally at some point as it is known that Eskenazy was a Shabbataean of some repute and importance.
It is not our custom at Etz Hayyim to relegate women to a separate and cordoned off part of the Synagogue, hence the wish to reconstruct this area is to a) complete the building much as it was prior to 1941 but also b) to provide us with additional space that we can well use which will include a guest room and kitchen facilities. We hope that by October of 2005 that we will be able to have the necessary permits and funds in hand to begin work. At the moment we have plans and a design of the restored mehitzah.
Anyone wishing to participate in this important project are asked to contact the Director.