The Director of the Synagogue, Prof. Stavroulakis participated in an international conference held at Tel Aviv University between the 14th and 16th January 2008. This conference was titled 'Jewis Art in Context' and he gave a paper at a special panel on challenges of restoring Etz Hayyim Synagogue. The organizers of the Conference were Prof. Naomi Feuchtwanger-Sarig and Dr. Simha Goldin head of the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Centre at Tel Aviv University.

Not long after Hannukah the Synagogue gave a special showing of an extraordinary film called 'Into Great Silence' which is a silent documentary on the life of the Carthusian monks and was made at La Grande Chartreuse high in the Alps above Grenoble. The film is quite lengthy (2 1/2 hours!) and is a silent overview of the life of these extraordinary monks who trace their tradtion of inner spirituality back to the Desert monks of Egypt, the Jewish semi - 'monastic' communities mentioned by Philo of Alexandria, the Essenes and back tto the Prophet Eliahu - to whom God spoke in a silent whisper.

For Tu B'Shevat we celebrated with a traditional seder. Before the seder and its blessings began Stavroulakis spoke about the contemporary importance of the Festival that began as a system of taxation and then, after the destruction of the Temple, became very minor until it was revived by the mystics of Safed and R. Isaac Luria, the 'Ari'. In the contemporary world this festival has special meaning as it is concerned with the problem of our ecology and more important our obligation to protect, aid and bring to fulfillment the world about us - and that the 'labour of Adam' and his descendants is to act as co-creators with God. We then spoke as a group of how we can make 'kavanah' that turns our eyes and ears to the needs of the world today - in our daily lives and in our own surroundings. A new tree was planted in the garden of the synagogue later and after the seder we had an evening banquet in the synagogue.

For the second time our administrative Secretary, Mr. Alexander Phountoulakis, has taken part in a special seminar at Sejny in Poland.
The Synagogue has been active with 'Boarderlands' for several years and has taken part in Seminars in Poland. Bosnia and Estonia. Basically this a joint multicultural project(s) between the organizers, "The Borderland Foundation" in Sejny, (Poland) and "Laundry" of Birmingham, and a group in Bulgaria, with Etz Hayyim as a co-sponsor. This is all part of the EU initiative called Culture 2008, which is designed to promote the diversity of cultures in Europe as well as better understanding and cooperation between them.
For our part of the project we will try to create a workshop for local educators, drawing on the experience of Sejny and Birmingham, who have already designed such programs as well as our own. This workshop will have as a goal to bring to light the cultural diversity that once existed in Hania, as well as to inspire and encourage them to create their own programs in their classrooms, based on this multicultural past. With the hope that this will help a new generation of Haniotes better appreciate their local heritage and history through this diversity, as well as to create more openness to "foreigners" that have recently made Hania their home.

The gentle sounds of the harp and the lively tones of the recorder drifted out of Etz-Hayyim Synagogue last Tuesday evening, captivating the audience and transporting them back to the Sefarad of the past. Me La Amargates Tu, a quartet hailing from The Hag, serenaded listeners in their unique Baroque Jewish style in a concert that moved many to tears. The group included tenor Esteban Manzano, Doret Florentin on the recorders, Tulio Rondon on viola and Sarah Ridy on Baroque harp. Each song in Judeo-Spanish told of love, life and struggle of the Sephardic Jews who once called Chania home. Ballads like "Al Dolor Que Siento Estrano" recounted the pain of a lost homeland and "Para Que Quero yo mas bivir" echoed the sounds of love in a time of hardship and war. Despite the unseasonable heat and a few popped strings, the concert was well attended and the audience listened attentively, even fanning the musicians as to ensure their continued playing.
As the musicians took their bows to a standing ovation, a request for a reprise of "Adio Querido" was honored and completed a lovely evening, which one can only hope will be repeated next year and for years to come.

By Adina Mindick