DAYS AT ETZ HAYYIM...a Photographic Diary Project manager: Vassiliki Yakoumaki Photo's by Christos Varvantakis and text by Nicholas Stavroulakis

View of one of the tombs in the Lauder Garden. Conditions were such in Hania in the early and mid-19th cent. that it was found to be impossible on occasion to reach the Jewish cemetery beyond the main walls of the city. Hence it became necessary to bury them within a specially sectioned off area in the grounds of the Synagoggue. There is an earlier burial from 1710 of R. Hillel Eskenazi who was a noted kabbalist, hassid and tzadik.- and by repute, Shabbataean. This tomb was mentioned by R. Evlagon in his memoire written in 1932 in which he notes that its location was unknown. It was only in the course of the cleaning out of the rubble from this area that we located it as it had been covered for at least two centuries by the staircase that led to the upper floor of the mehitza.

The steps leading down to the mikveh. This was the community mikveh and used primarily for wedding preparations of the bride and communal events such as the cleansing of utensils in preparation for Pesah. Today it is used frequently as we have had four weddings and it is not uncommon for people to ask to use it prior to Shabbath. Most of the older Jewish houses in the Jewish Quarter still have their family mikvoth.

Visitors having a lecture in the Synagogue. Such lectures are given by the volunteers. Once a month there is a CD concert of classical music that is researched and programmed by a local British resident Hugh Bryan. At the moment we are at the end of a 15 week long

series of Video lectures on the History or Religions - beginning with Judaism. This series will be followed by another on Islam. They are part of the adult education programme of the synagogue and the series has been developed and research by fellows from Georgetown University. Attendance is free.

Erev Shabbath is always a special challenge at the Synagogue as we never know who might be in attendance. We have texts prepared with Hebrew and English, French and Greek translations of our service book.