From Ioannina to Lower Manhattan: Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue

The Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue astatine 208 Broome Street, Manhattan, New York. Credit: Daniel Cody / Greek Reporter

On 280 Broome Street, a quiescent subsection of the Lower East Side (LES) of Manhattan, a constrictive but ornate Classical and Moorish Revival-style gathering sits crossed the thoroughfare from a photocopy store and an creation gallery: the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue, the lone Romaniote synagogue successful the Western Hemisphere.

Embellished connected the facade of the gathering (which is simply a restored, ceramic mentation of the archetypal edifice), Stars of David adorn the windows, and the Ten Commandments – successful Hebrew – remainder precocious supra the doorway, astir anointing visitors arsenic they participate the premises.

The Romaniote congregation, primitively from Ioannina, Greece (hence, ‘Janina’ an alternate mentation of the Greek place-name), formed successful 1906, though the synagogue itself was not afloat constructed until 1927.

Today, the synagogue is surrounded by bustling Chinese and American businesses, signs successful Mandarin and Spanish connected neighboring buildings beckon a satellite that seems astir alien compared to Kehila Kedosha Janina’s Romaniote roots, which immoderate assertion widen each the mode backmost to the clip of Alexander the Great.

The Kehila Kedosha Synagogue Community Today

Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ) continues to beryllium a cardinal hub for the Greek-Jewish community, notably hosting the yearly Greek Jewish Festival, which goes viral each twelvemonth for its solemnisation of Greek judaism with nutrient and fanfare. KKJ maintains a regular congregation of 20-25 people, and holds Shabbos services each Saturday. However, much radical be the services for the High Holidays, memorials, household reunions and different celebrations.

“This Jewish assemblage is unsocial due to the fact that not lone are we Greek, but we’re Romaniote,” Andrew Marcus, a Romaniote Greek American who sits connected KKJ’s committee of trustees, told the Greek Reporter recently.

Andrew Marcus, a subordinate of the committee of trustees astatine Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue (KKJ). Credit: Daniel Cody / Greek Reporter

“This community spoke Greek astatine home, dissimilar the Ashkenazi Jews who spoke Yiddish, oregon the Sephardic Jews who talk Ladino successful Thessaloniki. This assemblage was successful Ioannina for centuries earlier the Sephardic-Spanish jews arrived [in Greece],” continued Marcus. “Beyond a synagogue, we’re besides a taste center.”

KKJ offers much than religion services: concerts, cooking classes, speeches, publication presentations, lectures and more. The synagogue is for anyone, including Greek Jews, Romaniotes, Greek Orthodox and radical who are simply funny successful learning.

The History of the Romaniote Jews successful the Lower East Side

The Romaniotes migrated to America pursuing World War I for economical opportunity. Broome, Allen and Orchard Streets, which inhabit a bluish information of LES, were location to galore migrant families who near the Ottoman Empire, including Romaniotes who mostly arrived from Greece, the Balkans, Cyprus and modern time Turkey. Hundreds of families who presently attend, oregon antecedently attended KKJ, came from Ioannina, but galore arrived from Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Izmir, and the erstwhile Yugoslavia.

KKJ is what is known arsenic a “tenement” synagogue, according to Marcus. The gathering was astatine 1 constituent a tenement building, past converted into a Greek java shop, and yet a synagogue successful 1927. The Romaniote assemblage pooled unneurotic wealth to conception the synagogue, which is overmuch much constrictive and space-conscious than different synagogues.

Following World War II, successful which galore second-or third-generation Romaniotes served the United States equipped forces, Lower East Side communities astatine ample migrated elsewhere successful the New York Metropolitan Area.

“The archetypal procreation [of Romaniotes] lived successful tenements, 8 radical successful two-room apartments,” said Marcus, who is simply a autochthonal of the Lower East Side.

“So, with the procreation aft WWII, they started to determination into Brooklyn and The Bronx, yet to Queens and Long Island and New Jersey.” For a play of time, KKJ had 2 outer synagogues successful Brooklyn and The Bronx.

Hyman Genee, an influential fig of Kehila Kedosha Janina who was astatine 1 constituent the synagogue’s president. Credit: Daniel Cody / Greek Reporter

“For the astir part, the jews that came present from the erstwhile Ottoman Empire – Greece – had a comparatively affirmative acquisition nether Ottoman regularisation and past Greek Christian rule, so, they didn’t travel present due to the fact that of persecution, they came present for economical opportunity,” indicated Marcus.

Jews from the Balkans and surrounding regions often wanted to support their idiosyncratic traditions alive, truthful they would found smaller synagogues similar KKJ. At 1 point, according to Marcus, determination were implicit 400 synagogues successful LES.

A representation depicting the aged Lower East Side. Credit: Daniel Cody / Greek Reporter

“Every artifact had its ain synagogue,” helium said. KKJ is the lone non-Ashkenazi synagogue successful the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

The Torah scrolls utilized astatine KKJ came from Greece. Their ornate decorations are unsocial to the Romaniote branch, with glistening metallic and golden intricacies reminiscent of Ottoman and Byzantine creation styles. The bimah, typically recovered successful beforehand of the Ark (or, Aron Hakodesh), is placed successful the halfway of the synagogue for a much communal listening experience.

The Ark astatine KKJ. The Ark is usually located connected the partition facing Jerusalem and is the astir ineffable country successful the synagogue.

The Torah scrolls utilized astatine KKJ came from Greece. Their ornate decorations are unsocial to the Romaniote branch, with good metallic intricacies communal successful Ottoman, Byzantine and Middle Eastern judaica.

Romaniote Torah scrolls astatine KKJ. Credit: Daniel Cody / Greek Reporter

KKJ besides houses a depository connected the Romaniote experience, which includes Judaica similar the Alephs, a unique, hand-written commencement certificate successful Hebrew. The Aleph protects babies for the archetypal 40 days aft they are born, including contiguous household members’ names, the names of angels, and different spiritual elements.

An Aleph, a kind-of “birth certificate” for Romaniote jews.

Clothing from the early-to-mid 20th century, including Greek-Jewish wedding dresses and textile work, is included successful the museum. Many Romaniotes worked successful the textile manufacture due to the fact that Jewish instrumentality necessitates that each fabrics utilized with religiosity beryllium pure, frankincense incentivizing the Romaniote accomplishment successful the cloth arts, arsenic good arsenic golden and metallic filigree.

Beyond worldly Judaica, though, similar immoderate Greeks, the Romaniotes emotion their cuisine. While Kosher, it includes staples similar bourekia, spanakopita, lamb and eggplant.

“Anything you tin name!” said Marcus. “Except for pastitsio… due to the fact that of the nutrient and dairy” (Jewish dietary instrumentality prohibits the mentation of nutrient and dairy successful the aforesaid utensil oregon dish).

Literature, history, and adjacent cookbooks are disposable astatine Kehila Kedosha Janina – thing the Greek diaspora could anticipation for.