Current Exhibits
The Synagogues of Greece
Making the Invisible Visible through Architecture, Technology, and Storytelling. Exhibit by Elias Messinas
In this exhibition, based on the 30-year in-situ documentation and research of architect Elias Messinas, and the digitization of the rediscovered 1960/1 archive of synagogue surveys by architect Shemtov Samuel (1939-2009) now part of the Elias Messinas Archive, we aim to reconnect to a nearly lost heritage. By presenting briefly the traditions, the history and architecture of Greek synagogues, and through the use of technology, we learn, but also re-experience synagogues that have been lost forever. Through architectural representations, digital models and VR tools, these buildings regain their formal presence and we "visit" them again although they do not exist any longer.
The exhibition presents the three prevailing architectural traditions in Greece, as we review examples of synagogues that still stand or have been digitally reconstructed to learn more about these traditions
Romaniote American Oral History Project
A community-sourced archive for preservation, research, and inspiration.
Exhibit by Theo Canter, KKJ Community Engagement Fellow
What does it mean to be a Romaniote Jew in the US in the 21st Century? After more than 100 years in America, Kehila Kedosha Janina is excited to launch this new research project to document our community today, exploring questions of identity, culture, preservation, and adaptation.
The following materials highlight common themes expressed by community members through dozens of interviews conducted for this project, including the themes of: Cultural Adaptation and Integration, Language, Food, Passover, Community Gatherings and Religious Life.
These highlights reflect personal quotes, memories, family traditions, and facets of community members’ Romaniote identity.
Memories
Exhibit by Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, Museum Director
The Jews of Greece have lived on what is now Greek soil for over 2,300 years, the longest continuous Jewish presence in the European Diaspora. Archeological finds of early synagogues and Jewish artifacts have been discovered on the island of Delos, in the Ancient Agora of Athens, in Thessaloniki, Crete, Rhodes and Thessaly.
During their long history Greek Jews developed distinctive traditions, customs & liturgy passed down from generation to generation and carried with them when they immigrated to other countries. This special text has been prepared in conjunction with the exhibit "Memories."
Sephardic & Romaniote Religious and Social Organizations in New York
Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies & Culture
In the early 20th century, the demise of the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Wars, and WWI initiated a wave of Sephardic & Romaniote immigration to the US from Greece & Turkey. Families came from both small towns and larger cities with mixed populations of Christians, Muslims and Jews. These locales included Kastoria, Ioannina, Chios, Rhodes, Monastir, Adrianople (Edirne), Rodosto (Tekirdag), Silivria, Çorlu, Çanakkale, Angora (Ankara), Salonika, Constantinople, and Smyrna (Izmir). Most settled in New York, but many went elsewhere: New Brunswick, Rochester, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Montgomery, Atlanta, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
These immigrants organized religious & mutual aid societies based on their cities of origin to help provide for the needs of their less fortunate compatriots. Over time they also formed shared social clubs that helped unify the community. Join us to view photos from these historic organizations and learn more about these immigrants’ experience adapting to life in the US.
Permanent Exhibits
Shaddayoth and Siddurim: A Window into Romaniote Religious Traditions
Exhibit by Kehila Kedosha Janina
Curated by Isaac Choua and Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, this exhibit features items that were brought from Greece over the past 100 years by the immigrants to our Romaniote Jewish community in New York.
The first component of this exhibit features Shaddayoth, which are silver dedicatory plaques traditionally hung on the Torah Ark Curtain (Parohet). Hidden from public view for decades, our recently rediscovered collection includes plaques from Ioannina as well as ones created in New York. Shaddayoth are a unique Romaniote tradition.
The second component of this exhibit includes rare prayer books that were cherished by KKJ community members, including Sephardic Jews who joined our synagogue. These religious books date back centuries and range from antique printed Siddurim to hand-written Hebrew and Judeo-Greek liturgical poetry (piyyutim) unique to the Romaniote tradition.
Click "Read More" to view a digital version of this exhibit. A video presentation of this exhibit from the opening reception is available online here.
Janina Project: Celestial Structures
Exhibit by Judy Moonelis
Judy Moonelis, a New York City artist, has exhibited widely, in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Temple Gallery, Rome, Groot Foundation Exhibition Space, Chicago, Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ, and group exhibitions include the 9th International Frankfurt Triennial. Her work has been represented by John Elder Gallery, NYC and Rena Bransten, San Francisco, where she has had several solo exhibitions.
Moonelis’s artist grants include two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships and the Virginia A. Groot Grant. Her work is represented in major public collections, including the Smithsonian Institutions’ Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC; Museum of Arts and Design, NYC; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY; Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, LA, CA. Important private collections include Frances Lewis, VA and Agnes Gund, NY.
Her art has been a subject in numerous publications. She has lectured extensively at museums and universities, taught at Rhode Island School of Design, NYU and Hunter College. Her artist residencies include the Art Institute of Chicago, RISD and Cranbrook. She received her BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University and MFA from New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University.
Rabbi Bechoraki Matsil
Exhibit by Kehila Kedosha Janina
Matsliach Yitzchak Matsil was born in 1877. The oldest of seven children [4 girls and 3 boys] and the first male, he was called Bechor. His parents died when he was very young and, as the oldest in the family, it became his responsibility to raise his siblings. He married off his three single sisters and sent his two brothers [Harry and Morris] to the United States. He would wait until the passing of the father of his wife [Amelia Levy] to make his own immigration, WWI further postponing his plans. It would not be until 1919 that Bechoraki would come to the USA. He already had five children [Isaac, Renee, Matty, Jeanette and Manny and five more would be born to him in the USA [Morris, Julie, Selma, Sol and Israel, who would die in infancy].
In the early part of the 20th century, Ioannina found itself in need of a rabbi and the community sent Bechoraki to Salonika to study for the rabbinate. He would also be certified to become the shohet and the mohel. He circumcised close to 600 male infants, both in Ioannina before he left, and in the United States, after he arrived, meticulously listing their names in a prayer book. Included among the circumcisions were five of his six sons and nine of his grandsons. Most were performed with no charge, especially those performed during the depression when money was so scarce.
Initially, on his arrival in New York, in 1919, he went to work with his younger brothers at the bathrobe factory they had established [Matsil Brothers] at 628 Broadway. Even though he had helped finance this venture, his role in the firm would be short-lived. The younger brothers thought that Bechoraki’s ways were too European.
