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New Exhibits
Hametz Family Exhibit
On November 11, 2007, in honor of the marriage of Sharon Hametz
and Jeffrey Rodnick in Kehila Kedosha Janina, a special family exhibit was
created for the Hametz family. Sharon’s great-grandfather, Rabbi Israel Hametz,
came to serve the growing Yanniote community on the Lower East Side in
1928. The immigration quotas for that year had already been filled and the
synagogue sent formal letters to the American Consulate in Greece requesting
that Rabbi Hametz and his family, his wife Pernoula and 7 children [his oldest
daughter had already arrived in New York in 1920 and had married Joe Leon
Josephs in 1924] be allowed to come to New York. A copy of the original letter
of 1928 is on display in our Museum.
Israel worked in import/export to
supplement his salary as a rabbi. The family would live on the Lower East Side,
close to the Kehila where Israel’s son, Ovadiah, would also serve as a spiritual
leader, helping to conduct the traditional Romaniote prayer services.
Israel would have been proud of his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren who would fulfill the “American dream” and
become professionals. He would have been most proud of his great-granddaughter
Sharon who chose to have her wedding at Kehila Kedosha Janina, the synagogue
that played such an important role in the life of her family.
Additional information on Hametz Family
The family name “Hametz” is a
nickname [a paratsouklia]
that first appears as a surname in the Ioannina Municipal Archives in 1845
[Solomon ben David Hametz, born 1845]. According to family oral history, the
paratsouklia
was acquired when the patriarch of the family was found with hametz in
his pocket during Pessach.
Like many other Yanniotes, Israel Hametz made his living
buying and selling fabric. Israel was a religious man but, obviously, a
progressive man. Allowing his young daughter, Sarina, to come to the United
States by herself was not common in this patriarchal conservative community.
Sarina would arrive in 1920, lying about her age on the manifest, afraid that a
15 year old might be turned away. She would marry Joseph Leon Josephs, another
Yanniote, in 1924. Immigration quotas put into place that year would
prevent her family from attending her wedding. It would not be until 1928 that
the rest of the Hametz family would join her in New York. In the interim from
when Sarina left in 1920 and the rest of the family arrived in 1928, three
additional children would be born to Israel and Pernoula [Albertos, age 7,
Isaac, age 4 and Eftihia (Molly), age 2]. On arrival at Ellis Island, Israel’s
daughter Fina was 17, Esther was 16, Haim was 15 and Ovadia was 11. The family
settled in at 273 Broome Street [according to the 1930 census, a copy of which
is on display in the Museum] and became a vital part of the Yanniote
community on the Lower East Side. Israel would serve as a rabbi and his son,
Ovadia, would become a spiritual leader of Kehila Janina.
The intervention of the Kehila in NY in expediting the family’s
emigration from Greece saved their lives. In a few short years, the Ioannina
Jewish community would be destroyed in the Holocaust [see Holocaust list and the
relatives of Israel Hametz that perished].
View pictures in exhibit.
The
Jewish Community of Preveza
Exhibit to open
on October 7, 2007
Reception: 1-3 pm
The Jewish
Community of Preveza was never large in size; it only existed for a mere 63
years. The Jewish neighborhood was no more than four-square blocks, the
community never numbering more than 400. Yet, to us at Kehila Kedosha Janina,
many of whom have familial connections to Preveza, the story of the Jewish
Community of Preveza is of utmost importance. The Community was destroyed during
the Holocaust. It lives on in our hearts.
Join us on
October 7th for the opening of the Preveza exhibit. Reception in the
Museum from 1-3.
The exhibit
contains never before exhibited photos of Jewish families from Preveza and
artifacts attesting to the vibrant Jewish presence in the city.
Exhibit to run
through May 2008.
View preview of exhibit.
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