While we may have to stay apart to help one another, we can still welcome Shabbat as a community. Join us for digital Romaniote Kabbalat Shabbat services together. Check out Facebook page for exact times and streaming links: 

https://www.facebook.com/kkjnyc/

March 09, 2020

Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!

The party starts on Monday March 9 at 6:00pm with Minha, Arvith, and Megillah Reading Services followed by a traditional Greek Jewish Dinner. Dress up as your favorite holiday characters and celebrate a great Jewish holiday with your family and friends!

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Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

February 16, 2020

Join us on Sunday February 16th at 2pm.

Kehila Kedosha Janina is proud to welcome Professor Alexander Kitroeff as Scholar in Residence for a lecture on the subject of Greeks and Jews in Egypt.

“From the early nineteenth century through to the 1960s, the Greeks formed the largest, most economically powerful, and geographically and socially diverse of all European communities in Egypt. Although they benefited from the privileges extended to foreigners and the control exercised by Britain, they claimed nonetheless to enjoy a special relationship with Egypt and the Egyptians, seeing themselves as contributors to the country’s modernization.”

Alexander Kitroeff is Professor of History at Haverford College. He is the author of numerous books, including most recently "The Greeks and the Making of Modern Egypt."

Prof. Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens, but his paternal grandparents were born in Alexandria, his great grandfather having left Chios in the late 19th century in order to become involved in the cotton business. His family left Egypt and moved to Greece in the 1950s and 1960s when life in Egypt became difficult for the Greeks.

Professor Kitroeff received his doctorate from Oxford University.​

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org

March 29, 2020

Join us on Sunday March 29 at 2:00pm.

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KKJ is honored to welcome Dr. Murray Spiegel to present "How to Create an Unforgettable Passover Seder"

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Find out how to make your Seder extremely entertaining and educational!

Murray Spiegel has a passion for Judaism, Passover, and Language. He has a reputation for innovative Seders, which have been featured in the New York Times and filmed by PBS. He has spoken all over the United States. On March 29th he will be joining us at KKJ.

All attendees will receive a free printout of Romaniote and Sephardic Passover Recipes. In addition, Jennifer Abadi’s excellent cookbook “Too Good to Passover” will be available at a special Holiday Price. We will also have copies of Romaniote and Sephardic Haggadot for sale.

Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336

December 15, 2019

Join us on Sunday December 15 at 1pm. 

KKJ is honored to present "Shaddayoth and Siddurim: A Window into Romaniote Religious Traditions" - a new museum exhibit opening reception. 

Kehila Kedosha Janina is thrilled to unveil the latest addition to our museum: a new permanent exhibit of Shaddayoth and Siddurim from our private collection. Featuring items gathered from community members since our founding, this opening reception will explain the unique Romaniote tradition of 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.

The second component of this new 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.

Join us as we unveil these communal treasures and learn more about our rich heritage. The reception includes a presentation by the exhibit curators, including KKJ Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Executive Director of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, and Isaac Choua, KKJ Assistant Museum Curator. They will provide an explanation of the
materials and highlights from their work.
 

Refreshments will be served. 

RSVP required to Museum@kkjsm.org

October 21, 2019

Join us on Monday October 21 starting at 5:15pm.

We will celebrate Simhat Torah with Minha, Arvith, and Hakafot. Following services we will enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish dinner. 

מועדים לשמחה  Χαγκ Σαμεαχ  Moed Alegre

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Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

October 13, 2019

Join us on Sunday October 13 at 2pm.

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KKJ is proud to welcome back Karen Batshaw to present her new book "Light and Shadows."

It is rare that one reads historical fiction and is so enraptured, both on the historical end and on the fictional end. Thus is the case with Karen Batshaw’s latest book, “Light and Shadows.” Karen has a knack for picking themes that many do not know about, as in her first book, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” covering the Holocaust of Jews in Salonika, Greece.
 

“Light and Shadows” takes on two rarely mentioned, but extremely painful historical events in the 20th century, the extermination of Jews from the Bulgarian Zone of Occupation in Greece (in March 1943) and the Population Exchange of Asia Minor Greeks (in 1923). Karen uses her protagonists, a Sephardic Jewish woman from Kavala, Greece, and a Greek-Orthodox Christian man from Asia Minor Turkey, to tell the stories. Karen is a rare author who has both the talents of a fiction writer, creating story lines and characters that are unforgettable, and the intense research necessary to present the historical events in an accurate way. Karen will be available to sign purchased books. Copies of her first book “Hidden in Plain Sight" will also be available.

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org

October 06, 2019

Join us on October 6th at 2pm. 

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Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome Professor Steven Bowman for a special presentation on the Revolt of the Sonderkommando in Auschwitz-Birkenau in honor of the 75th anniversary of the uprising and in anticipation of his upcoming paper on this topic. The lecture will include the rarely mentioned story of the role that Greek Jews played in the uprising.

Professor Bowman, Professor Emeritus of the University of Cincinnati, has spent decades studying Greek Jews, especially their history in Byzantium and losses during the Holocaust. Among the books he has authored are “The Jews of Byzantium,” “Jewish Resistance in Wartime Greece,” and “The Agony of Greek Jewry.” Professor Bowman also served as Editor in Chief of the Sephardic and Greek Holocaust Library through Sephardic House and the American Sephardi Federation.

We Never Forget.

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336.

September 26, 2019

Join us on September 26 at 6pm at the Consulate of Greece in New York for a special panel discussion about Romaniote Jews. 

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"Romaniote Memories - a Jewish Journey from Ioannina, Greece to Manhattan: Photographs by Vincent Giordano" will open on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the Consulate General of Greece in New York and will continue through October 3, 2019. A lecture and panel discussion about Romaniote Jews will take place at the Consulate on Thursday, September 26 at 6:00 PM. Our Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos will be one of the panelists. 

The photographs are part of a multi-media archive, created by Giordano, who died in 2010, which was sponsored by International Survey of Jewish Monuments and since June, 2019 has found a new home at the Hellenic American Project and Special Collections at the Library of Queens College, New York under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Alexiou.

The Vincent Giordano multi-media archive is comprised of an assortment of written material, photographic negatives, prints and slides, audio cassettes and other tapes, video mini-cassettes and other recordings, and miscellaneous material related to Giordano's more than decade-long documentation of the Greek-Jewish community of Kehila Kedosha Janina in New York and the synagogue and community in Ioannina, Greece. Mr. Giordano received a grant from the Fulbright Foundation in 2009 with the Jewish Museum of Greece acting as the host institution.

In 1999, photographer Vincent Giordano made an unplanned visit to the small Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ) synagogue on New York’s Lower East Side.  He knew little about Judaism or synagogues, and even less about the Romaniote Jewish tradition of which KKJ, built in 1927, is the lone North American representative.  In this he was not alone. Romaniotes are among the least known of Jewish communities. Since the Holocaust, when 85% of all Jews in Greece perished and the historic Romaniote communities in Greece largely destroyed, KKJ has struggled to maintain its millennia-old traditions.

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The exhibition is on view Monday through Friday from 9am-2:30pm at the Consulate General of Greece, 69 E 79 Street, New York, NY 10075. 212-988-5500. For additional information and photos for publication please contact: Renee Pappas, reneedpappas@gmail.com  +1-312-709-9338

ISJM gratefully acknowledge the support of Ted and Lea Pedas and Jim and Wanda Pedas in making this exhibition possible.

September 08, 2019

Join us on Sunday September 8 at 2pm.

KKJ is honored to welcome Rabbi Marc D. Angel for a special presentation on his latest book "A New World: An American Sephardic Memoir."

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“This memoir of growing up in a close-knit Sephardic immigrant community is poignant and a pleasure to read. It’s also sharp and provocative. It pushes us to figure out how, in our vexed, complicated world today, we can provide our children with a natural sense of belonging and joy.” - Jane Mushabac

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Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, which is dedicated to fostering an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism. He is Rabbi Emeritus of the historic Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City (founded 1654), where he served since 1969. Born into Seattle's Sephardic community, his ancestors are Sephardim from Turkey and Rhodes and he grew up in a Ladino-speaking home. He received his B.A., M.S., Ph.D., Th.D. honoris causa, and his Semikhah (Rabbinical ordination) from Yeshiva University and also has an M.A. in English literature from the City College of New York. He is a recipient of the Bernard Revel Award in Religion and Religious Education. He was president of the Rabbinical Council of America, and a member of the editorial board of its journal. Author and editor of 36 books, he has written and lectured extensively on various aspects of Jewish law, history and culture. Rabbi Angel will be available to sign purchased books. 

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org

April 28, 2019

Join us on Sunday April 28 at 12pm.

This Yom HaShoah we are honored to host filmmaker Rita Sara Cohen for a stirring presentation of her latest documentary film “Memoirs of a Hidden Child.” Rita's parents survived the war in Athens by being hidden by righteous Christians. Our program will start in the sanctuary for our traditional lighting of the candles in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Afterwards we will show Rita’s film in our Ada Finifter Communal Room and Education Center. 

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Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336. 

April 14, 2019

Join us on April 14th at 2pm.

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We are honored to welcome Dr. Katherine Fleming for a special presentation on Greek Music in Israel. 

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Katherine E. Fleming is the Alexander S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization in the Department of History at New York University. In April 2016 she was named Provost of NYU.

Beyond NYU, Dr. Fleming has been an associate member of the History
Department of the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and served as the president of the Board of the University of Piraeus, Greece. A specialist on modern Greece, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean, she is most recently author of ”Greece: A Jewish History,” which won several prizes, among them the National Jewish Book Award and the Runciman Award.

Dr. Fleming is a good friend of Kehila Kedosha Janina. Her iconic book, “Greece: A Jewish History,” will be on sale during this event.

The presentation will take place in our Ada Finifter Communal Room and Education Center, and is sponsored by the Ada Finifter Endowment Fund.

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org

April 04, 2019

Join us on Thursday April 4 from 6-9pm for a special new art exhibit featuring cast paper and prints of artist Stewart Nachmias. The reception will include refreshments and live Greek music!

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The artist, Stewart Nachmias, is the son of Max and Eve Nachmias (both of Blessed Memory) who were both born on the Lower East Side. The Nachmias family were founding members of our community. The exhibit will run through June 4, 2019 in our Ada Finifter Communal Room and Education Center. Viewings on Sundays or by appointment during the week.

Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336.

April 07, 2019

Join us on Sunday April 7th at 2pm. Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome Dr. Joseph Benatov. 

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In 1943, Bulgaria complied with German demands and deported nearly 11,400 Jews from occupied territories in northern Greece and Yugoslavia (Macedonia). At the same time, Bulgaria successfully resisted German pressures to deport the 50,000 Jews living in Bulgaria. Dr. Benatov will offer an overview of the facts surrounding these historical events and will focus on the conflicting opinions about the role played by King Boris III, church officials, and politicians in the deportations of Greek and Macedonian Jews as well as the rescue of Bulgaria’s Jewish population. Dr. Benatov will focus on new scholarship on the topic and will also discuss the international debates over the way in which this historical moment should be interpreted, remembered, and commemorated.

Dr. Joseph Benatov holds a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches Hebrew. He has written on competing national narratives of the saving of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II; Jewish identity politics in Philip Roth’s early fiction; and the sensationalism of U.S. representations of life behind the Iron Curtain. He has translated fiction, poetry, and drama, including several plays staged to wide acclaim in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is also the English translator of the contemporary Bulgarian novel Zift. Every summer Dr. Benatov leads Sephardic trips to the Balkans and is hoping to lead a joint tour in the future with Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos.

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336.

March 31, 2019

Join us on March 31 at 2pm as we welcome Adam Brown for a special presentation on Romaniote and Sephardic DNA Research.

Adam Brown is the Project Administrator of the Avotaynu DNA Project, a study that is using DNA of Jewish men to trace the origins and migrations of our people over the last 3,000 years. He lectures on Jewish history and genetics at conferences all over the world.

The Avotaynu Project is a worldwide academic collaboration among leading scholars and geneticists at institutions such as the Technion, New York University, Columbia University and the University of Denver, together with community historians such as our
own Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos.

Adam will describe how each of us carries the history of the Jewish people within our genes, and how members of our community can
play an important role in the study.

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Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org

March 20, 2019

Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!

The party starts on Wednesday March 20 at 5:30pm with Minha, Arvith, and Megillah Reading Services followed by a traditional Greek Jewish Dinner and a special class led by Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé on the comedy of Purim. Dress up as your favorite holiday characters and celebrate a great Jewish holiday with your family and friends!

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Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

December 09, 2018

Join us on Sunday December 9 at 2:00pm for a special program with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Romaniote and Sephardic Communities: Preserving History through Artifacts, Archives, and Research

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Professional staff from the USHMM in Washington DC will join us in presenting their search for original artifacts from Romaniote and Sephardic Jews or their descendants who suffered displacement, persecution, or discrimination under the rule of Nazi Germany and its Axis partners between 1938 and 1945. They are looking for material that belonged to the victims and survivors that relate their stories, experiences, and histories. Learn more about the efforts of the USHMM to document Romaniote and Sephardic communities here. 

Help us ensure that our story is told.

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Refreshments will be served

Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336

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October 27, 2018

Join us on October 27 at 9:30am for a very special Shabbat as we honor Sol Kofinas with the first Hy Genee Legacy Award. We will recognize all that Sol has contributed to our community and celebrate with traditional Romaniote services and a kiddush lunch.  

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The Hy Genee Legacy Award was established in 2017 to recognize individuals who, over a long period of time, have preserved Hy's legacy by going above and beyond to ensure the survival and vibrancy of Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum. 

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Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

October 01, 2018

Join us for our Simhat Torah Celebration & Dinner Monday October 1 at 5:30pm. Erev Simhat Torah Services begin at 5:30pm including Minha, Arvith, and Hakafot followed by a Traditional Greek Jewish Dinner. You are welcome to join us for additional Holiday Services on:

October 1 at 9:15am - Shemini Atzeret Morning Services

October 2 at 9:15am - Simhat Torah Morning Services

October 6 at 9:30am - Shabbat Bereshith Morning Services

RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

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September 24, 2018

Join Us for Sukkoth Holiday Services at Kehila Kedosha Janina Saturday September 22 – 9:30am, Monday September 24 – 9:15am, and Tuesday September 25– 9:15am.Experience the ancient Romaniote traditions of Jewish Greece and enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish Kiddush in our Communal Sukkah. Moadim L’Simha!

June 03, 2018

Join us on Sunday June 3 at 2pm at Kehila Kedosha Janina for a special book presentation.

We are honored to welcome Yvette Manessis Corporon, author of “Something Beautiful Happened: A Story of Survival and Courage in the Face of Evil.” Yvette is an Emmy-award winning writer and producer.

When Yvette presented her first book, “When the Cypress Whispers,” at KKJ, it was a true moment of fate. Hearing the story of Yvette’s family on the island of Erikousa off the coast of Corfu, Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, KKJ Museum Director and President of the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry, decided to present the Association’s prestigious Award of Moral Courage, honoring Greek Christians who risked their lives to save Greek Jews during the Occupation of Greece, in Erikousa in June 2015. “Something Beautiful Happened” is the continuation of this story.

We are proud to announce that our Museum Director was interviewed for both the book and the soon-to-be-released documentary.

The author will be present for book signing. Special autographed copies will be available for $20. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336

May 04, 2018

Kehila Kedosha Janina invites you to an International Greek Jewish Shabbat on May 4 and 5, 2018. 

Join us for a special Shabbat celebrating the Romaniote & Sephardic traditions of the Jews of Greece.

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We are honored to welcome community leaders from Greece, Seattle, Indianapolis, Portland, Miami, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, including the following distinguished Hahamim:

Rabbi Gabriel Negrin, Jewish Community of Athens, Greece

Rabbi Ben Hassan, Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation of Seattle

Rabbi David Gingold-Altchek, Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation of Indianapolis

Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America

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Friday May 4

6:45pm Minha Afternoon Services

7:15pm Kabbalat Shabbat & Arvith Services

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Saturday May 5

9:00am Shaharith Morning Services

12:00pm Musaf Services

4:00pm “The Romaniote Custom of Shaddayot” - Rabbi Negrin

4:30pm “Teaching Levantine Sephardic Customs” - Rabbi Hassan

5:00pm “Post-Expulsion Sephardic Philosophy” - Rabbi Altchek

5:30pm Minha Afternoon Services

6:00pm Seuda Shelishit & Rabbinic Panel Discussion

7:15pm Romaniote Songs, Arvith Services & Havdala

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Kehila Kedosha Janina 280 Broome Street NYC

Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

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Click here for the full Shabbat schedule and details. 

April 29, 2018

Sunday April 29 at 2pm

Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to show a fascinating new documentary, "Journey from Tunisia," by Sephardic filmmaker Jonathan Maimon.

In this film, Maimon examines the journey of his family from Tunisia to Israel. It explores a personal history, the upheaval of centuries of roots for Jews and their Arab neighbors in North Africa, and the forming of new roots in a newly created Israel. Through his film, Maimon entrusts us with the spell-binding story of his Sephardic grandparents from emigration to immigration, encompassing loss, disappointment, and adaptation. 

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Tickets $5 (available at the door)

Sephardic desserts, coffee and tea served. 

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Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org

April 15, 2018

Kehila Kedosha Janina invites you to our annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony on Sunday April 15th at 1pm.

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This Yom HaShoah, we are celebrating Sol Kofinas, our Shamash, and highlighting his story of being a hidden child in Athens during the Occupation of Greece. Sol and his brother Zino survived with the help of the Greek Orthodox Christian Hatzi family. As part of our Yom HaShoah commemoration, we are honored to show Sol Kofinas’ presentation at the Bronx Supreme Court, where he told his story of survival. Filmed and produced by Richard Solomon.

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Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org  or 516-456-9336

April 08, 2018

Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum is honored to host the presentation of a fascinating book by Jane Mushabac (Shalach Manot), author of "His Hundred Years: A Tale" on Sunday April 8th at 2pm. 

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“This fascinating book by gifted writer and storyteller Shalach Manot reflects on the life of an unusual Sephardic man, his childhood in Turkey, and later, his adaptation to life in America. We follow his adventures and come away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Sephardic immigrant experience during the 20th century.” — Marc D. Angel, author of The Crown of Solomon and Other Stories. Author will be present for book signing. Special autographed books available for $12. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org  or 516-456-9336

March 11, 2018

Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum is honored to host the presentation of a newly released cookbook by our dear friend Jennifer Abadi, author of "Too Good to Passover."

"Too Good to Passover" is a collection of Sephardic and Judeo-Arabic Seder Menus and Memories from Africa, Asia and Europe. Many from our own community! Author will be present for book signing. Special autographed books available for $30.

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org  or 516-456-9336

February 28, 2018

Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!

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The celebration starts on Wednesday, February 28 at 5:15pm with Mincha, Arvith, and Megillah Reading Services followed by a Traditional Greek Jewish Dinner and a special class led by Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé to learn Romaniote, Hebrew, and Ladino songs. Dress up as your favorite holiday characters and celebrate a great holiday with your family and friends!

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Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org

December 10, 2017

Join us on Sunday December 10 at 2pm, when author Michael J. Weinstein will present his new book "Ten Times Chai." Inspired by his own heritage and dedicated to the Holocaust Survivors he met on his journeys, Michael J. Weinstein gives readers a tour of 180 Orthodox synagogues throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC. This coffee table style book’s 613 color photos represent each of the 613 mitzvot, or commandments, of Judaism in the Torah. Michael will share stories about each of these unique synagogues. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org or 516-456-9336

November 19, 2017

Back by popular demand! Join us on Sunday November 19 at 6:30pm to hear the sounds of Kol Dodi performing the songs of Israel and Greece. Kol Dodi (The Voice of My Beloved) is a talented group of musicians. Yaron Hanoka's roots are from Salonika. Avram Pengas' roots are from Ioannina. On November 19 they will bring their music to Kehila Kedosha Janina. There will be dancing in the aisles! Tickets $20 by advance check or cash at the door. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org. Download the concert flyer here. 

October 22, 2017

Join us on Sunday October 22 at 1pm for a special showing of the critically-acclaimed film Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria. Tickets are only $10 All proceeds will be donated to the Holocaust Education Center in Thessaloniki This special showing is in memory of Lena Russo.

October 16, 2017

Join us Monday October 16th at 7:00pm for a Special Guest Lecutre and Discussion by Prof. Devin Naar, the Sephardic Studies Program Chair, Isaac Alhadeff Professor of Sephardic Studies, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Washington. Once the uncontested capital of the Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jewish world, Salonica (Thessaloniki) also became a vibrant center of Greek Jewish life in the twentieth century. Drawing on recently discovered archives in Ladino, Greek, Hebrew, and French, this talk will explore how Romaniotes and Sephardim came together to forge a new Greek Jewish identity and transform Salonica into the capital of “Hellenic Judaism” prior to the Holocaust.

Prof. Naar will be available to sign copies of his excellent book, Jewish Salonica: Between the Ottoman Empire and Modern Greece, recipient of a 2016 National Jewish Book Award. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org.

September 10, 2017

Join us Sunday, September 10 at 5:00pm for a Special Sephardic Concert featuring Ladino Music from Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans. Since 1976, The Elias Ladino Ensemble has performed the songs of the Sephardic Jews in venues all over the world. “We learned these songs from within the Sephardic Community, so we understand the connection that they had to everyday life. Many of the songs date back to ancient Spain, while some reveal melodies and rhythms of the Balkan and Middle Eastern communities where we lived in exile. In our hands, the music remains as vibrant as the community once was.” Tickets are $20 by advance check or cash at the door and $10 special discount for members of the Greek Jewish Young Professionals Network. Checks can be made out to Kehila Kedosha Janina and mailed to 1 Hanson Place, Huntington, NY 11743. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org

July 31, 2017

Please join us for Tisha B'Av Evening Services beginning Monday, 6:30pm, conducted in the unique Romaniote traditions of the Jews of Greece. Services will coincide with a special class on the Tisha B'Av traditions of Romaniote and Sephardic Jews, comparing their key differences with those of Asheknazi Jewry.

"How can the city of Jerusalem exist in ruin," asks the Prophet at the outset of the Book of Lamentations, which we read on Tisha B'Av. The Fast of the Ninth Day of the Month of Av, the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, commemorates the destruction of the two Jewish temples, the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel, and countless other catastrophes that have befallen us on this day throughout history.

Yet our sages tell us that the Messiah will be born on the ninth of Av and that the third Beit Hamikdash (holy temple) will be consecrated on the ninth of Av. With the guidance from G-d, may we all be worthy to see the saddest day on the Jewish calendar turn into a joyous day.

June 25, 2017

NOTE: This screening will take place at the Sephardic Jewish Center of Forest Hills at 5:30pm.

67-67 108th Street, Forest Hills, NY 11375

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“Cloudy Sunday” unfolds the forbidden love story between a Jewish girl and a Christian boy during the German occupation in Thessaloniki in 1942. The racist laws have been implemented and the only place to escape the hatred and inhumanity is

a small club, where Vasilis Tsitsanis fills the hearts and minds of people with the beautiful rebetika folk music. Despite the resistance, the persistent hunt for the Jews gradually spreads and suddenly simple choices become life-changing decisions. “Cloudy Sunday” was filmed in Thessaloniki with the cooperation of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. Members of the Community, including those from the Ladino Choir, are in the film. Join us for a movie you do not want to miss. This showing is sponsored by The Association of Friends of Greek Jewry. Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, Museum Director of Kehila Kedosha Janina and President of the Association, will be present to introduce the film and to answer questions afterwards. 

Entrance fee: $5 for members of Congregation of Sephardic Jewish Center, $10 for non-members. Refreshments will be served after the film.

June 18, 2017

Join us on Sunday June 18th at 7pm for a special Benefit Concert. The concert will feature a mix of traditional music from Greece, accenting the music of Epirus.

Performing Artists include Vasilis Kostas, Eirini Tornesaki, Nektarios Antoniou, Christiane Karam, Maria Manousaki, Eleni Arapoglou, Miriam Elhajili Kalesma, (“Calling” in Greek), is a project bringing six internationally acclaimed musicians from the US to perform together on stage with a choir of 40 children who are under the care of Kivotos in Athens, Greece, in July 2018. Kivotos cares for mothers and children in need, many of whom are homeless or neglected.

The six US-based artist-educators will travel to Greece to work with the children for one week before the concert. The final performance will establish the beginning of a series of music programs for the children of Kivotos, so that they can have access to long-term music education. 

This is a way to channel their voices for generations to come. Music brings hope and purpose into the lives of children. It motivates them to work with others and to feel part of a community, all trying to achieve something great.

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Tickets: $25 (all proceeds going to Kalesma). Tickets will be sold at the door, but to ensure a seat, send a check to Association of Friend of Greek Jewry, 1 Hanson Place, Huntington NY 11743.

For those who cannot attend but wish to contribute, you can do so through “Fractured Atlas,” an online fundraising site, or by sending a check to Association of Friends of Greek Jewry, 1 Hanson Place, Huntington NY 11743. Download the Concert Flyer here. 

June 11, 2017

Join us on June 11th at 2pm as we stop and remember the heroism of two young men from our community, Abraham Matza and Nissim Attas, who died in January, 1945 at the Battle of the Bulge. Bring your friends and family. We want to see an outpouring of love for these two brave Yanniotes who gave their young lives for the United States. 

Abraham Matza was born in December, 1924. He had just turned 20 when he died in Belgium on January 6, 1945. His mother Astro was listed as next of kin and was living on Simpson Avenue in the Bronx. Nissim Attas was born on Broome Street in 1925. He was only 19 when he died in Belgium on January 23, 1945. 

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Joining us will be members of both the Attas and Matza families and Amy Gagnon Fogg, a woman who has dedicated her life to uncovering the stories of the soldiers buried at Henri-Chapelle. These brave men deserve our respect and we want to pack the house for this event. Refreshments will be served. 

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Download the event flyer here. 

May 21, 2017

Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of Kehila Kedosha Janina. Experience authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing and live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, and much more! 

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Last year over 6,000 people came out to celebrate! Learn more and see the full event schedule at GreekJewishFestival.com

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Download the Festival Poster here. 

April 04, 2017

Led by Rabbi Nissim Elnecave every Tuesday night at 8pm, this weekly class discusses Romaniote and Sephardic traditions from Greece, Turkey, Spain, and beyond. Class topics include Hebrew liturgy and Ladino songs, Romaniote and Sephardic perspectives on the Torah, holiday celebrations, and much more. Open to young adults in their 20's and 30's. Please RSVP to GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com

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View full details in the class flyer here. 

April 23, 2017

Join us on April 23rd at 1pm for our annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony. This year we are honored to host Rebecca Yomtov Hauser, a survivor who will speak about her experience in Ioannina during the Holocaust. 

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Rebecca Yomtov Hauser, 95 years old, was deported from Ioannina on March 25, 1944. Rebecca came from a typical Yanniote family of shop owners in Ioannina. She lived outside the Kastro in Ioannina. She came from a family of five children. Her sister Annetta died before the war but her brothers Nissim, Avraam and Isaac, along with her parents, Mordo and Boneka, were murdered in the concentration camps. After the war, family in the United States brought Rebecca to the USA.

Rebecca has spoken numerous times on the Holocaust, feeling it to be of utmost importance to educate and ensure that this never happens again. She has recently published her memoir, My Simple Life in Greece Before it Was Destroyed by the Holocaust.

We are honored to host Rebecca for a book signing after our Yom HaShoah service at 1pm. Refreshments will be served.

March 12, 2017

Join us on Sunday March 12 at 7:30pm for a night of music and celebration of Greek Jewish culture at KKJ. Featuring performances from Beth Bahia Cohen, Vasileios Kostas, and, Lefteris Bounias, incredible musicians and experts on the music of Epirus (Epirotika). Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advanced. RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org and direct all checks (made out to Kehila Kedosha Janina) to Kehila Kedosha Janina, 1 Hanson Place, Huntington, NY 11743.

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March 19, 2017

Join us for a special showing of the critically-acclaimed film Cloudy Sunday. Sunday March 19 at 1pm. Entrance Fee $10. The film will be screened in our communal room and museum simultaneously. There will no tours during the film showing. Refreshments will be served afterwards. 

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Cloudy Sunday unfolds the forbidden love story between a Jewish girl and a Christian boy during the German occupation in Thessaloniki in 1942. The racist laws have been implemented and the only place to escape the hatred and inhumanity is a small club, where Vasilis Tsitsanis fills the hearts and minds of people with the beautiful Rebetika folk music. Despite the resistance, the persistent hunt for the Jews gradually spreads and suddenly simple choices become life-changing decisions. Based on the book “Ouzeri Tsitsanis” by George Skarbadonis, inspired by real events. Cloudy Sunday was filmed in Thessaloniki with the cooperation of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. Members of the Community, including those from the Ladino Choir, are in the film. 

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Join us for a movie you do not want to miss. Our showing is timed to coincide with the arrival in Auschwitz-Birkenau of the first transport from Salonika (March 20, 1943). 

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Cloudy Sunday by Manoussos Manoussakis 

Awards & Festivals: 

Official Selection in Melbourne and Edinburgh, Asian Premiere @ Shanghai IFF (Spectrum Section), Italian Premiere @ Fiuggi Family FF, Best Director and Best Cinematography @ Slemani Film Festival 

March 05, 2017

Join us on Sunday, March 5 at 2pm for a special book release and presentation of We Are in Exile - Estamos En Galut by Mara Cohen Ioannides. The Novel takes places on the Island of Rhodes, telling the story of one Jewish family at the end of the depression and their relationship with their Christian neighbors and Italian rulers. The Author will be present for a book signing and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org. 

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We are in Exile - Estamos en Galut takes place between World War I and World War II on the island of Rhodes in the city of Rhodes during a world-wide depression. Here the Christian and Jewish Greeks lived together in relative harmony under Italian rule. However, families were forced to send their sons and husbands off the island to earn money for their families back home. Ultimately, the community was destroyed by the Holocaust. This story attempts to revive the lost world of the Rhodesli, the Jews of Rhodes, a Jewish community with unique traditions. This story follows one particular family that comes to the realization that they must join their oldest sons in America. Through the youngest child, we uncover the stormy side of the relationship between the Jews and Christians and how children can help destroy bigotry. Through the middle children, we learn about adolescent dreams, romance, and the reality of growing up. The grandparents teach us about tradition and how hard it is to let go. The epilogue explains what happens to this family after the Holocaust. All this is told through Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish spoken by the Rhodesli and traditional Rhodesli sayings.

February 22, 2017

In conjunction with Centro Primo Levi, KKJ will be presenting an evening of Italian Chazanut. We are thrilled to help host a special program of Italian Jewish music and liturgy established in memory of Erna Finci Viterbi z’l, whose love for tradition and dedication to learning have profoundly contributed to shape the Centro Primo Levi’s principles. The program features one of Italy’s leading cantors, Rabbi Elia Richetti, performing a selection of Ashkenazi synagogue songs from an array of Jewish communities in Northern Italy. Join us on Wednesday, February 22 at KKJ from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Be sure to RSVP at museum@kkjsm.org.

Additional information is available here. 

July 17, 2017

Kehila Kedosha Janina is extremely excited to announce the first ever Young Professionals Tour of Greece for this coming Summer! Hosted by the Greek Jewish & Sephardic Young Professionals Network and the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry.

What: Discover your heritage and connect with other young Greek Jews from Greece
Where: Travel to Thessaloniki, Verroia, Athens, and Mykonos

When: July 17 - July 27, 2017

Who: Greek Jewish and Sephardic young adults in their 20's and 30's

Why: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
 

If you have any questions you can reach out to the Young Professionals Network at GreekJewishYPN@gmail.com or email the tour guide Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos at museum@kkjsm.org
 

The full itinerary is available here.  

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Space is limited. Deposits are due by January 15th. 
We look forward to seeing you in Greece this Summer!
 

October 03, 2016

We invite you to join us for the High Holidays at Kehila Kedosha Janina. Located at the same location on the Lower East Side for the past 89 years, KKJ is proud to continue our Romaniote traditions for the upcoming Holidays. During this time of introspection, we welcome all people to join us and reconnect. Everyone is welcome and seats are always free. To find our High Holiday Schedule and Times, please visit our Religious Life and Services page here.

תזכו לשנים רבות

Χρόνια Πολλά

Anyos Munchos i Buenos

L'Shana Tova

October 15, 2016

Join us on Sunday October 16th at 1:00pm as we formally dedicate and celebrate Broome St between Allen St and Eldridge St as “Hy Genee Way.” Passed by the City Council and Signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Broome St will now be officially co-named Hy Genee way in honor of our former president and community leader at KKJ. Hy Genee z"l, KKJ's former President of nearly 50 years, ensured that our community traditions will never die and will continue on for future generations. 

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October 23, 2016

Join us on October 23rd at 2pm at Kehila Kedosha Janina for the presentation of a newly released historical novel on the occupation of Greece and the plight of Greek Jewry. Called Hidden in Plain Site, the novel tells the heroing journey of a young Jewish woman from Salonika as the Nazis invade the country. This event is free and open to the public with refreshments to be served.

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“As Nazis expand their domination of the European continent, nearly sixty thousand Greek Jews mistakenly believe they are safe. Anna, a young Jewess from Salonika, has gone to live in Athens. Trained as a doctor, Anna knows if the German army invades, she will no longer be allowed to practice medicine at the hospitals. With great anguish, Anna masks her faith and her vocation to live as a Christian and avoid arousing any suspicion. Anna falls in love with Alexander, an Orthodox Christian. Documenting the terrible brutal occupation of Greece by the Nazis, Hidden in Plain Sight shines a light on the plight of Greece’s Jews and the brave attempts of the Archbishop of Athens to protect them. Carefully researched and expertly plotted, this novel’s attention to detail and compelling characters will appeal to fans of historical fiction and those of Jewish faith or Greek heritage.”

September 30, 2016

Kehila Kedosha Janina is thrilled to say we will be participating in a Sephardic and Romaniote Community Wide Selihot Service on Saturday night, October 1st at the Safra Synagogue in Manhattan. Sephardic and Greek Synagogues from around the NYC area will be participating and all are welcome to attend!

September 11, 2016

We are honored to welcome Dr. Mark Meirowitz, an expert on Turkish Foreign Policy, US-Turkish Relations and Turkish-Israel Relations on September 11th at 2pm for a special program at Kehila Kedosha Janina on 280 Broome Street. This event is free and open to the public with refreshments to be served. Recent events in Turkey have left us all concerned, especially those of us who have friends in the Turkish-Jewish community. Most of us know little of internal Turkish policies. Dr. Mark Meirowitz has offered to help us understand what is happening.

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Dr. Mark Meirowitz is Assistant Professor at SUNY Maritime College. He holds a doctorate in Political Science and is a business lawyer. He has written and lectured extensively on Turkish Foreign Policy, Turkish-US Relations, and Turkish-Israeli Relations. He has taught at a Turkish University, is a member of the Advisory Board of the American Turkish Council, and is a member of the Board (and Board Secretary) of the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce. He is currently writing a book on Turkish Foreign Policy.

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“My interest in Turkey began with a graduate paper on the Cyprus issue that I wrote during my graduate studies for the doctorate in Politics. After that, I started studying Turkish. I began to focus extensively on Turkey, its history and politics – and became enthusiastic about Turkey and Turkish culture – which led to a deep admiration for Turkey…. I have written articles on business issues, as well as Turkish-US relations and Turkish foreign policy, for journals and publications in Turkey. I have also had the privilege of teaching at a Turkish University, having been awarded a fellowship to teach at Istanbul Technical University for three weeks in July, 2012 (I taught English conversation to Turkish professors – which was a wonderful experience). I have also served on panels as moderator and presenter dealing with Turkish foreign policy and Turkish-US Relations.”

June 19, 2016

We welcome Sandra Barty and Ken Ross, director of Etz-Hayyim - The Art of Repair, to show a trailer for the film about the miraculous restoration of the historic Etz Hayyim Synagogue on the Island of Crete. Join us on Sunday, June 19th at 2:00 pm to hear about the rich history of the Jews of Hania Crete, the efforts to raise funds to restore the synaguge, and watch a trailer for the upcoming film.

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In 1944, after the deportation of the Jewish Community of Hania, Crete, the only remaining synagogue, Etz Hayyim, lay rotting, becoming a repository for trash and a sleeping place for local vagrants.

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A special man, Nikos Stavroulakis, felt the rotting of Etz Hayyim as if it were an extension of his own body. Almost singlehandedly, he worked to raise funds for the restoration of the historic synagogue. Finally, after support from the World Monument Fund, which brought the plight of Etz Hayyim to the attention of the world, the project was completed. A new film, Etz Hayyim - The Art of Repair, tells the story of Etz Hayyim and Nikos Stavroulakis’ impassioned fight to restore the synagogue and, by doing so, restore the dignity of the small Jewish community of Hania. Etz Hayyim - The Art of Repair speaks to the repair of a physical structure and subsequent repair of the human spirit.

Join us at Kehila Kedosha Janina to watch the trailer and meet the film makers. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to museum@kkjsm.org. Note that Nikos Stavroulakis will NOT be in attendance. 

May 22, 2016

This upcoming May, KKJ is proud to host the second annual Greek Jewish Festival on our very own Broome Street on the Lower East Side of New York. From 12pm - 6pm on May 22, the Synagogue and its membership, along with numerous community partners will celebrate the unique culture and heritage of the Romaniote Jews in New York City. Experience authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing, live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, and much more! Find out more info at greekjewishfestival.com.

May 01, 2016

At 2pm on May 1, join us at 280 Broome St for a Special Ceremony Honoring the Greek Orthodox Christians who saved:

Sol and Zino Kofinas
Avraam, Esther & Isaac Battino
Meyer, Amelia, Ephraim & Ilias Hadjis
Elias Abraham Mordos 
Rosa, Simatov, Esther, Havoula (Evelyn), Mary & Bertini Ackos

This year, on January 27th, the International Day of Commemoration of the Holocaust, in Athens Greek-Orthodox Christian Righteous were honored for saving Greek Jews. In the words of Benjamin Albala:

“It is very difficult today to understand the disregarding of danger, the decisiveness and the heroism of those human beings, during the fearful circumstances and hunger of the period, to hide Jews who were their fellow citizens, having complete awareness that, if the SS or the Gestapo found out, certain death and torture was awaiting them.

What did it mean, then, to defy danger and play with your own life and that of your family by hiding condemned Jews? Only those who had special feelings of responsibility, desire to protect and devotion to their fellow human beings could accomplish such acts of heroism, self-sacrifice and altruism. They knew very well that being shot to death was the usual choice of the Germans for those who hid or helped Jews. However, they did not step back or waver confronted by their supreme duty to save a life, the merit which is called Humanity.” 

Today, of the 25,685 Righteous from fifty countries honored by Yad Vashem, there are 328 Greeks-Orthodox Christians. There are also many who, for a number of reasons, have never been formally honored. There are those of our own congregants who were saved as hidden children and others who are here today because their parents were saved due to the moral courage of their fellow Greeks.

It is incumbent on us to remember and offer thanks to those righteous among the nations.

April 03, 2016

Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome the internationally acclaimed poet Iossif Ventura for a lecture and book signing on April 3rd at 2pm. Iossif is the last living Jew to be born on the Island of Crete and one of only a few who escaped the Nazi deportatons of the Jewish Community of Hania, Crete. 

On June 9th, 1944, almost 72 years ago, six-year old Iossif’s life would be irrevocably changed. Almost the entire Jewish community of Hania Crete would leave the island in the hold of a German commercial vessel, the Tanais. They were on their way to German death camps, but their death would come sooner. The ship was torpedoed by the British off the coast of Santorini and all those on board would drown, among them eighty-eight Jewish children from Hania. Although surviving, because his father heeded warnings and got the Ventura family safely to Athens, Iossif was haunted by the loss of the Jewish Community of Hania, especially the losses of the children. 

“It may seem metaphysical, but writing these poems, I sometimes felt that my pen was guided by those lost children, that I was sharing their terror, their cries, and their last moments in the hold of the Tanaïs.”

The author will be available to personally autographed copies of the book (for sale at $7.50 at the event due to the generosity of the publisher). Refreshments will be served and please RSVP to info@kkjsm.org 

April 06, 2016

The Synagogue is open every Saturday morning for Shabbat Shacharit Services starting at 9:30am as well as all Holidays throughout the year. The community still practices its traditional customs and liturgy, including piyutim (songs/prayers) that are exclusive to the Romaniote rite. We welcome everyone from all Jewish backgrounds. We also host Simcha events such as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Brit Milah/Baby Namings, Weddings, and family reunions among others. To plan an event, please reach out to our Synagogue President, Marvin Marcus, at info@kkjsm.org.