Announcements and Upcoming Events
Our DNA, Our Story: The Jewish Genetic Discovery Foundation
July 27, 2025 at 1pm
Join us for a special presentation by researchers Josh Lipson, Jeremy Kotlyar, & Eric Kolchinsky.
Over the past 25 years, geneticists, genealogists, and historians have unlocked an extraordinary resource for understanding Jewish history: our own DNA. Through meticulous research by academics, commercial testing companies, and citizen scientists, modern genomes have confirmed long-held theories, revealed surprising connections, and challenged persistent myths about how different Jewish communities originated and spread across the globe. For the past five years, dedicated researchers from the US, Israel, Europe, and beyond have collaborated online to map genetic links between Jewish communities - Sephardim, Romaniotes, Ashkenazim, and others - tracing their shared ancestry back to the classical Roman world and ancient Judaea. This groundbreaking work has recently led to the formation of the Jewish Genetic Discovery Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on genetic testing for underrepresented communities and individuals whose DNA may hold particularly important clues about Jewish migration patterns throughout history. Join us to learn more about this exciting new research.
Dr. Josh Lipson, a KKJ community member, is co-president of the Jewish Genetic Discovery Foundation. He is also a psychologist, poet, and Hebrew teacher. He has been interested in Jewish and ancient Near Eastern history since elementary school, and in 2006, used his bar mitzvah money to purchase his first genetic genealogy test. He has been involved in multiple academic studies of historical and modern Jewish DNA, collaborating with luminaries including Shai Carmi and Karl Skorecki.
Jeremy Kotlyar is a native New Yorker born to Soviet Jewish refugees of the 90's emigration wave. Jeremy has been interested in genetic genealogy and Jewish history since childhood, extending his family tree deep into 18th-19th century Ukraine. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Genetic Discovery Foundation and is passionate about revealing connections between Jewish communities across the globe. Jeremy recently completed a B.S. in neuroscience and is applying to medical school. He currently resides in Great Neck, NY.
Eric Kolchinsky serves as the Treasurer of the Jewish Genetic Discovery Foundation. He has been a finance professional for close to 30 years. Eric first began his genetic discovery in 2014 in an quest to discover the family of his paternal grandfather. Solomon died at the Battle of Stalingrad, and neither Eric nor his father knew much about that side of the family. While this task proved futile, he was caught up with the fascinating world of Jewish genetic history. Eric was born in Soviet Ukraine but currently lives in the New York Metropolitan area.
Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
The Jews of Edirne - Presentation
June 22, 2025 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome Professor Jacob Daniels for a presentation of his new book "The Jews of Edirne."
Join us for a fascinating presentation by Professor Jacob Daniels on the Jewish Community of Edirne. At the turn of the 20th century, Edirne was a bustling city linking Istanbul to Ottoman Europe. It was also the capital of Edirne Province—among the most religiously diverse regions of the Ottoman Empire. But by 1923, the city had become a Turkish border town, and the province had lost much of its non-Muslim population. In his new book, Jacob Daniels explores how one of the world’s largest Sephardic communities dealt with the encroachment of modern borders.
Using Ladino, French, English, and Turkish sources, Daniels offers a new take on the ways in which ethno-religious minorities experienced the transition “from empire to nation-state.” Rather than tracing a linear path, Edirne Jews zigzagged between the Ottoman Empire and three nation-states—without moving a mile. And by maintaining interstate Sephardic networks, they resisted pressure to treat the shifting border as a limit to their zone of belonging.
Jacob Daniels is Assistant Professor of Instruction and Assistant Director of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
Signed books will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Torah and Taverna Night
June 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
A Monthly Salon of Greek Jewish Culture, Thought, and Music
Join us on Tuesday June 17 at 7:30pm for our monthly evening program Torah & Taverna Night! Each month features guest Jewish educators and musicians and offers an engaging evening of insights, live music, delicious Greek food, and more. This month we are honored to welcome Baruch-Lev Kelman, Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Shearith Israel, for a discussion on the world of pre-modern Byzantine Jewry, with a special emphasis on Romaniote Rabbinic culture. Afterwards we will enjoy live music from the inimitable Avram Pengas.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
From Salonica to Aleppo: Narratives of the
Alliance Israélite Universelle under the Ottoman Crescent
June 29, 2025 at 2pm
From the vibrant port city of Salonica to the desert crossroads of Aleppo, Jewish communities once thrived under the vast umbrella of the Ottoman Empire. Though separated by hundreds of miles, these communities shared more than a common faith—they were connected by a bold 19th-century educational experiment launched in Paris: the Alliance israélite universelle. Founded in 1860, the Alliance sought to empower Jewish communities through modern schooling, the teaching of French, and the promotion of values such as equality, dignity, and civic participation. It was not just a school system—it was a movement, bridging East and West, tradition and modernity.
Join us when Dvorah Serrao, the current CEO of the Alliance israélite universelle, will explore how the Alliance reshaped Jewish life in two strikingly different cities. In cosmopolitan Salonica, the schools helped create a new class of French-speaking merchants, teachers, and intellectuals. In more conservative Aleppo, the Alliance offered young boys—and eventually girls—a chance to enter the modern world while preserving their identity. We will trace personal stories, letters, and school reports that bring this history to life, revealing how education became a path to both opportunity and challenge for Jews living in the Ottoman Empire.
Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Reaping & Revelation -
May 31, 2025 at 10am
Join us on Saturday May 31 for a special Shabbat class in preparation for Shavuot led by KKJ Community Engagement Fellow Theo Canter. Theo will share insights on the fascinating agricultural, societal, and spiritual history of the holiday from a variety of sources across continents and millennia. Shabbat morning services start at 9:30am, followed by lunch at 12:30pm and the class at 1pm.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Greek Jewish Festival
May 11, 2025 from 12pm-6pm
Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Jews of Greece! Experience a feast for the senses including 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!
Learn more at www.GreekJewishFestival.com
Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
April 27, 2025 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum invites you to our annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony with a special film screening in memory of the Jewish Communities of North Macedonia.
We invite you to join us to remember all who perished in the Holocaust, especially our brethren from Greece and the Balkans. Following the ceremony there will be a screening of the acclaimed short film “The Monopol” about the experience of the Jews of North Macedonia during the Holocaust. Afterwards we will have a special Q&A with the Israeli filmmakers.
Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
To Say I Was Here: Greek, Ladino, Turkish, & Arabic Speaking Jewish Recording Musicians in New York circa 1916-66
March 30, 2025 at 1pm
Join us for a special talk and listening session led by music researcher Ian Nagoski surveying the immigrant performers who recorded in Lower Manhattan during the first half of the 20th century. Explore the lives and music of immigrants from Aleppo, Baghdad, Ioannina, Istanbul, Izmir, and Thessaloniki who settled in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Learn how they worked with fellow immigrants and touring performers from Cairo, Athens, and beyond to collectively provide music for their communities. Experience this unique opportunity to hear and feel their music again.
Ian Nagoski is an independent music researcher and reissue record producer based in Baltimore, Maryland. He specializes in early 20th century recordings made by immigrants to the U.S., especially musicians from the Ottoman Empire. He has made anthologies for Dust-to-Digital, Tompkins Square (including To What Strange Place: The Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora in 2011), the Database of Recorded American Music, Mississippi Records, and his own Canary imprint which has released over 150 digital albums. He has toured widely as a speaker from Thessaloniki to Fresno, including talks at the Library of Congress, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, UCLA, the University of Chicago, the Armenian Museum in Watertown MA, and the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens. He has presented installations at the Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin, the Wellcome Center in London, and the recently launched exhibit at Jewish Museum of Maryland which features records related to his presentation at KKJ. Learn more and listen to his work here: https://canary-records.bandcamp.com/
Watch a recording of the event here: https://youtu.be/e9XrDGJx20Q
Community Purim Celebration
March 13, 2025 at 6pm
Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!
The evening starts on Thursday March 13 at 6pm with Minha and Arvith services, followed by a Romaniote Megillah Reading. Afterwards we'll enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish dinner. Dress up as your favorite costumes and celebrate this festive Jewish holiday with your family and friends!
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Jewish Comics & Sephardic Stories
March 2, 2025 at 1pm
KKJ is excited to welcome comic book creators and Jewish educators Arnon Z. Shorr & Joshua M. Edelglass for a fun multimedia presentation that explores how they created the graphic novel José and the Pirate Captain Toledano. The program includes a screening of Arnon's award-winning short film The Pirate Captain Toledano. The authors will explore the creative process of how a graphic novel gets made, from script to painted page to finished comic book. They will also present the real history of Jewish pirates and how they brought these Sephardic characters to life. Along the way, they will also discuss what it means to tell Jewish stories, the depiction of Jewish characters in American media, and their passion for highlighting diverse Jewish characters.
Arnon Z. Shorr is a master storyteller known for crafting character-driven adventures that explore the extraordinary. He gained widespread attention with José and the Pirate Captain Toledano, a swashbuckling graphic novel about Jewish pirates in the 16th-century Caribbean, which expanded on his award-winning short film. Shorr’s creative work frequently delves into Jewish identity, blending action-packed narratives with deep reflections on heritage. His talents have earned him a 2024 Fellowship with the JWI Screenwriters Lab and a 2024-25 Fellowship with the PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative.
Joshua M. Edelglass is the Co-Director of Camp Ramah New England. Josh illustrated The Beast and the Booth (2024), Brother’s Keeper (2023), and José and the Pirate Captain Toledano (Kar-Ben,2022), all of which were written by Arnon Shorr. Josh’s illustrations have appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines, and he illustrated stories for both volumes of The Jewish Comics Anthology, published by Alternate History Comics. Josh’s artwork has appeared in numerous exhibitions, including Pow! Jewish Comics Art and Influence (Brooklyn, 2018), JOMIX -- Jewish Comics: Art and Derivation (New York & Philadelphia, 2016); and The Jew as the Other (New York, 2015). In 2023, Josh was named to the Alumni Hall of Fame of Ezra Academy. Josh’s writings about movies, television, comic-books, and lots more can be found at www.JoshuaEdelglass.com.
Signed books will be available for sale. Refreshments will be served. Open to all ages.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Roots of Faith: Mystical Meanings of Mediterranean Fruits
February 8, 2025
Join us on Saturday February 8 for a special Shabbat class in honor of Tu BiShevat led by KKJ Community Engagement Fellow Theo Canter. Theo will explore the mystical teachings on the fruits of the Mediterranean in the Jewish tradition compared to Greek and other cultures through art, poetry, and myth. Shabbat morning services start at 9:30am, followed by lunch at 12:30pm and the class at 1pm.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Hanukkah & Hellenism - Shabbat Class led by Theo Canter
December 14, 2024 at 1pm
Join us on Saturday December 14 for a pre-Hanukkah class led by KKJ Community Engagement Fellow Theo Canter. Theo will delve into the meaning of Hanukkah and explore the interactions, conflicts, and influences between ancient Greek culture, Jewish philosophy, and Rabbinic teachings. Shabbat morning services start at 9:30am, followed by lunch at 12:30pm and the class at 1pm.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
A Sephardi Turkish Patriot - Book Presentation
November 3, 2024 at 1pm
Join us when we welcome author Anthony Gad Bigio for a presentation of his new book "A Sephardi Turkish Patriot." This book describes the fascinating life of Gad Franco (1881–1954), a prominent Sephardic journalist, lawyer, and jurist, who worked relentlessly for the Jewish community’s belonging to the national Turkish polity, and for the consolidation of the rule of law. This historical biography, written by his grandson, takes the reader from Izmir to Istanbul and beyond at the turn of the twentieth century.
The world of Sephardi Jewry, the convulsions and conflicts of the late Ottoman Empire, and the birth, ruthless consolidation, and promising reforms of the young Turkish Republic, provide the context to this intriguing life story.
Following the presentation, the author will join Natalia Indrimi, Executive Director of Centro Primo Levi, for an engaging panel discussion.
In the Footsteps of the Jews of Greece - Book Presentation
September 15, 2024 at 1pm
Join us as we welcome author Anastasios Karababas to present his new book "In the Footsteps of the Jews of Greece." This pioneering book presents a unique detailed overview of the history of Greek Jews from antiquity to the present day, including the period of the Holocaust when nearly 90% of the community was annihilated. Beyond this historical landscape, the book also highlights the contributions of Greek Jews to the economic, cultural, intellectual and political life of the country, and reveals the golden times and the darkest days in the coexistence between Jews and Christians in Greece.
Anastasios Karababas is a French-Greek historian, teacher and political analyst. He was a guide and lecturer at the Shoah Memorial in Paris from 2014 to 2020. In 2011, he began his research on the Jews of Greece, and his latest book is based on historical archives from Europe, Israel and the US. His research mainly focuses on genocides of the 20th century, the preservation of memory, and its transmission to younger generations.
Greek Jewish Shabbat with Guest Speaker Theo Canter
August 24, 2024 at 9:30am
Join us on Saturday morning August 24 at Kehila Kedosha Janina for services, lunch, and Torah insights with special guest speaker Theo Canter. Shabbat morning services begin at 9:30am, followed by a delicious traditional kiddush lunch at 12:30pm. After lunch, we are excited to hear from Theo Canter who will offer inspiring words of Torah and lead an exciting class.
Theo Canter graduated from Oberlin College in 2023 with degrees in Comparative Literature, Cinema Studies, and Mediterranean Studies. He spent the past year as a Fulbright scholar in Athens teaching music, filmmaking, and creative writing, while reconnecting with his Romaniote heritage as a member of the Athens Jewish community. Theo is a versatile musician, playing guitar, bouzouki, and accordion in a variety of genres including Rembetiko and Klezmer. He has also worked as a literary translator and multimedia journalist in Israel, Europe, and the US. Theo is passionate about Greek Jewish culture and traditions, and is excited to share his experiences with our community.
The Holocaust in Thessaloniki - Discussion with Dr. Leon Saltiel
June 6, 2024 at 6:30pm
Join us for a special book talk and conversation with Dr Leon Saltiel on his two books on Salonika during WWII and the Holocaust. Dr. Saltiel is Director of Diplomacy, Representative at UN Geneva and UNESCO, and Coordinator on Countering Antisemitism for the World Jewish Congress. He holds a PhD in Contemporary Greek History from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. His publications include "The Holocaust in Thessaloniki: Reactions to the Anti-Jewish Persecution 1942-1943," which won the 2021 Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research, and "Do Not Forget Me: Three Jewish Mothers Write to their Sons from the Thessaloniki Ghetto in Greek." Dr. Saltiel is a native of Thessaloniki.
Greek Jewish Festival
May 19, 2024 from 12pm-6pm
Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Jews of Greece. Experience a feast for the senses including 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!
Learn more at www.GreekJewishFestival.com
Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
Sunday May 5, 2024 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum invites you to our annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony with a special presentation in memory of the Jewish Community of Ioannina.
We invite you to join us to remember all who perished in the Holocaust, especially those we lost on the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Jews from Ioannina, Arta, Preveza, Patras, Chalkis, Athens, Kastoria, Larissa, Volos, Trikala, Corfu, Rhodes, and Kos.
Following the ceremony there will be a special presentation prepared by KKJ Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos featuring photos of the Jews of Ioannina who perished 80 years ago.
Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
The Naphtali Family Cookbook - Presentation and Cooking Demonstration by Linda Matza Silverman
Sunday April 7, 2024 at 2pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue & Museum is honored to welcome Linda Matza Silverman for a special presentation of her highly acclaimed book "The Naphtali Family Cookbook."
Join Linda Matza Silverman as she introduces her highly acclaimed culinary guide and shares her passion for cooking with a demonstration of preparing a traditional Greek pastry.
Linda grew up with the inspiration of Romaniote heritage from her four grandparents who emigrated from Ioannina. She is the granddaughter of Judah Naphtali & Leah Confino, Solomon (Shorty) Matza & Rosina Negrin, and the daughter of Morris S. Matza and Anne Naphtali. Linda became the bearer of the flame, enamored with her legacy, and determined to share the flavor of Romaniote heritage with the next generations. What better way than through food!
Autographed cookbooks will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
"Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story" - Presentation by Author Jordan Salama
March 31, 2024 at 2pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue & Museum is honored to welcome Jordan Salama for a special presentation on his new book "Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story."
Inspired by family lore, a young writer embarks on an epic quest through the Argentine Andes in search of a heritage spanning hemispheres and centuries, from the Jewish Levant to turn-of-the-century trade routes in South America.
One Thanksgiving afternoon at his grandparents’ house, Jordan Salama discovers a large binder stuffed with yellowing papers and old photographs—a five-hundred-year wandering history of his Arab-Jewish family, from Moorish Spain to Ottoman Syria to Argentina and beyond.
One story in particular captures his attention: that of his great-grandfather, a Syrian-born, Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrant to Argentina who in the 1920s worked as a traveling salesman in the Andes—and may have left behind forgotten descendants along the way. Encouraged by his grandfather, Jordan goes in search of these “Lost Salamas,” traveling more than a thousand miles up the spine of South America’s greatest mountain range.
Combining travelog, history, memoir, and reportage, Stranger in the Desert transports readers from the lonely plains of Patagonia to the breathtaking altiplano of the high Andes; from the old Jewish quarter of Damascus to today’s vibrant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. It is also a fervent journey of self-discovery as Salama grapples with his own Jewish, Arab, and Latin American identities, interrogating the stories families tell themselves, and to what end.
Jordan Salama is a writer covering culture and the environment in the Americas. His essays and stories have appeared in National Geographic, New York Magazine, The New York Times and other publications. An American writer of Argentine, Syrian, and Iraqi Jewish descent, he is the author of “Every Day the River Changes,” a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021 and the 2022 Princeton "Pre-Read." His latest book, “Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story,” was just published in February 2024. Jordan graduated from Princeton University in 2019 and has been based, in recent years, between New York and Buenos Aires.
Signed books will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
Community Purim Celebration
March 23, 2024 at 7pm
Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!
The evening starts on Saturday March 23 at 7pm with Minha and Arvith services, followed by a Romaniote Megillah Reading. Afterwards we'll enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish dinner. Dress up as your favorite costumes and celebrate this festive Jewish holiday with your family and friends!
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
New York's Sephardic Cafes - Presentation by Dr. Devin Naar
Sunday March 10, 2024 at 2pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina, in partnership with the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, is honored to welcome Dr. Devin Naar for a special presentation on Sephardic Cafes in New York: Communal, Musical, Culinary, and Political Hubs in the Early Twentieth Century.
Join Dr. Devin Naar, Chair of the Sephardic Studies Program at the University of Washington, as he debuts new research about the dynamic and long-forgotten roles that cafes played in the life of Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jews and Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews who arrived in New York City in the early twentieth century. As centers of communal gathering, familiar cuisine, musical performances in Ladino, Greek, Turkish, and Arabic, and organizing efforts that resulted in the creation of mutual aid organizations, labor actions, and political activities, cafes served as pillars of Sephardic Jewish life on the Lower East Side and in Harlem.
Launch of Siddur 'Alats Libbi - with Hakham Dr. Isaac Sassoon
Sunday January 7, 2024 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina, in partnership with the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, is honored to welcome Hakham Dr. Isaac Sassoon for a special lecture celebrating the launch of Siddur 'Alats Libbi.
The sages of old did not conceive of Jewish prayer as incantation, but as ‘service of the heart’ and as a vehicle through which we are invited to speak our hearts before Hashem. Join us for the official launch of the new Siddur ‘Alats Libbi, edited by Rabbi Dr. Isaac Sassoon & Rabbi Steve Golden.
One of the world’s leading Torah scholars, Hakham Dr. Isaac Sassoon synthesizes rigorous traditional study with scrupulous academic and historical scholarship. A prolific writer for TheTorah.com, Hakham Sassoon is the author of several critically acclaimed books.
Hakham Sassoon’s initial education was under the tutelage of his father - the renowned scholar Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon, Hakham Yosef Doury, and others. He studied at the prestigious Gateshead Yeshiva and various yeshivot in Israel. Hakham Sassoon received semikhah from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Lisbon.
Continuing his family's tradition of academic achievement, Hakham Sassoon has published on topics ranging from Scriptural commentary and history, to issues of current concern to the Jewish community.
Siddurim will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
International Shabbat of Unity
Friday December 15 - Saturday December 16, 2023
Join us for a special Shabbaton program on Friday evening December 15 and Saturday December 16 when we will be honored to welcome Rabbi Gabriel Negrin, Chief Rabbi of Athens, Greece, along with Jewish community members from across the US and abroad. We will celebrate Shabbat with both Romaniote and Sephardic traditions. Registration required, please register Here
Shabbat Program:
Friday December 15
Minha Afternoon Service - 4pm
Candle Lighting 4:11pm
Special Afternoon Class with Rabbi Negrin - 4:20pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service - 5:20pm
Shabbat Dinner - BY RSPV ONLY - 6:30pm
Saturday December 16
Shaharit Morning Service - 9am
Community Lunch - 12pm
Class with Rabbi Negrin - 2pm
Minha Afternoon Service - 4pm
Arvit & Community Havdalah - 5pm
Rabbi Gabriel Negrin was born to a traditonal Romaniote family with heritage originally from the city of Ioannina. He grew up in the Jewish community of Athens, attending the local Jewish community school, where he received the nickname of "the Little Rabbi." He received a Bachelors of Arts in musicology from the Technical University of Crete, and Rabbinic Ordination from the Shehebar Sephardic Center in Jerusalem, training in the Romaniote hazzanut of Greece. Rabbi Negrin is also a certified mohel and shohet.
Lebanon on the Lower East Side - with Rabbi Isaac Choua
Sunday December 24, 2023 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome our dear friend Rabbi Isaac Choua who will be presenting a lecture on Lebanese Jews, and will be cooking a Lebanese Jewish treat for us, as we host “Lebanon on the Lower East Side.”
The program will highlight the family story and recipes from the famous NYC store Sahadi’s. Originally from Lebanon, the Sahadi family first established their store in Manhattan’s “Little Syria” in 1895. Shortly after in 1899, the shop received its first mention in the New York Times: “A wonderful shop, this of the merchant Sahadi, with native wines and liqueurs, American groceries, swords and lamps, glass bracelets of many colors, Oriental embroideries, water pipes and their fixings.” Visit the Museum of the City of New York and you will find an exhibit featuring old Sahadi Halwah tins and advertising circulars from centuries past. Sahadi’s is now located in Brooklyn, but we are bringing their treasures to the Lower East Side on December 24th.
Sahadi’s award-winning cookbook “Flavors of the Sun” will be available for purchase at a special discounted price. Rabbi Isaac Choua will not only give a lecture on Lebanese Jews, but will also cook a traditional Lebanese dish.
Rabbi Isaac Choua holds multiple positions at the World Jewish Congress, including Manager for the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps in the Americas, Global Interfaith Lead for the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps, and liaison for Jewish communities in the Middle East and North Africa. He earned his master's degree in Medieval Jewish History with a concentration on pan-Sepharadi Studies from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School, and holds a BA in Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and Abrahamic Religions from the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies. He is founder and editor-in-chief of haSepharadi.com, a platform dedicated to the shared and varied traditions and of the many unique groups within the pan-Sephardic community, served as associate museum curator at Kehila Kedosha Janina, and is a Board Member of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America.
Cookbooks will be available at a special discounted price.
Admission $10 per person. RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
Sephardim, Sephardism, and Jewish Peoplehood
Book Presentation by Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Sunday November 19, 2023 at 2pm
KKJ is honored to welcome Rabbi Marc D. Angel for a special presentation on his latest book "Sephardim Sephardism and Jewish Peoplehood."
“Imagine an authentic vision of Judaism fully rooted in tradition. A vision that properly represents the particularistic covenant between God and Israel through the Torah and halakhah. A vision that properly represents the universalistic aspect of God as Creator of the entire cosmos, where Israel has a role to play in the community of nations. A vision that learns from the best of traditional Jewish thinkers - Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and beyond, so that we may broaden our discourse in discussing complex contemporary issues.
For over half of a century, Rabbi Marc D. Angel has taught that we can realize this vision. After a long and distinguished career as Rabbi at Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, he founded the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals in 2007 to promote his religious worldview to a much wider audience.” - Rabbi Hayyim Angel
This newly published collection of articles reflects many of Rabbi Angel’s “greatest hits” in representing his grand religious worldview, his Sephardic role models, and the central tenets promoted through the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.
Read the full book review here.
Signed books will be available for purchase.
Refreshments will be served. RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
Sounds of Cyprus - Music Concert
Sunday October 15, 2023 at 5pm
KKJ is honored to welcome the acclaimed musical group Sounds of Cyprus to perform traditional Cypriot music in our historic sanctuary. Following their thrilling performance at our Greek Jewish Festival, this event promises an equally moving experience in a more intimate setting. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
Purchase tickets Here
Sounds of Cyprus is a Cypriot orchestra co-founded by Elena Chris and Peter Douskalis in New York City. The group performs the traditional music of Cyprus in varying orchestrations and styles that both consciously honor the time period of composition and period instruments as well as perform with a modern approach. Elena Chris, vocalist, front person, and Creative Director of the group, sings the traditional songs in the Cypriot dialect of Greek, as well as in Turkish for songs that contain lyrics in both languages. Peter Douskalis, Music Director, plays the laouto, oud, mandolin, and guitar in the group, switching between the proper instrument as needed for the authentic and modern orchestration of the pieces. Other instruments of the group are violin/viola (Alex Tasopoulos), contrabass (Erikos Vlesmas), pithkiavli and ney (Stavros Papadopoulos), and percussion (Mark Katsaounis).
Greek Jewish Festival
May 21, 2023 from 12pm-6pm
Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Jews of Greece. Experience a feast for the senses including 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!
Learn more at www.GreekJewishFestival.com
Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony
April 23, 2023 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum invites you to our annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony with a special screening of the film “A Bookstore in Six Chapters.”
We invite you to join us to remember all who perished in the Holocaust, especially those we lost on the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Jews from Monastir, Thessaloniki, Veroia and communities in the Bulgarian Zone of Occupation in Greece.
Following the ceremony there will be a screening of the acclaimed film “A Bookstore in Six Chapters,” which tells the story of Renee Saltiel and Solon Molho who grew up in Thessaloniki and managed to survive thanks to a Spanish diplomat and some very brave Greek families.
Refreshments will be served
Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
Songs We Still Sing - A Memorial Concert for the Sephardic Jews of Monastir
March 11, 2023 at 8pm
On March 11, 1943, Bulgarian soldiers forcibly took Jews across North Macedonia, from Bitola, Stip, and Skopje, to the Monopol tobacco warehouse outside Skopje. Over the following days, more than 7,000 Jews existed under inhumane conditions in the warehouse before being taken to the death camp, Treblinka.
Eighty years later to the day, descendants of one of these Jewish communities, the Monastirli of Bitola, will get together to talk, pray, and sing in order to remember those who were murdered.
We take this time to mourn, but also to recognize that the Holocaust was not the end of our story.
This event is sponsored by the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, with co-sponsorship provided by the Permanent Mission of North Macedonia to the UN, and Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue & Museum. This concert is a part of the Where Our Roots Meet Project: Preserving and sharing Monastirli music and culture.
Watch the full concert Here
Community Purim Celebration
March 6, 2023 at 6:00pm
Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!
The evening starts on Monday March 6 at 6:00pm with Minha and Arvith services, followed by a Romaniote Megillah Reading. Afterwards we'll enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish dinner. Dress up as your favorite costumes and celebrate this festive Jewish holiday with your family and friends!
Flower of Vlora: Growing up Jewish in Communist Albania with Anna Kohen
Sunday March 5th at 12pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome Anna Kohen to present her new book “Flower of Vlora: Growing up Jewish in Communist Albania." Anna Kohen, a Romaniote Jew with roots from Ioannina, will tell the fascinating story of how her family was saved from the Nazis by Muslim Albanians. Her new book has been widely acclaimed in Israel, Greece, Albania, Kosovo, and the United States.
Dr. Anna Kohen was born in Vlora, Albania, and left in 1966 with seven of her family members and moved to Greece where she completed dental school. In 1991, with the help of several Jewish organizations, including the Sisterhood of Janina, she brought 37 of her Albanian relatives to the United States. That same year she was invited to Albania to celebrate the founding of the Albanian-Israeli society and was appointed Honorary Member. In 2004, the President of the Albanian Republic awarded her the medal for Special Civil Merits for valuable contributions in helping Albanians during the Kosovar humanitarian crisis. Dr. Kohen has served the Albanian community for over 30 years as President of the Albania American Women's Organization.
Watch a full video of the presentation Here
Book Presentation: Sepher Yosippon with Prof. Steven Bowman
Sunday December 18, 2022 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina is honored to welcome Professor Steven Bowman to present his latest book “Sepher Yosippon: A Tenth-Century History of Ancient Israel.”
Join us for this special event as we welcome Steven Bowman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, to present his latest book “Sepher Yossipon: A Tenth-Century History of Ancient Israel.” This scholarly piece is an example of Professor Bowman’s extraordinary research. Sepher Yosippon was written in Hebrew by a medieval historian and noted by modern scholars for its eloquent style. It is a chronicle of Jewish history and legend from Adam to the destruction of the Second Temple. Steven Bowman brings his mastery of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and English to bear on this complicated translation.
The anonymous author of this text remains unique for his approach to history, his use of sources, and his almost secular attitude, which is an exception to the modern picture of the medieval Jews living in a religious age. Bowman’s translation offers a well-wrought story for scholars and students interested in Jewish legend and history in the medieval period, Jewish studies, medieval literature, and folklore studies.
Watch a video of the presentation Here
Photo Exhibit Reception: Sephardic & Romaniote Religious and Social Organizations in New York
Sunday November 20, 2022 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina & The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies & Culture
invite you to a Photo Exhibit Reception on Sephardic & Romaniote Religious and Social Organizations in New York.
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.
Watch a video of the presentation Here
One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World
Sunday November 13, 2022 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum invites you to a special Conversation with Stella Levi on the new book “One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World” by Michael Frank.
Stella Levi, born on the island of Rhodes in 1923, was taken from her island paradise when the Jews of Rhodes were deported on July 23, 1944. Surviving Auschwitz, Stella lost most of her family and, for many years, found it very difficult to return to Rhodes. When she finally did, in the 1980s, she committed herself to remembering the lost Jews of Rhodes. She was instrumental in helping to save the historic Kahal Shalom synagogue in Rhodes, originally built in 1577, and create the present Jewish Museum inside the synagogue. Stella also worked to have each and every name of the Jews of Rhodes who perished memorialized on a series of boards in the courtyard of Kahal Shalom. Now, with the publication of this book, Stella is also ensuring that the traditions and customs of the Jewish Community of Rhodes will be remembered. Join us as Stella presents this new book and autographs copies for sale.
Watch a video of the presentation Here
The Jews of Corfu - New Exhibit Opening Reception
Sunday October 23, 2022 at 1pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum invites you to join us for the opening reception of our newest museum exhibit on the Jews of Corfu. In conjunction with the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Jewish Theological Seminary Library, which recently launched their exhibit “The Jews of Corfu: Between the Adriatic and the Ionian,” Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum is proud to share our newest exhibit highlighting the history and daily life of the Jewish Community of Corfu.
The island of Corfu is now part of Greece, but from 1386 until the end of the 18th century it was under Venetian rule and was closely affiliated with Italian Jewry. At the same time, it was home to a community of Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews and Italian-speaking Jews from Apulia and Sicily. Join us to learn more about this fascinating historic Jewish community.
Learn more about the Jews of Corfu by viewing digital exhibits from Columbia University here and the Jewish Museum of Greece here.
We gratefully thank those who made this exhibit possible with generous donations:
Linda, Michael and Abie Krieger in memory of Hy Eliasof
Mark and Holly Eliasof in memory of Hy Eliasof
The Estate of Albert Barouch
Simhat Torah Celebration and Dinner
Monday October 17, 2022 at 6pm
Join us for our Simhat Torah Celebration & Dinner Monday October 17 at 6pm. Erev Simhat Torah Services begin at 6pm including Minha, Arvith, and Hakafot followed by a traditional Greek Jewish Dinner. Your presence helps us continue our Romaniote traditions. You are also welcome to join us for additional Holiday Services on:
October 17 at 9:15am - Shemini Atzeret Morning Services
October 18 at 9:15am - Simhat Torah Morning Services
October 22 at 9:30am - Shabbat Bereshith Morning Services
מועדים לשמחה Χαγκ Σαμεαχ Moed Alegre
View our full holiday schedule here.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Sukkoth Holiday Services
October 10, 11, 15 at 9:15am
Join us for Sukkoth holiday services and enjoy the fall season! Help us fulfill the mitzvah of the holiday by having a traditional meal in our communal Sukkah. Your attendance helps make our celebrations so special and helps us perpetuate our Romaniote traditions. You are welcome to join us for Sukkoth Holiday services on:
Monday October 10 at 9:15am
Tuesday October 11 at 9:15am
Saturday October 15 at 9:30am.
מועדים לשמחה Χαγκ Σαμεαχ Moed Alegre
View our full holiday schedule here.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
High Holiday Services - Join Us
Fall 2022
Join us for services for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simhat Torah to celebrate the holiday season. Experience the unique Judeo-Greek traditions of Ioannina at Kehila Kedosha Janina, the last remaining Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Our seats are free and our hearts are open. View our full holiday schedule here.
תזכו לשנים רבות Χρόνια Πολλά Anyos Munchos
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Tisha B'Av Evening Services
August 6, 2022 at 9pm
Join us on Saturday evening August 6 at 9pm to commemorate Tisha B'Av and help us continue our Romaniote traditions. On the darkest day in the Jewish calendar, join us to mourn the destruction of our Temples in Jerusalem and the many other tragedies that befell our nation.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Shavuoth Holiday Services
June 5, 6 2022
Join us at KKJ as we celebrate Shavuoth in the Romaniote tradition. At the same location on the Lower East Side for the past 95 years, KKJ is the last remaining Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere conducting services in the Judeo-Greek Romaniote Minhag (tradition). Your attendance helps us continue our Romaniote heritage.
View the full Spring Holiday Schedule Here.
Please RSVP to Amarcus@kkjsm.org
Greek Jewish Festival
May 15, 2022 from 12pm-6pm
Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of Kehila Kedosha Janina! Experience a feast for the senses including 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!
View the full performance schedule and learn more at www.GreekJewishFestival.com
Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
April 24, 2022 at 12pm
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum invites you to our annual Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony on Sunday April 24 at 12pm.
This year we feel fortunate to gather again in person. We invite you to join us to remember all who perished in the Holocaust, especially those we lost on the 78th anniversary of the deportations of the Jews from Ioannina, Arta, Preveza, Volos, Trikala, Larissa, Athens, Chalkis, Florina, Patras, and Kastoria.
Following the ceremony there will be a screening of the highly acclaimed film “In the Shadow of the Acropolis” by Laura Zelle (from the Akkos Family). The film is based on the story of Laura’s family - those who survived and those who were lost.
Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
Community Purim Celebration
March 16, 2022 at 6:15pm
Join us at KKJ as we celebrate a Greek Jewish Purim!
The evening starts on Wednesday March 16 at 6:15pm with Minha and Arvith services, followed by a Romaniote Megillah Reading. Afterwards we'll enjoy a traditional Greek Jewish dinner. Dress up as your favorite costumes and celebrate this festive Jewish holiday with your family and friends!
Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org
Oxi Day Commemoration
October 28, 2021 at 6pm
3 West Club – 3 West 51st St NYC
In Greece and in Greek Diaspora communities around the world, October 28th, Oxi Day, is celebrated as the date Greece stood up to Fascist aggression. It was celebrated around the world as the first open confrontation with Fascism. As Winston Churchill said, “From now on we won’t claim that the Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.”
KKJ is honored to partner with the East Mediterranean Business Cultural Alliance’s Annual Oxi Day Commemoration. KKJ Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos will be participating alongside a number of distinguished historians, artists, and dignitaries. She will be covering the role of Greek Jews who fought on the Albanian Front, highlighting those from Ioannina who fell in battle.
Attendance is free but registration is required. Register Here
Learn More at www.embca.com
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International Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Join us on Sunday April 11, 2021 at 3pm ET for a special international commemoration of the Sephardic & Romaniote victims of the Holocaust in Europe. This special program will be held online and will include live testimonies, speakers, a music performance, virtual candle lighting, and a memorial prayer in Hebrew, Ladino, Greek, and English in honor of all those who perished. Partner organizations include the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, the Jewish Community of Athens, the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry, and other communities across the US and around the world.
Watch Here
Romaniote Memories: A Jewish Journey from Ioannina to Manhattan. Photographs by Vincent Giordano
Digital Exhibition and Opening Event
In 1999, photographer Vincent Giordano made an unplanned visit to Kehila Kedosha Janina. 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. Beginning in 2001 and guided by members of the KKJ community, Giordano documented the synagogue and its religious art of the congregation using film, video, and audio. In 2019 the Giordano family donated the archive of Vincent’s work to Queens College, where it is a major part of the Hellenic American Project and is preserved as part of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library’s Special Collections and Archives.
Join us on February 11 at 5pm for a special digital Opening Reception. Register Here
View the Full Exhibit Here
The Synagogues of Greece - Online Class
Fall 2020
Join our Museum Director Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos as she leads us in our latest online class series. Learn more about the history, architecture, and culture of Jewish spaces in Greece. Classes held via Zoom on Monday nights at 8pm on November 23, November 30, and December 7. Watch the classes here.
Kabbalat Shabbat Services - Online
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:
Community Purim Party and Megillah Reading
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!
Please RSVP to amarcus@kkjsm.org
Greeks and Jews in Egypt
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.
Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Museum@kkjsm.org
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