Editorial by Elias V. Messinas
Welcome to the new issue of Kol haKEHILA! Kol haKEHILA in cooperation
with the Hellenic Society Paideia in the United States, launched a fund-raising
effort towards the funding of the permanent exhibition inside the synagogue
in Veroia, Greece. We have set for ourselves the very difficult goal of
opening the exhibition in May 2003, to mark 60 years from the date that
the Jews of Veroia were deported and killed in the Holocaust. This date
also marks 60 years since the families of Mordohai, Daniel and others
survived the deportation thanks to the help of their Christian neighbors
and friends. We ask for your support. Your support to make this exhibition
a reality; to honor and preserve the memory of the ancient community of
Veroia, those you were killed, those who survived, and those who put their
lives in danger to save lives. You will find a special form inside this
issue. Please fill it out and mail it to Kol haKEHILA with your contribution.
In this issue I offer a short review of the fund-raising effort for Veroia.
Stelios Zachariou describes the efforts of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign
Affairs concerning the preservation and presentation of the history of
Greek Jews; Alexander Avraham describes the efforts of Sabethay Tchimino
of Kavala to commemorate the Jews of his town; Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
offers glimpses into the history of the Jews of Corfu and the establishment
of a Holocaust monument in Corfu; Richard Glaser presents the Greek Jews
who live in Baltimore. News on the Jews of Greece include an exhibition
on the Jews of Greece in Strasbourg, France; a "Jewish Diaspora - Hellenic
Diaspora" conference at Haifa University; the MJSA annual conference with
a section including Greek synagogues; and a pre-Passover meeting on Greek
Sephardic customs and traditions for Passover. We extend our appreciation
and gratitude to our sponsors Julio and Dolly Botton, from Salonika and
Kavala, respectively, who live in Mexico. We welcome our new subscribers
and thank our loyal subscribers, who make it possible for Kol haKEHILA
to continue its difficult, but rewarding, path. We thank our readers who
contributed to this issue, especially, Prof. Carol Krinsky, Elias Tomazos,
Irene & Elias Alexandrou, Itzhak Kerem, and Leon Saltiel. We wish our
readers Happy Passover and Happy Easter! |