I felt sick to my stomach when I heard that the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Hania, Crete, had suffered a second arson attack in 10 days. I got the call just after 9 am on Saturday. The attack had taken place at 3.30 that...
Read MoreWe said prayers this morning in the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Hania, three days after it suffered a second arson attack, which destroyed an office extension and burnt part of the ceiling. The acrid smell from smoke and water damage, the sight of streaked and...
Read MoreOn the night of Friday, January 15, after more than a week of work on the sanctuary - newly scraped, primed and re-painted; the wood-work oiled with lavender and the marble floor polished - we met for Erev Shabbat prayers and Kiddush. Later we locked...
Read MoreNew Acquisition – a silver TAS (breastplate) for a Sepher Torah. Several weeks ago I heard of the existence of what I thought then, might have been a Jewish silver artifact that was for sale in Heraklion. Had this been brought o my attention now it would...
Read MoreOverview of the past few days at Etz Hayyim – 6th – 15th January 2010 Our own situation here in Hania assumed a quite different dimension when news broke of the disaster in Haiti. Quite naturally our own problems became less of a burden when one...
Read MoreAt approximately 12:20-1:00 AM on the night of the 5th January, a serious attack was made on the fabric of the Synagogue. One or two or even more individuals made their way into the south garden of the synagogue by climbing over the iron gate....
Read MoreThe completion of the sarcophagus in the south courtyard of the synagogue....
Read MoreThe UK newspaper Guardian, recently ran an article featuring the Synagogue, written by Tony Lerman. To read the full article follow the link below...
Read MoreThe tombstone was found in discarded rubble in the vicinity of the old Xenia Hotel at Top Hana not long after WWII....
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