The restored Kal Kadosh Yavanim synagogue in Trikala, northern Greece, was officially rededicated with three days of events this month, following a full restoration that took place between 2017 and 2019.
The events October 14-16 included religious services, an exhibition, a concert, a publication, and other activities.
Restoration of the synagogue was funded by the German government, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), the local Jewish community, and individual national and international donors.
Watch a video of the main ceremony:
The synagogue, for the Romaniote community, was originally dedicated in 1930, according to the KIS.
The construction of the building began around 1925 and was completed in 1930. The inauguration of the Ka’al Yavanim Synagogue took place during the same year (1930), at a remarkable formal ceremony attended by the large Jewish Community of Trikala, which at the time included the Jews of Karditsa, and Farsala, the local authorities and a crowd of people from Trikala and Karditsa, demonstrating the excellent relations of members of the Jewish community with their fellow citizens, as the local newspaper “Tharros” reported at that time.
It was damaged in World War II but rebuilt, and then was seriously damaged by an earthquake that hit Trikala on April 30, 1954. It is the only surviving synagogue in Trikala, out of what KIS writes were three that existed before WW2.
The synagogue was rebuilt after the earthquake. But, writes Trikala Jewish community president Iakov Venouziou, in the PDF publication prepared for the re-opening:
In the early 1990s, the stability of the Synagogue again presents problems, as moisture has accumulated. It is visible on the four columns inside the Synagogue and on the floor. Also, the corrosion from moisture penetrated the Ehal, creating inappropriate conditions for the storage of the Torah scrolls. Over the years, access to and stay in the Synagogue is no longer secure.
Architect Elias Messinas, an expert on Greek synagogues, oversaw the restoration, working with architects Petros Koufopoulos and Marina Mariantheos in Athens. In an article in the Jerusalem Post, he wrote that he and his team were called in in 2017:
The team solved the dampness issues, and restored the historic interior and the two bimot – a unique example where two traditions survive side by side inside the same synagogue: the Romaniote bimah against the western wall, and the Sephardi bimah in the center of the prayer hall. Moreover, the team demolished the three stores that blocked the synagogue’s view from the street since after WWII, thanks to earlier research and documentation of the historic relationship of the synagogue to the street.
Read the KIS description of the opening events
1 comment on “Greece: The restored synagogue in Trikala is officially rededicated after a full restoration”
I represent in America the Tel Aviv based ANU – Museum of the Jewish People.
Very interested in the Jewish Community of Greece.
Shulamith Bahat
CEO, ANU – AMERICA
http://www.anumuseum.org.il
Mobile USA: 917.806.5999
Office: 212.339.6034
WhatsApp: +972.52.609.1822
Mobile Israel: 052.609.1822