Synagogue in Ioannina

Synagogues of Ioannina

Before WWII, Jewish life in Ioannina centered around two synagogues, The Old Synagogue and The New Synagogue. Each had an annex (called a Minyan). The annex was a small synagogue used for worshipers who had to leave the service early to go to work, or to accommodate large crowds for weddings and major holidays.

Kahal Kadosh Yashan Synagogue (The Old Synagogue)

The Kahal Kadosh Yashan Synagogue on Justinianos Street is located inside the walled Castro, near the Big Gate. The family clans who worshiped there include the Levy, Negrin and Coffina. Because of the location of the synagogue, they were called insiders (mesinoi). The original structure likely dates to the Byzantine period. It is not clear whether it was constructed on the site of an earlier synagogue or if it is the first official house of worship of the Ioannina Jews. A tall, stone wall encloses the synagogue and its property. Although the synagogue has been restored twice, in 1881 and in 1987, the building still retains its original character.
The Minyan Yashan (the annex) was known as the House of Abraham and Sarah because it was built by the Abraham family. During the occupation, the Germans burned the building and its shell is all that remains.
The synagogue proper survived the occupation as a result of the efforts of Demetrios Vlachides, the mayor of Ioannina. He persuaded the Germans that the Greeks would use the building as a library and that the Torah Scrolls and other sacred material should be placed in the municipal museum. These were returned to the survivors after the war. The Germans took the furniture, decorations and chandeliers. Mayor Vlachides was honored with a gold plaque inside the synagogue. After the war, the handful of Holocaust survivors retuning to Ioannina sent Torah Scrolls and tiks to their sister synagogues, the Synagogue of Abraham and Sarah in Jerulsalem, and in NYC, the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue. These “treasures of Ioannina” still remain in Jerusalem and New York.
The synagogue is built as a square and is divided by eight interior columns with connecting arches. At the eastern end is a neo-classical ehal and opposite, at the western end is an elevated bemah. The women's section (mehitza) is in the balcony that runs along the northern side. The devan-like benches are parallel to the central axis of the building. A box behind each seat holds a prayer shawl, a prayer book and tefillin (for the men's morning prayer). Along the walls of the interior are a series of plaques inscribed with the names of those Ioannina Jews lost in the Holocaust. This interior design conforms to the Romaniote tradition (with some Venetian and older local influence). The women's ritual bath (mikvah) is located outside and behind the building.

Kahal Kadosh Hadash (The New Synagogue)

The Kahal Kadosh Hadash Synagogue did not survive the Holocaust. Its site lies just outside the walled Castro on Joseph Eliyia Street, once referred to as Megali Rouga, "the big lane". The synagogue was built around 1840 when the Jewish community was at its height, with a population of nearly five thousand. In playful rivalry, the people from the synagogue were called outsiders (oksinoi) and the families that worshiped here were the Kohens, Matsa, Marcados, Cantos and Bettinou.
The building itself was narrower and longer than the Old Synagogue. There was a large courtyard and a stone wedding canopy (huppah) was built over the entrance. Weddings for both congregations were generally held here. The annex was outside and the Alliance Boy's School (Alliance Israelite Universelle) was nearby. The interior had six isles and many pillars throughout, from which hung chandeliers and lanterns.
During the German occupation, the New Synagogue, its annex and the school were used as stables and each was severely damaged. Once the Jewish community was deported, the Germans used the wood from the buildings as firewood. After the war, the Greek government razed the remaining structures. Today, an apartment building stands on this site. Most of the aged, surviving Jewish community in Ioannina lives here and the building houses the Jewish Community Center. The Greek Christians refer to this block-long building as “Ta Evraika”(The Jewish Quarter).

• • •

Kahal Kadosh Yashan Synagogue Photo Gallery