Συναγωγή Ετζ Χαγίμ

Etz Hayyim serves as a research and resource centre. At Etz Hayyim, we conduct ongoing research into the history of Cretan Jewish communities at our library, the Evlagon Institute for Cretan Jewish Studies, named after the last chief Rabbi of Crete, Avraham Evlagon (1846-1933). The Institute coordinates research projects, publishes research results and develops materials for the synagogue’s educational outreach program and exhibitions. Etz Hayyim’s library evolved from the personal reference collection of Nikos Stavroulakis, the founding Director of Etz Hayyim Synagogue. In its original form, his collection comprised books, off-prints of articles and monographs concerning the Jews in the western Ottoman Empire, both Romaniote or Sephardi. . The collection also includes monographs on general Jewish history and volumes on related subjects such as theology, mysticism, and political identity. There are also some 250 CDs of music, liturgical and secular, of the Romaniote and Sephardi traditions. In 2000, Nikos’ personal reference collection was relocated to the synagogue where it could be properly catalogued and added to with funding provided by private donors. Unfortunately, a considerable number of these books and monographs were destroyed or rendered unusable due to the two arson attacks in 2010 during which the synagogue’s archive containing documentation of the mid- to late 1990s renovation along with original records of the pre-1944 Jewish community were destroyed. Etz Hayyim was then offered the current library premises by the Archaeological Authority in Hania through the assistance of its then-Director, Michael Andreanakis, and numerous damaged books were restored by specialised staff. In the aftermath of the two arson attacks, Etz Hayyim received an overwhelming response from all over the world to support the restoration of the library and its works. There were donations of Sephardi prayer books and newly-made liturgical texts from Israel and New York. The Yiddish Book Centre in New York also circulated our list of lost and damaged books and, as a result, Etz Hayyim was donated numerous books from across the US. We were particularly fortunate to receive more than 800 works from Mrs Judy Hetzler Humphrey of Manassa, Virginia. Those books not only replaced the ones we had lost, but expanded our library in other directions, for example, Africa and African Art.  

Despite the various conquests – Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Venetian and Ottoman – the Jews of Crete maintained an impressive continuity over time. During the late 19th century, the dispute between the European powers over the fate of the Ottoman Empire became clearer. Introverted rebellions were often noted, with the aim of uniting Crete with the Greek state. As a consequence of the above, the Jews of Crete began to emigrate, ending up in 1941 with only one community surviving - that of Chania - numbering approximately 330 people. This community had two synagogues dating back to the Middle Ages – Beth Shalom and Kal Kantos Etz Hayim. In 1941, during the bombing of Chania at the beginning of the Battle of Crete, Beth Shalom was destroyed, leaving only one synagogue to serve the needs of the community. In May 1944 the entire community was arrested by the Nazis and, after a period of detention in nearby prisons, was sent to Heraklion, where they were put on the ship Tanais. In the early hours of the next day, in the middle of sailing to the port of Piraeus, the ship was torpedoed by a British submarine and sank within 15 minutes. There were no survivors.