Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th of October 2016
An invitation from Annette B. Fromm, Ph.D. on behalf of the Jewish Community of Ioannia
Dear friends,
During the last few years, thanks to your support, the celebration of Yom-Kippur in our town has developed into a heartwarming meeting: Jews from Greece (Athens, Salonica and the other Greek Communities), as well as from Israel, the USA and other countries, live an overwhelming experience in our city’s historical Synagogue, one of the most important monuments of Greek Judaism. At the same time, our co-religionists, with their dynamic presence, reinforce our efforts to maintain our age-old cultural heritage. We would like to thank you for your wholehearted moral and financial support, and invite you to join us in celebrating Yom-Kippur in Ioannina, on Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th of October 2016, in order to honor together the greatest holiday of Judaism, with the reverence and the brightness it deserves. For your information, on Tuesday afternoon, 11th of October, our beloved rabbi and cantor, Mr. Haim Ischakis, will perform memorial services (hashkavot) at the Jewish Cemetery as well as a memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust, followed by Kaddish prayer. The services will start at 01:30p.m. On the same evening, after the Kol Nidre ceremony at the Synagogue, a special memorial service will be held for the Israeli soldiers, fallen during Yom Kippur War, in October 1973. On the evening of Wednesday, 12th of October, after the end of fasting and the blowing of the oldest Shofar in Greece, our community will treat its members and all the guests to a festive dinner, which will be held at the Du Lac Hotel.
During it, we will honor a prominent member of the Ioanniote Diaspora, Professor Mimis Cohen , whose roots are from Ioannina and is Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago. At the same time, we will honor the last survivors from the concentration camps who were born in Ioannina and were expelled from our city. Like it did last year, the Community will cover the cost of a 50-seater coach for the transportation of the travelers from Athens. At the same time, as we always do, we will try to get the best possible rates for our city’s hotels. Dear friends, we are certain that, this year as well, you will show your great support to our Community, which although small, is in fact very active, and tries very hard to preserve what was left from the Nazi raid and the loss of 91% of its population. Your presence will give us great joy, as well as the necessary strength to continue our difficult work. Come to Ioannina, to enjoy the unsurpassed melody of a genuine Romaniote service! Plan in time your trip, and spread the word to your friends.
Please confirm your attendance as soon as possible to Mr. Moses Elissaf, President of the Community (+30/693.2476.665) or to Mrs. Allegra Matsa (+30/697.7405.744) or to the offices of the Community (+30/26510.25195). In that way, we will have the time to organize Wednesday’s event and festive dinner in a most impeccable way. On our part, we promise you to do our best in order to facilitate your stay in our beautiful city.
We are expecting you!
Jewish Community of Ioannina