Athens, Greece- Days 10 and 11

We left the lovely little town of Delphi at 8 in the morning and we made a short stop in Chalkida for the morning. We visited a shul that burned down 7 times throughout its history, but has been rebuilt each time with its original columns which date back to the 5th or 6th century CE. The only texts that survived the most recent fire in 1846 were 3 Torahs, one dating back to 15th century and another to the 13th century. 

The Jewish community in Chalkida is one of the oldest surviving communities. A group of Jews came to Chalkida after the destruction of the first temple in 586 BCE. Fast forward to WWII, and only 18 Jews were killed by the Nazis because Metropolitan Gregorious wrote his name over and over again on the list of Jews, which bought the Jews time to flee into the mountains. We had lunch then made our way to Athens, where went to the Parthenon museum. We had a nice kosher dinner at the Chabad in Athens and then got some rest before our extremely long day.

Our last day was a fitting end to an amazing first trip. We began the day the with our tour of the acropolis, which is the hill in the middle of Athens with the ancient ruins on top. The ruins, or the Parthenon, was the temple of Athena, but it wasn't used for religious purposes. Pericles, the Parthenon's "project manager," built it simply for aesthetic purposes. 

I asked our tour guide how long it took to finish one column, because their ability to build something so magnificent, huge, and detailed over 2,500 years ago did and still does perplex me. She told us that one column took 19,000 work hours, which is equivalent to the same amount of time it takes to complete an apartment building today. 

People may not realize that there are more buildings on the acropolis that actually had more value while they were in use. For example the Erechtheion, according to the Parthenon museum wall, contains evidence that the gods visited the cite because Poseidon hit a rock in that same spot and a well sprouted.

The views from the acropolis were incredible. We could see the entire city of Athens, but my pictures don't really capture the beauty of the views that you see in person. Possibly my best picture is the one where I tried to capture the ancient agora, which is an open square in the center of the town which was a popular public place to hang out.

(The green area is the ancient agora)

After our visit to the Parthenon we went to the Jewish museum of Athens, but I have to be honest, the Parthenon is a tough act to follow and it was difficult to really get into the zone and enjoy the museum. After our visit to the museum we went to Lycabettus Mountain, the highest point in Athens with views that are even better than the acropolis, to eat lunch. 

We ended our trip with a meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Athens Issak Dayan, who told us his personal story about his experience during WWII. I really wish I could remember it, but I was dazing in and out. You know the times when you're so exhausted that your eyelids literally feel like they're 500 pounds and you just can't do anything to keep them open no matter how hard you try? Well that's what I was unfortunately going through while the Rabbi was talking. 

After our meeting with Rabbi Dayan we were let loose in the Athens equivalent of Ben Yehuda Street, but with better and more expensive stores and restaurants. Me, Mina, and 3 of our other friends enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving dinner in an Italian restaurant in Greece. Afterwards we got delicious frozen greek yogurt which was the cherry on top of a wonderful dinner, a wonderful day, and a wonderful trip.

You can also see a map of everywhere we went here:

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205070434549703180777.0004cf31e0a933580cad5&msa=0

4 down, 8 to go.

Delphi, Greece- Day 9

Today was the longest short day ever. We left our hotel at a quarter to 8 and drove 4 hours to the city of Delphi- famous for the Oracle, which dates back to 1400 BCE. The drive was almost as boring as the drive to Houston until we finally reached the mountains about two hours into the drive. The views were incredible, and they didn’t stop after we got to Delphi either.

We went to the museum and saw some incredible sculptures with some dating back to 500 BCE or later. We used what we learned in our Civilization and Society class to identify when sculptures and pottery were made.

After touring the museum we went to the ruins of Delphi. The remaining ruins are mainly from the 6^th century BCE, which was the peak of Delphi’s activity, but the city was settled as early as the 14^th century BCE. Excavations began in 1892 after an earthquake destroyed a city built on top of it. The center of the city contained the Temple of Apollo, which was apparently rebuilt 3 times- the first by Apollo himself in the second half of the 7^th century BCE, the second in 506 BCE, and the third in 330 BCE.

The Temple contained the main attraction of Delphi- the Oracle. The story of The Oracle of Delphi goes like this- Apollo killed a python and it fell into a crevice in the earth. Fumes arose from the crack and the people believed that Apollo could communicate through the fumes. They picked a young woman who was both beautiful and a virgin to inhale the fumes. She would deliver prophesies and people would go to and retreat from war at the her command, among other things.

For those of you who are curious, the location and intoxication of the Oracle was studied and it was determined that the young woman would get high off of a combination of sulfur, methane, and ethane.

Lastly the theater in Delphi was known not for its acoustics, but for its wonderful view.

Now we have a free night out in the beautiful town of Delphi, and then it’s on to Athens for the last two days of our first international trip. It’s hard to believe that our first trip is almost over, but it’s also exciting to get back to classroom learning.

“We’re only human.” -Penny

Kalambaka, Greece- Day 8

Today was easily one of the best of the trip so far. We left our hotel in Ioannina (pronounced ya-ni-nah) at 8:30 and met with a member of the Jewish community there. She taught us about the unique and ancient history of the Jews in Ioannina, which is very different from the history of the Jews in the other places we visited because Jews did not come here following the Expulsion. They were Ramoniotes, not Sephardic.

Jews first came to this central Greek city when the Second Temple was destroyed around 70 CE. Fast-forward to the beginning of the 20^th century and after the Ottoman rule ended, many people moved to Jerusalem because the Greeks made them close their stores on Sundays. In 1943 the Nazis woke up the 1,850 Jews in Ioannina at three in the morning and took them by car to Salonika in the snow. A memorial now stands where the old Jewish community was.

Today there are only 35 Jews in the beautiful and quaint town, and they only use the synagogue, which was built inside the walls of the castle, during the holidays. They struggle to make a minyan, so they always appreciate guests. This was my first time walking into a Ramoniote shul, which has all of its benches perpendicular to the front of the sanctuary and the bima in the back.

I also have this pretty sweet picture from directly under the chandelier that I wanted to share.

They even have a Torah that is over 360 years old!

The best part of the day had yet to come, as we drove 2 hours to the Monasteries of Meteora, near Kalambaka in central Greece. During the drive I really began to appreciate Greece’s beauty. I think mountains are the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and driving through them convinced me that Greece is the most beautiful country I’ve seen (so far). I find it so cool that the clouds “rest” on the tops of the mountains while the lush and abundant leaves that cover the mountains change colors. It’s awesome rounding the corner and the view opens up into a deep, beautiful valley containing a small village or two with red roofs nestled into the crevasses of the mountains and valleys. We approached the Monasteries of Meteora and this is what came into view.

These rocks were submerged underwater hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago, but after an earthquake the water was drained into the sea and left these incredibly huge and magnificent rock formations.

24 total monasteries were built starting in the 14^th century, and some even took up to 70 years to build. Unfortunately only 6 remain because in 1943 the Nazis destroyed most of them.

The skulls of the monks who built the monasteries are displayed for public, and as eerie as the idea is, it’s still pretty cool. (Sorry it's a little blurry, I was rushed)

Finally we stepped into the church only about fifteen minutes before they closed it. It was by far the most spectacular church I’ve ever seen because the walls and ceilings are completely covered in intricate biblical paintings. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures, but if there's one place I could take a picture it would have been the sanctuary.

I’m still on the high of being up in the clouds in the Monasteries of Meteora, but I’m looking forward to the coming days. Tomorrow we are getting up bright and early to visit Delphi, which is where the Oracle of Delphi was, and then we are on to Athens for the last two days of our incredible first trip. 

"Champions find a way." -SB

Thessaloniki, Greece- Days 5,6,and 7

We finally arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece on Thursday night. This isn’t just any plain old Greek city though; it was one of the top 5 party cities in the world 2 years ago and we stayed here for 3 nights, our longest stay in one place in Greece. Thursday night we were each given ten euro for dinner and we had the chance to eat whatever authentic Greek food our mouths and bellies desired. I had my first taste of delicious Greek cheese after checking out at least 6 or 7 other restaurants.

We had a light schedule on Friday, but that doesn’t mean we got any extra sleep. We left the hotel at 8:30 for the only remaining pre-WWII synagogue in Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki’s history is rich with Jewish influence. Salonika, the ancient name of Thessaloniki, was a hot spot for the Spanish Jews after the expulsion, as 15,000-20,000 Jews immigrated to the natural port city in northeast Greece. The city even closed its port on Shabbat, and the entire city was a huge party on Simchat Torah which included dancing by the port. The Holocaust took a toll on the flourishing city as 95% of the 55,000 Jews in Salonika perished in concentration camps. The shul we visited was actually where Rabbi Coretz made an announcement that decided the fate of many Salonikan Jews. He stood on the very same bima that Rabbi Dov was standing on and told everyone that they would be safe and successful in Poland and Germany.

Then we visited the square, which is now a parking lot, where the “Black Sabbath” occurred. All the Jewish men between the ages of 18-45 were forced out into the sweltering heat and were humiliated. A monument was only put up for those men in 1997.

Only about 2,500 people came back, and about 10 returned with numbers on their arms. Today there are only about 1,000 Jews in Thessaloniki.

We also went to the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, where we pretty much reviewed everything we learned in Jerusalem, and some. I asked why the 15,000-20,000 Jews decided to come to Salonika? How did they know it was a safe place to come to after the Expulsion? I was told that the sultan wanted people to reinvigorate the poor, struggling city. He saw them as people who could improve the city and pay taxes, not as an inferior religion or nation, which I think was refreshing for the Jews at the time.

Friday night and Shabbat morning we went to shul at the other synagogue in Thessaloniki, which was also Saphardic. (If I didn’t mention it before, virtually the entire Balkan region is Sephardic because most of them came from Spain and Portugal.) It was my first time really listening to and experiencing a Sephardic service, and honestly it was slightly uncomfortable, but an overall good experience.

The rest of my Shabbat and Saturday night was extremely relaxing and enjoyable. I had some more traditional Greek food, and I was lucky enough to enjoy the sunset over the harbor.

Today (Sunday) we learned about the history of the city, aside from the Jewish part. We saw beautiful views of Thessaloniki from the edge of the city, and we could see the division between the old and new sections of the city (the red roofs are old, and the rest is new).

A large portion of the city was devastated in the Great Fire of 1917, which left many people homeless, and it was a big hit to a newly thriving city.

After our tour we took about a 3-hour bus ride to Vergina, where Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, is buried in his elaborate and incredibly well preserved tomb.

Philip II was born around 382 BCE, and became the king of Macedonia in 359 BCE. His nation was a weak, poor, and divided state, which was threatened on all sides. By 336 BCE the king was at the height of his power, and he turned Macedonia into the leading power of his day, changing the course of history. The design on the box that holds his ashes was the same as the design on the old Macedonian flag. Although we were not allowed to take pictures, I was still able to sneak a picture of the gold box that contains the king.

 Unfortunately for him he was assassinated the same year, when he was only 46. However his nation of Macedonia had nothing to fear, as he paved the way for his son Alexander’s previously unprecedented campaign.

We drove to Iaonnina (pronounced Ya-ni-nah) around 3 and arrived in time for dinner where I ate at a very homey and delicious Greek restaurant. Tonight we are beginning our stretch of days where we will stay in a different city or town each night. It will be pretty chaotic, but I’m looking forward to the adventure.

And just to update everyone on what the current plan is for after our trip, we have two options. If Kivunim determines that it is safe to go back to Israel, we will, but if they decide otherwise, the plan is to go to New York and potentially spend the next month there continuing our studies as normally as possible and doing social responsibility projects.

We are all thinking about and praying for those affected in Israel and Gaza, and we hope the fighting will stop as soon as possible.

“Plans change.”- DL

Skopje, Macedonia- Day 4

Macedonia is a small, poor country that lies on disputed land. Both the Greeks and the Bulgarians believe they have a claim to the land, but Macedonia remains quiet and peaceful as its neighboring countries pretty much give them the cold shoulder. So that’s just about all I knew about Macedonia when I got here, and that’s really all I know as I leave, but in the short time I was here I had an unexpected and incredible experience. When we arrived late at night, with our stomachs growling and our legs tight, we saw a surprisingly beautiful city. Skopje (pronounced Scope -(like the mouthwash) yah) is one of the most impressive cities I have seen, judging on the tiny part I saw of it. The center of it has a statue everywhere you look, and it has huge, clean buildings, which are lit beautifully. If you want to know or see more of the city I highly suggest you look it up. That's what I had to do because we had virtually no classes on the country or city and I personally prefer to know something- anything- about the places I go. We had a late pre-ordered dinner in a restaurant near Macedonia Square, which is simply a large square with shops and monuments in the middle of the city.

This morning we went to the Holocaust museum in Skopje, which is built in the former Jewish ghetto and is dedicated to the Jews of Macedonia who perished in the Holocaust. 

The Macedonian Holocaust story is virtually the exact opposite of the Bulgarian story. 98% of the Jews in Macedonia were taken to Treblinka. 8,000 Jews lived here before the war, and today there are only 250 Jews, who are mainly the children of the rare survivors.

We were fortunate enough to meet with a survivor today before we toured the museum. She hid out in a tobacco factory with four other Jews for ten days, but when asked if the Jews knew what was going on, she said that most Jews were passive because they thought just the men would be deported to labor camps. She was eventually caught and put in jail for being part of a communist resistance group. She was in jail from April 1943 until the end of the war, which essentially saved her life. Having gone on the March of the Living and  having been to Treblinka gives me a much better understanding of this tragedy. Today was really the first time since the March that I really thought hard about the Holocaust and what I learned and experienced while in Poland.

We had lunch around 1 and then got on the bus to go to Thessaloniki, Greece, a historic port city with a rich Jewish history. Thessaloniki, or Salonika, was one place the Jews thrived in after the Expulsion from Spain in 1492. I’ve had a surprisingly incredible time on this trip so far, but the best part is just beginning. I’m extremely excited for this next week and I’ll do my best to keep up with the blogs.

And of course my prayers go out to everyone in Israel right now, specifically my friends and family. The situation really sucks, but let’s hope Israel can take care of business quickly and safely. Be safe. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on our status here too, because Kivunim's main priority is our safety, and if they don't feel comfortable taking us back to Israel, they won't. The possibilities of what we can or cannot, or may or may not do are endless. 

“The world is a neutral place.

White canvas.

What paint are you?” –SB

3 down, 9 to go.

Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria, Days 2 and 3

The past two days in Bulgaria have increased my appreciation for the country immensely. On Tuesday we drove to Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria and one of the oldest cities in Europe. Upon our arrival we went to the only synagogue in Plovdiv, which was built over 140 years ago. It is currently a beautiful Sephardic shul, but unfortunately it is only used on Holidays.

After spending some time in the shul and hearing from a few residents of Plovdiv, we went to the JCC to meet with the elderly of the community who experienced the amazing Holocaust story of the Jews in Bulgaria. Though before we met with them, the President of the Jewish community of Plovdiv spoke to us. One thing he told us that I found fascinating was that when the terrorist attack on a group of Israelis occurred earlier this year in Bulgaria, he received nearly 50 condolence emails. He said that in Bulgaria it’s the custom to only express condolences to close relatives, but this story really shows how close the Bulgarian community is. Not just the Jews, but also all Bulgarians. The story of the Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust is another prime example of the unique bond Bulgarians have with one another.

When Boris III, the king of Bulgaria at the time of WWII, sided with the Germans he did so in the best interest of his country and its people. He did his best to stay neutral throughout the war, but he eventually had no choice but to pick a side. In 1943 the Jews were to be packed into boxcars and sent to Treblinka, a death camp in occupied Poland. Two men that are “Righteous Among the Nations,” now recognized by Yad Vashem, stepped in to prevent and eventually stop the Jews from being taken away. The bishop of Plovdiv, Metropolitan Kirill, and the bishop of Sofia, Metropolitan Stefan, went to the station where the Jews were being loaded onto the boxcars and threatened to lay down on the tracks if the Jews were taken. Of the 48,000 Jews in Bulgaria before the war, 48,000 remained after the war. That is until people began immigrating to Israel and 45,000 of the 48,000 left for the Holy Land.

After we left the JCC we drove about 45 minutes to the Bachkovo Monastery, where Kirill and Stefan are buried. Their tombs are inside a church built in 1603 and the most meaningful experience of the day, for me, happened there. Rabbi Dov asked if it was appropriate to say Kaddish and our guide said yes. Rabbi Dov, me, and a few other guys put on our Kippot and we said Kaddish. The image of young Jews standing in a 400-year-old church and saying Kaddish for two priests who saved thousands of Jews is the epitome of Kivunim. This is what this program is all about- accepting, appreciating, and learning from other religions and cultures.

We then had dinner, made our way back to Sofia, and got ready for our last day in Bulgaria.

We checked out of the hotel and left for the magnificent synagogue in Sofia, the biggest Sephardic synagogue in Europe. 

First we went to the museum next to the shul, which was just a small room filled with the artifacts of the Jews in Sofia before the war. Sarah, our RA, asked the question of the day- we’ve heard what it was like for the pre-communist generation and the post communist generation, but what about the generation that only knew communism until recently? Our guide told us that the first time she stepped into a synagogue legally was scary for her. She had no idea what to do or how to act. That generation eventually learned from the post communist generation who learned from Sunday schools, summer camps, and other activities. However, the country as whole had a difficult time transitioning because there were a lot of issues with money and many jobs were lost. Many Bulgarians became poor and some even committed suicide. The intelligent people of Bulgaria became poor too because they lost their jobs and refused to do less stimulating jobs, which is where the root of the problem is in Bulgaria. Because those types of people are lacking in Bulgaria, the country has a bleak future.

But to end on a positive note, my overall experience in Bulgaria was fantastic. The Jewish community was a warm and hospitable community with more pride for their country and culture than I have ever seen before. They showed all of my peers and I a different aspect of a Jewish community because they saw and experienced Judaism as a culture more than a religion. It was great to see Judaism in another light, and it makes me hopeful that any community I am involved in in the future will embrace Judaism as a culture as well. I want to thank all my new Bulgarian friends again for their incredible hospitality and generosity, and for showing me what Bulgaria is all about.

We ended the day with our longer than expected bus ride to Skopje, Macedonia where we will be staying for less than 24 hours. That post will follow shortly.

“Where ever I’ve been, I’m not there now. Where ever I’m going, I don’t have to be there yet.” -SB

2 down, 10 to go.