Etz Hayyim Synagogue - Chania, Crete

4th century BCE sources reference a community of Egyptian and Palestinian Jews in Cortyna on Crete.

Jewish Philosopher  Philo of Alexandria  attests to the multiple thriving communities of the Greek islands, including Chania.

Chania's Jewish quarter was established.

The Venetians colonized Chania in 1252, where Jews lived and flourished. During this period the Beth Shalom Synagogue was established. Image: The Map shows the Venetian Catholic Church of St. Katharine, which would be converted into the Etz Hayyim synagogue in the mid-17th century.

During the Ottoman Period Jews were allowed to inhabit wider areas rather than the restricted ghettos of the Venetian period and they purchased the St. Katharine Church and transformed it into the Etz Hayyim Synagogue.

Initially there were two synagogues: Etz Hayyim and Beth Shalom. The latter , which was destroyed during the German Bombing in May 1941. Image: This map shows  the old city of Chania and the location of the former Jewish Quarter (on the right).

Nikos Stavroulakis was born (see "People" section).

Under Axis control during World War II, the Jews of Chania were restricted and eventually detained in May of 1944.

The German cargo ship Tanais departed Heraklion for Piraeus to transport prisoners to concentration camps. There were 263 Jews from the Chania community, as well as 48 Christian resistance fighters and 112 Italian prisoners on board. Allied forces bombed the Tanais and the boat sunk on the 9th of June. No one survived. Image: SS Tanais

The Jewish quarter was looted and the synagogue abandoned, becoming  a site for squatters and garbage dump.

The synagogue was damaged by an earthquake, after which Nikos Stavoulakis was invited to give a talk on Etz Hayyim at the World Monuments Fund in New York.

The synagogue was inscribed on the UNESCO World Monuments list. Donors financed a reconstruction project, which began with the ritual bath called Mikveh. Though there were some complaints about the process, restoration was completed in 1999. During the project, the site was used for prayer by Muslim men, both Albanian workers and other Muslims living in Chania. Image: Restoration

A rededication ceremony took place with more than 300 people, including sponsors, donors, ambassadors, the Bishop , rabbis, and the president of the Jewish communities in Greece. Some officials, including Chania’s Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop Irineos and the Head of Prefecture, objected to making this a Jewish place of worship, citing concerns that it would result in conflict or that it was unnecessary given the absence of a local Jewish community.

Soon after the reopening people of all religions, locals and tourists, began to visit, becoming what Nikos called a "Havurah" (Hebrew for brotherhood).

The synagogue was twice  set on fire  in antisemitic attacks occurring within ten days of each other.

The Tanais monument at Akti Miaouli, Chania, was conceived with the support of The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, the Municipality of Chania and sponsored by the Jewish community of Thessaloniki.

Memorial prayers at the Tanais Monument are held by the Chief Rabbi of Athens; His Eminence the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Kydonia and a Reverend from the Catholic Church of Chania.

Nicholas (alias Nikos) Stavroulakis was born in London to a Greek Orthodox father (Chania) and Jewish mother (Istanbul-London), probably a descendant of the  Dönmeh .

He grew up in the USA where he studied in a Catholic school, before following his mother to London. He studied Art and Islamic Architecture at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

In 1955, he went to live in Istanbul.

But after the 'Istanbul pogrom', he fled the riots like many Greeks and took refuge in Athens, where he used to live as an artist. There he converted to Judaism.

He visited Chania (the city of his father) and discovered the abandoned synagogue. He started  small-scale restoration of the synagogue space.

He went to live in Jerusalem and took the Hebrew name of Daniel Hannan.

He became the designer and founding director of the Jewish Museum in Athens. Later, he would contribute to the Jewish museums of Thessaloniki and Rhodes.

He obtained a PHD in archaeology and art history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on “The icons of the Mar Saba Monastery in the Wadi Kelt."

A strong Earthquake hit the synagogue. “The building was about to commit suicide," he said. Afterwards, he was invited to give a talk on Etz Hayyim at the World Monuments Fund in New York. The process of “saving” Etz Hayyim started.

On October 10th, during the official rededication of the synagogue, Nikos carried the new Torah scrolls.

Soon after the rededication of the synagogue and the opening to people of different religions, Nikos called a "Havurah" (Hebrew for brotherhood) the small community which was composed by locals and visitors: Jews, Christians, Muslims, and non believers.

He designed the decoration of the space according to his own interreligious inclusivity. “I defined Etz Hayyim as a place of prayer, recollection and reconciliation," he claimed.

As an artist, his work has been exhibited in Athens, London, Paris, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. One work is included in the catalog of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

He not only ran the Synagogue of Etz Hayyim but also attended the services at local churches like the St. Nicholas one in Chania.

Nikos passed away on May 19, 2017, at the age of 85. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Athens.

He is still present in the synagogue. Every year, a religious service takes place in his memory.