| Kehila Kedosha Janina | |
|---|---|
 Kehila Kedosha Janina synagogue in 2007 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Romaniote |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Lay led |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 280 Broome Street,Manhattan,New York City,New York |
| Country | United States |
  Location inLower Manhattan | |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°43′7″N73°59′28″W / 40.71861°N 73.99111°W /40.71861; -73.99111 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sydney Daub |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Style | |
| Date established | 1906(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Specifications | |
| Width | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
| Materials | Brick; stone |
| Website | |
| kkjsm | |
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue | |
 | |
| Area | less than one acre |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001430 |
| NYCL No. | 2143 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 30, 1999 |
| Designated NYCL | May 11, 2004 |
| [1] | |
Kehila Kedosha Janina (Holy Community of Janina) is asynagogue located at 280Broome Street betweenAllen and Eldridge Streets in theLower East Side neighborhood ofManhattan,New York City,New York, United States.
The synagogue is the onlyRomaniote rite synagogue in theWestern Hemisphere. Romaniote traditions are separate from those of bothSephardic andAshkenazi Judaism, deriving their lineage in theEastern Mediterranean for nearly 2000 years, long before the Spanish Inquisition.[2]
The building was built between 1925 and 1927 and was designed by Sydney Daub[3] in theClassical Revival andMoorish Revival styles. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on November 30, 1999, and was designated aNew York City Landmark on May 11, 2004.[2] It underwent a major restoration in 2006 by architect Leonard Colchamiro, a descendant of one of the community's original founders.
Kehila Kedosha Janina is the only Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.[2] The congregation was founded in 1906 by Greek Jewish immigrants fromIoannina, but the synagogue itself was not erected until 1927.[4] The years from then until theSecond World War were a time of prosperity for the Romaniote community in the Lower East Side: there were three rabbis in the synagogue, and on theHigh Holidays, there was often only standing room for synagogue services. After the Second World War, many congregants moved to other boroughs and parts of Manhattan, includingHarlem, theBronx, andBrooklyn, though these communities are no longer active.
Although the community has steadily dwindled since its pre-war heyday, services are still held onshabbat andJewish holidays.[4] While it maintains amailing list of 5,000 persons, it often has difficulty meeting theminyan for shabbatworship.[4] Guided tours are offered each Sunday tovisitors and by special appointment.[4]
The JaninaLandsmanshaft has a burial plot atWellwood Cemetery where there is a memorial to the Jews of Ioannina murdered in theShoah.
Kehila Kedosha Janina is somewhat unusual for a Romaniote synagogue in that it runs north south with theEhal on the north side (Romaniote synagogues typically run east to west), thebimah is in the center of the main sanctuary (most Romaniote synagogues place the bimah on the west wall), and the internal stairway for thewomen's balcony. It is typical in the fact that men and women sit separately (a feature of allOrthodox synagogues). The second floor women's gallery contains a museum with artifacts, exhibits, and Judaica on Jewish life in Greece and the history of Greek Jews as well as a gift shop. Exhibited items are housed in cases along the walls on either side behind the seats, as well as in the area immediately in front of the staircase.[5][6]
A documentary film about the synagogue and community,The Last Greeks on Broome Street, was produced in the early 2000s. It is directed, written and narrated by Ed Askinazi, whose great-grandparents were among the congregation's founders.[7][8]
Media related toKehila Kedosha Janina at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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