Etz Hayyim Synagogue

Intern and Volunteer Testimonials #3: Clara (Clara Goolsby) Clara was one of the two inaugural interns from LMU at Etz Hayyim Synagogue. During her internship, she helped create a catalogue of the Nikos Stavroulakis collection. Read more about her internship experience below: In July of 2023, I came to Crete as an intern for Etz Hayyim. As one of the two inaugural interns from the partnership between Loyola Marymount University and Etz Hayyim, I had no idea what to expect once I arrived halfway across the world from my home. But within my first days in Chania, I began to feel at home in the library of the synagogue, where I spent my four weeks cataloguing the Nikos Stavroulakis collection. I have never been to a place so full of love. Nikos’s love for his community is built into the walls, the courtyard, the air, even though he had been gone for years before I even set foot on the island. As the cataloger of Nikos’s documents and his library, I was able to see so much of what people loved about Etz Hayyim. The letters people wrote to him, the emails he printed out, the articles about the synagogue, he kept it all. You could feel how proud he was of Etz Hayyim and all of the people who walked the grounds. I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to so intimately explore the history of the place and the people there, and the struggle of reviving a community that had experienced so much suffering. In the 1310 items I catalogued I witnessed the reflection of making Etz Hayyim what it is today. I will forever think of my experience as the greatest gift of my life. Stories matter. History matters. Nikos Stavroulakis will not be forgotten, and, because of him, Etz Hayyim can stand as a beacon of hope and a story within itself. Helping to preserve the legacy is the most wonderful thing I have ever done, and I am glad to be part of Etz Hayyim’s story.

On Monday, we welcomed Yona and Dan Zaffran, daughter and son of Jacques Zaffran, at Etz Hayyim Synagogue. Jacques Zaffran was a French-Algerian Jewish botanist who studied the flora of Crete. His family contacted Etz Hayyim for help with funeral arrangements when he passed away in 2023. Zaffran was the first Jewish person to be buried in Crete after 1944. The Zaffran family very kindly donated several books to our library. Most of the books the Zaffrans donated are written in French, with topics such as French Jewry and interfaith relations. Jack, our resident librarian, catalogued these books for our digital library, which we are currently working on to make our books more accessible to the public. 📚📖 🔗 Read more about Jacques Zaffran: https://lnkd.in/dBqWGY3j

Intern and Volunteer Testimonials #2: Noah Niksefat (Noah N.) Noah was the inaugural intern from the LMU Jewish Studies internship program. During his time at Etz Hayyim, he gave tours to curious visitors and expanded the synagogue’s online presence. Read more about his internship experience below: Hello, my name is Noah Niksefat. I was honored to serve as Etz Hayyim Synagogue’s inaugural intern from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) during the summer of 2023. As someone with Jewish heritage born and raised in Los Angeles, I was eager to get involved with Etz Hayyim when the opportunity arose. My contributions to the synagogue were fueled by my passion for Jewish faith and history, along with my background in marketing and business. Over the course of my month-long internship, my focus was expanding the synagogue’s outreach. I wanted to make it easier for people to connect with us and to share the synagogue’s rich history more broadly. One of my proudest accomplishments was acquiring access to Etz Hayyim’s Google profile, allowing for continuous updates and communication. I applied marketing strategies across Google and social media platforms to amplify our presence online. I developed a workflow system to help organize staff and intern shifts, ensuring responsibilities were distributed and rotated. I drew on my business background to bring more structure and consistency to Etz Hayyim’s operations. Another part of my role was guiding tours and engaging in conversations with visitors from all walks of life. These exchanges were incredibly meaningful. Immersing myself in the deep Jewish history of Crete was eye-opening. Etz Hayyim preserves a story of survival, identity, and resilience, and I never felt like just a tour guide. I felt like a guardian of memory, sharing stories that speak to the past while connecting people to something timeless and enduring. What stood out most to me was the strength of the community. When people support a cause out of genuine care rather than duty, something special happens. I was the only Jewish member of the team during my time there, and it moved me to see how individuals from different backgrounds embraced and respected Jewish culture so deeply. The synagogue embraces inclusiveness not out of obligation or social expectation, but as an expression of its message and the spirit in which it was rebuilt. Being part of the Etz Hayyim team was an experience I’ll always treasure. From day one, I was welcomed like family. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and I hope the work I contributed will continue to support the synagogue’s mission and ignite connections across both local and global communities. I’m especially thankful to LMU’s Jewish Studies Program for establishing the relationship with Etz Hayyim that made this internship possible. The internship delivered a deeper understanding of Jewish history, culture, and interreligious dialogue in an influential and lasting way.

Read Kayla Kurin's article about Etz Hayyim Synagogue and our library fundraising campaign, published in La Djente, the magazine of the Sephardic community in America. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e5hrrKma

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to work on this important project with such wonderful partners. Follow our journey through TCZ's various social media accounts!

Intern and Volunteer Testimonials #1: Mirko Delić (Mirko Delić) Mirko interned at Etz Hayyim on an Erasmus+ program. While working at the synagogue, he gained hands-on experience of managing social media, PR, and fundraising. Read more about his experience at Etz Hayyim below: Months have passed and now my stay here on Crete is coming to an end in just a few days. Before arriving to Chania, I had no idea what it would be like living and working here, but I knew that it was going to be a new chapter in my life and it was up to me to make it an enriching and memorable experience. After landing and seeing snowy mountains in the distance towering the island, I realized that I had made a bad decision by not bringing warmer clothes and today I suffer from not bringing any summer clothes. I was greeted by the smiley faces of Konstantinos and Adi who were kind enough to wait for my arrival in the synagogue. In the beginning, I had difficulty adapting to the new environment and learning what exactly I was going to do in Etz Hayyim for the next 5 months. I received a lot of guidance and help, both for work but also day-to-day life, not only from my boss Adi but also from my co-workers and all the volunteers, which I am very grateful for. I participated in a lot of events, holidays, celebrations that otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to experience if I stayed back home. Work wise this internship has taught me a lot. From doing market research, looking for potential donors, communication partners, doing automatization to managing social media, finding potential interns, interviewing and helping other with their projects. It has given me theopportunity to work in different fields that I probably wouldn’t have tried to venture into on my own accord. I appreciated Adi’s mentorship and the flexibility of the work itself, where I was able to express my ideas, try to realise them and talk to her to see what we can do based on the results. Now as I am about to leave, I have to say that I did not expect this internship to change me this much. Both working and living here in Chania and Etz Hayyim have taught me a great deal of lessons about life. From the bottom of my heart, I thank the Etz Hayyim synagogue for accepting me as their intern and helping me become a better person.

What does it mean to believe after catastrophe? How can Judaism speak to the modern world without forgetting its past? In our corner, Book of the Week, we’ve chosen "The Reader" by Ignaz Maybaum a collection that brings together the voice of a remarkable Jewish theologian who lived through the rupture of the 20th century. A refugee, rabbi, and thinker, Maybaum wrestled with the enormity of the Holocaust and its implications for faith, identity, and interreligious dialogue. From prophetic theology to postwar Jewish life, his work invites us to reflect deeply and uncomfortably on how tradition can respond to trauma and what it means to hold onto hope after despair. Our library holds powerful books like this one voices that challenge, illuminate, and connect. But the space that houses them is at risk. We're working to preserve our library, archives, and research center so that these stories can continue to inspire future generations. 🔗 Support our campaign: https://lnkd.in/e562-EHz

This summer, we’re lucky to have a new intern Jack Burgess (https://burgess.ie) join our team, a library and archives enthusiast from Dublin, Ireland, finishing his Master’s in Library and Information Studies at University College Dublin. With a background in journalism and teaching, keen interest in digital preservation and inspired by Mundaneum, KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) National Library of Ireland, he came to Chania to help us create something that’s been in the making for a long time: a new digital catalogue for our collections, and an online exhibition that opens up access to stories and materials never before available to the public. Our library and archive hold a remarkably eclectic mix of Jewish texts, rare publications, personal collections, and historical documents. Now, thanks to his help, we’re building a structure that will let others explore them easily, whether they’re sitting in our reading room or logging in from halfway across the world. It’s been exciting to see how quickly he’s connected to the place and the people here, jumping into the details of cataloguing while also thinking ahead to how users will one day discover and interact with the collection. Before the summer is out, we’ll be launching our new online exhibition including newly digitised items from our archives and the collection of Dr. Nikos Stavroulakis. We’re grateful for his work and insight and we’re proud to keep offering a space where history, memory, and learning come together in unexpected ways. #LibraryStudies #InternshipExperience #JewishHeritage #DigitalHumanities #ArchivesMatter #JewishStudies #MuseumInternship #CulturalPreservation Photo: © UTOPIX – Geoffrey Fritsch

EN We’re thrilled to highlight that our colleague Adì Levant represented Etz Hayyim Synagogue at Culture Action Europe flagship annual conference, “BEYOND 2025: Being Many”, which took place in Turin from June 4 to 7, 2025 . As a member organisation of CAE since 2023, Etz Hayyim has been deeply involved in collaborative cultural heritage initiatives—including the Heritage Contact Zone (2018–2020) and the ongoing Training for the Contact Zone project. Our participation aligns with our mission to foster inclusive and participatory heritage practices. A big thank you to the CAE network for fostering rich dialogue and connection. It was an honor to join such inspiring conversations in Torino. GR Είμαστε ενθουσιασμένοι για το ότι η συνάδελφός μας Adì Levant εκπροσώπησε τη Συναγωγή Ετς Χαγίμ στο εμβληματικό ετήσιο συνέδριο της Culture Action Europe, "BEYOND 2025: Being Many", το οποίο πραγματοποιήθηκε στο Τορίνο από τις 4 έως τις 7 Ιουνίου 2025 . Ως οργάνωση-μέλος της CAE από το 2023, η Ετς Χαγίμ έχει εμπλακεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό σε συνεργατικές πρωτοβουλίες για την πολιτιστική κληρονομιά -συμπεριλαμβανομένης της Heritage Contact Zone(2018-2020) και του ongoing Training for the Contact Zone. Η συμμετοχή μας ευθυγραμμίζεται με την αποστολή μας να προωθήσουμε πρακτικές πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς χωρίς αποκλεισμούς και με συμμετοχή. Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στο δίκτυο CAE για την προώθηση του πλούσιου διαλόγου και της σύνδεσης. Ήταν τιμή μας να συμμετέχουμε σε τόσο εμπνευσμένες συζητήσεις

Last week we have conducted an interview with Professor Joshua Unikel (University of Houston) who shared how the Etz Hayyim Synagogue Library became the foundation of his research on the Cretan Jewish community and the tragedy of the Tanais.