With yet another round of surprise elections called for in Greece on Sept. 19—the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—one can imagine that the Greek-Jewish community will be praying with extra intensity for a sweet new year.
They’ll also be lending a hand to those hardest hit by the country’s crippled economy.
“We generally distribute food packages a few times a year,” says Rabbi Mendel Hendel, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Athens with his wife, Nechama, “and we’re certainly going to be giving out more than usual before this Rosh Hashanah.”
The rabbi says that the list of recipients is compiled on an informal basis through discreet inquiries made in the tight-knit community of more than 1,000 households. “We know the people, and people know they can confide in us when families or individuals are struggling,” says the rabbi who has called the Mediterranean nation home since 2001. “Normally, our volunteers distribute 75 or 80 packages; this time it will be more than that.”
The increased need will be all but invisible at Chabad’s communal holiday meals, where those who have paid for their meals sit side by side with those who’ve not been able to. “Every Jew deserves a seat at the Rosh Hashanah table,” the rabbi says, “and the Greek Jewish community is doing an exemplary job at making sure that no one is left out.”
“At the end of the day, we are one big community, an extended family,” he reflects, “and we are in this together. Greek Jews have faced greater challenges in the past and prevailed.
“In this sense, the Rosh Hashanah service and rituals provide a very strong measure of comfort. Our fate this coming year will be determined not by the Greek electorate, not by E.U. negotiators, nor by the whims of tourists deciding where to vacation. We are in the hands of G‑d, and we take deep security in that knowledge.”
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