The chief rabbi of Greece, Rabbi Gabriel Negrin visited Frisch to address the students. A native Athenian, Rabbi Negrin spoke to the students about the history of the Jewish community of Greece from ancient times, when Greece was under the rule of Alexander the Great and the Ottomans, through the Holocaust, which decimated much of the country’s Jewish community, and the community as it is today. Rabbi Negrin became the chief rabbi of Greece’s Jewish community in 2014, and represents the community formally to the government and at various global Jewish events.

Rabbi Negrin—who is only 26 years old!—told students about the different types of Jews that comprise the Greek Jewish community and their unique traditions. He then took questions from students.

Levi Globus ‘17 said, “It was interesting to see the perspective of another Jewish community that’s so ancient and to learn how spread out Greece’s Jewish community is and allows for smaller offshoots.”

“I thought it was amazing to learn about a community so different from the one in which I live, especially a community that has so much rich history,” said Stephanie Stifelman ‘17. “We learn about Greece in history class, and it was inspiring to learn that Jews have always lived there and still live there today.”