After more than four decades of Pesach travel, I can say the most memorable event occurred during a trip to Greece in 2015. We took the opportunity to travel on each day of Chol Hamoed and we found ourselves on the island of Zakynthos, at the Jewish cemetery. It was built on multiple levels in mountainous terrain; we saw graves dating back to 1671 and a memorial to Holocaust victims. As we moved through the cemetery, the men on the bus began a spontaneous Mincha service and said Kaddish. With no Jewish community on the island since the late 1950s, the men saying Kaddish brought tears to my eyes.
Tours to various locations solely for our group were arranged through the Pesach tour operator. The cemetery was not even on our tour itinerary, but the bus driver saw our kippot and stopped at the side of the road and thought we would want to visit.
The history of the island’s Jewish community is quite extraordinary. In 1522 there were 30 Jewish families. The Jewish population peaked at about 1,000 people in 1686 and they maintained positive relationships with their non-Jewish neighbors. Most of the Jewish community died in an epidemic in 1728, and in earthquakes of 1893 and 1912. The Jewish population in 1940 was 275 (of a total population of over 41,000), but maintained full citizenship. Thanks to the island’s mayor, Lucas Karrer, and Archbishop Demetriou Chrysostomos, they were the only community of Nazi-occupied Greece to survive destruction.
The German commander demanded a list of the Jews living on the island so they could be deported to concentration camps. The mayor and the Archbishop unsuccessfully tried negotiating with the Nazis and explained that the Jews were Greek citizens like the rest of the island residents and had done no harm. Asking for a few days to prepare the list, the mayor and Archbishop used the time to tell the Jews to leave their homes and go into hiding in the mountains, promising that they will be provided with food. A new marketplace was built at the top of the mountain and food would just happen to “fall off” the carts of the locals who traded there so the Jews would have food. The Jews who followed the instructions and stayed in hiding survived the war. The list of Jews the Nazis wanted? They were given a list with two names on it—the mayor and Archbishop!
We had started the day touring a castle built by the Crusaders and reached the island on a ferry that was as large as some cruise ships. The island tour had some particularly scenic sites. But the cemetery was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.
We also toured Olympia, home of the ancient Olympic Games, and former site of the massive statue of Zeus (which had been ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the World). Every four years 50,000 Greeks would gather to watch the Olympic sporting competition. We were surprised to see how small the grounds were as we were told they were the size of a football field. Our American brains eventually caught on to the fact that it was actually the size of a soccer field, which is called a football field in Europe. We walked through the ruins of ancient Olympia, set in a hilly landscape at the foot of Kronion Hill. Excavations of the area, begun in 1875 and still in progress, have brought to light an imposing complex of monuments including the original gymnasium and stadium. We visited the archaeological museum and displays of the famous statue Hermes of Praxiteles, learned about the original Olympic sports and the rules of play, and other discoveries of life as it was in 775 BCE. The indoor museum was quite interesting, but we found ourselves drawn back outdoors to climb the rocks and see the excavations firsthand.
Interestingly, our trip was planned by a group from Bnei Brak in Israel. As an American Modern Orthodox family, we stood out from the majority of the well over 1,100 Chasidic guests, who primarily spoke Yiddish or
Hebrew. There were some advantages to being unique—when my children asked how they could find their father in shul, I told them to look for the one man who wasn’t wearing black pants! His light blue shirt and khaki pants stood out, and it was amazing how quickly he was found.
Our hotel was on the water on the southernmost side of the country in the Peloponnese region and afforded lovely views. The downside was that most of the trips required long bus rides to the mainland of Greece over the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge. The small towns were picturesque, and our guides were helpful in sharing where to find the best buys for different types of Greek souvenirs and handicrafts.
If you are planning a trip to Greece, be sure to check what the weather is expected to be at the time of your trip. April (Pesach time) was a bit cooler than we had expected, but we were not disappointed since we had planned to spend more time touring and less time by the pool or beach and had brought jackets and sweaters that could be layered.
Greece truly has so much to see and something of interest at every turn. The abundance of historic sites, gorgeous sunsets and natural vistas will make your trip a memorable delight.
