Photo Exhibition by Vincent Giordano Romaniote Memories, a Jewish Journey from Ioannina to Manhattan

This Fall, the Consulate General of Greece in New York gave its own version of a “Greece Unknown” series. On September 19, the Consulate General of Greece in New York opened a photo exhibit by photographer and filmmaker Vincent Giordano, illustrating the culture of Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews from the historic city of Ioannina in Greece to Manhattan, New York City.

It is a religious and cultural journey filled with touching personal stories, impressive historical facts, and unique cultural traits. The collection of photographs is part of a multi-media archive, created by the late Vincent Giordano, first sponsored by the International Survey of Jewish Monuments.

It all started in 1999 when Giordano made an unplanned visit to the small Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ) synagogue on New York’s Lower East Side.  He knew little about Judaism or synagogues and even less about the Romaniote Jewish tradition of which, KKJ, built in 1927, is the lone North American representative.

Twenty years later, the work of Giordano found a new home at the Hellenic American Project (Sociology Department at Queens College), under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Alexiou. The Project “Before the Flame Goes Out” is an exquisite tribute to the history of Romaniote Jews, among the least known of Jewish communities, yet the oldest in Europe, whose Greek identity is still evident.

To delve further into the history and culture of this unique community, the Consulate General of Greece in New York will host a special lecture on Romaniote Jews on September 26.

The photographic memorial will travel to other cities in the United States later this year. As Ms. Giordano said, “Vincent was guided by the words of William Jones who once said: The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it”.

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