Reflecting on my recent journey to the Balkans and Greece with the Sephardic Young Professionals Network, I am filled with a profound sense of connection and gratitude. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit many historically Jewish towns, which included three towns where my great-ancestors lived for hundreds of years. Among these, the town of Veria in Greece left an indelible mark on my heart.
Veria's untouched charm and natural beauty were breathtaking. The town is graced with a clean, majestic river and springs that flow through it, believed to be blessed with fruitfulness and fertility. As I walked through the town, its roads lined with all original pavers and cobblestones, I felt an overwhelming connection to my ancestors, especially when I visited the original synagogue of Veria where my family once congregated and served as rabbis.
The synagogue, fully intact and well-preserved, stood atop a hill with views overlooking a beautiful tree-topped horizon. Giant figs hung from the surrounding trees perfectly ripe for eating. Seeing my family's name, Mordechai, inscribed in stone beside the Torah ark was a deeply moving experience. Although the synagogue is no longer active, as the Jewish population was tragically annihilated during the Holocaust, it is lovingly maintained by a non-Jewish property manager named Evi.
Evi's dedication to the synagogue is nothing short of remarkable. Despite not being Jewish, she spoke to us with tears in her eyes about her role in overseeing the inactive synagogue. She shared how meeting groups like ours, who come from afar to learn about their ancestors, has profoundly connected her to our story and the Jewish people as a whole. Evi feels honored to pass down the stories of the synagogue and the former community to living descendants, helping visitors connect with their relatives who have also visited Veria over the years.
Some members of our tour group may have initially found it odd that a non-Jewish person would be so emotionally invested in our story. However, I understood her emotions wholeheartedly. As a real estate asset manager with a special interest in properties with historical or cultural significance, I could relate to Evi's sense of purpose as a steward of time and place. Buildings often outlive generations of humans, and those with significant legacies and experiences become rich with stories and palpable energy. In my ten years managing real estate, I’ve seldom met others who openly admit to feeling a spiritual connection to physical built spaces. I believe for those of us who do, like Evi and myself, the responsibility to manage such an important place means to be its spokesperson; to deeply understand its history and to ensure its story is shared and its meaning adopted by future generations.
To be part of history in any way is a great honor, and there may be no greater version of this honor than being an unaffiliated “outsider” entrusted with preserving the holy, both physically and culturally. I am deeply thankful to Evi for her part in bridging the gap between centuries of ancestors, for keeping alive our stories and heritage by holding sacred, our sacred place.
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