The second and most recent attack against the shul in the Greek island of Crete resulted in significant damage, estimated in the tens of thousands of euro. Foreign Ministry officials in Israel met with the Greek ambassador to Israel, seeking Greek government monetary assistance to refurbish the shul.

The Eitz Chaim Shul sustained significant damage, including the wood ceiling, as well as archives and computer files. Between this latest fire and the earlier one, also in January 2010, close to 3,000 seforim were destroyed as well.

YWN-Israel reported on motzei shabbos January 16th that it was the second attack against a shul in Greece.

The Deputy Director of the Western Europe Desk, Na’or Gilon met with Greek Ambassador to Israel Nikolas Zafiropoulos, asking that the Greek government undertake the cost of repairing the shul, which sustained serious damage in the arson attack. Gilon also called on the ambassador to pass the request along in a “friendly fashion” that government officials track down and punish those responsible for the attack.

Ambassador Zafiropoulos condemned the hate crime, and stated his government would do everything possible to bring the responsible parties to justice.

The shul was refurbished in the 1990s. Today, there are an estimated 4,500 Jews living in Greece.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)