The Bar Mitzvah religious coming-of-age ceremony of Itamar Emanuel, at the Veria Synagogue, on 6.3.2025, revived Jewish memories in the traditional Jewish neighborhood of Barbuta and completed the cycle of a historic Jewish family.
His grandfather, Reuven Emanuel, was born in Veria in 1945, into a Jewish community decimated by the Holocaust, and the family later settled in Israel. His own grandfather, Reuven - after whom he was named - was murdered in Auschwitz along with his wife Leah and other members of the Emanuel family. He was an administrative member of the Jewish Community and a religious minister in the Synagogue. The Emanuel family home is still located across from the Synagogue.
Reuven Emanuel often travels from Israel to Veria, maintaining ties with his birthplace. His dream was to stand in front of the Echal of the Veria Synagogue with the thought of his namesake grandfather, who perished in the Holocaust, and at his side with his grandson Itamar, a symbol of the continuity of life.
His dream came true on 6.3.2025, when - thanks to Akis Robisa, Acting Secretary General of KISE and member of the Veria Management Committee, who was in charge of organizing Itamar's Bar Mitzvah at the Veria Synagogue, and Rabbi Dayan of Thessaloniki - Reuven stood in front of the Echal of the Veria Synagogue, along with the entire family that came with him from Israel, to celebrate Itamar's Bar Mitzvah, honoring his religious tradition and roots. With them were members of the Thessaloniki Jewish Community who welcomed them with burekitas and pastelikos. MAZAL TOV!