Greece’s Jewish Community Asks for Help
from The Jerusalem Post:
Fearing bankruptcy, Greek Jews ask brethren abroad for help
The Jewish community of Greece might be unable to pay its bills by 2013 unless it receives aid from Jewish organizations abroad, local leaders have told The Jerusalem Post over the past few weeks.
Benjamin Albelas, the president of the Jewish community of Athens, said his organization has been hard hit by the deep recession afflicting the European nation and won’t be able to meet its financial commitments a year and a half from now in the current conditions.
“The financial situation, which as we know is very bad, has affected the Jewish community very much and the situation of the Athenian Jewish community in Athens – the largest in the country – is dire,” said Albelas, whose organization runs a synagogue, a school and a museum that serve the city’s 3,000 Jews.
… Since the recession began last year, revenues from Jewish assets and donations have dropped precipitously making it increasingly difficult for communities around the country to pay for services rendered to its 6,000 members.