One of the last interviews given Moses Elisaf was in Leon Saltiel for K. Review last August. Recall that the mayor of Ioannina passed away yesterday Friday at the age of 68.

The municipality of Ioanniton announced that the mayor had encountered “an unforeseen health problem during a planned trip” and was in an Athens hospital.

“With my election as mayor of Ioannina in June 2019, my fellow citizens overcame traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes and intolerance and judged mayoral candidates by objective criteria, without taking into account religious, racial, political or other beliefs. And it is precisely this choice of my fellow citizens to elect me as the first citizen of the Municipality that is for me the highest honor and at the same time a challenge to the responsibility to fulfill my duties and live up to their expectations.

I do not feel the difference in how the vast majority of my fellow citizens treat me, because there are always angry, fanatical nostalgic for hatred and intolerance, who are a tiny minority and are completely isolated from my fellow citizens.

– I have the honor to be the president of a small but historical Romaniotics, that is, the Greek-speaking Jewish community of my city. And this ability of mine is another challenge, as I am called upon to contribute to the preservation of the unique rich Romanian tradition and its monuments, such as the imposing Jewish synagogue and the long-suffering Jewish cemetery. Therefore, I am obliged to live and walk, making every possible effort to serve without hesitation the city that brought me up and glorified me, and at the same time my Jewish identity, which shaped me as a citizen who must serve his neighbor selflessly and unconditionally. Love .

During my many years of professional career as a doctor and university teacher, I have always been an active citizen, actively participating in the political, social and cultural events of the city. He was repeatedly a member of the Municipal Council, chairman of the Spiritual Center of the municipality (2011-2014), where, as it seems to me, he left a noticeable mark on the cultural life of the city and vice-president of the Ioannina Group of Political and Social Problems, an active group of active citizens, which in difficult times was a step of lively dialogue in the city away from petty political conjunctures, ideologies and exceptions. Participation in city events is also the responsibility of citizens to contribute their own contributions and their capabilities to the common good, but it is also obviously a challenge to be responsible and accountable for their speech and work in any way.

Indeed, Ioannina was for centuries the capital of Romaniote (Greek-speaking) Jewry, which shone like Jerusalem on Pamvotida, according to the popular description of Savva Michael. A unique community with distinct and very different customs and traditions related to synagogue architecture, synagogue rites, eating habits, greater use of local flourishing silversmithing and sacred utensils (unique in the world of characteristic memories) [σανταγιώθ] with special holidays eg. they came, with unique folk songs, unique melodies that we’re trying to keep.

The Janina community lost 92% of its members during the German occupation (one of the highest rates in Europe). Today it is a small community of 40 people fighting against time for their survival. As already mentioned, the preservation of the memory and traditions of this community is a great need for all of us, as well as our constant efforts to make the urban society an asset to its rich cultural traditions and the decisive role of the Jewish presence through the centuries in the political, social, economic and cultural life of the city. We are glad that the legacy of the Holocaust is now becoming the legacy of the city’s residents, and especially of the new generation.

“Obviously I feel embarrassed. It is a fact that traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes are assimilated very easily and effortlessly, which, unfortunately, still resonate with many of our compatriots. It is a fact that stereotyped conspiracy anti-Semitism is widespread in our country, but it did not exist, and I am convinced that it will never become violent, since such sentiments do not correspond to the history and traditions of our country and are condemned by the official Orthodox Church.

– My election has convincingly proved that all citizens can apply for election to any position, regardless of religious or other beliefs. I take courage from your question to encourage our young fellow believers in Europe to participate in the political, social and cultural events of their country, to be active citizens, to try to convey the unique cultural characteristics of Jewish culture to societies that live without any mood of uniqueness and exclusion. Jewish communities must have open horizons and be in meaningful interaction with multiple European identities.