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THE FOUNDING OF A JEWISH COMMUNITY IN CYPRUS

A historic milestone in the history of Cyprus will be marked this week with the dedication of the Cyprus Jewish Community Center-Chabad in Larnaca. It is the only synagogue in the country.
The ceremony will also include the festive introduction of a Torah Scroll (donated by the Yehudiel family of Ashdod), the laying of the cornerstone for a mikveh (ritual bath), and the naming of the community's rabbi. The new synagogue and Jewish Center was built with the help of the Rohr family of Miami and New York.

Rabbi Arie Ze'ev Raskin, a Chabad emissary who has been in Cyprus for two years, will be named rabbi of the Cyprus Jewish community. Formerly of Kiryat Malachi, he, his Jerusalem-born wife Shaindel and their four small children are the only observant Jewish family in Cyprus. "But the people here are very interested in keeping up their connections with the Jewish People and the Jewish Land," Rabbi Raskin told Arutz-7 today, "and they are excited about the opening of the Center."

Rabbi Raskin explained that the history of Jews in Cyprus is practically non-existent. In 1571, the conquering Turks tried to bring Jews from Greece and the Holy Land, mainly Tzfat, to Cyprus, but the Jews returned home at their first opportunity. The next Jews to arrive were those who were prevented entry to the Land of Israel by the British following World War II. Some 52,000 of them were diverted to Cyprus for various durations; 2,000 babies were born in Cyprus as they waited to enter Israel.

"We're now creating a brand-new life for Jews here," Rabbi Raskin said, after months of efforts both in education and in obtaining government approval for the new center. "There are currently some 300 families here - many from Israel, and others from Russia, England and even Lebanon."

Among the Jewish activities provided by the fledgling community are Sunday school classes and a small nursery school, staffed by two Chabad young women from Israel on a form of "national service."

The Sunday school began with three children, Rabbi Raskin said, "then it went up to 10, then up to 18, then down to 5, and now we're back up to 20. With all the ups and downs, we can't become discouraged; it's a long process, but the tried-and-true methods of bringing Torah life to Jews will prove themselves. For very long, we only had nine Jews for Sabbath services, making for a very frustrating experience in missing only one for the necessary quorum. Now, thank G-d, we have a quorum every Sabbath."

Guests at the festive dedication ceremony will include Israel's Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Mayor of Larnaca, ambassadors, and Jewish communal leaders from Israel and other countries. The ceremony will be sponsored by the European Rabbis Center, which provides aid to Jewish communities in Europe.