How About A Bar/Bat Mitzvah on the Island of Rhodes?

The invitation reads: “Please join us as our son Aaron celebrates his Bar Mitzvah on the Greek Island of Rhodes.”

Wait – What? The Jewish community in Rhodes dates back over 1,800 years so it seems a perfectly fitting place to hold the ancient ceremony when a youngster reaches age 13.

“Rhodes is an idyllic, historic island in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey where your family will create memorable moments and memories,” says Ellen Paderson, who founded Smiles and Miles Travel 25 years ago in Easton, Mass. (http://www.smilesandmilestravel.com/). With her offshoot subsidiary, Bar Mitzvah Vacations (https://barmitzvahvacations.com/), she has planned over 200 destination bar/bat mitzvahs to St. Thomas, Costa Rica, Mexico and Caribbean islands, Italy, Israel and more.

Award-winning travel pro Paderson coordinates travel, lodging and tours, working with Italian-American Rabbi Barbara Aiello who handles the religious, ceremonial and historical aspects. She has been arranging bar/bat mitzvahs in Italy, Israel and the U.S. for 14 years. In 2018, the Rabbi’s Rhodes bar/bat mitzvah availability is from August 14 – 26. The ceremony can be shared with siblings, family members or friends in a group of up to four. The event can be combined with a Greek island vacation or any other destination.

In preparation for the bar/bat mitzvah, Rabbi Barbara communicates with the local tutor so Hebrew reading is adapted to the students’ needs and abilities. Every student, regardless of learning style, difference or disability, can succeed. She emphasizes that interfaith and non-traditional families are welcome to participate. ”This is a wonderful way to introduce Jewish tradition to our children, bringing Judaism to life in a loving and meaningful way,” she says.

Rabbi Aiello heads Ner Tamid del Sud, the first active synagogue in Calabria in over 500 years, where her grandfather and father were actively involved in its renovation and rebirth. She also officiates at cruise ship weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. If they wish, the Rabbi helps the bar/bat mitzvah youngster to select a ‘Tikkun Olam’ project in keeping with the Jewish tenet to ‘repair the world’ -- to make it a better place. She encourages the child to select the name of a Greek child who, as a Holocaust victim, did not become bar or bat mitzvah.

Rhodes’ Jewish community dates back to the second century, B.C. Most of Rhodes’ Jews fled Spain around 1500 to escape the Spanish Inquisition. They lived peacefully until 1944 when all 1,800 of the island’s Jews were deported by the Nazis. All but 150 were killed. Today there are about 40 Jews in Rhodes who pray at the Synagogue of the Community. A Monument of the Victims of the Holocaust stands in the Jewish Martyrs square where the Jewish quarter used to be. The Jewish cemetery is still preserved. Kahal Shalom Synagogue was built in 1577 and is the oldest synagogue in Greece.

Rhodes, 226 miles southeast of Greece and 11 miles from the southern shore of Turkey, was famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today, as a World Heritage Site, it Is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

Early in her travel industry career, Paderson sensed a growing trend among Jewish and interfaith families who were celebrating bar and bat mitzvahs in a new way. Leaving behind the extravagant, stressful big event, families were opting for a more intimate family experience. In addition, families with children who have learning disabilities can have a very meaningful event without all the stress. She says both destination and cruise events average 30 – 50 guests, and closer trips average 4 to 7 days. More distant trips need about 12 days. She says, “The expense depends on the types of accommodations and what destination you choose. Usually guests pay their own way, though I’ve had hosts who could afford to pay for everyone.”

Paderson has been recognized as one of the top home-based travel agents in the U. S.,. She usually recommends countries, islands, resorts, hotels, and cruise ships that she has personally visited and vetted. She has been honored by Travel Impressions as “Best of the Best,” and earned the Travel Institute’s “Destination Specialist” designation for numerous destinations and cruise lines. She has been featured in a range of media, including MSNBC Online and in USA Today’s Travel section.

For more information, visit www.barmitzvahvacations or go to https://barmitzvahvacations.com/greece-bar-bat-mitzvah/ or contact Ellen Paderson at 508-238-4088 / ellen@barmitzvahvacations.com . For more about Rabbi Aiello, visit https://rabbibarbara.com/greece-bar-bat-mitzvah/. Her email is rabbi@rabbibarbara.com .

- By Stanley Hurwitz / 508-269-0570 / stanhurwitz@gmail.com

ATTENTION, Editor: For electronic images, interviews, contact Ellen Paderson directly, or Stan Hurwitz / 508-269-0570 / stanhurwitz@gmail.com