ATHEN, Greece — As riots in Greece’s two largest cities extended into their third day with some of the worst violence seen yet, the Jewish community of Athens is safe, but apprehensive. The Chabad-Lubavitch center that Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Hendel have operated since 2001 is operating as usual, with the couple regularly checking up on residents by telephone.
Speaking Monday night as anarchist youths took their spree of arson and vandalism closer to the capital’s Parliament, the rabbi said that the previous two hours had seen a drastic intensification in the protesters’ actions.
Strengthening Riots in Greece Keep Jewish Residents on Edge
ATHEN, Greece — As riots in Greece’s two largest cities extended into their third day with some of the worst violence seen yet, the Jewish community of Athens is safe, but apprehensive. The Chabad-Lubavitch center that Rabbi Mendel and Nechama Hendel have operated since 2001 is operating as usual, with the couple regularly checking up on residents by telephone.
Speaking Monday night as anarchist youths took their spree of arson and vandalism closer to the capital’s Parliament, the rabbi said that the previous two hours had seen a drastic intensification in the protesters’ actions.
“It’s gotten really crazy here,” an exasperated Hendel said. “It’s evening here, and it’s been getting worse at night. I’m certainly not going out.
“Thank G-d the Jewish community is okay,” he added. “So far, the rioters have not been targeting people, but I don’t know how Jewish businesses have fared.”
The worst public uprising to strike Greece since then-President Bill Clinton’s visit in 1999, the violence began Saturday night as an apparent response to the killing of a 15-year-old boy by Athens police officers. The Associated Press reported that the last time a teenager was killed in a police shooting – during a demonstration in 1985 – it sparked weeks of frequent rioting.
