A Rabbi and a Klezmer Band Go On A Balkan Journey

History is being written in the Balkan countries. Rabbi Yoel Kaplan, Shliach to Salonika Greece, who also serves as the chief Rabbi of Albania, has been traveling through the Balkans to enliven the Jewish spirit in the communities where the is no organized kehila.

With a plan in mind Rabbi Kaplan set off on the multi-country journey, in which he brought the simcha of Purim and to bring in the spirit of Pesach. The journey is being accompanied by a trio of Klezmer including Musa Berlin, Dovid Wienkrantz, and Girsha Gorevitch.

The journey began in the capitol of Bulgarian, Sofia, there they were greeted by Shliach Rabbi Yosef Solomon. There at the Rohr Chabad Center they played at the Ohr Avner playgroup, and made the many children happy.

From there they continued to Salonika, Greece. The excitement that prevailed in the nursing home cannot be described. The sweeping joy continued to the Jewish school there the children as well as the staff were overwhelmed with the Simcha.

The journey continued to Skopje, Mkodonia there they visited the Shul and the community center where they inspired the local Jews. The visit there concluded with a stop at the Holocaust center that was dedicated last month in the city. The presence of the Klezmer and the Rabbis singing caused a major Kiddush Hashem.

They continued to the city of Pristina in Kosovo, where the few Jews there have no connection to yiddishkeit. This visit strengthens their bond and connection to the sources, and in each of these places Rabbi Kaplan distributed Matzos and Wine for Pescah.

The journey is set to continue to Albania, and will conclude where it began – in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The journey was done Lezchus the Rohr Family, who supports Rabbi Kaplans activities all year long, and was executed with the help of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky.