Obj. ID: 10862
  Sacred and Ritual  Dedicatory plaque, Trikkala, 1900-1925?

1. This Shadai'a is an interesting example of a mixed custom combining a Romaniot rite of donating a dedication plaque with a Judeo-Spanish language, indicating a Sephardi donor (cf. Amar, Thessaly, pp. 7-8).  
2. According to historical documents, three different synagogues were active in Trikala since the arrival of the Sephardi and Sicilian Jews, during the 16th century: the Greek Holy Congregation, named Greca, the Spanish Holy Congregation, and the Sicilian Holy Congregation Sikiliani (Bornstein-Makovetsky, Trikala, p. 126). A large fire in 1749 burned down two of the synagogues, and the only one surviving was the Greca synagogue.

There is no mention of the two other synagogues after the fire. However, dedicatory inscriptions appearing on some of the objects documented by CJA in spring 2003 reveal that there were two synagogues, probably within the same compound: the Great Holy Congregation and the Small Holy Congregation. It is possible that within the compound of the Greca Synagogue stood an additional building that functioned as a prayer hall for daily prayers, while the large synagogue was used on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This may reflect a similar tradition and concept as found in Ioannina. There, the synagogues comprised compounds of buildings used in the same way: a large prayer hall and a small one called Minian (cf. Amar, Thessaly, pp. 3-7).