NationMaster - Encyclopedia: History of the Jews in Greece

There have been organized Jewish communities in Greece for more than two thousand years. The oldest and the most characteristic Jewish group that has inhabited Greece are the Romaniotes, also known as "Greek Jews". However, the term "Greek Jew" is predominantly used for any person of Jewish faith that lives in or originates from, or has lived in and originated from the modern region of Greece. For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The Romaniotes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of todays Greece for more than 2000 years. ...

Aside from the Romaniotes, Greece is the home of a historical centre of Sephardic life; the city of Thessaloniki, called the "Mother of Israel" by Samuel Usque.^[1] Greek Jews played an important role in the early development of Christianity, and became a source of education and commerce for the Byzantine Empire and throughout the period of Ottoman Greece, until suffering devastation in the Holocaust after Greece was conquered and occupied by the Axis powers in spite of efforts by Greeks to protect them. Greek Jews today largely "live side by side in harmony" with Christian Greeks, according to Giorgo Romaio, president of the Greek Committee for the Jewish Museum of Greece^[2], while nevertheless continuing to work with other Greeks, and Jews worldwide, to combat any rise of anti-Semitism in Greece. In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... Coordinates 40Â°38â€² N 22Â°57â€² E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 607,987 source (2006) Metropolitan area population 2,395,220 Area 17. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th century until its declaration of independence in 1821. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

Jewish cultures in Greece

Most Jews in Greece are Sephardim, but Greece is also the home of the unique Romaniote culture. Besides the Sephardim and the Romaniotes, small Ashkenazim communities have existed as well, in Thessaloniki and elsewhere. Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי, Standard Hebrew Aškanazi, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzî) Jews or Ashkenazic Jews, also called Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי&#1501...

Romaniotes

The Romaniotes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece for more than 2000 years. Their historic language was Yevanic, a dialect of the Greek language. Yevanic has no surviving speakers; today's Greek Romaniotes speak Greek. Large communities were located in Ioannina, Thebes, Chalkis, Corfu, Arta, Corinth and on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, and Cyprus, among others. The Romaniotes are historically distinct from the Sephardim, some of whom settled in Greece after the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain. All but a small number of the Romaniotes of Ioannina, the largest remaining Romaniote community not assimilated into Sephardic culture, were killed in the Holocaust. Ioannina today has thirty five living Ramoniotes^[3]. The Romaniotes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of todays Greece for more than 2000 years. ... Yevanic, otherwise known as Yevanika, Romaniote and Judeo-Greek, was the language of the Romaniotes, the group of Greek Jews whose existence in Greece is documented since the 4th century BCE. Its linguistic lineage stems from Attic Greek and the Hellenistic Koine (Κοινή Ελ&#955... Greek (, IPA: â€” Hellenic) has a documented history of 3,500 years, the longest of any single language within the Indo-European family. ... Ioannina (Greek: Î™Ï‰Î¬Î½Î½Î¹Î½Î±, often Î“Î¹Î¬Î½Î½ÎµÎ½Î± /yanena/ or Î“Î¹Î¬Î½Î½Î¹Î½Î± /yanina/; anglicized to Yanina, see also: other names of Ioannina) is a city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a metropolitan population of approximately 100,000. ... Two important places in antiquity were called Thebes: Thebes, Greece â€“ Thebes of the Seven Gates; one-time capital of Boeotia. ... Chalcis or Chalkida, Halkida, Halkis or Chalkis (Greek, Modern: Χαλκίδα, Ancient/Katharevousa: _is), the chief town of the island of Euboea in Greece, situated on the strait of the Euripus at its narrowest point. ... This article is about the Greek island Kerkyra known in English as Corfu. ... Arta may refer to: Djibouti Arta District Arta, Djibouti Greece Arta Prefecture Arta, Greece Italy Piano dArta Ancient People Arta Kamuia or Arta Kamuio This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Greek: ÎšÏŒÏÎ¹Î½Î¸Î¿Ï‚, KÃ³rinthos; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... Lesbos may refer to: Lesbos Island, a large Greek island in the Aegean Sea Lesbos Prefecture, the Greek prefecture that contains the island Slang word for Lesbians. ... Chios (Greek: , alternative transliterations Khios and Hios, see also List of traditional Greek place names; Ottoman Turkish: ØµØ§Ù‚ÙŠØ² SakÄ±z; Genoese: Scio) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea five miles off the Turkish coasts. ... Samos (Greek Î£Î¬Î¼Î¿Ï‚; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island in southeastern Greece in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. ... Location map of Rhodes Rhodes (Greek: Î¡ÏŒÎ´Î¿Ï‚ (pron. ...

Sephardim in Greece

The majority of the Jews in Greece are Sephardim whose ancestors had left Spain after the 1492 expulsion. Most of them settled in Thessaloniki, the city which was to be named "Mother of Israel" in the years to come. The traditional language of Greek Sephardim was Ladino, and, until the Holocaust, "was a unique blend of Ottoman, Balkan and Hispanic influences",^[4] well known for its level of education. The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture calls Thessaloniki's Sephardic community "indisputably one of the most important ones in the world"^[1] In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule, before the Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492. ... Coordinates 40Â°38â€² N 22Â°57â€² E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 607,987 source (2006) Metropolitan area population 2,395,220 Area 17. ... This article deals with the Judaeo-Spanish language. ...

History of Judaism in Greece

The first recorded mention of Judaism in Greece dates from 300-250 Before Common Era (BCE) on the island of Rhodes. In the 2nd century BCE, Hyrcanus, a leader in the Jewish community of Athens, was honoured by the raising of a statue in the agora.^[5] The Common Era (CE), sometimes known as the Current Era or as the Christian Era, is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 on the Gregorian calendar. ... Location map of Rhodes Rhodes (Greek: Î¡ÏŒÎ´Î¿Ï‚ (pron. ... John Hyrcanus (Yohanan Girhan) (reigned 134 BC - 104 BC, died 104 BC) was a Hasmonean (Maccabeean) leader of the 2nd century BC. Apparently the name Hyrcanus was taken by him as a reignal name upon his accession to power. ... Nickname: City of Athena or Cradle of Democracy Location of the city of Athens (red dot) within the Prefecture of Athens and Periphery of Attica Coordinates: Country Greece Peripheries Attica Prefecture Athens Founded circa 2000 BC Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis Area - City 38. ... An agora (Î±Î³Î¿ÏÎ¬), translatable as marketplace, was an essential part of an ancient Greek polis or city-state. ...

An even earlier appearance can be found in the work "De Somno" by the Greek historian and student of Aristoteles Clearchus of Soli (apud: Josephus, Contra Apionem, I, 176-183) Here Clearchus of Soli describes the meeting between Aristoteles (who lived in the 4th century BCE) and a Jew, who was already fluent in Greek language and thought in Asia Minor: This article needs cleanup. ... Clearchus of Soli (), one of ArisÂtotles pupils, was the author of a number of works, none of which are extant. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to...

"'Well', said Aristotle, [...] 'the man was a Jew of Coele-Syria. [...] Now this man, who entertained by a large circle of friends and was on his way from the interior to the coast, not only spoke Greek but had the soul of a Greek. During my stay in Asia, he visited the same places as I did, and came to converse with me and some other scholars, to test our learning. But as one who had been intimate with many cultivated persons, it was rather he who imparted to us something of his own.'"

Greek Jews played an important role in Greek history, from the early History of Christianity, through the Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Greece, until the tragic near-destruction of the community after Greece fell to Nazi Germany in World War II. The history of Christianity concerns the history of the Christian religion and the Church, from the Apostles to contemporary times. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th century until its declaration of independence in 1821. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000,000 Civilian dead: 4,000,000 Total dead 12,000,000 World War II (abbreviated WWII), or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict...

Hellenic period

The empire of Alexander the Great conquered the former Kingdom of Judah in 332 BCE, defeating the Persian empire which had held the territory since Cyrus' conquest of the Babylonians. After Alexander's death, the Wars of the Diadochi led to the territory changing rulership rapidly as Alexander's succesors fought over control over the Persian territories. According to hisotrian Karen Armstrong, "the Jews of Jerusalem experienced the Greeks as destructive, violent and militaristic".^[6] The region eventually came to be controlled by the Ptolemaic dynasty, and the area became increasingly Hellenistic. The Jews of Alexandria created a "unique fusion of Greek and Jewish culture"^[6], while the Jews of Jerusalem were divided between conservative and pro-Hellene factions. Along with the influence of this Hellenistic fusion on the Jews who had found themselves part of a Greek empire, Armstrong argues that the turbulence of the period between the death of Alexander and the second century BCE led to a resurgance of Jewish messianism^[6], which would inspire revolutionary sentiment when Jerusalem became part of the Roman Empire. Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BCâ€“June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336â€“323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew ×žÖ·×œÖ°×›×•Ö¼×ª ×™Ö°×”×•Ö¼×“Ö¸×”, Standard Hebrew Malá¸«ut YÉ™huda, Tiberian Hebrew Malá¸µÃ»á¹¯ YÉ™hÃ»á¸Äh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... The name Cyrus (or Kourosh in Persian) may refer to: [[Cyrus I of Anshan]], King of Persia around 650 BC [[Cyrus II of Persia | Cyrus the Great]], King of Persia 559 BC - 529 BC â€” See also Cyrus in the Judeo-Christian tradition Cyrus the Younger, brother to the Persian king... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... The word Diadochi means successors in Greek. ... Karen Armstrong (born November 14, 1944 in Wildmoor, Worcestershire, England) is an author who writes on Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. ... Hebrew ×™Ö°×¨×•Ö¼×©Ö¸××œÖ·×™Ö´× (Yerushalayim) (Standard) Yerushalayim or Yerushalaim Arabic commonly Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ù€ÙØ¯Ù’Ø³ (Al-Quds); officially in Israel Ø£ÙˆØ±Ø´Ù„ÙŠÙ… Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø¯Ø³ (Urshalim-Al-Quds) Name Meaning Hebrew: (see below), Arabic: The Holiness Government City District Jerusalem Population 724,000 (2006) Jurisdiction 123,000 dunams (123 kmÂ²) Mayor Uri Lupolianski Web Address www. ... cleopatra ruled seneca for 10 years before she ruled Egypt. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... This article is about the city in Egypt. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Messiah. ...

Roman Greece

Greece fell to the Roman Empire in 146 BCE. The Romaniotes living in Roman Greece had a different experience than those of Iudaea Province. The New Testament describes Greek Jews as a separate community from the Jews of Iudaea, and the Jews of Greece did not participate in the First Jewish-Roman War or later conflicts. The Romaniotes of Thessaloniki, speaking a dialect of Greek, and living a Hellenized existence, were joined by a new Jewish colony in the first century CE. The Jews of Thessaloniki "enjoyed wide autonomy"^[1] in Roman times. Image File history File links Paul_de_tarse_rembrandt. ... Image File history File links Paul_de_tarse_rembrandt. ... This article is about the Dutch artist. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Roman Greece is the period of Greek history following the Roman victory over the Corinthians at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC until the reestablishment of the city of Byzantium and the naming of the city by Emperor Constantine I as the capital of the Roman Empire (as Nova... Iudaea Province in the 1st century Iudaea was a Roman province that extended over Judaea (Palestine). ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... Combatants Roman Empire Jews of Iudaea Province Commanders Vespasian, Titus Simon Bar-Giora, Yohanan mi-Gush Halav (John of Gischala), Eleazar ben Simon Strength 70,000? 13,000? Casualties Unknown 600,000â€“1,300,000 (mass civilian casualties) The first Jewish-Roman War (66â€“73 CE), sometimes called The Great... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance...

Originally a persecutor of the early Jewish Christians until his conversion on the Road to Damascus, Paul of Tarsus, himself a Hellenized Jew from Tarsus, part of the post-Alexander the Great Greek Seleucid Empire, was instrumental in the founding of many Christian churches throughout Rome, including Asia Minor and Greece. Paul's second missionary journey included proselytizing at Thessaloniki's synagogue until driven out of the city by its Jewish community. Jewish Christians (sometimes called also Hebrew Christians or Christian Jews, but see below for differences) is a term which can have two meanings, a historical one and a contemporary one. ... The Road to Damascus is a Biblical reference to the conversion of a persecutor of Christians named Saul on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus in the Roman province of Syria in AD 36. ... Paul of Tarsus (b. ... In tetrapods, the tarsi are the cluster of bones in the foot between the tibia and fibula and the metatarsus. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BCâ€“June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336â€“323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic successor state of Alexander the Greats dominion. ... A synagogue (Hebrew: ×‘×™×ª ×›× ×¡×ª ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: ×©×•×œ, shul; Ladino ××¡× ×•×’×” esnoga) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ...

Byzantine Empire

After the Collapse of the Western Roman Empire, elements of Roman civilisation continued on in the Byzantine Empire. The Jews of Greece began to come under increasing attention from Byzantium's leadership in Constantinople. Some Byzantine Emperors were anxious to exploit the wealth of the Jews of Greece, and imposed special taxes on them, while others attempted forced conversions to Christianity. The latter pressure met with little success, as it was resisted by both the Jewish community and by the Greek Christian synods.^[1] Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Map of Constantinople. ... A forced conversion in religion is said to occur when an opponent of a particular religion compels an adherent to give it up, or incur penalties such as job loss, incarceration, torture, or death. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ...

The first settlement of Ashkenazi Jews in Greece occurred in 1376, heralding an Ashkenazi immigration from Hungary and Germany to avoid the persecution of Jews throughout the fifteenth century. Jewish immigrants from France and Venice also arrived in Greece, and created new Jewish communities in Thessaloniki.^[1] Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) is the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ...

The Ottoman Empire

Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from the mid-fifteenth century, until the conclusion of first the Greek War of Independence ending in 1832, and then the First Balkan War in 1913. During this period, the centre of Jewish life in the Balkans was Thessaloniki. The Sephardim of Thessaloniki were the exclusive tailors for the Ottoman janissaries, and enjoyed economic prosperity through commercial trading in the Balkans. Image File history File links Thessaloniki_White_tower. ... Image File history File links Thessaloniki_White_tower. ... The White Tower of Thessaloniki The White Tower of Thessaloniki (in Greek, Î›ÎµÏ…ÎºÏŒÏ‚ Î ÏÏÎ³Î¿Ï‚, Lefkos Pyrgos, Macedonian: Ð‘ÐµÐ»Ð° ÐšÑƒÐ»Ð°, Bela Kula) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. ... Coordinates 40Â°38â€² N 22Â°57â€² E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 607,987 source (2006) Metropolitan area population 2,395,220 Area 17. ... Motto: Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 Osman I - 1918â€“1922 Mehmed VI... Combatants Greek revolutionaries, United Kingdom, Russia, France Ottoman Empire, Egyptian troops Commanders Theodoros Kolokotronis, Alexander Ypsilanti Omer Vryonis, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. ... // Combatants Ottoman Empire Balkan League: Bulgaria Montenegro Greece Serbia Commanders Nizam Pasha, Zekki Pasha, Esat Pasha, Abdullah Pasha, Ali Rizah Pasha Bulgaria: Vladimir Vazov, Vasil Kutinchev, Nikola Ivanov, Radko Dimitriev Serbia: Radomir Putnik, Petar BojoviÄ‡, Stepa StepanoviÄ‡ Greece:Crown Prince Constantine, Panagiotis Danglis, Pavlos Kountouriotis Strength 350,000 men Bulgaria... The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ...

After their expulsion from Spain, between fifteen and twenty thousand more Sephardim settled in Thessaloniki. These immigrants established the city's first printing press, and the city became known as a centre for commerce and learning.^[1] The exile of other Jewish communities swelled the city's Jewish population, until Jews were the majority population in 1519.

In the late 1650s, Thessaloniki became home to Sabbatai Zevi, a Jew from Smyrna who claimed to be the messiah. Zevi gained a number of sincere believers in Thessaloniki, which was undergoing a revival of interest in mysticism and Kabbalah at the time. After Zevi's forced conversion to Islam, three hundred families of his followers became Donmeh, Zevi followers who continued a messianical crypto-Judaism after their conversion. The events prompted the organisation of more central leadership in the Jewish community, which would oversee increasing liberalisation of Ottoman laws two centuries later. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Agora of Smyrna Smyrna (Greek: Î£Î¼ÏÏÎ½Î·) is an ancient city (today Ä°zmir in Turkey) that was founded at a very early period at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (×žÖ¸×©Ö´××™×—Ö· Standard Hebrew Arabic: Al-Masih, Ø§Ù„Ù…Ø³ÙŠØ), Tiberian Hebrew , Aramaic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by a prophet of God. ... Mysticism from the Greek Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î¹ÎºÏŒÏ‚ (mystikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, Î¼Ï…ÏƒÏ„Î®ÏÎ¹Î± (mysteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an... Kabbalah (Hebrew: â€Ž, Tiberian: , QabbÄlÄh, Israeli: Kabala) literally means receiving, in the sense of a received tradition, and is sometimes transliterated as Cabala, Kabbala, Qabalah, or other permutations. ... A forced conversion in religion is said to occur when an opponent of a particular religion compels an adherent to give it up, or incur penalties such as job loss, incarceration, torture, or death. ... Islam (Arabic: ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Donmeh refers to a group of Crypto-Jews of the Near East who followed Sabbatai Zevi (also called Shabbatai Zvi) and converted to Islam in 1666. ... Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as crypto-Jews. The term crypto-Jew is also used to describe descendants of Jews who still (generally secretly) maintain some Jewish traditions, often while adhering...

The middle of the nineteenth century, however, brought a change to Greek Jewish life. The janissaries had been destroyed in 1826, and traditional commercial routes were being encroached upon by the Great Powers of Europe. The Sephardic population of Thessaloniki had risen to between twenty-five to thirty thousand members, leading to scarcity of resources, fires and hygiene problems. The end of the century saw great improvements, as the mercantile leadership of the Sephardic community, particularly the Allatini family, took advantage of new trade opportunities with the rest of Europe. According to historian Misha Glenny, Thessaloniki was "the only city in the Empire where the Jews employed violence against the Chrisitian population as a means of consolidating their political and economic power"^[7], as Jewish businessmen closed their doors to Greeks and Slavs and physically intimidated their rivals. This unusual balance of power shifted with the importation of modern anti-Semitism with immigrants from the West, however, and Greek Jews were the target of Greek and Armenian pogroms. Thessaloniki's Jewish community comprised more than half of the city's population until the early 1900s. As a result of the Jewish influence on the city, many non-Jewish inhabitants of Thessaloniki spoke Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews, and the city virtually shut down on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath ^[8]. Many sea-travellers reaching the port of Thessaloniki humorously recalled that Thessaloniki was a city were people worked only four days while resting three consequtive days. This was due to the three major religions the population adhered to and their respective resting days. Friday for Muslims, Saturday for Jews and Sunday for Christians.^{[citation needed]} In the context of international relations and diplomacy, power (sometimes clarified as international power, national power, or state power) is the ability of one state to influence or control other states. ... Misha Glenny (born 1958) is a British journalist and specialist on Eastern and Southeastern Europe. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... The Russian word pogrom (погром) refers to a massive violent attack on people with simultaneous destruction of their environment (homes, businesses, religious centers). ... Ladino is a Romance language, derived mainly from Old Castilian (Spanish) and Hebrew. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... The shabbos table is set: two covered challahs, a kiddush cup, two candles, and flowers. ...

Ottoman rule of Thessaloniki ended in 1912, as Greek soldiers entered the city in the last days of the First Balkan War. Thessaloniki's status had not been decided by the Balkan Alliance before the war, and Glenny writes that the city's majority Jewish population had hoped that the city would be controlled by Bulgaria.^[9] Bulgarian control would keep the city at the forefront of a national trade network, while Greek control endangered Thessaloniki's position as the destination of Balkan village trading. After the liberation, however, the Greek government won the support of the Jewish community^[10], and Greece under Eleftherios Venizelos was one of the first countries to accept the Balfour Declaration, 1917.^[5] Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Greek statesman and diplomat. ... The Balfour Declaration was a letter dated November 2, 1917 from the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, to Lord Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation, a private Zionist organization. ...

World War II and the Holocaust

During World War II, Greece was conquered by Nazi Germany and occupied by the Axis powers. 12, 898 Greek Jews fought in the Greek army, one of the best-known being Colonel Mordechai Frizis, which first successfully repelled the Italian Army, but was overwhelmed by German forces.^[5] 86% of the Greek Jews, especially those in the areas occupied by Nazi Germany and Bulgaria, were murdered despite efforts by the Greek Orthodox Church hierarchy and many individual Christian Greeks to shelter Jews. Although the Germans deported a great number of Greek Jews, others were successfully hidden by their Greek neighbours. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mordechai Frizis was a Jewish Greek military colonel who died in action during World War II. Mordechai Frizis was born on January 1, 1893, in the town of Chalkis(on Euboea, Modern Greeces second-largest island), son of Jacob, he was one of twelve brothers and one sister. ... Ariete Tanks of the Italian Ariete Tank Brigade on exercise Three Bersaglieri ride in a Dardo The Italian Army has recently become a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel. ... The Church of Greece is one of the fifteenth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ...

On July 11, 1942, the Jews of Thessaloniki were rounded up in preparation for deportation to the German camps. The community paid a fee of 2.5 billion drachmas for their freedom, the effect of which was only to delay deportation until the following March. 46 091 people were sent to Auschwitz. 1 950 returned^[10] to find most of their sixty synagogues and schools destroyed.^[11] Many survivors emigrated to Israel and the United States.^[10] Today the Jewish population of Thessaloniki numbers roughly 1 000, and maintains four synagogues.^[11] July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Drachma, pl. ... Auschwitz, in English, commonly refers to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex built near the town of Oświęcim, by Nazi Germany during World War II. Rarely, it may refer to the Polish town of Oświęcim (called by the Germans Auschwitz) itself. ...

The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture writes "One cannot forget the repeated initiatives of the head of the Metropolitan See of Thessaloniki, Gennadios, against the deportations, and most of all, the official letter of protest signed in Athens on March 23, 1943, by Archbishop Damaskinos, along with 27 prominent leaders of cultural, academic and professional organizations. The document, written in a very sharp language, refers to unbreakable bonds between Christian Orthodox and Jews, identifying them jointly as Greeks, without differentiation. It is noteworthy that such a document is unique in the whole of occupied Europe, in character, content and purpose".^[10] March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Statue of Archbishop Damaskinos near the Athens Cathedral. ...

In Corfu after the fall of Italian fascism in 1943, the Nazis took control of the island. Corfu's mayor at the time, Kollas, was a known collaborator and various anti-semitic laws were passed by the Nazis that now formed the occupation government of the island.^[12] In early June 1944, while the Allies bombed Corfu as a diversion from the landing in Normandy, the Gestapo rounded up the Jews of the city, temporarily incarcerated them at the old fort (Palaio Frourio) and on the 10th of June sent them to Auschwitz where very few survived.^[12]^[13] However, approximately two hundred out of a total population of 1900 managed to flee.^[14] Many among the local populace at the time provided shelter and refuge to those 200 Jews that managed to escape the Nazis.^[15] As well, a prominent section of the old town is to this day called Evraiki (Εβραική) meaning Jewish suburb in recognition of the Jewish contribution and continued presence in Corfu city. An active Synagogue (Συναγωγή) is an integral part of Evraiki today with about 65 members.^[14] This article is about the Greek island Kerkyra known in English as Corfu. ... Belligerent military occupation occurs when one nations military occupies all or part of the territory of another nation or recognized belligerent. ... The (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; Secret State Police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... This article is about the Greek island Kerkyra known in English as Corfu. ... Auschwitz, in English, commonly refers to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex built near the town of Oświęcim, by Nazi Germany during World War II. Rarely, it may refer to the Polish town of Oświęcim (called by the Germans Auschwitz) itself. ...

The 275 Jews of the island of Zakynthos, however, survived the Holocaust. When the island's mayor, Carrer, was presented with the German order to hand over a list of Jews, Bishop Chrysostomos returned to the Germans with a list of two names; his and the mayor's. The island's population hid every member of the Jewish community. When the island suffered from an earthquake in 1953, the first relief came from the state of Israel, with a message that read "The Jews of Zakynthos have never forgotten their Mayor or their beloved Bishop and what they did for us."^[16] The island of Zakynthos (NASA World Wind satellite picture) Zakynthos (Greek: Î–Î¬ÎºÏ…Î½Î¸Î¿Ï‚), the third largest of the Ionian Islands, covers an area of 410 square kilometers and its coastline is roughly 123 kilometers in length. ...

Anti-Semitism in Greece

Glenny writes that Greek Jews had never "encountered anything remotely as sinister as north European anti-Semitism. The twentieth century had witnessed the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment among Greeks... but it attracted an insignificant minority".^[4] The danger of deportation to death camps was repeatedly met with disbelief by Greece's 1940s Jewish population.

A Greek Neo-Nazi group, Hrisi Avgi, existed in Greece from 1980 until 2005, when it was officially disbanded by its leadership after conflicts with police and anti-Fascists. The European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia 2002-2003 report on anti-Semitism in Greece mentioned several incidents of anti-Semitism in Greece over the two-year period along with examples of "good practices" for countering prejudice. The report concluded that "...in 2003 the Chairman of the Central Jewish Board in Greece stated that he did not consider the rise in antisemitism to be alarming... whilst antisemitic violence has not been a problem, there is a noticeable antisemitic discourse in Greek public life"^[17]. The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... Hrisi Avgis logo, featuring a meander pattern. ... Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne in Eindhoven in September 1944. ...

On November 21, 2003, Nikos Bistis, the Greek Deputy Minister of the Interior, declared January 27 to be Holocaust Remembrance Day in Greece, and committed to a "coalition of Greek Jews, Greek non-Jews, and Jews worldwide to fight antisemitism in Greece".^[18] November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

Misha Glenny (born 1958) is a British journalist and specialist on Eastern and Southeastern Europe. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture, p. 1
^ Current Activities of the Jewish Museum of Greece, The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece. URL accessed April 15, 2006.
^ The Holocaust in Greece: Ioannina, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. URL accessed April 15, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Glenny, p.512
^ ^a ^b ^c The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture, p. 3
^ ^a ^b ^c Armstrong, Karen (2006). The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions, First edition, New York: Knopf, 350-352. ISBN 0-676-97465-1.
^ Glenny, p. 183
^ Daskalovski, Zhidas. Remembering the Past: Jewish Culture Battling for Survival in Macedonia. Central Europe Review. URL accessed July 10, 2006.
^ Glenny, p.236
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture, p.2
^ ^a ^b ^c Molho, Rena. The Jersualem of the Balkans: Salonica 1856-1919 The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki. URL accessed July 10, 2006.
^ ^a ^b United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on the Holocaust in Corfu. Also contains information about the Nazi collaborator mayor Kollas.
^ From the interview of a survivor interviewed in the film "Shoah"
^ ^a ^b Central Jewish Council of Greece website
^ United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: "[...]two hundred of the 2,000 Corfu Jews found sanctuary with Christian families[...]"
^ Zakynthos: The Holocaust in Greece, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, URL accessed April 15, 2006.
^ EUMC, p.12
^ EUMC, p.13

v • d • e

History of the Jews in Europe

Albania · Andorra · Armenia² · Austria · Azerbaijan¹ · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus² · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia¹ · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan¹ · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia¹ · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey¹ · Ukraine · United Kingdom April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Karen Armstrong (born November 14, 1944 in Wildmoor, Worcestershire, England) is an author who writes on Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Shoah is a nine-hour documentary film completed by Claude Lanzmann in 1985 about the Holocaust (or Shoah). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... History of the Jews in Europe. ... The history of Jews in the Republic of Macedonia began in Roman times, when Jews first arrived in the region in the 6th Century BC. Today, no more than 200 Jews remain in the Republic of Macedonia, almost all in the capital, Skopje. ... There are no known Jews in Montenegro, and few Jews have ever lived in the area[1]. References ^ Antisemitism and Jewish Identity in Serbia after the 1991 Collapse of the Yugoslav State, Laslo Sekelj History of the Jews in Europe History of the Jews in: Albania â€¢ Andorra â€¢ Armenia â€¢ Austria â€¢ Azerbaijan... Jews first arrived in what is now the Republic of Serbia in Roman times. ...

Dependencies, autonomies and other territories
Abkhazia¹ · Adjara¹ · Åland · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Kosovo · Nagorno-Karabakh¹ · Nakhichevan¹ · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus² A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State. ... An autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy. ... Types of political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ... Jews first arrived in what is now the Republic of Serbia in Roman times. ... // Cyprus is the large island located in the east Mediterranean Sea. ...

¹ Has significant territory in Asia. ² Entirely in West Asia, considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. A transcontinental country is a country belonging to more than one continent. ...

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