Salonika, Greece

General

The earliest recorded Jewish presence in Greece was in the port city of Salonika. Brought to the city from Alexandria in Egypt by Alexander the Great’s brother-in-law, Kasandros, because of their expertise in maritime trade, Hellenized Jews established their community and built their first synagogue, Etz Hayyim. St. Paul preached here in the first century but was rejected by the Jews of the city.

Because of its port and its reputation as a center of trade, Ashkenazi Jews from Northern Lands, Jews from Provence France and Italian Jews from the south of Italy settled in the city, fleeing from persecutions in their own lands, but it was not until the influx of Sephardic Jews in the 15^th century that Salonika achieved its prominence as a “Jewish” city and was given the name “La Madre de Israel” in recognition of its eminence as a center of Jewish learning.

At the beginning of the twentieth century there were over 80,000 Jews living in Salonika, more than half the population of the city. The Jews controlled the economy of the city and had established 40 synagogues. There was no one Jewish neighborhood. So large were their numbers that they lived throughout the city. In 1917 there was a devastating fire that destroyed most of the synagogues. They would be rebuilt but the economic hardships and the uncertain climate of the now “Greek” city of Salonika, which had become part of Modern Greece in 1912, caused many of the Jews to immigrate, most to the United States.

At the dawning of WWII there were 56,000 Jews in the city. On April 9, 1941 the Germans took over the city. About 10,000 Jews were able to flee to safer havens before the mass deportations of 1943. From March to July of 1943, over 46,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only 1,200 would survive. The Jewish cemetery, with over 300,000 tombstones, the earliest dating back to the 15^th century, was destroyed by the Germans. Of the 36 synagogues, only Monasteriton would survive.

There are now 1,200 Jews living in Salonika. There are two functioning synagogues and a chapel in the Saul Modiano Senior Home. There is a new Jewish Museum that traces the proud history of Salonikian Jewry.

Synagogues

Monasteriton Synagogue-- The Monasteriton Synagogue was built in 1925 by Jews from Monastir in the Former Yugoslavia. Influenced by modern styles, the exterior is an imposing façade with a prominent Mogen David in the façade. The interior is similar to that of Beth Shalom in Athens with the Tevah and Echal joined by a raised platform. Subdued colors and imposing marble columns convey a feeling of dignified sanctity. The synagogue is presently undergoing restoration but can be viewed by request from the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki (Salonika). It is located at 35 Syngrou Street. The first picture below shows the exterior of the Synagogue, and the second picture shows the interior.

Yad Lezikaron Synagogue-- The Yad Lezikaron Synagogue was constructed in 1984 out of the remains of former synagogues in Salonika. Many of the plaques from former synagogues are in the walls of the interior sanctuary, as are some of the ner tamids (lamps). The synagogue is simply constructed within a commercial building at 26 Vas. Herakleios Street. The layout is traditionally Sephardic, with the Tevah in the center and the Echal on the far eastern wall. The picture below shows the Echal.

References

The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, 1992.

Holocaust in Salonika: Eye Witness Accounts,translated by Isaac Benmayor, edited by Steven Bowman, published by Sephardic House, Bloch Publishers, 2002

Stavroulakis, Nikos. Salonika, Jews and Dervishes. Talos Press, Athens 1994

Amariglio, Erika Kounio. From Thessaloniki to Auschwitz and Back 1926-1996, Valentine Mitchell, London.

Fromer, Rebecca Camhi. The Holocaust Odyssey of Daniel Bennahmias, Sonderkommando, University of Alabama Press, 1993.

The House by the Sea, Mercury House, 1998.

Molho, Rene. They Say Diamonds Don't Burn: The Holocaust Experiences of Rene Molho of Salonika, Greece, The Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkley, 1994.