ALEXANDRE Origin of surname

Greece

Ελλάδα
Ελληνική Δημοκρατία -  Hellenic Republic

A country in southeast Europe, member of the European Union (EU)

21st Century

Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 4,200 out of 10,500,000 (0,03%). The main umbrella organization of Jewish communities:

The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece
Phone: 30 1 3244315
Fax: 30 210 33 13 852
Email: hhkis@hellasnet.gr  
Website: https://kis.gr/en

HISTORY

The Jews of Greece

168 BCE | Greece, Culture

The two main Jewish diasporas in the 2nd Temple Era (538 BCE to 136 CE), lived in Egypt and in Babylonia. But various historical sources indicate that many Jews also lived in Greece, particularly in Thessaloniki, Larissa, and Byzantium (a Greek city in Asia Minor, now known as Istanbul). One proof of this is that Onias III, the High Priest of the Temple, who was forced in 168 BCE to flee from King Antiochus, chose to go to Greece. At that time Greece was divided into many city-states, the most famous of which were Sparta and Athens, which each constituted a sovereign political entity with independent government institutions. Researchers assume that a senior figure such as Onias would not have gone to a place that did not have a large, well-organized Jewish community.
Greece bequeathed the great Hellenistic culture to the world, and its impact on the Jews of the region was crucial as well. This culture, which upheld physical culture and individualism, created a new type of Jew: The Hellenized Jew, who was a Jew in ethnic background and religion, but adopted a Greek identity in regards to language, appearance, behavior and thinking. Even Jewish names underwent Hellenization (Aristobulus, Hyrcanus and even the aforementioned Onias, whose Hebrew name, Honio, is also Greek, to name a few), and the Hebrew language also adopted Greek words, including for instance Sanhedrin, the name of the leading Jewish institution for some 600 years, which comes from the Greek synod, and also the words for “diagonal”, “corridor”, “air”, “lamp” and “apron”.

67 | More Jews Arrive in Greece

Many scenes have succeeded one another before the eyes of Poseidon the Sea God from his abode on the shore of the Corinthian Bay, which separates the Peloponnese Peninsula from northern Greece. According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, in 67 CE a spectacle unfolded before the porch of the temple of Poseidon that might have moved even the god's heart: Ships docked at the bay were unloading 5,000 Hebrew slaves, captured in the early stages of the “Great Revolt” in the Land of Israel and sent to hard labor by the Roman General Vespasian.
In the first century CE there were many Jewish communities in the Greek lands, in Sparta, Argos, Cos, Naxos, and more. Philo of Alexandria, the great Jewish philosopher who lived in the first half of the century, tells us that he met many Jews in the Peloponnese. Christian apostle Paul mentions a few synagogues in the area in his writing, a testimony that was born out in remains of synagogues uncovered in Athens, Cos and Crete. These communities were most likely the basis for the Jewish settlement in the area during the Byzantine era, which began in 330 CE.

632 | From Rome to Byzantium

In 380 CE the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as the state religion. This development took place concurrently with the weakening of the empire, which was divided into two – the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.
The condition of the Jews under Byzantine rule did not change greatly, save for a few restrictions such as a prohibition on serving in government positions, to keep slaves and to bear testimony in court against Christians. Many Jews worked in the field of medicine or made a living in the textile trade and other fields of commerce.
In 632 Byzantine Emperor Heraclius issued an edict forcing all the Jews of the empire to convert to Christianity. The edict was explained by the need for religious uniformity throughout the empire, but another reason was the questionable loyalty of the Jews. Eventually the edict was not enforced and the only ones made to convert were apostate Christians. 90 years later a similar edict was issued, but again its impact was negligible.
Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela reported a widespread Jewish diaspora in Greece in the 12th century. Among others he reported 500 Jews living in Thessaloniki and 2,000 living in Thebes, of which he said: “And they are the finest artisans in the making of silk and purple-dyed cloth in the Land of the Greeks and there are great scholars of the Mishna and the Talmud amongst them”.


1204 | The Romaniotes

In 1204 the Crusaders from Western Europe captured Constantinople, the Byzantine capital. For the next 80 years, Greece passed from hand to hand among various conquerors – the Crusaders, the Seljuks, the Bulgarians, the Venetians and others – and the Jews suffered from anti-Jewish legislation and continual persecution.
A historical anecdote tells of Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II, who defeated and captured the Byzantine Emperor Theodore Doukas – one of the cruelest rulers in his treatment of the Jews – and ordered two Jews to gouge the eyes of the defeated emperor. The two refused, and as punishment were hurled from a cliff to their death.
In 1282, Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII retook Constantinople and reunited the Byzantine Empire. This emperor abolished the discriminatory laws against the Jews, allowing them once again to live in peace and quiet. Four major Jewish communities are known of at this time in Greece: In Crete, in Corinth, in Patras and in Chios. These Jews, descendants of Jews who arrived in the area after the destruction of the 2nd Temple, were called “Romaniotes”. One of their most interesting features is a unique prayer form which is named after them and is said to be close to the original prayer style of 2nd Temple-era Israel.
After the arrival of Jewish refugees from the Spanish Expulsion the Romaniotes assimilated into the Sephardi community, but they still survive in small pockets, such as the Nachlaot neighborhood in Jerusalem, where a Romaniote synagogue is still active, preserving some of the ancient hymns and songs. Today most Romaniotes live in Greece, in Israel and in New York City.

1453 | Shabbat Shalom, Thessaloniki

The conquest of Greece by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and the elimination of the Byzantine Empire calmed the storms that characterized the treatment of the Jews in Greece until then. The Jews were granted freedom to practice their religion and freedom of occupation, which led to prosperity for the entire community in all fields of endeavor – from light industry such as textile dyeing to banking, shipping and international trade. In the 16th and 17th century sailors knew that it was inadvisable to dock in the Port of Thessaloniki on a Saturday. The cranes would be dormant, and the dockworkers would either be praying in one of the city's many synagogues, or singing hymns and Sabbath songs around the Sabbath table. Indeed, in this era Thessaloniki was the largest and most important “Jewish city” in the world.
The city was home to famous rabbis, including Shmuel de-Medina and Rabbi Judah al-Sheikh, and many yeshivas and Torah-study centers were established therein. The Jews of Thessaloniki also played a leading role in modernizing the city and developing its industry, banking and public services.
The main reason Thessaloniki became such a large Jewish abode was a massive influx of Jews fleeing to it following the Spanish Expulsion. This manifested in Ladino (Jewish-Spanish) becoming the most prevalent language in the city. Like its sisters to the east, which stood out in scholarship and Jewish atmosphere, such as Vilnius, dubbed “Jerusalem of Lithuania” and Lublin, known as “Jerusalem of Poland”, so did Thessaloniki receive the honorary moniker of “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.

1830 | Independence Yes, Jews No

In 1821 the Greeks launched a war of independence against the occupying Ottoman Empire, an effort which was crowned with success nine years later. The situation of the Jews, who had remained loyal to the Ottoman regime (which was mostly benevolent towards them) deteriorated sharply. 5,000 Jews lost their lives in the Peloponnese Massacre, and a series of blood libels began to spread in Rhodes and Corfu. 1.500 Jews left the Greek islands following the pogroms, migrating to Italy, Turkey and Egypt. According to Greek census figures, by the early 20th century only 10,000 Jews remained in the entire country. In 1912, following the Balkan War and the annexation of territories to Greece, their numbers increased significantly.
During this time there were a few Alliance Israelite Universelle network schools operating in Greece. Children who did not live in proximity to these enrolled in public schools, and got most of their Jewish education from the figures such as the cantor of the local synagogue. In areas still under Turkish control, such as Corfu, Thrace and Macedonia, the Jews enjoyed a higher quality of religious education. By the end of the 19th century there were a few Alliance schools operating in Thessaloniki and societies for the dissemination of Hebrew language and literature were established in the city, as were dozens of newspapers in Ladino and French and Zionist and socialist societies.
The largest concentration of Jewish schools was in Thessaloniki, where 12 Jewish education institutions operated during the interwar era. In 1931 the Alliance network in Greece was dealt a heavy blow, when a law was passed prohibiting Greek citizens from studying at foreign schools.

1943 | With Courage and Strength

On the eve of WW2 most of the Jews of Greece – some 55,000 people – lived in Thessaloniki. On July 11, 1942 all the Jews of Thessaloniki aged 19-45 were ordered to report to Freedom Square in the city. 9,000 Jews stood under the blistering sun and were forced to perform exercise routines and dance, as the Germans and the local Greek crowd laughed. While dancing, many of them were brutally beaten.
Of 43,850 Greek Jews who arrived at Auschwitz, only 11,500 survived the selections for the gas chambers. The will to survive and fierce spirits of the Greek Jews in the camps became well known. The pride and spirit of freedom they nurtured were unbowed even in the face of the horrors, as were their determination to hold on to their languages – Ladino and Greek – and their displays of camaraderie, patriotism and cultural cohesion, feats of singing, self-irony and resourcefulness.
Primo Levi, in his book “Is This A Man” wrote of the Greek Jews: "Next to us is a group of Greeks, those admirable and terrible Jews of Salonika ... Those Greeks who have conquered in the kitchens and the yards, and whom even the Germans respect and the Poles fear. They are in their third year of camp, and no one knows better than them what the camp means .... And they continue to sing and beat their feet in time and grow drunk on songs."
The brotherhood between the Greek Jews became a byword. Aharon Rosa, a pharmacist from Thessaloniki, who was the only Jew to work in the SS clinic in the camp, used to smuggle drugs and medical equipment to his friends at risk of his life. He was known as “Father of the Greeks”. Another famous figure in the camp was Dr. Leon Konka, a physician at the Auschwitz 3 hospital.
Of a community of some 55,000 Jews in Greece only 1,950 survived the war. Most of them came to Israel between 1945-1948.

2014

As of 2014 there were some 5,000 Jews living in Greece, about 3.500 in Athens and 1,000 in Thessaloniki. The community operates synagogues, a Jewish school, three museums and soup kitchens. The Jews of Greece who have made aliyah to Israel have established several villages, including Tsur Moshe, and have settled in large numbers in the Florentine Neighborhood of Tel Aviv and in the vicinity of Jaffa Harbor.