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On the trail of jewish life in Thessaloniki
While Thessaloniki is known for its Byzantine heritage, it is less recognized that the city was once one of the largest Jewish metropolises in Europe. Before World War II, Jewish people made up two-thirds of the population, with 56,000 residents, while there were a total of 80,000 Jews in all of Greece.
Estimates say that after the end of World War II around 2,000 to 10,000 Jews still lived in Thessaloniki. The numbers are not clear, as many Jews lived in hiding or went abroad. 87% of Greek Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
Today, when strolling through the streets of Thessaloniki, only little remains of the once-thriving Jewish metropolis and its tragic end are still present. However, by taking a closer look some traces indicating the history can still be found
THE JEWISH CEMETERY
Arriving at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, not much is indicating that it was once the location of the jewish cemetery of the city.
The old Jewish cemetery of Thessaloniki comprised around 300,000 graves and was one of the largest in Europe. Some of the tombstones even dated back to the year 1493.
In the Jewish faith, it is of great importance to maintain graves as eternal resting places. Therefore, the preservation and care of cemeteries are very meaningful.
In 2014, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the jewish community organized a memorial for the former jewish cemetery, located in the area of the University, behind the library.
THE OLD TRAIN STATION
The former Baron de Hirsch Quarter is located near the port in the west side of the city, which became an important refuge for many jewish residents of Thessaloniki after the devastating fire of 1917.
In 1943 during the German occupation, the Baron de Hirsch Quarter was designated as one of the two ghettos in the city before the people living there were deported to Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Treblinka.
In total, 45,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps by the Germans. Approximately 70 to 80 people were crammed into each wagon, and the journey lasted about six days.
The Jews who survived and returned to the city after the Second World War often found their homes occupied, even by former neighbors, and their belongings plundered. Many non-Jewish residents benefited from the displacement and extermination of the Jewish population. Until now, there has been no proper reparation.
ELEFTHERIA SQUARE
It is the responsibility of all of us to make Freedom Square a place of remembrance again, so that the citizens and visitors of the city can see the place of martyrdom, remember and learn how easily a society can be led down the path of barbarism if oblivion prevails.”
(The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece is the country’s EJC affiliate)
Going further on the port, in front of the Eleftheria square a monument commemorating the Holocaust is placed. Its placement serves as a reminder of the historical significance of Eleftheria Square.
On July 11th, 1941, a day popularly known as “Black Saturday”, a total of 9,000 Jewish men aged 18 to 45 were gathered at Eleftheria Square to be registered for forced labor. Meanwhile, they were humiliated by German soldiers, being forced to do sports exercises and being beaten, witnessed by a lot of people bystanding and watching. Ultimately, 2,000 of these men were ordered into forced labor. In an attempt to ransom the men, the jewish communities of Thessaloniki and Athens collected funds, including selling the jewish cemetery in Thessaloniki to the city administration. Today, the square is functioning as a parking lot, even though it was originally supposed to become a place of memorial.
ARTWORK
"No, that is not the city where I first saw the light of day / No, those are not the people I knew in my childhood /. No, that is not the sun that used to shine / That is also not the sky that enchanted me and I believe I am living on another planet / Where with every step I feel as if I’m seeing / Shadows parading in infinite number / And their sight moves me terribly/ From the elders, my brothers, countless friends / Among them are a thousand innocent children / Pure lights that the beasts did not hesitate to extinguish"
( ‘Saloniki’ by Shlomo Reubens, August 1966, in Ladino)
