 jews have been present in greece for a little 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 descent or faith that lives in or originates from the modern region of greece. aside from the romaniotes, a distinct jewish population that historically lived in communities throughout greece and neighboring areas with large greek populations, greece had a large population of sephardi jews, and is a historical center of sephardic life; the city of salonica or thessaloniki, in greek macedonia, was called the "mother of israel".samuel usque, the foundation for the advancement of sephardic studies and culture, p. 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.the foundation for the advancement of sephardic studies and culture, p.2zakynthos: the holocaust in greece, united states holocaust memorial museum, url accessed may 25, 2014. in the aftermath of the holocaust, a large percentage of the surviving community emigrated to israel or the united states. the jewish community in greece currently amounts to roughly 8,000 people, concentrated mainly in athens, thessaloniki (or salonica), larissa, volos, chalkis, ioannina, trikala and corfu, while very few remain in kavala and rhodes.short history of the jewish communities in greece (pdf), publicized by the central board of jewish communities in greece 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,current activities of the jewish museum of greece, the central board of jewish communities in greece. url accessed april 15, 2006. while nevertheless continuing to work with other greeks, and jews worldwide, to combat any rise of anti-semitism in greece. ==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, some italian-sicilian and small ashkenazi communities have existed as well, in thessaloniki and elsewhere.
Jewish_Greek_history Jews_and_Judaism_in_Greece