Salonika, Day 1


Thessaloniki Day One

We had an early start as we departed Ioannina for Salonika (Thessaloniki) at 7:45 AM.  One of the day’s readings truly set the tone for how we understand the place of the Jews in Salonika, and I’ll put the entire passage here.  It dates from just a few years after the expulsion from Spain in 1492:

Invitation to Jews by the Ottoman Leadership to Settle Therein, late 15th century.

“It [the Ottoman Empire] is entirely open to you; settle here, our brethren, in the best of the land!...the poor and needy…will find here…a place where their feet can rest, and they will be able to exercise a suitable profession; they will suffer neither hunger nor thirst, they will not be afflicted by the burning fire of oppression and of exile, because the Lord has bestowed upon us His mercy, and He has made us find favor, grace and pity in the eyes of the nations in the midst of which we are living, to such a degree that it would almost be proper to give us a new name and call us “the captives ransomed by the Lord’ [Isaiah 35:10], because the Turk does not let us suffer any evil or oppression.”
Yerushalmi, Y. “Exile and Expulsion.” In B. Gampel [Ed.] 1997. Crisis and Creativity in the Sephardic World, 1391-1648. NY: Columbia University Press, p.2.1

Salonika was a major city of the Ottoman world at the time, and the Jews responded in large numbers, overwhelming the local Romaniote population.  Perhaps the greatest concentration of Sephardic Jews wound up here; by the turn of the 20th century the 90,000 Jews here made up ¾ of the population.

Our first stop was at the Jewish Museum, where our Greek guide gave us a lecture on the timeline of the Jews of Salonika in front of one of the exhibits.  We then had fee time at the nicely done museum (no photos allowed).  There was a prominent portion of the exhibit devoted to Shabbatai Tzvi, a rabbi who had proclaimed himself Messiah, whose headquarters were here for a considerable period of time.  More information here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbatai_Zevi

There are two functioning synagogues left in Salonika, both Sephardic, and we next visited one called the “Big Synagogue” which was built in the 1920s.  It survived WW II because the Red Cross used it as a storehouse; the other 89 synagogues in Salonika were destroyed by the Nazis.  The chandelier was adopted by a local church for the duration of the war and returned after liberation.




We then drove through Salonika, past some historic sites.  Greece has a major problem with graffiti; we were told it dates to the economic downturn in 2008, but it is terrible.  Simply awful.  It may be worse here than anywhere.  Here’s an example of a major historic structure, a Byzantine church, whose wall is defaced:



We drove up to a high place above the city, just inside the walls, for a panoramic view:


We then checked in to our hotel to freshen up for Shabbat.  We walked to the nearby synagogue which is part of the local Community Center and attended Kabbalat Shabbat services there after which we had dinner with members of the local community. 

We have the day off until 4 PM tomorrow!

PS: I've always wondered how I'd look with a beard.  I've let it grow, and found out:


Joyce abhorred the result; comments from others were not positive, and I didn't like it much.  It's gone.


Comments

  1. Ralph P. LockeOctober 13, 2018 at 5:29 AM

    With that cap and the beard, I'd say you probably look a lot like a Greek guy (but, presumably, taller than the average?). I'm pro-beard, of course, but I know I don't get a vote.....

    Astounding that there were 90 synagogues in Thessaloniki. And the call to Jews to settle there after 1492 is beautiful--a vision of societal harmony.... Quite unlike anything that could be said about life for the Jews in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe for centuries to come.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victor PoleshuckOctober 13, 2018 at 5:33 AM

      We were told that they were very much wanted for the skills they were able to bring, especially in commerce and banking.

      Delete
  2. Rwa442October 13, 2018 at 4:06 PM

    I'm biased on beards, but the wife always takes priority!

    ReplyDelete
  3. xctravelerOctober 20, 2018 at 9:58 AM

    I know I am a bit late responding. I do like the beard, but I also understand it can be objectionable from both sides of the face :) Mine stays, but then it has since 1974. Interesting to reaf about Salonika reception of the Jews. We have heard about it too, here in Spain which expelled them. Although the 1492 expulsion is the most well known, it was only the last, sort of. All the synagogues in Spain became mosques and then 3-400 years later churches (time depends on which city/state). Today most are either still churches or museums.

    ReplyDelete

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