What I can see

The Beth Shalom synagogue is the largest in the city and has been continuously operating until today. The building refers to neoclassicism and is covered with Pentelic marble. Opposite the Beth Shalom Synagogue is the oldest synagogue (1904) of “Etz Chaim”, or “Gianniotiki”, and operates only on major holidays, while the headquarters of the community is housed there.

What I can't see

The first Jews arrived in Athens in the 3rd century BC. In the Ottoman period and during the early years of the Greek kingdom, the Jewish community was small. Beth Shalom was constructed by the Sefaradites, namely the descendants of Jews who were expelled from Spain in the Middle Ages and had escaped to the Byzantine Empire. The synagogue was built to meet the needs of Jewish refugees of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. After the German invasion, many Jews of Athens fled to the mountains and fought alongside the guerrillas, greatly enhancing the national resistance. Many of those who remained were saved by Christians, who hid them in their homes, but most ended up in concentration camps.

Info

• Address: Melidoni St.

Bibliography