The Jews of Thessaloniki (Salonika): Keeping the Memory Alive
- Janis Raisen
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 24
The Salonika and Greek Jewry Heritage Center in Memory of Leon Recanati (1890 -1945), Petah Tikva, Israel. (Photo: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
The Salonika and Greek Jewry Heritage Center in Memory of Leon Recanati (1890-1945) in Israel, ensures that the story of the Jews of Thessaloniki (Salonika), Greece — one of pride and joy, mixed with pain and sorrow — will never be forgotten.
The Salonika and Greek Jewry Heritage Center in Memory of Leon Recanati (1890 -1945), Petah Tikva, Israel.(Photo: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
Visitors are taken on a cultural and historical journey through the heritage center, which is located on a dedicated floor in the Recanati Retirement Home in Petah Tikva. They experience the Ladino culture, music, and flavors, and learn about the Jewish community.
Thessaloniki Jews in Northern Greece, mostly Sephardic, became a thriving, successful and Jewish majority for a period of time between the 1500s and the early 1900s. The city was once referred to as the "Mother of Israel" ( Madre de Israel) and the ״Jerusalem of the Balkans."
(Photo: (Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
As the only Jewish majority in the diaspora, it was highly regarded as one of the most important Jewish communities. Tragically, the Jews there faced almost complete annihilation during the Holocaust. More than 95% of the approximate 56,000 perished in the Holocaust.
A few lucky ones left Thessaloniki for Israel (The Land of Israel, under the British Mandate), before Hitler invaded the city. One such iconic person was Leon Yehuda Recanati.
Leon Yehuda Recanati (Photo: Courtesy of the Heritage Center); Display with Leon Yehuda Recanati painting, (Photo; Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
He was known as a leader, a Zionist, and a philanthropist.
Jewish Community Leaders (Communal Council), Thessaloniki, Greece. (Photos (L-R), Leon Yehuda Recanati, Jacob Cazes, Eli Benozilio, Leon Gattegno (Photo: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
“My grandfather was the head of the Jewish community in the 30's,” explained Leon Recanati, a prominent business leader, a philanthropist, and his grandfather’s namesake. “He was a Zionist leader,” he added.
Leon Recanati, Prominent Business Leader and Philanthropist (Photo:Courtesy Leon Recanati)
Everything changed though with Hitler’s rise to power. His grandfather believed that European Jews were in immediate danger, and felt the urgency to leave Greece. According to Recanati, his grandfather travelled regularly for business, but one trip to Germany in particular changed the course of his life.
“When he was in the square he listened to what Hitler was shouting, and he was really frightened,” explained Recanati.
When he returned to Thessaloniki, he advised the Jewish community to immigrate to Palestine (The Land of Israel under the British Mandate). He was concerned that Europe was too dangerous for Jews.
“In 1935, he took his family —his four sons and his wife — to Palestine and established a bank in Tel Aviv.“ The iconic bank he established, along with Moshe Carasso and Joseph Albo, was the Palestine Discount Bank (later became the Israel Discount Bank).
"He started doing things on the business aspect and on the philanthropic aspect. He gave stipends to needy students to go to university," said Recanati. He began to assist students in Israel in 1939, a continuation of the philanthropic part of his life aiding students in Thessaloniki starting in 1929.
Aliyah from Thessaloniki, and the establishment of a few Moshavim (cooperative farming communities). (Photo: (Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
Taking on a pioneer role as well, he helped establish some communities in Israel. "He, together with a group of other people in Israel from Salonika, established a few moshavim (cooperative farming communities), such as Zur (Tzur) Moshe. It was very successful, people appreciated it."
Unfortunately, Leon Yehuda Recanati passed away in 1945, just three years before his grandson was born. In 2011, Recanati founded The Salonika and Greek Jewry Heritage Center in Memory of Leon Recanati (1890-1945). Originally an exhibit at the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum in the 1990s, the exhibit was moved to the Recanati Retirement Center in 2011. The retirement center was founded in 1956 in memory of Leon Yehuda Recanati, and was sold eight years ago.
“In his memory, my late father and his brother established an old age home for the Salonika community and for Holocaust survivors in Petah Tikva.” Although the retirement home has been a separate entity for a few years, the heritage center has remained.
The Culture
"The heritage center provides the Israeli public with a unique opportunity for experiential engagement with the culture, heritage, and legacy of this millennia-old community. Boasting an extensive library, featuring rare items in Hebrew, Greek, and Ladino from the community's rich history, there is a section dedicated to the Holocaust, and a collection of Judaica and folklore artifacts," explained Recanati.
(Photos: (Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
"Every year, the heritage center attracts thousands of Israeli students, IDF soldiers, ambassadors, public figures, politicians, business people, researchers, and the Greek-Jewish community`s descendants. It serves as a crucial cultural hub, offering up-to-date studies, cultural shows, and active engagement with the community's Holocaust survivors to record and document their stories."
Typical table in a Sephardic home in Thessaloniki before the Holocaust. (Photos: (Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
Designed and decorated exactly like old Sephardic homes, the heritage center is frozen in time. There are items on the table for visitors to try that were common at the time, such as candies, and jam to ensure a sweet visit.
Two key people play active roles in the heritage center's operations: David Simha, chairman, and Roni Aranya, CEO.
Chairman David Simha (Photo: Courtesy of the Heritage Center)
Simha said: "Our mission is to preserve, document, and share the rich heritage of the Jewish community of Salonika."
Roni Aranya, CEO and former manager of the Leon Recanati Retirement home that houses the Center. (Photo: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
Roni Aranya is the CEO of The Salonika and Greek Jewry Heritage Center, and former manager of the retirement home. Aranya leads the tours, and is immersed in the Sephardic culture. His grandmother was from Thessaloniki, and he was born and raised in Turkey. Aranya made Aliyah in 1967.
The History
(Photo: (Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
The heritage center tells the story of the Jews of Thessaloniki as far back as the city's founding in 315 B.C.E., when a small number of Jews began to arrive. The strong Jewish presence rapidly grew during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, when thousands arrived in Thessaloniki. Persecuted Jews from other European countries also began to arrive.
Jewish immigrants built 30 communities and synagogues named after their city and country of origin. (Photos: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
They made memories and history and lived a dream. Jewish immigrants built 30 communities and synagogues named after their city and country of origin. They thrived and flourished.
(Photo: Israel Sites and Sights / Janis Raisen)
David Ben-Gurion, who became Israel's first prime minister in 1948, visited Thessaloniki In 1911. He was so inspired by what he described as the most successful and resourceful Jewish community in the world. He envisioned the same for the Land of Israel.
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