Beit Avi Chai

Wednesday | May 8 | 7pm (12pm EDT)

The Long History of the Jews of Greece

The First Jews of Ancient Greece

Dr. Katherine Aron-Beller 

The first Jews reached Greece in the early Hellenistic period as entrepreneurs, tempted by the possibilities of trade, military activity and other opportunities. They established themselves quickly into communities which resembled each other, with similar institutions uniting them. In the next few centuries, a steady stream of Jewish emigrants arrived from Judaea to the cities of the Greek diaspora. We will discuss how it was possible for Jews to dwell in cities “not their own” and what their strategies were for coping with, accepting and participating in Greek life without losing their identities.

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Wednesday | May 15 | 7pm (12pm EDT)

The Long History of the Jews of Greece

The Rhomanian Jews of Byzantine

Dr. Katherine Aron-Beller 

The study of Byzantine Jewry – its political and social history no less than its cultural institutions and achievements – has long been the stepchild of Jewish scholarship. A further challenge is the continually shifting borders of the Byzantine world. For a few hundred years, Jews were granted freedom of settlement and movement within the Empire and were not excluded from the Christian socio-economic space. We will attempt to define Jewish life in Greece at this time and how Jews coped with their loss of the Holy Land. We will also look at the beginnings of the Karaite communities in Greece.

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Wednesday | May 22 | 7pm (12pm EDT)

The Long History of the Jews of Greece

The Sephardi Jews and Sabbatai Zevi

Dr. Katherine Aron-Beller 

Spanish speaking exiles found a welcoming haven in the Ottoman Empire in the late XV and early XVI centuries. The newcomers settled in central parts of the mainland, particularly around Salonika, turning the city into one of the most important ports in the Ottoman Empire. The Sephardim, who were innovative and radical, constituted the majority of the city’s population and developed communities with many institutions. Among them was the false messiah Sabbatai Zevi, whose presence and followers in Greece caused an emotional upheaval in the Jewish community the reactions to which continued until the XX century.

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Wednesday | May 29 | 7pm (12pm EDT)

The Long History of the Jews of Greece

Greek Jewish Life in the Twentieth Century

Dr. Katherine Aron-Beller 

Among the unique Greek Jewish communities in the late XIX and early XX centuries, Salonika was considered the most distinguished. Until the arrival of the Nazis in 1941, the city housed two-thirds of Greek Jewry, resulting in over one-third of its population being Jewish. The Jews of Salonika were the undisputed masters in almost all sectors of the economy. They represented all social classes, and were to be found in every profession. In this last session, we will follow the city’s history in the XX century by looking at different historical events up to the Jews’ return in the post-war years.

Wednesday | May 29 7pm (12pm EDT)