A memorial service was held in the northern port city of Thessaloniki on Sunday for the roughly 50,000 Jews of the city - which once boasted the largest Ladino-speaking Sephardic community in the world -- exterminated during the WWII Holocaust.

The memorial service was held at the ancient metropolis' Monastirioton Synagogue, under the auspices of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki.

Macedonia University rector Ilias Kouskouvelis, who served as the keynote speaker during the event, outlined the historical course of Greek Jews in Thessaloniki and their significant contributions to the city and the entire region.

On his part, the president of Thessaloniki's Jewish Community, David Saltiel, noted that despite the unprecedented devastation brought on by the Holocaust, the remaining Jewish population of Thessaloniki was able to persevere and now records a significant presence in the city's life.

The memorial service was attended by Deputies Stavros Kalafatis, Tassos Spiliotopoulos, Evangelos Venizelos, Yiannis Magriotis, Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis, Thessaloniki Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos, foreign diplomats and representatives of local organizations and entities.

Source: Athens News Agency

^
top

print this page   send this page