On Greek isle of Rhodes, Jews return to celebrate ancient community all but wiped out

RHODES, Greece (JTA) – Each summer, tens of thousands of tourists descend on Rhodes, Greece’s easternmost island. They are drawn by the sandy beaches, the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, the casino resorts and the prospect of exploring the medieval walled old city that was built by Crusader knights.

But for a few, it’s an annual pilgrimage, a homecoming that commemorates the Jews of this Mediterranean island who lived here for 2,000 years — up until July 23, 1944, when the last among them were deported to Auschwitz. This annual gathering, including Holocaust survivors and descendants, is a testament to the success of efforts to keep alive the spirit and identity of the community.

Rodos. Svakog ljeta, desetak tisuća turista dolazi na Rodos, oduševljeni ljepotama  ali i mogućnosšću da istraže srednjovjekovne zidine starog grada  izgrađenog od Križara. Ali za neke je to i hodočašće, vraćanje kući kako bi komemorirali Židove ovog mediteranskog otoka koji su tu živjeli 2.000 godina,  sve do 23. srpnja 1944.  kada je posljednji od njih deportiran u Auschwitz. Godišnji sastanak onih koji su preživjeli Holokaust i njihovih potomaka  je potvrda uspješnih napora da se oživi duh i identitet zajednice.

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The Jewish community of Rhodes traces its history back to the second century B.C.E., but most of the community members were descendants of the Sephardi Jews expelled from Spain and spoke Judeo-Spanish, or Ladino, in their daily lives. The community largely thrived under Ottoman rule, reaching a peak in the 1920s with some 4,000 Jews, a quarter of the total town population. It had four synagogues, a Jewish school and a yeshiva.

Only 151 people survived; none of them returned to live in Rhodes. An attempt in 1956 to restart the community brought 25 Jewish families from mainland Greece, said Carmen Cohen, the current director of the community, who was one of those who came. Only five of those families remain on the island today. Greece now has some 5,000 Jews, most of them living in Athens