“At the Crossroads: The Jewish Community of Corfu”
Τhe temporary historical exhibition under the title: “At the Crossroads: The Jewish Community of Corfu”, was created by the Jewish Museum of Greece to frame the memorial events organised by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Athens, on the occasion of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
The exhibition constitutes a brief historical and cultural flashback in the life and traditions of the Jewish Community of Corfu. The unique geographical position of the island, at the point where the Western world meets the East, endowed the community with special characteristics of multiculturalism, rarely found elsewhere. These found expression in the language, traditions and customs of the community, as well as the liturgy, architecture and decoration of its Synagogues. All eras of the community’s centuries-old history have left their tangible marks in all these aspects of its life.
After the community’s near destruction in the Second World War, very few elements that remind us of its erstwhile multicoloured past remain. This exhibition by the JMG hopes to constitute a small reminder of a world now lost…
Despite Corfu’s proximity to mainland Greece, where Jewish communities have existed since ancient times, the Jewish presence on the island was first recorded by...
The Treaty of London (29 March 1864) recognised the Ionian Islands as a greek province. The High Commissioner officially proclaimed the Union of the...
After the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, the constantly improving of the standing of the Corfiot Jews, both financially and culturally, irritated...
During the Second World War, the Ionian Islands were initially under Italian occupation. After the Italian surrender in 1943, the Germans, having destroyed many...
Only a small number of ritual objects and textiles from Corfu’s synagogues is still extant, but archival photos of the synagogues’ interior can give...
The lack of archival material leaves many questions unanswered on the history of Corfu’s Jewish cemeteries, especially concerning modern times.
The old Pugliesi cemetery was located...
Some of the Jewish customs of Corfu comprised specific characteristics, owing to the multicultural environment of the island and the close cohabitation of various...
Corfu, being a bridge between the Balkans and Italy, was bound to become a place of mixed cultures and, therefore, languages. Romaniote Jews in Greece...
Admittedly, relations between the two Jewish communities of Corfu, the Greci and the Pugliesi, were never harmonious. When, at the time of the settlement...
The Jews of Corfu were distinguished by their urban character as well as their professional occupations, which were mainly focused on trade, manufacturing and...
The Jews of Corfu made an important contribution to intellectual life. A characteristic expression of their progressive thought and contribution to the letters is...
The doctor-philosopher Lazzaro de Mordo was born in Corfu in 1774, the scion of an old medical family, his grandfather, Lazarus, and father, Sabbetai,...
EXHIBITION CURATOR
Zanet Battinou
RESEARCH - TEXTS
Christina Meri
Alexios Menexiadis
TEXT TRANSLATION
Alexios Menexiadis
TEXT EDITING
Alexandra Patrikiou
Damian Mac Con Uladh
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Hayia Cohen
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Victoria Kosti
COMMUNICATIONS
Elisa Solomon
PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE
Leonidas Papadopoulos
PRINTING
Stavros Belessakos, Photosynthesis
The Jewish...
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