Anti-semitism in Greece
By Barnaby Phillips
January 25th, 2010
Arson attacks at Crete synangogue prompt soul-searching in Greece.
Anti-semitism has reared its head in Greece this month.
The only remaining synagogue on the island of Crete, a lovingly restored medieval jewel, has been attacked by arsonists, not once, but twice.
The first attack, on the night of January 5, resulted in the destruction of about 1,800 books, many of them valuable. A second attack, 11 nights later, destroyed part of the synagogue’s wooden roof, and two offices.
This follows the desecration of several other Jewish synagogues and cemeteries in towns and cities across Greece in recent months; in Athens, Larissa, Volos, Thessaloniki, and Ioannina.
It has led to some soul-searching in Greece; this commentary appeared in one of the leading newspapers.. http://ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_columns_1_19/01/2010_114151
From abroad, there has been stronger condemnation; take a look at this piece in the Wall Street Journal, which may offend some Greeks, as it raises the issue of collaboration during the brutal Nazi occupation. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704320104575014571634292264.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.
It’s true, as Mr Apostolou writes, that many Greeks know little about the large Jewish community that thrived for hundreds of years in Thessaloniki (also called Salonika).
In fact, Thessaloniki, now an almost exclusively Orthodox Christian city, was a melting pot of faiths - Islam, Judaism, and Christianity - until the beginning of the 20th century.
The Muslems were forced to leave in the 1923 population exchanges with Turkey, and the Jews were all but wiped-out during the Nazi occupation.
But, if the initial investigations from the Greek police are anything to go by, the attacks on the Crete synagogue may not be the work of a local gang.
The police have arrested three people; one Greek man, and two British men, who worked in a local nightclub, and they say they’re looking for an American citizen.
Meanwhile the Greek government has said it will help pay for the restoration of the synagogue, and has a responsibility to protect it.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/europe/2010/01/25/anti-semitism-greece
