Description of the attraction
In the capital of the same name on the Greek island of Rhodes, in the old Jewish quarter, there is the Kahal Sholom synagogue - the oldest in Greece and the only synagogue that has survived in Rhodes to this day.
The Kahal Sholom synagogue was built in 1577. The interior is decorated in a traditional Sephardic style. In the center of the temple there is a special elevation (the so-called "bama"), from which the Torah is read. The floor is covered with beautiful black and white mosaics. There is also a special balcony for women in the synagogue, built already in 1930 (earlier women were allowed only into the premises adjacent to the synagogue, and they could see the sanctuary only through latticed windows).
The history of the Jewish community on the island of Rhodes dates back to the 2nd century BC. For many centuries, the Jews were constantly oppressed by the Romans, knights and other peoples who ruled the island. The Jewish community, most of which consisted of the so-called "Sephardic" (immigrants from Spain who were forced to leave the country in 1492), reached its flourishing during the Ottoman rule. A total of six synagogues were built on the island. At the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 4,000 Jews lived in Rhodes. In the 1930s, under pressure from the Italians, mass emigration began. Most of the Jews who never left the island were sent to German concentration camps in 1943-44. Kahal Sholom was the only synagogue to survive the bombing during World War II.
Today, part of the premises of the Kahal Sholom synagogue is occupied by the Jewish Museum of Rhodes, founded in 1997 by Aaron Hassan (a Jewish lawyer from Los Angeles whose family emigrated from the island in the early 20th century). The main goal of the museum is to preserve and popularize the history and culture of the Jews of Rhodes. In the exhibition you can see a magnificent collection of photographs, important historical documents, national clothes, household utensils and much more.
