Jewish life in Greece can be traced back two millennia; the
Apostle St. Paul (aka Saul) preached in the Thessaloniki synagogue,
bringing the words of the Gospel to the Balkans. Jews in Greece of
that period came to be known as Romaniotes of Roman Empire roots
and Greek-speaking, the epoch’s lingua franca. Business-oriented,
Jews became peddlers, artisans and petty bourgeoisie as they
assimilated in the broader society. A decisive development in their
existence occurred in 1492, when the Iberian Sephardic
(Ladino-speaking) Jews were given the choice of conversion or
expulsion. Those choosing the latter option were welcomed in the
Ottoman Empire, rising to positions of honor and influence,
especially in the modern city of Thessaloniki, which was
transformed into the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” Their idyllic
existence was shattered permanently in the 20th century via war,
fire, transfer of population and sovereignty and, ultimately, the
Shoa — the Holocaust which claimed 87% of the Jewish population,
including members of the Matathias family.
Date
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Time
12:15 p.m.
Location
Council Hall, Queens campus
Speaker
Asher J. Matathias, Ph.D.
Asher J. Matathias received a B.A. from Long Island University
(Brooklyn Campus), class of ’65, a M.A. from the Graduate Faculty
of the New School, class of ’67 and completed course work for a
Ph.D. in political science at the same school working on
Renaissance literature.
More information
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