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Modern
Rhodes and Its Roots By
Arnie Greenberg (The
historic synagogue on the island of Rhodes, above) This is an island teeming with history, crammed with visitors and boasting great cruise ships from many ports. The day would go quickly as we sat in the main square, the Square of the Martyred Jews, next to the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. One cannot imagine the original port with its great arch, the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient wonder. Rhodes Figured Prominently in Aegean Civilization Rhodes figured prominently in the Aegean civilization of ancient times. From the age of the Dorians it flourished as a commercial center with colonies scattered throughout the Aegean basin. In the 5th century BC, the Dorian League became part of the confederacy under Athens. But the League broke up around the 4th century BC, and by 332, Rhodes submitted to Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, the citizens of Rhodes revolted and sent the Macedonians packing, so to speak.
(A typical street in Rhodes) Over the next 200 years, the island achieved prosperity and political power. It became the center of culture with many artists making a name for themselves. It was the work of Chares in the 3rd century BC who created the celebrated Colossus, built to celebrate the victory over the Persians. It was a 98-foot statue of the sun god Helios, later replaced by Apollo. The statue was destroyed by an earthquake in 225 BC. Here too lived the great Laocoon ( Lay-ah-ca-wan) who was the subject of great sculptures. Later the island sided with Julius Caesar in his struggle with Pompey. By 394 AD the Rhodesians were attached to the Ottoman Empire, which lasted until 1309, when the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem occupied it. Later, the Turks returned, lay siege to Rhodes and ruled the island until the Turko-Italian War of 1912. The island was ceded to Greece in 1947. Today There Is A Flourising Economy Today there is a flourishing economy based on agricultural products, manufactured goods, carpets, soap and brandy. Of course, tourism flourished with the expansion of the port and the construction of modern beach hotels.
(One of the modern beaches on Rhodes today) Today, Rhodes has 27 beaches and international tourists bungy-jumping or using go-carts, snorkeling, riding jet skis, banana-boats, water bikes or parasailing. The city is also teeming with restaurants and bars. But there is another side to this fascinating city. Here in the midst of the maze of tiny streets is a small but expanding synagogue, a testimony to the days when Jews were free to live and worship here. Jews Arrive After the Spanish Inquisition After 1492 and the Spanish Inquisition, the Jews who left Spain settled in many of the areas controlled by the Ottomans. Rhodes was one such place, although there were Jews here as far back as the second century BC, as one can read in the book of Maccabees. Even the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius refers to the Jewish presence on Rhodes. Sephardic
Jews brought with them their culture, their customs and traditions. The language
spoken was Ladino or Judeo-Spanish. By 1943 Rhodes was taken over by the Germans and on July 23, 1944, 1673 members of the Jewish Community were arrested and deported to Auschwitz. Only 151 survived. After the war, the island was ceded to Greece. Today there are only a handful of Jews living in Rhodes, but the ancient synagogue is being reconstructed with both public and private funds and recently with the unstinting help of a retired Jewish couple from South Africa who are spending their retirement seeing that the building and museum are rebuilt.
(A group of visitors at the Rhodes synagogue listen to the history of the religious site) The Kahal Kadosh Shalom Synagogue (Holy Congregation of Peace) is the oldest in Greece and the last remaining in Rhodes. It has been standing on central Dossiadou and Simiou Streets since the 1570s. It is still used by visiting groups of former residents for special occasions, High Holiday and Sabbath services. It follows the traditional Sephardic style with the bimah or prayer reading table in the center of the sanctuary, facing southeast toward Jerusalem.
(The lovely bimah in the Rhodes synaogue) The floor is decorated with graceful black-and-white mosaic stone patterns in a motif often seen in the Old City of Rhodes. In 1934 a balcony was created along the western wall of the sanctuary as a result of the liberalization of religious policy. Prior to that, women were separated from men in rooms along the south wall. In
the space where the mikvah, or ritual bath, had stood, there is a sanctuary and
a newly acquired Museum of Jewish Rhodes, Peace
in the world, let there be peace…May our eyes
For
more information or to make a donation to the museum or reconstruction, write
to The Jewish Community of Rhodes The web site is www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org
The Jewish cemetary is 2 KM outside the old city. It is one of the oldest, best-preserved and historically-significant Jewish cemeteries in the world. There has been a recent recovery and restoration of 400 ancient burial stones that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. More to See on the Island There
is much more to the Island of Rhodes than the city. It is about 540 Sq. miles
with many beautiful towns and a mountain peak about 4,000 feet above sea level.
The farms produce cotton, fruit, sponges and tobacco.The town of Lindos is worth
visiting for at least part of a day. It is in a beach area along the southeast
coast.
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