The Jews in Spain
Contents Before the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, Spanish Jewry thrived as one of the most significant and culturally rich Jewish communities in the world. Known as Sephardic Jews, they had a distinct culture, language, and identity deeply intertwined with the Iberian Peninsula. The Sephardic Timeline SephardicU has constructed a comprehensive and visually […]
Jewish Life in the Ottoman Empire
Under Ottoman rule, Jews found a relatively tolerant environment compared to their experiences in Europe. Sultan Bayezid II’s welcoming of Jewish refugees from Spain in 1492 set the tone for subsequent relations between the Ottoman Empire and its Jewish population. Jews were often granted autonomy in communal and religious affairs, allowing them to maintain their […]
Jewish Life in Rhodes
Contents The story of the Sephardi community of Rhodes began in 1523, when Rhodes came under the control of the benevolent rule of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, head of the Ottoman Empire (1522-1566). Jewish settlement was encouraged and the majority of the new Jewish immigrants were those who had found refuge in Turkey at the […]
Deportation and Holocaust
From September 1943 until July 1944, while the Germans were arresting and displacing Jews all over Greece, no measures were taken against the Jews living in Rhodes. This eased their initial fears and gave to the members of the Jewish Community the false impression of peace and hope that nothing serious was going to occur. […]
Settlement and Life in the Congo
The Congo Free State was annexed by the Belgians in 1908 and became the Belgian Free State. When the first Rhodeslis arrived in the Belgian Congo, they found a few Jews of Ashkenazi origin working in the trading sector. These forerunners had founded the Congrégation Israélite du Katanga in 1909. The first Jew from Rhodes to arrive […]