Jews of Rhodes: Family Memories & Heritage
118 photos in this collection
Ottoman Conquest of Rhodes
Ottoman Turks conquer Rhodes from the Knights of St. John, beginning four centuries of relative religious freedom for the Jewish community.
Jewish Community of Rhodes (jewishrhodes.org)
Kahal Shalom Synagogue Founded
The Kahal Shalom Synagogue is established in the Jewish quarter of Rhodes — today the oldest surviving synagogue in Greece.
Rhodes Jewish Museum
Alliance Israélite Universelle School Opens
The Alliance Israélite Universelle opens a school on Rhodes, bringing modern French-language education to the community alongside traditional Ladino culture.
Jewish Virtual Library
Beginning in the early 1900s, Jews from Rhodes emigrated to the Americas, settling in communities in New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Zimbabwe, and the Belgian Congo.
First Rhodesli in Seattle
Nissim Alhadeff arrives in Seattle from Rhodes — the first known Rhodesli on the American West Coast, beginning a chain of immigration.
HistoryLink.org (File 864)
Brotherhood League of Rhodes (New York)
The Brotherhood League of Rhodes is organized in New York City by Rhodesli immigrants, forming the nucleus of what becomes a thriving Sephardic community.
Avotaynu Online
Italian Conquest of Rhodes
Italy conquers Rhodes and the Dodecanese from the Ottoman Empire during the Italo-Turkish War. The Jewish community numbers approximately 4,500 — its historical peak.
Jewish Community of Rhodes (jewishrhodes.org)
Ezra Bessaroth Congregation (Seattle)
Ezra Bessaroth Congregation is incorporated in Seattle, evolving from earlier mutual aid societies. By this time roughly 600 Sephardic Jews live in the city, many from Rhodes.
HistoryLink.org
The Rhodesli community maintained distinctive Sephardic Passover traditions, including unique Ladino songs and recipes.
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne formally cedes the Dodecanese islands to Italy. Under Governor Mario Lago, Greek, Turkish, and Jewish communities coexist under relatively benign administration.
Cambridge University Press
Italian Racial Laws
Mussolini enacts the Leggi Razziali (Racial Laws). On Rhodes, the rabbinical seminary is closed and Jews who became Italian citizens after 1919 are ordered to relinquish citizenship. Approximately 2,000 Jews flee Rhodes over the following months — to the Americas, Africa, and Palestine.
Jewish Virtual Library; Yad Vashem
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Rhodesli Heritage Archive
Preserving the memory of the Jewish community of Rhodes