Thessaloniki – a place that can be a home away from home for Israeli tourists

With Turkey essentially off limits for Israelis since October 7, 2023, Greece – already popular with Israelis – has become the go-to destination in the region. With half a dozen airlines offering regular flights from Ben-Gurion Airport to Thessaloniki, this northern Greek coastal city is an obvious choice for Israelis who want to travel but remain close to home during these difficult times.

Thessaloniki offers visitors 2,300-plus years of history, tremendous shopping, and a Jewish story like no other in Europe. 

From our base at the welcoming Teight Hotel, the sea front is no more than 50 m. away and it’s where everybody wants to be seen. The narrow boardwalk follows the arc of the coastline with myriad cafes offering panoramic sea view. On a clear day, Mount Olympus rises to the clouds some 100 km. in the distance. 

Downtown Thessaloniki is very walkable with roads crisscrossing around the central Aristotle Square, which is shaped like a long wine bottle. 

Mock pirate ships ferry tourists around the busy port from the dock opposite the famous White Tower. Originally called the Red Tower because of its bloody past, the fortification affords stunning views across the bay. However, be prepared to walk up a broad spiral staircase to reach the wondrous 360° view.

Jewish history in the city

THIS CENTRAL district of the city was once the main hub of Jewish life. For some five centuries, Thessaloniki was the world’s only city with a Jewish majority. That all came to a crushing end with World War II, during which 96% of the community was wiped out. However, the city’s Jewish story dates back to the founding of Thessaloniki in the 4th century BCE.

Jews are believed to have joined Alexander the Great as he made Thessaloniki his own. The city is named after his half sister.

The city’s first synagogue is said to have dated back to the 1st century CE. Tradition states the Jewish locals gave Paul of Tarsus a hard time when he gave the sermon for three consecutive Sabbaths. 

In 1170, Benjamin of Tudela also passed through town, reporting on the 500 Jewish residents. 

However, the story really took off in the immediate aftermath of the 1492 Expulsion from Spain, with 20,000 Spanish Jews settling in Thessaloniki. The rest, as they say, is history – largely a positive story, compared with that of the rest of Europe. 

Jews from Italy and elsewhere in Mediterranean Europe also found a new home in this city on the Thermaic Gulf. Kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz was a Thessaloniki native before moving to Safed. His liturgic poem “Lecha Dodi” is the centerpiece of Friday night prayers across the Jewish world.

The left wall of the new Yad Lezikaron Synagogue in the Jewish community center, in the heart of the city, summarizes the story by simply listing the telltale names of the dozens of synagogues (Castilia, Lisbon, Sicily etc.) that existed prior to the 1917 fire that engulfed much of the city, and onward to the Holocaust. Morning and evening religious services take place daily here.

The only sanctuary to survive the Holocaust is the Monastir Synagogue, used for the High Holy Days, communal occasions, and celebrations. The Red Cross used the sanctuary as stables during World War II.

“My parents were married on these steps, as were my husband and I,” says the wonderful tour guide to Jewish Thessaloniki, Hella Kounio-Matalon. 

Her father survived Auschwitz and her mother was hidden in Athens. Her husband is also the child of survivors.

The Germans deported 50,000 Jews to their deaths. They are memorialized by a seafront sculpture, with a Holocaust museum in the works. The Nazis destroyed what was the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, containing 350,000 graves. The area is now the site of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Here too, a haunting sculpture marks the “spot” that covered an area equivalent to 80 football fields.

The modern Thessaloniki Jewish community numbers around 1,000 but their number is declining. However, there’s a school, kosher senior residence, and regular events. There’s also a small but growing Israeli community. And it wouldn’t be a popular tourist destination without an active Chabad presence and its kosher restaurant in the Astoria Hotel.

TO GET THE best overview of the city, take the short journey by taxi to the city walls in the upper town from where you can understand how Thessaloniki grew from a sizeable city of some 100,000 people in the 11th century to a bustling metropolis of more than a million souls in 2024.

Historic monasteries and vine-covered pergolas pepper the path down the narrow alleyways, leaving behind the walls, which in their heyday extended some eight km. and still run half that length.

The locals are a friendly bunch. Expect a wave and a friendly grin as they sip coffees on the verandas overlooking the steep pathways that lead down to the modern part of the city. 

While most people under age 60 speak some English, offering them a cheery “kaliméra” greeting will go a long way. Don’t be surprised if you’re invited to join them for a glass of ouzo. 

Talking of aperitifs, the downtown outdoor market includes a wondrous Aladdin’s cave of olive oil products, with potent local alcohols for sale from steel Greek urns. Just ask for Alexandra and you’re guaranteed a warm welcome and detailed explanation of the products in faultless English.

Nobody is quite sure where Demetrius was killed by Roman soldiers at the demand of the emperor. Nevertheless, his conversion to Christianity and subsequent martyrdom are commemorated in the magnificent Holy Church of Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. A museum recalls the incident along with other ancient artifacts beneath the altar. This subterranean space has been used through the ages as a public bathhouse, prison, and storage area.

Walking through any city can be hard work for tourists, making food stops along the way a must. Estrella is an excellent all-day brunch option, heavy on the eggs, with mouthwatering desserts. Closer to the waterfront is Moldee, a fancy restaurant that prides itself on serving dishes based on local seasonal produce, which means the menu is regularly updated. 

As the sun sets over the busy port, with the outline of Mount Olympus beckoning another evening stroll, there’s something very familiar about Thessaloniki. There are hints of Haifa, Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood, and Jerusalem or Acre. Perhaps it’s the architecture, or the layout of the streets, or the selection of locally-owned stores. Or maybe it’s a certain Mediterranean je ne sais quoi that leaves visitors unable to pinpoint why Thessaloniki feels just like home.

The writers host The Jerusalem Post Podcast Travel Edition (jpost.com/podcast/travel-edition). They were the guests of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization (thessaloniki.travel) and the Greek National Tourism Organisation (visitgreece.gr).