Synagogue of Patras

Ιn March 1944, when the last remaining Jews of Greece were arrested en masse, the Nazis sealed the only synagogue of Patras on Pantanassa Street, along with all its sacred and synagogal objects. After the end of the war, few Jews returned and the community barely survived until 1979, when it was officially dissolved. At the same time, it was decided to demolish the synagogue building, which also housed the Jewish school and the rabbi’s lodging. In 1984, the Jewish Museum of Greece acquired a large number of objects from the interior furnishings and artifacts of the synagogue of Patras, which, after being preserved, have since been exhibited in the Museum’s permanent exhibition, irrefutable testimonies to a once thriving Romaniote community. The rare post-war photograph of the synagogue’s exterior façade was donated to the JMG by Leon Saltiel, whom we thank warmly.