Photos: Dan Lundberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 Adler, Elkan Nathan, 1861-1946, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Annatsach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Dan Lundberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 Adler, Elkan Nathan, 1861-1946, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Annatsach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sephardic Thessaloniki: Jewish history walk
Your local guide
Alexandros Hatzis
View profile
Highlights
- The Jewish Museum and the old quarters around it
- Ladino, the language still heard in shop names
- Monastirioton, the synagogue that survived the war
- The Holocaust memorial at the university campus
- The site of a cemetery now built over
About this tour
This session is a walk through Sephardic Thessaloniki, following the story of the city's Jewish community from the old quarters to the university campus. The camera moves from the Jewish Museum and the markets around it, to the Monastirioton synagogue, the only one in the city to survive the war, and ends at a memorial built over the site of an old cemetery. Ladino, the language once spoken through these streets, threads through the whole walk.
The call opens with a sound check and moves through the three stops in the order the community's history unfolded, with time for questions built into each stop rather than left to the end. A short reading list on the city's Jewish history follows once the call ends.
This suits anyone with a personal or family connection to Sephardic Thessaloniki, and anyone with a general interest in the city's Jewish history. It also suits someone who wants a serious, unhurried walk rather than a highlights reel.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 7 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Thessaloniki before heading out.
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Jewish Museum and the old quarters 21 min
From outside the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, the camera moves into the old Jewish quarters around the markets, and the guide points out where Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language once spoken widely here, still turns up in shop names.
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Monastirioton synagogue 21 min
Outside the only synagogue in the city to survive the Second World War, the camera takes in its facade while the guide explains how it escaped the destruction that took the rest.
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Memorial and old cemetery site 21 min
At the university, built over what was once one of Europe's largest Jewish cemeteries, the camera holds on the Holocaust memorial while the guide explains what stood here before the campus did.
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Your questions 14 min
Time to ask anything about Thessaloniki: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 6 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Trigona Panoramatos and Ano Poli, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Athens time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 12 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Thessaloniki, showing you Modiano Market and White Tower live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Thessaloniki live with my phone and you ask anything as we go.
Times shown in Athens time (EET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Thu 17 Dec · 12 seats left From 24,00 €
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