Jewish Museum

Before World War Two, Athens—and Greece—had a vibrant Jewish community. Inevitably, this museum focuses on what was lost. The most impressive exhibit preserves the bema (pulpit) and Torah from the Patras synagogue, which the Germans razed. The Greek city of Thessaloniki was once known as the "Second Jerusalem" because of its large Jewish population; of the 60,000 Jews living there before the war, fewer than 3,000 survived. What is most moving are the bits and pieces of daily life and religious ceremonies including wedding photos of couples soon to be shipped off to the concentration camps, toys of children also sent to die, and sets of special Passover china that deportees left for safekeeping with their Christian neighbors. Labels are available in English and the small shop has books, postcards, and replicas of religious objects for sale.