Synagogue - Kerkyra, Corfu, Greece - Synagogues on Waymarking.com

The synagogue of Corfu is located in a small side street in the north of the old town. The three story building was built in the 18th century.

The history of Jews on the island dated back many centuries. The oldest documentation is from 1160. The first Jews were Romaniotes (speaking Greek), they arrived from the Balkan peninsula. After the Middle Ages, many Jews expelled from Spain, Portugal and Italy settled on the island as well. Near the end of the 19th century, about 5000 Jews lived on Corfu, most of them in the Jewish quarter that was founded in 1622 by the Venetians for their protection, a ghetto but not enclosed.

A pogrom in 1891 made about one third of the Jews emigrate to other countries. Before World War II, Corfu had 2000 Jewish inhabitants. The stayed relatively safe under the Italian occupation, but they were succeded by the Germans in 1943. In June 1944, they deported about 1800 Jews to the concentration camps of Aushwitz and Birkenau. Less than 200 survived, and most of them never returned to Corfu.

Today, only some 60 Jews live in Corfu, that once had the largest Jewish community all over Greece. This synagogue is the last one of the four the island once had.

The synagogue is open from Monday to Saturday 10:00 - 15:00.

Status: Active house of prayer Denomination/Group: Other Address: Velissariou 24 Kerkyra, Corfu Greece 491 00 Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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