Jewish Synagogues in Athens

The Jewish Community of Athens has two functioning synagogues, both on the same street facing each other, in the area of Thission, near the city centre. The older of the two is the Romaniote one, built in 1904, at 8, Melidoni Steet. It is called Etz Hayyim, a common name for Romaniote synagogues. Still called “the Ioannina Synagogue” by the community’s older members, it is the smaller of the two and is used today only during the High Holidays. The ground floor houses the community’s offices, in rooms originally intended for a Jewish school. The second, the Sephardic Synagogue, is larger and newer and is located at number 5 of the street. It is a 1935 building that was completely renovated in the 1970s. Its official name is Beth Shalom and it fully covers the religious needs of the community with its daily service. Externally, it follows the neoclassical style and is covered with Pentelian marble. Inside, the modern, spacious and renovated space has no resemblance to other similar traditional synagogues. Finally, it is worth emphasizing that the ruins of the ancient synagogue of the Jews of Athens are located in the archaeological site of the Ancient Agora.