THESSALONIKI

The purpose of this research is to publish a manuscript of the treatise Sefer Habri’a (The Book of Creation), written in 1670 by Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Nathan ben Elisha Chaim Halevi Askhenazy, also known as Nathan Ghazzati or Rabbi Nathan of Gaza. It has been copied into several manuscripts, which ended up scattered around the world, until they were ultimately collected by professor Chaim Wirszubski Z.L. of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 1930s and 1940s. Wirszubski set out on a project of conducting a scientific edition of the treatise, and even published a small part of it.  However, misfortune has prevented him from finishing his great work, and he was called upon to teach in the Great Yeshiva in heavens. Now, the reader is presented with a full edition, accompanied by a comprehensive and methodical research. The research is separated from the original text, to allow the reader to focus on the text itself, if they so wish. Those who would seek to also delve into the analysis, can easily do so.
It is not everyday that a person is awarded the great privilege of returning a lost book to the collective Jewish library. Even more so when it is a book written by one of the greatest rabbis in recent generations, least of all a halakhic figure of the magnitude of Rabbi Nathan. We are faced with an unparalleled text in Rabbinic messianic and Hebrew literature. It is the central text of the Sabbatean movement after Sabbatai Zevi’s conversion to Islam. Sefer Habri’a was written by the progenitor of the movement, Rabbi Nathan of Gaza. Rabbi Nathan was famously considered a prophet by the spiritual leaders of the Jewish world in his time, and was one of those who declared Sabbatai Zevi to be a messiah. He was the one who explained the profound meaning of Zevi’s conversion, and the one who tried to prevent the masses from converting along with him.
If we wish to be certain that we can indeed declare “thou art our brother” to Nathan, we must look at this renewed text from every possible perspective. The text’s uniqueness, it’s complexity, length and meaning introduce many challenges, both on the technical-philological level and on that of semantic analysis. We should also pay heed to how socially problematic the Sabbatean movement is, following the heated debates that arose several generations after Zevi’s conversion. On that subject, we can view Sefer Habri’a as a treatise which ascribes profound meaning to Zevi’s ‘foreign acts’, through the Ha’ari’s hyper-nomic system. That is, the Lurianic Kabbalah, which unequivocally accepts the Jewish Halakha as sacred, is the treatise’s main method of discourse. It seems that the survival and continuity of Jewish tradition after the crisis was Rabbi Nathan’s main motivation in writing this immense work. That is, the desire to give a profound kabbalic meaning to the commandments of halakha, in the face of a shifting historical reality is at the heart of the text.
Sabbateanism is a grave subject in Jewish history. Therefore, whenever a new Sabbatean document is published, we must ask ourselves how its publication will affect the existing knowledge we have. When people read new material that contradicts what they perceive to be true, they often develop a ‘resistance front’, assuming that every new claim must be proved out of the existing body of knowledge, as if the unknown can be explored from the confines of the known. The problem here is evident - new information cannot be added in this way, and true learning cannot be achieved. All that can happen is that we pour old knowledge into a slightly different mould, at best. That said, there are times when a newly published document is so important that it demands of us to re-examine all of our previous held knowledge. More often than not, those who are tasked with preserving knowledge are not enthusiastic by the appearance of a new research which undermines the well known system to which they adhere. Therefore, if we wish the new knowledge to be properly accepted by people in that position, upon publishing such a document we must present in detail what we retain, and what we reconsider. It is possible that Sefer Habri’a would lead us into rethinking the Sabbatean movement in its entirety. It is, after all, a fundamental text written by the movement’s progenitor, immediately after the conversion. We will soon see that Sefer Habri’a would lead any observant reader to a clear understanding that it is a Kabbalah book that follows directly the writings of the Ha’ari. It is a direct continuation, and some would even say the highlight, of the Lurianic corpus. In this manner we can also see that Torat Israel, the Jewish halakha and the well-being of the nation at a time of crisis were undoubtedly on the mind of the author, Rabbi Nathan of Gaza, and that he was a loyal grand sage of Israel.

The paper analyzes the process of the Jewish community of Salonika's passage from the Ottoman into the Greek period through its organizational patterns and its internal and external politics. Using a variety of primary sources, many of them newly unearthed, are revealed here the continuity and changes in the community's political culture as it was forced to leave the Imperial - multinational framework and adjust to the world of a Nation-State. The community's political and economic decline that followed its integration in the Greek state and the influence these developments had on the social fabric is portrayed through the communal organization.

The role that Italy played in the Holocaust of the Jews of Thessaloniki has not been documented.  Jewish Greeks of Thessaloniki and other nearby locales did not benefit either by Italian or Spanish Diplomacy and the Diplomats.  The unfortunate indirect role that Italy played in the Annihilation of Jewish Greeks will be demonstrated.  The adaptability, along with the fortunes of war, and, consequently, its interpretation at will by the Spanish Administration, of the Spanish Citizenship (its rights and privileges) of Jewish Thessalonikians is also demonstrated.  It is regrettable that the self–evident and obvious duty of a Country – State to protect its own citizens had to be transubstantiated into and elevated to the realm of Humanity and Saving and Rescue.

The goal of this study is to understand the process of aviation fuel transport from the refinery to the airport and forecast future fuel demand. This research estimates consumed aviation fuel and develops forecasts of future demand for aviation fuels. The airport database and information about aircraft routes from/to Makedonia Airport, monthly airline schedule, number of arrivals and departures were taken into account. Based on these data and the Intel EU database, the consumption of fuels in the airport for all passenger flights was estimated as well as the number of required trucks for the transportation of aviation fuel. It is found that the presence of the low cost airline Ryan Air contributed to the increase in demand.

Το βιβλίο της Ε. Μυρογιάννη έρχεται να προσθέσει ένα είδος βιβλίου άγνωστου στην ελληνική εκδοτική πραγµατικότητα. Η συγγραφέας, αξιοποιώντας τη συγγραφική της εµπειρία στο Ην. Βασίλειο, έγραψε ένα παιδικό βιβλίο που στέκεται µεταξύ δύο ειδών: από τη µία βρίσκονται οι πιο γενικές εκδόσεις οι οποίες πραγµατεύονται απευθυνόµενες σε παιδιά ένα φαινόµενο ή µια πτυχή της αρχαιοελληνικής ή της βυζαντινής κοινωνίας. Από την άλλη βρίσκονται τα έντυπα που παράγουν τα ίδια τα µουσεία και οι εφορείες αρχαιοτήτων, που αφορούν σε ένα συγκεκριµένο έκθεµα ή έκθεση και µπορούν να αξιοποιηθούν από τα παιδιά µόνο µε την παρουσία και τη βοήθεια µουσειοπαιδαγωγού. Το βιβλίο της Μυρογιάννη «γεφυρώνει» και τις δύο παραπάνω κατηγορίες, ανοίγοντας νέους δρόµους. Παρότι το βιβλίο φέρει το γενικό τίτλο 10 µικροί διάλογοι για ένα µουσείο, δηλώνεται εξαρχής ότι αφετηρία του αποτελεί το Μουσείο Βυζαντινού Πολιτισµού στη Θεσσαλονίκη και µάλιστα συγκεκριµένα εκθέµατά του, τα οποία δυστυχώς δεν ορίζονται µε τρόπο που θα επέτρεπε στον επισκέπτη του Μουσείου να τα εντοπίσει στην έκθεσή του. Ωστόσο, η συγγραφέας µε αφορµή τα αντικείµενα αυτά καταφέρνει να διαπραγµατευτεί µε ευαισθησία, µέσα από τα συννεφάκια τύπου κόµικς των διαλόγων της, θέµατα γενικότερα, που αφορούν τόσο στην ίδια την υπόσταση των µουσείων και των συλλογών όσο και στις ιδέες που βρίσκονται ενσωµατωµένες στα εκθέµατα. Στον πρώτο διάλογο προσδιορίζεται το αρχαιολογικό µουσείο, οι συλλογές του και ο λόγος ύπαρξής του. Στο δεύτερο διάλογο, µε αφορµή ένα ψηφιδωτό και τις παραστάσεις του, παρουσιάζεται η γνώση που έχει αποθησαυρίσει το παιδί µε την παρατήρηση, αντισταθµίζοντας τη γνώση του γονιού, ενώ εισάγεται και η έννοια της πρόσληψης χαράς από την επίσκεψη στο µουσείο. Στον τρίτο διάλογο, µε αφορµή ένα φύλλο πορφυρού κώδικα, γίνεται αναφορά στους συλλέκτες και τις συλλογές, στη συναισθηµατική αξία των κειµηλίων και στην εναπόθεσή τους στα µουσεία µε την ελπίδα της περαιτέρω επιβίωσής τους. Στον τέταρτο διάλογο, µε αφορµή ένα κορινθιακό κιονόκρανο, παρουσιάζεται η αξία των ιστορικών πηγών στην κατανόηση των αρχαιοτήτων. Στον πέµπτο διάλογο, µε αφορµή ένα απλό πήλινο παιχνίδι, παρουσιάζεται η εξέλιξη της φύσης και των θεµάτων των παιχνιδιών µέσα στο χρόνο. Στον έκτο διάλογο, µε αφορµή µία επιτύµβια στήλη, προσεγγίζεται η ετυµολογία των λέξεων και των ονοµάτων, αλλά και η διαχρονικότητα κάποιων κοινωνικών φαινοµένων. Ο έβδοµος διάλογος, µε αφορµή τις µολύβδινες ευλογίες και τους σταυρούς, παρουσιάζει θέµατα ιδιαίτερα έντονα στην τοπική ιστορία της Θεσσαλονίκης και ταυτόχρονα καθοδηγεί τα παιδιά σταδιακά από την κατανόηση της χρήσης του εκθέµατος στη συνειδητοποίηση µιας πιο θεωρητικής πτυχής, που κρύβει το καθένα τους. Στον όγδοο διάλογο, µε αφορµή µιαν εικόνα της Παναγίας, υποδεικνύεται στο παιδί η θεώρηση του καλλιτεχνήµατος µέσα από το βλέµµα του καλλιτέχνη και όχι µόνο του θεατή. Στον ένατο διάλογο, µε αφορµή βαρύτιµα κοσµήµατα, θίγονται θέµατα γλωσσικά, σχετικά µε την ορολογία που απαντά στα µουσεία, αλλά και η διάθεση κατοχής ωραίων αντικειµένων ως γενεσιουργός αιτία των ιδιωτικών συλλογών και των µουσείων, και η περιοδικότητα των αλλαγών του γούστου. Στο δέκατο διάλογο, µε αφορµή τα πήλινα πιθάρια, θίγεται το θέµα της άντλησης πληροφοριών από τις πινακίδες της έκθεσης, ενώ γίνεται επίσης αναφορά και σε άλλες λειτουργίες ενός άρτιου µουσείου, όπως το βιβλιοπωλείο και το κυλικείο.

Private restitution of Nazi looted art was until recently an
underestimated issue on the agenda of nations and art institutions. The historical and legal context shows clearly that WWII brought the protection of cultural property on the foreground. Private parties were left out of the scope of all international agreements that provided for the restitution of
Nazi looted art. A private party in order to establish its claim for restitution has to deal with the legal complexities that arise. This essay attempts to present and compare the relevant case law and to portray the new tendencies. Emphasis is given to alternative dispute resolution particularly in connection to the special advisory commissions/panels, which followed the Washington Principles 1998. Moreover, this essay tries to inform about
the private cultural property of the Greek Jews of Thessaloniki, presenting the results of a compressed yet fruitful research in published sources and the archives of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki.

Συμβάλλοντας στην ευρεία δημόσια συζήτηση για την υπό ανάπτυξη περιοχή, σε αυτό το άρθρο παρουσιάζεται ένα σχέδιο συμμετοχικής διαβούλευσης, το οποίο γενικότερα στοχεύει στην οργανική δημιουργία δημόσιων χώρων και στην ενίσχυση της αίσθησης του τόπου (sense of place) στις γειτονιές της πόλης. Στο επίκεντρο του άρθρου βρίσκεται η θεσμική καινοτομία και η έννοια της κυβερνησιμότητας, η οποία έχει ως επίκεντρο την ενίσχυση της ποιότητας ζωής μέσα από την κοινωνική ένταξη και την τοπική πολιτιστική έκφραση. Έτσι λοιπόν, αυτό το άρθρο συμβάλει στη μακροπρόθεσμη εκπόνηση ενός κοινού προβληματισμού σχετικά με το μέλλον της Ελληνικής πόλης. Παρόλα αυτά, η κατανόηση των επιπτώσεων της κρίσης που αφορούν το παρόν και το μέλλον της ποιότητας ζωής στην πόλη, παρουσιάζει μία σημαντική έλλειψη προοπτικής, ενώ οι απαραίτητες αστικές μεταρρυθμίσεις και συνακόλουθες θεσμικές διαστάσεις του αστικού περιβάλλοντος αποτελούν ένα καίριο ζήτημα.

The purpose of this research is to publish a manuscript of the treatise Sefer Habri’a (The Book of Creation), written in 1670 by Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Nathan ben Elisha Chaim Halevi Askhenazy, also known as Nathan Ghazzati or Rabbi Nathan of Gaza. It has been copied into several manuscripts, which ended up scattered around the world, until they were ultimately collected by professor Chaim Wirszubski Z.L. of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 1930s and 1940s. Wirszubski set out on a project of conducting a scientific edition of the treatise, and even published a small part of it.  However, misfortune has prevented him from finishing his great work, and he was called upon to teach in the Great Yeshiva in heavens. Now, the reader is presented with a full edition, accompanied by a comprehensive and methodical research. The research is separated from the original text, to allow the reader to focus on the text itself, if they so wish. Those who would seek to also delve into the analysis, can easily do so.
It is not everyday that a person is awarded the great privilege of returning a lost book to the collective Jewish library. Even more so when it is a book written by one of the greatest rabbis in recent generations, least of all a halakhic figure of the magnitude of Rabbi Nathan. We are faced with an unparalleled text in Rabbinic messianic and Hebrew literature. It is the central text of the Sabbatean movement after Sabbatai Zevi’s conversion to Islam. Sefer Habri’a was written by the progenitor of the movement, Rabbi Nathan of Gaza. Rabbi Nathan was famously considered a prophet by the spiritual leaders of the Jewish world in his time, and was one of those who declared Sabbatai Zevi to be a messiah. He was the one who explained the profound meaning of Zevi’s conversion, and the one who tried to prevent the masses from converting along with him.
If we wish to be certain that we can indeed declare “thou art our brother” to Nathan, we must look at this renewed text from every possible perspective. The text’s uniqueness, it’s complexity, length and meaning introduce many challenges, both on the technical-philological level and on that of semantic analysis. We should also pay heed to how socially problematic the Sabbatean movement is, following the heated debates that arose several generations after Zevi’s conversion. On that subject, we can view Sefer Habri’a as a treatise which ascribes profound meaning to Zevi’s ‘foreign acts’, through the Ha’ari’s hyper-nomic system. That is, the Lurianic Kabbalah, which unequivocally accepts the Jewish Halakha as sacred, is the treatise’s main method of discourse. It seems that the survival and continuity of Jewish tradition after the crisis was Rabbi Nathan’s main motivation in writing this immense work. That is, the desire to give a profound kabbalic meaning to the commandments of halakha, in the face of a shifting historical reality is at the heart of the text.
Sabbateanism is a grave subject in Jewish history. Therefore, whenever a new Sabbatean document is published, we must ask ourselves how its publication will affect the existing knowledge we have. When people read new material that contradicts what they perceive to be true, they often develop a ‘resistance front’, assuming that every new claim must be proved out of the existing body of knowledge, as if the unknown can be explored from the confines of the known. The problem here is evident - new information cannot be added in this way, and true learning cannot be achieved. All that can happen is that we pour old knowledge into a slightly different mould, at best. That said, there are times when a newly published document is so important that it demands of us to re-examine all of our previous held knowledge. More often than not, those who are tasked with preserving knowledge are not enthusiastic by the appearance of a new research which undermines the well known system to which they adhere. Therefore, if we wish the new knowledge to be properly accepted by people in that position, upon publishing such a document we must present in detail what we retain, and what we reconsider. It is possible that Sefer Habri’a would lead us into rethinking the Sabbatean movement in its entirety. It is, after all, a fundamental text written by the movement’s progenitor, immediately after the conversion. We will soon see that Sefer Habri’a would lead any observant reader to a clear understanding that it is a Kabbalah book that follows directly the writings of the Ha’ari. It is a direct continuation, and some would even say the highlight, of the Lurianic corpus. In this manner we can also see that Torat Israel, the Jewish halakha and the well-being of the nation at a time of crisis were undoubtedly on the mind of the author, Rabbi Nathan of Gaza, and that he was a loyal grand sage of Israel.

קרן ד"ר אינגריד טאובר לחקר השואה בהונגריה ותולדות יהודי הונגריה



מלגות ופרסים


פרוייקטים מחקריים


אירועים של המכון הבין-לאומי לחקר השואה


 


ד"ר דוד זילברקלנג

נושאי הכתיבה בכרך זה של יד ושם – קובץ מחקרים מגוונים ופיזורם הגיאוגרפי גדול, אך שאלות של יחסי אנוש בתקופת השואה – בין יהודים לבני ארצם הלא=יהודים כמו גם בין יהודים לבין עצמם – הם נושא מרכזי וחוט מקשר. המאמרים עוסקים בחורבן הקהילה היהודית בסלוניקי ובית העלמין העתיק שלה בידי אנשי ממשל מקומיים וגרמנים (לאון שאלתיאל); בעדויות ראייה של יהודים בוורשה בתקופת המלחמה (לאה פרייס); בתשובות רבנים בהונגריה (יהודית קוֹניה); במחנה באיטליה (ליליאנה פּיצ'וֹטוֹ). המחברים מגיעים משש מדינות ומספקים תובנות ממגוון של נקודות מבט, כשהם מציגים הן נושאים לא מוכרים והן תיעוד חדש. מאמרי הביקורת עוסקים בממשלה הצ'כית (אנה הַייקוֹבה על יאן לַניצֶ'ק); בצרפת לפני המלחמה (מוֹד מַנדל על עמנואל דֶבּוֹנוֹ); בהולנד, בלגיה וצרפת (בוב מוֹר על פּים גריפיוּן ורון זֶלֶר); במנהלן נאצי בפולין (אביהו רונן על מרי פוּלבּרוּק) וביומן וביוגרפיה של ניצולה (דליה עופר על אביהו רונן).

לחץ כאן להזמנה



תוכן העניינים
◾מבוא


חיסולו של בית העלמין היהודי בסלוניקי, שהיה אז הגדול באירופה, התחיל בדצמבר 1942. מאמר זה הוא הראשון העוסק בהחרבה עצמה, אירוע יחיד במינו באירופה הכבושה. הוא דן בנפשות הפועלות העיקריות שעמדו מאחורי ההחלטה, בתהליך ההרס, כמו גם בשימוש שנעשה אחריו באבני המצבות ובקרקע. האירוע מספק מקרה בוחן אידיאלי לבחינת הקשר המשולש בין יהודי העיר, כוחות הכיבוש הגרמנים והאליטות היווניות המקומיות, ערב השילוחים. המחקר, שנעשה בו שימוש במסמכים שזה להם פרסום ראשון משלל מקורות, מראה בבירור כי הגורמים המקומיים שבידם היה הכוח למחות או לפעול נגד השילוחים הם-הם שיזמו והרוויחו מחיסולו של בית העלמין ובהמשך העלימו עין מגורל שכניהם היהודים.

Bronze finds from the apse of the early Christian basilica, atop of which was built Saint Sophia’s church in Thessaloniki, are presented and discussed. Namely, a hammered cross-shaped, bronze polycandelon with three of its original glass lamps, and a monumental cast bronze
arch decorated with a wine scroll stemming from a kantharos vessel, and the last part of the dedicatory inscription, “ἀνέθετο”. The arch was probably decorating a ciborium over the Holy Table or a reliquary, or the entrance of the chancel screen, over which was probably set the polycandelon. The church was destroyed by an earthquake and the precious bronze finds were not recovered, as were not recovered the massive bronze polycandelon chains which had been found at the middle of the church’s central nave in older excavations. The finds present the most important surviving works of the local metalworking trade of the late 5th or 6th c.

Με την εξαίρεση των στρατοπέδων «Παύλου Μελά», στη Σταυρούπολη, και «Κόδρα», στην Καλαμαριά, μερικώς, δε, και του στρατοπέδου «Πεδίου Άρεως» στην ομώνυμη τοποθεσία, ελάχιστα πράγματα είναι γνωστά για το κτιριακό δυναμικό των υπόλοιπων στρατιωτικών εγκαταστάσεων του πολεοδομικού συγκροτήματος της Θεσσαλονίκης. Αποτολμώντας την πρωταρχική διερεύνηση του θέματος, ομάδα εργασίας του Τμήματος Κεντρικής Μακεδονίας του Τεχνικού Επιμελητηρίου Ελλάδας, εξέτασε, επιτόπου, το 2005, τις κτιριακές υποδομές πέντε ανεξερεύνητων στρατοπέδων του πολεοδομικού συγκροτήματος («Κακιούση», «Ζιάκα», «Παπακυριαζή», «Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου», «Καρατάσιου»), καθώς και του στρατοπέδου «Πεδίου Άρεως». Ο συγκεκριμένος τόμος αποτελεί τον απολογισμό του έργου της ομάδας εργασίας, απώτερο στόχο του οποίου αποτέλεσε ο εντοπισμός τυχόν αξιόλογων κτηρίων και συνόλων στα έξι στρατόπεδα. Προς την κατεύθυνση αυτή, παρατίθεται, καταρχήν, εισαγωγικό κείμενο συνολικής παρουσίασης των καταγεγραμμένων κτιριακών εγκαταστάσεων, αποτίμησης των ιδιαίτερων χαρακτηριστικών τους και πρόταξης των πλέον αξιόλογων, σε συνδυασμό με κατηγοριοποίηση, με κριτήριο τις ανάγκες προστασίας τους. Ακολούθως, παρουσιάζεται παράρτημα χαρτών χωρικού εντοπισμού των καταγεγραμμένων υποδομών και καρτελών περιγραφικής και αξιολογικής αποδελτίωσής τους.

The present paper studies the orientation of 32 churches in Thessalonike, that date from the 4th to the 20th century. It investigates whether there is a connection of their astronomical alignment to any significant solar date or to the date of the patron saint’s festival. The majority of buildings under investigation (16) follow the city grid, parallel with the roman decumanus maximus, the modern Egnatia street, that is aligned to the rising sun during the winter solstice. Buildings outside the roman city have a variety of orientations. There are 7 cases of alignment on the patron’s saint day (5 positive and 2 indecisive). However, the alignent may be to the sunrise (3) or to the byzantine Third Hour (4), the time the Divine Liturgy reaches its climax. This has greater consequencies for the study of the orientation of byzantine churches, as it points to multiple solutions to the problem of the orientation towards the sunrise on patron saint’s feast day.

European cemeteries  are considered as  open- air museums.  Some  of them are also equipped with museums. There are organized various cultural events in cemeteries, too. Besides, the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe  promotes the cultural heritage of cemeteries. Even in countries where cemeteries were not yet considered as places of touristic interest, as in Greece, recently began a growing interest towards  that direction. The present paper discusses the existing conditions, focusing on the rich heritage of the various kinds of Greek cemeteries  and refers on  the perspectives of cemetery tourism.

WHO IS THE CIVIL DIGNITARY ON THE MOSAIC OF THE DONORS IN THE CHURCH OF ST DEMETRIOS IN THESSALONIKI?

This paper focuses on the analysis of the insignia, the portrait and the so-called square nimbus in order to clarify the identity of the anonymous civil dignitary depicted in the famous 7th century mosaic of the donors in the church of St Demetrios in Thessaloniki. It is argued that he is not (as often supposed) the founder of the church, the praetorian prefect of Illyricum Leontios, but rather a contemporary donor of the mid-7th century who contributed to the rebuilding of the church after a fire damaged the building about 620/30. His garment and his insignia do not fit to those of a praetorian prefect but most likely represent the highest senatorial dignity in the 7th century, namely that of an honorary consul (ἀπὸ ὑπάτων or ὕπατος). This does not exclude the possibility that he did hold the office of the prefect of eastern Illyricum (respectively of Thessaloniki) as well. The mentioning of the name Leo in the mosaic inscription pertaining to the rebuilding after the fire follows a common epigraphic habit in building inscriptions that refers to the authority responsible to approve the execution of the project. This Leo is often assumed to be the same person as the civil dignitary. Although this conclusion is generally possible it has to remain hypothetical.

Although there is extensive literature on State migration policies and NGO activities, there are few studies on the common struggles between refugees and local activists. This article aims to fill this research gap by focusing on the impact of the transnational No Border camp that took place in Thessaloniki in 2016. The border region of northern Greece, with its capital Thessaloniki, is at the heart of the so-called refugee crisis and it is marked by a large number of solidarity initiatives.
After the sealing of the “Balkan corridor”, the Greek State relocated thousands of refugees into isolated and inappropriate camps on the outskirts of Thessaloniki. Numerous local and international initiatives, with the participation of refugees from
the camps, self-organized a transnational No Border camp in the city center that challenged State policies. By claiming the right to the city, activists from all over Europe, together with refugees, built direct-democratic assemblies and organized a multitude of direct actions, demonstrations, and squats that marked the city’s social body with spatial disobedience and transnational commoning practices. Here, activism emerges as an important field of research and this article aims to contribute to activists’ literature on migration studies after 2015. The article is based on militant research and inspired by the Lefebvrian right to the city, the autonomy of migration, and common space approaches. The right to the city refers to the rights to freedom, socialization, and habitation, but also to the right to reinvent and change the city. It was recently enhanced by approaches on common spaces and the way these highlight the production of spaces based on solidarity, mutual help, common care, and direct democracy. The main findings of this study point to how the struggle of migrants when crossing physical and social borders inspires local solidarity movements for global networking and opens up new possibilities to reimagine and reinvent transnational common spaces.

This article concerns the decline of the port of Thessaloniki in the interwar years, manifested by the failure of the Free Zone scheme. Establishing a transit center free of duty for the use of neighboring Balkan states was the flagship scheme of Thessaloniki to restore its economic trade with the historical hinterland. However, the Free Zone failed to meet expectations as it ended up attracting only a small proportion of the Balkans' maritime transport. The Greek historiography links this failure to the inter-Balkan conflicts, which hampered commercial cooperation. This argument oversimplifies the broader challenges that the Free Zone scheme actually faced. This article offers a much more comprehensive account of the mechanism that hindered the Free Zone's growth. It combines theoretical reasoning (the development paradigm) with empirical analysis of intra-national (Old Greece vs. New Greece, the uneven spatial policy) and international (Greek-Yugoslavia disputes) politics. This theoretically-informed case study sheds light on the geopolitical factors which undermined the pioneering efforts made to turn the waterfront of a Balkan port-city into a Free Zone with an international hinterland.

in this article we tried to understand how a poor Jewish working-class neighbourhood became a microcosmos organized around a sub-culture which provided a measure of inner unity. In addition, we will attempt to understand the influence of the urban-geographic setting on the social relations and activities of a neighbourhood whose inhabitants were neglected both by the city and by the Jewish community.

The present work focuses on the underlying seminal causes of the Annihilation of Jewish Greeks in Bulgarian occupied Northern Greece, in particular the regions of Eastern Macedonia (the cities of Kavala, Serres and Drama) and Thrace (the cities of Alexandroupolis, Komotini and Xanthi), along with the Annihilation of their brethren of the cities of Didimoteixo, Nea Orestiada and Soufli of the Evros Prefecture of Thrace occupied by the Germans 70 years ago.  A definition of the Holocaust is given that broadens the term beyond its peak point that of the actual assassination of Jews by the Germans and some of their allies.  The definition includes all past historical events and practices that fermented the path to destruction of the European and North African Jewry during the World War II as well as the now and current state practices.  Starting milestones are the Preliminary Peace Treaty at San Stefano and the Peace Treaty at Berlin both of the year 1878, even though seeds of the later calamity were sowed much earlier:  The sum total of seemingly unrelated historic events led inexorably to the final act of the tragedy.  The root causes of the complicity of the Bulgarian governments of the time in the deportation of the Jewish inhabitants of the “New” Bulgarian territories are analyzed and, given the documentary and archival evidence presented, conclusions are reached.  Also, the nation states that were created in the wake of the First World War and the ensuing Peace Treaties are shown to be fraught with all those ingredients that fertilize the national psyche to accept as legitimate racist and exclusive policies along with anti-Semitic and prejudicial ones.  The distinction of Racial Anti–
Semitism versus the millennia old Religious one is emphasized.  Memory is an inseparable part of the Holocaust and, as such, it is both a means of Remembrance and a link with the past as well as instructive and educative for all generations and acts as a shield against Holocaust denial, revisionism and/or whitewashing of the past.

Πρόκειται για εργασία μαθήματος στα πλαίσια του εξ αποστάσεως μεταπτυχιακού προγράμματος Νεότερης και Σύγχρονης Ιστορίας του Πανεπιστημίου Νεάπολις Πάφου. Ο λόγος που κατ' εξαίρεση δημοσιεύεται σ' αυτήν την πλατφόρμα έχει να κάνει με το γεγονός ότι αποτελεί την πρώτη προσπάθεια για ένωση διαφόρων κι αντιμαχόμενων πηγών και ως προς αυτό μπορεί να βοηθήσει το μελλοντικό ερευνητή.

A study on multigenerational Sephardic Jewish women's names in Salonica. In this article, I draw a picture of the changing naming patterns beginning in the Iberian Peninsula- Spanish and Portuguese names, Biblical names,  the effect of the modern times, and the  influence of the Alliance school (French names).

The article is a part of a master’s thesis titled „The First World War and
Greece in the eyes of expelled Serbian army”, trying a different historical approach to the Allied troops on the Salonika front. Numerous studies and monographs have been published so far on the subject of diplomatic relations between the allied countries and their military operations. However, the interaction between the ordinary soldiers, their perception and images of war, the Salonika Front and other allies, as well as the relationships that are mutually developed by coming into contact at the front, but also in many entertainment places in Corfu and in Thessaloniki, are some of the topics that have remained insufficiently explored so far. The Allies in the Balkans were in a different environment compared to the Allies on the Western Front. In addition to joint military operations of various allied armies of Macedonia and around the area of contact on the front, Thessaloniki was the city which essentially gave the soldiers the opportunity to get to know each other better. In the years 1916-1918 the city was the only refuge for the Allies. It provided a possibility for the soldiers of polyethnic army to mingle, have fun, hang out with each other and get to know each other, trying to forget the harsh reality that the bloodiest war the Europe had ever seen was still raging not so far away. A rich and diverse everyday life of the soldiers in Thessaloniki created an image of the city as a center of entertainment, despite numerous war activities of the Allied forces in the years on the Salonika front. The aim of this article is to provide an insight into the content of everyday life through cultural, sociological and social aspects, as well as to examine a distorted image of the Balkan front, which was satirically presented as an”picnic” ideal place.

The small number of Jews who returned to Thessaloniki after the German Occupation sought out familiar places, though much had been destroyed: the neighbourhoods had been razed to the ground; their hospital had been requisitioned, their cemetery had been pillaged; and their streets now bore other names. Other people who now had their homes and shops were adamant about remaining.

Touted as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans," the Mediterranean port city of Salonica (Thessaloniki) was once home to the largest Sephardic Jewish community in the world. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the city's incorporation into Greece in 1912 provoked a major upheaval that compelled Salonica's Jews to reimagine their community and status as citizens of a nation-state. Jewish Salonica is the first book to tell the story of this tumultuous transition through the voices and perspectives of Salonican Jews as they forged a new place for themselves in Greek society.

Devin E. Naar traveled the globe, from New York to Salonica, Jerusalem, and Moscow, to excavate archives once confiscated by the Nazis. Written in Ladino, Greek, French, and Hebrew, these archives, combined with local newspapers, reveal how Salonica's Jews fashioned a new hybrid identity as Hellenic Jews during a period marked by rising nationalism and economic crisis as well as unprecedented Jewish cultural and political vibrancy. Salonica's Jews—Zionists, assimilationists, and socialists—reinvigorated their connection to the city and claimed it as their own until the Holocaust. Through the case of Salonica's Jews, Naar recovers the diverse experiences of a lost religious, linguistic, and national minority at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East.

The role that Italy played in the Holocaust of the Jews of Thessaloniki has not been documented. Jewish Greeks of Thessaloniki and other nearby locales did not benefit either by Italian or Spanish diplomacy  and the diplomats. The unfortunate indirect, but decisive, role that Italy played in the annihilation of Jewish Greeks will be demonstrated. It is regrettable that the self-evident and obvious duty of a state to protect its own citizens had to be transubstantiated into and elevated to the realm of humanity and saving and rescue. Lastly, but not least, the protection of a few hundred Jewish Italians, including some non-Italians in Thessaloniki with ties to Italy, has evolved into the foundation and pillar of the moral physiognomy of the model Italian citizen and national identity of post 8 September 1943.

Η επίμονη οικονομική δυσπραγία που ταλανίζει εδώ και μερικά χρόνια τη χώρα αποτελεί ασφαλώς το πλέον κατάλληλο περιβάλλον για την υλοποίηση μιας προσπάθειας που στόχο έχει να διερευνήσει ανάλογες συγκυρίες στο ελληνικό ιστορικό παρελθόν. Άλλωστε, είναι κοινά αποδεκτό στην ιστορική επιστήμη πως το παρόν θέτει ερωτήματα και ανοίγει νέους ορίζοντες και ευκαιρίες προκειμένου να επαναπροσεγγίσουμε το, κοντινό ή μακρινό αλλά πάντως όχι ξεχασμένο, παρελθόν.
Υπό το πρίσμα αυτό, θα ήταν μάλλον κοινοτοπία να παραδεχθούμε πως αφορμή για την παρούσα ερευνητική μας προσπάθεια αποτέλεσε η σημερινή συγκυρία, δυστυχώς όχι πρωτοεμφανιζόμενη στην ελληνική ιστορία. Η πιο πρόσφατη ανάλογη περίπτωση ήταν εκείνη που ξέσπασε στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 1930, με αφορμή γεγονότα που ελάχιστα συνδέονταν με την ελληνική πραγματικότητα καθαυτή, αλλά που αναπόδραστα την επηρέασαν, ως απόρροια μιας πρώιμης παγκοσμιοποίησης που βάθυνε περισσότερο κατά τον 20ό και συνεχίζει να βαθαίνει τον 21ο αιώνα. Το ζητούμενο βέβαια δεν είναι να προχωρήσουμε σε «συγκρίσεις» μεταξύ των δύο εποχών, να αναζητήσουμε ομοιότητες και διαφορές, ούτε και θα βρει ο αναγνώστης ανάλογες επισημάνσεις στο περιεχόμενο του παρόντος βιβλίου∙ ωστόσο, ο καθένας μπορεί να εξαγάγει τα δικά του συμπεράσματα διαβάζοντας τα όσα περιγράφονται στις επόμενες σελίδες.
(από τον ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟ)

-  Το Ιστορικό momentum για την Ελλάδα, του Ελευθ. Τζιόλα.
- Γεωπολιτικές επιπτώσεις από τις πυρκαγιές, του Ευαγ. Χωραφά.
- ΤΑΛΙΜΠΑΝ : Το βραχύ μέλλον τους, του Ελευθ. Τζιόλα
- Η ελίτ της τηλεοπτικής εξουσίας, του Λ. Αποστολίδη
- Οι ισχυρότερες ναυτικές δυνάμεις (έως το 2030), του Κyle Mizokami
- 47 Χρόνια από την ίδρυση του ΠΑΣΟΚ, του Γ. Παρασκευά
- Για την 4η Βιομηχανική Επανάσταση, του Ελευθ. Τζιόλα
- ΕΜΦΥΛΙΟΣ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ 1947-49, του Γ. Ουρανού  - - Η Γενοκτονία του Μικρασιατικού Ελληνισμού, του Α. Παπαδημητρίου
  - Ξεχασμένοι Ήρωες του 1821 : Ο Χρ. Περραιβός, του Σπ. Δερμιτζάκη
- ΟΙ ΠΥΡΚΑΓΙΕΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΒΟΙΑ, του Π. Κούκου
- ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ & ΑΘΛΗΤΕΣ : Ο Τζον Μπόλαντ, της Κ. Γογγάκη
- ΚΙΝΗΜΑΤΟΓΡΑΦΟΣ : Μία σύντομη ιστορία του, του Σπ. Δερμιτζάκη.
Σχεδιασμός-Εικονογράφηση : Αλέξανδρος Τζιόλας.
Φωτογ. Εξωφύλλου : Ελευθερίου Τζιόλα.

"“A good city is like a good party –
people stay longer than really necessary, because they are enjoying themselves.”
                                                                                - Jan Gehl, Danish architect


…and, of course, a good party always has good music!




Research Aim: To what extent does music in public space change the perception people have about the quality of a public space?

Case Study: Navarinou Square, Thessaloniki, Greece"