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Thessaloniki’s Armenian minority and Jewish past are bound by a shared history of genocide

JL;DR SUMMARY Thessaloniki, Greece, is a city marked by its intertwined Jewish and Armenian histories, both communities having faced genocide and assimilation challenges. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustJewish CommunityDiasporaAssimilationArmenian GenocideCultural PreservationThessalonikiHistorical RecognitionArmenian Community

Places mentioned

Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
"THESSALONIKI, Greece Fronting the Mediterranean Sea in this bustling Greek port stands a haunting monument to the citys roughly 50,000 Jews who were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943 and deported to Auschwitz."
Komotini, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
"His forefathers arrived some 300 years ago, settling in Komotini, about 240 kilometers east of Thessaloniki."
East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
"They were part of the first wave of Armenians merchants and craftsmen who thrived in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the island of Crete."
Attica, Greece
"They were part of the first wave of Armenians merchants and craftsmen who thrived in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the island of Crete."
Athens, Attica, Greece
"The community rebounded in 1991 after the breakup of the USSR, when 40,000 Armenians the third wave of immigrants relocated to Greece, most of them settling in Athens."
Romania
"Romania was among the first countries to welcome Armenian refugees after the genocide, but for economic and strategic reasons, Romania has yet to officially recognize that genocide."
Yerevan, Armenia
"His first visit was in 1991 shortly after Armenias independence to accompany a plane carrying 40 tons of aid for families displaced by a catastrophic earthquake three years earlier."
Jerusalem, Israel
"Despite his deep respect for Judaism and admiration for the modern State of Israel, Dagazian is disappointed with the behavior of some haredi Orthodox Jews who have humiliated priests and even spit on them in the Old City of Jerusalem."

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Retrieved 2025-09-26 18:00:39 UTC
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