Les Juifs de Zante (Zakynthos)

Zante (Zakynthos), an Ionian island long under Venetian and then British rule, was home to a Jewish community comprising Romaniotes and Italkim (Italian Jews), reflecting its ties to the Venetian world. Its members were active in trade and crafts. The history of this community remains renowned for its fate during the Second World War: according to the transmitted tradition, the Orthodox bishop and the mayor of the island refused to hand over the list of Jews to the occupiers and organized their protection, so that the entire community survived the Shoah. After the war, most of the Jews left the island, notably for Israel and Athens.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗