Personal archives of Esdras Moissis related to the history of the Jewish community of Larissa in Greece

The Larissa Jewish Community dates back to the Roman era and that for at least 1,900 years Jews have continuously lived in the city. A letter [dated 150 C.E.] by a Christian Apostle to the Jews of the city is testimony of this long presence. However, there is the opinion that the Jewish presence in Thessaly, including Larissa, dates to the 5th century B.C.E. The Jews of the area were involved in commerce and industry. Evidence of this long presence was a recent [1973] archeological find close to the central square of the city of a colonnade with the inscription “Alexandros the Educator and Protector.” Under the inscription [in the style of the Second temple Period] was the Jewish symbol of the menorah. According to the archeologist who studied the colonnade, it dates to the 1st century C.E. It can now be found under the archeological care of the city of Larissa. It is not know who “Alexandros the Educator and Protector” was and why his name was engraved on the colonnade. However, everyone acknowledges the symbol of the menorah as a Jewish symbol.

Israēlitikē Koinotēta Larissa

Forms part of the Claims Conference International Holocaust Documentation Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This archive consists of documentation whose reproduction and/or acquisition was made possible with funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Records were gathered by the longtime president of the Jewish community, Mr. Esdras Moissis. Source of acquisition is the Jewish Community of Larissa (Evraiki Koinotita tis Larisas). The Jewish Museum of Greece in Athens also houses digital copies of these records. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received the digitized collection via the United States Holocaust Museum International Archival Programs in April 2009.