Greeks in Israel

For millennia, the Greeks have been a prominently present in the land of Israel. Greek expatriates comprise most of the leadership of the Eastern Greek Orthodox Church in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, in an arraignment that long predates the modern State of Israel.[1]

Greeks
Regions with significant populations
Jerusalem · Nazareth · Bethlehem
Languages
Greek, Hebrew, Yevanic, and Ladino
Religion
Greek Orthodox Church, Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Greeks in Turkey, Melkites

History

Classic period

In the late 330s BCE, Alexander the Great invaded the Middle East (including the area which is now Israel and Palestine), during his campaigns against the Achaemenid Empire. The landscape during this period was markedly changed by extensive growth and development that included urban planning and the establishment of well-built fortified cities. Hellenistic pottery, trade and commerce flourished, particularly in the most Hellenized areas, such as Ashkelon, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Gaza, and ancient Nablus (Tell Balatah).[2]

When the Hasmonean Kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire, the area remained under the influence of the Greek language and culture. Especially when the Byzantine Empire took the position of the Romans, Palaestina reached its greatest prosperity in antiquity. Urbanization increased, large new areas were put under cultivation, monasteries proliferated and synagogues were restored. The cities of Palaestina Prima and Teria, such as Caesarea Maritima, Jerusalem, Scythopolis, Neapolis, and Gaza reached their peak population, and the population west of the Jordan may have reached as many as one million.

Middle Ages

Since the 7th century, when the Arabs conquered the region, the Greek presence was reduced. Today there is a small Greek community in Israel. Also there are Greeks in charge of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.[3] There is also a large number of Romaniote and Sephardic Greek Jews who emigrated from Greece and live now in Israel, some of whom made aliyah over the previous centuries, with most moving to Israel after Israeli independence.

Modern era

During the WWII some of the Greek community went to Greece voluntarily to fight against the Axis powers.[4]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Greek Catholic « See The Holy Land".
  2. "Palestine in the Hellenistic Age - My Jewish Learning". myjewishlearning.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  3. "Πατριαρχείον Ιεροσολύμων". jerusalem-patriarchate.info. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  4. "It's all Greek to me". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
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