Salonica and Istanbul: Social, Political and Cultural Aspects of Jewish Life

Salonica and Istanbul is a collection of papers by Rena Molho concerning Greek and Ottoman Jewry. Formerly, a major centre of Ottoman Jewish life, Salonica has largely forgotten its Jewish past due to its incorporation into the Greek state and then the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. Molho s contribution, therefore, has been to rediscover Salonica s Jewish past, whether it be in terms of the local press, socialist organisations, schooling, women or Zionism. Molho s research comes from the Ottoman archives as well as preserved collections of Jewish writing and printing which have only recently become available. The topics Molho discusses range temporally from the nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth and have been grouped into four parts: a historical overview; social and institutional organisation; political roles. The final section is composed of three works which address the Judeo-Spanish language (Ladino) used by Salonica s Jews.