Old and new Jewish Cemetery coexist in the same space, in an area of ​​17 acres in Messapion Street in downtown Chalkidas.To Jewish cemetery of Halkida bounded by suburban Messapion quotient, Gazepi and Karakleon. It is one of the most important and historic Jewish cemeteries of Greece as it contains graves dating from the Ottoman period (15th century).

The tombs of the 15th and 16th century that one finds in the cemetery of particular interest as it is built with the unique for Greece form with vaulted construction on the site of the head and buried in the front are opening to allow insertion of a memory stone. In this small recess of the construction have been Jewish inscriptions of previous centuries.

Within the Jewish faith, it is customary to leave a small stone on the grave. The visitor puts the stone in the tomb with his left hand. Inserting the memory stone to the tomb operated as a sign to others that someone has visited the tomb and symbolically giving the dead permission to depart and providing a sense of accomplishment.

From 1990-2000 it became the restoration and maintenance of old graves. Restored about 600 graves. Through the tombstones, most of which relate to rabbis, revealed that the Community was a small cultural center, confirming its reputation as a small TSFAT (spiritual and cabalistic center in northern Israel), title held by communities like Thessaloniki and Patras.

Due to recent excavations unearthed the graves of great rabbis and Kavaliston.

Most of the tombs of the 16th century were dissolved and tombstones built into arches over the windows of the Jewish Synagogue of Chalkis.

A number of other tombstones in the synagogue were found during the demolition of the old Venetian fortifications of Halkida.

It is recorded that the Jews were forced to help build these fortifications of the 14th century, using material from their own cemetery.

Through the columns of the Jewish cemetery also revealed that a large number of Spanish Jews settled in the Community of Halkida, not yet assimilated the Romaniotes element. Nevertheless, it is certain that greatly contributed to the cultural and economic prosperity of the Community.

In the cemetery there is the funeral hall, laundry, home guard and an old building which was reconstructed and will house the finds of the cemetery as a museum.

This building was the first home of the guard, the construction of which funded the 1897 Ferdinand Rotsild when visited Halkida. In the fall of 1999 he became the Mezouza installation ceremony in the renovated building.

Outside and on Messapion road has erected monument in memory of Holocaust victims, which is flanked by the busts of the late Metropolitan Grigorios and Colonel Frizis.

Address

Address:

Mesapion

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