The Jewish Synagogue of Corfu is located in the Jewish quarter of the historic part of Corfu Town. It is the only surviving synagogue on the island.
The first written records of Jews in Corfu date back as far as the 12th century, and the Jewish community even grew as big as 4 to 6 thousand people at its peak.. This was mostly the result of the Spanish Inquisition, during which Jews were expelled from Spain, and Sephardic colonies settled in Corfu. Under Venetian rule, the Jews in Corfu were stripped of many rights and confined to ghettos.
The suppression of Jews continued under British rule, and the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864 led to equal rights, antisemitism continued. Over time this had led to an exodus of Jews and by the time of the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish community was reduced to 2,000 members.
Out of the 4 synagogues that were once built, only the Scuola Greca (Greek Temple) survived to this day and is now simply known as the Jewish Synagogue. The temple was built in the 17th century in a typical Venetian style. The prayer room is located on the second floor, which has a separate section for women in the mezzanine.
A large marble plate next to the entrance door reminds visitors that the popular writer and journalist Albert Cohen was born next door in 1895. Like many other Jews, in 1900 the Cohen family left Corfu for good. Another plague commemorates the lives that were lost during the tragic Holocaust of World War II.
On the nearby Konstantinou Palaiologou Square you can also find the Jewish Holocaust Memorial.
