This lecture will deal with the history of the Jews of Salonika. A lot has been written about the destruction of that community during the Second World War. However, this lecture will concentrate on that community from the times of the Romans till the beginning of the Second World War. For many years Salonika was described as The Jerusalem of Europe and was the only town in Europe that had a majority Jewish population. Looking at this history will give us a glimpse to some of the major messianic events in our history and other very interesting facts. 

Dr. Patt’s connection to Salonika is through her son- in-law whose grandparents were from Salonika; his great uncle wrote a few fascinating books about that community. Several years ago, she had the opportunity to go there as part of a trip in the footsteps of Alexander the Great who was from that part of the globe. Dr. Patt hopes that after her lecture people will visit that area, which she has found to be beautiful and historically fascinating.