History of the Jews in Cyprus
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The history of the Jews in Cyprus dates back at least to the
Jewish rebellions and Byzantine rule
The Jews lived well in Cyprus during
Cypriot Jews participated in the
According to a late source, written by Eutychius of Alexandria, Cypriot Jews attacked Christian monasteries on the island during the reign of Heraclius (610–641).[5]
Twice in 649 and 653, when the population was overwhelmingly Christian, Cyprus was subjected to two raids by Arab forces which resulted in the capture and enslavement of many Cypriots.[6] One story relates that an enslaved Jew in Syria managed to escape and seek sanctuary in Cyprus, where he converted and settled in Amathus in the late 7th century.[7] Communities of the Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews from the Byzantine period have been documented.[citation needed]
Latin Era (1191–1571)
In
Ottoman Era (1571–1878)
Cyprus was conquered by the
Modern history
During the last 20 years of the 19th century, several attempts were made to settle Russian and Romanian Jewish refugees in Cyprus. The first attempt in 1883 was a settlement of several hundred Russians established in Orides, near Paphos. In 1885, 27 Romanian families settled on the island as colonists but were not successful in forming communities. Romanian Jews in 1891 again bought land in Cyprus, though they did not move to the country.[10][11]
Under the leadership of Walter Cohen, 15 Russian families founded a colony in Margo in 1897, with the help of the Ahawat Zion of London and the Jewish Colonisation Association. In 1899, Davis Trietsch, a delegate to the Third Zionist Congress at Basel, attempted to get an endorsement for Jewish colonisation in Cyprus, especially for Romanian Jews. Although his proposal was refused by the council, Trietsch persisted, convincing two dozen Romanian Jews to immigrate to the land. 28 Romanian families followed these and received assistance from the Jewish Colonization Association. These settlers established farms in Margo and Asheriton. The Jewish Colonisation Association continued to give some support to Jewish workers in Cyprus. Most Jewish communities between 1900 and 1910 were located in Nicosia. In 1901, the Jewish population of the island was 63 men and 56 women. In 1902, Theodor Herzl presented in a pamphlet to the Parliamentary committee on alien immigration in London, bearing the title: "The Problem of Jewish Immigration to England and the United States Solved by Furthering the Jewish Colonisation of Cyprus."
During
Today
Israel has had diplomatic relations with Cyprus since the State of Israel's founding in 1948, when Cyprus was still a British protectorate. Israel and Cyprus' associations have continued to expand since 1960, the year of Cyprus' independence from Britain. Cyprus has remained a friend of Israel throughout the conflicts of recent decades, despite incidents such as side effects of Turkey and Israel co-operating in military operations, Israeli Air Force members violating Cyprus' airspace, and suspicions that Israel had been passing intelligence to Turkey regarding Cyprus' defense systems.[13] Today, the diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Israel are at an all-time high, reflecting common geopolitical strategies regarding Turkey in particular and economic interests in developing off-shore gas reserves.[14]
Rabbi
Also in 2005, the local Jewish community inaugurated the island's first
In 2011, Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus met with the Chief Rabbi of Israel and signed a declaration affirming the illegitimacy of the doctrine of collective Jewish guilt for the killing of Jesus, repudiating the idea as a prejudice that is "incompatible with the teaching of the Holy scriptures".[18]
In 2018, the Jewish population of Cyprus was estimated at around 6,500.[19]
See also
- Romaniote Jews
- Epiphanius of Salamis
- Hellenistic Judaism
- History of the Jews in the Byzantine Empire
- Greek Citron
Bibliography
- Stavros Pantelis, Place of Refuge: A History of the Jews in Cyprus, 2004
- Pieter W. Van der Horst, The Jews of ancient Cyprus in Zutot: Perspectives on Jewish culture Vol. 3, 2004 pp. 110–120
- Gad Freudenthal, Science in medieval Jewish cultures pp. 441-ff. about Cyprus, 2011
- Yitzchak Kerem, "The Jewish and Greek Historical Convivencia in Cyprus; Myth and Reality", Association of European Ideas, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2012
- Benjamin Arbel, "The Jews in Cyprus: New Evidence from the Venetian Period", Jewish Social Studies, 41 (1979), pp. 23–40, reprinted in: Cyprus, the Franks and Venice (Aldershot, 2000).
- Noy, D. et al. Inscriptiones Judaicae Orientis: Vol. III Syria and Cyprus, 2004
- Refenberg, A. A. Das Antike Zyprische Judentum und Seine Beziehungen zu Palästina, Journal of The Palestine Oriental Society, 12 (1932) 209–215
- Nicolaou Konnari, M. and Schabel, C. Cyprus: Society And Culture 1191–1374, pp. 162-ff. 2005
- Falk, A. A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews, p. 315. 1996
- Stillman, N. A. The Jews of Arab Lands, pp. 295-ff. 1979
- Jennings, R. Christians and Muslims in Ottoman Cyprus and the Mediterranean World, 1571–1640, pp. 221-ff. 1993
- Kohen, E. History of the Turkish Jews and Sephardim: Memories of a Past Golden Age, pp. 94–99 on Cyprus. 2007
- Lewis, B. The Jews of Islam, pp. 120-ff. 2014
References
- ^ E. Mary Smallwood, The Jews Under Roman Rule: From Pompey to Diocletian: a Study in Political Relations, BRILL, 2001
- The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 51, Parts 1 and 2 (1961), pp. 98-104 p.101.
- ^ ISSN 0075-4358.
- OCLC 911266140.
- ^ a b c Alexander Panayotov, 'Jews and Jewish Communities in the Balkans and the Aegean until the twelfth century,' in James K. Aitken, James Carleton Paget (eds.) The Jewish-Greek Tradition in Antiquity and the Byzantine Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2014 pp.54-76 p.74.
- ^ Luca Zavagno Cyprus Between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (ca. 600–800): An Island in Transition, Taylor & Francis, 2017 pp.73-79.
- ^ Zavagno pp.84,173.
- ^ Elka Weber Traveling Through Text: Message and Method in Late Medieval Pilgrimage Accounts, Routledge, 2014 p.134
- ^ Benjamin Arbel, Trading Nations: Jews and Venetians in the Early Modern Eastern Mediterranean, BRILL, 1995 pp.62f.
- Jewish History, Vol. 21, No. 3/4 (2007), pp. 361-383
- ^ John M.Shaftesley 'Nineteenth-Century Jewish Colonies in Cyprus,' Transactions & Miscellanies (Jewish Historical Society of England), Vol. 22 (1968-1969), pp. 88-107.
- ^ a b Nathan Morley,'More than just a footnote to history,' Cyprus Mail 14 August 2016.
- ^ Thomas Diez, The European Union and the Cyprus Conflict: Modern Conflict, Postmodern Union, Manchester University Press 2002 pp.36-39.
- ^ Costas Melakopides, Russia-Cyprus Relations: A Pragmatic Idealist Perspective, Springer 2016 pp.137ff.
- ^ Chabad Lubavitch of Cyprus
- ^ 'First kosher wine from Cyprus,' Jewish Telegraphic Agency 9 April 2008
- ^ Chabad Lubavitch of Cyprus
- ^ 'Cyprus Archbishop meets Chief Rabbi of Israel,' Famagusta Gazette 2011.
- ^ Menelaos Hadjicostis, 'Jewish museum in Cyprus aims to build bridges to Arab world,' Associated Press 6 June 2018.