Corfu Synagogue (Scuola Greca)

The Corfu Synagogue, known as the Scuola Greca, stands at 4 Velissariou Street in the old Jewish quarter of Corfu Old Town in Kerkyra, Greece. It is the only functioning synagogue on the island and serves a small Jewish community, which was once much larger. Corfu had a Jewish presence for many centuries, and the quarter around Velissariou Street, known as the Evraiki, grew up under Venetian rule. In 1944 most of the island's Jewish population was deported during the Second World War, and the synagogue was damaged in the bombing and war years before being rebuilt. The Scuola Greca is the surviving synagogue of the several that once existed in the district. Visitors enter a modest building with a courtyard and a prayer hall, where the main features are the Torah ark, the reader's platform and the women's gallery. The interior is simple and quiet, and the sense of history is conveyed more through the atmosphere and the stories of the community than through grand decoration. A small display and the explanations of the caretaker or guide help visitors understand the history of the Corfiot Jews, their customs and the events of 1944. The visit takes about 30 minutes. The synagogue is reported open on weekday mornings and until the afternoon from Monday to Saturday, but hours can change and it closes for Jewish holidays and Shabbat services, so checking before visiting is important. A donation is requested rather than a fixed fee. Visitors should dress respectfully, with covered shoulders and knees, and men may be asked to cover their heads. Photography may be restricted, so asking permission is advisable. The synagogue is a five-minute walk from the Liston and fits well into a walk through the Old Town's lanes.