Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki — Attraction in Municipality of Thessaloniki

Important museum, well curated but very poorly managed. The museum itself houses a very rich and interesting exhibition about the fascinating Jewish history of Thessaloniki. It is a crucial place dedicated to the fate of a people that found refuge in Thessaloniki after Christian Europe expelled them; that shaped the city‘s history, comprising more than 50% of the entire population; and that were deported and exterminated during the Shoah, leading to almost no Jewish presence in contemporary Thessaloniki. The exhibition is excellent, many information and QR codes that lead you to audio guides, so bring your phone and headphones. But why then only two stars? It is an absolute disgrace that the museum closes at 2pm every day. If you‘re interested in the history, you could easily spend there three hours. How is this possible if you‘re getting escorted out of the museum at 1:55pm? It seems that the museum is not actually interested in teaching Jewish history and properly inform people who care about this history but rather in making a big profit from fast tourism. The 8€ ticket would be worth it, if you could actually spend time there. In Thessaloniki‘s heat, there‘s nothing better than spending the hot hours between noon and 5pm in a museum. With this poorly managed (but well curated) museum, it‘s impossible. The ground floor housed a contemporary exhibition about Sephardic history that was unfortunately only presented in Greek and Spanish/Ladino. The QR codes at these exhibition models were hard to scan but I managed in the hope to find there information in English - nope, it only leads to a picture of the same plaque that‘s right in front of you, which is absolutely useless. The upper part of the museum is more extensive, and there you‘ll find many actually useful QR codes. Useful if you had the time to listen to these information. I‘d be interested in the total playtime of the audioguides, it‘s probably more than half the time the museum is open. If you can‘t afford more staff, then open only four days a week - but fourtimes 11am to 9pm is still better than sixtimes 9am to 2pm. When you enter the museum, your bag gets searched and you enter through a double door system. I don‘t know if this is really necessary for a small museum like this, and I read here that people feel very uncomfortable after this procedure. But this is not the biggest problem here, and Jewish institutions currently need to be secured and protected (even though the people who‘s fate is presented in the museum can‘t anything for the actions of the contemporary Israeli government). All these procedures would make sense - if people were able to spend a lot of time in the museum. So after all, I‘m very fascinated by the Jewish history of Thessaloniki, and the museum is quite well curated presenting this history. But it is so poorly managed, that you only get frustrated visiting it. I deeply wish for a better change for this museum, valuing history enthusiasts and slow tourism, and honoring the generations of Jews that shaped this city. The Jews of Thessaloniki and their accomplishments deserve a better managed Jewish Museum in...

The museum is disappointing. It doesn't convey the long and glorious history of the diverse and complex Jewish community of Thessaloniki. There are not a single exhibit, not even pictures of central places, for example one picture of the cemetery, a few shabby pictures of Talmud Torah. Maybe nothing has survived? The museum has no concept, it looks more like a messy second-hand goods store. A few tombstones, a few videos, eclectic Judaica items as if from a flea market. Even the story of the community is told in a dry way. There is hardly a word about culture. However there is a certain book, which has no connection to Jews, written by a poor Austrian painter. This is the mistery of the curators “no-concept”. Or maybe the goal was to present a didactic narrative to schoolchildren who have no idea about Judaism? And on top of all that, the ticket seller is unpleasant, impatient, as if she was there by mistake. I recently visited the Jewish Museum in Vilnius, and there is nothing to compare, both in terms of the impressive displays and in terms of employees who see their work as a mission. In conclusion, a miserable representation of a glorious...

​A truly moving and important experience. The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki is an essential stop for anyone visiting the city. It tells the fascinating and tragic story of the Jewish community, from its rich history and vibrant culture to its devastating end during the Holocaust. The exhibits are incredibly well-documented and provide a deep and meaningful insight. ​The staff are also wonderful - knowledgeable, kind, and clearly passionate about preserving this vital memory. ​My only suggestion, which I offer with great respect, is to consider updating some of the exhibits. A more modern and interactive presentation could make the museum even more accessible and engaging for a wider audience, especially for children and younger visitors. This would help ensure this powerful history continues to resonate for generations to come. ​Thank you for preserving this critical part of...