MENA COMMUNITY CHRONICLE

The Jews of Cyprus

Jews on Cyprus — from Hellenistic communities to Ottoman Sephardim.

I. Ancient and Medieval Settlement

Jewish presence on Cyprus dates to the Hellenistic period. Benjamin of Tudela noted Jewish inhabitants during his Mediterranean travels.

II. Karaites, Rabbanites, and Ottoman Sephardim

Cyprus hosted both Rabbanite and Karaite Judaism Karaites who shared the consonantal Masoretic Text. After 1492, Sephardic exiles augmented the island's synagogues.

III. British Rule and the Holocaust

After the war, British detention camps on Cyprus held Holocaust survivors attempting to reach Palestine. A tiny Jewish community remains today.

Related Notes on This Site

Further Reading