Quantitative methods in History: the Jewish communities of Thessaly

winter semester 2016-2017

Description

The course examines the history of the Jewish communities of Greece from the beginning of the 19th century until the end of the WWII. Particular emphasis is given to the less well known communities of the Jews of Thessaly, before and after the annexation of Thessaly to the Greek state. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with quantitative sources and queries about the Hebrew Jewish population, such as household composition, demographic characteristics and the movements of Jews inside and outside the borders. We will explore individual issues such as: "Distances" but also the cooperation of Jewish communities with the Christian and Muslim population, the constitution of the Alliance Israélite Universelle schools in Thessaly, and the position of the Jewish Jews after the incorporation of Thessaloniki.

Syllabus
  1. Detection of the most important Jewish communities in Europe and Greece in the 19th century. Sources, archives, establishment of school Alliance Israélite Universelle. The usefulness of the AIU archives in the demographic analysis
  2. The Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire. Population, Structure
  3. The area of Thessaly and its Jewish communities before the annexation. Distinguish port Jews (Volos) from the other Thessalian Jews
  4. Αssimilation and Discrimination: The Jews of Thessaly after the annexation
  5. Composition and analysis of Jewish households (late 19th-early 20th century). Comparison with the households of the Muslim and Orthodox population. The demographic characteristics of the Jewish population of Thessaly: nuptiality, natality, mortality
  6. Anti-Semitism in Europe and Greece
  7. Inter-communal coexistence and "distance": the blood libel in Thessaly until the Interwar period
  8. Inter-communal relations of cooperation, participation in local municipal matters, philanthropy, reference to Maurice Coffina and Moses Pesach (Volos), Isaac Siakki (Larissa), Iak. Sidis (Trikala)
  9. Issues of migration, mobility, the attraction of Thessaloniki
  10. The Jews of Thessaloniki
  11. Jews in literature: representations, stereotypes
  12. When the numbers speak: the population shrinking and the demographic shock of the loss of the Jews of Greece during the Second WW
  13. Learning the Jewish community of Volos: Student's visit to the Jewish cemetery and the Jewish Synagogue of Volos