Chabad of Rhodes and the Jewish quarter: Kahal Shalom, kosher food and Shabbat
Where Chabad is in Rhodes and what it offers, the kosher Jerusalem restaurant, and what to see in the Old Town's Jewish quarter: Kahal Shalom synagogue (1577), the Jewish Museum and the Square of the Jewish Martyrs.
- Chabad of Rhodes is in Ialysos, not in the Old Town: prayers, Shabbat meals by registration and the kosher Jerusalem restaurant.
- Kahal Shalom (1577) is the oldest synagogue in Greece. Entry €6; closed on Saturday and on Jewish and Greek holidays.
- On 23 July 1944 the Jews of Rhodes were deported to Auschwitz. The memorial in the Square of the Jewish Martyrs honours 1,604 victims from Rhodes and Kos.
Flying to Rhodes? If you keep Shabbat, book a hotel near Chabad in Ialysos, and plan your Jewish quarter visit for a weekday.
Chabad of Rhodes
Chabad of Rhodes is at Leof. Iraklidon 84 in Ialysos, the hotel area outside Rhodes town. It is not in the Old Town, so on Shabbat the historic synagogue is a long walk away.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +30 694 848 8761
- Website: chabadrhodes.com
- Prayers: there is a minyan on Shabbat. On weekdays there usually is one, but not always – it depends on the season. Weekday Shacharit 9:00, Shabbat 10:00.
- Shabbat meals at the Chabad house, by registration on the website.
- Shabbat packages for distant hotels: order by Thursday evening.
- Jerusalem Restaurant – a kosher meat restaurant at the same address, supervised by Rabbi Uri Medina, Chabad's emissary in Rhodes (glatt Beit Yosef).
- There is no eruv in Rhodes, and according to Chabad there is currently no active mikvah on the island.
Chabad of Rhodes lists hotels a minute or two's walk from the Chabad house on its website – the simplest option if you keep Shabbat.
Watch the signs: Chabad of Rhodes warns that many restaurants and tavernas on the island claim to be "kosher", and that most serve non-kosher food with no supervision at all. The only kosher restaurant on Chabad's list is Jerusalem.
The Jewish quarter: La Juderia
Rhodes' Jewish quarter, La Juderia, is in the eastern part of the walled Old Town: narrow, winding cobbled lanes, stone houses and black-and-white pebble floor mosaics. The main street was called La Kaye Ancha – "the wide street" in Ladino – and was the centre of community life.
About 500 Jews lived in the quarter at the end of the 16th century, and 4,500 to 5,000 by the end of the 19th. In the early 20th century many families moved to other neighbourhoods.
Kahal Shalom synagogue and the Jewish Museum
Kahal Shalom was completed in 1577 and is the oldest synagogue in Greece. It follows the Sephardic style, with a central bimah and a black-and-white pebble mosaic floor. The Jewish Museum of Rhodes in the same complex tells the community's story. Very few Jews live on the island today, so services are held mainly in summer, when tourists and descendants of Rhodes' Jews visit.
Visiting (from the Jewish Community of Rhodes):
| Address | Corner of Dossiadou & Simiou, Old Town |
| April to October | Sunday–Friday 10:00–15:00. Closed Saturday |
| November to March | Monday–Friday 10:00–15:00 |
| Closed | Jewish holidays and Greek national holidays |
| Entry | €6. Children under 12 free |
- Step-free access is possible only in the synagogue area, not the museum.
- Groups should contact the office 24 hours ahead.
- The 2026 closure calendar is published on jewishrhodes.org.
More on the synagogue: Kahal Shalom in Rhodes.
The Square of the Jewish Martyrs and the deportation
On 20 July 1944 the SS rounded up most of Rhodes' Jews. On 23 July 1944 they were deported, together with the Jews of Kos, in cargo ships. The journey to Auschwitz took 24 days – considered the longest deportation to Auschwitz. Of about 1,700 Jews of Rhodes, only around 150 survived. The Turkish consul, Selahattin Ülkümen, managed to free more than 40 Jews by claiming they were Turkish citizens.
In the Square of the Jewish Martyrs (Plateia Evreon Martyron), at the edge of the quarter, a memorial was unveiled on 23 July 2002. Made of white and black marble, it is inscribed in six languages, including Hebrew and Ladino, in memory of 1,604 Jews of Rhodes and Kos murdered in the death camps.
Tips for visiting the Jewish quarter
- Come on a weekday: the synagogue is closed on Saturday and holidays, and in winter on Sunday too.
- Combine the sites: Kahal Shalom, the museum, the Square of the Jewish Martyrs and the quarter's lanes are a short walk apart in the Old Town.
- Dress modestly in the synagogue.
- Shabbat times in Rhodes: on our Shabbat times in Greece page.
Getting there and more of Rhodes
There are direct flights from Tel Aviv to Rhodes, one of the shortest flights to Greece. Details in our flights to Rhodes guide. Beaches, Lindos and things to do: Rhodes travel guide. Other Chabad houses: Chabad in Greece.
FAQ
Where is Chabad in Rhodes?
In Ialysos, at Leof. Iraklidon 84, outside Rhodes town and not in the Old Town. Phone and WhatsApp +30 694 848 8761.
Is there a kosher restaurant in Rhodes?
Yes, the Jerusalem meat restaurant at the Chabad house in Ialysos. Chabad also offers Shabbat and holiday catering.
Is there a synagogue in Rhodes?
Yes. Kahal Shalom in the Old Town, from 1577, is the oldest synagogue in Greece. Services are mainly in summer. Chabad holds daily prayers.
When is Kahal Shalom synagogue open?
April to October, Sunday–Friday 10:00–15:00; November to March, Monday–Friday 10:00–15:00. Closed on Saturday and on Jewish and Greek holidays.
How much is entry to the Jewish Museum of Rhodes?
€6, with children under 12 free. The ticket covers the synagogue and museum.
Where is the Jewish quarter in Rhodes?
In the eastern part of the Old Town. It is called La Juderia and includes Kahal Shalom and the Square of the Jewish Martyrs.
What happened to the Jews of Rhodes in the Holocaust?
On 23 July 1944 the Jews of Rhodes and Kos were deported to Auschwitz on a 24-day journey. Of about 1,700 Jews of Rhodes, around 150 survived.
Details checked on the Chabad of Rhodes and Jewish Community of Rhodes websites on 4 October 2026. Hours and seasons can change, so contact them directly before you go.
