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Cypriot Jewish History

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Jewish merchants made their home in Cyprus during The Roman Empire. They were expelled after a revolt which destroyed the town of Salamis. Small Jewish communities were established in Nicosia, Limassol, and other towns during Medieval times but the community was never large.


Cyprus was seen as a possible "Jewish Homeland" by the early Left Wing Zionists. At the end of The 19th Century, agricultural settlements were established but they were not successful. Theodore Herzl himself tried to persuade The British Goverment to allow Jewish rule over Cyprus in 1902 but he was not sucessful in his attempt.


In The Early 1930's, some German Jews managed to escape to Cyprus.


After World War II, The British established detention camps for Holocaust survivors from many European countries who were caught attempting to enter what was then The British Mandate of Palestine. From 1946 until the founding of The State of Israel, The British incarcerated over 50,000 European Jewish refugees on the island.


Since the establishment of The State of Israel in 1948, only tiny numbers of Jews have lived in Cyprus. At different times, The Israeli Embassy has served as the place for some communal activity, such as religious services.


Israel had diplomatic relations with the British protectorate of Cyprus from Israel's earliest days, initially at consular level. These ties were expanded when Cyprus attained independence in 1960. Israel has an embassy in Nicosia. 

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