Dr. Richard A. Freund z”L Dr. Richard A. Freund (z”l) was not only a distinguished scholar and internationally respected archaeologist — for the Jewish community of Rhodes, he was something much more personal: a true friend. He understood, deeply and sincerely, the importance of preserving the island’s Jewish history, and he devoted himself to bringing its stories back to life. As Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at

Seahorse fountain La Kay Ancha in the heart of the historic Juderia (Jewish Quarter) of Rhodes Visiting the island of Rhodes has always given me a sense of longing. There’s something in the air, especially in the early hours before the sun rises, when a cool breeze moves through these empty, quiet streets. The place feels suspended in time, it seems. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a lingering absence that cannot be replaced, as I take a deep breath and begin my morning wal

The Historic Casino of Rhodes By 1945, Jews were a rare sight in Rhodes. The Shoah had come over the island like a rogue wave in the night. In just a few short days, a thousand years of Jewish life and memory were swept into the sea, much of it lost forever. But in January of 1949, a different kind of Jew came up from the Aegean and strolled up to Rhode’s Grand Hotel of Roses. Today, this hotel persists as a dreary casino, but back then “The Roses” was bustling with activity

The Holocaust Memorial of Rhodes, located in the courtyard of the old Jewish neighborhood (La Djuderia) As editor of La Djente, it is especially meaningful to introduce this issue dedicated to the Sephardic Jewish community of Rhodes, a community whose story feels deeply personal to me, even four generations later. Jewish Rhodes first existed to me as a far away dream. A word in Ladino about the kehila. A recipe of bourikitas my grandmother made without measurements. Stories