Jewish Cemeteries In Corfu

The original Pugliesi cemetery was in the Sarokou area, close to the Platytera Monastery. However, the cemetery was given to the Sephardi community in 1502, in an agreement regarding an exchange of land.
 
On the other hand, the Greci cemetery was located on the Avramis Hill, close to the New Fortress. It was given to the Romaniote community, mainly because of the community’s contribution in fighting the Ottoman invasion from 1716.
 
The Pugliesi and Greci weren’t in the best possible relations, so they had different synagogues, institutions and even cemeteries.
 
In 1897, the death of a Jew from Edirne, Eliaou Menachem, caused controversy between the two communities. His body was taken to the Greci cemetery, but the Pugliesa cemetery administration decided he should be buried in their cemetery, as he was a foreigner.
 
The two communities reached to an agreement due to this controversy. All Jews from the East would be considered Greci and buried in their cemetery, while Jews from the West would be considered Pugliesi.
 
In 1930, the Avramis Hill cemetery was the only Jewish cemetery still operating in Corfu. According to some old testimonies, it was still running in 1949. During the 1950s, it was destroyed. Instead, the local administration built a hospital and some schools.
 
It’s unknown how the cemetery was transferred from the Jewish community to the municipality of Corfu.
 
Similar issues were observed in Thessaloniki, as Greece faced a strong current of antisemitism. During those times, local municipalities tried to extinguish Jewish communities in a legal manner by choosing to erect new buildings in such areas under the pretext of health matters.
 
Today, there’s a new Jewish cemetery in Corfu that preserves more than 100 gravestones. It’s said that remains from the old cemetery were buried in a new grave within this cemetery. It’s located at Palaiokastritsas 9, Kerkyra.