Most of the Jewish cemeteries have been destroyed during WW II and the years after. The most important of the remaining ones are those of Halkida, Ioannina, Athens A’ (old) and Kerkyra (Corfu). In those areas historical graves of great importance are found in coexistence with contemporary ones. In the old cemetery of Athens there are no contemporary graves as it has not been in use from 1950. In Halkida graves of the 15^th and 16^th century are found with a unique form. Over the head of the buried body an arched construction is built with a small cavity where inscriptions in Hebrew have been found. The old graves of Ioannina, Athens and Kerkyra share the same characteristics. The gravestones are 20-40 cm thick, laid on the ground with inscriptions in Hebrew.

The most important of the cemeteries that were destroyed during WW II is the necropolis of Thessaloniki. The graves covered a large area of the city and witnessed the uninterrupted and leading presence of the Jews from 1490 to 1940.

In today’s cemeteries exaggeration, variety of form  and declination of the tradition prevail. The cemetery of Thessaloniki, though, is an exception to all contemporary graves of Greece.

In today’s Greece, when declining Jewish communions are striving to maintain their identity, it is of great importance that we distinguish the authentic elements of a cemetery and by keeping these we proceed. We shall never overlook, though, the different path each communion has followed through time and include those very elements in every planning in order to maintain the individuality of every communion.