Britain's Chief Rabbai Makes First Visit To Cyprus

A reception was held at the Jewish Museum of Cyprus, a complex in the coast city of Larnaca, which has been under police guard since hostilities erupted in Gaza last year.

Mirvis was welcomed by the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus Ari Zev Raskin and the Ambassador of Israel to the island Oren Anolik.

Raskin said the occasion marked an“important opportunity for the Jewish community in Cyprus and strengthens the strong ties between Cyprus and the United Kingdom”.

There are few Jews in Cyprus today, but the island has played an important role in Jewish history.

Many refugees made their way to Cyprus in the 1930s during the rise of the Nazis in Germany. After the war, Britain established internment camps for Jews caught trying to enter Palestine 'illegally'. Between 1945 and 1949 approximately 11,000 Jews were interned on the island.

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