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	The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture proudly announces the opening of their photograph exhibit, Portraits of our Past - The Sephardic Communities of Greece and the Holocaust, which premiers at Gallery Taranto in New York City, on April 2, 1998. The exhibit documents the Jewish presence in Greece - the Sephardic prewar heritage, the destruction of the communities during the Holocaust, and the post-war rehabilitation of survivors. The photographs, collected from a variety of private sources, convey the passing of the centuries-old Jewish communities including Salonica, Athens, Kastoria, Kavala, Jannina, and Rhodes - and bears silent witness to their once-vibrant culture. The Jews of Greece were primarily descendants of the Spanish Jews who had fled the religious persecution of the Inquisition in the late 15th century.
They settled throughout the Balkans and the Mediterranean, retaining their culture, traditions and language over the centuries. Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, was the main language of communication among the Sephardic Jews, and was a mixture of early Castilian, Hebrew, Turkish, Greek, French, and other regional languages. During the Second World War, the Greek Jews were systematically rounded up and sent to their deaths in eastern Europe. Over 62,000 Greek Jews perished during the Holocaust - slightly less than 90% of the country's total Jewish population. Portraits of our Past marks the first historical exhibit to be showcased at Gallery Taranto and will be featured until May 2, 1998. A book accompanying the exhibit will be available for sale at the Gallery. Selected photographs of the exhibit can also be seen through the Gallery website at http://www.tarantolabs.com. Portraits of our Past is produced by The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture. It is one of several presentations and exhibits prepared by the Foundation documenting the Sephardic Jews of the Balkans. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and preservation of the Sephardic culture, language and experience.