The Jewish cemetery of Thessaloniki was located in the area where the Aristotle University is, as well as beyond the University grounds. The cemetery occupied a total of 300,000 sq.m. It was created in the late 15th century and was used continuously until December of 1942, without exhumations, which are forbidden by the Jewish religion. It, therefore, included hundreds of thousands of graves. A law issued in 1937 anticipated the graves’ preservation, the planting of trees and the creation of a new cemetery outside the city, but the plan did not come into effect due to the war. In 1942, local authorities who were interested in relocating the cemetery ordered the German authorities to destroy the tombs and loot their materials. These were used in construction works (streets, buildings such as schools and even churches) at the request of various organizations. The Germans used burial slabs for their swimming pools. In 1943, the Ministry of Finance under the Occupation declared the cemetery grounds as public property through summary procedures. In 1946 this estate was assigned by an Act of the Council of Ministers to the Aristotle University. Meanwhile, the looting of the burial slabs continued, despite the authorities' prohibiting. The Israeli community has collected over a thousand slabs and fragments of slabs throughout the city.