Just before the declaration of WWII, about 55.000 Jews inhabited Salonika (or Thessaloniki as it is called today), making it the the most populous Jewish community in Greece. By the end of the war, somewhere between 1,500 and 2.000 Jews were all that remained alive. Some returned to the city after liberation from the camps, while others had already escaped to the mountains and joined the resistance army. Their properties and houses were gone, and were looted and exploited by both the Germans and the Greek authorities. Upon their return, the survivors tried to recreate their lives, while others decided to immigrate to the United States of America or to Palestine. Today, the Jewish community of Thessaloniki numbers accounts for just 1,000 people.