Inaugurated in 2001, the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki is housed in a community owned building which was renovated in 1997 by the Organization of the Cultural Capital of Europe “Thessaloniki 1997”. The purpose and role of the museum is to present the long history of Jews of Thessaloniki, their customs, and daily life, as well as their professional activity. An important collection is the one of tombstones from the destroyed cemetery and of architectural members from the synagogues that were demolished by the Nazis. Dated 1904, the building is one of the rare ones that escaped from the Great Fire of 1917. It was once called “Cedid Han” and housed the Bank of Athens and the headquarters of “ L’Indépendent”, a Jewish journal published in the French language from 1909 to 1941.