Inaugurated in 1927, the Monastirioton Synagogue is the main synagogue of the city today, and is one of just three existing ones. It was built thanks to the donations of prominent members of Monastiri (today known as Bitola, a city in North Macedonia). One of the most well known donors was Ida Aroesti, who wanted to help memorialize her husband Isaac and help the Jewish population that settled in Thessaloniki after the Balkan Wars. The synagogue was designed by the Jewish architect Eli Ernst Levi, who was influenced by the style and structure of older synagogues and of Byzantine style. During WWII, it was used as a warehouse by the Red Cross – the only thing that prevented it from destruction by the Nazis.