Bitola, or also known as Monastir during the Ottoman Empire, was and still is an important town: It was established by Philip II, father of Alexander The Great; It is on the Ancient Roman Road of Via Egnatia; and it was the town where the international community decided to open consulates to the Ottoman Empire. Today, Bitola is a town with a wealth of cultures intertwined in its streets and residents. Likewise, the remnants of a once thriving Jewish community are scattered throughout the town, and blended in the everyday life as a memory. In this tour we visit the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Balkans, we walk through the old Jewish neighbourhood to see where the Jewish once people lived, visit the Old Bazaar to see where the Jewish people once worked, and we see the many monuments that the local people of Bitola enacted in memory of their fellow citizens. In the process we learn also about the rich history of Bitola and its tasty cuisine.
The plan:
We meet at place of your choice.
We visit the Jewish cemetery using a taxi
We walk to and through the Jewish neighbourhood
We visit the Jewish monument at Dr Haim Abravanel Hospital
We visit the marketplace and the Old Bazaar, learning about the location where once used to be a synagogue
We see the main square of Bitola
We walk along the so called 'Wide Street', and see the house of Aroesti
We end the tour by visiting the Park and the pillars of the Jewish Synagogue Kahl Portugal