Following the Wall Street collapse in 2008, Greece became a central figure in the European debt crisis that followed. This collapse has had a particularly devastating impact on the Jewish community in Greece. The Balkan Jews and the Romaniot Jews of Greece trace their ancestry to the 15th and 16th centuries, and are an integral part of the community there. Many rely heavily on income from the real estate market, which has suffered significantly, and the result has been difficulty funding important Jewish institutions such as their community school.

In 2010 the Greek government was issued a number of bailouts with harsh long term impacts on taxes and deep budget cuts. In the last few months this has all come to a head and the Greek government reached an agreement on July 13th to resolve the current situation.

To learn about the impact of these events on the Jewish community from an inside perspective, Diego Ornique, Regional Director of JDC-Europe; Josh Spinner, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation; Minos Moissis, President of the Greek Jewish Community; and Lyda Modiano, a volunteer in the Greek Jewish Community briefed the JFN community and led a riveting discussion about the current state of affairs in Greece.