For centuries, Jews were so central to trade in this Greek port city that its ports and businesses were closed on Shabbos. Strategically located between Europe and the Middle East, Solonika was caught in the middle of every major trend that affected the Jewish world, from the Shabsai Tzvi debacle in the Middle Ages to World War II and the Holocaust. Though the Jewish community of Solonika has virtually disappeared, its survivors were supplanted mainly to Israel where their distinctive character continues to show itself today.