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History of Greece (Ancient ·Byzantine ·Ottoman)
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For millennia, theGreeks in Israel have been prominently present inthe land. Greek expatriates comprise most of the leadership of theEastern Greek Orthodox Church in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, in an arrangement that long predates the modernState of Israel.^[1]

In the late 330s BCE,Alexander the Great invaded the Middle East (including the area which is now Israel), during his campaigns against theAchaemenid Empire. The landscape during this period was markedly changed by extensive growth and development that included urban planning and the establishment of well-built fortified cities. Hellenistic pottery, trade and commerce flourished, particularly in the most Hellenized areas, such asAshkelon,Jaffa,Jerusalem,Gaza, and ancient Nablus (Tell Balatah).^[2]

When theHasmonean Kingdom was absorbed into theRoman Empire, the area remained under the influence of theGreek language andculture. Especially during the Byzantine period, Palaestina reached its greatest prosperity in antiquity. Urbanization increased, large new areas were put under cultivation, monasteries proliferated and synagogues were restored. The cities of Palaestina Prima and Teria, such asCaesarea Maritima, Jerusalem,Scythopolis,Neapolis, and Gaza reached their peak population, and the population west of the Jordan may have reached as many as one million.

Since the 7th century, when the Arabs conquered the region, the Greek presence was reduced.^{[citation needed]} Today there is a slightly large Greek community in Israel.^{[citation needed]} Also, there are Greeks in charge of theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.^[3] There is also a large number ofRomaniote andSephardicGreek Jews who emigrated from Greece and live now in Israel, some of whom made aliyah over the previous centuries, with most moving to Israel after Israeli independence^{[citation needed]}.

The1922 census of Palestine lists 1,315 Greek speakers inMandatory Palestine (7 in Southern, 1,044 in Jerusalem-Jaffa, 19 in Samaria, and 245 in Northern), including 1,230 in municipal areas (760 in Jerusalem, 161 inJaffa, 205 inHaifa, 4 inGaza, 1 inHebron, 6 inNablus, 1 inSafad, 1 inLydda, 12 in Nazareth, 20 inRamleh, 1 inTiberias, 29 in Bethlehem, 11 inAcre, 2 inTulkarem, 1 inRamallah, 4 inBeit Jala, 10 inJenin, 1 inBeersheba, and 1 inBaisan).^[4]

During theWWII some of the Greek community went toGreece voluntarily to fight against theAxis powers.^[5]

• Salamo Arouch, boxer
• Ofir Akunis, politician
• Yehuda Poliker, singer and musician
• Aris San, singer and nightclub owner who popularizedGreek music in Israel
• Patriarch Irenaios
• Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem

• History of the Jews in Greece
• Greek Colony, Jerusalem
• Greece–Israel relations
• Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
• Greek music in Israel
• Hellenistic Judaism

• "Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III".Palestine-Israel Journal. Retrieved28 March 2014.
• "Israel's International Relations:".Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved28 March 2014.
• "Greeks in Israel - Greek expats in Israel".InterNations. Retrieved28 March 2014.

• Ethnic groups in Israel
• Greek diaspora in the Middle East
• Greek diaspora in Israel
• Israeli people of Greek descent

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014
• Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021