The 19th and 20th Centuries Toward the end of the 19th century, Crete was made into an independent republic under a Greek prince regent. A parliament was established, with several Jewish representatives, who managed to claim their constitutionally guaranteed seats with great difficulty. After Crete was formally annexed to Greece in 1913, Jewish emigration continued until, by 1941, there were only 364 Jews in Hania, 1 in Rethymnon, and 7 in Herakleion. Left: Memorial niche in the south courtyard of the synagogue for the victims of the Nazi Action of 1944.

The Chief Rabbi of Crete during these momentous years was R. Abraham Evlagon whose original appointment was made in 1867 by Sultan Abdul Aziz. Shortly before his death, Rabbi Evlagon wrote and account of his years as Chief Rabbi of the island.

Abraham Evlagon - the last Chief Rabbi of Crete, d. 1933

Crete was taken by the Germans in 1941. They were met by fierce resistance from the local population and the three main towns, Hania, Rethmynon and Herakleion, were badly bombed. It was not until June of 1944, and almost as an afterthought, that the Jews of Crete were arrested and sent to Herakleion, where they were put on the ship Tanais, together with some 600 Greek and Italian prisoners. For some years the details of the last hours of the Tanais and the fate of its crew and human cargo was not clear. What was known is that the ship had been sunk and that all had perished. Evidence has now appeared through the Foreign Office in London that in fact the Tanais had been sighted by a British U-Boat and was given two torpedo broadsides and sank within 15 minutes.

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 A Cretan Exodus May-June 1944: article0009, PDF, Pages 3, 222 KB
 List of the names of the victims: article0003, PDF, Pages 2, 273 KB
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Annual ceremonial lighting of candles during the Hashcabah in memory of the Hania Community that perished in 1944.