“We Don’t Give Up”: One Leader’s Hopes for Jewish Life in Greece

Taly Mair knows more about Jewish Greece than most people. As the former executive director of the Jewish community of Athens, she helped steer the city’s Jews through a catastrophic financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising global antisemitism. Today, as director of the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC), her mission is to strengthen connections between Jewish organizations across the continent — work in which JDC is a critical partner. 

In this reflection, Taly, 51, walks us through the obstacles and opportunities her community faces, JDC’s crucial role in Greece, and the recent 6th Summit of European Jewish Leaders in Athens. 

Each time it’s like a punch in the gut. It doesn’t matter where it happens — Michigan, Israel, or Amsterdam — whenever an antisemitic incident occurs, it’s like my own community was attacked. 

All Jews are an extended family. We live in many different cities and come from many different places, but we are one. That’s why I care when a synagogue is attacked in suburban Detroit or a Jewish school faces arson in the Netherlands: Those are my people. 

Here in Greece, it feels like antisemitism is everywhere, and it mainly stems from ignorance. People don’t know us, especially in smaller towns and cities. They have misconceptions about who we are — in their minds, we aren’t real humans, but stereotypes. 

For years, we hid ourselves, not exposing that we were Jewish. But as we continue to grapple with the aftermath of October 7, I think it’s time we express our Jewishness proudly. 

I was born in Haifa, Israel, and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, so I bring a global awareness of Jewish issues to my local community. I know firsthand that what affects one Jew affects us all. 

Because of this, I know that the challenges we face here in Greece aren’t unique. We contend with rising antisemitism, security threats, and demographic changes. And given the economic fallout from our recent financial crisis, many young Greek Jews are moving away. 

In this difficult context, my primary question is this: How can we ensure that Greek Jewish life — and Jewish life across Europe — stays vibrant and resilient for generations to come?

As director of the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC), answering that question is my full-time job. ECJC is a platform that connects and strengthens Jewish organizations across the continent. We work between communities, facilitating peer learning, collaboration, networking sessions, and other opportunities to share knowledge. 

The most salient example of our work was the recent 6th Summit of European Jewish Leaders in Athens, Greece — a partnership with JDC. Jewish changemakers from more than 30 countries across the continent and around the world gathered in one room to learn, share ideas, and offer each other mutual support at this most critical time. 

Walking around, you might’ve seen an older Jewish leader from a community in Germany offer guidance to a young JCC director from Moldova, or vice versa. Everyone had something valuable to offer everyone else — each person was on a level playing field.

It wasn’t all business, either. After they delved into demographics, adaptive leadership and emerging challenges and opportunities, that same Jewish leader from Germany was laughing with the JCC director as they watched a team of young professionals get up to dance and sing Jewish melodies. 

It was tikkun olam, it was a mitzvah, and it was unbelievably beautiful. You could feel we were one.

This summit wouldn’t have happened without JDC. They have always been right by our side, supporting and guiding us European Jews. 

For many years, Jewish Greece was inward-facing, we weren’t very connected to the wider Jewish world. JDC opened our eyes to something bigger, and when we needed them most, they showed up. 

In the 2010s, a financial crisis catapulted Greece into an economic catastrophe, and in 2015 we lost access to our bank accounts, which we used to distribute financial support to the most vulnerable members of our community, due to capital controls. Many Jews — the elderly, those with disabilities, and families with children — depended on these funds and still do. To put it mildly, I was stressed, unsure if these Jews would even have food to eat by the end of the month. 

All it took was two days, and JDC showed up with the money we needed. None of our vulnerable community members felt anything — for them, it was as if nothing had happened. That’s why I liken JDC to a parent who steps in when you’re faced with a difficult situation. They never leave us behind.

They bring know-how and more than a century of hard-earned experience to the table. And they don’t speak down to us from on high — they help us realize our own collective hopes.

Eleven years ago, they developed a community resilience-building project that has ensured our long-term sustainability. More than 200 Greek Jews came together to discuss what our community needed most. Then, we prioritized ten of their best ideas. 

More than a decade later, the results have been astonishing. I didn’t even know what “resilience” meant until we launched this program. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the ideas we’d acted on through the resilience project allowed us to adapt to this new reality. We got through the pandemic in a relatively seamless way, all thanks to JDC. 

You simply can’t quantify this kind of support. It’s priceless — it gives you the strength to move forward and the courage to act on your dreams. 

Recently, when preparing for the Summit of European Jewish Leaders, I asked ChatGPT, “What’s the opposite of isolation?” The answer it gave me was “community.” But I didn’t need AI to tell me what I already knew through a lifetime of experience. 

What I know is this: We are Jews, we don’t give up, we are strong, and we are one. 

Taly Mair, 51, serves as director of the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC). With over 13 years of experience as the executive director of the Jewish community of Athens, she has successfully cultivated partnerships with international Jewish organizations and spearheaded innovative community programs. Taly holds an MBA in Marketing from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and previously worked as the marketing and PR director for an international fashion brand.

Born in Haifa, Israel, and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, Taly has been deeply involved in Jewish community life from a young age. In addition to her role as director of the ECJC, she also serves as consultant for the Jewish community of Athens. Outside of her professional pursuits, Taly is the proud mother of Moses, 14; Vivian, 18; and Myriam, 20.

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