More than half a century after its dedication, the Monastirlis synagogue of Salonika, established by the Aroesti family from Monastir (Bitolj), former Yugoslavia, receives again support in a partial restoration program by the same family. 
The Monastirlis synagogue, designed by architect Eli Levy, and dedicated in September 1927, although one of the over sixty synagogues of the city prior to the Second World War, is the only synagogue that survived the German persecution and the subsequent reconstruction of the city. It serves today as the main synagogue for the Jewish community of Salonika, numbering 1,000 Jews, a fraction of the pre-war thriving community. The  synagogue was established by Haim, Isaac, Solomon, Avraham, and Yakov Aroesti, sons of Semayia Aroesti, who moved to Salonika in the early 1920s. 
In its pledge to undertake partial restoration work in the synagogue, the Jewish community of Salonika found a supporting patron in a descendant of the founding family: Joseph Aroesti, living in New York. With Mr. Aroesti’s help the community will repair the roof of the synagogue, replace the seating in the synagogue, and upgrade the alarm system.