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A prime factor in the development of Salonika into an economic center was its complex rabbinical authority. This stemmed from, according to K. E. Flemings Greece: Jewish History, the rabbis’ openness and tolerance of different groups of people. This is especially true of conversos, or Jews whos families converted to Christianity whilst living in Spain and Portugal in order to avoid persecution and potential expulsion. A common practice amongst conversos who wished to live in the city was the practice of Teshuvah. This was the concept of Jews returning to the religion. According to Fleming, the, “urgency of providing mechanisms for their reentry into Jewish life made for a flexible rabbinic establishment”. In many cases, the process of reconverting back to Judaism was automatic and it required no extended arbitration by the rabbis in Salonika. The kehalim – or congregations of Salonika – wanted to make sure that the process of Teshuvah was as smooth as possible for the participant. The process had gone on for centuries up until the modern era. Multiple responsums document the Teshuvah proceedings. In one instance, a converso man claimed that he was Jewish through his father’s side and was accepted back into the Jewish faith. This willingness to accept those back into the faith that have supposedly abandoned it, made Salonika that economic powerhouse, much to the ire of Greece. By the late 1800’s, Salonika had become much larger than Athens as a result, and a target for Greek conquest.