What was life like for the Jews in Greek-ruled lands?

Answer 1

It depends on the time-frame.

If the person is talking about the Hellenic Greeks from around 2000-2300 years ago, the situation is like this. Because the Greeks were relatively civilized and modern, there was a difficult test of assimilation. Not everyone withstood the test; and, for a time, a class of "Hellenized" Jews arose.

If the person is talking about the Byzantine Empire, Jews were lightly persecuted by the Byzantines at the onset. They were allowed to worship as they liked but were forbidden several notable government offices. As the empire aged, it became more and more intolerant, beginning with the forced coversions of Heraclius in the 600s CE, and rising to pogroms and forced segregation under the Paleologoi in the 1300s CE.

If the person is talking about Modern Greece and Cyprus, less than 200 years ago, Jews were generally well-integrated into the modern state apparatus. However, many aspects of the Greek Independence Wars had a Greek Orthodox religious tone to them which made Jewish citizenship in the Greek State more tenuous. Jews served in the Greek Army all the way up until Nazi Germany invaded Greece. During the Holocaust over 80% of Greek Jews were deported and killed, including the overwhelming majority of the Romaniote Jewish community. In Greece and Cyprus today, Jews are an accepted minority and there are history museum showcasing their lives in Greece and Cyprus during the Ottoman Period as well as the Greek Independent Period. Additionally, as ties warm between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel over the discovery of the Tamar and Leviathan Gas Fields, the situation for Greek Jews continues to improve.

All intermediate periods of time were periods when Greeks were ruled by non-Greek foreigners.