From May 16 to 18, 2025, the 3rd Local History Conference, "Alexandroupolis Encomium", was held in Alexandroupolis, which is a well-established institution of the city's Municipality (HERE the Conference program).
This year's Conference, with the theme "Snapshots and people who transformed the city", examined, among other things, the contribution of Jews to the local history and development of Alexandroupolis, with two important presentations. The first, by Lawyer, historian and writer Thrasyvoulos Papastratis, on the topic: "Great Merchants and Shopkeepers: Reitan and Menta. The World of the Greek Jews of Alexandroupolis", presented the stories and business activities of the families Pepo Reitan and Samuel MentaThe Conference awarded honorary diplomas to the Reitan and Menda families for their "invaluable contribution to the society of Alexandroupolis", with the signatures of the Mayor of Alexandroupolis, the Thracian Union and the Scientific Committee of the Conference.
The second presentation, by Associate Professor of History Ioannis Bakirtzis, on the topic "Bible of the Genesis of Alexandroupolis - Maurice de Hirsch gave birth to a railway, a railway gave birth to a city, a city gave birth to a port", focused on Baron Hirsch's contribution to the development of the city thanks to the construction of the railway.
The Conference was accompanied by a thematic exhibition of documents and objects, which are connected to the historical figures highlighted in the presentations.