What does Acts 11:20 mean?

A "Hellenist" is someone who lives in the Greco-Roman culture and speaks Greek. In the early church of Acts 6:1, the Hellenists were Jews who lived outside of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. They naturally shared Jesus' resurrection and offer of forgiveness to other Hellenist Jews, but some also spoke to Gentile Hellenists. Gentile Hellenists may have been actual Greeks, or they may have been from modern-day Asia Minor, Arabia, or Syria. But they spoke Greek and had a similar culture to the Hellenistic Jews. It would make sense that Greek-speaking Jesus-followers—even if they were Jewish—would share Jesus' story with other Greek-speakers—even if they were Gentiles. They see no reason why their friends wouldn't be interested in Jesus and even less doubt that Jesus is interested in their friends.

In the early days of the church in Jerusalem, Hellenistic widows did not get as much support as natives of Judea (Acts 6:1). Stephen was one of the Hellenist Jesus-followers who were chosen to disperse the food fairly. He debated other Hellenist Jews about how Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. His arguments were unassailable, so they killed him (Acts 6:8—7:60). Saul started persecuting the church in Jerusalem. The Jesus-followers fled and spread Jesus' story all over, including Syrian Antioch, on the northeast corner of the Mediterranean (Acts 8:1–4; 11:19).

Cyprus then is the same as Cyprus now: the island west of Syria and south of Asia Minor. Cyrene, as well, is still the city in Libya on the north African coast. There had been a large Jewish community there from since the Ptolemaic Empire (323—285 BC).