On March 26, 2025 The opening of the temporary exhibition of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki took place Ashes and tears in the lake...History of the Jews of Kastoria.
The exhibition, an initiative of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the non-profit organization Eran for the Research and Promotion of the Jewish Community of Kastoria, presents for the first time documents and rare archival material from collectors. The exhibition is inspired by the book of the same name by historian Thrasyvoulos Papastratis and will last until August 31, 2025.
At the beginning of the event, greetings were delivered by the President of the Central Jewish Council of Greece and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, the benefactor of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, Clifton Russo, the President of the Committee of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, Isaac-Nino Saltiel, the Deputy Mayor for Entrepreneurship and Culture of the Municipality of Kastoria, Manos Englezos, and the Museologist of the Non-Profit Organization ERAN, Nissim Mevorach.
The exhibition was presented to the public by the Museum's Scientific Director, Dr. Xenia Eleftheriou. This was followed by a speech by the author Thrasyvoulos Papastratis, who referred to his long-term research on the Jewish community of Kastoria and the material he collected and presents in his book. Then the keynote speech, on the topic of "Survival, testimony and transmission of memory", was given by historian and author Odette Baron-Vassar, who spoke about Berry Nachmias, the emblematic Kastoria survivor of Auschwitz who, both through her work for the Hostages' Association and through the publication of her testimony "Cry for Tomorrow" (1989 and expanded 2nd edition 2020 Alexandria), pioneered and spearheaded actions to preserve the Memory of the Holocaust in Greece.
The opening of the exhibition was attended, among others, by the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Greece - responsible for issues of Macedonia and Thrace, Konstantinos Gkoulekas, the coordinator of the Prime Minister's office in Thessaloniki, Yiannis Papageorgiou, the Consul of Germany in Thessaloniki, Mark Strohmenger, His Eminence Archimandrite Fr. Eusebios Nakopoulos as representative of His Holiness the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki. Philotheou, the Most Wise Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki Izhak Dayan, the Vice President of the Community Council, Lazaros Seficha, the Secretary of the Community Council, Hana Pinto, the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kastoria, Andromache Skreka, the ladies Maria Samara and Efi Karagiannidou from the company SAMARAS & ASSOCIATES S.A. and a large crowd.
About the exhibition:
- On the website of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki HERE