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Created : November 14, 2024

The general secretary of KISE Victor I. Eliezer with the following his post on facebook stigmatized the fact of the upvoting of a resolution on 11.11.2024 by the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Athens for the ceasefire in Gaza and the disengagement of Greece from the war. 

"The selective sensitivity of the Mayor of Athens Mr. Harry Doukas

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Created : November 10, 2024

The Central Jewish Council of Greece, together with Hellenic Jewry participate in the mourning for the loss of Yiannis Boutaris, the man who left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of the citizens of Thessaloniki and the citizens of our entire country.

For the Greek Jews, the Yannis Boutaris It is A brave man who was not afraid and on 29/8/2014 he stood up against the followers of fascism and was sworn in for the second time as the mayor of Thessaloniki wearing the "Star of David" on his lapel publicly acknowledging that the Jews of the city are also genuine "Thessalonians".

For the Greek Jews, the Yannis Boutaris It is A fair man who on November 10, 2014, at the unveiling of the monument at Aristotle University commemorating the destruction of the city's Jewish cemetery, in a monumental speech acknowledged that "The city of Thessaloniki took an unreasonably long time to break its silence, but today it can say that it is ashamed for those loyal Thessalonians who collaborated with the conquerors, for those neighbors who misused property, for those who betrayed those who tried to escape. Above all, he is ashamed of the authorities of the city: of the mayor and the general commander who agreed without complaint that the workers of the municipality in one night destroy 500 years of memory and turn the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe into a place of skulls.

For the Greek Jews, the Yannis Boutaris is the man who honors the memory declaring that the reconstruction of Freedom Square and the Holocaust Museum will be the new memorial axis of the city.

For the Greek Jews, the Yannis Boutaris is the man who fought the oblivion of the Holocaust when in 2018 in a historic speech he stated that “the Holocaust Museum will symbolize our shame. For what happened, for what we did, and above all for what we could not or did not want to do, natives and refugees, right and left during and after the war. The Museum is a debt of the city but also a personal bet for me. It is a debt to its Jews, as Thessalonians, Greeks and Sephardim. The Museum goes beyond the city and Greece and rewrites Thessaloniki as the metropolis of the Sephardic Jews of the Mediterranean. It aspires to tell the unknown story of the Holocaust of the Jews of the Mediterranean and the Balkans, of the Sephardi Jews of Thessaloniki and Corfu, Chania and Patras, but also of Belgrade, Skopje, Monastir, and Sarajevo, Trieste and Livorno. To highlight an aspect of the Holocaust that is often overlooked due to the emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe and in this way to make Thessaloniki a place of remembrance as well as a research and study center of international influence. And, finally, it is hoped to become a space where citizens of the whole earth, especially young people, will learn the results of the violation of human rights."

Finally, we Greek Jews mourn because we have lost a worthy fellow citizen, a loyal friend, a wonderful person.

Athens, 10.11.2024

Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece

RELEVANT: Press Release I.K. THESSALONIKI

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Created : October 31, 2024

On 24.10.2024, the Yiannopoulos Schools organized an event for the presentation of the 2nd volume of the project "AUSHWITZ: The Symbol of the Root of Evil - The Extermination of the Greek Jews", which is the fruit of a comprehensive and penetrating educational program on the Holocaust in which students of his Lyceum participated, under the supervision of their teachers and the Principal of the Lyceum, Mr. Thomas Malamis. (See here more about the book. Volume A here- Volume B here). KISE and the Jewish Museum of Greece collaborated with the school by providing material.

The publication of the book was preceded by a series of many months of educational activities, such as visits to Haidari and Distomo, but also to Nuremberg, culminating in the visit to Auschwitz (video here). Along with schoolwork and the processing of a wealth of historical material, the experiential experience of the visits gave a deeper meaning to the approach to history and the universal messages arising from the Holocaust.

A detailed presentation of the two books that were dedicated to the Holocaust and the Jews of Greece was made by the Principal of the Lyceum, Mr. Thomas Malamis, who referred to the students' work, the contents of the two volumes and the importance of educational activities for nurturing new generation.

The event was framed by an exhibition of the Polish Embassy on Auschwitz, an exhibition by the distinguished photographer René Revach entitled "TEHOM" (Abyss), an exhibition of works by students of the Lauder School of the Israelite Community of Athens, an exhibition of works by students and teachers of the Yiannopoulos schools, experiential workshops for kindergarten and primary school students, recitations of poems and texts by Auschwitz inmates as well as student theatrical performances.

Before the start of the event, groups of students guided the guests to the exhibitions.

The event was attended and addressed by: the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Ms. Sofia Voultepsi, the Mayor of Glyfada, Mr. Giorgos Papanikolaou, the Secretary General of Vulnerable Citizens, Mr. Iraklis Moskof, the former Minister, Mr. Thanasis Theocharopoulos, the Secretary General of the Central Jewish Council Greece, Mr. Victor Eliezer, the Director of the Lauder School of the Israelite Community of Athens, Mr. G. Kanellos et al. Also, a message from the Ecumenical Patriarch, Mr. Bartholomew which is also published in the book on the Holocaust.

As the Deputy Minister of Immigration Mrs. Vultepsi pointed out: "today, the danger of forgetting and the leveling of historical memory coexists with the reappearance of the protophasium, which wears a different, innocent face, a smiling mask under which hides the most despicable form of intolerance".
Mrs. Wultepsi referring to the visit of the older students to Auschwitz, "the biggest of the hells of Nazi Germany" pointed out that "these children will never succumb to the so-called 'charm of violence.' They will pass on to the next generation the ideals of democracy and freedom. They came in contact with the real face of Nazism. This process will help them detect the other hidden, beautified faces of proto-fascism, which comes back again and again with a different narrative every time."

For his part, the Mayor of Glyfada expressed his emotion about how the students approached the topic, how they assimilated it and how they conveyed the message of peace.

G.G. of KISE B. Eliezer in his speech emphasized, among other things: "So a visit to Auschwitz is made mainly to teach that a society can easily be led down the path of "absolute evil", where people turn into numbers, indelibly engraved in the arm, when we ourselves do not shield the values ​​of democracy and humanity. Because "ultimate evil" did not start at Auschwitz. It started with hate speech and ended in Auschwitz." That is why educational initiatives, such as that of the Yiannopoulos Schools, and works, such as those of his students published in the book and presented here today, are projects of responsibility and rekindle our hope for the future".

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Created : October 23, 2024

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, the opening of the new periodical exhibition entitled "Karya 1943. Forced Labor and the Holocaust", which is presented simultaneously at the Jewish Museum of Greece and the Benaki Museum (Piraeus 138, Athens) and is dedicated to the subject of the forced labor of Greek Jews during the German occupation.

The evening started from the Jewish Museum of Greece with a small circle of official guests and with an emphasis on the descendants of the few survivors of Karya. The director of the Museum, Janet Battinou, welcomed the attendees and gave a brief introduction about the history of the exhibition, the factors involved in the idea, the initial design and its final form.

The five partners, the Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center of the Topography of Terror Foundation, the Memorial Foundation for the Murdered Jews of Europe and the University of Osnabruck from Germany, the Jewish Museum of Greece and the Benaki Museum from Greece, worked on this project, at the core of which is the amazing discovery and acquisition and above all the subsequent long and meticulous research of a photo album from the War years, bought by Andreas Assaël from Thessaloniki, while financed by the Foundation for Remembrance, the Responsibility and the Future and is under the patronage of the Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and the German Deputy Minister of Culture and Media Claudia Roth.

Afterwards, Mrs. Battinou emphasized the role of the EME to serve the task of memory and to present the events, the place of Karya and the life stories of the few survivors, whose testimonies shed light on the hard everyday life and the martyred deaths of the forced laborers, most of whom breathed their last in the ravine. Also, to spread the message of our own responsibility for the safety of our world today, engaging young minds through educational programs for schools and visiting groups.

He thanked the German partners, who entrusted EME with this remarkable program, the historian Dr. Jason Chandrino and the coordinator Alexios Detorakis, as well as the Greek partner, the Benaki Museum and its director Giorgos Magginis, who willingly partnered with EME and worked for the successful completion of the report.

Then, Ms. Stavroula - Willy Fotopoulou, Director of Contemporary Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, addressed a greeting, followed by Dr. Christine Glauning, Director of the Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center of the Topography of Terror Foundation, who shared her experience with the attendees. Before the guests left the EME to move to the Benaki Museum for the second part of the inauguration, Mr. Andreas Assaël took the floor while the greetings were concluded with the president of the EME, Mr. Mikis Modiano.

The inauguration continued at the Benaki Museum, where the scientific director, Mr. Giorgis Magginis, welcomed the officials and the public with a speech. This was followed by the speeches of the Minister of Culture, Mr. Linas Mendonis, the Ambassador of Germany to Greece, Mr. Andreas Kindle, and Mr. Andreas Assaël, the researcher and author who brought to light the tragic story of the Karya massacre. The parallel release of Mr. Assael's book, entitled "In the dungeons of death. A journey through the coercive Nazi projects of Christians and Jews in Greece with 350 anecdotal images", (published by University Studio Press, Thessaloniki, September 2024). A symbolic presence at the opening event was Berta Karasso, granddaughter of Dzako Karasso, from Thessaloniki, who survived forced labor in Karia, who spoke about her grandfather's story.

The exhibition will last until February 16, 2025 at the Jewish Museum of Greece and at the Benaki Museum / Piraeus 138.

JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE I Nikis 39, Syntagma I 210 3225582 I Opening hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 – 16:00, Sunday: 10:00-16:00, Saturday: closed I General ticket price: €10, €8

BENAKIS MUSEUM / PIRAEUS 138 I Piraeus 138 & Andronikou Athens I 210 3453111 I Opening hours: Thursday & Sunday: 10:00-18:00, Friday & Saturday: 10:00-22:00, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: closed I Ticket price exhibition: €6, €5

RELEVANT:

-FOR THE REPORT "KARYA 1943. FORCED LABOR AND THE HOLOCAUST"

https://kis.gr/index.php/politistika-menu/karya-1943-katanankastike-ergasia-kai-olokautoma

-THE STEP, 19.10.2024: "Karya 1943": How an unknown page of the Holocaust came to light

https://www.tovima.gr/2024/10/19/culture/karya-1943-pos-irthe-sto-fos-mia-agnosti-selida-tou-olokaytomatos/