On 24 and 25.11.2001 events dedicated to the Jews of the island were organized in Corfu by the Municipality and the local Israeli Community on the occasion of the unveiling of the Jewish Holocaust Martyrs Memorial.
The events started on the evening of Friday 23.11.01, with the service of Kabalat Shabbat, which was held in the newly renovated Synagogue of Corfu. The prayers were recited by the Rabbi of Athens, Mr. Jacob Arar, assisted by Messrs. B. Ishaki and L. Gavrielidis. The fact that the Synagogue functioned moved the members of the Community as well as the representatives of the KIS and the Israeli Communities from all over Greece who attended the function.
The next morning, the Sabbath service was held in the Synagogue in the presence of many Christians from Corfu. In the afternoon, the service of Minha was held, followed by a cultural event at the Municipal Theater of Corfu.
The event was greeted with short speeches by the Prefect, the Mayor, a representative of the Metropolitan of Corfu, the Catholic Bishop, the president of KIS, the president of I.K. Corfu and representative of the Resistance Organizations. This was followed by the speech of the professor of the Ionian University, Mr. Yiannis Mazis, on the topic "Jewish Holocaust: An ongoing crime against civilization".
Then the president of I.K. Corfu Mr. Raphael - Victor Soussis, as well as representatives of Greek Jewry awarded honorary plaques to the organizations that helped the Jews of the island during the Occupation. Honorary plaques were awarded to the representative of the Diocese of Corfu and Paxos, to the Prefect as a representative of the State, to the Mayor, to representatives of the Resistance Organizations, to a representative of the surviving hostages, to the sculptor Mr. Karachalio who designed the Monument, to Professor Mr. Mazis, central speaker of the event, the artist Ms. Louisa Kone - Velelis.
An interesting artistic program followed with the Philharmonic of Corfu "Kapodistrias" and soloist Ms. Louisa Kone-Velelis, which delighted the audience. Special mention should be made of Ms. Kone's interpretation of the Sephardic songs.
After the end of the event, the Mayor Mr. Chrysanthos Sarlis hosted a dinner in honor of the representatives of Greek Jewry and the local Authorities. Among the officials at the dinner were the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Geo. Drys and the Prefect, Mr. An. Pagratis.
On Sunday 25.11.01, the events for the Memorial began from the Synagogue, with a memorial prayer for the victims of the Holocaust, which was delivered by the Rabbi of Athens, in the presence of all the local Authorities and a large crowd. Afterwards, the attendees went to the New Fortress Square where, in front of the Monument, speeches were made by the Mayor, who emphasized that the Monument is a fulfillment of the city's debt to the Jewish compatriots who were annihilated during the Second World War, as well as by the president of the Community, who underlined the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust and thanked the Municipality of Corfu for the cooperation in erecting the Memorial. The unveiling of the Monument was followed by the laying of wreaths by representatives of the local Authorities, Jewish Communities and Organizations. A minute's silence followed and the playing of the National Anthem by the "Kapodistrias" Philharmonic.
.jpg)
The Corfu Holocaust Memorial
