The event for the National Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust was held in an emotional atmosphere on 26.1.2020 in the crowded hall of warehouse D' in the port of Thessaloniki.
He was the first to take the stage ambassador of Israel, Yossi Amrani, who emphasized in his speech that no other nation has been targeted for neutralization because it was seen as different. "We have to remember that. This Holocaust is a tragedy. We were left with memories, not even stones or graves but only ashes," he declared. However, he did not fail to underline the responsibility of all of Europe for the crime that was committed. As he stated, Epirus was [morally] bankrupt, as some collaborated with the Nazis, some took the property, some grabbed the land and still don't want to give it back." "It is the tragedy of humanity, the failure of the world, of the religions, of the philosophies that did not prevent it," he concluded and closed his speech wondering if we are better off than then.
On government was represented by Stavros Kalafatis, who called today a "day of reflection". "Let us never forget the unjust martyrdom of our Jewish brothers. And here our city, Thessaloniki, had its own mertico. Tens of thousands of Jews were martyred and killed in the horrific Auschwitz. It is our highest obligation to honor their memory", he stressed.
Ascending the step, o president of KISE and the Israeli Community, David Saltiel he emphasized that the "crimes [against the Jews] were not only committed by the Nazi regime, but also by ordinary people who contributed in one way or another." As he noted, in order not to experience similar tragedies again, we must give weight to remembrance, awareness and recognition that the protection of rights must be a priority. He himself drew attention, as "the rise of racism and anti-Semitism is beyond obvious", referring also to the victims of modern anti-Semitic attacks. He closed his speech by saying that Thessaloniki must be at the forefront of the effort against the distortion of history and the rise of anti-Semitism.
From his position president of the Holocaust Museum of Greece, Yiannis Boutaris, emphasized that we are all responsible for the Holocaust, but that as the years pass, the shame of the crime may fade. "The Holocaust Museum will keep this memory alive for generations to come. This is our duty, whether as ordinary citizens of this city, or from any other public office.'
The main speaker of the event was the Mayor, Konstantinos Zervas,who mentioned, among other things, his personal experiences, as his mother lived pre-war in the district of Agia Triada with many Jewish neighbors, but also his father, who joined the national resistance, learned about the Nazi atrocities against the Jews and tried to warn friends and neighbors . In fact, the Mayor himself was moved when he mentioned his neighbor, Mrs. Molho, on whose hand he had seen the characteristic number of the concentration camp.
The Mayor devoted a large part of his speech to the contribution of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, listing their dozens of achievements. "No one can imagine what the course of our city would have been if all this had not happened. How different our city would be!" However, he did not fail to mention the Thessalonian Christians who helped the Jews. "Let's keep the acts of solidarity as a bright example, let's remember those who defied the danger and extended a helping hand."
"Today the city remembers and the city acts," he concluded, talking about the Holocaust Museum and saying that it will be a beacon of memory. "It will prove to be a tangible symbol of the slogan 'never again' and I pledge myself to make every human effort to realize the work that is my generation's debt to such an important part of my city's history."
"Vigilance is needed to deal with racism", she emphasized in her speech when she took the podium Deputy Governor Athena Aidona.
After the end of the event, there was a wreath-laying ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial, with the children of the Jewish School first laying red roses at the memorial. All eyes were on Rosie Saltiel, who laid a wreath as a Holocaust survivor. A native of Thessaloniki, Ms. Saltiel left the city as a young child to go to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
"Despair, that's what I remember, despair," she said, recalling the situation in the camp.
Her message for today: "Let us not have such despair again."
SOURCE: VORIA.gr website, 26.1.2020
Photos from website thestival.gr
SEE HERE THE SPEECH OF THE MAYOR OF THESSALONIKI AND HERE SCRIPT FROM SURVIVOR ROSY SALTIEL'S STEFANO DEPOSIT