HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 2022 IN THESSALONIKI 2022 - Central Jewish Council of Greece, coordinating body of the Jewish Communities of Greece

Details: Created : January 31, 2022

With the Askava, the memorial prayer, and in an atmosphere of emotion, the commemoration of the Holocaust of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki was held on 30.1.2022 in Eleftherias Square, in front of the Holocaust Memorial.

In their greetings, the political representatives and the heads of the Israeli Community, at a high level, pointed out the importance of keeping alive the memory of the Jewish Holocaust, but also the contribution that the construction of the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki and the creation of a memorial park in Eleftherias Square.

In his greeting o Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for matters of Macedonian Thrace, Stavros Kalafatis, emphasized that the attempted annihilation of a people and the consequences of Nazism and totalitarianism should not be forgotten. He emphasized the importance of creating the Holocaust Museum in order to preserve the memory against intolerance.

Ο Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, he emphasized, among other things, that the PKK supports and will support the initiatives to keep alive the memory of the Jewish Holocaust by contributing financially to the creation of the Museum, while he pointed out the importance of creating a memorial park in Freedom Square.

His explicit commitment to create a memorial park at the place of martyrdom of the Jews of Thessaloniki in Eleftheria Square was reiterated by the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas. "Here in Eleftheria Square next to the sculpture of the Glid brothers I repeat my personal commitment to create a park of memory and recreation, with the central position of this sculpture as a matter of course, in the best way and as soon as possible, a commitment that should never be questioned . A few hundred meters away at the old train station of our city, the construction of the Holocaust Museum is underway, but there too the municipality has played a decisive role, but with deeds and projects."

Ο vice-president of the European Commission of the European Council, Margaritis Schinas, pointed out that "it is the duty of our own generation to preserve and highlight the heritage of the Jews of Thessaloniki, not only as part of the history of the city, the country, but also of Europe". Mr. Schinas noted that the construction of the Holocaust Museum is gathering interest far beyond the borders of Greece. "The museum will without a doubt be the great, emblematic mark of Thessaloniki of the future, the one that will give it a voice and presence in European political and social events", said Mr. Schinas.

On the other hand, president of the Central Jewish Council of Greece and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, Mr. David Saltiel, said that "unfortunately nowadays racism and intolerance continue to exist and increase". He emphasized that the mayor of Thessaloniki has indicated his will to proceed with the surface configuration of the memorial and recreation park in Eleftherias Square has been received and that it will proceed soon, saying at the same time that the Israeli community will contribute to the implementation of the project.

"We must ensure that future generations do not see the Holocaust as a footnote in history but as an important message for generations to come about who we are, who we were and who we should be," he said. Ambassador of Israel, Mr. Yossi Amrani

Greetings were also addressed by representative of the Central Jewish Council of Greece, Mr. Victor Eliezer and deputy regional governor of the Metropolitan Unity of Thessaloniki, Mrs. Voula Patoulidou.

The event was honored with their presence and wreaths were laid by representatives of the leaders of the parties, the Parliament, the Local Government, the ambassador of Germany, Ernst Reichel and the consul general of Germany in Thessaloniki, Sibylla Bendik, the consul general of the Republic of Cyprus, Spyros Miltiadis, the consul general of Russia, Vladimir Maistrenko and representatives of other diplomatic as well as rectory, ecclesiastical, military authorities and Security Forces. The former mayor of Thessaloniki and president of the Holocaust Museum, Yiannis Boutaris, was also present.

The ceremony closed with the laying of wreaths, the observance of a minute's silence and the National Anthem.

The same evening, at the city's Concert Hall, the concert took place of the internationally renowned violinist Gil Saham and the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki

*Data from websites voria.gr & amna.gr

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