The relocation of the Hellenic Holocaust Museum, from the original construction site to a more central one within the same building block that had been chosen for its construction, was decided by a majority in the early hours of the morning by the municipal council of the municipality of Thessaloniki during a meeting held via video conference.
The decision to relocate to a municipal plot was taken so as not to waste further time regarding the development of the project, as the Museum was planned to be erected in 2013 in the area of the old railway station, on a property owned by GAIAOSE SA, which was leased for this purpose in the Israeli Community of Thessaloniki.
In the course of the implementation of the project, problems arose with its location, with the accessibility of its facilities, but also with the securing of an area for the creation of a parking space, which is a condition for the licensing and operation of the Museum.
“You know, I really wish there were bulldozers, contractors, plans for this particular project. Unfortunately we are in A, if not B or C when we have to get to O. It turned out that the Museum has to be moved. The municipality of Thessaloniki has a contiguous area of approximately 10 acres. This is the solution that will put the project on the tracks of construction and not on the tracks of destruction", said the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas. He added that the mistakes and failures of the past should be corrected in order to proceed with the construction of the project. "Seven years have been lost. I want to believe that we will move quickly to get this great project running and see it completed soon. Let's not talk about another lost year. Today we essentially solve the ownership issue by granting the area", he underlined.
The Municipal Council for the Holocaust Museum
The memorandum of cooperation for the location of the Greek Holocaust Museum on the property of GAIAOSE S.A. within the municipality of Thessaloniki and the granting of authorization to the mayor to sign the memorandum was approved by a majority after a roll-call vote requested by the head of the municipal faction "Thessaloniki Poli Hellenic", Yiannis Kouriannidis, who also voted against it. Vassilis Gakis, on behalf of the "Thessaloniki Responsible" faction, said that the Museum for the historical restoration of the city should go ahead and be completed in order to set an example for young people. "We cannot be negative when a huge negative event for humanity is depicted," said George Orphanos.
From the party of Katerina Notopoulou, the municipal councilor Elli Chrysidou spoke about the actions carried out in previous years by the administration of Yannis Boutaris for the construction of the Museum, while Andreas Kourakis from the combination of Spyros Vougias expressed his anxiety about the construction of project saying that the course of the municipality of Thessaloniki to date is full of "failures and sloppiness". Antonis Gazakis and Michalis Tremopoulos from the factions "Upside Down - Power of Upheaval" and "Ecology Solidarity" and "Ecology Solidarity" were also in favor of the issue, while the head of the "Popular Mobilization" faction, Sotiris Zarianopoulos, voted white, expressing reservations regarding the way of establishment of the Museum. However, he emphasized that "the memory must be kept alive". Giorgos Rakkas from "Menoume Thessaloniki" also voted white, denouncing the fact that the seat of the Museum as a legal entity was transferred to Brussels.
The history of the construction of the Holocaust Museum
The history of the Holocaust Museum began with the mayor Yiannis Boutaris adopting the proposal of the Israeli Community of Thessaloniki and announcing it to the municipal councilors in 2014, characteristically saying that the specific space, combined with an educational center about Nazism, "will be a symbol in the city against Totalitarianism'.
Since 2014, the central municipality and the Israelite Community of Thessaloniki have worked together, making use of contacts around the world. Among the most important visits were those in December 2016 in Paris and Berlin. In the French capital, Mr. Boutaris and the president of the Israeli Community, David Saltiel, met with the president of the Memorial de la Shoah to discuss the participation of the Paris Holocaust Memorial in the project of creating a Museum and Educational Center in Thessaloniki.
At the same time, in Berlin they attended the Budget Committee meeting of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, where they managed to secure funding of 10 million euros.
The funding of the Holocaust Museum
The Holocaust Museum and Educational Center is expected to be built on the western side of Thessaloniki, the point from which the last journey for thousands of victims of Nazi atrocities began.
It is estimated that approximately 22 million euros are required for its construction, of which 10 million euros will be provided by the German state. The remaining 10 million euros for the creation of the museum are expected to be provided by the "Stavros Niarchos" foundation, but also by other funds (Jewish communities and personalities). The study for the Holocaust Museum is a donation from foreign architectural offices, and according to it, a six-story circular building of metal and glass will be constructed, the height of which will reach 32 meters.
The Jews of Thessaloniki
Greek Jews before World War II numbered over 77.000 people and constituted 25 solid religious communities throughout Greece, the largest of which was that of Thessaloniki with 56.000 people. On March 15, 1943, the first death train, bound for the Auschwitz hell camp, departed from the railway station, carrying on a journey (mostly of no return) some 2.800 of the city's Jews.
By August 1943, another 19 rail shipments followed with the Jews being taken to Nazi concentration camps, where they were exterminated. Of the approximately 50.000 Thessalonian Jews managed to be saved and returned after the war only 2.000, a thousand from the concentration camps and a thousand from the mountains.
SOURCE: iefimerida.gr, 25.8.2020