On March 15, 1943, at the old railway station of Thessaloniki, the first death train to Auschwitz - Birkenau blew its whistle. Seventy-eight years after the departure of the first train of a total of nineteen that transported on a journey of no return approximately 50.000 Jews of Thessaloniki, the Municipality of Thessaloniki pays tribute to the victims of Nazi atrocities through a televised tribute.
The "March of Remembrance" which has been established to commemorate the black anniversary of the departure of the first train to Auschwitz is not possible to take place due to the measures in force to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
To honor the memory of the Jews of Thessaloniki who perished in the Holocaust, the Municipality of Thessaloniki through the Municipal Information, Entertainment and Communication Company (DEPTHE) prepared a television special entitled "March 15, 1943: Never Again". The televised tribute was broadcast by municipal television – TV100 on Sunday 14 March at 5.00 pm and also on Monday 15 March at 9.00 pm.
Their own messages through the dedication were sent by: Konstantinos Zervas, Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia and Thrace), Yossi Amrani, Ambassador of Israel to Greece, Sibylla Bending, Consul General of Germany in Thessaloniki, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, Nikolaos Papaioannou, Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Stylianos Katranidis, Rector of the University of Macedonia, Athanasios Kaisis, Rector of the International University of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, President of the Israeli Community of Thessaloniki, Yannis Boutaris, President of the Holocaust Museum and Tamir Aharale, Head of the "International" Foundation March of the Living”.
Tribute to Jewish Mothers
At the same time, the tribute to Jewish Mothers, prepared in the context of the 55th Dimitria Festival, is available on the Dimitria Festival platform (www.e-dimitria.gr). The tribute presents three collections of letters, letters sent by three Jewish mothers from the ghetto of Thessaloniki to their sons in Athens, a few days before their departure for Auschwitz.
SEE HERE THE TELEVISION TRIBUTE
SOURCE: thestival.gr, 12.3.2021