by Eleni Bibikou
"In modern European Greece and also in democratic Thessaloniki there is no place for fascism and Nazism. Those who make the mistake of persisting in these practices know that History will remind them of what happened." stressed the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schoinas, during his visit on 10.10.2021 to the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, while at the same time he assured the Jewish communities of Europe that the European Union will support them in the face of modern threats.
Mr. Schinas sent a clear message that Thessaloniki is a European metropolis that cannot accommodate hate speech. "Both as a Greek and as a Thessalonian I want to express the will of my compatriots and fellow citizens that Thessaloniki will always remain a European metropolis of extroversion, democracy, peaceful coexistence, and dialogue. A European metropolis where assault battalions, rhetoric and symbols of hate do not fit".
Mr. Schina's visit to Thessaloniki and the Jewish Museum is of particular importance as it took place a few days after the presentation of the EU's first strategy for combating anti-Semitism and safeguarding Jewish life, which was underlined by the vice-president of the European Commission.
"I chose to be here in my city with the martyred Israeli Community of Thessaloniki at the end of a historic week. A week that started on Tuesday 5.10.2021 in Strasbourg when I had the honor as the responsible Vice-President to present the first ever European strategy for the fight against anti-Semitism. A landmark text that we will discuss with international and European leaders next Wednesday at a Summit in Malmö, Sweden. This week continued last Thursday with the first anniversary of the conviction of Golden Dawn by the Greek Justice as a criminal organization. I really wanted to close this week with my fellow Jews in Thessaloniki in my city a city that carries the weight of history heavily on its shoulders. The symbolic city that for centuries was a multicultural center of Jewish life in Europe but also the city that experienced the martyrdom of the 60.000 Thessalonian Jews who perished in the Auschwitz camps and elsewhere," pointed out Mr. Schoinas.
The Vice President of the European Commission was given a guided tour for about an hour in all the rooms of the Jewish Museum, by the president of the Central Jewish Council of Greece and the Israelite Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, and the Curator of the Museum, Evangelos Hekimoglou, following the steps of the centuries-old journey of the Jews. of the city and committed to the protection of the Jewish communities today but also to the preservation of historical memory.
"As the responsible Vice-President I want to assure the Jewish communities of Europe that the EU will not leave them unprotected against the many modern threats that shadow their lives today. We will guarantee their safety, we will strengthen their education and culture, we will do everything to preserve the historical memory of the Holocaust especially now that the last survivors are leaving us without their personal narratives", said Mr. Schinas, who was asked about the Holocaust Museum underlined that "it will be a large, emblematic and European pole of memory". It is proceeding normally, as he mentioned, noting "that there should be a separation between the Holocaust Museum, which will be dedicated to the tragedy of 1944-45, but also the space that hosts us today, the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, can also remain as a showcase of the historical presence of the Jewish Community in the city, which is wider than the black pages of the Holocaust.
The president of the Central Jewish Council of Greece and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, thanked the Vice-President of the European Commission for his presence and congratulated him on the "very great work and support" of the Jewish Element in Europe. "It is true that the Golden Dawn is in prison, but their ideas still exist and there are other people who agree with this logic. It is our duty to be able to educate young people, to protect themselves from such ideas, because these ideas destroy man, democracy, destroy everything. We must continue to fight against fascism, racism, anti-Semitism," said Mr. Saltiel and added, among other things: "This Museum is a pillar of knowledge, all schools visit the site, learn about the Holocaust while there are also trips to Auschwitz and the children see that what we say is a reality. Those who have the stamp on their hand, our grandfathers, are unfortunately slowly disappearing and it is our duty to preserve the memory".
The president of the Israelite Community of Thessaloniki offered Mr. Schina a commemorative series of stamps and the book of G. Mega "Enthymion", with postcards of old Thessaloniki.