SPECIAL MEETING IN THE PARLIAMENT FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY OF THE GREEK JEWISH MARTYRS - Central Jewish Council of Greece, coordinating body of the Jewish Communities of Greece

Special meeting with anniversary reference to Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jewish Martyrs and his Heroes Holocaust took place on the morning of Monday 30.1.2023, in its Plenary Parliament of Greeks.

The meeting started with his speech first vice president of the Parliament, Nikita Kaklamanis, who emphasized that "every year on such days, we bow to the sacrifice of the Jews on the altar of Nazism and at the same time we remember with pride the self-sacrifice of their Christian brothers, who at the risk of their lives protected them or even saved them many times from certain death. In one of the most painful pages of world history, therefore, a hymn of solidarity and brotherhood between Christians and Jews was to be written."

It is an unimaginable tragedy, as mentioned by Mr. Kaklamanis, which for Greece begins in the big cities, such as Thessaloniki, and ends in the atrocities of the camps and the loss of almost 90% of the Jewish element of Greece.

The first vice-president of the Parliament noted that among the victims there were also thirty members of the Greek Parliament, whose names have received an honorary position in the peristyle of the Parliament, as a minimal tribute to their sacrifice.

"Honoring their memory today, but also the memory of all Greek Jewish heroes and martyrs, I would like us to focus on the lessons that spring even through such a raw history of human hatred. Let us remember, then, that the poison of intolerance, in every manifestation of life, corrodes consciences and always ends up spreading on the blackest pages of our history.

Let us also remember that its antidote is still faith and stubbornness for a better world. And for a proud homeland made of humanity, courage and solidarity. These values are the only ones that are effortless and innate to human nature from the moment we are born. It is up to us to continue cultivating them, always with prudence and respect, so that they spread deep roots in our hearts, from today and forever", Mr. Kaklamanis concluded.

Ο Deputy Prime Minister, Panagiotis Pikramenos, in his intervention, pointed out that "we have a duty to fight anti-Semitism and all kinds of racism and social division", underlining that "we must convince everyone that the redemption of lost and innocent souls is achieved through open societies, prosperous societies, societies of equality and justice". "All people are equal, they are equal and they deserve respect. We cannot forget what happened in the past, nor can we change it now. But this must never happen again. Never again," he added.

Also, the deputy prime minister emphasized that the studies for the creation of a Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki are progressing, expressing the hope that in the spring, around March, "we will also have the issuance of the first permits in order to proceed with the implementation of the project". As he noted, "it will be a place of testimony as well as an international symbol against racism and discrimination of all kinds."

The representatives of the parties, who took the speaking in order: Sofia Sakorafa (MeRA25), Maria Athanasiou (Hellenic Solution), Ioannis Delis (KKE), Dimitris Konstantakopoulos (PASOK-Movement of Change), Hara Kafantaris (SYRIZA) and Anastasios Hatzivasileiou (New Democracy).

At the end of the meeting, a minute's silence was observed in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

SOURCE: LIBERAL, 30.1.2023

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