Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni paid tribute to the memory of the 53.000 Greek Jews, victims of the Nazi atrocities at the Auschwitz camp in Poland. Lina Mendoni visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. In the place of martyrdom, collective memory is kept alive, so that these atrocities will never be repeated.
Mendoni at Auschwitz-Birkenau
Lina Mendoni laid a wreath at the Black Wall, the execution site, in the Auschwitz I camp, as well as at the Memorial to Greek Jews, in the Birkenau camp. In the premises of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, Lina Mendoni heard about the unknown historical aspects of the common "fate" of the extermination of Greek Jews. The "final solution" was the almost complete extermination of the Greek Jewish community, which had flourished in Greece for many generations. 55.000 Greek Jews were transferred to Auschwitz. Of these, 12.000 were deemed fit for work, while the rest were murdered. Of the 13.000 children who followed the fate of their families, 136 were registered in the camp and detained. Only five survived. The rest were murdered. In total, 1.900 survivors returned to Greece.
This sacrifice should never be forgotten, Mendoni wrote in the guest book.
Writing about her experience in the Museum's guest book, Lina Mendoni stated:
"In this historic place of martyrdom, it is shocking to realize how knowledge, experience, expertise can lead to inhumane behaviors and criminal actions. A visit here, where the signs of death remain indelibly, should be a huge lesson for all of us, so that humanity does not repeat the same tragic mistakes. In difficult times, one should not forget one's faith in the values of Democracy. Of real Democracy. We bow our heads and pay tribute to the thousands of dead, who paid for the violence of their fellow human beings with their lives. This sacrifice should never be forgotten."
Auschwitz was the largest camp created by Nazi Germany, in Poland, near Krakow. It was a complex of 44 camps, which included concentration, extermination, and forced labor camps.
The three major camps were Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II (Birkenau) and Auschwitz III (Monowitz). More than one million three hundred thousand people died at Auschwitz. Nine out of ten of them were Jews. The four largest gas chambers held 2.000 people each.
Lina Mendoni was welcomed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum by its Deputy Director, Andrzej Kacorzyk. The Minister was accompanied by the Ambassador of Greece to Warsaw, Eleni Kampa, the Director of the Jewish Museum of Greece, Janet Battinou, the author of the book “Auschwitz–Greeks–Number of Future Deaths” Giorgos Pilichos, and officials.
SOURCE: iefimerida, 7.4.2025