The descendants of Nikolaos Hatzigiannakis and Stylianos Papadopoulos, two people who risked their lives during the Occupation to save Jewish families in Thessaloniki, were honored with the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem. Thanks to Stylianos Papadopoulos' self-sacrifice, not only were Loukia Levi's parents and her husband Avraam saved, but also the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren they had.
As his grandson, Victor Nar, said, the existence of eighteen people is based on the act of bravery of Stylianos Papadopoulos. Citing a phrase of his father, writer Alberto Nar - "the last offspring of a refugee who settled in this place", Victor Nar said of his grandfather that he was the offspring of a refugee both as a Jew and as... a Pontian. The Pontian refugee Stylianos Papadopoulos gave him a false identity and shelter, introduced him as his relative and protected him when they were arrested by German collaborators. "Then my grandfather, with a Pontian accent, told the truth and that he preferred to be killed by Greeks than Germans" said Mr. Nar. The descendants of the Levi and Papadopoulos families continued to have family ties for three generations.
Stylianos' grandson, Kostas Papadopoulos, said that he learned about his ancestor's story through family stories and initially did not realize the extent to which his grandfather put his life in danger to save the two Jewish couples.
“Thank you very much for saving my family.” With this phrase, Jean Cohen expressed his heartfelt thanks to Konstantinos Hatzigiannakis, nephew of Nikolaos Hatzigiannakis, who helped to escape from the ghettos of Thessaloniki his grandparents, Yeshua and Oro Perachias, as well as their parents, Leon and Germain Cohen. As he said, for a rescue operation to succeed, it took more than one person; it usually took about 25 people who participated to a greater or lesser extent. He described the role that Nikolaos Hatzigiannakis played in the escape of his grandparents and parents from the ghetto, mentioning Yiannis Tzambazis, who also helped his family. Hadjiyannakis hid the two couples in his mill, in his house and in the houses of relatives and helped them escape to Athens. There, some other brave people hosted them for two years. Only Leon Cohen ended up in Auschwitz and there he represented the Greek Jews on the committee that organized the only hostage uprising in Auschwitz.
"Rescues are not the work of one person, one person took the initiative and many participated," said his nephew Nikolaos Hatzigiannakis, appealing that we not forget the Holocaust even for a minute.
Gratitude to the few people with a capital A.
In his greeting, the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, mentioned that amidst the brutality of Nazism, which some exploited by seizing homes and property, some opened a crack in the barbarity and put responsibility, duty, and sensitivity above all else, at the risk of their lives.
The Ambassador of the State of Israel, Noam Katz, emphasized that Yad Vashem honors those who risked their lives to save humanity, showing extraordinary courage and selfless sacrifice. Since its founding in 1953, Yad Vashem has awarded 23.000 people across Europe, including 369 Greeks. “In the darkest chapters of humanity, humanity can shine,” said Mr. Katz, adding that some chose a different path, refusing to be fellow travelers and collaborators with the Nazis. “Their bravery inspires us. All of them remind us that one person’s act can change the course of history,” he said. Finally, the Israeli ambassador called for the release of the 59 hostages held by Hamas, meaningfully commenting that "since October 7, no one has been found who is righteous, only executioners, collaborators and indifferent people."
For his part, the president of the Central Jewish Council and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, praised the bravery of the people who risked their lives knowing the consequences of their actions. “A few stood by the side of the persecuted Jews, the majority remained indifferent, remained silent, collaborated, embracing anti-Semitic stereotypes. We feel gratitude towards the few people with a capital A. If the goal is to prevent a new Holocaust, we must bring to the forefront the bravery of these people, who chose the difficult path, following their own moral compass. As a society, we have a responsibility to honor those who did the right thing when others were silent. They are a living lesson for the new generation,” he concluded.
SOURCE: MACEDONIA, 16.3.2025, of Sofia Christoforidou
SEE HERE the rescue story of the Perahia & Cohen families & HERE the rescue story of Avraam & Loutsa Levi