The story of the family that managed to survive the persecution and crimes of the Germans in Thessaloniki is told in Parallaxi by Andreas Assael, second son of Fredy Joseph Assael, chemical engineer, graduate of the Metsovian Polytechnic and grandson of Markos Assael, merchant and producer .
On the occasion of the recent XNUMXth birthday of Janine, the only survivor of the family of five who hid and managed to survive the German torture of the Jews of Thessaloniki, memories become words and describe a dark time for the city which, fortunately, lately they have begun to take their place in history.
The Assael family was middle-class, and they had a house on Vasilissis Olgas, opposite Analipsi. Corner of Olgas and Kariotakis. They also had a smaller house right behind theirs, which they rented out.
“My grandfather made shoe polishes and had household items that he sold. His shop was in Frankon. The family belongs to the three families that were completely saved, hidden in Thessaloniki. The other two were the Algava family who after the war went to America and never came back and the Pardos family where they also left afterwards and lived in Athens. Other people were saved in Thessaloniki but they were isolated".
Janine, one of the two daughters of the Assaels, is actually the only one from that time who is still alive, but because of her age it is now difficult to remember and talk about what she lived with her siblings and parents. However, about ten years ago, on an English radio show, she told her story, and fortunately, that historical document exists in its entirety here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80017545
Continuing the history of the family, Andreas Assaël states:
"As we know, when the Germans entered in April 1941, at first they didn't bother and didn't particularly bother the Jews. They bothered them only as much as they bothered the Christian population. In fact, they had also put an officer in my grandfather's house who lived with them, he had a room in the house, because they did not have enough places to put the officers and they were placed in Jewish and Christian houses. This officer one day said to my grandfather "Marco, I will tell you something but this conversation never happened". Then my grandfather went to the room, the German closed the door and said to him "don't go with the family to Germany, they will hurt you. Take seriously what I'm telling you." This was the officer's warning to the Assael family some time before the call. That is to say, we have the period from the entry of the Germans in April '41 until the gathering of Liberty Square that took place on July 11th '42, which I will call in quotation marks, a quiet period. There were some thefts, some such but not so serious that the Jewish community was afraid. The big change is with the gathering of Liberty Square. Suddenly, in the newspaper Apogeumatini, there was a publication that said that all Jews from 18 to 45 years of age must present themselves in Eleftherias Square and anyone who does not, will be punished by incarceration in a concentration camp. It was the first time that "concentration camp" was used as an expression in Greece. It had never been used before. Everyone was very scared. My family also went to the Jewish community, but they were told not to be afraid and that it is not for anything bad...
My father was one of the first to go then. He was there an hour and a half before the call time and was set up. He was standing with others who had arrived first, at the point where the OASTH bus passes today, opposite the old Ionian bank. At some point, the well-known traitor and collaborator of the Germans, Laskaris Papanaoum from the Monastery, comes and after seeing my father, he says to him "aren't you the one who works at the Xenakis factory?". My father worked before and after the entry of the Germans, at the oil production factory of Xenakis, which was located in the FIX area. His position was somewhat privileged because this factory was financially strong and the Wehrmacht took the oil for the food of its army, so Xenakis and his factory were looked after. "Yes, I am," says my father. Papanaoum then takes him out of line and starts kicking and punching, from the stand to the steps of the Ionic Bank, dealing terrible blows to my father. He told me many years later about that day that he ate the wood of his life. Papanaum wanted my father to be written up first for the forced labor and to be taken first. So that they get rid of him first. Lest any Jew be left in an advantageous position. But my father had an episode one day at the factory. Once two Germans, an Austrian and a Berliner who were responsible for taking the oil from the factory, came and mistakenly signed that they had taken a larger quantity than they had actually received. All the factory workers then started a "crazy dance" because oil at that time was very expensive. My father said that being a Jew is enough for me, I will not contribute to this deception of the Germans and he calls them and tells them the mistake that was made. They came, took the remaining oil and told him that they will not forget what he did. And indeed, they did not forget it. So when after Freedom Square my father went to the factory with a swollen head and blue eyes and a broken nose, those Germans saw him and asked him what happened. My father told them what had happened and they told him that they would not let it happen as Papanaum wanted and would not allow him to be sent to the works. The joke was at Koniordou Palace, where he got a paper from Merten who had just assumed his duties, saying that he is useful for the economy and that he is exempt from projects and other sanctions. That's how my father got this paper which had enough power".
"They were sent to forced labor..."
"They took them all two weeks after the gathering in Freedom Square. They called them to go to work and sent them to Halkidiki, they sent them to Katerini and they made them work there in completely unsuitable conditions, with wood and without food. So many began to die. Then the elders, in order to save the workers who were close to 3.000, agreed with Merten to pay a ransom and indeed, this is how it happened in the ransom, which was an enormous amount in gold pounds, the Germans demanded that the area of the cemetery be entered as well , allegedly for military purposes and so the Community gave permission to the Germans to use the cemetery.
Just as the workers begin to come back, tired and exhausted, in December of '42, a couple of months later they begin to impose regulations on the community, such as always wearing a star and various other injunctions. But there were too many. Just as one meter was being finished and the next was being prepared, they suddenly learn that Baron Hirsch's camp has been boarded up and that its inhabitants will soon be deported. With these and the others, on March 15 the first train leaves with approximately 2500 Jews in the wagons, i.e. the residents of Baron Hirsch. Soon after, Hirsch is filled with Jews from other districts. Meanwhile, the Assaels felt that they were in a better position than others, that is, they felt safer, because they had the paper from Merten and also because my father worked at the factory.
His father and sisters always had very good Christian friends. One of them was Manolis Koniordos, son of the well-known distillery, who lived in Sofouli at the time. He had as a "hobby" rescuing English soldiers who had been cut off by the rapid entry of the Germans into Greece. He would find them, hide them in his house or other houses nearby and when a group would gather, they would talk to Cairo and he would come and take them by submarine. In this way, Coniordos had saved many lives. He had built a network of safe houses and trusted people where they were hidden. So he loved my father's little sister, Lulu, who was very sweet, very beautiful and had a great sense of humor. So, Koniordos was telling my father that he didn't want the family to leave, or even suggested that he should keep Loulou with him. The Jewish family, like the Christian family, is very close-knit. So, they didn't want to let Lulu stay away from the family, while the grandfather's opinion was that they can't be killed, they haven't done anything. "There have been many displacements in history, but to kill us, this has never happened. And whatever we will suffer, let us all suffer together and Lulu will come with us to Poland until the war is over" was his answer. But Koniordos persisted and every now and then he returned to my grandfather, but he always got the same answer. Meanwhile, they were forced out of their homes and into ghettos. So they left Analipsi, from their home, and went to the area of Marchio, to a ground-floor rented house. It was then that they forced the Jews, before the persecutions began, to gather in ghettos. Before, there was no ghetto in Thessaloniki, so at that time they built three or four ghettos and put in targets from outside, Christian gendarmes and German guards. A large ghetto was in the March area where the Assaels also went. The Germans' plan was to confine the Jews more and more so that when they were caught they would know where they were.
At some point, Manolis managed to convince my grandfather and the family to leave there. He picks them up one night and takes them to a house to hide them. But not even a few hours passed and the Germans found out. They then send two people to the factory where my father worked and catch him. They take him to Odos Velisariou, where the Gestapo was. He was then 24 years old. They take him to Brunner, who, upon seeing him, punches him and says "how dare you, Jew, appear before me without wearing a star". So they return him to the community, put on a star for the first time, and take him back to Brunner. He scolds him, pressuring him to reveal where his family is hidden, but my father really didn't know, and at that moment, because father spoke German perfectly, he remembered how blame-worthy the Germans are and tells Brunner "You you are burdened over here, but you will be responsible for the tons of oil that will be spoiled because I am now away from my post.' He even showed the paper that said he was responsible for the production, and told him that if he didn't believe him, he should call the supply department to confirm it. Bruner calls, indeed both of those Germans, confirmed that my father is very hardworking and reliable and that he needs to go to the factory. Brunner tells my father "You will go to the factory but tomorrow you will come here with your whole family and I give you my word as a German officer that I will give you papers to stay in the city". My father goes to the factory, calls Koniordos, there is a huge discussion about whether they should go or not, but the family was "bitten" because the bait was very good.
From home to home
The next day was the first of May 1943 and the Assaels decide to go to Brunner together in the morning. In fact, I remember my father telling me that while they were pulling for Brunner, he saw others going on backpacking trips because it was May Day.
There, they put them against the wall and keep them there for a couple of hours to wait. At some point Bruner appears and starts beating my grandfather. Kicking, punching, whipping. He fell down and was bleeding. My grandmother also runs to help him and starts hitting too. Meanwhile, my father had made a smart move, a kind of insurance, where he had told the two supply Germans that if they didn't hear from him by eleven o'clock, they should call Velissario Street and say there was a problem at the factory. Somehow, while the Assaels were eating their year's wood that morning, the phone rang and they were telling Brunner what my father had asked them to do. So Brunner tells him that he should go to the factory and the others should stay in the office. My father, however, then kept his cool and replied that he will not go anywhere without his family "we all came together and we will all leave here together and tomorrow morning we will come again to give us the papers you promised us" he replied . Brunner would then think that he is after all much dumber than he imagined and lets them go on the condition that they go again the next morning at 8 to get the papers.
So they left there and became "hares". After that, Manolis takes them to a house that was near the current Prefecture. In the house of Maria Voudoroglou. Maria was a refugee from a village near Smyrna and had been through terrible things there. She lost her husband to the Turks and she spared her in para five. She was apparently rescued by the English because she was grateful to them and saved them while working at the English consulate as a housekeeper.
With the money that Maria received from the English Embassy, she bought her house. He rented the ground floor to Mrs. Antigoni and her two older boys. When the Germans entered they arrested Maria and interrogated her for many hours to get information about the English Embassy. Mrs. Maria was tortured by the Nazis, they punched her in the face and broke her nose, which was left crooked. Thus, a great hatred for the Nazis was created in her and she gladly opened her house to host detached English soldiers, of course at the risk of her life. Maria took an instant liking to my grandfather Marko, who was a tall man with a great sense of humor – a good tease and always fun to be around. My grandfather predicted the disaster 6 months in advance and had the foresight to sell his merchandise. So he made 150 golden pounds - with one golden pound the 7 of them could live together for a whole week, eating of course beans, lentils and the like. They knew that with the 150 pounds they would get her out of hiding for 2 to 2,5 years. Maria took a liking to the whole family quickly and so did her son Antonis, so when the day drew near for them to leave and Manolis came to pick them up, Maria said she decided to share her fate with that of the Assael family and give them keep at her house.
Maria's... tricks
Maria lived in this house with her son, Antonis, who was a barber. So when the family was left home alone because Maria was leaving, they couldn't move. They were afraid of being heard downstairs. They had built a hiding place in the house, a small room that closed with a closet in front and every time all five of the family ran and hid there.
Mary proved to be wise, she took all precautions so that no one would learn anything. Every couple of months he would send my family away and throw a fake party with the gossips of the neighborhood, he would buy food from 3 or 4 grocers so it wouldn't look like he was buying for more people. He made a crypt inside the house, in case someone would enter, this crypt was very clever: in a corner of the house there was a storeroom, there they put a bed and placed the coals on top. In case of danger, 2 adults and 3 adults would dig underneath and block the entrance to the hiding place with a box of coal.
My folks often rehearsed to reduce the time it took them to get under the coal bed and Maria laughed, seeing them smeared each time.
Many drew then. Among them visits from Germans who came to commandeer Maria's house.
That's when a headline appeared in the newspapers that said: a Jewish family is hiding among us, whoever hides it will be shot.
Three weeks before the release, they hear a knock at the door. This is how they realized they had been betrayed and the Germans came to catch them. While they prepared for the worst, Maria goes to the door and hears a voice speaking in Greek and saying "In the name of ELAS, we know you have Jews, we will not bother them. We want the pounds for the fight." As soon as my folks heard this, they jumped down the back stairs, went into the back garden, and wherever he went, he ran.
So the five Assaels found themselves in the city, without papers, exposed, two weeks before the Germans left. Then the grandfather thought they should go to the back house that they rented from a lady who lived with her children, who had grown up together with the Asael children in the same yard. While therefore, opening the door, she was glad to see them alive, at the help they asked her, she told them that she was very afraid and closed the door in their faces.
"You are free, the Germans have left"
They live on the street again. Meanwhile, their old house was ransacked. Then my grandfather remembers the family of Kostas Athiridis - His wife Kitsa Athiridou, died a few years ago at the age of 106. Grandpa had helped him once, so Kostas owed him a favor. They knock on the door of the Athirides, the main Kitsa opens. In a few minutes a large table was set and everyone was smiling at my family. "My house is also yours" said Kostas Athiridis and gave his bedroom to my grandparents. My folks slept in a bed that night, for the first time in a year and a half. Two weeks pass and one morning Kostas comes and says. "You are free, the Germans have left" and the grandfather, out of joy, went out with his slippers.
They go to their house and find it inhabited by various refugees.
They were told it was theirs, but others were not giving it. They did not even believe their claims as they said that the house belonged to Jews and it was known that the Jews of the town had left. With a thousand efforts they managed to get a room from their house. Of course, several of their friends came to help them and give them some furniture and some kitchen utensils. The house was in a black mess, everything had been stolen from inside.
But what they wanted to know is what happened to their furniture. They were told that a police officer had taken them.
"Should I loot? You're insulting me, get out of here" he says to the grandfather when he went to find him. My father then goes to the nearest EAM company, tells them the story and the commander gives him a rebel, two meters long, in armor for... company. With it he knocks on the door again. The thief now welcomes him with all love. "Yes, of course we saved a lot of your things, come let's give them to you...", as well as the heavy sideboard with the mirror intact had been stolen. After helping with the transport, this virtuous compatriot nailed the rest of us who had stolen the belongings of our father's house.
So somehow they got the furniture for the space they already had. After no time and in various ways either with threats of courts or money, they managed to get their whole house back.
The grandfather went to his shop in Frankon and found it also occupied. And this he got after the courts.
The town had many English people at that time. On the American college was their headquarters. First the German headquarters were there and then the British took it. Janine met an English soldier there, who fell in love with her, married her, and they went to England together after the war. And while Janine was very poor at first, thanks to her resourcefulness she managed to build three sweater factories. The younger sister, Loulou, ended up not marrying Manolis, but someone else who then went to Argentina together, but she started to get melancholy because she missed Greece and after 1, 2 years they came back to Greece and stayed in Thessaloniki.
My father met my mother, they got married and had two children. My mother was a Christian from Constantinople. Very daring for the time. My mother's parents had no problem with my father, while ours were not thrilled when he brought them a Christian. They wanted a Jewess, but also where to find her and what you wanted then...
Mrs. Maria and Manolis Koniordos were honored by Yad Vashem for their action in the occupation with the title of "Righteous Among the Nations". Maria was not alive when the ceremony took place, her daughter Mary came and took the medal."
Janine turned 100!
"Zanine never returned to Greece permanently. He only came to visit very often. He always brought us the best games. They were a very nice couple. They also had a daughter who, however, did not want to deal with the family's past" recalls Andreas Assaël about his aunt who recently celebrated her birthday!
Jeanine Assael celebrated her hundredth birthday a few days ago, the last of the 5 Assaels, who ignored the evacuation orders of the Nazi occupiers of Thessaloniki and hid in the city for 1,5 years to finally be saved, thanks to the heroism of their Christian friends.
"My dear aunt Janine turned 100 years old. She is the last of the 5 Assaels who ignored the evacuation orders and hid in the city for 1,5 years. They were saved thanks to the heroism of Christian friends, I remember Manolis Koniordos, Maria Voudoroglou, the Athiridis family... Wishes from Karolos and Camila as well," wrote Andreas Assael, who honors the history of his family. Of this precious history that is inextricably linked with the history of Thessaloniki.
Source: parallaximag.gr, 20.6.2023