Birthplace of Ancient Achievements and Modern

Heroism

Title: Exploring Oral Histories of the Jews in

Greece
Author: Ellen Resnek: Downingtown East High
School

Lesson Overview:
Through the use of various primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify,
understand and be able to explain the effects of the Holocaust on the Jewish communities in
Greece. The indigenous Jewish communities of Greece represent the longest continuous Jewish
presence in Europe. These communities, along with the Jews who settled in Greece after their
expulsion from Spain, were almost completely destroyed in the Holocaust.
Objectives:
1. Students will learn background information regarding the Jewish life in Greece
2. Through a primary source reading, students will analyze primary source documents that
display personal experiences of the Holocaust.
3. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the timeline and major events of the
Holocaust in Greece.
4. Students will be able to describe the fate of the Jewish population in Greece.
5. Students will be able to explain the role of the Greek non-Jews as victims, collaborators,
resistance fighters and rescuers.
Essential Questions:
1. Why did some people choose to be bystanders and/or collaborators while others chose to
become heroes and rescuers?
2. What dangers and threats did those who became resisters and rescuers face from the
perpetrators and collaborators?
3. How are the resisters and rescuers being remembered and memorialized for their courage
and humanity?
Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Evaluate authors differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by
assessing the authors claims, reasoning, and evidence

Determine an authors point of view or purpose in analyzing how style and content
contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources,
connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a
whole.

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best
accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a
text.

Evaluate authors differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by
assessing the authors claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Number of Class Periods:

3 class periods including homework preparation.
Grade Level:
AP European History: 10th grade
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of
primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific detail to an
understanding of the text as a whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a
primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the
relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects
of history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for
how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and
emphasize in their respective accounts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in
several primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment
in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9: Analyze the relationship between a primary and

secondary source on the same topic.

Historical Context:
Background Information:
Map showing Occupation Areas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Triple_Occupation_of_Greece.png
Jews have lived in Greece since ancient times. In the early modern era, their numbers increased
with the immigration of Sephardic Jews after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. These thriving
Jewish communities lived in harmony amongst the Greek people as fellow citizens of Greece.
In the spring of 1941, Nazi forces invaded mainland Greece after Italian forces were repelled by
Greeces fierce defense of its homeland. Even though deportations did not start until March of
1943, Greece lost at least 87 percen t of its Je wish population during the Holocaust. Between
60,000 and 70,000 Greek Jews perished, m ost of them at Auschwitz-Birkenau. However ,
between 8,000 and 10,000 Greek Jews were saved due to the unwillingness of the Greek people
to betray them to the Nazis. Many gave their own lives to help their fellow brethren escape the
Final Solution.
The country was divided into three zones, controlled by the occupying powers of Germany, Italy
and Bulgaria. The Germ ans controlled Athens, Central Macedonia, Western C rete, Milos,
Amorgos and the island s of the No rthern Ae gean. Bulgaria annexed T hrace and Northern
Macedonia. Italy occupied the remainder of the mainland and the islands. It must be noted that
the Italians adopted a rather relaxed attitude to ward their security duties. W here Jews resided
and the corresponding occupation they endured determined not only their possibility of escape,
but also their ultimate fate. Nazi Germany maintained its occupations until the fall of 1944.
Two of the most important Jewish communities in pre-World War II Greece were
Thessaloniki and Athens. In the 1600s, Thessaloniki, a Sepharadi community, became one of
the largest Jewish communities in the world and was known as "ir vem beyisral," metropolis
and mother of Israel. By 1900, more than half of the towns population was Jewish, which was
about 80,000 Jews. In 1900-1910 Thessaloniki had more than 50 synagogues, 20 Jewish
schools and numerous Jewish institutions and associations. It was a center of Torah learning
for all of Europe. Business was generally conducted in the Sepharadi language of Ladino and,
on Friday afternoons, almost all commercial life stopped since most of the citys workers were
Jewish. A sprawling Jewish cemetery lay in the center of the city (the cemetery was destroyed
during World War II to make room for a new university). The Jewish population was varied
and included both Karaites and Donmeh (followers of the false messiah Shabbatai Zevi). The
city had a strong Judaeo-Spanish culture.
The downfall of the Jewish community started with a fire in the Jewish quarter in 1917.
Confiscations began in sections of the ancient cemetery and continued through the late 1930s.

In the 1920s a large number of Greek refugees from Asia Minor flooded the city.
Hellenization disrupted the Judaeo-Spanish culture by requiring the imposition of the Greek
language, the establishment of Sunday instead of Saturday as a day of rest and the
reorganization of traditional religious Jewish life according to Greek laws. National and
economic life in Greece became increasingly centered around Athens and many Jews moved
there. As the Thessaloniki community weakened, some of its Jews left Greece altogether. At
the turn of the 20th century, the city boasted of 90,000 Jews. By 1939, there were
approximately 56,000 left.

Materials:
Background reading:
Accompanying Focus Questions
Primary Source Documents: Oral Histories
Accompanying Primary Source Analysis Graphic Organizers
PPT and you tube links:
Procedures:
1) In an effort to establish background for discussion and further inquiry students will
complete a homework reading.
Hand out # 1 is part of a homework assignment that accompanies a reading.
Day 1:

PPT teacher presentation with accompanying videos to establish a cohesive

understanding of the history of the Jews in Greece.

Day 2: Time Line Analysis and literature analysis

Hand out #2 is a partner activity and will spring board into the Primary source analysis
(Hand out 3).
After completing the timeline analysis students will move to literature circle/jigsaw using
the primary source.
1. Divide the class into small groups
2. Distribute the document excerpts with guided worksheet (Hand out # 3) and explain to
the students how these materials will be utilized in the lesson.
Small groups will read the excerpt you have been assigned.
1. Follow the directions for analysis of the document.
2. Write down all of the details you think are important from your reading. You will need to
teach some of your classmates what you learned from this text, so feel free to use this
section for notes you can use in class.
Day 3: Oral Histories:
1. Students will access oral histories on the USHMM Site:
Oral history interviews of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Greece Documentation
Project. This was an oral history project sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
during 1996 to interview Holocaust survivors in Saloniki, Greece. It was conducted in cooperation with
the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, Greece.
http://collections.ushmm.org/search/?q=44520&search_field=Parent+Catalog+ID
2. Students will create a presentation of the oral history that provides the class with a
cohesive understanding of the individual and their memories and legacy.
Assessment and Summary:
Procedure: Teach the other students in class about the reading and oral histories you had for
from your small groups.
Together, answer the following questions: Exit Slips:
1. What do you see as common themes amongst the readings?
2. What do these themes tell you about what it was like, as a society, to live in the war?

Hand Out # 1

Directions: Please answer the following questions after reading the excerpt from, Untold Stories
from the lost communities of Greece
1) Point of View: Does the title of the book, Untold Stories from the lost communities of Greece
give you any insight as to the authors potential point of view?
2) Vocabulary: You may encounter words within this reading that are unfamiliar to you. Please
list three such words and their definitions below:
A.
B.
C.
3) Statistics: This except conveys a lot of information through statistics. Please provide three
examples of statistics you found interesting or important and explain why.
A.
B.
C.
4) Questions: I hope that the except left you with questions about what happens nextplease
list two questions below that you hope you will be answered in our further study of the role of
memory and Greece resilience.

Untold Stories from the lost communities of Greece

When the Nazis occupied Europe their
policies of hatred and discrimination took
root and spread. All over Europe whole
communities were changed forever when the
Nazis invaded and hunted for people from
the groups they targeted like Jewish people
and Gypsies. In many parts of Europe whole
communities were wiped out. There are
places in many countries where there are
very few traces of the vibrant pre-war
community. Sometimes we travel to these
places for business or holidays but are
unaware of the void, that empty space where
the original community lived and thrived.
Today we dont always notice this void
because it is hidden; other people live in the
area; the space isnt physically vacant but it
has been emptied of its original inhabitants.
We do not spot it straight away but
A Jewish couple wearing the yellow star pose
on a street in Thessaloniki. USHMM
sometimes in the landscape there is a hint
that another community lived there once
perhaps the ruins of a synagogue, the name of a street, or an unmarked grave. But if we
search hard enough we may find traces of Untold Stories. Once found, we can then
remember the disappeared community and pass their stories on to other people so the
individuals who were murdered will not be forgotten.
Many Untold Stories can be found in Greece. The fate of the Jewish communities there can
only be described as tragic. The number of lives lost is immense. Historians estimate that
out of a Jewish population of 70-80,000 only about 10,000 people survived the occupation.
The commander of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hss claimed that 60,000 to 65,000 arrived at the
death camp. 1

Mazower M, Inside Hitlers Greece, 1995, p256-257

http://education.hmd.org.uk

Occupied Greece was

divided into three zones.
The Nazis held western
Macedonia, Thessaloniki
(sometimes called
Salonika) a strip of land
in eastern Thrace, the
major Aegean Islands
and Crete. The Bulgarian
zone included eastern
Macedonia and Thrace
whilst the Italians took
charge of the
Dodecanese Islands, the
Ionian Islands, and a
Map of Greece showing the location of Thessaloniki. Lonely Planet
Images
large portion of the
mainland including the
city of Athens. 55,000 Jewish people lived in Thessaloniki and found themselves directly
under Nazi rule. The rest lived in the Bulgarian and Italian zones.
As soon as they entered their zone the Nazis began to discriminate against Jewish people.
They imposed harsh rules to weaken Jewish communities and terrorise individuals. Jews in
Thessaloniki bore the brunt of Nazi hatred. From the moment they arrived on 8 April 1941
the Nazis encouraged people to turn against their Jewish neighbours. Members of the
Jewish communitys Council were arrested. From June 1941, the Nazis raided Jewish library
collections, stealing anything they thought was valuable and exporting what they took to
Germany.
Food was in short supply in Thessaloniki during the winter of 1941-2 as there were many
refugees in the region. Conditions were harsh and weaker members of the Jewish
community died of starvation or typhus. Meanwhile others disappeared as the Nazis
arrested and executed people.
The Nazis introduced a programme of forced labour. In the summer of 1942, 9,000 Jews
were captured. In the autumn those who were still technically free were told that if a
ransom was paid the slave labourers would be released. Everyone tried to contribute to the
ransom payment though most were facing extreme hardship. The ransom demand was part
of a cynical plan to further impoverish the remaining Jewish community and dishearten
2
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individuals. To make certain there was absolutely no wealth left in the community the
Jewish cemeteries in Thessaloniki were confiscated and desecrated.
By 1943 the Nazis imposed most of their 1935 Nuremberg laws. 2 Jews in the Nazi zone had
to wear the infamous star badges on their clothing and Jewish property was identified and
marked. The Nazis created three ghettos and crammed the whole Jewish community into
them. Jewish people were ordered to register all their possessions. Jewish organisations
and membership of them was now against the law. The Thessaloniki Jewish community was
now virtually powerless to resist and the Nazis were free to do whatever they wished. On
15 March, deportations began and within three months over 45,500 Jews were sent from
Thessaloniki to the death camps in Poland leaving behind a void. All aspects of Jewish life
had been obliterated. Books, sacred manuscripts, photographs, paintings, small silver
candlesticks from homes and large ones from synagogues had been stolen, and monuments
and cemeteries were destroyed.
There were very few survivors to tell the Untold Stories of these lost communities. Jacob
Stroumsa, who was deported to Auschwitz, is one of these. He survived because he could
play the violin and was chosen to play in the camp orchestra. He describes the lost
community in his book Violinist in Auschwitz. He remembers the humiliation heaped upon
Jews when the Nazis rounded up several young men and made them perform degrading and
pointless tasks, such as hopping about like frogs, whilst their neighbours watched and
laughed. He writes of the building of the ghetto and the moving of bones from the Jewish
cemeteries. His young wife was eight months pregnant when they were deported. He
never saw her again. Jacob discovered the void every time he revisited Thessaloniki. He
writes
I always stay at the Hotel Amalia, across from the Stoa Modiano because there is
no one left with whom I could stay. I always wake up very early and sit on the
balcony in order to gaze at the sea. I smoke cigarette after cigarette in fear that I
may start to weep. A Greek Orthodox friend once met me alone towards
midnight and said I understand you, Jacques, you no longer know where you
should go in Salonika, the city in which you once knew every stone.3
A similar fate awaited the Jews trapped in the area occupied by Bulgaria. At first many
Christian members of the community did their best to support and help their Jewish
neighbours but this was difficult because the authorities supported Nazi policies of hatred

2
3

http://www.hmd.org.uk/genocides/dates-to-remember/introduction-of-the-nuremberg-laws
Stroumsa J. Violinist In Auschwitz, 1996, p74

3
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and discrimination. In November 1942, the Bulgarian government confirmed that it

accepted Nazi proposals to evacuate the Jews.
Before long Jews in the Bulgarian zone were ordered to wear the Star of David and register
their possessions. Although there was no official creation of ghettos, Jews were only
allowed to live in certain areas and they had to adhere to a curfew. Their valuables were
confiscated. Worse was to come with the arrest of all Jews in the area. Some 200 managed
to escape but 4,100 were deported to the death camp at Treblinka. The extermination of
Jews in the German and Bulgarian zones was completed by the summer of 1943 creating
more Untold Stories and leaving another void.
Those who lived in the Italian zone were initially safer than Jewish communities in the rest
of Greece. The Italians defied the Nazis and did not cooperate with them or implement
their policies. Instead they issued false papers to hide Jewish identities and assisted Jews to
escape to Athens. Christian leaders managed to hide Jewish children. In Athens it was quite
difficult to decide who was Jewish and who was Christian because the two communities
were well integrated and worked together.
However there was to be no happy ending. On 8 September 1943 after the Italian surrender
to Allied forces, the Nazis moved in and arrested the Italians in Greece. This cleared the way
for the last phase of their campaign against the Jewish communities. On 20 September, the
Nazis demanded that the citizens of Athens hand them a complete list to include the names
and addresses of all Jews the names of anyone who had hidden Jewish children or assisted
Jews to survive. The Jewish community was defiant and destroyed all their records so they
could not fall into Nazi hands.
8 October 1943 was Yom Kippur, a special day for the Jewish community. The Nazis chose
this day to announce that the Jewish community was to be reorganised. Again Jews were
told to register their names so that the Nazis knew where they were. They were given five
days to comply. Only 200 people had obeyed by the end of October. Some people
managed to escape by sea and others vanished into the hills and mountains to join the
partisans. A good number found somewhere to hide. As winter took hold it was more
difficult to survive and by the spring there were about 1,500 Jews on registration lists.
Christians hiding Jews were threatened and their lives were at risk. On 24-25 March, 800
Jews from Athens were deported to Auschwitz. As spring turned to summer another 3,500
Jews from various communities in the Italian zones met a similar fate creating more voids.
The Jewish citizens of the Greek Islands were the last to be deported. The Nazis began to
round them up between March and July 1944, only months before they were forced to
4
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withdraw from Greece themselves. Very few survived the deportations. A man forced to
work for the infamous Dr Mengele in Auschwitz, Dr Nyiszli, recorded the fate of some of
them in June 1944.
Last night they burned the Greek Jews from the Mediterranean island of Corfu,
one of the oldest communities in Europe. The victims were kept for twenty
seven days without food or water, first in small boats then in sealed cars. When
they arrived at Auschwitzs platform the doors were unlocked but no one got out
to line up for selection. Half of them were already dead and half in a coma. The
entire convoy without exception was sent to number two crematorium. 4
There is an Untold Story about the people who lived on the island of Zakynthos. Here a void
was not created. Every member of this islands Jewish community survived the Holocaust
because their neighbours protected them. As was their practice the Nazis demanded a list
of all Jewish residents to be handed over but the Mayor of the island and its Christian
Bishop provided the Nazis with a list of only two names - their own. The Islanders defied the
Nazis and hid all their Jewish neighbours. In 1953 when an earthquake struck Zakynthos
Jewish people were amongst the first to provide aid to the Islands community.
In January 2011 many people from all over the world will be making plans to travel to
Greece and her islands to take a holiday. They hope that Greece will provide them with
many happy memories and stories to tell their friends. Holocaust Memorial Day is a good
time to remember the lost communities of Greece and the Untold Stories of the individuals
whose lives were stolen because of hatred and discrimination.
On HMD 2011 we can remember the communities that have been wiped out by genocide
whether it is those in Greece or those villages being destroyed in Darfur at the present time.
We can reflect on what and who makes up our community today and question what role we
play in them. HMD 2011 is an opportunity for us to join together to explore the Untold
Stories around us today.

Holst-Warhaft, G, The Tragedy Of The Greek Jews In The Holocaust in Holocaust and Genocide Studies vol 13,
spring 1999, p106

5
http://education.hmd.org.uk

Hand Out # 2 Time Line:

Directions: Partner work.

Look through the timeline (Handout 2).
Choose 5 dates to research more information on: Create a presentation that explains these events
to your classmates
TIMELINE of the Nazi Occupation of Greece:
October 28, 1940
Fascist Italy invades Greece Oxi Day Greek Army forces them out of Greece
April 6, 1941
Nazi forces invade Greece and Yugoslavia
April 27, 1941
Nazi forces enter Athens, Greece
April 28, 1941
Greece is divided into 3 Axis Occupation Zones-German, Italian and Bulgarian
May 20, 1941
The island of Crete is invaded by Nazis forces
June 1941
Greek Islands under Nazi Control
June 1941
German forces confiscate Jewish libraries, manuscripts and art from the Jews of Thessaloniki
and sent it to Germany
July 1942
Parts of Nuremberg Laws are put in effect in German and Bulgarian Zones
Greek-Jews ordered to wear Yellow Star of David
Greek-Jews of Thessaloniki are conscripted into forced labor
December 1942
German forces demolish cemeteries, use ancient tombstones as building material for sidewalks
and walls
January 22, 1943
Proclamation by the Greek National Liberation Front (EAM) calling on Greeks to help save the
Greek-Jews

February 1943
Greek-Jews of Thessaloniki ordered into Ghettos adjacent to rail lines-Baron Hirsch

March 3, 1943
Greek-Jews from Bulgarian Occupation Zone transported to Treblinka killing centers.
(Alexandroupolis, Drama, Kavala, Komotini, Serres, Xanthi)
March 15, 1943-August 19, 1943
Greek-Jews from the German Occupation Zone in the Thessaloniki area deported to AuschwitzBirkenau (Thessolaniki, Veroia)
March 23, 1943
Archbishop Damaskinos & Greek intellectuals send a letter to the Prime Minister of Greece and
publish it in newspapers Protesting the Persecution of Greek-Jews
May 4, 1943
Greek-Jews from Didymotichio and Orestiada arrested and transferred to Thessaloniki, and
eventually deported onto Auschwitz-Birkenau
September 8, 1943
Italy surrenders to Allied forces
September 8, 1943
German forces take over. Italian Occupation Zone Implements the Final Solution plan in
Greece.
September 9, 1943
German forces occupy the island of Zakynthos
September 1943
Greek-Jews of Karditsa with the help of the resistance were given fake Identification papers and
Christian names all escaped to the mountain town of Mastroyianni and were hidden and
protected to the end of the war.
October 8, 1943
German forces order the reorganization of the Athens Greek-Jews
1944 Mayor Carrer of Zakynthos at gunpoint ordered to submit a list with the names of the
Greek-Jews. The list was presented to the Germans containing only two names: Mayor Carrer
and Bishop Chrysostomos. The Bishop bravely told the Germans, "Here are your Jews. If you
choose to deport the Jews of Zakynthos, you must also take me and I will share their fate."
March 25, 1944
Most of the remaining Greek-Jews of Greece are arrested and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

April 14, 1944

First transport of Greek-Jews from Athens arrive at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

June 1944
Greek-Jews of the island of Crete are arrested and put on ship with Greek & Italian prisoners,
ship is sunk with no survivors.
July 22, 1944
Greek-Jews from the islands of Kos and Rhodes sent to Piraeus on crowded cargo ships
eventually deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
October 1944
Germany orders the evacuation of mainland Greece through Yugoslavia.
October 5, 1944
British forces land in Greece and join New Zealand and Australia expedtionary forces.
October 7, 1944
The Greek Uprising Auschwitz-Birkenau Revolt of the Sonderkommando resulting in the
destruction of 1 crematoriums thus slowing down the killing process.
October 14, 1944
Athens is liberated.
January 27, 1945
Soviet troops liberate the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.
April 30, 1945
Adolf Hitler commits suicide.
May 7, 1945
Germany surrenders to the western Allies.
May 9, 1945
Germany surrenders to the Soviets.
May 12, 1945
German forces surrender on the island of Crete.

Hand Out # 4 Primary Source Document A

TheSufferingofGreekJewry

Keywordsfromtext

HedHamizrachNewspaper,November12,1943
MorethanhalfofGreeceisnowinthehandsofthepartisans.TheGreeks
helptheJewstohideandescape,andthepartisanstakethemin.Londons
radiocalltotheGreekstocometotheassistanceoftheJews,alsohada
positiveinfluence.Ontheotherhand,theGermanauthoritieshave
announcedthatanyGreekcaughthidingaJewwillbesenttoalaborcamp.
Jewsareprohibitedfromgoingoutafter5p.m.Whenitbecameclearthat
mixedcoupleswouldbeexemptfromdecrees,about3,000intermarriages
tookplaceinAthens.ThereareadditionallaborcampsforJewsinJaninaand
inotherpartsofthecountry.HundredsofJewsworkinroadconstruction
andintheconstructionoftheAthensSalonikarailwaytrack.Theirliving
conditionsareunbearable.Theyliveinraggedtents,donotreceiveclothing
andarefedonlybeansinhotwater.Theyareforbiddentodrinkwaterwhile
working.AJewsufferingfromafeverofover
37.5degreesisimmediatelyshot,sincetheGermansfearthespreadof
contagiousdiseases.HeadingtheGestapoisS.SGeneralStroobe,whois
assistedbyRosenberg,founderandheadofthepolicebattalionsknownto
usfromPoland.
ShoahResourceCenter,TheInternationalSchoolforHolocaustStudies

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Hand Out # 4 Primary Source Document B

theTestimonyofShlomoCohenontheLiberationfromBergenBelsen

Keywordsfromtext

Luckilyforus,wewerefinallytransferredtoBergenBelsen.Onthelastdaybeforetheliberationoneof
theinmatesclimbedupatree,hewassohungrythathebegantoeattheleaves.Afteranhourortwo
therewasnothingleftonthetrees.Wherepeoplegotthestrengthtoclimbtreesandeat,Ihavenoidea.
Onthatsameday,atabout4p.m.,Iwasintheyardofthecamp.IwasweakandIwalkedslowly.Icould
hardlystandonmyfeet.SuddenlyIheardaloudnoisefromfaraway.Immediatelyweunderstoodthat
thesewereEnglishtanks.Theydidntenterthecamp,butaboutanhourlateranEnglishmilitaryjeepwith
loudspeakersarrivedandtoldeveryonetoreporttotheyard.Theystartedtalkinginalldifferent
languagesandsaidwewerentyetliberated.Wehadtowatchovereachother,theywereonlysoldiers.
AfterthemtheRedCrosswouldcomeandhelpus.Theygaveuswhattheyhadwiththemafewbiscuits,
chocolateandtherewasarealbattleoverwhocouldgrabfirst.Wethoughtwewerealreadyrescued,
butitwasnotso.Therewasstillnobreadafewdayslater.Theystartedtogiveoutsweetenedmilkinthe
camp,theybroughtparcelsandallkindsofcansofpreserves.Theystarteddistributinglardfreely,as
muchasyouwanted,andthatwasthegreattragedyofthiscamp.Peoplecamedownwithdiarrheaand
theystartedtofillallthetoilets,theroad,allthepaths,andalotofpeoplediedIwasinthatcampfor
aboutsixmonths,butwewerefree,wecouldgowhereverwewanted.Thentheytolduswecould
registereithertoreturntoGreeceorgotoEretzIsraelortotheUnitedStates.Iregisteredfortwoplaces,
GreeceorPalestine,butwhatIreallywantedwastogobacktoGreeceandwaitafewmonthstoseeif
anyonefrommyfamilywasstillaliveInAthensImetaneighborwhohadbeenwithmybrotherat
Jaworznocamp.RightawayIaskedhimaboutmybrotherand[inreply]hemadecirclesintheairwithhis
fingermeaningmybrotherhadbeentakentothecrematoriumin
ShoahResourceCenter,TheInternationalSchoolforHolocaustStudies
Auschwitz.Ialmostpassedout,Ididntknowwhattodowithmyself.Ihadthoughtthathewastheonly
onewhocouldhaveremainedalive,hewasstrong.HisnameisAvraham.Andfromthatdaynoonecame
back.IwasinGreeceforaboutsixmonths.FromAthensIwastransferredtoSaloniki,mybirthplace,butI
didntwanttobethereforevenoneday.Ourhousesweredestroyed,wesawonlypitsinsteadofhouses,
becauseafterweweredeportedthegentilesstartedtosearchforgold,theyrazedthehousesanddug
pitstolookforgold.ImetoneGreekwhomIhadknownbeforethewar,andheaskedme:Whydidthe
Germansleaveyoualive?Whydidnttheyturnyouintosoap?Afterhearingthat,Iunderstoodthat
therewasnolongerplaceformehere
Source:TheAnguishofLiberationTestimoniesfrom1945,EditedbyY.KleimanandN.SpringerAharoni
(YadVashem,Jerusalem,1995)p.5455

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Hand Out # 4 Primary Source Document C

AFarewellLetterWrittenbyaMemberoftheSonderkommandoinBirkenau

Keywordsfromtext

In1980afarewellnotewritteninGreekwasfoundatthesiteofcrematorium
no.3inBirkenau(Auschwitz).YadVashemreceivedacopyofitfromthe
AuschwitzMuseum.Thenote,whichseemstobeincomplete,wasprobably
writtenbyoneofthemembersoftheJewishSonderkommandowhoworked
there.
Tomydearones,
DimitriosAthanasiosStephanidis,IliasCohen,GeorgiosGunarisandallmyclose
friends,SmaruEframiduofAthensandotherfriendswhomIwillalways
remember,andfinallytomybelovedfatherland,Greece,whosefaithfulcitizenI
havealwaysbeen.IleftAthenson2April1944aftergoingthroughtorturefor
monthsintheHaidariconcentrationcamp,whereallthetimeIreceived
packagesfromthegoodheartedSfaru,andallthatshetriedtodoforme
remainsinmymemoryforeverintheseterribledayswhichIamnow
experiencing.
Source:YehuditKleinmanandReuvenDafni(Eds.),FinalLettersfromtheYad
VashemArchives,WeidenfeldandNicolson,London1991,p.122.
ShoahResourceCenter,TheInternationalSchoolforHolocaustStudies

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Hand Out # 4 Primary Source Document D

VIRTUEANDCOURAGETheGreekOrthodoxChurchandtheacademicworldoftheGreekpeopleprotestagainstthe
persecution
To:ThePrimeMinisterMr.K.LogothetopoulosATHENS
Hand Out # 4 Primary Source Document C
Mr.PrimeMinister
TheGreekpeoplewererightfullysurprisedanddeeplygrievedtobeinformedthattheGermanOccupationAuthorities
havealreadystartedtoputintoeffectaprogramofgradualdeportationoftheGreekJewishcommunityofSalonicato
placesbeyondournationalbordersandthatthefirstgroupsofdeporteesarealreadyontheirwaytoPoland.Thegriefof
theGreekpeoplewasevendeepersince:Accordingtothetermsofthearmistice,allGreekcitizens,withoutdistinctionof
raceorreligion,weretobetreatedequallybytheOccupationAuthorities.TheGreekJewshaveproventhemselvesnot
onlyvaluablecontributorstotheeconomicgrowthofthecountrybutalsolawabidingcitizenswhounderstandfullytheir
dutiesasGreeks.TheyhadtheirshareinthecommonsacrificesfortheGreekcountryandwerealwaysonthefrontlineon
thestrugglesoftheGreeknationtodefenditsinalienablehistoricalrights.ThelawabidingnatureoftheJewishcommunity
inGreeceexcludesapriorianyreasonthatitmaybeinvolvedinactionsoractsthatmightendangerevenintheslightest,
thesafetyoftheMilitaryOccupationAuthorities.TothenationalconscienceallthechildrenofcommonmotherGreece
appeartobeaninseparableunity:theyareequalmembersofthenationalbodywithoutregardtoreligionordogmatic
differences.OurHolyReligiondoesnotrecognizeanysuperiororinferiorqualitiesbasedonraceorreligion,statingthat:
thereisneitherJeworGreek,(Gal.3:28)andinthismanner,condemninganyattempttodiscriminateorcreateracialor
religiousdifferences.Ourcommonfate,indaysofgloryandinperiodsofnationalmisfortune,forgedinseparablebonds
amongallGreekcitizens,withoutexemption,nomatterwhattheirrace.
Certainly,wearenotunawareofthedeepconflictbetweenthenewGermanyandtheJewcommunitynordoweintendto
becomedefendersorevensimplyjudgesofworldJewryinthesphereofthegreatpoliticalandeconomicaffairsofthe
world.Todayweareinterestedanddeeplyconcernedwiththefateof60.000ofourfellowcitizens,whoareJews.Forlong,
wehavelivedtogetherinslaveryandinfreedomandwehavecometoknowtheirfeelings,theirbrotherlyattitude,their
economicactivityandwhatisevenmoreimportanttheirirreproachablepatriotism.Truewitnessofthisisthegreat
numberofvictimsofferedwithoutregretandwithouthesitationbytheGreekJewishcommunityonthealtarofdutywhen
ourcountrywasinperil.
Mr.PrimeMinister,WearecertainthatthethoughtsandfeelingsoftheGovernmentagreewiththoseofalltherestof
Greekpeopleonthismatter.Webelievealsothatyouhavealreadytakenthenecessarystepsandappliedtothe
OccupationAuthoritiestorescindthegrievousandaimlessmeasuretodeportthemembersoftheJewishcommunityof
Greece.Wehopeindeed,thatyouhaveindicatedtothoseinpowerthatsuchaharshtreatmentofJewsofother
nationalitiesinGreece,makestheinstitutedmeasureevenmoreunjustifiableandthereforemorallyunacceptable.Ifitis
securityreasonsthatjustifyit,wethinkthatitispossibletosuggestasolution,andtotakemeasuressuchasthedetention
oftheactivemalepopulation(exceptchildrenandtheold)ataspecificplaceonGreekterritoryunderthesurveillanceof
theOccupationAuthorities,sothattheirsecurityisguaranteedevenagainstahypotheticaldanger,andtheGreekJewish
communitywillbesparedofthisdeportationwhichisthreateningit.Inaddition,wenotewithregardtotheabove
measurethattherestoftheGreekpeoplewillbewillingifasked,toguaranteewithouthesitationfortheirbrothersin
need.WehopethattheOccupationAuthoritieswillrealizeintimetheaimlessnessofthepersecutionofGreekJewsin
particular,whoareamongthemostpeacefulandproductiveelementsofthecountry.If,however,theyinsistonthispolicy
ofdeportation,webelievethattheGovernmentasthebearerofanypoliticalauthorityleftinthecountry,shouldtakea
clearstancewithregardtotheseeventsandlettheforeignersbearthefullresponsibilityofcommittingthisobvious
injustice.Forwebelievethatnooneshouldforgetthatallactionsduringthesedifficulttimes,eventhosethatliebeyond
ourwillandpowerwillbereviewedsomedaybythenationandwillbesubjectedtohistoricalinvestigation.Duringthat
timeofjudgement,theaspectofresponsibilityassumedbytheleaderswillweightheavilyupontheconscienceofthe
nation,iftheleadersfail,tomakeboldandexpressthemostjustifiedprotestoftheNationagainstmeasureslikethe
initiationofthedeportationoftheGreekJews,whichinsultournationalunityandhonor.

WithrespectDamaskinosArchbishopofAthensandallGreece
Followedbysignaturesoftheheadsofthemajorculturalinstitutionsandorganizations:
ThePresidentoftheAcademyofAthens,theRectoroftheUniversityofAthens,theRectorofthePolytechnicalSchoolof
Athens,theRectoroftheHighSchoolofEconomicStudies,thePresidentoftheMedicalAssociationofAttica,thePresident
oftheRollofBarristersofAttica,thePresidentoftheUnionofNotariesofAthensandAegean,thePresidentofthe
Journalist`sUnion,thePresidentoftheAssociationofGreekauthors,thePresidentoftheCultureAssociation,the
PresidentofthePireusChamberofCommerce,thePresidentoftheAthensProfessionalChamber,thePresidentofthe
GreekAssociationofChemists,thePresidentoftheAthensAssociationofPharmacists,thePresidentoftheDentist`s
Association,thePresidentoftheAthensCraftsmanChamber,thePresidentofthePireusAssociationofPharmacists,the
PresidentoftheGreeksActors,thePresidentoftheGreekAssociationofPharmacists,thePresidentoftheMedical
AssociationofPireus,thePresidentoftheAthensAssociationofCommercants,thePresidentoftheAthensChamberof
CommerceandIndustry,theVicePresidentoftheGreekUnionoftheatricalandmusicalCriticals,thePresidentofthe
MedicalAssociationofCallithea,theSecretaryGeneralofthePanhellenicAssociationofDentists,thePresidentofthe
GreekIndustrialistsUnion,theGeneralDirectoroftheRefugee`sOrganization,theGeneralDirector.

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