Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, the city’s municipality, the embassy of Israel in Greece, the World Jewish Congress and Aristotle University are holding a three-day series of events to mark the 70th anniversary of the first deportation of the city’s Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1943. The events, under the heading Never Again. Thessaloniki-Auschwitz. 70 years since the depart of the first convoy, begin on March 15 with the opening of the exhibition Thessaloniki, The flower of the Balkans, and conclude on March 17 with special meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), headed by Ronald S. Lauder.
On March 16, people are invited to walk from Eleftherias Sq to the old Railway Station in memory of the city's 50,000 Jews who perished in Nazi concentration camps. Greek News Agenda: Special Issue: The Jews of Greece
- Honouring the Righteous
Three Greek Christians were honoured by the Jewish community in Greece for saving Greek Jews during the WWII Nazi occupation and Holocaust, at a ceremony held on March 12, organised by the Israeli Embassy and the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS). Medals and the Yad Vashem organisation's honorary title of "Righteous among the Nations" were presented to the descendents of Lela Karagianni, and George and Polymnia Theodorakis.
"We Jews have a long memory and do not forget those who helped us. Seventy years later, we continue to seek out and pay tribute to those people," Israeli Ambassador Arie Mekel said, adding that "this is becoming even more important in our days, as we see phenomena of extremism and racism reviving in Europe".
