Memory Alive was created to illustrate and commemorate historical events during WW2, especially portraying the role of Greece, by highlighting experiences made by Jewish people during that time. The main goal of projects, such as Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste and Footprints in Silence, is the preservation of important historical memories and the exchange of crucial information regarding the experiences made by large marginalized groups of people…
One such historical event is the experience of Greek Jews during the Second World War.
During the last years of ww2, Greece was occupied by Germany, and Nazi race laws were enforced in the country. While the Jewish community in Greece began the war at a peak in its population, by the end of the war, only 13% would survive.
Many Athenian Jews fled from the Nazis. Among them was the Kimhi family, who fled to the village of Kryoneri (then known as Matsani).
The villagers of Matsani knew that they were Jewish, and yet they did not reveal the family to the Nazis. The family was taken care of by the villagers: they were given shelter, work, and often food. Furthermore, when the Nazis would come to the village, the Kimhi’s would be hidden: the partisans of the village would lead the family to a cave, where they would hide in silence from Nazi soldiers. The Nazis visited the village 17 times, in the span of 11 months. Consistently, during every one of these visits, the Kimhi family was protected, and not one person betrayed them.
Since, this story has been commemorated many times.
In 2017, the youngest member of the Kimhi family at the time of the war, Rivka, returned to Kryoneri. As a result of her return, a path was created to the cave where her family was often hidden. The path seeks to recreate the path the Kimhi’s would have traveled to reach the cave, as closely as possible. Rivka’s story was also commemorated with a ceremony in the village, which was attended by her ten children, and dozens of grandchildren.
In 2018 the “Righteous Among the Nations” award was granted to two people in the village who risked much to protect the Kimhi family: Athanasios Dimopoulos, who housed the family during their stay in the village, and Rev. Nikolaos Athanasoulis, who ensured the families safety.
A continuation of this story came in the 2022 addition of the stumbling stones. These stones are found all around Europe, commemorating the last known address of Jews who suffered through the holocaust. Though these stones are usually used to represent Jewish people who did not survive this period, the Kimhi’s story in Kryoneri is an exception.
Further commemoration of the story occurred with the release of a documentary of Rivka’s story named “A Slice of Heaven”, and a children’s book about the Kimhi family’s experience called “My Own People” by Marisa Decastro.
- The Jewish Refugees return to the village
- History of Greek Jews
Jewish history goes back far into the past. The discovery of an inscription from Attica dating from 300-250 BC is the oldest archaeological evidence of Jewish life in Greece. Many Jews immigrated to Greece in Roman times and made the beginning of the Byzantine Jewish Communities. These Communities mainly settled down in cities on the… Read more: History of Greek Jews - Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) in Kolymvari
In the west of Crete, where the destructive “Battle of Crete” raged in 1941, there is the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC). In 1968 Irinäus Galanákis, then Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selinon, and his student Dr. Alexandros Papaderós founded the OAC. Its aim is to promote dialogue between people of different faiths and religions as… Read more: Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) in Kolymvari - Municipal Museum of Kalavritan Holocaust
The small town Kalavryta is located 30 kilometers from the northern coast of the Peloponnese in a mountainous region characterized by tourism. This area is known for many ski slopes and beautiful hiking paths.Kalavryta is one of the recognized martyr communities of Greece. In mid-October 1943, the Greek Ressistance succeeded in capturing a reconnaissance force… Read more: Municipal Museum of Kalavritan Holocaust - Creating a Path to the Karamanos Cave
- Sharing History With the Next GenerationAfter her first visit on June 7th 2017, Rivka Jakobi came back with her ten children and dozens of grandchildren on September 6th 2017, for a ceremony. In the morning at 10.30, the members of the Kimhi and Jakobi families from Israel, (more than 70 people in two coaches and a van), 4 relatives from… Read more: Sharing History With the Next Generation