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Creating a Path to the Karamanos Cave

During her first return to Kryoneri Rivka Jakobi communicated her wish to visit the cave she found shelter in one more time, after so many years had passed. She really set her heart on showing her family and friends the place that kept her safe from multiple situations connected to the German occupation. Since no one had stepped foot on the path over decades, it was completely grown over by plants and no longer accessible.
Rivka met some volunteers from the “Filoxenia” organisation and told them her story, from the moment she fled Athens all the way to when she moved to Israel. Every single youngster listened intently and by the end they decided to take on the task to open up the path to the Karamanos Cave.
Under leadership of Mr. Poulos, a group of volunteers cleared the way to the cave in summer 2017.
The following video illustrates the process of clearing the path as well as Rivka’s second visit.

Sharing History With the Next Generation

After 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 Kamhi and Jakobi families from Israel, (more than 70 people in two coaches and a van), 4 relatives from Athens and the head of the “Filoxenia” organization Mr. Panos Poulos met at the Kryoneri Observatory with the president of the Municipal Department of Kryoneri Mr. Costas Raftopoulos. Together they went to the nearby church of Rapsomati, which is one of the places where the men of the village and the Jewish family hid whenever Germans came to the village. There, Mr. Poulos, Mr. Raftopoulos and Mrs. Rivka Kamhi-Jakobi spoke about what had happened in that area, but also in general about the efforts of the village to hide the Jewish family.

Then they went to the “Karamanos Cave” whose damaged access path was cleaned by the group of volunteers of “Filoxenia” with the instructions of Mr. Poulos, where again Mr. Poulos and Mrs. Rivka Kamhi-Jakobi spoke about the specific area and her experiences from the events of that time. Ms. Ravit Kamhi, daughter of Yechiel Kamhi, also spoke.

Before noon, everyone went to the church of the village, which functioned as a school during the Occupation (single class with teacher Father Athanasoulis). There, the pastor of the church, Panagiotis Theodorou, warmly welcomed the members of the Kamhi and Jakobi families and Mrs. Kamhi-Jakobi spoke about her experiences from the teachings of Father Athanasoulis with her 8 year old brother Yechiel. She recounted the time where other students said to him (as an “usual insult”) “Jew!” and how the priest scolded them, and punished them to sit fasting in the corner!
Then they all went to the house of Mr. Dimitris Dimopoulos, where his father Athanasios hid the Kamhi family and were welcomed with great emotion and cordiality. Mr. Dimopoulos was a classmate of the children (Rivka and Yechiel) at school.
Early in the afternoon, everyone from Rivka Kamhi-Jakobi’s family was given lunch.
Finally, at 18.30, the inauguration ceremony of the amphitheater took place, which was reconstructed at the expense of the Yechiel Kamhi family (Yechiel passed away on March 10, 2017) and Rivka and Benny Jakobi, as a donation of gratitude to the village. Present were the priests (of Kryoneri and the neighboring village) municipal councilors etc.

The event was opened and spoken with warm words by the president of the Municipal Department of Kryoneri Mr. Raftopoulos and the Mayor of Sykionia (Kiato etc. to which Kryoneri belongs) Mr. Spyros Stamatopoulos.

Immediately after, I read the text of the KISE message, which made a very good impression.

Then the granddaughter of Father Athanasoulis, in a very moving atmosphere, sang the famous “Song of Songs: how beautiful is my love” (from the “ballad of Mauthausen” by I. Kampanelis-music by M. Theodorakis).
Then spoke Avraham (Avi) Jakobi, Rivka’s eldest son, who recounted the rescue story and expressed the family’s warm thanks.
Panos Poulos also briefly mentioned the chronicle of the opening of the path by the volunteers of “Filoxenia”.
Rivka spoke, referring to the act of salvation by quoting a verse from the Torah, describing it as an effort of the Good – typically saying that God did not create all good people in a blissful society but allowed them to create and to gain goodness. This is what the people of Matsani did in those difficult times at the risk of their lives.
Then, honorary diplomas were given to the families of the grandchildren of Father Athanasoulis and Dimopoulos (in whose house the Kamhi family had hidden).
The Mayor thanked him, and then the commemorative plaque was presented and its text was read.
It was read by the President of Dim. Council Mr. Raftopoulos, who along with the Municipality, thanked the Kamhi and Jakobi families for the donation.
The ceremony closed with the National Anthem of Israel, played by trumpet by seven-year-old Ori, one of Rivka’s grandchildren, and sung by the whole family, while the entire amphitheater stood in reverence.
In general, the whole event (visits to the places of that time, and the opening ceremony) took place in an emotionally charged atmosphere, which was very human and moving. Both the June 6 and September 6 visits have been videotaped by a professional filmmaker and when the various shots are edited into a single documentary, it will be released in Israel and here. Also, a small book has been written in Hebrew with the history and other memories of the family from those years, which will be translated into Greek and published.

The “Righteous Among the Nations” Award

Certificate of Honour for Nikolaos Athanasoulis

More than 26,000 people around the world have received the prestigious award, including more than 335 brave Greeks.

Two o’clock in the afternoon, in the village of Kryoneri in the Peloponnese, 120 km west of Athens. 74 years after the liberation of Greece from German occupation, two “Righteous Among the Nations” awards will be granted on this occasion – one to the Rev. Nikolaos Athanasoulis, who saved the lives of Rivka Jakobi and her family in 1943-1944. And the other to the man who hid them in his house, Athanasios Dimopoulos.

Dimitris Dimopoulos (82) and his brother Giorgos (88) were children when their parents vacated the family tree house to accomodate the Kimhi family. Their family moved to a smaller room next to the tree house. Dimitris still lives with his family in a renovated house. Today they will receive the “Righteous Among the Nations” award in the name of their father.

“Back in those days, I would take Rivka and her family to the cave where they hid when the Germans arrived,” says Giorgos. “They would stay in the cave for a day or two, until the danger passed. Then, a child from the village would be sent to the cave to tell them that it was safe to return to the village.”

Rivka talked with the village’s current pastor, Panagiotis Theodorou. “The spirit of the Rev. Nikolaos has remained with us to this day”. Rivka told him in Greek.

She also told him how, one night, when she was very ill, her mother refused to take her to the cave. “She insisted on staying home with me. That night the Germans came to the village to search for the partisans’ weapons that were hid in the village and burned the barn next to the house. I remember standing at the window and seeing the barn burning down.”

“True”, confirmed Dimitris. “Your mother and grandmother ran to the water spring with urns and all the pots they could find in the kitchen to bring water, until they managed to put out the fire. Half of the barn burned. If the Germans knew you were Jews, they would have burned down the whole house. By the way, we renovated it just the way it was.”

medal of Honour for Nikolaos Athanasoulis

Rivka added: “I remember a German came into the house and asked my mother what she was doing there. He saw she didn’t look rural. She told him I was sick. He looked at me, then touched my forehead. I saw in his eyes that he did not believe her, that he recognized us for who we really were. But he signaled to his friend that there was nothing to look for in there and they both went away. Even in hell, there was a German with a good soul. He did not betray us.”

It seemed that the small and secluded village, which during the war was called Matsani, has not changed in recent years. Those little houses were still surrounded by flowers, narrow alleys overlooking fields and mountains, and a greenhouse. The tavern and one grocery store are also there, although they are closed most of the day. The water spring that provided water to the residents during the war is still bubbling in the center of the village. However, its area has been significantly reduced after the water supply network was established, but occasionally people still approach it to fill their water bottles.

The residents make their living mainly from growing grapes for raisins and olives for olive oil, just like then.

As they start to gather in the small plaza next to the local cultural club, dressed in their best clothes, they are warmly greeted by Israeli and Greek flags, fluttering side by side. People are also coming from nearby villages: seniors, Rivka’s friends in the improvised class during the war and young people who have heard about this exciting story from their parents.

Some high officials are also here: the Israeli Ambassador to Greece, Irit Ben-Abba, the German Ambassador to Greece, President of the District, District Police Chief, Priest. Everyone comes to meet the little girl their parents saved, who immigrated to Israel after the war, was in the nucleus that founded Kibbutz Gonen, where she met her husband, Benny, established a home with him and together raised ten children.

The Documentary “A slice of heaven”

The touching documentary “A slice of heaven” (directed, filmed and edited by Hila Timor Ashur) shows Rivka’s moving life story and her return to Kryoneri Korinthias in 2017 to meet and thank her former schoolmates and rescuers.

Memory Alive Interviews video

Download this video here

Memory Alive Workshop video

Download this video here

Memory Alive Interviews

The Interviews of Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community, took place on November 6th, 2018 after the exhibition, as part of the monthly programm „yOUR Community“ of the organisation “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung.

„After discussions with my host, we were searching for a common theme, focusing on needs of the local community and issues that resonate nowadays in the society and divides it, as well as about wishes to work on changes.”

The project „Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community“ consists from three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.

The project idea was about sharing personal life stories, using memory as a tool, as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in, the different pathways for understanding.

It was open to everybody who would like to share, but focusing on people with a background of escape, migration and difficult paths with priority on the participants participating also in the previous workshop to got deeper to their illustrated stories.

The interviews were built on three stages of sharing memories, starting with childhood, continuing with the question “Why leaving our home and country?”, with conclusion about the present and wishes for the future.

We brought the light of the past into the present and reminded us, how our lives have changed.

Memory Alive Exhibition

Exhibition: Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community

This exhibition is a continuation of the workshop Memory Alive, taking place on October 26th, 2018 as part of the monthly programm „yOUR Community“ of the organisation “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung.

It is a part of the small scale program of START fellow Hana Sebestova, supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The project „Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community“ consists from three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.

Memory as a tool, as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in, the different pathways for understanding.

The project idea was about sharing personal life stories in open discussions, in a creative way, understanding and getting closer to each other, open to everybody who would like to share, focusing on people with a background of escape, migration and difficult paths.

During the workshop we used non-formal methods including creative writing.
With the help of creative, autobiographical writing we were searching an artistic voice for our life.
Creative writing consisted from three stages of sharing memories, starting with childhood, continuing with the question “Why leaving our home and country?”, with conclusion about the present and wishes for the future. We brought the light of the past into the present and reminded us, how our lives have changed.
The result of the workshop are short stories illustrated by the participants, presented in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be used as a tool for educational purposes, to be hosted at schools and other public places as a small step acting for mutual understanding, towards a better society.

memory_alive_ExhibitionSTART.pdf

This action is supported by “START – Create Cultural Change”, a program of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, conducted in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki and the German Association of Sociocultural Centers, supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and the Bodossaki Foundation.
www.startgreece.net
www.facebook.com/startgreece

Please check the link bellow for more information about the whole project:
https://www.startgreece.net/fellows/hana-sebestova

In collaboration with https://www.kulturaktiv.org/

Memory Alive Workshop

Workshop: Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community

The workshop Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community, took place on October 26th, 2018 as part of the monthly programm „yOUR Community“ of the organisation “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung.

The project „Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community“ consists from three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.

Memory as a tool, as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in, the different pathways for understanding.

During the workshop we used non-formal methods including creative writing in cooperation with a writer Sarah Rehm, representative of “Tell your true” workshop.
With the help of creative, autobiographical writing we were searching an artistic voice for our life.
Creative writing consisted from three stages of sharing memories, starting with childhood, continuing with the question “Why leaving our home and country?”, with conclusion about the present and wishes for the future. We brought the light of the past into the present and reminded us, how our lives have changed.

The result of the workshop are short stories illustrated by the participants, presented in the exhibition.

memoryalivePosterFinal.pdf

The Annual Youth Encounter of the German Bundestag, EUROPEANS FOR PEACE

Andromachi Poulou, alumna of EUROPEANS FOR PEACE, participated in this year’s youth encounter of the German Bundestag on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism (2020) and shares her experiences with us:

“How do you give a young person the opportunity to deal with history in a practical way? You give him/her the chance to participate in an international youth exchange, which has exactly this focus. This chance was also given to me and therefore, thanks to the EVZ Foundation, I had the opportunity to participate in the youth encounter of the German Bundestag between 23 and 29 January 2020 in Berlin and Auschwitz on the occasion of the German Bundestag’s commemoration hour for the victims of National Socialism.

These 6 days included a very intensive and challenging work with the Nazi era, but this time not from far away and through scientific and factual books, but directly at the site of the crime and in connection with people who personally experienced these crimes against humanity.

The days between January 24th and 28th were very enriching for us 60 participants from different countries (Germany, France, Austria, Israel, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, USA, Greece), as we were allowed to spend them in Oświęcim/Auschwitz. With two guided tours in the former concentration camps Auschwitz I (main camp) and Auschwitz II (Birkenau) the discussion about a very dark time began. Each evening reflection in working groups focused, among other things, on the fact that such significant historical events must be known to all young people and young adults. This was also clearly reflected in our two contemporary witness talks with Mrs. Lidia Skibicka-Maksymowicz and Mrs. Walentyna Ignaszewska-Nikodem.

On 27 January we had the honour to participate in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz in Auschwitz II (Birkenau), where the importance of commemoration and remembrance was supported by speeches of survivors (Batsheva Dagan, Elza Baker, Marian Tuski and Stanislaw Zalewski).

Also on January 29th we had the honour to participate in the commemoration hour in the plenary hall of the Reichstag building in Berlin and afterwards in a panel discussion with the President of the Deutscher Bundestag Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, the Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier (President of the Federal Republic of Germany) and the President of the State of Israel Reuven Ruvi Rivlin – ראובן רובי ריבלין and to ask our own questions such as “What is Germany doing today to fight against anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and other forms of racism?

My motivation to take part in this meeting was based on my interest in learning more about the history and secrets of a very difficult time, in order to broaden my knowledge, which I definitely succeeded in doing. I was also confronted with the topic “memory work”, which will accompany me in my future plans.

Such projects offer a unique connection not only between past and present, but also between past and future. Because we have to know and understand our history, which was written by us humans, to prevent it from being repeated.”

The German Bundestag reports about the Encounter in a short clip: https://dbtg.tv/cvid/7424522.