On June 7th 2017, Rivka arrived in Kryoneri, which she knew by “Matsani” back in 1943. She came back to the village accompanied by her husband, Benny, her youngest daughter Rina and Rina’s friend Ila, who videotaped both visits.
Rivka and her family arrived early morning by the upper fountain of the village, which she seemed to remember clearly despite the few changes. They were welcomed by the president of the Municipal Department of Kryoneri, Mr Raftopoulos and Panos Poulos, head of the “Filoxenia” organisation.
Rivka Jakobi with Dimitris Dimopoulos
During her two days in Kryoneri, Rivka visited familiar places, such as the house she and her family lived in during the occupation. The descendants of Athanasios Dimpoulos (the man to hide Rivka’s family in his home), warmly welcomed everyone inside. Naturally, the house had since been renovated but Rivka was able to recount small details and even point out the window through which she watched the Germans set fire to a warehouse full of food and supplies.
Another place Rivka was glad to visit, was the chapel of the Rapsomati Monastery. Along with the Karamanos Cave, it was also another hiding place for her family whenever the Germans came.
In the afternoon, Rivka met up with her former classmates and old friends from the village. They spent an entire afternoon talking about her time in Kryoneri and all kinds of memories. Many even brought old photographs and everyone seemed to remember something. They all had dinner together at Diporto in the evening.
Finally, on her second day in the village, 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. Rivka came back in September with her entire family (70+ people) and was finally able to visit that cave again.
