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Righteous Among The Nations - Yad Vashem
"And so we must know these good people who helped Jews during the Holocaust. We must learn from them, and in gratitude and hope, we must remember them."
Elie Wiesel
in the photo: Righteous Among the Nations medal
Holocaust in Greece in WWII
The Holocaust in Greece was the mass murder of Greek Jews, mostly as a result of their deportation to Auschwitz concentration camp, during World War II. By 1945, between 83 and 87 percent of Greek Jews had been murdered, one of the highest proportions in Europe.
Before the war, approximately 72,000 to 77,000 Jews lived in 27 communities in Greece. The majority, about 50,000, lived in Salonica (Thessaloniki), a former Ottoman city captured and annexed by Greece in 1912. Most Greek Jews were Judeo-Spanish-speaking Sephardim (Jews originating on the Iberian peninsula) with some being Greek-speaking Romaniotes (an ancient Jewish community native to Greece).
Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria invaded and occupied Greece in April 1941. From 15 March through August 1943, almost all of Salonica's Jews, along with those of neighboring communities in the German occupation zone, were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp. After the Italian armistice in September 1943, Germany took over the Italian occupation zone, whose rulers had until then opposed the deportation of Jews. In March 1944, Athens, Ioannina, and other places in the former Italian occupation zone witnessed the roundup and deportation of their Jewish communities. In mid-1944, Jews living in the Greek islands were targeted.
Around 10,000 Jews survived the Holocaust either by going into hiding and aided by the local population, or fighting with the Greek resistance. Some survived their deportation.
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In 1963 Yad Vashem embarked upon a worldwide project to pay tribute to the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. This represents a unique and unprecedented attempt by the victims to honour individuals from within the nations of perpetrators, collaborators and bystanders, who stood by the victims' side and acted in stark contrast to the mainstream of indifference and hostility that prevailed in the darkest time of history.
If in your Geni family tree you have an individual whose life is associated with Greece and who saved Jews during Holocaust, his/her name is most probably listed below. It would be great if within "profile description" there would be brief biography and the story related to her/his being honored as Righteous Among The Nations.
- Within opened profile page use the 'Actions' button to "Add to project". Select this project (you must be on the list of collaborators in this project to see it on the selection list). You may add any public profile that you have permission to edit. If you do not have permission to edit the profile, a request is sent to the profile manager to add the profile to the project. Or - you could contact one of the project collaborator(s) who will gladly assist or do it for you.
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans include: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and former Yugoslavia.
They are divided into three separate projects (due to the large number of names):
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans I: Albania & Bulgaria (this project)
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans II: Greece (this project)
Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans III: Former Yugoslavia
List of the Righteous Among The Nations of the Balkans II: GREECE
A - D
- Alexopoulos, Joachim, Archbishop of Boston (1873-1959). in Volos, Greece, in 1943, father Joachim Alexopoulos hid 700 jews, saving them from deportation and almost certain death during the Nazi occupation of Greece.
- Alice, Princess of Battenberg & Princess of Greece & Denmark (1885-1969 ). She stayed in Athens during the Second World War, sheltering Jewish refugees. She devoted most of her late years to charity work in Greece.
- Anagnostopoulos, Dr. Kostas (Constantine)
- Anagnostopoulou, Angeliki
- Andriopoulos, Ioannis & Eleni
- Angelopoulos, Demitris & Maria
- Angelopoulos, Georgios & Paraskevi
- Apostolopoulos, Tilemahos
- Artemis, Anton & Yelena
- Assimacopoulos, George & Aphrodite
- Assimacopoulos, Panaiotis & Vasiliki
- Athanasoulis, Nikolaos
- Athiridis, Kostas & Vasiliki (Avaropoulou)
- Betsou, Vasiliki & Nikolas
- Capart, Helene
- Cargados, Andreas
- Chamandas, Dimitrios & Andigoni
- Chiotis, Michalis & wife
- Chomatas, Lambros & Zoee
- Chrisaki, Anna
- Christopoulos, Efthymios
- Chrysostomos, Dimitrios, Bishop of Zakynthos (1889-1958) was the Eastern Orthodox bishop of the island of Zakynthos during World War II and the bishop of Trifylia and Olympia postwar until his death. He is known to have, together with mayor Loukas Carrer, saved the Jews of the island from deportation in the Holocaust in WWII.
- Constantina, Constanta
- Cosmidis, Lazaros & Ismini
- Damaskinos, Theophilos Archbishop of Greece (1891-1949) Archbishop of Athens during the Nazi occupation of Greece. Ordered all Greek priests to assist in sheltering jews and supply them with fake documents to help them avoid deportation to death in concentration camps in other countries in Nazi occupied Europe.
- Davis Alekos, & Yanula; his brother Yanis & Pagona
- Demosthenes, Pouris
- Diamantis, Stavros Nik.
- Dimitriadou, Virginia (Rovolopoulos) & ch. Nikolaos & Fani
- Dimopoulos, Athanasios
- Dimopoulou, Dimitra
- Doukas, Kosta & Ageliki
- Dragona, Irakli
E - J
- Efraimoglou, Athanassios
- Evert, Angelos
- Fassoula, Vasso
- Fatles, Nicolaos & Fani
- Fix Antonios & Elly
- Frangou, Maria; daughters Marina, Sofia, Despina
- Gasparian, Gaspar
- Gennadios, Yiorgios Alexiadis, Metropolit of Salonica (1868-1951), was the Metropolitan Bishop of Thessaloniki and had a charitable and patriotic activity, mainly during the German Nazi occupation in WWII. He assisted the jewish community of the city mainly during the evacuation process of many of the jews to Auschwitz concentration camp.
- Georgiadou, Evangelia
- Giannitsis, Constantine
- Glykas, Michail
- Gorgias, Leonidas & Despo
- Gotzili, Anastasia
- Goulas, Konstantinos & Vassiliki
- Gouramani, Georgos & Polixeni
- Hala, Eleni
- Haldezos, Panos
- Halikias, Angelos
- Halkidis, Dimitrios
- Hamilothoris, Evangelos
- Hatzigiannakis, Nikolaos
- Holeva, Maria
- Iatrou, Ioannis
- Ioannidis, Themos & Aspasia
- Joseph, Sister
K
- Kalinikidis, Pandelis & Safo
- Kallidopoulos, Pericles & son Aleksandros
- Kalligas, Pavlos Alexandrou & his brother Stefanos Alexandrou & his dght. Julia
- Kaloyeromitros, Georgos
- Kapsomenos, Stylianos & Angheliki
- Karafotakis, Ioannis & Eleni
- Karakotsos, Georgios & Phedra
- Karamali, Kostandino
- Karamertzanis, Lampros & Stefania
- Karamitsopoulos, Ilias & Elisavet
- Karamitsopoulos, Nestoras
- Karavokiros, Mihail
- Karayanni, Lela
- Karlaftis, Yannis & Avrokomi; son Vassilios
- Karreri, Lucas G. () was the mayor of the island of Zakynthos during World War II. He is known to have, together with Chrysostomos, Dimitrios (Bishop of Zakynthos), saved the Jews of the island from deportation in the Holocaust, and thus saved their lives.
- Katirzoglou, Marina
- Katsianis, Afanisios & Adriana
- Katsikorous, Nikos
- Katziiani, Maria; ds. Kaiti & Nano
- Kavounidis, Philip & Catherine
- Kazantzis, Elias and sister Aggeliki
- Kaziktsis, Sotiris
- Kefalas, Athanasios & Vasiliki
- Kefalas, Constantine & Catherine
- Kefalidis, Ilias
- Kendrotis, Yanis
- Kestekides, Aristidis & Eftalia
- Kiakidis, Dimitrios & Vasiliki
- Kilaiditis, Georges
- Kiriazopoulos, Dimitri & Olga
- Klaoudatos, Jozef & Dimitra
- Koniordos, Emmanuel
- Korfiatis, Stefanos & his wife Magdalini. On October 1943, Mitzeliotis and Korfiatis brought all 14 family members of their friend Jacques Leon’s family to their village Glossa on the island of Skopelos. They were all scattered among the huts in the village so as not to arouse suspicion. The villagers shared their meager food with them and gave them drinking water. Their true identity was not discovered, and they remained there until the liberation.
- Koroneos, Petros; parents: Tasos & Teonia
- Kosmidos, Zenophon & wife; d. Fifi
- Kothris, Emmanuel
- Kotsovou, Maria
- Koukoulas, Evangelos
- Krapsitis, Vasilios
- Kritikoy, Sophia
- Kyriakis, Thomas & his son Antonis
L - O
- Lanaras, Georgios & Panagiota
- Lazarides, Evangelos
- Leka, Vasili & Nota
- Lembessis, Yiorgos & Litsa
- Leonidakis, Joannis; son Sotiris
- Lepouras, Christos
- Louris, Mitsos & Athina
- Madoudis, Mihail & Adamantia
- Mahairas, Dr. Panos
- Makopoulos, Kostas & Agela
- Manias, Nikos
- Marangos, Ioannis
- Margaritopoulos, Margaritis
- Martiridis, Agamemnon & Evro
- Mavridis, Michail & Eleni
- Mavrojanis, Kostas & Popi
- Mavros, Georges
- Michalopoulos, Panos & wife; d. Koula
- Mihalos, Ilias & Katerina
- Minou, Kleopatra
- Mitzeliotis, Yiorgos (George) & his wife Magdalini. On October 1943, Mitzeliotis and Korfiatis brought all 14 family members of their friend Jacques Leon’s family to their village Glossa on the island of Skopelos. They were all scattered among the huts in the village so as not to arouse suspicion. The villagers shared their meager food with them and gave them drinking water. Their true identity was not discovered, and they remained there until the liberation.
- Morfis, Georges & Faidra 8345 1999
- Morikis, Haralambos & Chrysana; son Epaminondas
- Morou, Zoe
- Nikolaou, Dr. Kostas
- Nomikos, Michael
- Ntararas, Basil
- Ntararas, Georgios & Chariklia
- Oikonomakos, Stavros & Vassiliki
- Omerides, Pavlos
- Orfanos, Evangelos & Maria, ch. Voula, Mina & Alexios
P - R
- Pafilis, Nikolaos
- Pahakis, Dimitrios
- Paitakis, Manolis
- Paloumbis, Yerassimos
- Panagopoulou, Konstantina
- Panayotopoulos, Sotiris & Ioanna (Moumoutzi)
- Panayotos, Nicolaos
- Panayotou, Maria
- Panayotou-Kapsomenou, Antonia
- Pantzartzidis, Konstantinos; brother Ioanis
- Papadantonaki,Marika (sister of Vezerides P)
- Papadimitriou, Chryssanthi
- Papadopoulos, Stylianos
- Papadopoulou, Isaac & Efthymia; d. Mimitsa Melidou
- Papadouka, Olympia
- Papaeconomou, Pipitsa
- Papalexandros, Yiorgos & Anastassia
- Papanastasio, Anastasios
- Papastergiou, Dr. Christos
- Papastratis, Sotiris
- Papavasileiou, Alexandros
- Pappadopoulos, Antonis
- Paraskevaidis, Stratos
- Paravantis, Evangelos
- Paschalidis, Mrs. & her sons Orestis, Andrea & Iani
- Pavlidou, Danae
- Perakis, Ioanis & Katina
- Pertopoulos, Konstaninos & Evi; ch: Nikos, Olga, Kristina
- Petrakis, Manolis & Antigoni
- Pianas, Georgos
- Pispas, Thanasis & Evangelia
- Pondikis, Vassilis & Vassiliki
- Potamianou, Antela & her dght. Athina Kontopoulou
- Psaropoulo, Georgi; d. Olimpiada
- Psaropoulos, Maria; ch: Ioannis, Haralambos
- Robos, Athanasios & Athena
- Rousamanis, Stefanos
- Rovolopoulos, Constantinos
S - Z
- Sanikos, Nicos & Eli
- Sarafianou, Smaragda
- Saroglou, Popi
- Sayanou Hariklia
- Sanikos, Nicos & Eli
- Sarafianou, Smaragda
- Saroglou, Popi
- Sayanou Hariklia
- Scaramanga, Dr. Petros & his wife Artemis ?
- Sfakianakis, Konstandinos
- Sklavounos, Thomas & ch. Kostas, Alexios, Panayota & Orsalia
- Vamvakaris, Jean; sister Frosso
- Varvataki, Athina
- Vasatis, Anastasios
- Vassiliadis, Grigoris
- Velliou, Alice & John
- Veveleko, Dimitri & Theodora
- Vezeridis, Panayiotis; mother Ekaterini
- Vgenopoulou Solon & Eleftheria-Lulu
- Vlachos, Georgios & Athina
- Vlastaris, Dimitrios
- Voliotis, Apostolos & Maria
- Voudouroglou, Maria; son Antonis
- Vranopoulos, Dimitrios
- Wassenhoven, Mathilde
- Xanthopoulos, Eftimia & her sisters Melpomeni Dina & Bithleem Sumbasi
- Xirouhakis, Stylianos & Damaskini & children: Athena, Antonis, Stratis, Manolis, Marika
- Xygala, Pelagia & Georgios
- Yannopoulou, Elias & Popi
- Zannas, Dimitris
- Zervos, Spiros
- Zographos, Petros & Irinis
- Zolamopolos, Panos