There was heavy snow last year. Heavy rain this year. But no obstacles could stop the hundreds of people who gathered last night in the Concert Hall of Athens to take part in the main event of the Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jewish Martyrs and Holocaust Heroes, organized, as every year, by the Attica region and Israel. Athens community. The evening, titled “Skaytali in memory”, was dedicated to the most important issue: as the survivors of the camps pass away, we must take on the task of passing on knowledge to the next generations. The event began with a performance by the choir of students from the Lauder School of the Israelite Community of Athens and continued with a performance by the relatives of the recently deceased Chrysula Elias. They lit the seven candles in memory of those who died under the Nazi regime. The deceased was a hostage in Auschwitz and other camps. He managed to survive, return to Greece, start a family and see his great-grandson.

The testimonies of the survivors recorded on film, preceded by their people, aroused particular tenderness: on the one hand, a historical document, on the other, the will to continue, a mental relay race that passes from hand to hand. Albertos Tarambulos, President of the Israeli Community of Athens, said: “We remember because we cannot do otherwise. Most of the people in this room have never been able to live and be happy in a complete family. The Holocaust hit us. We were in pain. He hurt us. Therefore, we will always remember and respect with awe all those who died. The regional governor of Attica, Giorgos Patoulis, and the Israeli ambassador to Greece, Noam Kats, welcomed the guests. The President of the Central Jewish Council of Greece, David Saltiel, mentioned the recent act of vandalism, as well as the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki, which will be ready in a few years.

This year’s keynote speaker was Education Minister Niki Kerameos, who also received a special award from the Jewish Community of Athens. He dedicated the award to all Greek teachers who work to preserve memory, educate awareness, tolerance, fight intolerance. He mentioned actions, children’s educational visits to Auschwitz, competitions, trainings for teachers and professors, exchange of best practices and, above all, cooperation with other institutions such as the Jewish Museum of Greece or the Shoah Memorial. The event ended with a performance by the actor Nikos Psarras and the children of the Lauder school on the topic of the Terezin camp, which was located in Czechoslovakia. From every mouth escaped the wish: “Never again.”