Thessaloniki mayor to visit Melbourne Holocaust centre
Mayor Yiannis Boutaris, the mayor of Thessaloniki in Greece, is set to visit Melbourne’s Jewish Holocaust centre on Sunday, November 23.
Mayor Boutaris has called the liquidation of Thessaloniki’s Jews the “darkest moment in its history”, and wore a yellow Star of David at his most recent mayoral swearing in ceremony in recognition of the murder of Thessaloniki’s Jews during the Holocaust.
Before the Holocaust, Thessaloniki was home to 80,000 Jews. In 1943, under Nazi occupation, some 60,000 Jews were deported to Treblinka and Auschwitz, approximately 90% of whom were murdered. A number of Thessaloniki Jews were involved in resistance acts both in the Warsaw uprising and the October 1944 attack and bombing in Auschwitz.
Over 300 Greek Gentiles have been recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among The Nations.
The Mayor will speak at the JHC on Sunday, 23rd November at 11:30am and will be joined by Cr Jim Magee, mayor of Glen Eira and His Excellency Mr Charalampos Dafaranos, ambassador of Greece.
Dr Donna-Lee Frieze, genocide studies scholar, will introduce the video testimony of Holocaust survivor, Maria Curtis, (formerly known as Rachael Seror), who escaped the ghetto and was hidden by Greeks in Thessaloniki. Curtis attributes her survival to the righteous of Thessaloniki.
Yiannis Boutaris
Mayor of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Kalosorisate stin Poly mas Melbourne
Tha mas Timisete na vrite tin Ora
Gia na fitepsete mia ELIA DENDRO is to OROS MELA na mini enthimio gia eonia oti Perase o Dimarhos o PONTIOS
Stin Melbourne sto OROS MELLA
My warmest regards,
http://www.flagpolehill.org.au
Onoufrios (Newy) Gorozidis
Managing Director, Paintmobile
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