The Revolt of the Greek Jews

The Revolt of the Greek Jews from MovieTeller on Vimeo.

Comments

[Joseph]

Dear Stavros, once again you put tears in my eyes. My grandfather was ported from Athens with the last transport to Auschwitz and according to eye witness, was sent to the gas chambers upon arrival in Auschwitz. I was aware of the Greek revolt in Auschwitz and always proud of it, but this movie sheds light and adds details I had not known before. My heart gets full of pride to know that it was Greeks who revolted in Auschwitz, waved the Greek flag and, above all, held their heads up and died with dignity. I hope this can inspire new hope out of despair even in out times. Best regards

[Stavros]

Joseph,

I came on this quite by accident. So glad you got a chance to watch it. May their memories be eternal.

All the best.

[Marios]

Stavros, thank you for posting such a mooving piece of film, I watched it with tears in my eyes, and pride, when I see these things I always get reminded why we Greeks were chosen to civilise the world. May God bless them all and you Stavros and your family and all of us, and may all of us take courage from their deeds and heroism.

[Stavros]

Marios,

The following is an excerpt from a book by K.E. Fleming, Greece: A Jewish History:

"In the multi-cultural setting of the camps Greek Jews affirmed themselves vis-a-vis other Jews as Greek, rather than as Jewish. For most of them, who had lived for centuries in the company of Christians, and had been defined against them as emphatically Jewish and somehow not really Greek, this was largely a new identity. But in Auschwitz their Greekness was assumed, not something they had to fight to assert or deny, as it had been in Greece itself. They had lived in Greece, and they were deported from Greece--they were Greek. This Greekness became a badge of honor and mark of prestige in the camps. Greeks--in many instances, the first non-Askenazic Jews that most Askenazic inmates had ever seen--were virile and strong. They were silent, mysterious ingenious and tricky. They were fiercely patriotic, and came together with a sense of national unity that was alien to the others."

I have often thought that Greekness is a state of mind. May we remember always who we are and may the Greek spirit always remain indomitable.

[Simon Baddeley]

In hard times the evil in some men's heart surfaces more virulently but so too may goodness and courage flourish under pressure...

http://democracystreet.blogspot.com/2009/12/good-citizens-of-ioannina.html

'Let the world know that we value our Jewish presence, one of the oldest in Greece, and will not allow callous, hateful acts to define us as a community or as a people.' The Citizen Initiative for the Defense of the Jewish Cemetery of Ioannina - 18 December 2009