INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY EVENT:
“There is Neither Greek Nor Jew”: The Heroic Duo Who Saved an Entire Island From the Holocaust
In honor of Righteous Among the Nations Loukas Karrer and Dimitrios Chrysostomos
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and in celebration of these incredible community leaders and the 43rd anniversary of their Righteous Among the Nations designation, don't miss the virtual reception honoring Loukas Karrer and Dimitrios Chrysostomos. During the Greek Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), this educational event will highlight the history of Hellenic-Jewish relations and the importance of strengthening those bonds in facing antisemitism. During the Greek IHRA presidency, recognizing past leaders who confronted antisemitism in its most extreme form will help inspire a new generation of civic and religious leaders to similarly confront antisemitism and other forms of hate.
On the island of Zakynthos off the coast of mainland Greece, 275 Jews lived prior to the outbreak of World War II. Nazi forces arrived in Zakynthos on September 9th, 1943 and demanded a complete list of the island’s Jews from Mayor Loukas Karrer. Unsure of how to proceed, Karrer turned to the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church on the island, Metropolitan Dimitrios Chrysostomos, for assistance. Metropolitan Chrysostomos assured Karrer that he would negotiate with the Nazis and ensure the protection of the Jewish community of Zakynthos.
Hesitating for months, by 1944, the Nazis confronted Mayor Karrer at gunpoint to forfeit the names and locations of Zakynthos’ Jews. At this, Metropolitan Chrysostomos handed the island’s Nazi leadership a list of the island’s Jews with two names on it: Loukas Karrer and Dimitrios Chrysostomos. The two leaders then mobilized the island’s citizens to hide all of the town’s Jewish people in rural villages, allowing them to escape deportation. While more than 80% of Greek Jews were killed during the Holocaust, the entire Jewish community of Zakynthos was saved. Loukas Karrer and Dimitrios Chrysostomos were honored with the title of Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for saving their island’s Jewish community in 1977.
Speakers
Ambassador Chris J. Lazaris
Chair of the Greek IHRA Presidency
US Congressman Gus Bilirakis
Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues
H.E. Alexandra Papadopoulou
Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the US
Dan Mariaschin
CEO of B’nai Brith International
Drake G Behrakis
Chair, National Hellenic Society
Spinos Nikitas
Deputy Mayor of Zakynthos, Greece
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos,
Museum Director of Kehila Kedosha Janina
Dr. Ekaterini Malliou
Vice President of Hellenic American Women’s Council
Co-sponsors
Mimica Tsezana Hyman
Descendant of a saved Jewish community member from Zakynthos
Benjamin Albalas
Chairman of the European March of the Living
Dr. Leon Saltiel
Historian and Member of the Greek IHRA Delegation
The Rescue on the Greek Island of Zakinthos by Righteous Among the Nations
Moses Elisaf
Mayor of Ioannina, Greece
Deno Seder
Author of Miracle at Zakynthos: The Only Greek Jewish Community Saved in its Entirety from Annihilation
Sacha Roytman
Chief Executive Officer, Combat Antisemitism Movement
The Story
Robert Singer
Senior Advisor of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact
Prof. John Chrysoulakis
Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy in the Greek MFA
Dr. Joel Zisenwine
Head of the Righteous Among the Nations Department at Yad Vashem
Craig Dershowitz
CEO, Artists 4 Israel
Zach Saar
Deputy Chief of the Israeli Diplomatic Mission to the Hellenic Republic
Kleomenis Kostopoulos
Artist, Creative Director of Art in Progress
WATCH LIVE HERE: