Holocaust Remembrance Day: Remembering the victims of the Greek Jewry

On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), the Consulate General of Greece in New York held a memorial event dedicated to the thousands of members of the Greek Jewish community who were persecuted and murdered during the Second World War.

The event was held on January 25, at the Hebrew Union College in New York.

The audience had the opportunity to enjoy the music of the internationally acclaimed Greek composer and violin virtuoso Evanthia Reboutsika, who performed live her violin and piano duets, together with the pianist Areti Giovanou.

Shortly before the music performance, a video with extracts from Director Vassilis Loules’s documentary “Kisses to the children” was screened. The documentary tells the story of Greek Jews who, growing up as children in the ‘40s, were forced to stay hidden in Christian homes until Liberation.

Greetings were also delivered by distinguished speakers. The host of the evening, Consul General of Greece in New York Mr. Konstantinos Koutras stressed the need to practice what we preach and make the "Never again" slogan matter, by moving from words to action.

Israeli Deputy Consul General in New York, Amir Sagie, referred to the importance of spreading the messages of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as introduced by the UN, while Rabbi Martin Cohen, addressing the public with vivid directness, highlighted that pain is a universal human condition when caused by intolerance and oppression.

Closing remarks were provided by his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, who asked the public to consider "how many rivers of tears and oceans of blood" were shed by mankind, ending his speech with an allusion to music, saying that this ‘song’ of history deserves indeed to be extolled, but not only through the low key of melancholy but through the major key of heroism.

The people who honored the event with their presence included: his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, his Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey,  Rabbis Martin Cohen and David Levy, the Ambassador of Greece to the UN, Maria Theofili, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United Nations, Cornelios Corneliou, the Consul General of Italy in New York, Francesco Genuardi, the Deputy Consul General of Israel, Mr Amir Sagie, the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, the General Counsel of the World Jewish Congress, Menachem Z. Rosensaft, the President of the Association of American Friends of the Greek Jewish Museum,  Solomon Asser, Jason Guberman representing the American Sephardic Federation, and many other distinguished members of the Jewish community in New York, including Holocaust survivors.

The New York academic community was represented by several prominent members starting with New York University Provost, Katherine Fleming, as well as professors from the City University of New York and New Jersey’s Rutgers University. Speakers were introduced by the event’s master of ceremonies, Literature Professor Jimmy Demetro.

The event was streamed live through the Consulate General’s Facebook page. 

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