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| The corner stone for the new Jewish Old Age Home of Athens was laid on Sunday November 19, 2000. |
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Τη θλίψη και
τον αποτροπιασμό του για τη βεβήλωση εβραϊκών τάφων στο Γ' Νεκροταφείο
με την επ' αυτών αναγραφή ναζιστικών εμβλημάτων, αλλά και για ανάλογη βάνδαλη
ενέργεια στην πόλη της Θεσσαλονίκης, εκφράζει ο Μακαριώτατος Αρχιεπίσκοπος
Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος κ.κ. Χριστόδουλος με επιστολή του προς τον Πρόεδρο
του Ισραηλιτικού Συμβουλίου κ. Μωυσή Κωνσταντίνη.
Ο Μακαριώτατος σημειώνει ότι αισθάνεται ντροπή για τους Έλληνες, που απετόλμησαν μία τέτοια ανοίκεια, ασεβή και βάνδαλη πράξη, την οποία και καταδικάζει απερίφραστα. Όπως χαρακτηριστικά επισημαίνει "στον τόπο αυτό δεν εβλάστησε ποτέ το αγκάθι του ρατσισμού, της μισαλλοδοξίας ή των διακρίσεων σε βάρος ανθρώπων με διαφορετική πίστη ή γλώσσα ή και παιδεία... καθώς ο ελληνικός πολιτισμός και το χριστιανικό μας ήθος, μας επέβαλαν από την αρχή την αποδοχή του <<άλλου>>, που είτε ως αλλόφυλος, είτε ως αλλόδοξος, είτε και ως αλλόπιστος δεν έπαυσε ποτέ να είναι ο Άνθρωπος, το παιδί του Θεού και μάλιστα η έμψυχη εικόνα Του πάνω στη γη''. Ο Μακαριώτατος μάλιστα υπογραμμίζει: "Οι Έλληνες ανά τους αιώνες υπήρξαμε λαός με ευγένεια και με σεβασμό προς κάθε ετερότητα. Θλίβομαι όμως για την από μέρους των ελαχίστων αμαύρωση αυτής της παράδοσης, που δεν πρέπει να παύσει να μας εμπνέει και στο μέλλον". Καταλήγοντας ο Προκαθήμενος της Ελλαδικής Εκκλησίας τονίζει: "Προσεύχομαι για την μετάνοια και τη σωτηρία της ψυχής εκείνων που απετόλμησαν την αποτρόπαιη πράξη και σπεύδω να σας εκφράσω τη βαθύτατη συμπάθειά μου και τη διαβεβαίωσή μου ότι αγωνίζομαι και θα αγωνίζομαι για να μη φυτρώσουν ποτέ στην ελληνική μας πατρίδα τα πικρά χόρτα του μίσους και της απόρριψης των <<άλλων>>. Σ' αυτόν τον αγώνα είμαι βέβαιος ότι συντρέχουν και όλοι οι Ελληνορθόδοξοι, επειδή έχουν ενστερνισθεί τα διδάγματα της αγάπης, που η πίστη των τους έχει διδάξει". ΕCCLESIA - EΚ ΤΟΥ ΓΡΑΦΕΙΟΥ ΤΥΠΟΥ Top |
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ΤΑ ΝΕΑ , 02-06-2000 , Σελ.: N17 Top |
| Photograph
of the desecrated Jewish cemetery of Athens
by Sabis Kamhis - 3.6.00 
The Jewish Cemetery of Athens in Nikaia, Friday 26 May 2000 (S. Kamhis) Top |
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On behalf of Washington State Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn I want to express her outrage at the desecration this weekend of the Athens cemetery and her support to you and the entire Jewish community of Greece. This attack on decency is an affront and affects not only your community, but all Jews everywhere, and indeed all friends of democracy, freedom, and pluralism. We are deeply saddened and offer you our condolences. Marvin Stern Holocaust Survivor Assistance Office Washington State Office of the Insurance Commisisoner Excerpt from Mr. Stern's letter to Kol haKEHILA - view the complete letter Top |
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) The messages dripped of pure hate. ''Hitler was right,'' vandals wrote during the desecration last week of the largest Jewish cemetery in Greece. A similar message appeared on a Jewish community Web site. The attacks are startling in a nation with no history of widespread anti-Semitism and a strong distaste for Fascist-style groups since the collapse of a military dictatorship in 1974. But Greece's small Jewish community is being targeted in the backlash against a government plan to remove religious affiliations from identity cards a proposal that has incensed the powerful Greek Orthodox Church. Many opponents blame a vague ''conspiracy'' of Jews and European Union bureaucrats for the ID changes. Church leaders have declared a ''relentless struggle'' to overturn the plan, which they see as a first step toward a possible separation of church and state. ''We ask our politicians: Are they listening to the Greek Orthodox people or the Jewish lobby?'' protest leader Panayiotis Lyras said at a march Wednesday of about 2,500 people opposed to the plan. ''Those who lay a hand on Orthodoxy will pay for it. There are battles ahead,'' he said as the marchers headed toward parliament. Most mainstream clerics have been careful to distance themselves from any calls for violence. Yet cliques of religious fringe groups and ultra-nationalists have drawn considerable strength from the church-fostered controversy. The cemetery attack Nazi slogans and symbols painted on buildings and more than 90 graves last Friday was the third against Jews or Jewish sites in Greece in a month. ''Jewish plot behind the IDs,'' said a headline in the Orthodox Press, a weekly newspaper thought to reflect church thinking. Meanwhile, the crusaders fighting the ID changes are trying to rally support with calls similar to the slogan of the 1967-74 junta: ''Greece for Christian Greeks.'' A parliament member, Giorgos Karatzaferis, has made an issue of whether a respected colleague, Miltiades Evert, wore a yarmulke while accepting an award for his father's role in saving Jews during the Nazi occupation of Greece. Only about 5,000 Jews remain from a prewar population of more than 80,000. ''Who is, or who is not with the Jews?'' said Karatzaferis, who has used his Athens television station as a soapbox to attack the ID changes. ''Who conspires and who does not conspire against our country?'' Jewish leaders note there are no signs of an organized ultra-nationalist political movement such as Austria's Freedom Party. But there are clear worries of a backlash against anyone not Greek Orthodox, who comprise more than 97 percent of the population. ''It's xenophobia,'' said Jean Cohen, a Greek Jewish journalist and commentator. ''There is a difference between being anti-Semitic and xenophobic ... Xenophobic means they are against anyone who is not Greek Orthodox.'' At a news conference Wednesday, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, used descriptions that could be viewed as incompatible with the secular and multicultural strivings of the European Union. ''The Greek church and people are one and the same,'' he said. ''Greeks are Christian Orthodox.'' But, he later added, Jews ''have no reason to be scared.'' Andreas Andreanopoulos, a commentator writing in the daily Exousia newspaper, blamed Greek Orthodox leaders for ''cultivating a dangerous spirit of inquisitorial mania and fanaticism.'' This atmosphere can turn suddenly against minorities, some scholars say. ''Anytime you have ethnic identity and religion intertwined, as in the case of the Greek Orthodox Church, there is the potential for very negative attitudes toward anyone considered an enemy of their perception of the world,'' said Doug Bandow, an analyst specializing in religion and politics at the Cato Institute in Washington. Copyright Associated Press Top |
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) 29 May - The Greek government and the leader of the Orthodox Christian Church on Monday condemned vandals who desecrated Greece's largest Jewish cemetery last week. "Not only do we condemn and deplore this, but we express our outrage because these types of behavior expose our country, they embarrass us all when they are turned against our fellow citizens," said government spokesman Dimitris Reppas. Last Friday vandals painted Nazi slogans and swastikas on the cemetery's holocaust memorial, synagogue and more than 90 graves. It was the third such attack against Jews or Jewish holy sites in the past month. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, believed to be the work of extreme right-wing groups. Greece's Jewish community has complained that the government was slow in condemning such actions. Reppas denied the government was "lax" in dealing with the issue, but admitted that law enforcement officials had so far not been able to identify the vandals. "This vandalism will not pass. The responsible agencies are doing what is possible is order to find those responsible for these acts," Reppas said. In a letter sent to head of the Jewish community, Orthodox Church leader Archbishop Christodoulos also condemned the act. "(Archbishop Christodoulos) noted that he felt disgrace for the Greeks that dared to do such an intolerant, disrespectful act of vandalism which he condemns without hesitation," said a statement from the Holy Synod, the body which governs the church. Last week vandals also scrawled anti-Semitic slogans on the home of American film director Jules Dassin, the husband of the late actress and former Culture Minister Melina Mercouri. In the cemetery attack, vandals painted "Jews Out" and "Hitler was right" on the synagogue, and covered the marble Holocaust memorial in swastikas and emblem of the Nazi SS. More that 90 percent of the 80,000-strong Greek Jewish community was wiped out in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The community now numbers about 5,000. The cemetery, located on the outskirts of Athens is the largest Jewish burial ground that remains in the country and has about 3,000 graves. About two weeks ago, Greece's Jewish community held a Holocaust memorial service at the cemetery. Other large cemeteries, including one in Thessaloniki, were destroyed by the Nazis. The recent spate of anti-Jewish actions comes at a time when Greece's church is embroiled in an acrymonious dispute with the Socialist government over its decision to abolish religious affiliation on state-issued identity cards. More than 90 percent of Greece's 10.2 million people are baptized into the official state religion, and the church considers itself the guardian of the Greek identity. Some religious minorities - including the Jews - fear they could be targeted by religious zealots in the dispute. Copyright Associated Press Top |
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Τους πρόσφατους βανδαλισμούς που προξένησαν άγνωστοι σε εβραϊκούς τάφους και στο Μνημείο του Ολοκαυτώματος στο Γ' Κοιμητήριο Αθηνών καταδικάζει με ανακοίνωσή του το Κεντρικό Ισραηλιτικό Συμβούλιο της Ελλάδος και ζητεί από την πολιτεία να ληφθούν μέτρα για να μην επαναληφθούν τέτοιες πράξεις. Οι βανδαλισμοί έγιναν τις νυχτερινές ώρες της περασμένης Παρασκευής, όταν άγνωστοι εισέβαλαν στο νεκροταφείο και, αφού προκάλεσαν φθορές σε εβραϊκούς τάφους, βεβήλωσαν τη συναγωγή και το Μνημείο του Ολοκαυτώματος με αγκυλωτούς σταυρούς και απειλητικά συνθήματα, όπως RΑUS. ΤΑ ΝΕΑ , 30-05-2000 , Σελ.: N22 Top |
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The virtuous Christians in Corfu who triple-locked a school in order to exclude some "pagan" Gypsies are probably equally proud of their Orthodox faith (which being "safeguarded" by the police, needs no verification...); and so are the Corinthians who demanded that a Gypsy be disinterred from "their" cemetery. And given that no religious speech praised these incidents, we may suppose that the sovereign church - which is "persecuted" despite being prevalent - has no time to deal with the real persecutions of heathens, whether living or dead. What does "Christian Orthodox" mean, and why is the bureaucratic statement "C.O." considered to be unshakeable proof of genuine faith? To put it more crudely, why do we continue to consider the attribute, whether stated or not, of "Christian Orthodox" as an absolute, self-evident virtue, when it is nothing more than a phantasm or inert legacy? Why is there so much strife over deceptive appearances, and at the same time, so much indifference over the true content of Christianity? And why does this "holy war" not aim at the Christianization of the self-styled "Christians," at their orientation toward attitudes and principles that reside in the cobwebbed founding documents but do not guide the actions of the Christian subjects? But such an unpopular mission would require preachers capable of teaching by, above all, setting their life as an example. Published in Kathimerini English Edition - Editorial and Commentary Top |
"I express the outrage and repugnance of the Greek Jews," said Moses Constantini, president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities of Greece. It was the third such attack against Jews or Jewish holy sites in the past month, and the community has demanded the government should condemn the actions. No one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, believed to be the work of extreme right-wing groups. "I am sorry to say the Greek government did not react to the other vandalism," Constantini said. "Now it will have to react." Two days ago vandals painted anti-Semitic slogans on the home of American film director Jules Dassin, the Jewish husband of the late actress Melina Mercouri. In the cemetery attack, vandals daubed the words "Juden Raus," German for "Jews Out," and "Hitler was right" on the synagogue. The large marble Holocaust memorial was covered in swastikas and the emblem of the SS. Copyright Associated Press - Patrick Quinn Top |
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) Vandals attacked Greece's largest Jewish cemetery Friday, painting Nazi slogans and symbols on its Holocaust memorial, synagogue and more than 90 graves. ''I express the outrage and repugnance of the Greek Jews,'' said Moses Constantini, president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities of Greece. This was the third such attack against Jews or Jewish holy sites in the past month, and the community demanded the government condemn the actions. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, believed to be the work of extreme right-wing groups. ''I am sorry to say the Greek government did not react to the other vandalism,'' Constantini said. ''Now it will have to react.'' Constantini said the Public Order Minister never replied to a protest letter sent by the Jewish community when vandals carried out a Passover attack last month, scribbling Nazi slogans on the city's synagogue and Holocaust memorial in the northern port of Thessaloniki. Two days ago vandals scrawled anti-Semitic slogans on the home of American film director Jules Dassin, the husband of the late actress and former Culture Minister Melina Mercouri. ''They wished a quick death to me and all Jews,'' Dassin said about the graffiti painted on his house in central Athens. In the cemetery attack, vandals painted ''Jews Out'' and ''Hitler was right'' on the synagogue, and covered the marble Holocaust memorial in swastikas and the twin lighting flash emblem of the Nazi SS. More that 90 percent of the 80,000-strong Greek Jewish community was wiped out in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The community now numbers about 5,000. The cemetery, located on the outskirts of Athens is the largest Jewish burial ground that remains in the country and has about 3,000 graves. Two weeks ago, Greece's Jewish community held a Holocaust memorial service at the cemetery. ''The damage is very large,'' Constantini said, but did not have an estimate. Other large cemeteries, including one in Thessaloniki, were destroyed by the Nazis. The Jews of Athens react to what happened to their cemetery. Top |
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Ο Ζυλ Ντασσέν βρήκε το «μήνυμα», γραμμένο με τεράστια γράμματα, στις 3 χθες το μεσημέρι. Κάποιοι περίοικοι και περαστικοί που δεν άντεξαν στη θέα των βωμολοχιών, της σπίλωσης της μνήμης της Μελίνας και του απροκάλυπτου ρατσισμού, έσβησαν γρήγορα ένα μεγάλο μέρος των συνθημάτων πριν προλάβει να τους εμποδίσει ο Ζυλ Ντασσέν. Που ήθελε να μείνουν λίγο περισσότερο στον τοίχο για να τα δει ο κόσμος. «Έπαθα μεγάλο σοκ», τόνισε ο Ζυλ Ντασσέν. Ωστόσο, το θέμα δεν είναι προσωπικό. Φαίνεται πως υπάρχουν φασιστικές οργανώσεις που κλιμακώνουν τη δράση τους. Στο ερώτημα γιατί στο σπίτι αυτό, ούτε εκείνος μπορούσε να βρει μιαν εξήγηση. «Τιμή μου, πάντως, που διάλεξαν εμένα», κατέληξε ειρωνικά. ΤΑ ΝΕΑ , 25-05-2000 , Σελ.: P03 Top |
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"Holocaust-Memory" on one of the iron wheels, was no longer there. It had been covered up with tarpaulin and sheeting a few days before. I have no idea what has happened. I assume that the city bowed to the objections of the archaeological service. Kol haKEHILA invites our readers in Greece to inform us on this incident at kolhakehila@yvelia.com Top |
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| A Holocaust Monument for the Jews
of Athens was erected by the Mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos at the
"Square of the Greek Jewish Victims (of the Holocaust)" in Theseio, in
December 1999. The title of the monument is "Controversial monument with
a view to the Acropolis", and it was created by artists "Russa-Tzo Art
Group" based in Piraeus.
The monument is a 4 meter high vertical
composition of industrial metal pieces and parts of ships, forming a column,
topped by a white bird with wings spread. VIEW THE MONUMENT
Since it was officially erected on December 31st, 1999, the monument has aroused controversy due to the fact that it was erected in a sensitive archaeological area opposite the Acropolis, without the permission of the Archaeological Council. The latter is demanding the immediate removal of the monument from this site. The most controversial aspect of the monument, though, is its Jewish relevance and the way it commemorates the Greek Jewish victims of the Holocaust. According to the Jewish Community of Athens, the monument was commissioned by the City of Athens, and the Jewish community was asked to offer suggestions before it was erected, to make it relevant to the Jewish Holocaust. The result was that on the large metal wheel the words "Holocaust" and "memory" are inscribed, and barbed wire has been incorporated in the base of the monument. One can argue at length about the aesthetic merits of this monument, which has been described as "quite nice" and as "infuriating". But, in terms of its Jewish relevance, it seems to be out of context. Jewish Holocaust monuments have been erected throughout Europe and the United States since the end of World War II. Artists have attempted with their monuments to address the difficult questions of "collective" and "collected" memory, as defined by J. Young ("The Texture of Memory", London 1993): from N. Rapoport’s representational sculptures in Poland and Israel, to E. & J. Gerz’s sinking "monument against fasicm" in Hamburg, and the S. Lewitt’s "Black Form dedicated to the Missing Jews" in front of the Town Hall in Hamburg. N. Glid’s Holocaust monument in Thessaloniki (Salonika) takes a less extreme approach. This figurative monument, like his monuments in Jerusalem and Dachau, links between the representational and abstract, using forms and symbols relevant and symbolic to the Jewish drama in the Holocaust. The monument in Athens disassociates itself from any historic precedent, and instead, contemplates the beautiful view to the Acropolis. It therefore, renders itself out of context in relation to the Jewish Holocaust. The attempt to make it more relevant to the Holocaust with the addition of the barbed wire and inscription, weakened its intended dialogue with the Acropolis. I would like to quote Prof. Alex Tzonis (Delft University, Holland) who wrote to Kol haKEHILA the following comments concerning this monument: " It is deeply sad and ultimately infuriating. In addition the monument itself is rather strange as something having to do with Jews. I find it objectionable (apart from purely aesthetic reasons) because of its overtly representational medium. It reminds me early 19th century ideas of Christian architects commissioned to design synagogues. Couldn't whoever designed it spent some time reflecting about how this question and how many people around the world have tried to answer it?". It is surprising that Mayor Avramopoulos
gave his approval for such a monument to commemorate the Jewish Holocaust,
especially, since he may be familiar with Jewish monuments in Greece -
particularly the most impressive one, that of Salonika - and with monuments
he saw at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, during his official visit in the summer
1999. Commissioning artists to create a Holocaust monument for Jews is
not a commission based only on aesthetic or stylistic merits. One has to
be familiar with the Jewish drama and work closely with the community to
help it express its pain for loosing so many of its brethren. The City
of Athens should have shown more sensitivity and respect for the memory
of the Jewish Holocaust victims of Athens. After all, the Jews who were
deported by the Germans in 1944 were Greeks, equal and respected citizens
of the city of Athens.
Kol haKEHILA thanks our correspondent in Athens Nina Hatzi for the photographs of the monument, Prof. Alexander Tzonis of Delft University in Holland and Aris Papadopoulos of National Herald for their insights on the monument. Your are welcome to send your comments on the monument at kolhakehila@yvelia.com and/or fax +972(2) 563.6690. |
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| 17 February 2000 Unfortunately I
have some more to report. As of yesterday evening it appears that an attempt
was made to clean off the black swastika from the marble plaque. However,
it also looks like somebody has attacked the plaque and smashed parts off
of it.
15 February 2000 The Holocaust Memorial in Athens has again been vandalized (I saw it yesterday evening). A black swastika has been sprayed on the marble plaque "Plateia Ellinon Evraion Matryron" and another black swastika has been sprayed on the bronze plaque attached to the sculpture. In addition the area around the sculpture, which is enclosed by a low concrete wall, has become a tip for various pieces of rubbish--an unfortunate consequence of the design. I hope that the city can come up with some way both of protecting this memorial, perhaps by putting the plaques out of reach or having the backgrounds surfaces of both in dark rather than light colours. There may be no cure for these bigots' stupidity, but there has to be a way of thwarting their vandalism. |
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| 17 November 1999 Following the previous
Kol haKEHIILA announcement and in response, more infomation has
become available concerning the removing of the marble plaque of the square
named after the Jewish Holocaust victims in Athens. The square was inaugurated
in October by the mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos.
According to the officials of the Jewish Community of Athens, the plaque was removed by the municipality to be cleaned about three weeks ago. The reason being that a week after the dedication, someone covered it with paint. The plaque was removed to be sanded and to have the paint removed. Once it is clean, the plaque will return to the square. Kol haKEHILA thanks the Jewish Community of Athens for informing our readers on this incident. We would also like to thank any reader in Athens that will keep us posted on this incident. Kol haKEHILA also thanks its readers for your warm reaction and the support that you offered to the Jewish Community to repair the damage that was made. |
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| 15 November 1999 A little over a
month after its public inauguration, the square opposite the Theseion train
station in Athens, named after the Jewish Holocaust victims of Athens is
found defaced. It was reported to Kol haKEHILA today, that on Saturday
visitors to the square could not see anymore the marble plaque honoring
the Jewish victims of the city that were killed in the Holocaust. The plaque
was missing!
Kol haKEHILA has not received any information of this becoming known through the media in Athens or elsewhere. If anyone in Athens or abroad has any information concerning this disturbing matter, please contact Kol haKEHILA or reply to this message. |
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The dedication ceremony of the Athens
Jewish Holocaust Victims square in Athens took place on October 11, 1999
near the Theision train station.
In the photograph are the Mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos (left), the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities of Greece Moisis Constantinis (center), and the President of the Jewish Community of Athens Benjamin Albalas. The photograph by "Creation Photo"
was sent to Kol haKEHILA by the Jewish Community of Athens.
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| ATHENS Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos has expressed his commitment to the construction in the capital of a memorial honoring the victims of the Holocaust, according to a press release from the Israeli embassy. "The time has come to erect a monument in Athens for the victims of the Holocaust," as in Thessaloniki, Avramopoulos was quoted as saying in his speech at a New Year event on January 26 at the Cultural Center of the Athens Jewish Community. "This is our will and our wish." The mayor also emphasized the strong ties between the peoples of the two countries. The ambassador of Israel in Athens, Ran Curiel, underlined in statements the warm and improving relations between Greece and Israel. Curiel stressed that "the numerous cultural exchanges which took place in both countries, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel, prove that there is a close and warm cooperation between Greece and Israel". The event was organized by the Hellas-Israel League and attended by many prominent figures. |
| This article was published in the Athens News newspaper in January 29, 1999. |
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Copyright: Kol haKEHILA 2000.
All rights reserved. mail to: KOL haKEHILA |
