The book narrates the last days of the once prominent Jewish community of Thessaloniki, the overwhelming majority of which was transported to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz in 1943.
Focusing on the Holocaust of the Jews of Thessaloniki, this book maps the reactions of the authorities, the Church and the civil society as events unfolded. In so doing, it seeks to answer the questions, did the Christian society of their hometown stand up to their defense and did they try to undermine or object to the Nazi orders? Utilizing new sources and interpretation schemes, this book will be a great contribution to the local efforts underway, seeking to reconcile Thessaloniki with its Jewish past and honour the victims of the Holocaust.
The first study to examine why 95 percent of the Jews of Thessaloniki perished—one of the highest percentages in Europe—this book will appeal to students and scholars of the Holocaust, European History and Jewish Studies.
Shortlisted for the 2020 London Hellenic Prize.
Table of Contents
1. Historical and Theoretical Background
2. Dehumanizing the Dead: The Destruction of Thessaloniki’s Jewish Cemetery
3. What People Knew: Contemporary Sources on the Holocaust
4. Reactions from the City Authorities
5. Reactions from the Institutions: the Church, the Courts, the University
6. Reactions from the Professional Associations
7. Jewish Efforts in Athens and Thessaloniki to Save the Jews of Thessaloniki during the Holocaust
8. The Actions of the Red Cross Delegate in Thessaloniki during the Holocaust and their Post-war Legacy
9. Conclusion
Leon Saltiel holds a PhD in Contemporary Greek History from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki and has received post-doctoral fellowships at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Remembering and Coexisting in the Eastern Mediterranean 