Obj. ID: 44775
Modern Jewish Art  Holocaust Memorial in Trikkala, Greece, 2018

The city of Trikala honored its 139 Jewish citizens killed in the Nazi concentration camps by unveiling a Holocaust Memorial in a ceremony attended by Holocaust survivors, diplomatic representatives from 14 IHRA Member Countries, and representatives of Jewish communities from all over Greece. The ceremony was attended by 97-year-old Naki Bega, an Auschwitz survivor, and Victor Venouziou, a hidden child.

The dedication was the culmination of the 3-day memorial event organized by the Municipality with the active participation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) , the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), the Jewish Museum of Greece, and the Italian Embassy in Greece (Italy held IHRA’s chairmanship in 2018), the ceremony was the culmination of a three-day Holocaust-remembrance program that included exhibitions, concerts, a book presentation, and a documentary screening.

“During his speech on Friday 9 November, 2018, at the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition of the Jewish Museum of Greece entitled: "The Holocaust of the Jews of Greece 1941-1944, personal testimonies" at the Tsitsanis Museum, (to remain open till the 17th of November), Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, Mayor of Trikala, said: "Close to the Lithaios river, the river of oblivion, we keep our memories alive". Mentioning the memorial, the Mayor emphasized the importance and symbolism of these tears for the perished fellow citizens and the important role the monument plays in bringing their memory back to Trikala.  

In the same spirit, referring to the responsibility to remember the victims of the Holocaust, were the speeches of Mr. David Saltiel, President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and of H.E. Mr. Luigi Marras, Ambassador of Italy to Greece. An emotional speech was also delivered by the President of the Jewish Community of Trikala, Mr. Jakob Venouziou,

The unveiling ceremony started with a memorial service (Ashkavah) held by the Rabbi of Larissa, Mr. Elias Sabetai and religious hymns sung by the choir of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. At the end a tribute of a minute of silence was observed and then the Philharmonic band of the Municipality of Trikala played the Greek National Anthem.

During the main event held at the "Athanasios Trigonis" cultural center on Saturday, 10 November, 2018, all speeches addressed to the public focused on the need to stand united against any extremist ideology.

Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, Mayor of Trikala, Mr. David Saltiel, President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities, H.E. Mr. Luigi Marras, Ambassador of Italy in Greece, Dr. Efstathios Lianos-Liantis, Head of the Greek Delegation to the IHRA and Mr. Mikis Modiano, Vice-president of the Jewish Museum of Greece, addressed the audience.

Read the address by Head of the Greek Delegation to the IHRA, Dr. Efstathios Lianos-Liantis

At that same time an exhibition entitled: "The German Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz- Birkenau", organized by the Auschwitz - Birkenau State Museum, under the care of the Polish Embassy in Greece, was presented in the entrance hall of the Cultural Center of Trikala. The exhibition will remain open to the public until 17 November.

The main event also included a clip of the film "Kisses to the Children" by Trikala-born director Vassilis Loules which focuses on the rescue of Jewish children by Christian Greeks.

At the end of the evening, the Orchestra of the Municipality of Trikala presented a program of Greek composers based on the theme of the Holocaust.”

Vandalism

The monument was vandalized twice in 2019, and in January 2020, vandals stole the Star of David from the monument, and the surrounding fencing was also torn down.