The memory of the Greek Jews of Thessaloniki who perished in Νazi concentration camps was commemorated on Sunday at an event at the Holocaust Museum, organised by the Central Macedonia Periphery and the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, in the context of events marking the National Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jew Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes.
The event was held at the Holocaust Monument in Thessaloniki's Eleftherias (Freedom) Square.

Prime minister George Papandreou was represented by infrastructure, transports and networks deputy minister Yiannis Magriotis, who spoke of the presence of the Jewish in the city of Thessaloniki for more than 4 1/2 centuries, and also the "martyrous journey" of the 50,000 Thessaloniki Jews that set out from Eleftherias Square in the spring of 1943.
He also stressed the need for "acceptance of the different" today, and called on Turkey to acknowledge its own genocides, thus contributing to improvement of bilateral relations with Greece.

Israeli ambassador to Greece Arye Mekel referred to the international acknowledgement of the Holocaust, as well as the need today that a sacrifice such as that of the 26 percent of the Greek Jews -- who were killed in the German concentration champs -- never be repeated.
Central Macedonia regional chief Panagiotis Psomiadis stressed that Thessaloniki does not write off the nightmarish moments lived by the city's Jews.

Source: Athens News Agency

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