Forgotten Holocaust History in Greek Islands Highlights Lessons on Alliances and Responsibility
This summer, journalist Dan Perry reports from Cephalonia, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, uncovering a largely forgotten chapter of the Holocaust in Greece that offers important lessons for Israel today. Greece lost 80 to 90 percent of its Jewish population during World War II, one of the highest rates in Nazi-occupied Europe, yet this history remains underrecognized. Perry traces the tragic events following Italy's 1943 armistice with the Allies, when German forces turned on their former Italian allies, massacring thousands of Italian soldiers on Cephalonia and seizing control of Italian-occupied Greek territories.
Under Italian occupation, Jews in Greece had relative protection from Nazi deportations, but after Germany took over in September 1943, Jewish communities faced extermination. The Ionian Islands illustrate three divergent fates: Corfu's Jewish community was almost entirely deported and destroyed; Zakynthos' Jews were saved through the courageous refusal of local officials and residents to comply with German orders; and Cephalonia's Jewish population had mostly emigrated before the German takeover.
Perry highlights how these events connect the massacre of Italian soldiers with the destruction of Greek Jewry, emphasizing the broader strategic significance of Greece during the war. German advances threatened the Middle East, including British-controlled Palestine, home to half a million Jews, where Nazi plans for extermination units were prepared but never realized due to German defeats in North Africa and the Soviet Union.
The article reflects on the enduring lessons of these histories for Israel and the Jewish people, stressing that while self-defense is vital, alliances and the courage of non-Jews to resist persecution are equally crucial. The choices made by individuals and communities during moments of crisis can determine survival, as shown by the contrasting outcomes on the Ionian Islands. Perry concludes by recounting a personal encounter that underscores the importance of dialogue and understanding about these complex histories.
