50.000 Thessaloniki Jews killed by Nazis - Greece marks 80th anniversary of Holocaust deportations

Adolf Goebbels
Published on Mar 19, 2023
"Never again" - Greece commemorated the 80th anniversary of the first deportations of Greek Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau in Thessaloniki, the northern metropolis that lost almost its entire flourishing Jewish community.

Holding white balloons captioned â€˜Never Againâ€™, around a thousand people of all ages marched to the old railway station of Thessaloniki, where the deportations began on March 15, 1943. Many people left flowers on the train tracks.

The deportations were carried out in cattle wagons, each holding around 80 people forcefully crammed in. The community lost 97 percent of its members, around 50,000 people.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, American ambassador to Greece George Tsunis and Israelâ€™s Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis, were among the officials at the ceremony.