With the shadow of anti-Semitism and intolerance looming as a perennial threat, in the midst of disturbing events that took place during 2022, the Consulate General of Greece in New York hosted the Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day of the Greek Jewry on January 19 at Hebrew Union College in Manhattan.
Thessaloniki-born award-winning artist, designer, educator, and School of Visual Arts BFA Illustration and Comics Departments Chair Viktor Koen captivated the attendees with an emotionally-charged and moving presentation, with members of his family from the Greek Jewish community as protagonists, who experienced the uprooting, the shadow of death, but also the physical and mental torture during the period of Nazi atrocities.
Following the stories and walking step by step through those “dark” days, which cost or forever marked the lives of millions of people, Koen reiterated that no one should forget or overlook what the Jews suffered – but also humanity in general – from Nazism.
President of the American Friends of the Jewish Museum in Greece Solomon Asser at the podium during the Holocaust Remembrance Day of the Greek Jewry on January 19. Photo: TNH/ Christodoulos Athanasatos
A special tone was given by the reading of authentic letters between members of Jewish families who had been separated, with Esther Errera and Sivan Koen giving voice to the feelings of anguish, and despair, but also the hope of those mothers who longed to hear back from their children and make sure they were still alive.
The talented singers Nektarios Antoniou and Eirini Tornesaki performed a musical program that included Jewish music but also Mikis Theodorakis’ composition ‘Asma Asmaton’ (Song of Songs) and ‘Smyrneiko Minore’ in collaboration with American Michael Brown, who added his own artistry to the program.
Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Konstantinou, President of the American Friends of the Jewish Museum in Greece Solomon Asser, and Rabbi Diana S. Gerson also shared remarks at the event.
The coordination of the event was undertaken by Leon Levy.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Jim.henderson
