Last remaining Corfu Auschwitz survivor dies
Auschwitz
28 Dec 2018
/ 09:11
CORFU. The final page has turned on one of the most tragic chapters in modern Corfu history.
Rebecca Aaron - the last remaining Auschwitz survivor in Corfu's Jewish community - has died. She lived a long life - she was 14 years old in the fateful year of '44 - and now the chapter has closed, with only written memories remaining.
Several years ago in Exit magazine (she can be seen in the photo with her husband) she said: "Someone has to say what those of us from Corfu went through at Auschwitz. Those from our community were burnt in crematorium no. 9, which was later blown up by Barouch, who had also fought in Albania."
She talked about what happened before: "All of the German proclamations, which were also signed by their collaborators, were printed in Corfu. At first there were notices which said 'Jewish' and all the Jews had to put them in their shops so that nobody would go in. My father had it framed behind the door. One day someone came with two German soldiers and asked 'Where's the notice?' 'Behind the door,' he replies. 'No. You have to place it in the front - it is forbidden for Germans to go into a Jewish shop and buy from you.'
I was there and it affected me so much that I just went and sat frightened in the corner. Afterwards my father told me that the man was the Mayor Kollas..."
The majority of the people in Corfu were sympathetic to the plight of the Jews and Mrs Aaron recounted the five years that her family was put up in house in Sinarades, "We had an arrangement with a really good boy Kostas Hitiris and he brought us a loaf of bread every day. If the Germans had discovered us they would have burnt the village. In the end we were amongst the last to go to the town to surrender.."
It was June '44 and everyone was gathered at the Fortress. "They had a table in the Lower Square where the horses and carriages were. There were locals and Germans there including Patrikios (a Greek police officer and the right-hand man of Police Chief Dedopoulos).
"When EAM (Greek Resistance) sounded the alarm Patrikios took the machine gun from a German and turned on us. 'Don't move or I will kill you - I'm ready to shoot!' We stayed there and didn't move even though 50 - 100 could have got away..."
It is estimated that between 11 and 15 June approximately 1,800 Corfu Jews were transported to Auschwitz (and other camps) via Lefkada, Patra, Athens and Piraeus - about 90% of the Jewish community. Very few of them survived - less than 200 - and even fewer returned to Corfu. Rebecca Aaron was one of those and was the last remaining survivor.
Several years ago in Exit magazine (she can be seen in the photo with her husband) she said: "Someone has to say what those of us from Corfu went through at Auschwitz. Those from our community were burnt in crematorium no. 9, which was later blown up by Barouch, who had also fought in Albania."
She talked about what happened before: "All of the German proclamations, which were also signed by their collaborators, were printed in Corfu. At first there were notices which said 'Jewish' and all the Jews had to put them in their shops so that nobody would go in. My father had it framed behind the door. One day someone came with two German soldiers and asked 'Where's the notice?' 'Behind the door,' he replies. 'No. You have to place it in the front - it is forbidden for Germans to go into a Jewish shop and buy from you.'
I was there and it affected me so much that I just went and sat frightened in the corner. Afterwards my father told me that the man was the Mayor Kollas..."
The majority of the people in Corfu were sympathetic to the plight of the Jews and Mrs Aaron recounted the five years that her family was put up in house in Sinarades, "We had an arrangement with a really good boy Kostas Hitiris and he brought us a loaf of bread every day. If the Germans had discovered us they would have burnt the village. In the end we were amongst the last to go to the town to surrender.."
It was June '44 and everyone was gathered at the Fortress. "They had a table in the Lower Square where the horses and carriages were. There were locals and Germans there including Patrikios (a Greek police officer and the right-hand man of Police Chief Dedopoulos).
"When EAM (Greek Resistance) sounded the alarm Patrikios took the machine gun from a German and turned on us. 'Don't move or I will kill you - I'm ready to shoot!' We stayed there and didn't move even though 50 - 100 could have got away..."
It is estimated that between 11 and 15 June approximately 1,800 Corfu Jews were transported to Auschwitz (and other camps) via Lefkada, Patra, Athens and Piraeus - about 90% of the Jewish community. Very few of them survived - less than 200 - and even fewer returned to Corfu. Rebecca Aaron was one of those and was the last remaining survivor.
