eSefarad Noticias del Mundo Sefaradi
This is the story of a traditional Greek Jewish family that miraculously survived the Holocaust in Greece, their liberation and renewal as told by Isaac Daniel. The Daniel family of six, including a toddler of two years, were caught in the turmoil of the second World War, hiding, on the run, being arrested and rescued several times.
Isaac and his father were in the Synagogue in Veria, Greece on the last day of Passover 1943 when the Synagogue entrance was blocked by police. They managed to escape through a unguarded side door. They then tried to escape to the nearby mountain villages, avoiding capture after two close calls The family then went into hiding in their basement apartment and thus avoided the deportation of the Veria Jewish community.
They were betrayed, arrested and faced immediate execution. Mother Bella Daniel, invoked her Italian citizenship at birth, which was not sufficient but saved the family from immediate execution. They were transferred to a transit camp in Salonica, waiting for the next convoy to Auschwitz. Three days before departure of this convoy, upon request from the Italian foreign ministry, they were released and transferred to the Italian zone of occupation (Athens) for further examination of their tenuous connection to Italian citizenship.
After a few months, Italy signed an armistice with the allies, Athens came under German administration and the persecution continued in Athens. The family went into hiding, moving around to four different locations. They were arrested, robbed, escaped and went into hiding in different places. In the final episode, they were arrested by the collaborationist police, bribed their way out and waited. In the final miracle, a truly act of God, they were flooded out of their basement hideout. They moved out and were sheltered by a kind hearted neighbor, just in time before the collaborationist police came back to take them. They were finally liberated, returned to their home and tried to rebuild their lives.
They returned to their community. Over 85% of Greek Jewry had been murdered. They made a valiant effort to rebuild their lives, were very successful, but eventually they emigrated to the United States where they started a new life. All members of the family excelled in their endeavors, Isaac in a highly reputable academic career, Aaron an accomplished architect, Sarah a dedicated nutritionist and Sam a senior researcher and inventor in a major government contracting company.
