![]() “Our Holy Religion does not recognize superior or inferior qualities based on race or religion… Our common fate, both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune, forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens… ![]() The letter, which protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazis, reads in part as follows: This was signed in Athens by the Archbishop himself and 27 other prominent Greek leaders. Archbishop Damaskinos, the archbishop of Athens and of Greece, issued a letter of protest to the German Nazis. ![]() As the cruelty of the Nazis increased, so did the courageous resistance of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the most significant aspects of this history is the unique role the Greek Orthodox Church played in its resistance to the Nazis. Trains started deporting Greek Jews to Auschwitz. “On March 15, 1943, the nightmare of the Jewish community unfolded as the Nazis implemented the final solution,” Rezan relates. They were also prohibited from practicing their professions in German-occupied areas.” Despite the Greeks’ valiant resistance, the country was overrun by the Nazis.”ĭuring the Nazi occupation of Greece, Rezan narrates, “Jews were forced by the Nazis to submit ‘wealth declarations’ and to wear the yellow star. “Following desperate pleas from Mussolini’s government for help, Nazi Germany invaded Greece on April 6, 1941. This highly important historical fact will now become better known because of this heartwarming piece of cinema. “Although the Greeks were poorly equipped, they fought heroically, and forced the invaders to retreat… Up until then, it was the Axis powers’ most significant defeat.” In response, the Italians, aided by Albania, attacked Greece.”Īlongside the Greek military approximately 13,000 Jews, including Rezan’s grandfather Lian, fought in the Greek-Italian war. The Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Metaxas, simply responded “oxi”, meaning “no” in Greek. “On October 28, 1940, the Italian government led by fascist Benito Mussolini gave an ultimatum to Greece allowing the Axis forces to enter and occupy the country. Rezan describes in the documentary how Greece was targeted by Italy and Germany during WWII: This Greek resistance was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany and her allies and the ending of WWII. It includes the moral courage of the Greek Orthodox Church, its clergy, the Greek Christian civilians, and the Greek guerrilla fighters across the country that helped save thousands of Greek Jews. The film sheds light on the largely unknown resistance of Greece against the Nazis. During her voyage, she learned about the history of the Jews of Greece - a history that she recounts in her breathtaking documentary. Rezan first went to Auschwitz to find out more about her Jewish family roots and about the story of her great-grandmother who was killed in Auschwitz. John and Jason Filippidis, Eleni Purgioti and Pantelis Kodogiannis serve as Executive Producers. It was co-produced by Academy Award-winning Mitchell Block and multi-Academy Award-winning Kim Magnusson. The multi-talented Rezan, known well as an actress, filmmaker, and musician with a fashion model background, began the project alongside cinematographer Zafeiris Haitidis, completing it in 2022. She dedicated 7 years to thoroughly researching the history of the Holocaust, Greece’s resistance against the Nazi occupation, and her own Jewish-Greek family origins in making this documentary. Rezan, 30, wrote, produced, directed, and narrated the film mainly by herself. The film is the “brainchild” of Rezan, whose mother is a Greek Jew and father a Greek Christian. “My People” relates the stories of Greek-Jewish victims and survivors of the Holocaust, as well as the heroic resistance of the Greeks against the Nazis. Rezan’s Jewish great-grandmother, Rachel, was deported and lost her life in Auschwitz. This is the introduction to the ground-breaking documentary film “My People” by Anna Rezan, whose grandfather Leon was arrested by German Nazi occupiers in Athens during WWII. Mom describes him as adorable, charming, and funny. My grandfather had an uncommon name, as well: Leon. Till the 1940s, these names were not uncommon in my country. Most of the people in my family have uncommon names that don’t really sound Greek like Rachel, Daniel, and Nissim. “I’m a Greek but it seems I’m kind of different from my fellow countrymen.
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