Selected text
My family and I were gathered, thinking about what we could do in order to leave Thessaloniki. I remember we had a Greek friend from Salonica, a lawyer. He would often visit us and saw our agony. He was telling us that if we jumped in the sea and swam across to Olympos [municipality in Larissa Prefecture, Greece, named after the nation's tallest summit, Mount Olympus], we had better chances of surviving than if we followed the German orders. And soon we started to find ways to escape. Our neighbors didn't know that we were trying to escape, although they were very friendly and we always had very good relationships anyways. They couldn't know since we were doing it in full secrecy.
My friend Marsel Natzari and I decided to leave by train [31] with the help of someone working at the Railway Station of Thessaloniki. We went to the station but for a reason that I cannot remember we didn't manage to leave. So we returned. This was the first, unsuccessful attempt.
For our second attempt we had contacted again someone working at the railway station. We went to his house, which was very close to the station. I was with my nephew Sam Leon, son of Alberto Leon. At midnight we walked to the station since this was the time that the train for Athens was leaving. Sam managed to get on the train. I was stopped by a station officer. He asked me to give him all my money in order to help me escape. I gave him all the money I was carrying with me. He said that I had to come back again the next day and he would send me to Athens. Thus, wearing a railway station officer uniform, I returned back home. My second attempt to escape was unsuccessful, too.
Finally, our third attempt was successful. I was with my two sisters, Rahel with her husband Alberto, and her child Nikos, and my unmarried sister Berta. With the help of railway officers we managed to escape. We had just a suitcase with the necessary things. Everything else was left to friends and neighbors. When we returned some things were given back to us and some were not.
We went to the railway station from our house by foot. When we arrived we got on the train. Of course, we were carrying false IDs with us. Mr. Mavropoulos had helped us with the false IDs. And so we managed to get to Athens. When the train left Thessaloniki, we knew that someone, who had been paid, would help us later on. The train had to stop at Platamonas [a town and sea-side resort in south Pieria prefecture, Central Macedonia, Greece] where the Italian occupation Zone [32] was beginning. At Platamonas the Germans were checking IDs. But we had paid the German officers' translator.
My nephew Sam Leon was married to Riri. Riri's mother had been remarried to a doctor called Theocharis. It was Theocharis, Riri's stepfather, who knew the translator and gave him money to let us pass. The German officer saw our 'Ausweis,' our Christian IDs, the translator said they were okay, and thus we managed to pass through the checking point.
Before reaching Athens, I think at a place called Papadia's Bridge, the Greek resistance had blown up the bridge. And the train couldn't move on. We stayed there for days. We got off the train in search for something to eat. I remember that the Italian army was giving us panettone bread and was trying to help us.
Finally we arrived in Athens. We didn't know where to go. We entered a hotel and stayed there for the night. Next morning we realized that this was a brothel. My parents came to Athens later. We had some acquaintances in Athens and they helped us to find an apartment to rent. The people we knew were both Jews and Christians. I remember someone called Perachia and another one called Leondaridis. We found a house on Navarhou Nikodimou Street.
Mrs. Vidaly was renting us this apartment. She knew we were Jews in hiding. She felt very sorry about us. One day she said that she had an excellent relationship with the priest of this region and that she could talk to him about us. So my father and I went to visit the priest. And the priest started preaching. But my father was very educated. At some point I realized that my father was preaching and the priest was listening. This was a comic incident.
We stayed at Nikodimou Street for six months. We had no jobs so we would go out to the Royal Garden for walks. This was during the Italian occupation of Athens. But things changed and then the German occupation started in Athens. We thought that we couldn't stay any more in Athens. We had to leave.
My friend Marsel Natzari and I decided to leave by train [31] with the help of someone working at the Railway Station of Thessaloniki. We went to the station but for a reason that I cannot remember we didn't manage to leave. So we returned. This was the first, unsuccessful attempt.
For our second attempt we had contacted again someone working at the railway station. We went to his house, which was very close to the station. I was with my nephew Sam Leon, son of Alberto Leon. At midnight we walked to the station since this was the time that the train for Athens was leaving. Sam managed to get on the train. I was stopped by a station officer. He asked me to give him all my money in order to help me escape. I gave him all the money I was carrying with me. He said that I had to come back again the next day and he would send me to Athens. Thus, wearing a railway station officer uniform, I returned back home. My second attempt to escape was unsuccessful, too.
Finally, our third attempt was successful. I was with my two sisters, Rahel with her husband Alberto, and her child Nikos, and my unmarried sister Berta. With the help of railway officers we managed to escape. We had just a suitcase with the necessary things. Everything else was left to friends and neighbors. When we returned some things were given back to us and some were not.
We went to the railway station from our house by foot. When we arrived we got on the train. Of course, we were carrying false IDs with us. Mr. Mavropoulos had helped us with the false IDs. And so we managed to get to Athens. When the train left Thessaloniki, we knew that someone, who had been paid, would help us later on. The train had to stop at Platamonas [a town and sea-side resort in south Pieria prefecture, Central Macedonia, Greece] where the Italian occupation Zone [32] was beginning. At Platamonas the Germans were checking IDs. But we had paid the German officers' translator.
My nephew Sam Leon was married to Riri. Riri's mother had been remarried to a doctor called Theocharis. It was Theocharis, Riri's stepfather, who knew the translator and gave him money to let us pass. The German officer saw our 'Ausweis,' our Christian IDs, the translator said they were okay, and thus we managed to pass through the checking point.
Before reaching Athens, I think at a place called Papadia's Bridge, the Greek resistance had blown up the bridge. And the train couldn't move on. We stayed there for days. We got off the train in search for something to eat. I remember that the Italian army was giving us panettone bread and was trying to help us.
Finally we arrived in Athens. We didn't know where to go. We entered a hotel and stayed there for the night. Next morning we realized that this was a brothel. My parents came to Athens later. We had some acquaintances in Athens and they helped us to find an apartment to rent. The people we knew were both Jews and Christians. I remember someone called Perachia and another one called Leondaridis. We found a house on Navarhou Nikodimou Street.
Mrs. Vidaly was renting us this apartment. She knew we were Jews in hiding. She felt very sorry about us. One day she said that she had an excellent relationship with the priest of this region and that she could talk to him about us. So my father and I went to visit the priest. And the priest started preaching. But my father was very educated. At some point I realized that my father was preaching and the priest was listening. This was a comic incident.
We stayed at Nikodimou Street for six months. We had no jobs so we would go out to the Royal Garden for walks. This was during the Italian occupation of Athens. But things changed and then the German occupation started in Athens. We thought that we couldn't stay any more in Athens. We had to leave.
Period
Interview
Maurice Leon