Rescue of the Jews of Zakynthos

During the German occupation of Greece, the entire Jewish community of the island of Zakynthos, numbering around 275 people, survived the Holocaust, thanks to the courage of local leaders and islanders. After Italy surrendered in 1943, German forces took control of the island. According to the widely told account, the German authorities ordered Mayor Loukas Karrer to provide a list of the island's Jews. Karrer and the Orthodox Metropolitan of Zakynthos, Bishop Chrysostomos, refused to hand over the names of anyone except themselves. Some accounts say Chrysostomos gave the Germans a list with only his own name and the mayor's. Meanwhile, the Jewish residents were warned and hidden by Christian families in the island's mountain villages. When the Germans withdrew in 1944, all of the island's Jews had survived. Some historians have noted that details of the story, including the famous list, have been embellished over time, but the rescue itself is well documented. In 1978, Yad Vashem in Israel honored Chrysostomos and Karrer as Righteous Among the Nations. A memorial stands in Zakynthos today.