Moshe Pesach

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Moshe Pesach
Μωυσής Πεσάχ/Πέσαχ
Born1869
Larissa, Greece
Died13 November 1955 (aged 85–86)
Volos, Greece
Burial placeJerusalem
OccupationRabbi
Children2

Moshe Pesach (

Holocaust
.

Life

Moshe Pesach was born in Larissa in 1869, and studied Jewish literature and philosophy at Thessaloniki. From 1892 he was active in the Jewish community of Volos as a rabbi.[1][2] In the early 20th century, the city of Volos had a vibrant Jewish community: a population of c. 500 in 1896 rose to c. 2,000 in 1930, before falling drastically to 882 members in 1940, due to emigration to the large cities of Thessaloniki and Athens or abroad.[3] In 1939, he was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of the Phoenix by King George II of Greece.[2]

Following the

partisans.[4][3][5] About 130 Jews, mostly those without means, remained behind. They were rounded up by the Germans on 24–25 March 1944 and sent to the death camps.[3][6] 117 Jews from Volos were killed in the camps, 12 were executed there, and about 30 died of privations and starvation,[3] but Pesach's actions saved 74% of the Jewish citizens of Volos, the second highest percentage in Greece after Zakynthos (where the entire Jewish community survived).[1] Pesach himself survived among the partisans in the mountains, but his wife died from the privations, and his two sons, who taught Judaism in Thessaloniki and Didymoteicho, were captured and executed by the Germans.[1][4]

After liberation, Pesach returned to Volos, becoming

Ben-Zvi Institute.[7]

On 16 April 2015, Pesach's role was commemorated at a special ceremony by B'nai B'rith and the Jewish National Fund at the Forest of the Martyrs in Jerusalem.[4][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Margariti, Kiki (18 April 2015). "Ο ραβίνος που έσωσε τους Εβραίους του Βόλου από το Ολοκαύτωμα". in.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Τα εβραϊκά ονοματεπώνυμα στην Ελλάδα από το αρχείο του Ιωσήφ Σιακκή: Βιογραφικά σημειώματα" (in Greek). Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780814793787
    .
  4. ^ a b c d "The Rabbi and Bishop Who Saved a Greek Jewish Community". 16 April 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ISBN 978-0-691-10272-6
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-8047-7249-5
    .
  7. ^
    B'nai B'rith International
    . 13 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
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