By Vic Alhadeff
Zakynthos is a magnificent speck in the ocean off the west coast of Greece. One of 1400 Greek islands, it is said that the Greek goddess of hunting, Artemis, hunted in the woods of Zakynthos. The island was the scene of an extraordinary act of courage which saved an entire community from annihilation. That story was not widely known until recently, however, and it will be honoured in Sydney tomorrow evening. For five centuries Zakynthos was home to a tiny Jewish community. Mainly tradesmen, artisans and glaziers, the community numbered 275 and blended seamlessly with the rest of the island population...........In October 1944, Commander Berenz again summons Mayor Karrer, but this time demands a list of Jews, including addresses and professions. If Karrer fails to return the next day with the requested list, Karrer will pay with his life......in a monumental act of courage, they tell the officer that the second sheet of paper contains the names of the island's 275 Jews. "Here are your Jews," says the bishop. "If you choose to deport the Jews of Zakynthos, you must also take me and I will share their fate." Yet that sheet of paper contains just two names - Chrysostomos Demetriou, bishop of Zakynthos, and Loukas Karrer, mayor of Zakynthos......The order to round up the Jews of Zakynthos is revoked and the German forces depart......
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