Holocaust In Corfu
Corfu During World War 2
Discover how the Jewish community from Corfu was decimated during World War 2.
When World War 2 broke out, Corfu was under Italian occupation. Italy surrendered in 1943, causing Germans to start bombing on the 13th of September, 1943. They destroyed two of the synagogues, Pugliesa and Nuova. The island was finally occupied two weeks later.
Initially, Italians tried to warn the local Jewish population about deportations, especially after the news from Thessaloniki. However, local Jews didn’t realize how severe the situation could be and didn’t bother to find a way out.
Logistical reasons kept Jews in Corfu for a while, but the deportation began on the 9th of June, 1944. All the Jewish families were brought to Kato Platia, the main square of the town. They were taken to the Old Fortress and asked to surrender all valuables, including keys to their homes.
Their homes got plundered and destroyed during the same day. Local authorities greeted the expulsion and printed all kinds of announcements before plastering them on walls. Corfu’s mayor at that time, Spyridonas Kollas, was a known collaborator who appreciated the Germans for cleansing the island.
About 1,800 Jews were taken to Athens. From Athens, they were moved to Auschwitz. Around 200 Jews managed to avoid the deportation by hiding in villages around the island. Many of them were protected by Christians.
Jews arrived to the Haidari concentration camp in Athens in a few stages. The journey to Auschwitz took nine days, with all of them being crammed into cattle cars. They had no water, but only beets and onions for food.
As soon as they got to Auschwitz, around 1,600 Jews were sent to gas chambers and crematoria. Only about 200 of them were considered able to work.
The few survivors went to Israel after liberation. Some of them were turned back, so around 50 Jews returned to Corfu.