Holocaust In Corfu

Personal Collections​

The Past Drama

The fall of Italian fascism coincided with the beginning of Holocaust in Corfu. In 1943, after a series of bombings, the Nazis took control of the island. They established a new government and came up with a series of new antisemitic laws.
 
By the spring of 1944, the Nazis had lists of all the Jews in Corfu. Jews had to attend occasional roll calls in the central part of town. Rabbi Yaakov Nechama was the last rabbi to hold an office in Corfu. He was taken to Auschwitz along with the vast majority of Jews in Corfu.
 
Months before the end of World War 2, an ordinance ordered all Jews to stay in their homes. On the 9th of June, 1944, about 1,800 of them were forced out. They were asked to surrender their valuables. On the next day, they were rounded up and prepared for deportation.
 
Around 200 Jews managed to escape. Some of them hid in random villages, others were hidden by locals. The rest were taken to the Old Fortress, before being transported to Athens and then to Auschwitz.
 
About 1,600 Jews were sent straight to gas chambers and crematoria, while 200 of them were kept for work. Very few of them survived until the war ended. The majority of survivors relocated to Israel, others returned to Corfu.

Holocaust Museum of Corfu
Holocaust Museum of Corfu
Items

Explore The Holocaust In Corfu

Postcard​s

Holocaust Museum of Corfu

These postcards were both sent from Corfu. One of them was sent to Germany, while the second one was sent to Austria. They were both found in Corfu, so the recipients most likely relocated to the island and kept them as memories. They were found in a box, along with other documents and personal belongings once the local Jewish population was deported.

· Donated anonymously

Puzzle​

Holocaust Museum of Corfu

This wooden puzzle was found in a Jewish home. Most Jews were gathered and deported by the Nazi regime, without knowing where they were going. While children did grab a few toys, most of their belongings were left in their homes. The puzzle ended up in a Christian home. It was kept as a relic from those times.

· Donated by Ioannis

Watches​

Holocaust Museum of Corfu

These watches were robbed from abandoned Jewish homes after the official deportation. It’s unknown who did it, but their story made a local retrieve them and give them to a member of the Gissin family, who originates from Corfu, but is currently established in Israel. The whole story of these watches is unknown, as this is all the information the family has.

· Donated by the Haviv family

Many More Items​

Holocaust Museum of Corfu

Our collection has countless other items to display. We are currently in the process of saving donations to open a physical museum, so we can display the entire collection. Any donation through the button below will be greatly appreciated and can help us preserve the memory of the Holocaust alive. Thank you.

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Rebecca Aaron was the last Holocaust survivor in Corfu. May her memory be a blessing.
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