The Secret of Ereikoussa: The reunion

We recently wrote about the fascinating Secret of Ereikoussa, where the residents of a small Greek island risked their lives to save a Jewish tailor’s family from the Nazis during WWII.

In November 2013, Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and author Yvette Manessis Corporon contacted MyHeritage to ask for help in finding the descendants of the Jewish tailor – Savvas from Corfu, Greece – who had been hidden on Ereikoussa during the war. She had written a book inspired by her grandmother’s memories of the island, and the story of Savvas was an important part. For Yvette, the story was incomplete and she wanted to discover what happened to the family after the war.

MyHeritage accepted the challenge and embarked on a genealogical journey to uncover the mysteries of this long-kept secret. Starting with just five first names (Savvas, his three daughters Spera, Julia and Nina, and another child – Rosa) we were successful in locating descendants of the family in the U.S. and in Israel. Last month – at an official island ceremony – the families reunited to honor the island’s residents for their courageous efforts.

The day before the ceremony, the families arrived in Corfu, to meet each other for the first time. It was an extremely emotional moment for everyone.

With not a dry eye in the room, the families viewed photo albums together and shared memories.

Later that day, the group toured the old Jewish quarter in Corfu where they visited the synagogue and a special monument dedicated to those who had perished in the Holocaust. As part of the itinerary, the group then went on to tour the local Jewish cemetery. But there was yet another emotional revelation awaiting the families. Until now no-one had been able to locate the grave of Savvas Israel. He passed away on the Island in 1944, and was buried outside the cemetery gate, but at some point his remains were removed and buried elsewhere.

Just a few days before the visit, MyHeritage discovered that during a recent cleaning of the Corfu Jewish cemetery, Savvas Israel’s gravestone was found. The group stood by the grave and paid their respects to the man who’s connections with the island helped his family survive the war, and recited a memorial prayer.

After the reunion, tour, and cemetery visit, the group went to eat dinner and swap stories. Even something as trivial as a meal out, was full of meaning. The last time these families had eaten together was over 70 years ago, and under very different circumstances.

The festive Greek meal continued with music and dancing.

The next day, the group headed to the island of Ereikoussa to see where the story began. They took a long bus ride through the Corfu countryside to the port, and then boarded a boat for the 40-minute ride to Ereikoussa.

When they arrived at the island, a group of children and other islanders dressed in traditional costumes, welcomed them.

Some 150 people attended the official ceremony on the island, including the deputy mayor of Corfu and the mayor of Ereikoussa.

Among the speakers were Danny Rainer (International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation) and Marcia Ikonomopolous (president, Association of Friends of Greek Jewry), who presented an award to the community for their heroic efforts during the war.

Yvette spoke and expressed her happiness that the reunion was finally taking place, something she had hoped would happen ever since she first heard the name Savvas.

MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet spoke about the challenges faced during his search for Savvas’ descendants, and elaborated on the importance of sharing these amazing rescue stories to avoid their being lost.

He showed the family tree built by MyHeritage’s researchers of Savvas and 147 family members.

Gilad also addressed the relationship between Rosa and Savvas’ family which was also recently uncovered. The Hassid brothers always believed that Nina, Spera and Julia, the 3 daughters of Savvas, were their mother Rosa’s aunts. This is how she had identified them to her children and how they referred to them. In Greece, however, it was customary to refer to relatives as uncles and aunts even if the family was more distant. Through researching the family history, it became clear that they were related, but were not aunts.

The MyHeritage team found a relationship through Rosa’s mother Sara Belleli (born Mizan). Based on birth certificates and other research, the connection was via Zacharias Osmo, the grandfather of Spera, Nina and Julia, and the great-grandfather of Rosa.

Spera, Nina and Julia were first cousins of Sara Belleli, Rosa’s mother.

After presenting the family tree, Maayan Hassid, Rosa’s granddaughter, gave a tearful address, filled with memories of her grandmother and the life she led after arriving in Israel. Other descendants – including Rosa’s sons Peretz and Avraham – thanked Yvette and MyHeritage for their work and enormous efforts in uncovering the island’s secret and discovering their family’s history.

The ceremony concluded with a musical performance in Greek and Hebrew by opera singer Lina Orfanos.

After lunch, the group visited Yvette’s grandmother’s home and the priest’s home where Savvas’ family was hidden.

The group was in for another surprise, when Yvette showed Savvas’ relatives the room where he worked, and his sewing machine.

Following the exciting day on Ereikoussa, everyone boarded a boat and returned to Corfu.

Some seventy-one years after Savvas’ death, the journey which began with only a handful of names, has led to a growing family tree, and the forgotten history of Corfu’s Jewish community being brought to life. We are happy to have been able to help Yvette find the descendants, to help them learn about their amazing history, and to participate in this special reunion.