This certificate attests that Nicolas Xiradacis saved the lives of Jewish families during the Holocaust. It was delivered to Larissa on July 6, 1961. Larissa is a city in northern Greece where a large community of Sephardic Jews lived before the war.
Greek Occupation by the Axis Powers
Nazi Germany and its allies, Italy and Bulgaria, invaded Greece in 1941. Its territory was divided into different occupation areas administered by each of the nations. Thousands of Greek Jews were arrested and deported to killing centres in Poland. Some managed to hide with relatives or on the Greek islands.
Nicolas Xiradacis’ Family
Nicolas was a farmer on the Greek island of Salamis. He hid Jewish families, among them were some from Larissa, on his farm during the occupation. This document was issued upon the request of Nicolas’ son, Iosef Xiradacis, in 1961. It was found at his residence in Montreal. Iosef never shared this story with his children, Nicolas’ grandchildren.
Maria Fotopulos donated this document to the Montreal Holocaust Museum in 2015.
This project is part of the implementation of the Plan culturel numérique du Québec
