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Mostly Cloudy Holocaust survivor shares the importance of being kind
Through surviving the Holocaust and years of anti-semitism in his home country Greece, Asher Matathias shared his story of resilience to students at Lynbrook High School.
The school hosted Human Relations Day on Feb. 15. Several speakers talked to the students, delivering different messages. Matathias wanted the students to remember to be selfless to others.
“I told the students that I hope you aren’t only nice on human rights day and then the next day you go back to being not nice,” Matathias said. “I told them to be nice every day and to give back to others.”
Matathias, who was blessed to have a Greek family protect him during WW2, wanted to convey to the students that if they cannot give back in a material form, then give back with kindness.
“Don’t forget to be kind and do not scapegoat immigrants and refugees and minorities of all kinds of people,” Matathias said.
Matathias’ mother was pregnant with Matathias in December of 1943 when the Germans began rounding up Jews in Salonika, Greece. Matathias’s father moved out of Salonika with his mother, which is how they survived from being captured by the Germans. In the mountains, Matathias and his parents found refuge among a couple, who were friends with Matathias’ father.
“The couple went to my parents and said, ‘we heard what happened to your people in Salonika. Come with us. We will hide you in the mountains.’” Matathias said.
When Matathias’ mother was ready to give birth to him in December of 1943, a midwife was summoned from a neighboring village. She traveled a long way in the snow, completing her task by delivering a healthy, but undernourished, baby boy. Matathias stayed in the cave until the spring of 1944, when he and his parents were liberated, but the issue of anti-semitism did not go away.
“According to the Anti Defamation League, Greece is the most anti-semitic country in Europe,” Matathias said.
Matathias noted that part of the reason for this was how it wasn’t until 1965 when the Vatican Council declared that the Jews were not responsible for Jesus’ crusifixtion. However, the idea that the Jews were responsible was embedded in Greek Christian orthodox culture. Matathias recalled how Greek residents would gather in front of his home on crusifixion day to taunt him and his family.
“Out of the Holocaust and the supsequent earthquakes that we suffered in the 50s, America came to the rescue and said ‘do you want us to help you rebuild your lives in Greece or do you want to come to America?’,” Matathias said. “And out of that tragedy, we are Americans (since 1956).”
The lesson he taught the students last month with his stories was to be proud of who you are and to confront the naysayers. Some of the naysayers that Matathias said he experiences in America are Holocaust deniers or people who minimize the impact that the Holocaust had on the Jewish population.
“George Santayana said that he or she who does not learn form history is condemned to repeat it,” Matathias said. “And the strange thing is that every new generation thinks that they will avoid the pitfalls of the previous generation, only to find that repeated up the road.”
Matathias’ goal at Lynbrook High School last month was to remind the students of the tragedy that happened during WW2 with a personal anecdote. As this was his second year speaking during Human Relations Day, Matathias hopes to be able to do this again next year, teaching a new generation of kids to be kind to one another.
