The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) has thanked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Russian President Vladimir Putin in two separate letters for the return from Moscow of pre-World War II community archives.
Putin announced the return of the archives – taken to Moscow after the end of the end of the war – during a visit to Russia by Mitsotakis last month.
The largest part of the archives concerns the once-thriving Jewish community in Thessaloniki, northern Greece. KIS said their return will shed light on a “part of the Greek people, 60,000 Greek Jews that no longer exist, as they were displaced and exterminated in the Nazi death camps.”
“Our history is returning home at last,” it added, while expressing “warm congratulations” to Mitsotakis and appreciation “for this important achievement, which brings to a close a long-term struggle of Greek diplomacy.”