Testimony of Shem Tov Iulis Kambelis, born in Trikala, Greece, 1934, regarding his experiences in Trikala and in hiding in a village in the mountains in the Thessaly region

Testimony of Shem Tov Iulis Kambelis, born in Trikala, Greece, 1934, regarding his experiences in Trikala and in hiding in a village in the mountains in the Thessaly region From a traditional, Ladino-speaking family. German occupation, spring 1940; positioning of an Italian unit close by; billeting of the commander of the Italian orchestra in his house; rumors about deportations, 1943; typhus; his father's decision to lead the family in an escape to the mountains; refusal of his grandfather to escape; in hiding in a village in the mountains along with 11 families; protection and help from Communist partisans; in hiding in forests with the arrival of the Germans in the village; deportation of his grandfather and grandmother to Auschwitz; his parents sneak into Trikala to get food; death of his brother due to lack of medical assistance; defeat of the Germans. Return home; accusation that his father was a Communist during the Civil War; aliya to Israel, 1949.