Dehumanizing the dead

"The destruction of the Jewish cemetery in Thessaloniki, then the largest in Europe, began in December 1942. This article is the first to deal with the actual destruction, a unique event in occupied Europe. It discusses the main actors behind this decision, the process of the destruction, as well as the subsequent use of the tombstones and the land. As such, this event is an ideal case study to describe the triangular relationship between the city’s Jews, the German occupation forces, and the local Greek elites, on the eve of the deportations. Using never before published documents from a wide variety of sources, the study clearly demonstrates that the local actors who had the power to protest or act against the deportations were the ones who initiated and benefitted from the destruction of the cemetery and subsequently turned a blind eye to the fate of their Jewish neighbors."