Kiriazopoulos Dimitri & Olga

Kyriazopoulos, Dimitris Kyriazopoulou, Olga Dimitri (Mimi) Kyriazopolos, a Greek naval officer and owner of a flourmill, lived in Athens with his Belgian wife, Olga, a volunteer for the Greek Red Cross. The Matarassos lived in Thessaloniki and Eugenie Matarasso was a friend of theirs. Her brother-in-law, David Matarasso, a 23-year-old bachelor, had managed to escape from Thessaloniki to Athens in March 1943, assisted by the Greek underground. In April 1943, he found refuge at the Kyriazopoulous’ apartment in Abelokipi, Athens. The childless couple, both in their mid-40s, welcomed him with open arms, providing both shelter and food and he stayed under their roof until the liberation. His hosts also supplied him with a false identity card, bearing the name Fotis Nikolaidis and allowed him to work in the flourmill. Rachel Soustiel, the sister of David Matarasso’s sister-in-law, also escaped Thessaloniki with the onset of deportations, and wandered from village to village before she reached Athens. She, too, was welcomed by the generous Kyriazopoulos couple, accommodated in their home and given food, despite the famine, without thought of remuneration. Once the Germans caught Matarasso changing money on the black market, and unaware of his Jewish identity, he was imprisoned, but he was released after several days. He returned to Kyriazopoulos’s house, but then, being marked by the Germans, it was indeed dangerous for his hosts to have him under their roof. Nevertheless, Dimitris and Olga were determined not to abandon him. After the liberation, Matarasso maintained close, friendly relations with his rescuers. On July 6, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Dimitris Kyriazopoulos and Olga Kyriazopoulou as Righteous Among the Nations.