Yannopoulos Ilias & Yannopoulou Popi

Yannopoulos, Ilias Yannopoulou, Popi In Athens, Ilias Yannopoulos, a simple laborer, and his wife, Popi, offered refuge to the Matalon family, originally from Thessaloniki. Although there was no previous acquaintance between the two families, this did not change Ilias’s determination to offer a hiding place in his house to David Isac Matalon, his wife, Sol (née Revah), and their adult children, Isac David and Etty (Varsano). The Matalons, who had Italian citizenship, had resided in Thessaloniki until June 1943, when they were ordered by the German occupation command to move to Athens, then in the Italian zone. With the Italian capitulation, Italian citizens were no longer protected after September 1943, and the Germans included them in their persecution of all Jews in the capital. On January 1, 1944, the Matalons’ refuge in an old-age home was discovered, and they urgently needed a safe place to hide. The woman who ran the old-age home and the priest of the institution began looking for a family who could accommodate the Matalons. Their efforts were successful when Yannopoulos entered the picture, demonstrating generosity and courage. The risks that the Yannopoulos family took were serious, because, in case of discovery by the Germans, they could have paid dearly–even with their lives. They constantly encouraged the Matalons, offering them moral support and hope for a better future. The hosts never showed regret or fear. Even though, once, the Gestapo discovered a Jewish family hiding opposite the Yannopoulos residence, they did not show any signs of concern; on the contrary, the hosts had to calm the Matalons. The friendship that developed during those months continued after the liberation. On May 25, 1971,Yad Vashem recognized Ilias and Popi Yannopoulou as Righteous Among the Nations.