The Jewish workers in the port of Thessaloniki (1939-1943): Their war experience as workers, Greeks and Jews

Abstract

This article explores the last chapter in the long history of the Jewish port workers in the waterfront of Thessaloniki—the World War II years. The Jewish blue-collar workers and white-collar workers shared a common history, and at the same time, each had a different story to tell on the drama of the war. Their everyday experience in the roles of workers, soldiers, non-combatants, and as Greek civilians reveals the Jewish role in shaping the space of the wartime port during three periods: Greek neutrality (September 1939 to September 1940), the Greek-Italian War (October 1940 to March 1941), and German occupation from April 1941 to March 1943, when the port became an ‘Aryan’ space.