Sophie Beasley

Period 1
May 20, 2018

Twenty-Four Hours

The room is dark, curtains drawn over the tall, arched windows. Ornate details are

carved into the door frame and on the ceilings. All I can do is stare at the clock that

stands out against the gothic background. It’s the only object familiar to me and I watch

the second hand tick away slowly. This whole thing could end up being a disaster; it

could be a trap, a setup, some kind of ambush, a ploy against me. Who knows?

The priest walks in, his long, black cassock rustling behind him as he enters

through the door. He briefly apologizes for the wait but I can barely understand him. This

was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. I could get us in more trouble than we were

in before. I think back to this morning when everything had been fine, before Freida had

gone to the village. She’d come back empty-handed, no food, carrying news that would

shift our opinions on this war as it pertained to our lives.

The Nazi Rosenberg Commando1 had entered this morning, September 20.

Everyone in Athens had heard rumors of what had happened in Thessaloniki2 :

thousands of Jews deported, forced out of their homes, the city left in ruins. And now

they were here. Freida had seen them lining the street and told me how the leader of the

group, Dieter Wisliceny3 , had ordered Chief Rabbi Elias Barzilai4 to appear before him.

One could only imagine what kind of information the Nazis would draw from our Grand

Rabbi. Our life of comfort and denial was over and we needed to act. We needed to find

a way to protect ourselves. And that is why I ended up here.

I draw my attention back to the present and notice the priest looking at me, a

peculiar look resting on his face. I can see he knows why I’m here. Hundreds of Jews
 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

have probably already come asking for the same thing I need. He doesn’t say anything

though. I glance at the clock, wishing time would stop for a while, or race forward to

when everything is back to normal.

“How can I be of service to you today?” the priest asks patiently, as if our city isn’t

being torn down as we speak. I muster up the courage to speak.

“My name is Markos Amado. My wife heard from the village that you were helping

some of your fellow Athenians who are part of the Jewish community,” I lead on, trying

not to sound too demanding and informal. “She learned that you have issued baptismal

papers5 to some Jews… I… my family would greatly appreciate the help.” I finish my

request, wishing I had practiced beforehand and hoping I hadn’t come across as

impolite. I feel like a schoolboy again, addressing my teachers. The priest leans in

closer, whispering.

“I have, yes, and it worries me that this information is spreading so quickly. I can

help but you must not tell anyone. The papers will hide you for only a short while; it’s

best to flee the city. I’ll try to have the papers by tomorrow - there’s no telling when the

Germans will begin their wretched business of ridding Athens of our Jewish community.

Meanwhile, stay in your home, don’t leave. Brother, be safe.”

He has me write down the names and birthdates of my family and tell him a little

about each one. He assures me again that he’ll try to have the papers by tomorrow, one

for me, one for Freida, and one for little Phoebe6 and Ezio7 . I leave, taking one last

glance at the clock, hoping nothing will happen in the next twenty-four hours. I walk out

into the darkness.

 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

September 21 comes quickly. It’s already evening and I’m beginning to worry

about how l can make it over to the church tonight without getting caught. What if the

papers aren’t ready? What if the priest decides to turn me in? The number of Germans in

the city has nearly tripled overnight and an air of uneasiness has spread over Athens.

Apparently, Wisliceny ordered Barzilai to hand over the records of the Jewish community

yesterday when he was called in. Fortunately for us, a courageous group of men8

decided to break into the community office and destroy the records before he was able to

do so. This act will certainly aggravate the Germans, but at least we are safe for a while

longer. Meanwhile, I need to focus on getting the papers.

A knock on the door reverberates through the house. Ezio begins to cry and

Freida picks him up and holds him close to her chest, whispering softly in his ear. She

glances at me with a worried look. Everyone in town stays inside now; there is only one

possible person who could want to talk to us, or rather interrogate us. From what I can

tell we have two options: hide in our house and wait for the Germans to go away or open

the door and act normally. I motion at Freida to head to the back room with Ezio and

Phoebe. She obliges and takes Phoebe by the hand. I gain the little composure I have

and head to the door.

“Hello officers how can I help you tonight?” I say, my palms sweating, hoping my

voice won’t quiver. I try to maintain eye contact, breathe slowly and steadily. I stare at the

German officers, who are unsmiling and alert.

 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

“We are asking everyone in the village to prove their identification and we advise

pointing us toward your fellow Jewish neighbors who reside here,” declares the officer

standing in front. The other two stand emotionless behind him. The sun is beginning to

go down and I glimpse at the clock near the door. 20:009 . Tension rises through me.

“Do you have to be somewhere?” asks the officer, eyeing me suspiciously.

“No sir. I…”

“What is your faith?” I can tell he is becoming annoyed.

“I…” I stammer, “my family is part of the Catholic church.”

“Prove it. Show us your certificate of Baptism.” Adrenaline shoots through me. I try

to think of what to say. I focus on the facts.

“I don’t have it with me. It’s being kept at my church. I can take you there if you

like.” The office gives me an apprehensive look. I keep my eyes on him.

“Yes. Take us now.”

I can’t believe it. From stories most Germans would have killed me on the spot,

raided my home. But now I have a chance. I pray that the papers are there, complete,

proving my Catholic faith. I call for Freida to come and the officers push me outside.

They order us to walk, hands where they can see them, to the church. We walk in

silence. Freida looks like she might faint. Phoebe, who doesn’t understand what’s

happening, thinks it’s a game. We walk fast but time stretches out.

We enter the church and a surreal feeling hits me. Never has a holy place held

something so important, something that determines life or death, something false but
 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

imperative to survive. The priest from yesterday walks up, calm as ever, giving me a

quick glimpse.

“Good evening Markos,” he directs at me and then to the officers, “is there a

problem?”

“This man says his baptismal certificate is kept here and we need to see it. Now.”

“Yes, indeed. The church keeps most of our members’ papers. Follow me, I have

them in my office.”

We follow him into the dark room. Phoebe is humming and the officer gives

Freida a stern look. Freida whispers to Phoebe to stop singing and she does, giving the

officer a confused look. We pile into the small room that seems to be suffocating me,

taking away my breath. The priest walks over to a cabinet and rustles through some files.

The ticking of the clock seems to grow louder and louder. In my mind, I can see Freida

being shot, the children being taken away. I can feel the pain the of the bullet. I feel dizzy.

I need to hold on, I can’t lose control.

“Ah, here it is,” the priest draws out a file with my name on it. He hands it to the

main officer who grabs it and yanks it open. In it are four papers. I sigh a breath of relief.

“You do know it is crime to issue false baptismal papers?” Time stops, my breath

catches in my throat. The priest lets out a hearty laugh.

“Yes, I know. Markos has been coming to my church since he was a young boy.

He has always been an avid follower of God. I wish more people would show the keen

interest he has in his faith.”

The officer hesitates, sighs.

 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

“I see. My apologies. If you know of any Jewish community members, be sure to

tell us. Keeping information from us is a crime. Gute Nacht 10 . Good night,” he looks at

me and says “I’m sure you can find your way home.”

The officers march out of the church and the room falls silent. Ezio wails and

Phoebe props herself down on the floor. I realize how tremendously bad this could have

turned out, not just for us, but also for the priest. He lets out a heavy sigh and sits down. I

follow suit.

“You are in a very dangerous situation. You may have dodged a bullet this time

but the Germans certainly have their eyes on you. You need to be careful.”

Suddenly it becomes clear to me and my state of denial is truly gone. The war has

hit Athens and it’s not safe to live here anymore. Baptismal papers aren’t enough to stop

the Germans from figuring out we’re Jewish and deporting us eventually. We need to

flee.

Freida confirms my thoughts and whispers:, “Markos, I think it’s best we leave.

I’ve heard of people who can help11 - they smuggle Jews onto ships in the night to head

to Turkey12 . I’m worried for the children.” I glance at the clock: 22:00.

“Ok. We’ll leave Athens within the next twenty-four hours.” I pray our escape will

succeed, that we’ll reach Turkey and, that this period in time will soon be over, and that

we will be able start living our lives without fear once again.
 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

Endnotes

1: The Rosenberg Commando was a Nazi party organization that was committed to

appropriating cultural property during the war.

2: Thessaloniki was the city the Rosenberg Commando occupied before coming to

Athens. 43,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz from the city and few survived. The

Nazis destroyed Jewish cemeteries, homes, businesses, and synagogues.

3: Dieter Wisliceny was the head of the Rosenberg Commando in Greece.

4: Chief Rabbi Elias Barzilai was the Grand Rabbi of Athens. He didn’t fulfill the Nazis’

demands and escaped to the mountains to join the rebels.

5: Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens instructed Greek clergy to issue fake baptismal

papers to Jews who needed them. It was very dangerous but saved thousands of Jews’

lives.

6: Phoebe is a Greek name meaning “bright and pure.”

7: Ezio is a Greek name meaning “eagle.”

8: After Barzilai was instructed to hand over the Jewish community records, a group of

Jewish men destroyed them in fear of the Nazis finding out they were Jewish.

9: In Greece, military time is used.

10: Gute Nacht is German for “goodnight.”

11: The group she is referring to is EAM-ELAS, the communist group of Greece. They

helped hundreds of Jews escape and many ended up joining the resistance.

12: Many Jews would pay an enormous sum of money to endure a three-week long

journey of island-hopping to Turkey.

 Sophie Beasley
Period 1
May 20, 2018

Works Cited

Barrett, Matt. “A Short History of the Jews of Greece: Athens During the Occupation.” A

History of Greece. 2015. http://www.greecetravel.com/jewishhistory/athens.html

Barrett, Matt. “Greece in the 2nd World War.” A HIstory of Greece. 2015.

https://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/worldwarII.htm

“Ezio.” Nameberry. https://nameberry.com/babyname/Ezio

Kosmidis, Pierre. “The nazi occupation of Greece, 1941-44: An endless list of crimes,

atrocities and bloodbaths.” WW2 Wrecks.

http://www.ww2wrecks.com/portfolio/the-nazi-occupation-of-greece-1941-44-an-e

ndless-list-of-crimes-atrocities-and-bloodbaths/

“Phoebe.” Nameberry. https://nameberry.com/babyname/Phoebe