Elias Aelion oral history interview OHP.2021
Finding aid prepared by Judith Janec
Tauber Holocaust Library
JFCS Holocaust Center
2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA, 94115
415-449-3717
tauberholocaustlibrary@jfcs.org
Title: Elias Aelion oral history interview
Identifier/Call Number: OHP.2021
Contributing Institution:
Tauber Holocaust Library
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.1 Linear feet
comprising one videotape with a running time of 1:13
Date: 1989 September 19
Abstract: This collection comprises one videotape of an oral history interview with Elias Aelion conducted by the Holocaust Oral History
Project on September 19, 1989.
Creator:
Aelion, Elias
Creator:
Feibelman, Anne
Creator:
Grant, John
This collection comprises one videotape of an oral history interview with Elias Aelion. The interview was conducted by Anne
Fiebelman on behalf of the Holocaust Oral History Project on September 19, 1989. Elias Aelion is a Holocaust survivor.
The interview describes Mr. Aelion's childhood in Salonika (Thessaloniki), Greece; his experiences in the military from 1939-1940;
his return to Salonika; and his life and work there and later in Athens until its occupation by the Nazis in 1943. Mr. Aelion
describes hiding in a brothel to escape capture, and witnessing the brutal capture and humiliation of many Greek Jews by Nazi
soldiers. Mr. Aelion discusses his unsuccessful attempts to escape Athens, his return there, where he was hidden by an Armenian
family, and his attempts to warn and shield friends and family, until their liberation in September of 1944. Mr. Aelion describes
the post-war period, learning of the painful news of the death of his family in concentration camps, and his emigration to
the United States in 1951, where he moved to San Francisco, learned English and became a bookkeeper.
Conditions Governing Access note
There are no restrictions to access for this collection.
There are no restrictions to use for this collection.
Existence and Location of Copies note
Master copies of the oral history interview are located at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Elias Aelion oral history interview - OHP.2021, Tauber Holocaust Library – JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Athens (Greece) -- History -- 20th century.
Holocaust survivors -- United States
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives
Jews -- Persecutions -- Greece
Jews, Greek
Thessalonike (Greece)
United States -- Emigration and immigration