During the German occupation of Greece, the persecution and deportation of Jews were tragically effective throughout most of the country. However, Zakynthos stood as a remarkable exception. Two courageous leaders—the Bishop of Zakynthos, Chrysostomos Demetriou, and the island’s Mayor, Loukas Karrer—successfully protected the entire Jewish population of Zakynthos from the fate suffered by so many others.

The Bishop, who had studied in Germany, had worked to earn the respect of the German authorities, a strategy that would prove critical. In late 1943, the German commander of Zakynthos, Berens, summoned the Mayor and, at gunpoint, demanded a list of all the Jews on the island. After careful deliberation, the Bishop and the Mayor made a bold decision: they submitted a list containing only two names—their own. Accompanying this list was a letter addressed to Adolf Hitler, written by the Bishop, in which he personally assumed full responsibility for the Jewish community’s actions. This extraordinary act reached the German High Command and, remarkably, led to the cancellation of the order to arrest the Jews.

Despite this success, the island’s leaders did not leave the situation to chance. With the help of the Resistance, the Jewish residents—275 in total—were discreetly relocated to villages across the island, where Christian families hid them and provided for their needs.

Thanks to the bravery and moral leadership of Bishop Chrysostomos and Mayor Karrer, as well as the solidarity of the local population, not a single Jewish resident of Zakynthos was lost. Their story stands in stark contrast to the widespread atrocities of the Holocaust and serves as a powerful testament to courage and humanity in the face of evil.