On Friday, February 12, the ABA organized the first of a series of profiles of people whose experience has helped us to understand essential moments of the 20th century. We met Becky Levy who shared her journey from 1926 to the present day. Becky, with a wise and gifted sense of humor, insisted at the beginning that she is not a hero but simply an optimist who is willing to face problems as they occur. “Everyone who does so is a hero” was her enlightened observation.

Becky was born on the island of Rhodes, “the most beautiful place on earth.” Situated in the Aegean Sea, a crossroad between West and Middle East, it is a place where Turks, Greeks, Jews and Italians lived in harmony. The island, which once belonged to Turkey, and then Italy, eventually became part of Greece. Becky’s family, like many others, was part of a community originally established in Rhodes when Sephardic Jews were exiled from Spain in the 14th century.

In 1938, a drastic change occurred when the law in Rhodes was amended and Jewish people lost their civil rights. Many Jewish people left Rhodes and began a long journey toward freedom and security. Becky came to live in Brussels and attended school here from 1938 – 1940.

In May, Germany invaded Belgium and the journey took on a new dimension. After moving to Paris, life continued, but Jews were registered and food rationing was imposed, though some protection was offered by the Italian Consulate. In 1942, there was a round up of Jews and a published decree named 17 places where Jews could not go.

The journey continued. It was known that in Italy, no Jewish person had to wear the Star of David. In Italy, the young Becky lived in Florence, and until the deposition of Mussolini in July 1943, life seemed reasonably safe.

After July, Germany gained more control in Italy and Jewish persons had to go into hiding. In the home of Senora Pugi, Becky found security and was protected from potential danger. In late 1943, the movement of troops from Africa to southern Italy offered hope that liberation would finally happen. Listening to the radio and bulletins from the resistance movement kept people informed.

When Florence was finally liberated in 1944, Becky was reunited with other “hidden” friends. For the young people, this was a true moment of freedom. Sadly, it became known that this important, joyful moment occurred at the same time that the Jewish people who had remained in Rhodes were taken by boat from Rhodes to Auschwitz.

Becky offered us her profile and her experience in a most fascinating and convincing manner. Her sober and realistic account was tempered with a gift of humour, and a clear insight into that which makes us human and defines our ability to master conflict and rise above the most adverse occurrences. She still goes back periodically to Rhodes to experience the beauty of the island and to reconnect with Greek friends. She also visits the cemetery where loved ones are remembered and where a placed stone symbolically says, “I remember.”