Sofia Kritikou – Everyday Hero of The Holocaust

We all fantasize about being the hero in terrible situations, but how many of us would actually go through with it? And how many would get the recognition they deserve for it? There are many lesser-known heroes in the Holocaust, one of whom is Sofia Kritikou. The Holocaust can be described as the wholesale relocation, exploitation, and murder of millions of people, primarily Jews. Conditions were poor for Jews and they were constantly being put in work camps and death camps. Sofia Kritikou, an everyday hero from the Holocaust, is inspiring because she overcame so many reasons not to help a few Jews out, and did so without a second thought.

Born in 1895 and from Peristeri, Grece, working as a housekeeper in Athens, Kritikou was a single mother to her eight-year-old daughter, Agapi. Kritikou walked to work every day from Peristeri to Athens, which was about 4km (2 mi) away. Meanwhile, there was “a rumor spread that food would be distributed at Athens’ central synagogue. Eighteen-year-old Herman “Tsvi” Kazansky’s mother and two aunts went to get rations, and never returned. The family learned that those who arrived at the synagogue were deported to Auschwitz and murdered”. After hearing that the women had died David, Tsvi’s father, took the family, Tsvi, Liana (16 years old), and Jeny (Gina - eight years old) into hiding, each with a Greek Orthodox false identities. In want of a more long term solution, David found Sofia through his “business partner in a sewing shop who mentioned the mother of his goddaughter”. Personal issues notwithstanding, Sofia took in these people without hesitation and without knowing they were Jews. Upon learning of the family’s true “...Jewish identities – and the punishment of death she faced for sheltering them – Sofia’s care never wavered”. She continued to provide and hide them until the end of WWII. Following the end of the war, Tsvi and Gina left to immigrate to Israel and David and Liana stayed in Greece. In 1964 Tsvi returned to Greece, where Sofia and Agapi were, and fell in love with Agapi. Agapi converted to Judaism, changed her name to Ruth, and married Tsvi. Sofia followed her daughter and son-in-law to Israel where she died in 1995 at 100 years old. Three years after her death, on August 23, 1998, Sofia was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.

After establishing what she did with her life, the question remains: how does this make her inspiring or a hero? Sofia Kritikou is an inspiring hero because, despite her own hard times, she extended a helping hand to others in hard times, without concern for the consequences, even after finding out they lied. She’s inspiring because she went against a fascist, violent, controlling, and oppressive government and never waivered. She’s heroic because it takes guts and firm convictions to stand up to anyone, let alone the Nazi regime. She may not have stood up to them in public or made a big scene, but she did what she could, and that must be respected and is something to take note of. Sofia Kritikou has taught us to do what we can for what we believe in. She inspires us to be set in our beliefs and stay true to ourselves, no matter the repercussions.

The Holocaust was a destructive and bloody time in history, and out of terrible times come heroes. One of those heroes, an everyday hero, was Sofia Kritikou. She had her own problems, yet took in those with their own problems. She sheltered Jews at a time where it was punishable by death to do so and by sticking to her personal beliefs, she inspires us all to do the same. The next time fantasies about being a hero come up, ask yourself if you would do the same as Sofia - if you would stick to your beliefs. If you would, then more than likely, given a real situation, you’d be a hero.