Father of former minister honored as Righteous Among the Nations

Socialist former minister and Professor of Economics Tassos Giannitsis on Monday attended an event at Athens College on Monday where his father, Constantine Giannitsis, was posthumously awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem center.

Constantine Giannitsis, a notary, arranged shelter for Asher Moissis, Miriam Moissis, Henriette Moissis, Miretta Moissis Lubliner and Raphael Moissis, it was heard during the ceremony, held at the Athens College.

“It is the biggest satisfaction I have felt in my life,” Giannitsis said, accepting the award together with his sister, Eleni Kappetou.

“For us, our father's stance was self-evident. He did his duty based on the set of the values he held. We viewed it the same way when he recounted it to us,” he added.

“I want to say to all the young people to be fortunate, to learn from history and not to let others think and decide for them,” he told the students who attended the ceremony.

Recounting the story through a prerecorded message, Raphael Moissis said his father, Asher, knew Constantine Giannitsis. When Germans started persecuting Jews in Thessaloniki, the Moissis family realized they had to seek shelter because they knew the same would soon happen in Athens.

They were issued with fake IDs which showed they were Christians and Giannitsis offered his summer house in the suburb of Kifisia, where the family lived for a while until they were evacuated by friendly neighbors.

Tassos Giannitsis served as minister of labour and social affairs, alternate minister of foreign affairs, minister of foreign affairs and minister of interior.