Go to → Devin Naar

In the annual Weinmann lecture, Dr. Devin Naar weaves together two overlooked stories not part of the mainstream Holocaust narrative: the devastating experiences of Sephardic Jews in Nazi-occupied Greece and the frantic efforts of their relatives in the United States to come to their aid. By tracing the deep connections maintained among Sephardic Jews in the United States and their native communities in Greece, Dr. Naar reconstructs the efforts of individuals, families, and organizations like the Sephardic Brotherhood of America to respond to the rise of Nazi Germany, the outbreak of World War II, and the ultimate destruction of Greece’s Jews. Continuing with their postwar efforts to commemorate their native communities in Greece, Sephardic Jews in America sought to show that although halfway across the globe, they remained “close at heart.”