Nicosia: It is our duty to preserve the memory associated with the Jewish migratory presence in Cyprus during the period 1946-1949, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Stelios Kountouris, said at an event commemorating the 77th anniversary since the closure of the detention camps for Jewish Holocaust Survivors in Cyprus. He was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Defence, Vasilis Palmas.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Kountouris highlighted the mass extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust and the entrenched antisemitism that shaped the policies of several states, illustrating the failure of the international community to protect the Jewish people. He noted that the idea of establishing a distinct Jewish homeland emerged in the late nineteenth century, within a European context that favored the crystallization of nation-states.
Kountouris pointed out that along the journey of Jewish refugees toward their new homeland, Cyprus became a place of temporary refuge. Within this framework, the operation of the British detention camps during the period 1946-1949 marked one of the final major chapters of the Jewish migratory presence in Cyprus. More than fifty thousand persecuted individuals, who preserved their dignity while seeking hope, passed through the gates of these camps in an effort to chart a new course toward a better future.
He went on to mention that at this critical historical juncture, the response of the Cypriot people was immediate and tangible, demonstrating the enduring solidarity and profound humanitarian ethos that have consistently characterized them in moments of need. During the three years of operation of the camps in Cyprus, until their closure in February 1949, 2,200 children were born there.
Kountouris emphasized that this site of remembrance, part of the shared history of Cyprus and Israel, reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit and of our duty to preserve the memory associated with this chapter of history. He stressed the obligation to teach future generations that memory constitutes a form of resistance against oblivion, racism, and every form of intolerance. Humanity, he pointed out, is not a given, but something that must be cultivated, safeguarded, and consciously upheld.
In conclusion, Kountouris paid tribute to all those who, under conditions of extreme persecution, dehumanization, and constant existential threat, preserved their human dignity and kept hope alive for a better future. He called for collective efforts toward a world in which peace, solidarity, and mutual respect form the foundations of societies.