US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his visit to Greece, along with his wife Susan and members of his delegation to Greece paid a visit to the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki on Monday September 28, 2020, accompanied by US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt and US General Consul in Thessaloniki Elizabeth Lee. The museum was closed to the public for the Yom Kippur holiday.

Pompeo was received by the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) and of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki David Saltiel, and was given a tour of the premises.

KIS President David Saltiel, in his statement of September 29, 2020, stressed the highlights of his meeting with the US Secretary of State: “I am deeply honoured that US Secretary Pompeo, amid a highly important agenda in Greece, and his wife Susan, paid tribute to the Jewish Holocaust victims, in the solemn spirit of Yom Kippur, during their visit at the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki. Mike Pompeo’s interest in the Greek Jewish heritage at large, and in the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki that lost the 96% of its population in particular, gives us strength to continue our work. We are grateful for the expression of his support for the Holocaust Museum project and his motivational message for the speedy completion of this project”.

Local officials were also present at the Museum, including the current and former mayors of Thessaloniki, where the Holocaust Museum of Greece is under construction. Pompeo was briefed about the city’s Jewish community and progress in the construction of the Holocaust Museum designed to honour some 46,000 Jewish residents deported and exterminated at the German Nazi death camps during World War II.

“In recognition of Yom Kippur, I am honored to pay my respects at the Thessaloniki Jewish Museum, which commemorates the city’s once-vibrant Jewish community. The US remains committed to fighting anti-Semitism and promoting religious tolerance and freedom,” Pompeo tweeted.
“The US stands against anti-Semitism in all forms, and we will continue to work with Greece to advocate for religious freedom,” US Ambassador to Athens Geoffrey Pyatt, also in Thessaloniki, said in a tweet.

Referring to the diplomatic goal of his visit to Greece, Pompeo said Monday to the Press that the United States will use its diplomatic and military influence in the region to try to ease a volatile dispute between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean. 

Photo: US Secretary Pompeo, his wife Susan, KIS President Saltiel and the curator of the Museum Chekimoglou observing one minute of silence in front of the wall of names of the exterminated Jews of Thessaloniki.

Relevant:

- The Website of the US State Dept.: US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo And Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis Joint Press Statements After Their Meeting, Sept. 29, 2020

-The Website of the US Embassy in Greece: Secretary Pompeo Travels to Greece to Advance Security, Peace, and Prosperity, Sept. 27, 2020