Heinz Dario Kounio, one of the last Holocaust survivors from Thessaloniki, has died at the age of 98. Born on 19 June 1927, Kounio grew up in the city. At 15, he was deported with his family to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he remained for 18 months under prisoner number 109565.
Kounio's death marks the passing of one of the few remaining Greek Jews who bore witness to the Holocaust and continued to speak publicly about its impact. He remained active in memorial events in Thessaloniki and was honoured by former mayor Yiannis Boutaris. He survived COVID-19 two years ago.
Kounio was among the first Jewish residents of Thessaloniki to be deported to Auschwitz. When he was liberated, he weighed just 36 kilograms and could barely stand. He later recounted that he and his parents and two siblings survived the gas chambers, partly because they spoke German.
In public testimonies over the years, Kounio consistently emphasised the importance of remembrance. "Do not be afraid to tell the story because the world must learn it, so that all this never happens again," he said. Unlike many Holocaust survivors who avoided speaking about their experiences in the years after the war, Kounio continued to share his story. "I will speak until the last moment of my life, and I will never forget, until I die," he stated.
In a 2021 interview with star.gr marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, he recounted his experiences. He described Auschwitz: "It was the largest camp of destruction of the human soul. Many were killed there." Of the around 55,000 members before the war, only "800 to 1,000 people" returned from the camps.
In March 1943, Heinz Dario Kounio recalled that German forces woke people from their beds at midnight, ordering around 2,500 Jewish residents of Thessaloniki to be ready within hours, then gathering them near the city's railway station. Deportees were forced into freight wagons designed for animals. Although each wagon could hold 30 to 40 people, "the Germans forced in 80", he said, with families packed together without knowing their destination. "From there the torment began."
During loading, guards beat those who stumbled or could not climb aboard. The journey to Auschwitz lasted "seven to nine days, with the doors closed. You could not breathe". Trains were timed to arrive at midnight to heighten fear. On arrival, Kounio described an overwhelming scene: freezing temperatures, "five tall chimneys" emitting black smoke, and crematoria operating as "industrialised death". At the time, he said, many believed they had arrived at factories, unaware of what awaited them.
Violence escalated immediately on the platform. SS guards shouted orders, beat arrivals, and separated families. "Nothing happened willingly," he recalled. Those who did not understand German, including many from Thessaloniki, were beaten more severely. His family stepped forward when asked who spoke German, a moment he described as "the key that saved us".
Selections followed each arrival. According to his testimony, only 80 to 120 people per transport were selected for labour, while the rest were killed within hours. "People became smoke and ash," he said, recalling scenes of mothers with children in freezing conditions.
"It was all very well organised. A cycle of terror in which you saw so many people being killed that you did not know what to do; you could not resist, and if you tried, you were beaten. Your soul was crushed. We did not know what was happening to us; we were told nothing. Do you know what hope was? The tall chimney throwing out flames - to become a piece of that fire yourself, to go up to the sky an hour sooner. That was hope. At first, I hoped, not just me, but all those poor people who were burned, they hoped in God."
Kounio spent 18 months in captivity, describing daily life as defined by violence, hunger, and exhaustion. Prisoners were routinely beaten and survived on small portions of bread and watery soup. He and his father were assigned to a tailoring workshop, where they produced clothing from salvaged materials.
As German forces retreated, Kounio was transferred to other camps before being freed by American troops, weighing just 36 kilos. After the war, his family was among the few to return to Thessaloniki. He later resumed work in the family photography business and repeatedly visited Auschwitz, determined that others would learn what had happened.
