Holocaust Resisters Research -Sara Fortis by Abigail Lim

Background information

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:07:01 UTC

Sara Fortis was born in a small town near Athens, Greece. Her father unfortunately passed away when Sara was only two months old. Sara lived joyfully with her family (sister, mother, Sara). Although being 100% Greek, Sara and her family enjoyed practicing Jewish traditions.

How it all started

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:07:18 UTC

In 1941, Sara heard about Jews in other small Greek towns being deported by the Nazis. Hearing this, Sara and her mother escaped to a small village, Kuturla, and hid there for a short while. When it was no longer safe for the Jews, Sara was told to go, while the villagers agreed to hide Sara's mother. Having to leave her mother, Sara decided to become an andarte (resistance fighter).

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:07:31 UTC

1st Mission

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:08:12 UTC

Wanting to play a significant role in the group, she decided to go from village to village to recruit females who was willing to fight for the Jews. Sara formed a band of female partisans that became indispensable to the male fighters. In their 1st mission, they were ordered to throw Molotov cocktails to distract the enemy and allow the partisans to attack.

Sara's impact

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:08:37 UTC

Back in Sara's time, women were not well-respected and were known to be "not important". However, Sara became a woman that was greatly respected and even got a title, 'Kapetenissa (Captain) Sarika’. Sara was also able to gain this title and respect during the holocaust where she was always discriminated against and always in danger.

Multimedia Links

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:09:08 UTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=74SZaXJdBbM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewishpartisans.org%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=uaNfLm1l3x0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewishpartisans.org%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIJjjSkF-BY&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewishpartisans.org%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:09:39 UTC

Sara's impressive work

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:10:08 UTC

Sara became a prominent and well-respected figure in the andartes movement in Greece. By the age 18, she was known as ‘Kapetenissa (Captain) Sarika’. The Nazis sent an informer to try and capture her but mistook Sara as her cousin Medi. (Medi was killed and brutally) Sara, vowing revenge, tracked down the informer and executed them.

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:10:49 UTC

After the Holocaust

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:11:15 UTC

After the war, the andartes fell out of favor with the new Greek government. Because of this, Sara was arrested, but because of her great reputation, she was released shortly after. She then immigrated to Israel, where she met her husband and settled.

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:11:42 UTC

Quotes

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:12:08 UTC

"Afterwards it was to learn how to be girls alongside men. It was difficult teaching them to behave as equals among them."

"Without them, without the partisans many Jews would have died or shared the same fate of the Jews at Thessaloniki at Auschwitz."

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:12:35 UTC

Sara's work as a Resistor

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:12:55 UTC

The male partisans, impressed by their skills, invited the all-female group to join in many missions. Some of the things that they did in the missions were burning down houses and executed Nazi collaborators. The male andartes were given credit for many missions the women completed. Often the women were forced to sleep next to the men Sara constantly worried about the women’s safety.

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:13:21 UTC

Sara as a Captain

abigailhblim — 2025-03-18 00:13:38 UTC

When Sara was the captain of an all women party, she had a hard time educating everyone, "Afterwards it was to learn how to be girls alongside men. It was difficult teaching them to behave as equals among them". Back in her times, women were educated to think that they were lower than men and that men were higher. However, Sara thought the opposite and taught these women to think of themselves as equals among men and to respect themselves.