National Resistance Organizations (EAM / ELAS, EDES and EKKA) were set up in the fall of 1941, following the German occupation of the country. In January 1943 EAM / ELAS called upon Greek Christians to help save their Jewish compatriots from Nazi persecution. The partisans warned community leaders and populations of impending deportations, in many cases saving scores of lives. The Chief Rabbi Elias Barzilay of Athens and Rabbi Moissis Pessach of Volos worked closely with the Resistance to organize safe escape to the mountains for themselves and their coreligionists. The leaders of several Jewish communities appealed to World Jewry to help the Greek Resistance acquire equipment. Early in 1943 many Greek Jews joined Resistance movements. Jewish men and women fought actively with the resistance to avenge the persecution of their kin and to liberate their country. Many were active in intelligence work in Greece, in the Middle East and in other countries, to which they had escaped, while others fought with Greek naval forces and Greek troops in Northern Africa.
In Epirus, the dense German encampments, the difficulty of the terrain and cohesion between the communities meant that some Jews of Ioannina and Arta found themselves outside the encirclement in September 1943. The "undisciplined" youths Samuel Cohen and Sion Bakolas from Ioannina took the bold decision to leave the city and, in October 1943, they became the first Jewish partisans in the area of Pogoni. Five months later, they were followed by nine escapees from Larissa camp: Moissis Migionis (Katsampas), Avraam (Ebby) Svolis, Yeshua Matsas, Michalis Valais, Michalis Koen, Iakov Gershon, Haim Matsas, Eliasaf Matsas and Solomon Matsas. All served in the 15th, 85th and 3/40th ELAS Regiments, from Zagorochoria (near the borderline) to Arta. The 20-year-old Iakovos Balestras, perhaps the only Corfiot Jew to make his way Epirus to fight the Germans, was also active in Zagorochoria.
Two doctors served in Napoleon Zervas’ National Republican Greek League/National Groups of Greek Guerrillas (EDES/EOEA): one was the military doctor Errikos Levi, from occupied Ioannina, who sent intelligence to the partisans until March 1944 when he was deported with the whole community, and Michalis Negrin, who managed to escape to the mountains and even assisted wounded Germans at the Battle of Menina (17 August 1944).
