The Greek Jew Who Fought in Crimea, Asia Minor, and Two World Wars

Frizis Mordechai Romaniote Greek Jew. Credit: Public domain.

Mordechai Frizis (Μαρδοχαίος Φριζής), who fought successful the Crimea and successful the doomed Asia Minor run arsenic good arsenic the 2 World Wars, was the archetypal elder serviceman successful the Greek Army to autumn connected the battlefield during the Greek-Italian War.

Frizis was calved into a Romaniote-Jewish household from Chalcis connected New Year’s Eve successful 1893. His parents, Jacob and Iopi, had a ample household of 12 children.

His imagination arsenic a pupil was to go a subject officer, contempt his father’s objections, who preferred that helium instrumentality up the household business. Frizis accordingly took exams astatine Greece’s Military Academy (Evelpidon School) but failed.

Nevertheless, helium was capable to enroll successful Athens University Law School to the large restitution of his begetter who would astatine slightest beryllium capable to boast of his lad becoming a lawyer.
However, young Frizis ne'er abandoned his dreams of becoming an service man, and helium volunteered for the Greek Army successful 1916 during World War I. After his enlistment, helium attended Officers Training schoolhouse and graduated with the fertile of Sergeant.

A large lieutenant

The Greek-Jewish serviceman fought connected the Macedonian beforehand and distinguished himself connected the battlefield, resulting successful a promotion to the fertile of Lieutenant Colonel.

In January of 1919 helium joined the expeditionary unit warring against the Bolsheviks successful Ukraine during the Russian Civil War (The Crimean Expedition). His portion was commanded by Colonel Nikolaos Plastiras, who aboriginal became premier curate of Greece 3 times.

In August of 1919, Frizis’ portion moved to Smyrna and took an progressive portion successful the hard and tumultuous Asia Minor Campaign. Lieutenant Colonel Frizis ended up being taken captive by the Turks successful August of 1922.

The Turks offered to merchandise Frizis instantly due to the fact that helium was not a Christian, but the brave Jew from Chalcis refused to permission his comrades, remaining successful captivity until August of 1923, erstwhile helium was released aft the captive speech statement betwixt Greece and Turkey.

Upon his instrumentality to Greece, Frizis was promoted to Captain and sent to Paris, wherever helium attended the Ecole Militaire. After graduating from this subject academy, helium returned to Greece, and upon his completion of studies successful the Hellenic School of War, helium was promoted to the fertile of Major.

Frizis was past transferred to his hometown to service arsenic an teacher astatine the Infantry School there.

The statue of Colonel Mordechai Frizis Mordechai successful his hometown of Chalcis. Credit: Wikipedia/ARIE DARZI/CC-BY-SA-3.0

By the extremity of the 1930s, helium had been promoted to the fertile of Colonel and successful the outpouring of 1940, helium was stationed astatine the office of the VIII Division successful Ioannina. As soon arsenic the Greek-Italian warfare broke retired successful the aboriginal hours of October 28, 1940, helium began serving arsenic a detachment commandant of the Delvinaki conception of Greece’s VIII Division.

Facing Italy’s Julia Division and with his men down him, Frizis fought the force fearlessly, stopping the Italian beforehand connected the span of the Thyamis River, pursuing with a counterattack.

It is helium who captured the archetypal Italian captives of the warfare (a full of 15 officers and 7 100 soldiers) and inflicted a large stroke against the celebrated Julia Alpinist Division.

During the Greek army’s counter-offensive connected Albanian territory arsenic commandant of an autarkic division, helium overthrew sections of the Italy’s Modena Division and opened the mode for the concern of Prometheus connected December 4, 1940.

When the Italians countered with aerial bombing a time later, his men took screen successful trenches, portion helium continued riding his equine implicit the battlefield portion shouting “Courage!” to rally his men.

Despite being severely wounded successful the stomach, Col. Frizis continued trying to rally his men. After the Italian craft yet withdrew and the fume had cleared, the fearless subject leader, a seasoned of truthful galore campaigns, was discovered dormant connected the battlefield.

The bequest of Colonel Frizis

An Orthodox clergyman prayed implicit Col. Frizis’ assemblage successful the lack of a rabbi.

The Colonel’s remains were yet located successful 2002, and connected October 23rd of that year, they were transferred to Thessaloniki, wherever they were reburied successful the New Jewish Cemetery of Thessaloniki.

Colonel Frizis has been honored with galore medals, some successful beingness and aft death. Busts of the celebrated Jewish subject leader basal extracurricular the War Museum successful Kalpaki, astatine his birthplace of Chalcis and astatine the Athens War Museum. Several streets successful Athens and Thessaloniki person been named aft him arsenic well.

Mordechai Frizis was lone 1 of the 12,898 Greek Jews who served successful the equipped forces during the 1940 to 1941 Greco-Italian War. In all, their casualties amounted to 513 dormant and 3,743 injured.

His brave and selfless sacrifice exemplifies the galore contributions of Greek Jews to their homeland, which volition beryllium remembered forever.