Moisis Michail Bourlas
Encyclopedia
Moisis Michail Bourlas (May 9, 1918 – March 17, 2011) was a Greek Jewish member of the World War II
resistance.
. His parents were both Greek Jews, his father from the city of Volos
and his mother from the island of Khios. Moisis was the fourth child of a large family. His parents were forced to return to Greece
due to financial problems. The Bourlas family first established in Naoussa and then in Thessaloniki
. Since his childhood Moisis assisted his father who was employed in a bakery.
After finishing high school, he became an apprentice turner (lathe operator). In 1935, Bourlas became a member of OKNE, the Organization of Communist Youths of Greece. When World War II erupted, Bourlas was serving in the Engineers' Arms of the Greek Military in the Greek part of Thrace
. As an army bridge constructor, he was transferred to the Albania
n front to combat the Italian invasion of 1940-1941, where he fought in the front line. In February 1943, right after the Nazi
occupation forces had imposed their "racial measures" that eventually led to the Holocaust, Bourlas joined the rebel forces of ELAS (Greek National Liberation Army
) under the alias "Byron", and fought in the 30th Regiment on the mountain of Paiko
near Kilkis
.
In the summer of 1945, after the Varkiza agreement that preluded the Greek Civil War
, Bourlas was arrested for his political convictions and exiled in the Greek islands of Icaria
, Makronisos
and Ai Stratis. Thanks to a Greek-Israeli agreement in 1951, Bourlas was released from his exile and immigrated to Israel
. He worked there as a turner, while he was actively involved in the Communist Party of Israel
and the workers' movement. He stayed in Israel until 1967, when the anti-communism
of the Israeli society developed after the Six-Day War
forced him and his Russian Jewish wife to flee the country. After a short stay in Bulgaria
, Bourlas and his wife went to the Soviet Union
, where they established in a town near the Ural mountains
. During his stay in the Soviet Union, Bourlas adopted the middle name "Michail".
Bourlas continued to work as a turner until 1982, when he became a pensioner and started his efforts to return to Greece. He established in the city of Sukhumi
in the Georgian SSR, where he became a Greek language
teacher to the young Greek students of the area. He returned to Greece in August 1990, without any resources or financial aid, where he started a new struggle to survive and regain his Greek citizenship
that he had lost when he emigrated to Israel. Bourlas eventually succeeded to regain his citizenship in 1999. In 2000, he published his autobiography "Greek, Jew and Left" (Greek: Έλληνας, Εβραίος και Αριστερός) under the name of Moisis Michail Bourlas.
During the last years of his life, Moisis Michail Bourlas lived in the Saoul Modiano Home for the Elderly in Thessaloniki. He continued to be actively involved in the Greek left and the city's affairs. In 2002 and again in 2006, he ran as a candidate for the city council of Thessaloniki, in the ticket of "Thessaloniki for Citizens and Ecology" led by Tasos Kourakis. He died on March 17, 2011. His remains are buried in the Jewish cemetery of Stavroupoli
, Thessaloniki.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
resistance.
Biography
He was born Moisis Bourlas on May 9, 1918 in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. His parents were both Greek Jews, his father from the city of Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
and his mother from the island of Khios. Moisis was the fourth child of a large family. His parents were forced to return to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
due to financial problems. The Bourlas family first established in Naoussa and then in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. Since his childhood Moisis assisted his father who was employed in a bakery.
After finishing high school, he became an apprentice turner (lathe operator). In 1935, Bourlas became a member of OKNE, the Organization of Communist Youths of Greece. When World War II erupted, Bourlas was serving in the Engineers' Arms of the Greek Military in the Greek part of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. As an army bridge constructor, he was transferred to the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n front to combat the Italian invasion of 1940-1941, where he fought in the front line. In February 1943, right after the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation forces had imposed their "racial measures" that eventually led to the Holocaust, Bourlas joined the rebel forces of ELAS (Greek National Liberation Army
Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos
The Greek People's Liberation Army or ELAS , often mistakenly called the National People's Liberation Army , was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front during the period of the Greek Resistance until February 1945.-Birth of ELAS:After Nazi Germany attacked the...
) under the alias "Byron", and fought in the 30th Regiment on the mountain of Paiko
Paiko
Paiko may refer to:*Mount Paiko , a mountain in the Macedonian region of Greece*Paiko , a rock-pop band from Paraguay...
near Kilkis
Kilkis
Kilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
.
In the summer of 1945, after the Varkiza agreement that preluded the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, Bourlas was arrested for his political convictions and exiled in the Greek islands of Icaria
Icaria
Icaria, also spelled Ikaria , is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles southwest of Samos. It derived its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, who fell into the sea nearby. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Ikaria peripheral...
, Makronisos
Makronisos
Makronisos is an island in the Aegean sea, in Greece and is located close to the coast of Attica, facing the port of Lavrio. It has an elongated shape and its terrain is arid and rocky. In ancient times the island was called Helena. It is part of the prefecture of the Cyclades but it is not part...
and Ai Stratis. Thanks to a Greek-Israeli agreement in 1951, Bourlas was released from his exile and immigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He worked there as a turner, while he was actively involved in the Communist Party of Israel
Communist Party of Israel
Maki |Maki]]. Maki, the original Israeli Communist Party, saw a split between a largely Jewish faction led by Moshe Sneh, which recognized Israel's right to exist and was critical of the Soviet Union's increasingly anti-Zionist stance, and a largely Arab faction, which was increasingly anti-Zionist...
and the workers' movement. He stayed in Israel until 1967, when the anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
of the Israeli society developed after the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
forced him and his Russian Jewish wife to flee the country. After a short stay in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Bourlas and his wife went to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, where they established in a town near the Ural mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
. During his stay in the Soviet Union, Bourlas adopted the middle name "Michail".
Bourlas continued to work as a turner until 1982, when he became a pensioner and started his efforts to return to Greece. He established in the city of Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
in the Georgian SSR, where he became a Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
teacher to the young Greek students of the area. He returned to Greece in August 1990, without any resources or financial aid, where he started a new struggle to survive and regain his Greek citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
that he had lost when he emigrated to Israel. Bourlas eventually succeeded to regain his citizenship in 1999. In 2000, he published his autobiography "Greek, Jew and Left" (Greek: Έλληνας, Εβραίος και Αριστερός) under the name of Moisis Michail Bourlas.
During the last years of his life, Moisis Michail Bourlas lived in the Saoul Modiano Home for the Elderly in Thessaloniki. He continued to be actively involved in the Greek left and the city's affairs. In 2002 and again in 2006, he ran as a candidate for the city council of Thessaloniki, in the ticket of "Thessaloniki for Citizens and Ecology" led by Tasos Kourakis. He died on March 17, 2011. His remains are buried in the Jewish cemetery of Stavroupoli
Stavroupoli
Stavroupoli is a suburb of the Thessaloniki Urban Area and was a former municipality in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pavlos Melas, of which it is the seat of it and is a municipal unit...
, Thessaloniki.