Letter from Jewish Communities in Greece

CENTRAL BOARD OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN GREECE
2 Sourmeli str.
GR - 104 39 Athens

TEL: (01) 883-9953

Cables: Kenisrail - Athens
Athens, January 8 1993

To the
Central Boards of the
Jewish Communities of Europe
E.J.C.
W.J.C.
Bnei Berit International
Executive Council
of Australian Jewry
American Jewish Committee

Sirs,
as you certainly know after the division of the former Democracy of Yugoslavia to a series of independent small states it has been created the question of the naming of the State of Scopia that is asking to be recognized under the name of Macedonia

Greece does not object to the recognition of this State, that it wants to help materially in every way, but it cannot accept the name Macedonia which since antiquity is related to a plainly Greek region.

Jewish religion and philology constitute the unquestionable witnesses of the ancient ethnological character of Macedonians as Greeks.

Noticeably the prophets Daniel (chap.8, 1-22 chap.2 para.39 4-13, 26-28, 31, 38 chap. 7, 2-7) Isiaiah chap. 19, 20 chap. 19,23 Joel chap.3 v.6, Jeremy, Habacoum chap.2, v.5 and the books of the Maccabees (1st book chap. 1, v.1 & 10 chap. 6 v.2, II 8, 20 III 8) include explicit elements for the Greek character of Macedonia.

These very same notions have been supported by the contemporary professors Yigal Yadin (archaeologist, Jerusalem University), George Box (professor of Old Testament, London University), Yacov Messorer (numismatist of the Jerusalem Museum), Erich Graetz (historian Breslow University)

Besides these the Talmoud in relating the friendly meeting between Alexander the Great and the High Priest Simon the Just, on the former's entry into Jerusalem in teh year 330 BC., refers to him as Alexander HaMocdon Meleh Yavan - Alexander the Macedonian, King of Greece. Similar references can be found in Talmoud in the books "Seder Hadorot" as well as "Megilat Taanit".

Moreover Jewish historians like

a. Flavius Josephus makes reference to the Greeks of Macedonia and to Greece or Macedonia, sometimes using the one term and sometimes the other, clearly regarding the Macedonians as Greeks and the Greeks as Macedonians (Antiquities of the Jews book 11 para.337, 109, 148, 286, 184 book 8 para.61, 95 100, 154, 312 book 10 para.273 book 12 para.322 & 414 where he includes these Macedonian kings together with Antiochus the Great in the conquest if the Greek world by the Romans since he regards Macedonia as a Greek province).
b. Philo of Alexandria refers to the Macedonian King Alexander whom he identifies with the Greeks.
c. Maimonides according to whom "thanks to the conquest of Judea by the Greek-Macedonian dynasty the Greek learning was transplanted there and contributed to making Hellenism and Judaism acquainted with one another and to the creation of a new philosophical and religious synthesis which opened up new paths and gave new directions to human civilization".
d. Numerous well known rabbis.

In conclusion we mark Henry's Kissinger characteristic statement at the Management of Europe meeting (Paris, June 1992) "I believe that Greece is right to have objections and I agree with Athens. the reason is that I know history, which is not the case most of the others, including most of the Government and government officials in Washington. The strength of the side of Greece is its history".

We lined up all the above data so as to prove you the legitimacy of the Greek aspects as far as it concerns the Greek character of Macedonia and to ask you the full support of these Greek positions to the appropriate personalities of your country.

Sincerely yours
The President --- The Gen. Secretary
Nissim Mais --- Moses Constintinis

Letter from Rene Guerdan to Mr. Martis

Dear Sir,

The magazine HISTORIA has just provided me with the very beautiful book that you so kindly sent me. I have first of all admired the presentation and then was struck by its contents.

Your thesis is brilliant. The Macedonians are and have always been Greeks, and the creation of a "Socialist Republic of Macedonia" with Skopje as capital is only a sad farce. I will not miss, when the opportunity arises, to pass this on.

In thanking you for having so kindly sent me your book, which has interested me even more, having myself written many works on Byzantium, I beg you to believe, dear Sir, by best feelings.

RENE GUERDAN

Alexander's correspondence with Porus

EXCHANGE OF LETTERS BETWEEN ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND PORUS

According to ancient historian Pseudo-Callisthenes, from his book 'Alexander Romance'.

When Alexander arrived with all his forces at the border of India, letter bearers sent by Poros, king of India, met him and gave him the letter of Poros. Alexander took it and read it out before his army. Its contents were these:

So Alexander, having read out Poros’s letter in public before his soldiers, said to them:

“Comrades-in-arms, do not be upset again at the letter of Poros’s that 1 have read out. Remember what Darius wrote too- It is a fact that the only state of mind barbarians have is obtuseness. Like the animals under them—tigers, lions, elephants, which exult in their courage but are easily hunted thanks to man’s nature—the kings of the barbarians too exult in the numbers of their armies but are easily defeated by the intelligence of the Greeks.”

Having given this declaration to encourage his army, Alexander wrote in reply to Poros.

King Porus of India fights against the troops of Alexander the Great at the Battle of the Hydaspes River. His elephant was named Ajax for his bravery, and Alexander made bronze tusk bands dedicating the elephant to the Greek gods.

After Alexander defeated Porus in battle he expanded Porus' kingdom and they actually became best mates!

Source: "Collected ancient Greek novels", edited by B. P. Reardon. (pg. 714-715)

Letter from Alexander to Darius III

Your ancestors invaded Macedon and the rest of Greece and did us harm although we had not done you any previous injury. I have been appointed commander-in-chief of the Greeks and it is with the aim of punishing the Persians that I have crossed into Asia, since you are the aggressors. You gave support to the people of Perinthus, who had done to the Greeks about me, to push them to war against me, and sent money to the Spartans and some other Greeks, which none of the other cities would accept apart from the Spartans. Your envoys corrupted my friends and sought to destroy the peace, which I established among the Greeks.

I therefore led an expedition against you, and you started the quarrel. But now I have defeated in battle first your generals and satraps, and now you in person and your army, and by the grace of the gods I control the country. All those who fought on your side and did not die in battle but came over to me, I hold myself responsible for them; they are not on my side under duress but are taking part in the expedition of their own free will. Approach me therefore as the lord of all Asia. If you are afraid of suffering harm at my hands by coming in person, send some of your friends to receive proper assurances. Come to me to ask and receive your mother, your wife, your children and anything else you wish. Whatever you can persuade me to give shall be yours.

In future whenever you communicate with me, send to me as Lord of Asia; do not write to me as an equal, but state your demands to the master of all your possessions. If not, I shall deal with you as a wrongdoer. If you wish to lay claim to the title of king, then stand your ground and fight for it; do not take to flight, as I shall pursue you wherever you may be.

Alexander of Macedon

[According to Arrian's Anabasis]

Serbo-Bulgars aspirations on Macedonia

Letter sent by I. Metaxas to E. Venizelos concerning Serbia's and Bulgaria's aspirations vis-à-vis Macedonia - 16.06.1913


Sources: ioannismetaxas.gr