Born in Salonika, Greece, in 1923 to a Sephardic Jewish family of Turkish and Greek heritage, Flore Jaku survived the Holocaust with the help of courage, false papers, and the French Resistance. In this moving short film, Flore recounts how her family, who spoke Ladino and French, relocated to Belgium, only to face the German invasion on May 10, 1940.

To survive, Flore lived under a false Christian identity. Protected by the Resistance, she avoided capture and endured years in hiding. During the liberation of Belgium in 1944, she witnessed gunfire between collaborators and Allied forces — a moment etched into her memory. Soon after, she was reunited with her mother, who wept and spoke Ladino in an emotional embrace.

In a post-war repatriation office, Flore met fellow survivor Eddie Jaku, whom she later married. Together, they emigrated to Australia, building a life of peace and possibility far from the horrors they escaped.

This powerful short film is a story of identity, survival, love, and new beginnings — from the streets of Salonika to a new home on the other side of the world.

Produced for the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Holocaust Remembrance event by AD Media.
Directed and produced by Sarita Gold.
Director of Photography and Editor: Agostino Marcello.