2026 Presentations by Dr. Evlampia Tsireli
By Eliana Swerdlow – June 29, 2026
At “Voices of Liberation,” an international conference hosted by the the EU CERV Avalanche Project in April, Fortunoff Video Archive Fellow and Artist-in-Residence Dr. Evlampia Tsireli presented a paper titled “The Promise: Testimony and Post-Liberation Life in a Graphic Novel Metanarrative,” highlighting Sam Profeta’s postwar work in child welfare, inspired by a promise he made while imprisoned in the camps. Drawing on his Ladino testimony from the Fortunoff Archive, the presentation explored how this promise became a source of purpose and resilience during captivity and liberation, ultimately shaping his postwar life and leading to its fulfillment, while also examining how Profeta’s story inspired Tsireli’s scriptwriting process.
This conference brought together scholars and researchers to engage in dialogue on European memory, history, and citizenship.
On June 5th, Dr. Tsireli presented on digital storytelling at the Memory Makers Webinar hosted by Istorima. Dr. Tsireli spoke about “The Promise: Testimony and memory in a graphic novel metanarrative” portraying her work on transforming Sam Profeta’s Ladino Testimony, and her research on his life, into a graphic novel script. Creative storytelling in such a modern literary medium is an example of new ways of telling history and utilizing memory in 21st century.
Istorima (The Greek Archive of Oral History) and the Memory Makers project brought together eleven researchers, archivists, educators, and storytellers to explore how WWII oral history is preserved, activated, and shared in the digital age.
The webinar will be available for viewing during July 2026 on the Memory Makers website https://memory-makers.eu/
Digital Storytelling | A Memory Makers Webinar by Istorima
Digital Storytelling: Preserving WWII Narratives Creatively and Accurately
“The Promise: Testimony and Memory in a Graphic Novel Metanarrative“
Speakers: Dr. Evlampia Tsireli – Author, Yale Artist in Residence, AUTH PhD, AUTH Postdoc
Postdoctoral Research Presentation
By Eliana Swerdlow – March 18, 2026
The Fortunoff Video Archive invites you to a public online presentation of postdoctoral research by Ms. Evlampia Tsireli.
Visual Culture, Heritage and Identity through a Bilingual Graphic Novel: The Case of Samuel Profeta (Uncle Sam)
Dr. Tsireli’s research, conducted at the Department of History and Archaeology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and supported by the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University, explores the life and testimony of Samuel Profeta, known in the Jewish community of Thessaloniki as “Uncle Sam.” After the war, Profeta became an important community figure and devoted much of his life to working with children.
Drawing on Profeta’s Ladino-language testimony in the Fortunoff Archive, Dr. Tsireli is developing a bilingual graphic novel that tells his life story. The project will mark the first time a Greek Holocaust survivor’s testimony has been used as the basis for a graphic novel in Greece. The book will be published in Ladino and Greek, highlighting Ladino as a central carrier of Sephardic Jewish culture while introducing Profeta’s story to new generations of readers.
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Please note: The presentation will be held in Greek.
The event is open to the public and will take place online.
Welcome Dr. Evlampia Tsireli, Artist-in-Residence
By Stephen Naron – January 6, 2025
Dr. Tsireli is an author and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of History and Archaeology, School of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). During her fellowship at AUTH, Tsireli will conduct research on the life and testimony of Samuel Profeta. Profeta, known to the Jews of Thessaloniki as “Uncle Sam”, and an important figure in the community, dedicated his life to working with children after war. Her goal is to produce a graphic novel based on Profeta’s Ladino testimony in the Fortunoff Archive. This will be the first time that a Greek survivor’s testimony is used as the basis for a graphic novel in Greece.
The novel will be published in Ladino and Greek. Tsireli hopes this recounting of Profeta’s lifestory and work can have a profound social and pedagogical impact on present and future generations in Greece. The novel will also center the Ladino language as carrier of Sephardic Jewish culture.
Dr. Tsireli’s professional accomplishments as an author, her academic background in Theology, Biblical Archaeology, Jewish history, and her knowledge of Ladino, will serve her well in this effort.
ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΕΙΣ ΜΕ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΗ ΠΡΟΣΒΑΣΗ:
(2022) Ζητήματα Διδακτικής των Θρησκευτικών eISSN 2585-3791
Τομ. 4 -Πρακτικά 4ου Πανελληνίου Συνεδρίου Θεολόγων:
Θρησκευτική Εκπαίδευση: Σύγχρονες τάσεις και επικαιρότητα
Το ταξίδι της γραφής. Από τα χειρόγραφα του Κουμράν, στους κώδικες και την ψηφιοποίηση. Μια βιωματική εκπαιδευτική δράση σε συνεργασία με το Πατριαρχικό Ίδρυμα Πατερικών Μελετών
Ευλαμπία Τσιρέλη
(2022) Ζητήματα Διδακτικής των Θρησκευτικών eISSN 2585-3791
Τομ. 4 -Πρακτικά 4ου Πανελληνίου Συνεδρίου Θεολόγων:
Θρησκευτική Εκπαίδευση: Σύγχρονες τάσεις και επικαιρότητα
Το δέντρο στους πολιτισμούς της αρχαίας Μεσοποταμίας και στη Βίβλο. Μια διαπολιτισμική και διαθρησκειακή προσέγγιση
Ευλαμπία Τσιρέλη
(2021) e-journal – Synthesis – Copyright (c) 2023 Evlampia Tsireli, Το δένδρο σε μια διαχρονική θεώρηση της σχέσης θρησκείας και τέχνης. Πορεία, σημεία συνάντησης, υπέρβαση ορίων.
ΕΥΛΑΜΠΙΑ ΤΣΙΡΕΛΗ 