Letters from the Island: Correspondence of Eleni Stavros, 1942–1945

The wartime letters of Eleni Stavros, a teacher from the Greek island of Syros, illuminate daily life under occupation — hope, scarcity, and the quiet strength of women who kept communities alive.
Comprising 38 handwritten letters, the collection was preserved by Stavros’s descendants and translated in 2024 by Ancestra volunteers. The letters reveal a deeply human narrative: tales of hidden schools, shared bread, and songs sung by candlelight during curfew hours.
More than documents, these letters are acts of resistance — proof that storytelling itself can preserve dignity and identity.