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French President Nicolas Sarkozy. (AP) Last update - 20:10 10/01/2008 Book on Greek-Jewish roots of Sarkozy goes on sale in Greece By DPA Tags: Nicolas Sarkozy, Thessaloniki  A book on the Greek-Jewish roots of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose family can be traced back to the Jewish community in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, went on sale in Greece Thursday. The book, whose English title reads Me, the Grandson of a Greek, was l Advertisement aunched during a lavish gathering in Athens late Wednesday by Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni, former Socialist foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, former prime minister Constantinos Mitsotakis and the ambassadors of France and Israel. The book written by three Greek authors gives a historical account of the maternal family of Sarkozy, who were a part of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, once nick-named the "Jerusalem of the Balkans." The book reveals that Sarkozy's mother's family came to Thessaloniki from the French region of Provence. Sarkozy's great-grandfather, Mordechai Mallah, a well-known Thessaloniki jeweler, and his wife, Reina, had seven children. One of them was Aaron, Sarkozy's grandfather. At the age of 14, Aaron and his mother left for France where Aaron studied medicine and served as a doctor during World War I. He later met his wife, a nurse, in Paris and converted to Catholicism in order to marry her, taking the name Benedict. One of their children, Andree Mallah, married a Hungarian refugee named Paul Sarkozy. The couple had three sons, one of which was named Nicolas. Paul Sarkozy left the family when Nicolas was 5 years old and the young boy was largely looked after by his grandfather, who used to tell his grandchildren stories from Thessaloniki. Nicolas Sarkozy and his brothers did not know of their Jewish roots until after their grandfather passed away in 1972. The book's authors' claim Benedict did not tell his grandchildren about their Jewish roots in order to protect them, fearing another Holocaust, which ended up killing many of the Mallah family. The authors write that at the age of 20, Nicolas Sarkozy travelled to Thessaloniki to sell his family's property after they were struck with financial problems. Approximately 6,000 are left of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki today. More than 50,000 of them were massacred during the Nazi occupation of Greece. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis presented Sarkozy with a copy of the book at the last EU Council meeting in Brussels. The Greek premier also promised him it would be translated into French. More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   A staunch ally Obama to AIPAC: I'll do everything to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes. Pro-Israel Nazis German group condemns anti-Semitism, says Holocaust 'unjustifiable.'   1.   does it tell about the time he spent as a mossad agent? 20:31  |  tell me true 10/01/08   2.   Biased leader should not decide policy 20:37  |  Jeremy Martin 10/01/08   3.   Saloniki, a city with jewish past, but uncertain jewish future 20:57  |  V 10/01/08   4.   Nuke Inspector Mohamed El Baradei 20:59  |  Boris 10/01/08   5.   He is SO not Jewish people 21:00  |  Jewish Elephant 10/01/08   6.   baised? 21:32  |  european 10/01/08   7.   Salonica, what an emblem?!! 21:42  |  Buzaglow 10/01/08   8.   Prof. Martin 21:51  |  Big Mac 10/01/08   9.   3/european honesty? 22:07  |  Jeremy Martin 10/01/08   10.   To Jewish Elephant 22:16  |  Jake 10/01/08   11.   8/big mac attack : Would a muslim leader be biased? 22:21  |  Jeremy Martin 10/01/08   12.   #9 22:47  |  David 10/01/08   13.   Prof Martin 22:57  |  Gil Franco 10/01/08   14.   Martin, you ignorant sl*t! 23:30  |  Motke Chabad 10/01/08   15.   Jeremy Martin 23:31  |  Angus 10/01/08   16.   Jeremy Martin`s Ahmenadijad`s version of history 23:33  |  Jake 10/01/08   17.   Jeremy Martin is clueless 23:45  |  Awake 10/01/08   18.   Mr Martin, give us a break! 00:08  |  David Goldblatt 11/01/08   19.   Jeremy Martin is a dupe of Ahmedinejad`s speeches 00:09  |  Jake 11/01/08   20.   motke chabad 00:10  |  realism 11/01/08   21.   Jeremy Martin, what traumatic event happened in 1066? 00:22  |  Jake 11/01/08   22.   What an unattractive man! 00:35  |  Paulo 11/01/08   23.   sarkozy 00:51  |  vs 11/01/08   24.   15Why were Pals kept as refugees in Gaza, Jenin, in Palestine? 01:02  |  Rob 11/01/08   25.   Motke`s "realism" 01:14  |  David Goldblatt 11/01/08   26.   realism`s lack of realism 01:17  |  Jake 11/01/08   27.   yechouya and myriam 01:32  |  baba lalou 11/01/08   28.   Realism Why were Pals kept refugees in Gaza, Jenin, in Palestine? 01:41  |  Rob 11/01/08   29.   13/Its not the Arab`s job to clean up an Israeli Mess 03:13  |  Jeremy Martin 11/01/08   30.   5. jooish elephant? since when is mossad an equal opportunity 03:16  |  assad-u-LLAH 11/01/08   31.   19/ what about the 520 Arab villages in ruins INSIDE israel? 03:19  |  Jeremy Martin 11/01/08   32.   6000? 03:33  |  angel 11/01/08   33.   Question for Jeremy 03:52  |  Friar Yid 11/01/08   34.   5. since when do catholics work for mossad? 03:58  |  tell me true 11/01/08   35.   Me, the Grandson of a Greek 04:35  |  Nick 11/01/08   36.   #22 What an unattractive man! 06:00  |  michhell 11/01/08   37.   He is Spartan 06:01  |  Rasputin 11/01/08   38.   Jeremy Martin, such a pathetic jealous guy 07:47  |  Jake 11/01/08   39.   Jeremy, what about the mess the Arabs created? 08:10  |  Jake 11/01/08   40.   Jeremy Martin must have hit a bull`s eye 10:21  |  Steve the Pals. 11/01/08   41.   Buzaglow #7 10:25  |  wiseUP 11/01/08   42.   Jews of Thessaloniki were protected by Arabs 10:35  |  Steve the Pals. 11/01/08   43.   Jeremy Martin 31 10:56  |  anon 11/01/08   44.   Good manners are a virtue 13:42  |  Richard 11/01/08   45.   Salonica was Macedonian then, and Turks arent Arabs 13:50  |  akula 11/01/08   46.   Why dig these way back root? 14:55  |  American 11/01/08   47.   Ancient and Modern Israel 15:25  |  Said 11/01/08   48.   Paulo from Portugal 15:34  |  Barry 11/01/08   49.   Jake, we don`t talk about my elephant side 17:13  |  Jewish Elephant 11/01/08   50.   Steve the Pals, for you Jeremy is a tower of knowledge 17:41  |  Jake 11/01/08   51.   Martin and Chaplin 18:11  |  Gil Franco 11/01/08   52.   A Mossad man? 18:45  |  Dav 11/01/08   53.   Said, yes the Israelites `ethnically cleansed` Canaan 19:03  |  Jake 11/01/08   54.   Said: AMEN! :) 19:20  |  Happy 11/01/08   55.   PAULINHO 20:21  |  Goldenberg 11/01/08   56.   Dav #49, "the Figaro revealed" 21:26  |  Jake 11/01/08   57.   #1, #30, #34, #49, #53 -- Sarkozy & Mossad 23:36  |  michhell 11/01/08   58.   Sarkozy Mossad pre-election trashes 23:48  |  bob 11/01/08   59.   Sarkozy 23:54  |  Garry 11/01/08   60.   Sarkozy`s Greek-Jewish roots 02:16  |  Ayse Koymen 12/01/08   61.   What a title 07:08  |  Danite 12/01/08   62.   jeremy martin 11:46  |  arthur 12/01/08   63.   jeremy martin- YOU ARE BIASED TOO 11:57  |  arthur 12/01/08   64.   germans roots-asia 12:04  |  arthur 12/01/08   65.   jeremy martin genealogician 12:09  |  arthur 12/01/08   66.   steve the pals education 12:23  |  arthur 12/01/08   67.   said cleansed mecca 12:30  |  arthur 12/01/08   68.   Roots and attitude 12:45  |  arthur 12/01/08   69.   to 62 13:30  |  Gusto 12/01/08   70.   To the wiseUp guy.... 14:47  |  Buzaglow 12/01/08   71.   # 22 Speak for yourself models love him! 15:08  |  Petra 12/01/08   72.   # 30 Perfect retort!!!!!!! Thanks 15:09