Ep 240: Ordinary Heroes with Bernie Furshpan and gues Larry Russo on hmTv

Ep. 240: Ordinary Heroes with Larry Russo on hmTv

In this powerful episode of Ordinary Heroes, host Bernie Furshpan speaks with filmmaker Larry Russo about his acclaimed PBS documentary Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria. The film weaves rare pre-war archival footage, survivor testimonies, and family photographs to resurrect the vibrant Jewish community of Kastoria, Greece—nearly wiped out during the Holocaust.

Russo shares his personal connection to the story, growing up as a Greek Jew in America, and his decades-long journey to bring the film to life. Together, he and Bernie discuss the 2,000-year history of Jews in Greece, the coexistence and betrayal that shaped wartime experiences, and the extraordinary acts of courage by those who risked their lives to save their neighbors.

More than a documentary, Trezoros is a call to memory, empathy, and tolerance at a time when antisemitism and hate continue to rise.

Watch the film at trezoros.com

Transcript

Ordinary Heroes – Ep. 240 with Larry Russo
Host: Bernie Furshpan | Guest: Larry Russo

Bernie:
I’m your host, Bernie Furshpan, and today’s episode of Ordinary Heroes on hmTv features a very special guest, Larry Russo. He’s no ordinary hero—he’s extraordinary in what he’s accomplished. He joins me today for a conversation about his film Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria. Welcome, Larry. Thank you so much for joining me.

Larry:
Thank you. Trezoros is a PBS documentary, about an hour and 26 minutes long, that first aired on April 2, 2018. It weaves never-before-seen pre-war archival footage with first-person testimonials to resurrect the vibrant Jewish community of Kastoria. Many people don’t even know there were Jewish communities in Greece.

Bernie:
Exactly. A mountain town in northwestern Greece near the Albanian border, where Sephardic Jews and Greek Orthodox Christians lived together for over two millennia.

Larry:
Actually, I’ll interject—there were also Turks during the Ottoman Empire period, not just Greeks. So you had Sephardic Jews, Greek Orthodox Christians, and Turks all living together.

Bernie:
Through survivor interviews, family photographs, and location shots of Kastoria’s lake and cobbled streets, Trezoros traces daily life, religious celebrations, and communal institutions before pivoting to the 1940 Axis invasion. Larry, you’re the executive producer and co-director. Let’s start with your own connection. Your name, Russo—your family were Greek Jews?

Larry:
Exactly. Jewish Greeks. Growing up, people often didn’t understand how you could be both. They’d say, “Greece? I thought you said you were Jewish.” That confusion is why I wanted to make this film—to show there was a 2,000-year Jewish history in Greece.

Bernie:
Why Trezoros as the title?

Larry:
In Ladino, trezoros means “treasures.” It was a term of endearment my parents used for the children. The film is about memory and history—treasures we lost.

Bernie:
My parents too called me and my brother “treasures,” in Hebrew. Seems like a Jewish cultural thread. How long did the film take to make?

Larry:
There were different stages. I began in 1996 at a monument dedication in Kastoria, filming surviving members of the Jewish community. Out of about a thousand Jews before the war, only thirty-eight survived; I interviewed as many as I could. Later, in 2009, I teamed up with my cousin Larry Confino, and we worked together for six years until the film’s 2015 screening. So—altogether, about ten years.

Bernie:
How did working on this story affect you personally?

Larry:
Deeply. As a child I saw the numbers tattooed on arms and didn’t understand. I thought they were phone numbers until I learned in school about the Holocaust. That realization—that I had no grandparents because they were murdered—filled me with anger and responsibility. Seeing their photos in my parents’ bedroom, I felt obligated to tell their stories.

Bernie:
I can relate—I had the same anger when I learned my family’s story. Before the war, Jews and Christians lived side by side. But when the Nazis came, it unraveled quickly.

Larry:
That’s true. Some Greeks turned over Jews, yes, but many others hid and protected them. In smaller towns especially, there was solidarity. We chose to highlight those stories of courage.

Bernie:
Exactly—those who risked their lives to save others are the true heroes.

Larry:
Yes. In fact, there’s a famous story from a Greek island where the local bishop, when asked by the Nazis for a list of Jews, handed in his own name along with the mayor’s. That kind of moral courage deserves to be remembered.

Bernie:
How was Trezoros received?

Larry:
Very positively—by both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, including the Greek community. Of course, there were a few critical voices, but overwhelmingly it was embraced. PBS aired it nationwide, it screened internationally, and it’s streaming at trezoros.com.

Bernie:
How does the film teach tolerance today?

Larry:
We focused on humanity—showing real people, their lives, their celebrations, their decency. That’s what resonates. The message is that we’re all in this together, and we cannot let extremists who spread hate dominate the narrative.

Bernie:
Social media makes that challenge even sharper today. What message would you want listeners to take from your film?

Larry:
Keep an open mind. Remember that the Jews of Kastoria were good people—families with traditions, respect, and decency. They were murdered out of bigotry and greed. And I’ll say it clearly: Nazis are not good. That should never be in doubt.

Bernie:
Society needs a reboot on the basics, and your film is an important tool. Jewish life in Greece was once so vibrant—Salonica alone had 50,000 Jews before the war, known as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” Now Athens has the largest community.

Larry:
That’s right. Almost everything else is gone.

Bernie:
Larry Russo, thank you for joining me. Trezoros is a powerful film that everyone should see. Visit trezoros.com—that’s T-R-E-Z-O-R-O-S—to watch.

Larry:
Thank you, Bernie.

Bernie:
And thank you to our listeners for joining us today on Ordinary Heroes on hmTv. I’m your host, Bernie Furshpan. Until next time.