During World War 2, the village hid a Jewish family from the Nazis, who often drove through the villages of the region in search of resistance fighters. In these cases, the family had to move out of the house in which they normally lived, to take refuge in the Karamanos cave that could not be seen from the road. The family consisted of 7 members. Rivka, the youngest daughter, came back to Kryoneri a few years ago and recognized everything and thanked the people. In her honor the community built a path to the cave and 7 stumbling stones were laid in the village for her and her family. They were not meant to stand for death, but as a reminder for the good deeds of the community. In total, they had to flee to the cave 17 times, sometimes staying there for several days until they could return to the village. The cohesion among the villagers was very impressive. They did not betray the family despite the potential threat that came with this decision. The villagers followed the words of Reverend Nicholas Athanasoulis: “You all know that a family from Athens came to our village. They say they are Christians, but we all know they are not. The Germans will come and offer you a bag of sugar or flour to betray this family. I warn you, if anyone speaks of them, I will burn your house. There will be no traitors in my village!”. She and her family financed the renovation of the amphitheater in 2018 as a gesture of expressing their gratitude to the people of Kryoneri. For the courageous acts of the people of Kryoneri, the village received the Yad Vashem – Righteous Among the Nations award.
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