▁he ▁focused ▁his ▁action ▁on ▁Th ess al on iki ' s ▁Jewish ▁community , ▁and ▁participated ▁in ▁a ▁spl inter ▁group ▁that — with ▁help ▁from ▁Pap an ast asi ou , ▁then ▁Prime ▁Minister — t ried ▁un success fully ▁to ▁split ▁the ▁Commun ist ▁Party . ▁At ▁that ▁time ▁he ▁and ▁Pap an ast asi ou ▁agreed ▁on ▁the ▁need ▁for ▁re forms ▁and ▁not ▁revolution , ▁and ▁on ▁the ▁priority ▁of ▁abol ishing ▁the ▁mon archy . ▁An ▁equally ▁ur gent ▁imper ative , ▁though , ▁was ▁comb ating ▁ ▁rac ism ▁and ▁anti - S emit ism . ▁ ▁Ben aro ya ▁remained ▁polit ically ▁active ▁after ▁ 1 9 2 4 ▁but ▁as ▁he ▁stayed ▁outside ▁the ▁principal ▁political ▁form ations ▁of ▁the ▁left , ▁the ▁commun ists ▁and ▁Pap an ast asi ou ' s ▁social ists , ▁his ▁capacity ▁for ▁action ▁was ▁increasing ly ▁restricted . ▁In ▁Th ess al on iki ▁he ▁had ▁a ▁difficult ▁political ▁life , ▁especially ▁after ▁the ▁Liber als ' ▁more ▁national ist ▁turn ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁de cade , ▁and ▁the ▁repeated ▁cou ps ▁d ' état ▁of ▁ 1 9 3 5 ▁that ▁destroyed ▁the ▁Republic ▁and ▁the ▁hopes ▁of ▁the ▁dem ocr atic ▁left . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁he ▁lost ▁a ▁son ▁during ▁the ▁Gre co - Ital ian ▁war , ▁he ▁surv ived ▁the ▁Naz i ▁concentration ▁cam ps , ▁and ▁led ▁a ▁small ▁social ist ▁party ▁in ▁Greece