The National Herald
ab
VOL. 9, ISSUE 443
GID Parade
Important
To Keeping
Spirit Alive
www.thenationalherald.com
A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION APRIL 8, 2006
$1.00 - GREECE: 1.75 Euro
Thousands Cheer and Wave Greek Flags on 5th Ave.
Annual Greek
Independence Day
Parade in NYC
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
By Zoe Tsine
preserved their national identity
and fought for their freedom,” he
said.
Mr. Mallias also talked about
the Greek's limited options during
their brave struggle on land and at
sea, pitted against such Turkish
atrocities as the kidnapping of
Greek children and their transformation into “genitsaroi” (the
Janissaries; fanatic and cruel soldiers), the massacre of the island
NEW YORK - Manhattan's
Fifth Avenue was once again a
venue for the proud Greek American community to demonstrate its
spirit and vital presence in New
York. A cheering crowd of roughly
100,000 Greek Americans and their
friends filled the famous thoroughfare from 61st to 79th Streets last
Sunday, April 2, on the occasion of
this year's Greek Independence
Day Parade, waving flags and enthusiastically cheering Parade participants.
Officials from Greece and the
United States also joined the annual festivities, organized by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of
Greater New York, in cooperation
with several city and Greek American community groups and organizations.
March 25th was proclaimed by
the U.S. Government and several
States as an official day to commemorate the Greek Revolution of
1821, when the Greek nation declared its intention to cast off four
centuries of Ottoman occupation.
Large crowds stood on the sidewalks along the avenue, saluting the
different marching groups and
floats in a peaceful and jovial manner. The Parade sent a clear message, which was echoed by many officials during events leading up to
the big moment: namely that Greek
Americans draw strength and inspiration from their rich history, cultural heritage, language and religion as they continue to move forward into the future of their adopted country.
This year's Parade was dedicated
to the late Archbishop Iakovos, who
passed away as last year's parade
was drawing to a close on April 10,
2005.
The Parade was also a tribute to
America's early Greek immigrants.
“In New York City, we remember all the different groups that
have contributed to its growth every
Continued on Page 7
Continued on Page 7
Special to The National Herald
NEW YORK - Greeks from all
of New York's boroughs gathered
across 20 blocks along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue last Sunday,
April 2, to once again wave their
flags and make their presence
known in commemoration of
March 25th, Greek Independence
Day. People of all ages, carrying
flags and sporting pins and blue
and white t-shirts cheered their
fellow Greeks, and upheld what
they believe is a vital community
tradition.
“All the Greeks of America
must get together, unite and make
sure that our children do not lose
sight of their heritage,” Constantine Iordanides, a retiree from Astoria and a member and former
board member of the Pontion Society Komninoi for the past 40
years, told the National Herald. In
the past 40 years, Mr. Iordanides
said, he has only missed a Greek
Independence Day Parade once,
because he was in the hospital.
“You'll always see me here,” he
laughed.
Mr. Iordanides was there with
one of his four daughters and two
of his seven grandchildren. “We
must send our children to Greek
schools so that they learn our language and culture, and to our societies to maintain our customs,” he
said. His father, Michael Iordanides, was one of the first members of the Pontian Society
Komninoi.
“March 25th is a great opportunity to remember who we are. We
must take measures to promote
our heritage the rest of the year,
too,” he said, adding that “higherups” in the community should promote Greek culture more and encourage community members all
over America to support Greek
parochial schools. “I hope Greek
Americans will keep doing well in
Continued on Page 6
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
The Greek American community of New York and its friends gathered on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue last Sunday to pay tribute to the heroes and
heroines of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Turks.
Beltway Greek Schools Celebrate March 25th
By Dimitri Soultogiannis
Special to The National Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
Greek schools of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC celebrated one of the brightest days in
modern Greek history: Greek Independence Day, the 25th of
March, which coincides with the
feast day of the Annunciation.
Children and their parents
gathered early in the morning at
the Saint Sophia Cathedral in
Washington to celebrate the Annunciation, the day when our
heroic ancestors, in 1821, chose to
declare their national freedom,
and their determination to die for
it.
Rev. John Tavlarides, dean of
the of Cathedral, welcomed the
children, their parents, as well as
Greek Ambassador to the United
States Alexandros Mallias, along
with his staff from the Greek Embassy in Washington, and many
others who attended Divine Litur-
gy services at the Cathedral that
day.
Father Tavlarides spoke about
the period from May 29, 1453 until
March 25, 1821, almost 400 years,
when the Greeks found themselves enslaved by the Ottoman
Turks.
“For four centuries, the Greeks
lived under the oppression, humiliation and torture of their Ottoman conqueror. Yet despite all
their suffering, strengthened by
their Orthodox faith, the Greeks
The Evzones: A Regiment
Of Battle and Ceremony
By Zoe Tsine
Special to The National Herald
NEW YORK - Last Sunday,
thousands of Greek Americans
watched the Evzones, a group of
foustanella-clad young Greek
men, marching up New York's
Fifth Avenue for the annual Greek
Independence Day Parade.
Meanwhile, back in Athens,
tourists from around the world
were snapping pictures of the Evzones, changing guard in front of
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
at the Hellenic Parliament.
But the Evzones, the elite Presidential
Guard
(“Proedriki
Froura” in Greek), are more than
just a Parade highlight or a tourist
attraction. They have a long history, in both battle and ceremony,
which stretches over more than a
century.
When their regiment (the
“Tagma Evzonon” in Greek) was
founded in 1868 as the royal
guard, it was meant to serve as
both a combatant and a ceremonial force. At their zenith, the Evzones comprised a total of five regiments, and were considered the
elite of the Hellenic Army. As
such, they were frequently used as
shock troops (i.e., units) intended
to lead an attack.
The Evzones did just that during the Balkan and both World
Wars, as well as in other major
Greek conflicts, suffering tremen-
*040806*
dous casualties. Ernest Hemingway who, before achieving literary
fame, covered the 1922 Asia Minor Destruction for the Toronto
Star, wrote about dead Greek men
in “ballet skirts” - his words for the
foustanelles worn by fallen Evzones.
During World War II, the occupying German forces raised Evzone regiments attired in traditional tsolias uniform and ordered
them to report to Nazi authorities.
Those Evzones were referred to in
colloquial Greek as Germano-tsoliades (German Evzones), a
derogatory term used as another
word for traitor, even today.
In 1944, the Evzones were disbanded, and assigned with a solely
ceremonial role, which is reflected
in their changing names: the
Palace Guard, the Flag Guard, the
Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Royal Guard
and finally, since 1974 and the
Continued on Page 6
One-Year
Memorial
Tribute to the
Late Archbishop
Iakovos, who Fell
Asleep in the Lord
On April 10, 2005
See Pages 8-11
Dora: Turkey
Must Honor
Commitments
States and Greece,” according to
Ambassador Ries. “This is not just
a slogan,” he said, adding that the
State Department was pleased
Greek Foreign Minister Dora
Bakoyanni's recent visit to Washington and her meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“Greece and the United States
NICOSIA - The European
Union expects Turkey to extend a
customs union, known as the
Ankara Protocol, to include EU
member Cyprus, Greece's new
foreign minister said this past
Wednesday.
Greek Foreign Minister Bakoyanni, who started an official threeday visit to Cyprus this past Tuesday, also called on Turkey to fulfill
its obligations towards the E.U.,
and to join the United Nations
technical committees which will
investigate new ways to resolve the
Cyprus problem.
In setting up technical committees comprising Greek Cypriots
and Turkish Cypriots, as Republic
of Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
agreed in Paris last month, she
said, it is important that Turkey
should support these committees.
"This is what the European
Continued on Page 2
Continued on Page 13
EUROKINISSI
Two Evzones, members of the Hellenic Republic's elite Presidential Guard, changing guard in front of the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the main entrance of the Hellenic Parliament in Athens, where they keep a
24-hour watch.
Five Honored at 5th Annual Business Conference
By Dimitri Soultogiannis
Special to The National Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
Hellenic American Heritage
Council honored five distinguished people for their contribution to the continuous effort of improving United States-Greece relations.
Among the honorees were Se-
nator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland,
who is also a ranking member on
the Senate Banking Committee
and International Economic Policy Subcommittee; Greek Minister
of Education & Religious Affairs
Marietta Giannakou; U.S Ambassador to Greece Charles Ries; and
U.S.-Greece Business Council
Chairman Alex Spanos, who was
represented by his grandson, John
Spanos.
During the banquet for the 5th
annual Business Conference on
U.S.-Greece relations, which was
held in Washington, DC last week,
the four honorees had the chance
to thank the HAHC, and to discuss issues of mutual concern between the two countries.
“There is a strong strategic
partnership between the United
2 COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Hellenic American Heritage Council Holds its 5th Annual Business Conference
Continued from page 1
are both sovereign countries.
From time to time, we do have different perspectives on different issues, but those differences do not
affect our bilateral relations,” Mr.
Ries said.
Ambassador Ries also noted
Greece's philanthropic contribution after Hurricane Katrina hit. “I
personally traveled to New Orleans, along with Greek Ambassador (to the U.S.) Alexandros
Mallias and handed an $85,000
check, funds coming from the
Greek Government for rebuilding
efforts,” Mr. Ries said.
He also cited recent improvements in the Greek economy.
“The Greek Government should
be very proud. The economy continues to grow. The deficit has
been limited. And investors, as
well as NGO's, are eager to invest
in the region,” he said.
According to Mr. Ries, Greece
is among the leading investors in
the Balkans, and can play a pivotal
role in spreading democracy in the
Middle East. Since Greece is “the
world's oldest democracy,” he
added, Greece and the U.S. share
common values and, together, can
work towards a fair solution to the
Cyprus problem.
Senator Sarbanes also emphasized the strong alliance between
Greece and the United States.
“Greece is a country that has
changed dramatically over the last
couple of years,” he said.
Greece can now play a new better role on an international level,
he added, thanking the HACC for
the award and acknowledged the
presence of Mrs. Giannakou. “I'm
very happy about the minister's
visit here in Washington,” he said.
“Minister Giannakou has worked
very hard, and has taken big steps
towards the improvement of the
Greek education system.” Senator
Sarbanes also mentioned his private discussion with the Minister
and noted the “cooperation” between Greece and the United
States on an educational level.
Mrs. Giannakou thanked Mr.
Sarbanes for his kind words and
said, “Greece has a lot to learn and
adopt from the American education system, and vice versa.”
Greece and the United States are
trying to promote exchange programs for Greek students to come
to the United States, and for
American students, whether they
are of Greek descent or not, to go
to Greece to study, she added,
thanking the HACC for the award
and its recognition of her work as
minister of education.
BILL PETROS
John Spanos accepted one of the Hellenic American Heritage Council's five awards on behalf of his grandfather, California real estate magnate
Alex Spanos last week. Above (L-R) are Andrew Athens, Technical Olympic USA CEO Tony Mon, Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Alexandros Mallias, Mr. Spanos, Raytheon Director of International Business Development Mark Clark, HAHC Chairman Ed Derwinski and Andrew Manatos.
John Spanos received the
award on behalf of his grandfather, California real estate magnate Alex Spanos. “I'm particularly happy tonight, to be addressing
this very distinguished crowd,”
John Spanos said. “My grandfather always taught me to be proud
of my Greek heritage, and tonight,
I couldn't be any more proud of
both my grandfather, and my
Greek heritage.”
Among others, the dinner was
attended by Mr. Mallias and
Cypriot Ambassador to the U.S.
Euripides Evriviades.
The Conference started last
Thursday, March 30, with remarks
offered by Mr. Ries and Mr. Mallias. The day was spent with
roundtable discussions on what
has been done, and what can be
done in the future, to contribute to
U.S.-Greece relations. The first
National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes Meets with R. Nicholas Burns
By Dimitri Soultogiannis
Special to The National Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The State
Department has acknowledged that recent efforts to reunify Cyprus have been ineffective,
and is seeking to modify its approach to the
problem, and to “start fresh,” according to
members of the National Coordinated Effort
of Hellenes.
NCEH leaders met with Undersecretary of
State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns
and Assistant Secretary for European Affairs
Daniel Fried at the State Department this
past Monday afternoon, and discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus issue.
During that meeting, CEH members said,
Mr. Burns said Cyprus should become a member of NATO.
Among the organization's members present were CEH President Andrew Manatos,
Andrew Athens, Philip Christopher, Panicos
Papanicolaou and Mike Manatos.
The meeting lasted for about an hour and
30 minutes, according to Mr. Manatos, who
said there was an “in-depth” discussion about
the role the United States can play for a fair
and peaceful Cyprus Settlement.
The discussion with the two State Department officials was productive and fruitful, Mr.
Manatos said, and the results should become
more visible in the weeks and months ahead.
The State Department apparently recognizes that some its efforts have not been effective in the past.
“Mr. Burns and Mr. Fried seemed to agree
that the American policy toward Cyprus of
the last 25 months has not produced positive
movement. They expressed a willingness to
undertake a new approach on this issue and a
fresh start with respect to negotiations,” Mr.
Manatos said.
The United States Government has repeatedly expressed its position in favor of a bizonal, bi-communal federal state for Cyprus,
with one government, one citizenship and one
international identity.
According to Mr. Manatos, Mr. Burns said
that, since Cyprus is already a member of the
European Union, the critical objective now is
for Cyprus to become a NATO member and
ally, as well.
Mr. Manatos also said the U.S. is willing to
work along with CEH and the Cypriot
Government in order to achieve that objective
as soon as possible.
CEH members said they were intent on
setting up a meeting with Mr. Burns, a former
U.S. Ambassador to Greece and then to
NATO, because he is the most senior-level
Administration official dealing directly with
the Cyprus issue in-depth.
The Greek positions on the longstanding
dispute were reiterated in a constructive manner, CEH members added, addressing direct
flights to the occupied territory, increased
U.S. aid to northern Cyprus, direct meetings
of Congressional staff with the Turkish-occupation regime and the Annan Plan, which was
overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek side in
referendum two years ago.
Greek Education Minister Discusses Key Issues Stateside
By Dimitri Soultogiannis
Special to The National Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Greek
Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Marietta Giannakou
visited Washington, DC last week
and held a series of meetings with
American and Greek American officials on Hellenic education issues.
During her stay on March 28-31,
she also had the chance to attend
the 5th annual Business Conference
on U.S.-Greece relations (see related story).
“I am very satisfied with all the
meetings I had here in Washington,” Mrs. Giannakou told reporters at a press conference, which
was held shortly prior to her departure back to Athens. “I had the
chance to meet and speak with educators who teach at Greek schools
here in the United States. I was particularly impressed with how qualified these people are.”
Mrs. Giannakou also offered assurances that the Greek Education
Ministry will provide Greek schools
in America and around the world
any assistance necessary. “We are
willing to provide Greek schools
abroad with books and other materials necessary to teach and preserve the Greek language and culture,” she said.
Earlier, during a speech at the
Woodrow Wilson Center, she underscored the need to assist foreign
students studying in Greece to become familiar with the country's education system. “In many cases, we
have established centers and programs that provide special assistance to foreign students,” she said.
GREEK JEWISH HISTORY
During her stay, Mrs. Giannakou also visited and toured the
Holocaust Museum. The Greek
Education Ministry has recently established seminars for Greek edu-
PHOTO COURTESY OF SEP
Greek Education & Religious Affairs Minister Marietta Giannakou and John Sitilides, chairman of the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Southeast Europe Project's Board of Advisors, during
a forum at the Wilson Center in Washington last week.
cators in order to teach Greek students the history of the Holocaust,
and has also published “The Jewish
Greek Holocaust: Monuments and
Memories,” which will be used as a
teaching manual in Greek classrooms. The book contains photographs, as well as historical data
about 25 Greek cities inhabited by
Greek Jews at the time of World
War II which were also affected by
the tragic events of the Holocaust.
According to Mrs. Giannakou,
the new book has been received
well by both teachers and students
in Greece. During her visit, Holocaust Museum staff and members
of the Jewish American community
thanked her for the Greek Government's efforts to teach the history of
Greek Jews to Greek students.
At the press conference, Mrs.
Giannakou discussed the role of the
Task Force for International Coop-
eration on Holocaust Education
Remembrance and Research, an
organization in which Greece participates. “Greece is proud to be a
member of this task force,” she stated. “At the Ministry, we have
worked hard to achieve that goal.
Our accession into this task force
promotes Greece's image on an international level.”
MUSLIMS IN GREECE
Mrs. Giannakou also discussed
the increasing diversity of Greek society, and the way it affects the
Greek educational system. “It is a
fact that there is a sizeable Muslim
population in western Thrace 33,000 of them are Greek citizens.
You realize, therefore, the absolute
need for integration and assimilation of those populations with the
rest of Greek society, and this can
certainly be done successfully
through education.”
Mrs. Giannakou pointed out
that, today, immigrants comprise 10
percent of Greece's total population. “Over the past two years, the
Greek Government has worked
very hard for the assimilation of
these populations, and I think we
can proudly say today that most foreigners get along and live harmoniously with the rest of the country's
native population,” she said. “People should not be scared to exercise
their faith and religion.”
Regarding the state of religious
freedom and human rights in
Greece, Mrs. Giannakou noted that
“the reality in Greece is much better
than what has been described in relevant State Department reports.”
When asked by reporters about
the discrepancy and recent debates
over the creation of a mosque in
downtown Athens, that issue was
“not an easy one,” she said, adding
that building a mosque in Athens is
not likely to happen overnight.
“You need to realize that the
creation of a mosque in downtown
Athens might take a long time,” she
said, pointing out that Muslims in
Greece often practice their religion
outdoors, unlike many other faiths,
“and this is a problem for us, but we
are working on the issue.”
CHURCH IN AMERICA
The role of the Greek Orthodox
Church in America, as well as issues
concerning Greek parochial education, were also addressed during
Mrs. Giannakou's meeting with His
Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
of America. The Archbishop commended the Greek minister for her
handling of both educational and
ecclesiastical matters, “which are
not always easy.” His Eminence also said he was sure Mrs. Giannakou's visit to the United States
would “constitute yet another example of the close link between
Greece and the Greek American
community.”
Mrs. Giannakou said she considered Archbishop Demetrios “a
point of reference for the further
work which can be made for the
sake of peoples' broadly - through
the interfaith dialogue, and from
the dialogue between Church and
State,” adding that “the role of the
church of America, in relation to
education and children, is always
very strong.”
While she was stateside, Mrs.
Giannakou also met with Georgetown University Dean Wayne Davis
to discuss the possibilities of establishing a Hellenic Studies Department and exchange programs at the
University. “Georgetown is one of
the finest institutions of higher
learning in the world,” Mrs. Giannakou said, and the Greek Government is very keen on cultivating its
relationship with the University.
roundtable discussion focused on
“Foreign Affairs, Military and Security Issues.” Speakers included
Greek
Foreign
Ministry
Spokesman George Koumoutsakos, State Department Director
for Southeastern European Affairs Doug Silliman, former U.S.
Ambassador to Greece Robert
Keeley; former Cabinet Member,
Undersecretary of State and
Ranking Republican on the House
Foreign Affairs Committee Edward Derwinski; and former U.S.
Ambassador to Qatar Patrick
Theros. Among the panelists who
raised key questions following the
presentations were Raytheon
Company Director of International Business Development Mark
Clark, as well as Lockheed Martin
and Maritime Systems & Sensors
Director Brian Burlingame.
The second roundtable discussion focused on “Success Stories:
U.S. Companies Investing in
Greece and Greek companies Investing in the U.S.” Among the
speakers elaborating on this topic
were Mr. Ries; Mr. Mallias; American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
President
Stephanos
Costopoulos; U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Senior Policy Director
for European Affairs Scevole de
Cazotte; Technical Olympic and
Atlantic Bank CEO's Tony Mon
and Tom O'Brien, respectively,
who talked about Greek success
stories in the America; and Jasper
Energy President & CEO Robert
Paladino, who talked about an
American success story in Greece.
Among the panelists who raised
key questions was KAPA Research Group International Affairs Director Doris Tryfon.
The third roundtable discussion
focused on Greek Education and
Culture in America. Among the
speakers who talked about the importance of Greek education in
the U.S. was the His Eminence
Archbishop Demetrios of America, Onassis Foundation Executive
Director Ambassador Loucas Tsilas, Harvard Center for Hellenic
Studies Director Gregory Nagy;
Council of Hellenes Abroad
(SAE) World President Andrew
Athens; American Association of
State Colleges & Universities
President Constantine Curris; and
Host and Roundtable Chairman
Michael Angelakis. Among the
panelists who raised key questions
following the presentations were
Society for the Preservation of
Greek Heritage President Anna
Lea, Greek Embassy Cultural
Counselor Zoe Kosmidou and
Greek Embassy Education Counselor Zoe Zoni Kavogli.
CORRECTION
In our April 1 edition (last
week), we published an interview with Greek American historian
Dr.
Constantine
Hatzidimitriou on the role of
U.S. during the Greek War of
Independence, drawing an erroneous parallel between the
Ottoman Turks and the Ku
Klux Klan.
The published text included
an anecdote Dr. Hatzidimitriou
shared with the Herald pertaining to Phil-Hellenic sentiment
in United States - specifically
about a group of African Americans who raised a large white
cross in support of the Greek
cause.
“Even in Brooklyn, African
American supporters had erected a giant white cross to popularize the Greek cause,” Dr.
Hatzidimitriou told the National Herald.
Our intention was to make a
comparison between the Greek
struggle and the abolitionist
movement against African
American slavery in U.S. during
the first half of the 19th Century, as well as to demonstrate the
sympathy
several
African
Americans felt towards the occupied Greeks, a reminder of
their own struggles.
The Klan's first incarnation
was in 1866, however, some
four decades after the Greek
Revolution commenced. Its
main purpose was to resist Congressional Reconstruction, and
it focused as much on intimidating
“carpetbaggers”
and
“scalawags” as it did on putting
down the freed slaves. It quickly
adopted violent methods, but
there was no correlation between the KKK and the African
Americans expressing support
for the Greek Revolution.
COMMUNITY 3
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
GOINGS ON...
April 8
The Greek Cultural Center, Inc
hosts an evening in honor of author, poet and founding member
Eleni Paidoussi at the Stathakion
Center, 22-51 29th Street in Astoria; at 7:30 pm. Minimum donation $40. Wine and dinner. RSVP
at (718) 726-7329 or [email protected].
April 8
“Modern Day Penelopes: a CrossCultural Symposium,” is hosted at
the at the Hellenic Museum and
Cultural Center, 801 W. Adams St.
4th Floor, in Chicago, IL; 9:30 am1:30 pm. Featuring Aliki Hadji,
Consul General of Greece in
Chicago and other female panelists
representing the Arab Arts Council, Chicago's Japanese American
Historical Society, the DuSable
Museum of African American History, the Indo-American Center
and the Ukrainian Institute of
Modern Art. Complimenting the
exhibition “Penelopeia: The Other
Journey;
e-migration.”
Roundtable discussions during
lunch follow panel. HMCC members $25, non-members $35; includes continental breakfast and
lunch. RSVP-(312) 655-1234.
April 8-9
GreecExpo 2006, the world's
largest Greek luxury travel and
culture exhibition is hosted at
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center,
New York City. Featuring American and Greek tourism professionals for a weekend of networking,
promotion and entertainment.
Greek breakfasts and lunches, educational seminars, ecotourism
and sustainable travel updates, expedition tales and cultural insights, movie screenings, a fashion
show, a Greek traditional music
night and a Mykonos dance party
at the landmark nightclub Webster
Hall NYC. A tribute gala to honor
Oscar-winning
writer/director
Alexander Payne will be held on
April 8-www.greecexpo.com or
email [email protected].
April 9
Author Eleni Gage will discuss her
book, "North of Ithaka,” at the
Ferguson Library, Broad Street
and Atlantic/Bedford Street, 3rd
floor auditorium, in Stamford,
Conn; at 2 pm. Followed by book
sale and dance performance by the
students of the Greek Orthodox
Church of the Annunciation. Admission free. Greek refreshments
served.
April 10
The American Hellenic Institute
Business Network and the New
York Chapter of the American
Hellenic Institute host their
monthly Informal Networking Reception for members and guests, at
Avra Restaurant, 141 East 48th
Street (between Lexington and 3rd
Avenues)-(212) 759-8550; 5:30 to
7:30 pm. Cash bar, complimentary
hors d'ouervres. RSVP to Andonis
Neroulias at [email protected] by
April 9. Info-ahiworld.org.
April 13
A lecture entitled, “The Transformation of the Cypriot Society and
the role of the Cyprus University”
with Dr. Stavros Zenios, Rector of
the University of Cyprus is hosted
at the Archdiocesan Cathedral
Center Ballroom, 337 East 74th
street in Manhattan; 6:30 pm-7:30
pm. Hosted by the Cyprus Federa-
tion of America, the International
Coordinating Committee Justice
for Cyprus and the Cyprus Youth
of America, CYCA. Under the
auspices of Archbishop Demetrios
of America. Refreshments will be
served-Despina Axiotakis, (201)
444-5609 or Sophia Cotzia, (718)
545-7202.
April 8-22
Greek artist Despo Magoni is featured in “The Artist and the
Book,” a group exhibition hosted
at the Pelham Art Center gallery,
155 5th Avenue in Pelham, NY.
Exhibition explores the variety and
diversity of the artist's engagement
with the book. Hours: Tues.-Fr.,
10-5 pm; Sat., 10-4 pm. Free and
open to the public-(914) 738-2525
or [email protected].
April 8-17
The National Arts Club hosts “Reflections from Greece,” a group
exhibition of nine Greek painters
at 15 Gramercy Park South in
Manhattan. Gallery hours, information-(212) 475-3424 or www.nationalartsclub.org.
April 25
The American Hellenic Institute
hosts a Noon Forum presented by
Nicholas G. Karambelas, AHI Legal Counsel and attorney at law,
Sfikas and Karambelas, L.L.P. on
“Aegean Sea Treaty Regimes and
U.S. Law” at the Hellenic House,
1220 16th Street, NW in Washington, DC; 12 - 1 pm. Light refreshments served. RSVP by April 21 at
(202) 785-8430 or at [email protected].
April 8-May 21
Aeschylus' tragedy “The Persians”
will be performed by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at The
Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street
NW Washington, DC. A new version by Ellen McLaughlin, directed by Ethan McSweeny, on one of
seven surviving plays by Aeschylus
about the perils of unbridled pride
and overreaching power. April 9:
discussion about the play, entitled
“Windows on Aeschylus,” led by
members of the company's artistic
staff, education department and
by scholars; at 1 pm. Reservations
required. April 12: post-performance discussion with members of
the acting company. No reservations required-Box office, (202)
547-1122
or
ShakespeareTheatre.org.
April 8-May 6
“From Byzantium to Modern
Greece: Hellenic Art in Adversity,
1453-1830” an exhibition of 137
artifacts from the Benaki Museum
in Athens continues at the Onassis
Cultural Center, Olympic Tower,
645 Fifth Avenue (entrance on
51st or 52nd Street, between Fifth
and Madison Avenues) in Manhattan. Organized by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit
Foundation. Including icons,
paintings, woodcarving, embroidery and an early El Greco painting. Mon.-Sat: 10 am-6 pm. Admission free-(212) 486-8314 or
www.onassisusa.org.
April 8-June 16
“Penelopeia: The Other Journey;
e-migration,” a contemporary art
exhibition featuring Greek and international women artists is hosted
at the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, 801 W. Adams St.
4th Floor, in Chicago, IL.
No Charges Filed Against Yanni after Incident
MANALAPAN, Florida (AP) No charges will be filed against
Yanni after the musician's domestic battery arrest earlier last
month, authorities said.
The Greek-born pianist, whose
legal name is John (Yanni)
Christopher, was arrested March 3
at his Manalapan home after his
girlfriend, Silvia Barthes, 33, told
police Yanni grabbed her and
shook her, then threw her on the
bed and jumped on her, according
to a police report.
Barthes had a bloody lip, but
told officers she thought she might
have hit herself when Yanni shook
her, the report stated. Yanni
claimed Barthes kicked him during
the scuffle at his beachfront home.
"Essentially, it came down to a
'he said, she said,' " Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the
state attorney in Palm Beach
County, said last Friday, March 31.
"The alleged event took place behind closed doors without any independent witnesses or evidence
Greek-born feel-good pianist Yanni was not charged with domestic
battery after an incident early last month. Yanni thanked his fans and
the Florida community for their support through this “painful time.”
The Associated Press posted
the above the above on April 1.
Baltimore Cathedral Celebrates its 100th Anniversary
By Matthew Hay Brown
The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE - One hundred
years ago today (March 18), a cross
section of Baltimore's nascent
Greek community came together at
the Union Hall which then stood on
East Fayette Street.
Greeks, many from the Peloponnesian prefecture of Laconia, had
been coming to the city since the
1890's. Already they had attracted
itinerant priests to conduct services
and perform sacraments in private
homes and rented halls. Now they
were ready to form a church - the
first in Maryland for their Greek
Orthodox Christian faith.
That initial congregation of immigrant confectioners and fruit
dealers, laborers and bootblacks,
heard the Divine Liturgy and raised
$400. In time, their Ekklisia tou
Evangelismou would grow into the
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the
Annunciation. Today, the church,
now on Preston Street at Maryland
Avenue, is one of the largest Greek
Orthodox parishes in the country,
with some 1,300 families participating in a full range of religious, educational and charitable programs.
"I don't think the 150 people who
gathered in that Union Hall could
have imagined this place today," said
the Very Rev. Constantine Moralis,
the 39-year-old dean of the cathedral. "Our people have a lot to be
proud of."
The church, still a focal point of
the city's Greek community, celebrated 100 years of Orthodoxy in
Maryland on March 19, with a
Divine Liturgy to be led by
Metropolitan Evangelos Kourounis
of New Jersey. Up to 1,000 people
attended the post-service banquet
with the Metropolitan. Cardinal
William H. Keeler, the Roman
Catholic archbishop of Baltimore,
and other clergy also joined the celebration.
"Certainly we will raise our glasses to our founders, because we
wouldn't be here if they hadn't put
the hard work in and hadn't had the
desire to establish a religious community," said Georgeann Morekas,
president of the parish council.
From that first meeting in 1906,
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to support the charge."
In a statement, Yanni said that,
several days after the incident,
Barthes' attorney sought a monetary settlement. No money was
paid, he said.
"The allegations claimed were
always false and completely without any merit. Unfortunately,
celebrities are often seen as easy
targets, and are very vulnerable to
these kinds of baseless allegations
and false demands for money," the
musician said.
"I want to thank my family,
friends, fans and everyone who has
supported me through this very
difficult and painful time. I love
the Florida community in which I
live, and will continue to have faith
in our justice system," he added.
No civil suit had been filed at
press time, but should there be a
civil action, Yanni said he would
vigorously defend his innocence.
the founders moved quickly to expand their Church of the Annunciation, according to a history written
by Nicholas M. Prevas. A council
elected that day voted to offer the
Greek community in Washington
$100 to use their priest once a
month for services in Baltimore.
The following year, the Rev. Constantine Douropoulos sailed from
Greece to become the new church's
first fulltime priest.
The parish purchased property at
Homewood Avenue and Chase
Street in 1909 and established a
Greek-language school in 1912. The
community set up a Greek American Building & Savings Association
in 1913, and purchased the first of
several sections of Woodlawn
Cemetery for their dead.
There were growing pains, for
the church as for the community, according to the Prevas history. As the
post-World War I struggle between
Royalists and Venizelists split
Greeks, so it divided the immigrants
who made up the new parish. Royalists hired their own priest in 1923
and formed the Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church. Annunciation,
meanwhile, went through eight
priests from 1920 to 1930.
At the same time, Prevas writes,
the community was forming charitable groups, regional societies and
fraternal organizations which would
help the church reunify when hostilities ended in Greece at the end of
the 1920's.
Carolyn Marmaras Tsakalas
grew up at Annunciation. Her
grandfather was a longtime member
of the parish council; her grandson
is an altar boy. She thinks of the days
when Annunciation was the only
Greek Orthodox parish in Baltimore. "Everybody knew everyone
else," she said. "We were one big
family. This is where you came to
meet. This is the hub."
Now one of three Greek Orthodox parishes in Baltimore, Annunciation was declared the Greek
Orthodox Cathedral for Maryland
in 1975. There have been other
changes. Slowly, the liturgy has
evolved from entirely Greek to
mostly English. More non-Greeks
have joined, either as spouses of
members, or as converts attracted to
Orthodox Christianity.
Still, Annunciation remains a
spiritual base for the Greek community, a meeting place and a means of
maintaining a common heritage
through religious services, language
and religious instruction, and festivals and celebrations. "With the customs and traditions that were passed
down to us, we're now passing them
onto future generations," said
Jeanne Tsakalos, a lifelong member.
The church is also active in charity, through its Philoptochos organization - the word means "friends of
the poor" - and other efforts. The
parish sent thousands of health kits
to the victims of the Asian tsunami,
and more than a planeload of relief
supplies to the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Baltimore Sun published
the above on March 18. The original headline is, “Celebrating a
Century: Members of Maryland's
first Greek Orthodox parish are to
mark its centenary with a service
tomorrow.”
4 PEOPLE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
N.Y. State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Golia Is All About Fairness
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
NEW YORK - Associate Appellate Term and Supreme Court
Justice, Joseph G. Golia of
Queens County professes his love
for fish dishes at Elia's Corner and
chops at Neptune Diner in Astoria, and said he gladly accepts financial tips from Stavros, the
Cypriot gas station owner and a
self-taught financial wizard.
The Italian American judge, a
Democrat, has had strong ties to
the Greek American community
beyond his eating habits, however.
Judge Golia has been a member of
AHEPA since the 1960's and
spoke to the National Herald in a
recent interview about the similarities he believes that Greeks and
Italians share in their upbringing
and their history.
It is often from texts of Greek
and Italian history that the Judge
said one can learn to understand
justice. The sense of fairness he
personally aspires to is best
echoed in the Greco-Roman Law
of Magna Grecia he said, the first
codified law system created by the
Romans, upon which our own
common legal system is based today. “You've got to be reasonable,
fair and understanding and bring
all these qualities into the proceedings,” he told the Herald. “A
sense of justice is unjudged,” he
added. “Justice is not necessarily
fair, but you can make the law
work better if you can bring that
fairness into it.”
Judge Golia does not fit into
typical judge stereotypes. His decisions affect human lives and the
future of communities and government organizations, but in person,
he is anything but austere and authoritative, and wins you over by
being instantly approachable and
openhearted.
His views about justice reflect
his personality. He told the Herald
that justice should always be tempered with mercy. “Once a person
is convicted and awaits sentencing,
the judge's role becomes harder,”
he mused. “That's when mercy
comes in.”
The judge compared his job at
this challenging stage to that of a
Judge Joseph Golia, who worked to put himself through college, says
the percentage of civil law crime among Greeks is “very low.”
social worker, because a judge
should be able to evaluate the
unique circumstances of an individual case. “Stealing a loaf of
bread is certainly an unlawful act,
but if it is performed by a poor fellow needing to feed his starving
child, as opposed to someone
stealing a TV set just to have fun, it
involves different motives that one
is obligated to consider,” he explained.
Judge Golia said his job is not a
nine-to-five occupation. It involves
agonizing efforts and special considerations because a judge is
called upon to deal with his own
complex feelings concerning a sentence. He said he firmly believes
that people can learn from their
mistakes, even from inside a jail
cell.
As for the drop in the overall
crime rate in New York since former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's
first term, he said that it is the result of increased police patrol in
the streets, as well as special programs which have been implemented in the areas of prevention,
education and correction. “People
begin to understand that prison is
not a nice place,” he told the Herald. “In general, the percentage of
civil law crime among Greeks is
very low,” he added.
Judge Golia's recent rulings include a court decision opposing
the construction of power facilities
in Long Island City, a project undertaken by the New York Power
Authority to allow ten generators
considered likely to contaminate
the waterfront site where the plant
was going to be built. At this time,
following the signing of an agreement between NYPA and the
Queens Borough President, the
site is free of all pre-existing electric stalks and it is in the process of
being revamped.
It could be considered fitting
that Judge Golia's decisions affect
the area of Queens, where he has
lived all his life.
His parents hailed from Naples,
but were both born and raised in
Queens. Although not affluent,
they instilled a strong work ethic in
him. He said he worked hard to
make it through college. After
studying industrial management as
an undergraduate, he went to New
PHOTOS: TNH/COSTAS BEJ
NYS Supreme Court Justice of Queens County Joseph Golia, a longtime member of AHEPA, discusses his
career and judicial philosophy during a recent interview with the National Herald. The judge said that mercy is an important part of the judicial process.
York University Law School, from
which he emerged as an industrial
management relations attorney,
thus combining both engineering
and law. After completing his military service, he entered the job
market. Despite facing early discriminatory remarks that “he
would not be easily hired by anyone because he is Latin,” Judge
Golia persevered. His first job was
with an insurance company specializing in the defense field
where, upon being interviewed, he
was hired on the spot and started
work the same day. He said that
attitudes of discrimination, such as
the ones he dealt with during his
years of struggling, are less frequent today, while he praised
AHEPA's mission to fight prejudice against Greeks and other ethnic groups.
Judge Golia was appointed to
his first judicial position on the
New York City Court in 1982, by
then mayor Edward Koch. He was
elected to a full term on that court
in 1983. In 1987, he was elected to
the New York State Supreme
Court, a position to which he was
reelected in 2001. His legal career
includes supervision of the Hartford Insurance Company's Queens
County Civil Court staff; a term of
service with the Queens County
District Attorney's office; and service as legal secretary to a
Supreme Court justice.
The judge has been honored
numerous times for his service to
the country, his State and his community. He has received a Presidential Citation from President
Carter, the 2003 Ellis Island
Medal of Honor, the U.S. Selective Service Medal in 1978, and the
1980 Diocese of Brooklyn/CYO
Catholic Man of the Year Award.
During the course of his career, he
has served as president of the
Supreme Court Justices' Association (2001-02) and has had several
other professional acknowledgements and distinctions.
He and his wife Rosalie are the
proud parents of Dr. Michael V.
Golia, a physician, and Donna
Marie Golia, an attorney. The
Judge also has a brother who, just
like Judge Golia, serves as a
Supreme Court justice and has a
background in civil engineering.
Judge Golia is very active in his
local community. He said he is actively involved with his church, and
he organizes a Thanksgiving dinner for mentally ill and homeless
people each year.
Judge Golia said he does not
have any regrets. He tries to enjoy
life and is appreciative of what life
has offered him.
“I love traveling in Greece and
Italy. I remember, once in Meteora, visiting a monastery where I
saw two El Greco paintings on the
ceiling. I was stunned. I still wonder what happened to them,” he
told the Herald.
“I've had a wonderful life,” he
added. “I'm satisfied with all my
blessings: a good family, health, a
good job, though it's hard, and I
feel grateful for each day.”
It is this sense of gratitude
which makes Judge Golia write
thank you notes to the jurors he
selects after they complete their
service. And it is often reciprocated. He said he receives words of
appreciation from the mothers of
ex-convicts, who thank him for his
positive
intervention,
which
helped their sons turn their lives
around and start anew.
Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist Making a Run for Governor
By Brent Kallestad
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) State Attorney General Charlie
Crist has opened a double-digit lead
over all other candidates for governor among likely voters, although
many Republicans and most
Democrats are still undecided
about who they favor to replace
Governor Jeb Bush, a new poll
shows.
Crist leads Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher 43-27 percent
among regular Republican voters,
with nearly a third still undecided,
according to the poll by MasonDixon Polling & Research, Inc.
Either Republican would win
against the Democratic candidate if
the election were held now, the poll
showed.
The Democratic candidates,
Congressman Jim Davis of Tampa
and State Senator Rod Smith of
Alachua, remained largely unknown among voters in their own
party. While the Mason-Dixon survey showed Davis favored by 28 percent of Democrats to just 9 percent
for Smith, more than three of five
Democratic voters remained unde-
cided.
"Basically, Crist and Davis are
nominal frontrunners," said Brad
Coker, managing director of the
Washington-based company which
does the poll for a group of Florida
newspapers and television stations.
"Going in, they are going to be the
favorites."
But Davis trailed each Republican hopeful by double digits in Mason-Dixon's survey of 625 registered voters between March 21-23.
Crist would defeat Davis 43-28
percent, while Gallagher would win
42-32 percent if the election were
held now, the poll indicated.
"It's still very early," Davis
spokeswoman Danae Jones said.
"If the election were held today,
it appears none of the above would
win better than two to one," Smith
responded. "I think that tells you it's
a wide open race."
The results were similar to those
by Quinnipiac University Polling
Institute last month that had Crist
ahead of Gallagher by 9 percentage
points among GOP voters and
Davis well ahead of Smith among
Democrats.
Crist could soon move one step
closer to being governor, anyway thanks to the Florida Legislature.
A measure expected to win State
Senate approval would also place
the attorney general's office right
behind the lieutenant governor in
order of succession, should the governor leave office or die.
Current law has the secretary of
state in the second spot of succession. But that lineup predates 1998,
when voters eliminated the secretary of state's post as an elected office and made it one appointed by
the governor.
That same year, another Cabinet
position, education commissioner,
was erased and made appointed,
while a pair of offices, treasurer and
comptroller, were combined into
the post of chief financial officer.
Florida's first and only CFO,
Tom Gallagher, is now battling
Crist for the Republican nomination for governor.
But at the moment, it appears
Crist has the edge - at least when it
comes to the short list for succession. The Senate measure (SB
1756) and a similar House proposal
(HB 7085) put Gallagher one spot
behind Crist.
Still, Florida has never had to dip
any further than lieutenant governor to fill a gubernatorial vacancy.
That means it looks like Crist and
Gallagher's best hope for measuring the drapes in the Governor's
Mansion may still rest at the ballot
box.
Crist and Bill McCollum, a
Republican candidate for attorney
general, both won St. Patrick's Day
eve endorsements from the national
group, Irish American Republicans.
It also inspired the pair to tout
their roots in the auld sod. McCollum claims a direct descent from
great-great grandfather Daniel
McCollum, an immigrant from
Strabane.
Crist, better known for his
Greek heritage, claims a connection
to the Kilpatrick and Shaw families
of County Tyrone on his mother's
side.
Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, State Senator Mike
Haradopolis and Brevard County Commissioner Ron Pritchard.
The Associated Press posted the
above on March 29. The above also
incorporates information from a
story published by the Orlando
Sentinel on March 19 (“Order of
Succession May Change” by John
Kennedy & Jason Garcia).
Giannoulias Easily Wins Democratic Nomination for Attorney General
CHICAGO - A young Chicago
banker won the Illinois state treasurer's Democratic nomination on
March 21, after spending a record
amount for the office in a primary
election.
Newcomer Alexi Giannoulias
muscled his way ahead of Paul
Mangieri, a downstate prosecutor,
unofficial results show. With
11,063 out of 11,700 precincts reporting (475,428 votes), Giannoulias led with 61 percent of the vote.
Mangieri trailed with 39 percent
(298,907).
Giannoulias will run against
State Senator Christine Radogno, a
Lemont Republican, in November.
"We worked very hard to get
our message out to be a strong financial manager," Giannoulias
said. "It looks as if that is resonat-
ing right now."
The race to become Illinois' top
financial official pit money against
experience
and
Democratic
celebrity against a Democratic machine.
The 30-year-old son of Greek
immigrants, Giannoulias netted
nearly $2 million in contributions,
about four times more than Mangieri, 47, a Knox County state's attorney who ran unsuccessfully for
the Illinois State Senate in 2002.
Democratic luminaries such as
U.S. Senator Barack Obama and
Congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr.
and Danny Davis backed Giannoulias, who aired a television ad
touting Obama's support. Illinois
Democratic Party Chairman
Michael Madigan and his party establishment pumped thousands in-
to Mangieri's campaign.
Giannoulias raked in $1.9 million to Mangieri's estimated
$500,000. Giannoulias drew more
than $1 million from his banking
family. He returned a $5,000 contribution from a casino owner
holding a $4.8 million loan from
the bank founded, owned and operated by Giannoulias' family. He
also weathered allegations the
bank lent millions to a Chicago
crime figure convicted of federal
racketeering.
In Springfield, Mangieri, who
also is in his third term as a state's
attorney in Knox County, reflected
on his statewide campaign, saying
the Chicago banker's financial resources helped Giannoulias reach
a wider audience.
"We didn't have the financial
ability to go with the multimilliondollar television (advertising)
blitz," Mangieri said.
Giannoulias managed to boost
his name recognition - and his
chances for success at the polls through the power of television,
Mangieri said, adding that his own
campaign lacked the resources to
air television spots, but utilized radio and direct-mail ads.
"I think in this particular case,
the fact that my opponent was able
to dip into his personal wealth to
buy over $2 million worth of TV, I
think clearly made the difference.
I think that overcame our organizational efforts. Ours was a directmail approach, ours was a radio
approach. His was a television approach. I think that with the votes
as they came in, it may show the
great influence that television has
on races, as compared to direct
mail," he said.
Mangieri, of Galesburg, said he
is backing Giannoulias in the
November general election, when
he will face Radogno.
November's victor will take
over the office long held by
Republican Judy Baar Topinka,
who opted to run for governor this
year. She has been elected state
treasurer three times (1994, 1998
and 2002).
Giannoulias entered the race
for treasurer after the Democratic
State Central Committee slated
Mangieri to run as the party's candidate for that office.
Giannoulias lives in Chicago,
and so do the other statewide candidates slated by the Democrats:
Governor Rod Blagojevich, Lt.
Gov. Pat Quinn, Attorney General
Lisa Madigan, Secretary of State
Jesse White and Comptroller Dan
Hynes.
Giannoulias has said his financial experience - as vice president
and senior loan officer at his family's Broadway Bank - would help
him in the treasurer's office. He
wants to audit the state's Bright
Start college savings program, and
he favors increasing access to
loans for people who are minorities, or who live in rural areas.
The above incorporates information from reports published by
the Chicago Daily Herald, The
(Illinois) State Journal-Register
and the Peoria Journal-Star on
March 22-23.
COMMUNITY 5
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
European Powers Played Important Role in Greek War of Independence
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
NEW YORK - The “Great
Powers” of Europe ultimately
played a crucial role in the liberation of Greece from Turkish rule,
according to Dr. Andre Gerolymatos during a recent lecture at
the Onassis Center in Manhattan.
But they were initially opposed
to a free Greece, he said, although
they were also eventually compelled by various circumstances to
support the Greek cause.
Dr. Gerolymatos, a regular
columnist for the National Herald,
is a professor of History and Chair
of Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British
Columbia. His lecture, delivered at
the Olympic Tower Atrium in
Manhattan on March 23, was hosted by the Alexander S. Onassis
Public Benefit Foundation - USA,
in collaboration with the Hellenic
American Chamber of Commerce,
on the occasion of Greek Independence Day (March 25) celebrations.
Referring to the role the Great
Powers of Europe played in the
Greek Revolution, Dr. Gerolymatos discussed two specific aspects:
1.
The Eastern Question,
pertaining to the diplomatic and
political problems of the European
territories which were controlled
by the decaying Ottoman Empire,
the dissolution of which was the result of the Russo-Turkish wars
which ended in 1774 and brought
Russia to the Near East.
2.
The Greek War of Independence, which occurred right after the Napoleonic Wars that left
European states bankrupt, unstable and struggling to safeguard
their military, strategic and commercial interests in the Turkish domain.
In 1815, Dr. Gerolymatos said,
the Congress of Vienna, an important international conference
called to remake Europe and redefine its boundaries in the aftermath
of the Napoleonic Wars which
sought to establish a balance of
power for the preservation of
peace which guided Congress decisions while the principle of legitimacy (i.e., the restoration of the
pre-revolutionary
territorial
Dr. Andre Gerolymatos, a regular contributor to the National Herald's Viewpoints page, delivering a recent lecture at the Onassis Cultural Center in Manhattan about the influence of European diplomacy and politics on the outcome of the Greek Revolution. Seen sitting to his left is Dr.
Fani-Maria Tsigakou, a Benaki Museum curator who spoke about Phil-Hellenic European art of the period.
states), was invoked.
The mastermind of this settlement and Austria's chief diplomatic negotiator, statesman Klemens
Wenzel von Metternich, presided
over the conference, which saw the
participation of monarchs and delegates from Russia, Prussia and
Great Britain, as well as other less
powerful countries.
Metternich's strategy relied on
political espionage, manipulation
and censorship, Dr. Gerolymatos
said, while he maintained a “cunning and devious attitude focused
on the suppression of any revolutionary and nationalist movements.”
Metternich's
counterpart
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand,
France's representative after the
Treaty of Paris, who was very good
at exploiting differences among the
allies, thus obtaining an equal
voice with the four great powers.
Metternich saw Greece as a
threat to the notion of world order
he had been trying to spread, Dr.
Gerolymatos said, quoting Metternich's journals in: “I feel as if I
were in the middle of a web. Like
my friends, the spiders, whom I
love and often admire, I have
brought to bear my moral needs in
all directions. But this state of
things forces the spider in the center of its fine web. This web is
beautiful, artfully spun and capable
of resisting attack. But a gust of
wind could destroy it.”
Late that summer, however, a
similar gust of wind would blow in
from Greece and upset Metternich's order, Dr. Gerolymatos said.
The beginning of the Greek Revolution sent unwanted ripples
throughout the established super
powers of the time, mostly affecting Russia, an enemy of the Ottoman Empire at the time, which
saw itself as a European country
capable of preventing a general
European war.
“With Russia being the protector of the Orthodox faith, and at
the time present in the Balkans,
and with Russia's Greek foreign
minister, John Capodistrias (the
Corfu-born Greek diplomat who
later became the first head of state
of independent Greece), advising
Tsar Alexander I that the great
powers wanted Russia out of
Greece and the Balkans, Metternich was afraid that any revolution
or change in his plans would undo
the settlement decided in the
Congress of Vienna. His order was
based on the notion of Turkey's legitimacy, and its right to rule the
Greek Christians,” Dr. Gerolymatos said.
Alexander would not listen to
Capodistrias, and agreed to condemn the Greek uprising, Dr.
Gerolymatos said, a decision which
prompted Capodistrias' resignation as Russian foreign minister,
thus enabling Metternich to still
contain the Greeks for a time.
At the same time, however, the
European press was publicizing the
atrocities committed by the Turks,
thus inciting the world to sympathize with the Greeks, he said.
France and Great Britain were
pressured to intervene. Phil-Hellenes across Europe, the United
States and Canada were becoming
ambassadors of goodwill in support of Greece's struggles under
Ottoman oppression.
“But despite the fact that Great
Britain's George Canning was primarily looking after his country's
own interests, he disliked Metternich and therefore contributed, so
that Great Britain would diplomatically begin to orchestrate a series
of events that would facilitate
Greek
Independence,”
Dr.
Gerolymatos added, underscoring
a few advantages for the Greek
side: the ability and resilience of
Greeks to fight over an extensive
period of time; the disruption of
trade and sea communications
which impacted Great Britain; and
the fact that time was on Greece's
side, as Austria and Hungary could
not resist their own imperial ambitions in exploiting the situation.
Metternich was prepared to
keep the status quo at all costs, Dr.
Gerolymatos said. Austria had begun to take over maritime trade
which was, until then, controlled by
the Greeks. Although this fact
went unnoticed at first, it was eventually seen as an indication that
Austria was no longer neutral, but
had become a player in this regional fight.
By that time, Dr. Gerolymatos
PHIL-HELLENIC ARTISTS’ PICTORIAL IMPACT ON THE GREEK REVOLUTION
Dr. Fani-Maria Tsigakou, Curator of Paintings, Prints and
Drawings at the Benaki Museum
in Athens, also spoke at the
Onassis Center that evening. Her
lecture was about the political influence of Europe in shaping the
modern Greek State and the influence of the Greek struggle for
Independence on Phil-Hellenic
artists in Europe.
Dr. Tsigakou said that PhilHellenic images painted by European artists during and after the
Greek Revolution were both pictorial and political statements.
Inspired by Greek antiquity,
Phil-Hellenes at the time contributed to the art of the Renaissance and Neoclassicism. During
the age of Enlightenment in the
late 18th and early 19th Centuries, she said, German artists
and intellectuals resurrected the
spirit of ancient Hellas out of love
for Greek moral values, ethics
and aesthetics. They idealized ancient Greek subjects through literature, philosophy, Greek revival architecture, art and fashion.
“Humanists and intellectuals
alike responded enthusiastically
to the Greek Revolution, the war
of the oppressed against the oppressor,” Dr. Tsigakou said.
“Greece's enemy was clearly nonEuropean and non-Christian.”
The Greek Revolution was
not a political uprising, she
added, “but rather a national
movement that touched people
on a large scale, regardless of social class or educational and economic background. It was public
opinion that created the PhilHellenic movement, not governments.”
Dr. Tsigakou illustrated her
points with a slide presentation.
Images from romantic French
artists depicted a clear Phil-Hellenic attitude, which produced a
prolific body of works on historic
events in Greece. The Phil-Hellenic artist par excellence, Eugene Delacroix, left a mark in the
history of art with two renowned
paintings inspired by the Greek
struggle for Independence: “The
Massacre in Chios” and “Greece
in Messolonghi.”
Due to their country's censorship, the Italian Phil-Hellenic
painters produced a belated body
of works released after 1830, at
which time the Greek War of Independence had come to an end.
Italian paintings of that period
reflected a sincere and profound
sentiment, the curator said.
The financial and political rise
of Greece also inspired Bavarian
artists, whose imagery echoed the
glory of Greece, as well as their
own political beliefs, since many
Bavarian artists belonged to the
King's court, and later, it was the
Bavarian, Otto, who became the
first king of the modern Greek
State.
England, on the other hand,
contributed only a few paintings
inspired by the Revolution, mainly the so-called Byronic images in
memory of George Gordon Lord
Byron, who died in Messolonghi.
One of their creators, the British
romantic painter, William Turner, was inspired by the figures described in Byron's poetry.
According to Dr. Tsigakou,
the European paintings, prints
and drawings of that period depicted themes drawn either from
religion, which Christians around
the world shared with Greeks, or
from classical Greece, a sign of
the artists' belief that the brave
fighters of modern Greece were
worthy of their ancient ancestors.
Romantic painters were particularly moved by the tragic
events of the Greek Revolution,
such as the massive killings and
the emotional and military trauma suffered by Greeks at a time
of war. Greek women depicted in
these works, referenced in Byron's verse, the heroines of which
were often young virgins, were
victims of barbaric assaults. These images served as symbols of
the time's existing opposites:
Christianity versus the “infidel,”
or freedom versus oppression.
“As art reaches people's emotional life, Phil-Hellenic images
have become a valuable tool
which leads to a testimony of contemporary ideological conceptions. Painting is an activity, in
which the artist sees what he or
she paints. It is an ongoing dialogue,” Dr. Tsigakou concluded.
said, Tsar Alexander had died and
was succeeded by Tsar Nicholas I,
who despised the Turks and wanted them out of the two occupied
principalities of Moldavia and
Walachia (greater Vlachia). Nicholas' was pursuing Russian interests, and had no interest in the
Greek Revolution. In fact, Dr.
Gerolymatos pointed out, Nicholas
felt threatened by the prospect.
France, on the other hand, believed that any territorial changes
in Europe might contribute to unraveling territorial settlements of
the post-Napoleonic period. Consequently, the French detached
themselves from the alliance with
Austria and pushed an agenda in
favor of some kind of autonomy for
Greece, which would undoubtedly
help end the war, so that Greece
could be a small country, but still
under the sultan's control. This
brought the French closer to the
Russians, Dr. Gerolymatos explained, and they encouraged
Greece's autonomy, imposing an
armistice in the war between
Turkey and Greece. The Greek
provisional government accepted
this, but the sultan did not, and
that was part of his undoing.
“To enforce the armistice, a
Western Allied fleet (including
Russia, Britain and France) was
sent to Greece and destroyed the
combined Ottoman and Egyptian
armada in 1827 at the Battle of
Navarino, a port in Western Peloponnese, thus declaring victory,”
Dr. Gerolymatos said, noting that,
according to a popular rumor, “the
fleet was also sent so that the Turks
would not be allowed to depopulate the Peloponnese.”
As Greece's independence
started becoming a reality, it enabled Russia to step forward and
once again play an influential role
in the Balkans, he added.
“Russia went to war against the
Ottoman Empire in 1828, for its
own interests, but had this war
been successful and Russia not
been defeated, the course of history would be different for Greece,”
he said. The war ended with the
treaty of Adrianople, which provided Russia with more territory in
the Black Sea region, but did not
create a Greek State. It was not until later that the Great Powers decided how the new Greek State
would be defined.
“Ancient Greek history came to
the rescue of modern Greece, convincing the Great Powers that the
'cradle of civilization' ought to
have its own modern state,” Dr.
Gerolymatos said.
“The modern Greek state was
created artificially by foreign countries, however; it was not created
organically and even its capital had
to be picked by the Powers (Athens
was excluded from consideration),” he added, citing that, in order to appease Metternich, Greece
became a monarchy with the
Bavarian, Otto, as its king.
Dr. Gerolymatos concluded his
remarks by pointing out that, while
governments played politics with
Greece's freedom, the Greek nation enjoyed a significant amount
of popular support, referring to
“March 25 as a significant day for
both Greece and its Phil-Hellenic
friends, who supported the Greek
cause through raising funds in the
Greek communities of New York,
Chicago, Boston, London and elsewhere, and who were inspired by
Greek ideals.”
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6 GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Annual GID Parade Important to Keeping Hellenic Spirit Alive
Continued from page 1
the future because our ancestors
have gone through so much,” he
said.
His
daughter,
Penelope
Tsiaras, agreed: “I come to the Parade every year, because it reminds me of where I came from;
my roots, my parents,” she said. “I
was born and raised here, but I am
very, very proud of where I came
from and who I am. I'm Greek. My
10-year-old daughter, Zoe, knows
everything about Greek history
and religion,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Evzones, the
elite Presidential Guard of the
Hellenic Republic, marched by,
garnering a loud applause. The
Greek American folklore Society
followed, dressed in traditional
costume.
“We are proud to be Greek and
hope that our nation is strong. We
must make ourselves heard,” said
Kate Balanikas, a member of the
Holy Cross community in Bay
Ridge, Brooklyn. Mrs. Balanikas
was at the Parade along with her
husband, Lazaros, to watch their
grandchild march.
“We must maintain our customs
here,” said Mr. Balanikas, who told
the Herald he came to America
from the village of Litochoro in
northern Greece, in 1969. “We
must have a strong lobby and must
always vote in support of our
(Greek American) politicians,” he
added. “We must stay united.
There are 2.5 million of us. We
have protested in support of Greek
issues in Washington many times,
and we must continue to make our
presence known,” he added.
His wife agreed: “The community must not lose its strength,” she
said.
It's not just the older generations who said the Parade was important for them and should be
maintained, however.
“I come every year,” said
Thomas Kalopoulos, a Rutgers
University student studying mechanical engineering. This year, he
added, was one of the best he's ever seen. “Beautiful weather, a lot
of people out, great outcome. We
should all come out, every year, to
celebrate our independence. We
were freed from 400 years of slavery under the Turks. That's important to remember.”
He is not active in any community groups, he added, so the Parade is his opportunity to celebrate
his heritage. “Every year, the Parade is getting better and better,
and more and more kids are getting into it. It's great,” Mr.
Kalopoulos said.
Anna Economou, a young designer, who has named her online
clothing line, Noema (“meaning”
in Greek), said she was very excited
PHOTOS: TNH/COSTAS BEJ
A view of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue from last Sunday's Greek Independence Day Parade. Greek Americans
and their friends flooded the sidewalks to watch Parade participants from across New York's Boroughs.
about the atmosphere of this year's
Parade. Around her, other Greek
Americans sported their own
Greek fashions: It's-all-Greek-tome t-shirts, as well as “Proud-tobe-Greek and “Go-Greek” pins.
“It's very nice. There are a lot of
people,” Anna said smiling. “I
think that the Parade is a good representation of Greek pride and our
heritage. We shouldn't forget that
the Greeks who came to this country as immigrants worked very
hard,” she added.
Her friend Andrea said Greek
Americans should continue to support the Parade. “It's good for future generations to witness our
pride,” she said. “It still lives in our
children, and in our families. We
should keep together and remember our culture and our roots,” she
added.
Stephanos Zourzoukis was all
smiles as he watched a group of
young marchers passersby. Mr.
Zourzoukis, who prides himself for
being a Herald subscriber for 40
years, had come to Manhattan with
his wife and son from Union,
Jersey where he has served on the
parish council of St. Demetrios
Church for the past 24 years.
“It's wonderful again,” he said
about the Parade. “We must preserve this. We must preserve it, or
else we will be lost. It's for our
young people. We have a history
and a religion that we must never
forget. We must keep the spirit of
this day alive for the rest of the
year,” he added.
Loud cheers were heard from
young members of Hellenic societies from various Universities and
high schools such as Columbia,
Fordham and Bronx Science.
Cheers grew louder, and cameras
clicked when the Olympiakos soccer team float appeared.
“It's a great culture. I love being
Greek,” said Jesse Kyriazis, a Bayside High School student and head
Greek altar boy. His friend Harry
Damanakis, a St. John's University
student, was standing next to him
draped in a Greek flag. This was
Jesse and Harry's first Parade in
two years. “We played for the
Metropolitan Greek Orthodox
Basketball League and were champions last year,” Jesse explained,
and said that the most important
thing about his heritage is his
strong family bonds. “If I weren't
Greek, I wouldn't have as many
cousins, and we wouldn't be this
close,” he said. “We stick together,
we enjoy each other's company. It's
our tradition, and that's one of the
amazing things about being
Greek.”
Harry agreed: “We Greeks are
one big family. We stick together,
and we treat the rest as friends. We
give everyone 100-percent respect.
All Greeks, from all States, should
join together as one family at this
time of year to celebrate Greek Independence,” he added.
Both said they are planning to
make it a family tradition to bring
their children to the Parade.
Children of all ages were among the annual Parade's most enthusiastic marchers. “More kids are getting into it every year,” one onlooker
told the National Herald.
“Those are my plans, God willing,”
said Jesse. “My kids are going to
grow up with his kids,” he added,
pointing at his friend, “just like we
all grew up together. We have
many friends who aren't Greek
and come to the Parade because
it's such a warm atmosphere, and
they love the culture,” he added.
“When other immigrants came to
America, they separated and
moved around New York. The
Greeks stuck together. They made
Astoria their own little Greece.
That's why the culture is still so
strong. Greeks have stuck together
for a long time. We've managed to
do that.”
Despina Kiskinis, a high school
student from the Bronx, held the
banner for the Kalavrytan Fraternity and had just united with her
family on the sidewalk after marching. She said it was important for
her to march again during the
Greek Independence Day Parade.
“I keep up my Greek heritage, and
I'm very proud to be Greek,” she
said, adding that she plans to stay
active in the community as an adult
and bring her children to the Parade. “The Greeks were freed from
the Turks after 400 years. We're
free, and we should celebrate that.
It's good to tell non-Greeks about
it. I tell my friends about it,” she
said.
Maria Lambropoulos, another
Kalavrytan who immigrated to
America 38 years ago from the
town where Bishop Paleon Patron
Germanos is said to have raised
the banner of the Greek Revolution in 1821, said it is important to
demonstrate the accomplishments
of the Greek Revolution to New
York, America and the rest of the
world.
“We still have work to do to
show Americans, and the whole
world, that Greece has a great history, which we are so proud of. We
need the parents and grandparents
of young Greek Americans to keep
the customs alive, so that those
customs can be upheld by the new
generations,” she said.
The Parade is crucial to that endeavor, she added.
“Today, we are showing that we
have some strength, some power in
this city. Greeks have given a lot to
New York. We have had a presence for a long time, and we are
raising our kids right, so that they
can give a lot to it as well. We are
worth something us Greeks,” she
exclaimed!
“I am from where it all started,”
she said. “I go back to Kalavryta
every year. I love America, too.
This country welcomed us at a time
when we were suffering, and we
managed to build something here,
which we might have not been able
to do back home. But we never forget Greece.”
Evzones: A Regiment of Battle and Ceremony Still Keeping Guard
Continued from page 1
restoration of Greek democracy,
the Presidential Guard.
Today, the Evzones have a variety of ceremonial duties: first and
foremost, the guarding of the
Presidential Mansion in Athens
on a 24-hour basis; the guarding of
the gates of the Presidential
Guard training camp; and the
guarding of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is located in
front of the main entrance of the
Vouli (the Hellenic Parliament
building), facing Athens' Syntagma (Constitution) Square.
The Evzones also perform the
official raising and lowering of the
flag every Sunday at the Acropolis
at 9 AM and 6 PM, respectively;
they accompany the President of
the Hellenic Republic on official
foreign visits and offer honors to
foreign dignitaries; they accompany the Holy Fire every Easter from
Jerusalem to Athens; and, of
course, they march at the annual
Greek Parade on New York's
Fifth Avenue in celebration of
Greek Independence Day.
FROM HOMER TO
KOLOKOTRONIS
The word, “evzone,” is a direct
reference to the Evzones' attire.
The word means “well-belted,”
and was used by Homer to describe the Achaean warriors, who
wore a belt around their waist
(“zoni,” in ancient Greek). On the
Evzones uniform, one can clearly
see a thick leather belt, upon
which the Evzones carry breeches,
and a knife on certain occasions.
The traditional tsolias uniform,
which we see them wearing at the
Parade, is worn by the Evzones ev-
ery Sunday, in both Summer and
Winter. The uniform is inspired by
the attire of the armatoloi (the
armed ones) and kleftes (freedom
fighters), the armed Greek fighters
of the Turkish Occupation and, later, of the 1821 Greek Revolution.
The most recognizable parts of
the tsolias uniform are the foustanella, a traditional white kilt
weighing 10 kilograms (22
pounds), and the tsarouchia shoes,
which weigh another 3 kilograms
(6.6 pounds). Evzones also carry a
3-kgilogram rifle on their shoulder.
The foustanella is made from
30 meters (37.5 yards) of white
fabric, with 400 pleats, representing the 400 years of the Turkish
occupation. It is always white, a
color meant to represent the purity of Greek Independence.
The tsarouchia are shoes literally made for battle. They bare a
characteristic black pompom on
their tip, which turns up in a point.
This pompom actually served an
important purpose when worn by
Greek mainland fighters: It muffled their advance when climbing
rocky outcrops. The tsarouchia are
completely handmade from hard
red leather. Each sole has 60
spikes, another important attribute when climbing rocks or
kicking an opponent in battle.
OFFICIAL GREEK COSTUME
From 1821 onwards, this uniform was established as the official
Greek national costume. The Evzone uniform is also handmade in
special laboratories in Athens. Its
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
The Evzones, the Hellenic Republic's elite Presidential Guard, received some of the loudest cheers during
last Sunday's Greek Independence Day Parade in New York. The word, evzones, is derived from the ancient
Greek word for “well-belted,” a characteristic attribute of the traditional uniform.
manufacturing requires knowledge, experience and a great deal
of time and expense.
There are two types of uniform:
that of the officer and that of the
foot soldier. Both have a Summer
and a Winter version, each of which
bares particular historical symbolism and a traditional Greek style.
The waistcoat is hand-embroidered in white or gilt thread with
various folklore designs; the fario
(cap) is made of red baize with a
black silk tassel, symbolizing the
bloodshed and mourning of the
years leading up to hard-won independence from the Ottoman
Turks; the white shirt with very
wide sleeves; the breeches, the
long red trousers of the officers,
and the white woolen stockings of
the Evzones; the cartridge belt;
and the garters, black for the Evzones and blue for the officers.
The Evzones also wear garters;
red boots; an inside garter to hold
the stockings in position; and a
fringe of blue and white braids, the
colors of the Greek flag.
In the summer, the Evzones
wear a khaki uniform, which is a
replica of soldiers' attire during
the 1912-13 Balkan Wars. A Cretan uniform, with the characteristic breeches and knife in the belt,
is worn on certain official ceremonial occasions in honor of the
Revolution's island fighters. The
traditional uniform of Pontos has
also been added to the Evzones'
attire recently.
The above incorporates information from Wikipedia, Athens
News and the official website of
the President of the Hellenic
Republic.
Greece
By Billy Katergaris
Fifth Grade
William Spyropoulos School, Flushing
Walk into the wonders of this
land
Climb the gentle rolling hills
That lead to paradise
With many natural springs.
That does a lot of amazing
things.
Climb the alluring mountains
Then drink out of the water fountains.
Don't forget the perfect beaches
Which go beyond our farthest
reaches.
My pride is as deep as the ocean,
Such as the Greek dances all in
motion.
This means happiness to my
country.
This helps me see who I must be.
Essay About
March 25th
Celebrations
By Areti Boukas
Sixth Grade
St. Demetrios School, Astoria
On March 25th, we celebrate
two holidays: One is a religious
holiday, and the other is a national holiday. On the religious
holiday, we celebrate the Annunciation. We also have our
national holiday, which dates to
the Greek Revolution of 1821.
These two holidays are remembered by Greeks everywhere.
On the Annunciation, the
Archangel Gabriel was sent to
Nazareth in Galilee, to the Virgin Mary, and announced to her
that she had been chosen by
God to bear His Son, Jesus
Christ, Who becomes our Savior. The Virgin Mary replied by
asking Gabriel how that could
be true, because she was not
married yet to Joseph, and she
was still a virgin. The Archangel
told her that she would conceive through the Holy Spirit.
The Christian Churches celebrate this holiday with the feast
of Annunciation, which is nine
months before the feast of the
Nativity of Jesus. This day was
also called the New Year in
many places.
Our national holiday, observed on March 25th, is the
Greek Revolution of 1821. We
celebrate the freedom of the
Greeks from the Turks after being slaves for about 400 years.
During the years of slavery, the
Turks did not allow any of the
Greeks to go to school or worship their own religion. This did
not stop the Greeks. Late at
night, children went to school
and were taught by Greek
priests. The children learned to
read and write. Groups of religious Christians worshiped together secretly.
After all those years of being
slaves, we started what is now
known as the Greek Revolution. On March 25th of 1821,
Bishop Germanos of Patras
raised the Greek flag at the
monastery of Agia Lavra. The
Turks did not like this action. In
fact, this started the war against
the Turks. After fighting for ten
years, the Greeks gained their
independence once again, after
four centuries of slavery. Some
of the well-known Greek people fighting or helping this war
include Theodoros Kolokotronis, Athanasios Diakos, Markos
Botsaris
and
Georgios
Karaiskakis. Our very long and
gory war finally ended in 1831.
In July of 1832, the Greek nation's independence was finally
granted by the Treaty of Constantinople. Greece was then
known as a free country. They
kept their motto, “Freedom or
Death,” and led themselves to
victory with it.
These two very important
holidays are celebrated by
Greeks everywhere, who are
most likely as proud as I am of
being Greek. The Greek Revolution showed how strong we
were, and how we never gave
up. The Annunciation shows
that we worship Christ, the Son
of God and Savior of the people. Religion is very important
to us, and so is our nationality,
which is the reason why we celebrate these two important holidays together. We celebrate
Greek Independence Day with
a wonderful Parade, where hundreds of Greeks march proudly
in Manhattan.
NEW YORK CITY & THE BELTWAY 7
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Thousands Cheer and Wave Greek Flags during NYC’s Annual Parade
Continued from page 1
year, and they continue to do so,”
said Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
one of this year's Grand Marshals,
in his traditional statement to the
crowd. “There is a special place in
our hearts for the Greek American
Community, celebrating its 185th
anniversary of Greek Independence, because Greeks created
democracy thousands of years ago,
and that's what New York is all
about.”
The Mayor ended his address
with a salute, which was welcomed
with resounding cheers: “Zito i Ellas (Long Live Greece).”
Earlier, the Mayor had marched
up Fifth Avenue to the Grand
Stand on E. 68th Street, accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios of America and the rest
of this year's Grand Marshals: philanthropist and former International Orthodox Christian Charities
President John Rangos; Council of
Hellenes Abroad (SAE) World
President Andrew Athens; and
Marathon Bank of New York
Chairman
&
CEO
Paul
Stathoulopoulos.
Parade 2006 Committee Chairman Dino Rallis appeared on CBS
earlier that morning, urging Greeks
and Americans alike to participate.
“Sunshine and good weather cooperated with us today to make this
the perfect day for our Parade.
Please enjoy it,” he said.
Many answered Mr. Rallis' call.
The Parade started soon after the
completion of speeches at the Essex
House on 59th Street, with the
Honorary Battalion waiting outside. The Battalion featured the
Federation's board of directors, the
Archbishop, the grand marshals
and all dignitaries, along with the
Hellenic Military Band of Athens,
which marched up Fifth Avenue to
the Grand Stand. There, officials
and dignitaries took their seats as
the Parade continued.
Three more battalions marched
up Fifth Avenue, followed by Greek
societies, fraternities, organizations,
schools, churches and floats, one of
which carried Miss Greek Independence Day, Georgia Lilikas, and
other Miss GID candidates representing different geographical areas
of Greece.
Greek American students of all
ages made some of the most enthusiastic marchers. Children, some, as
young as two years of age, marched
wearing traditional costumes and
waving Greek flags.
The greatest crowd pleasers,
once again this year, were the Evzones, the Hellenic Republic's elite
Presidential Guard, sporting the
traditional foustanella kilt and
tsarouchia shoes (see related story),
and the traditional Cretan military
uniform. They marched to the beat
of the Hellenic Military Band of
Athens, which followed behind the
Grand Marshals and U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer of New York. The
Senator addressed the crowd
through a loud speaker with proGreek messages, several “Geia
Sou” and “Zito i Ellas.”
In an earlier surprise appear-
PHOTOS: TNH/COSTAS BEJ
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of N.Y. with AHEPA Supreme President Gus James and Cypriot Ambassador to the U.S. Euripides Evriviades (left grouping); Grand Marshals Paul Stathoulopoulos and NYC
Mayor Michael Bloomberg (center grouping); and His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and
Grand Marshal John Rangos (to the Archbishop’s far right), all preparing to lead the annual march up
New York’s 5th Avenue.
ance at the Essex House, Senator
Schumer said he “admired the great
Hellenic culture that created
Western civilization, and the contributions of Greek American citizens
of New York and the rest of the
U.S., who continue to do the same.”
He then thanked Archbishop
Demetrios and concluded his address with “Zito i Ellas kai Zito i
Kypros (Long Live Greece and
Long Live Cyprus).”
Congresswoman
Carolyn
Maloney, who also attended the Parade and the pre-Parade Doxology
service at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan, as well as the traditional reception at the Essex House in honor of
all the dignitaries, told the National
Herald that, “you don't have to be a
Greek to work night and day for
peace and justice in Cyprus and in
Greece. Today, not only do we celebrate Greek Independence Day
and the many contributions of the
Greek American community, but
also 3,000 years of culture, history
and democracy. We also recognize
the leadership of Greece, not only
historically, but in the current global community.”
Rep. Maloney also cited, as examples of modern Greek success,
Greece's European Union presidency in 2003 and its membership
in the United Nations Security
Council, over which it presided last
September, as “wonderful, impressive and important recognitions,”
adding that, “Today, we celebrate
Greece's ongoing leadership historically as well as presently in the new
global world. We celebrate Greece
and Cyprus, and we work for justice
and peace in Greece, in Cyprus and
in the world.”
Nassau County Executive Tom
Suozzi, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor of
New York, was also among this
year's prominent participants. Mr.
Suozzi said he was “excited” to
march and extended his “sygharitiria (congratulations) to all
Greeks” through the Herald, further wishing them “Happy Greek
Independence Day.”
During the customary Doxology
at the Cathedral, the Archbishop also encouraged the congregation to
continue representing Orthodoxy
and Greece, and to fight for the ideals of freedom, justice, human
rights and love among all nations.
His Eminence discussed the power
of faith and its ability to open up op-
celebrating the memory of the
Greek heroes of 1821, who “shed
light for the world, as Greece has always done historically. Personally, I
feel very proud and honored that I
have been selected to participate in
the Parade as a grand marshal, and
I can affirm that I will always continue to contribute to the Greek
American community, and to
Greece. Greek Americans should
never forget their Greek heritage,
the characteristic “of a glorious cultural heritage that is deeply rooted
in the principals of free thinking,
democracy and justice.”
Among the Greek officials who
attended the festivities were Minister of Macedonia & Thrace George
Kalantzis; Third Vice President of
the Hellenic Parliament John Tragakis; Deputy Minister of the Interior Athanasios Nakos; President of
the Committee on Greeks Abroad
Evgenios Haitides; Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Alexandros Mallias; Greek Ambassador to the U.N.
Adamantios Vasilakis; Cypriot Ambassador to the U.S. Euripides
Evriviades; Cypriot Ambassador to
the U.N. Andreas Mavrogiannis;
Greek Consul General Catherine
Boura; Cyprus Consul General
Martha Mavrommati; and another
ten Hellenic MP's.
“If a handful of Greeks were
able to stand up to the Ottoman
Turks and manage to win their independence, and then lead the
country to a new life, we have great
guiding proof that, when Greece
wants to achieve a goal, nothing can
stand in its way,” Mr. Kalantzis told
the Herald. “Although things are
much easier for Greece today, we
still need to find our way stepping
towards a European and a Global
Greece. We deserve a better
Greece, and we can achieve that.”
Earlier, following the Doxology,
Mr. Kalantzis conveyed Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' greetings
and love to the Greek American
community, stressing the community's impact on the Greeks in
Andreas Dracopoulos (center), nephew of the late shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, receiving an award
on behalf of the Niarchos Foundation from Federation of Hellenic Societies President Nikos Diamantides
(left) and Parade 2006 Committee Chairman Dino Rallis.
portunities in unexpected ways for
those who believe. He then drew a
parallel between the “unimaginable
strength” of the 12 Apostles after
Christ's crucifixion, and the faith
which guided many heroes, martyrs
and ambassadors of freedom
throughout Greek history, especially during the Greek Revolution. “It
is not the passive observers, but the
active doers, who become factors of
change,” he said.
Mr. Rangos echoed the same
message in his statement to the
Herald, saying he was proud to be
as this is the light to the world. The
United States is the little child of
Greece.”
Mr. Athens underscored the
meaning of the preservation of the
tradition of the Parade, “the biggest
outside Greece. We should show to
the American people what it means
to be Greek. I'm proud for the
achievements and successes of the
Greek Americans in New York,” he
told the Herald.
Mr. Stathoulopoulos pointed
out that “being Greek” is not just
about one's national identity, but
Greece, who admire the continuous
support of Greeks in the Diaspora,
emphasizing how important it was
for Greeks to maintain unity
throughout the world, like the unity
which sustained them during the
War of Independence.
Mr. Nakos agreed: “Today's free
Greece is greatly supported by the
Greek Americans. We want Greek
Americans to know that they will always be received with great love and
appreciation by Greeks in Greece,
at any time,” he told the Herald.
Mr. Haitides added that, “the
Greek struggle continues on current issues like Cyprus, Macedonia
and the non-negotiable Greek
rights in the Aegean, which can all
be overcome if we remain united
like our ancestors during the Revolution.”
Following the Doxology service,
the dignitaries also headed for the
Essex House Hotel to attend the
traditional reception, which officially inaugurates the Parade. During
their remarks, Greek, Greek American and American officials agreed
that the official recognition of
Greek Independence Day in the
U.S. highlights the importance of
freedom, unity, courage and faith,
and honors the great achievements
of Greece's forefathers, which can
still be used as inspiration for solving Hellenic national issues (e.g.,
the Cyprus and Macedonian issues
and the ongoing oppression of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople). All speakers praised
the Greek American community
for standing by the motherland, and
for safeguarding and promoting
Hellenic values, the Orthodox faith
and the Greek language in America.
At the annual pre-Parade Banquet held at the New York Hilton
last Saturday, April 1, the Federation honored the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation with this year's
Liberty Award. The international,
philanthropic organization supports charitable activities in arts and
culture; education; health and
medicine; and social welfare, and
makes grants worth millions to nonprofit organizations throughout the
world. Foundation Director and a
Trustee of the privately-held Niarchos Family Trust, Andreas Dracopoulos accepted the award at the
event.
“The board of directors of the
Niarchos Foundation and I are
proud to contribute to our community,” Mr. Dracopoulos said. “We
are doing nothing more than what is
expected of us: paying tribute to the
memory of my late uncle and national benefactor, Stavros Niarchos.” He said that the Foundation's goal was to make contributions to society through grants for
which, every year, a large pool of
“remarkable applicants” apply,
adding that the Foundation follows
objective criteria in its effort to select worthy recipients.
“As we gain experience, our objective centers in distinguishing,
with clarity and effectiveness, the
areas of need,” he said, underscoring the significance of hard work
and devotion, while also referring to
the struggles and sacrifices of our
ancestors, whose paradigm should
serve as a lesson to organize our efforts and focus our attention and
energy in “helping our people, promoting our Greek heritage, and improving our lives in every way possible, everywhere in the world.”
The three Greek American
grand marshals were also honored
with the Independence Award that
evening. In their acceptance
speeches, they all expressed their
feelings of joy and pride in their
Greek heritage.
Beltway Area Greek Schools Celebrate Greek Independence Day
Continued from page 1
of Chios and the holocaust of
Psara.
“These events, among others,
moved the Europeans and influenced the major powers of the
time - Russia, England and France
- to assist the Greeks in their efforts. After a series of systematic
campaigns and intense diplomatic
activities by European Phil-Hellenes, Greece became an independent state with the signing of the
Protocol of London on February
3rd, 1830,” the Ambassador said.
“We have gathered here today,
on this solemn yet joyous occasion,
to remember the sacrifices of our
ancestors in defeating the tyranny
of slavery. Our cherished freedom,
bought with blood, can not be taken for granted. We now carry the
torch of democracy. We must pass
this torch onto future generations,” he said.
“I'm also trying today to identify with all of you, citizens of Greek
heritage in the United States, and
in other places like Canada, Australia and around the world,” Mr.
Mallias added. He also talked
about the transformation of
Greece, in recent years, into a
modern and advanced country
which “has nothing to be scared of
today.”
At the Liturgy's conclusion, the
students from Saint Sophia's three
Greek schools in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia
recited poems and songs and performed traditional local Greek
dances. Children of all ages were
dressed in traditional uniforms
from different places in Greece
(e.g., Thrace, Crete, Macedonia
Thessaly, Roumeli and Epiros).
They celebrated the spirit of
America, the Legacy of Greece
and the right to freedom and
democracy for all. The children's
theme was “Eleftheria i Thanatos
(Freedom or Death),” the motto
of Greek heroes who fought the
Ottoman Empire with limited
means but unlimited willpower.
“How long, brave men, shall we
live in the straits, alone, like lions,
TNH/D. SOULTOGIANNIS
Young Greek American students sing folk songs while dressed in traditional garb during a celebration held
on March 25 at the St. Sofia Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
on mountain ranges? What does it
profit you to live and be a slave?
Think how they sear you each hour
in the fire. Better an hour of life in
freedom, than 40 years of slavery
and prison,” proudly screamed a
4th grader in front of his parents
and teachers, reciting the famous
revolutionary cry.
Holding and waving Greek and
American flags the students
praised heroes and heroines of
1821 such as Paleon Patron (Bishop)
Germanos;
Laskarina
Boubouli, better known as
Bouboulina; Konstantinos Kanaris, the heroic captain from the
island of Psara who led the burning of the Turkish Fleet at Kara
Ali in Chios on June 7, 1823;
Theodoros Kolokotronis, who
served as commander during the
siege of Tripolitsa in AprilSeptember of 1821; and others.
Words of wisdom and inspiration were continually recited:
“The life of a hero never ends,
from the moment it is extinguished
it becomes immortal,” said a 6th
grade student from Virginia, quoting Ioannis Polemis. Another student quoted Kolokotronis, who
once said that “God gave his signature for the freedom of Greece,
and he won't take it back.”
George Gountouvas, the principal of Saint Sophia's three Greek
schools, told the National Herald
about the importance of Greek
parochial schools in America and
the celebration of days like Greek
Independence Day.
“It is really impressive when
one sees those little kids, who in
many cases are first, second, third
and even fourth generation Greek
Americans, reciting poetry in
Greek; singing in Greek; and expressing their pride in the heroes
and heroines of 1821, and in their
Greek heritage,” he said, adding
that Hellenic education in the
Washington area “is getting
tougher and tougher to maintain,”
since Greek school sessions are
held only once a week, and the students have a hard time keeping up
with the Greek language.
“Even if our students learn a
single word (in Greek) every day,
we feel like we have accomplished
our mission,” Mr. Gountouvas
said. The principal also congratulated the students' parents, “who
have done such a splendid job
bringing their children to Greek
school,” pointing out that there
were a number of children from
interfaith marriages who are also
attending.
“Do not forget that some of
those kids also come from mixed
marriages. Even then there are
many parents who want their kids
to get in touch or stay in touch with
their Greek heritage,” he said.
8 IN MEMORY OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
A Man of Wisdom, Courage and Inner Strength
By Metropolitan Methodios
of Boston
Special to The National Herald
As we approach the first anniversary since the passing of His
Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, I
join the clergy and laity of the
Metropolis of Boston to pray that
our Benevolent Lord grant eternal
rest among the saints to this visionary leader of our Archdiocese. We
here in New England have a special place in our hearts for Archbishop Iakovos. We recall the 12
years he served as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral. During
those years, he touched the lives of
thousands of faithful, especially
the young children of the Sunday
School. We remember how they
listened spellbound - in a hypnotic
rapture - as Father Demetrios
Koukouzes taught them the tenets
of our Orthodox faith. The Cathe-
dral Community continues to
mourn the loss of their beloved
spiritual father. They are joined by
people from throughout the world
- Christians and non Christians,
men and women of all faiths - who
recognized in the person of Archbishop Iakovos a great ecumenist,
one of the most charismatic and visionary spiritual leaders of our
time. They thank Almighty God
for this man of God who left behind a legacy unparalleled in the
modern history of Orthodoxy.
Archbishop Iakovos was born to
be a priest. He was destined by
Almighty God to be a leader in the
Church. And what a leader he was.
He made those of us born in America proud of our faith and cultural
heritage. He moved Greek Orthodoxy into the mainstream of the religious, cultural and political life of
our nation.
During the last year, many
newspaper articles have been written about Archbishop Iakovos.
They bring back memories of personal experiences treasured in the
kaleidoscope of our minds. I have a
number of them myself, etched on
the parchment of my heart, which I
will treasure for the rest of my life.
A man of prayer, Archbishop
Iakovos started and ended his every day in the Chapel of the Archdiocese or the Chapel in his residence. No one celebrated the
Divine Services with more faith
and fervor than he did. And no one
seemed to be able to deliver a
homily as eloquently as he did. We
are taught by a hymn of our
Church that “angels ministered” to
Saint Spyridon as he offered
prayers during the Divine Services.
When Archbishop Iakovos celebrated the Divine Services he, too,
seemed to have a legion of angels
ministering with him.
As we gather to offer memorial
prayers, we remember Archbishop
Iakovos as a man of wisdom and inner strength. He was an imposing
man, a unique individual, “an icon
of the ineffable glory of God.” He
was majestic and powerful, yet gentle and humble. He was patient and
understanding. He was blessed
with a brilliant mind and sharp wit,
which he maintained until his final
breath. While his physical strength
waned in his final days, his mind remained as radiant as always.
The passing of Archbishop
Iakovos brought to an end an era.
We miss him terribly. We miss his
powerful stature, his courageous
leadership, his sage advice and his
fatherly admonition. We mourn his
loss. We thank God that He
blessed each of us in the Archdiocese with the life of this charismatic man. May God rest his beautiful
soul.
Archbishop Iakovos presiding over the enthronement of Bishop (now Metropolitan) Methodios of Boston at the Annunciation Cathedral on
April 8, 1984. Michael Dukakis (off to the right), then Governor of Massachusetts, was also present for the enthronement. Methodios was enthroned presiding Hierarch of the Diocese (now Metropolis) of Boston 22 years ago today.
He is Gone, but Certainly Not Forgotten
By Rev. E. Nicholas G. Anctil
Special to The National Herald
Where does one begin to reflect upon an archbishop as we
prepare to commemorate the oneyear anniversary of his death?
How do we do justice to an Archbishop who was blessed to spend
38 years of his life thrusting the
then Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America
into the forefront of mainstream
religion in America? One can certainly reference the state of the
Archdiocese he inherited from his
predecessor, the late Archbishop
Michael. One can easily speak
about the legacy he left as a young,
dynamic priest at the Cathedral in
Boston, where he served many of
his first years in America, or look
into his tenure as a professor and
dean at the Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology. I
can only reflect on the last 8-9
years of my life, during which time
he allowed me and my family to
embrace him as a retired hierarch,
if there is such a term, and as a
spiritual father to all of us who
feared and admired him.
Upon my assignment to Holy
Trinity of New Rochelle, New
York in July of 1996, which followed the retirement of the esteemed and highly respected
Father Peter N. Kyriakos, my first
visit was to reverence the right
hand of His Eminence soon after I
arrived. He, too, had just retired
from active ministry, and was beginning to enjoy his new life in his
private residence in Rye, New
York. He received daily visitors
and constant phone calls from
friends he cherished so dearly. These visitations, along with the love
and support of his dedicated staff,
truly afforded him the quality of
life that he so enjoyed in those
golden years.
I still remember the feeling I
had entering into his study for the
first time on that July day of 1996,
finding him with book in hand,
asking him to bless my ministry,
not yet knowing the impact that he
would have on my life. Neither did
I realize at that time that he would
go from becoming a most public
person to an endearing spiritual
father, always guiding me with a
gentle hand, yet a firm grip
through the trying steps of my new
ministry. Nor did I ever imagine
that he would welcome my wife
Cyndi, our daughter Kalli and me
into his home and his heart, making us yearn to be in his company
as often as we could break away
from our own commitments. Who
would imagine that our daughter's
love and respect for His Eminence
would evolve in such a way that
she would refer to him respectfully
and affectionately as “big pappou,” a phrase she borrowed from
Father Kyriakos' grandchildren. It
didn't take her long to realize that
she was in the presence of a man
with a great mind, regardless of
the aged and weakening body.
Our visits to his home always
proved to be an experience. We
were fortunate enough to enjoy
the company of his dearest friends
who visited him here in New York,
as well as at Martha's Vineyard.
He would host all of us graciously,
and he really began to enjoy his
private residence. His brilliant
personality permeated the room
during all of our conversations,
and his command of the English
language would leave us dumbfounded, as we were badly beaten
at the infamous Scrabble board.
We were always amazed to hear
his insights and expertise concerning a wide array of subjects which
always left us speechless. In his
presence, we were always commanded to be at our best, knowing
that he expected nothing less from
us. He demanded excellence in
our conversations with him, in our
mannerisms, and even in our physical appearance. I quiver even at
this moment, when, from time to
time, he would admonish me, ever
so gently, not to waver from my
convictions in serving the Holy
Priesthood with the dignity and
dedication he demanded of us.
In his silence, during many of
our last visits, we never ceased to
feel his lovingkindness. In his gentle eyes, we could still see his great
faith. During those later months,
when he stretched out his hands
for us to assist him to stand, we felt
in his “larger than life” grip a lifetime of strength and experience
coming towards us, but we knew it
would not be for very much
longer.
From him, there was much to
learn. Perhaps we were critical of
his decisions. On occasion, we
even questioned his vision for
Orthodoxy in America. We even
often wondered why he carried
himself with his austere form and
grace, until we realized that he was
and dearest, and to have the opportunity to say, “Goodbye. I love
you and thank you for a lifetime of
love and support,” being just minutes away from death, never losing
courage and confidence that God
has a place for each of us according to our faith and works.
So today, I join the many who
mourn and miss this solemn man
of faith upon the one-year an-
Father Nick Anctil, his daughter Nicole, Archbishop Iakovos and
Presvytera Cynthia Anctil.
not promoting himself as the person, but rather that he was promoting the Office of the Archbishop with the honor and respect that
was due to it. We were constantly
reminded by him that life was to
be lived to the fullest, never limiting our goals and aspirations to
those within human boundaries,
but rather that we should strive towards heavenly goals. It was in his
person that we learned we must
surround ourselves with positive
and loving people of truth so that
we, too, can have the courage to
always speak the truth. And in the
end, painfully, we learned from
him that it was truly a gift to have
the ability to call on your nearest
niversary of his death. The ten
years since his retirement have
brought much change and growth
to our Archdiocese. The legacy
that Archbishop Iakovos has left
behind is a strong foundation for
each generation of hierarchs and
Archdiocesan leaders to improve
upon. I pray that we each have that
same courage to walk those oftennarrow paths upon which he
walked so bravely with the same
conviction, knowing that God also
expects nothing less from us. May
his memory be eternal.
Father Anctil is pastor of the
Holy Trinity Church in New
Rochelle, New York.
IN RECOGNITION OF OUR SPONSORS
This special edition in honor of the late Archbishop Iakovos' memory has been partially sponsored by the following:
ñ The Greek Orthodox Metropolises of Boston, San Francisco
and New Jersey
ñ Nick A. Andriotis
ñ Family & Friends of Archbishop Iakovos
ñ Peter Dion & Family
ñ Dr. John Collis & Family
ñ Angelo & Sophia Tsakopoulos; Markos & Eleni TsakopoulosKounalakis; Kyriakos, Katina, Athena, Chryssa and Alexa
Tsakopoulos.
Iakovos Held Infinity
In the Palm of his Hand
By Rev. George Poulos
Special to The National Herald
An ancient sage once said, “A
name truly good is the aroma from
virtuous character. It is a name not
only remembered on Earth, but it
is written in Heaven.” The good
name of Iakovos, for 93 years on
Earth, joins Heaven, which has
proudly embraced him these past
365 days. The good name of Archbishop Iakovos has literally engulfed the entire world for the
amazing span of 93 tremendous
years, which has left a legacy of accomplishments more than any
other Hierarch in the history of
Orthodoxy throughout North and
South America.
Born in the shadows of Islamic
minarets on the island of Imbros,
and imbued with a Christian fervor which led him inexorably to
the Patriarchal Seminary of Halki,
another Turkish-dominated island, the young Demetrios Koukouzes emerged not only with high
scholastic honors, but a call to
higher still, eventually to serve
God in the new world. The brilliant young graduate was compelled by Turkish law to serve two
years in the Turkish Army, where
intellect is of little value and
Christianity a liability, and when
he finished his tour of duty, he was
a study in debilitation whose
feverish brow must have been
soothed by a hand not of this
world. Then in 1939, Divine Will
compelled his presence in the
United States, where he regained
his physical vigor and set a phenomenal pace in theological pursuits which took the Greek Orthodox Church out of the backwaters
of America to the mainstreams of
consciousness of the North American continent.
The theological pursuits of this
priest of priests commence, inauspiciously enough, with his 1940 ordination in Lowell, Massachusetts,
a city teeming with Greek Americans who were the first to witness
his compelling presence. His real
talent was put on full display when
he was assigned to the Church of
St. George in Hartford, Connecticut, where Church attendance was
on the rise, when he was sent to
the Cathedral of Holy Trinity in
New York City, shortly thereafter
to spend a few months at St. Nicholas Church in St. Louis. But it
was during the years from 1942 to
1954 that this extraordinary talented man gave full expression to
his Christian fervor while serving
Boston as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral. These dozen years
of amazing dedication and perpetuation of the Orthodox Church
signaled the beginning of the golden age of the Faith in the Boston
area. Everyone quickly became
aware of his spiritual gifts and his
intellectual
capacity.
Father
Koukouzes literally captivated everyone within the sound of his
sonorous voice. His sermons were
truly masterpieces of oratory, and
his weekly lectures attracted hundreds of both young and old within the Boston community. During
his tenure at the Boston Cathedral, he worked with his spiritual
mentor, Bishop Athenagoras
Cavadas, in preparing students to
enter the Priesthood at the Holy
Cross Theological School at
Brookline, Massachusetts. This
magnificent campus was made
possible through the efforts of
Father Koukouzes, who gathered
the necessary funds to make possible the transfer of the Theological
School (then located in Pomfret,
Connecticut), which was near extinction. It was to the credit of
Father Koukouzes that the famous Weld Estate, consisting of
56 acres, was purchased for a mere
$170,000 - a prodigious accomplishment, to say the least. Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, in
recognition of his outstanding accomplishments during his amazing career in Boston, appointed
Father Koukouzes, after his ordination as Bishop of Melita in Fe-
Archbishop Iakovos with his close
friend and associate, Father George Poulos.
bruary of 1955, the Patriarchate's
official representative to the
World Council of Churches in
Geneva, where he also served as
president of this august body for
many years.
Bishop Iakovos was appointed
to succeed Archbishop Michael of
North & South America after
Michael's death in 1958. When
Archbishop Iakovos was enthroned on April 1, 1959 at the
Cathedral in New York, he spoke
as follows, “I come to the realization that I am ascending a throne
which was graced by men of God
but which, though it is called an
episcopal throne, is the throne of
Jesus Christ, and its true occupant
the Messiah Himself.” He further
stated that, “We ascend His
throne with trembling knees, to
declare to all that our Church is
Christ-centered, and from which
He alone reigns and governs.”
More than his stately appearance culminated in his appointment as spiritual leader of the
Greek Orthodox Church of North
& South America, a lofty post
from which he might have gazed
out with imperial serenity to rest
on his laurels while pushing buttons. Instead he pushed himself
for over 37 years, ever ready to
help, whether the need was great
or small. He had administered and
ministered with excellence, initiating programs too numerous to
mention. His years of dedication
and devotion are legion, and his
accomplishments well known the
world over, not the least of which
is the Ionian Village in Greece,
where over 18,000 American children of Greek heritage have visited the land of their forbears and
return enriched and ennobled
from having trod on the sacred
Hellenic soil. In the wake of this
monumental advancement of
Greek Orthodoxy have come honors, accolades and renown. His
Eminence was a man whose admirers are legion; whose achievements are numberless; and whose
tireless efforts on our behalf are as
infinite as the Heaven where he
now rests in eternal glory. After
April 10, 2005 what could we observe as his epitaph for all eternity.
William Blake once said:
“To see the world in grain of sand
And Heaven in a flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your
hand
And eternity in an hour.”
I am sure that Archbishop
Iakovos did just that in his glorious lifetime.
Father Poulos, the longest
serving active priest in the Archdiocese (since 1948), is Pastor of
the Archangels Greek Orthodox
Church in Stamford, Connecticut. He is the author of the book,
“Breath of God (Holy Cross
Press, Brookline, Massachusetts:
1984),” a biography of the late
Archbishop Iakovos.
IN MEMORY OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS 9
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
A Year Has Passed, but Still No Solace or Comfort after a Great Loss
By Dr. John Collis
Special to The National Herald
This article contains the eulogy I delivered at Saints Constantine & Helen
Church in Cleveland, Ohio on April 14,
2005. The eulogy, republished here, was
originally entitled “Iakovos the Great,”
and was first published in the April 23,
2005 edition of The National Herald. I
have also added a brief epilogue.
EULOGY
We are here to commemorate our
beloved Archbishop Iakovos, who served
his church with honor and distinction. Just
imagine. He served as our Archbishop for
nearly 40 years.
After serving as a priest in Boston, the
late Patriarch Athenagoras selected him
for the position of Archbishop of North
and South America. I shall now describe
highlights of his distinguished career, and
it will be presented from my perspective.
1.
When he assumed the position of
Archbishop, his annual budget was a few
thousand dollars per year, whereas at his
retirement, it was $10-12 million per year.
2.
He saw the needs for an undergraduate school to compliment our seminary. He initiated and supported Hellenic
College.
3.
He loved the seminary, Holy
Cross. He initiated and completed the new
library.
4.
He saw the need for improvements in his many churches and institutions here in this country. He initiated
Leadership 100. Leadership 100 is undoubtedly the most successful financial effort that our church has ever undertaken.
The original idea was from one of our
parishioners, right here at St. Constantine
& Helen, George Chimples. Archbishop
Iakovos dearly loved George Chimples.
5.
He saw the need for charitable
work abroad. He initiated IOCC (InterOrthodox Christian Charities). This institution distributes millions of dollars annually to thousands of people over the world.
6.
He believed in religious unity. He
participated in many ecumenical efforts.
7.
He brought together the leaders
of Orthodox churches in America. He instituted SCCOBA (Standing Conference
of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in
America).
8.
He was one of the first and foremost defenders of civil right. He supported the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.
All Greek Americans were proud of his
stance at Selma, Alabama. Archbishop
Iakovos defended civil rights before most
recognized the great injustices here in
Archbishop Iakovos with Dr. John & Helen Collis and family.
America.
9.
Archbishop Iakovos met with
many United States Presidents. He met
with Popes. He met with world leaders.
Many called for his advice. He helped with
issues in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. The
list goes on and on.
Yes, he was comfortable with world
leaders. Similarly, he was comfortable
even with those in a small Bible class. For
example, several years ago he came to
Cleveland, for a retreat. I must say everyone, but everyone, was mesmerized.
Yesterday (April 13, 2005), our former
priest, Father Robert Stephanopoulos
phoned me from the Cathedral in New
York. He stated that many and varied people, from all over the country, not just New
York City, showed their respect with attendance in large numbers. These were
not only Orthodox Christians, but also
Protestants, Catholics, Jews… people from
all walks of life.
His Eminence was an avid Boston Red
Sox fan. I called him frequently regarding
the Red Sox, especially when the Cleveland Indians had beaten them. Last year,
Boston won the World Series. My recollection is, that I did not call His Eminence
very frequently last year.
I am proud to have served under Archbishop Iakovos on our Archdiocesan
Council. I am also pleased that I served as
one of his physicians.
He suffered from a condition of his
spine called "stenosis." This is a condition
that compresses nerves. I had instructed
him on the appropriate exercise. In order
to monitor his strength, he was merely to
walk on his toes daily. He was somewhat
annoyed that every time I saw him, I
would say, "Your Eminence, I would like
to watch you toe walk." He would subsequently greet me by walking up to me,
standing high on his toes, more or less
playfully seeking my approval. On another
occasion, while he was about to deliver an
address from the stage, he saw me in the
audience, waved, and then pointed to his
feet, as he tiptoed up to the podium.
Some years ago, his faithful and diligent secretary, Paulette Poulos, called Helen and I and informed us that, although
we were scheduled for a Leadership 100
meeting in Phoenix, he was having pain.
Helen and I flew up to New York, and after an examination, I informed him that he
was not to attend that meeting. He told me
that he would stay in New York, as I had
advised, but only if Helen and I would
"keep a close eye on him." Now what he
had in mind was Scrabble. Helen, do you
recall ever winning a game in those three
days (Helen answered from her seat in the
audience, by shaking her head negatively)?
Approximately 20 years ago, while at
an annual church meeting in Florida, he
developed leg pains. After the hospital examination, I explained that he did not
have blood clots. We then returned to his
room. There he sat on his bed, and began
to put on one of his socks. I said to him,
"Your Eminence, you must stay in bed;
you do not have blood clots, but you do
have inflammation."
He ignored me and started to put on his
other sock. I then stood up and shouted,
"You have to stay in bed. I'm the doctor!"
At that, he dropped his shoe, stood up,
and shouted back at me, "I am the Archbishop." That slowed me down for a moment, but then I shouted back, "I'm a Sunday school teacher!" He burst into laughter, hugged me, and then returned to bed.
Fourteen years ago, our families were
struck by a life-threatening tragedy. Our
wonderful, one-year-old granddaughter
had developed severe weakness of her
arms and legs. She had contracted
leukemia. I went to his Eminence and told
him of our plight. Our Archbishop listened with tears in his eyes, then said,
"John, you manage the medicine, and I will
pray." Over the next five years, we talked
and prayed frequently. Andrea was cured.
We thanked God, her doctors and His
Eminence.
Several years after the completion of
her treatment, my granddaughter, Andrea,
and our entire family vacationed in Athens.
We boarded the plane in Athens to return
to New York, and guess who we met as we
Archbishop Iakovos with his longtime
personal assistant, Paulette Poulos.
ab
On the first anniversary of his falling asleep in the Lord
the National Board of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc.,
the Metropolis Boards, the Parish Chapters, and Philoptochos Members
across the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
celebrate the lasting legacy of our beloved spiritual leader and father,
the late Archbishop Iakovos
of blessed memory.
May His Memory Be Eternal!
entered the plane? It was His Eminence,
Archbishop Iakovos. He was delighted to
see all of us. He hugged us, and then
looked down and saw "a little girl." His eyes
opened with delight when he learned that
this was Andrea. He took Andrea to his
seat, placed his large, warm hands on her
head and blessed her. As we parted company with His Eminence, I noticed that the
small airline stewardess approached him,
and I overheard her say, "Sir, I'm not a
Greek, but could I have one of those blessings?" He then proceeded to bless her with
his warm, loving hands. You can be assured
that after his blessing the stewardess was
flying higher than our plane.
In closing, I know Archbishop Iakovos
was a great person. He served and loved
his Lord and Savior with all his strength;
with all his heart; and with all his soul. He
was a uniquely outstanding leader. He was
an engaging teacher. He was a trusted adviser. He was a visionary… a wise visionary.
Archbishop Iakovos spent a lifetime of
love and service to his church, and for his
people. Tonight, Archbishop Iakovos is
with our Lord and Savior. Archbishop
Iakovos will be missed. However, Archbishop Iakovos will be remembered.
I will remember my Archbishop, and
my friend. I will remember him not just as
Iakovos. I will remember him as Iakovos
the Great.
EPILOGUE
As a physician, I have noticed that certain problems may be lessened, or resolved with time. Time will help the effects
of a serious illness, or perhaps a severe injury. Time may be the only help for the
loss of a loved one.
It has now been one year since the
death of Archbishop Iakovos.
As a personal friend of His Eminence, I
deeply mourned his death. I expected to
find solace with time, but this hasn't happened… I feel his absence. I continue to
mourn the loss of his enthusiasm, his sensitivity and his love… all of this is gone.
The magnificent ministry he left has
been temporarily darkened by apathy and
indecision… our ecclesial agenda has been
tinged by doubt and debt. Archbishop
Iakovos is sorely missed… I will always remember my beloved friend as Archbishop
Iakovos the Great.
Dr. Collis has served on the Archdiocesan Council for 18 of the past 21
years, and currently serves on the Council's Executive Committee. He is also a
member of the Leadership 100 Board of
Trustees.
10 IN MEMORY OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Golden Pages from the Diary of a Greek Orthodox Priest in America
By Rev. Dem. S. Kavadas
Special to The National Herald
I am very proud to share a part
of my diary with the world upon
the 50th anniversary of the greatest diakonia (witness; ministry) to
God and humanity, the humble
charisma of priesthood. I have labeled my personal diary the
“Golden Pages” because it is my
intention to declare the wealth of
priestly experiences, and to honor
one of the richest fathers of our
contemporary Church, my mentor
of blessed memory, Archbishop
Iakovos of North & South America.
My eyes admired the Statue of
Liberty in New York Harbor on
March 1, 1950. The torch Liberty
carries ignited the beginning of illumined experiences God offered
to the world, and to the 17-yearold boy who arrived with a dream
to study medicine. Tufts University became my first home. Eager
for knowledge, but very lonely, I
heard a voice through my little radio. It was the archimandrite from
the Annunciation Cathedral in
Boston sharing with his listeners
the spiritual treasury of the Orthodox Church. His strong, bell-echoing and poetic voice attracted
more than my soul. He invited the
students of Boston area colleges to
attend the Sunday night lectures
offered at the Cathedral for the
youth of the “Athens of the United
States.”
I remember my first visit to the
Cathedral of Boston the following
Sunday so vividly. It was the first
time I had experienced Cantor Nicholas Nikoleras and the 40-member choir under the person who
later invited me to join that superb
music, Christina Nikitas.
The celebrant was Father
Iakovos Koukouzes, a very unusual clergyman. He was clean-shaven
with only a mustache and a most
articulate voice which reminded
me of the famous Metropolitan
Panteleimon of Chios Island, who
was considered the best preacher
of Greece at that time (he slept in
the Lord in 1962). I went to the Altar and presented myself to the
good father, requesting the catharsis of his confessional. This dynamic geronda (elder; spiritual father) did not waste any time in extending an invitation to me to
transfer from Tufts University to
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
School of Theology in Brookline,
Massachusetts: “With God's
charis (grace) you will become a
doctor of the souls from a potential doctor of man,” was his invitation to me. There is no way to express my hesitation, perplexed
with fear and doubt, with intellectual and spiritual bewilderment.
Within six months, I found myself
joining the second year of my
classmates, ready to celebrate in
May of 2006 the 50th anniversary
of our Graduation from Holy
Cross (1956-2006).
Although Father Koukouzes
did not become our dean until the
year 1954, when he was ordained
Bishop of Melita and left our seminary to become the personal representative of Patriarch Athenagoras at the World Council of
Churches in Geneva, he had the
privilege of teaching our class
Rhetoric, and became our Dean
for such a short time. He encouraged me to be a radioman. I was
directing the radio program of our
seminary from 1952 to 1956 at the
same station he had his program,
WVOX of Boston. After my ordination in 1957, I continued my
own radio program in Manchester,
New Hampshire (WFEA), followed by a 35-year radio ministry
(WMZK in Detroit), when Archbishop Iakovos had appointed me
to the pastorate of the Assumption
Church in Detroit and St. Clair
Shores (March 1, 1962 until August 15, 2003). During this record
of 45 years on the radio I am proud
to say that I followed the format he
had established in Boston, with his
opening and closing prayer, with
more than 50 records he had given
me on religious music. I am
amazed, and extremely emotional,
when I recall that the Archbishop
would mail to me, and to about 20
more priests in the country, a tape
with his voice, preaching the higher values of life to his vast congregation in these United States.
This giant of Orthodox spirituality, born on the island of Imbros,
never to be liberated from the
Turks, came as a deacon to the
United States in 1939. The following year, he was ordained to the
Priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts (the church where I was
ordained a priest); served St. George Church in Hartford, Con-
necticut and St. Nicholas in St.
Louis, Missouri; and made his
spiritual land the Cathedral of
Boston from 1942 to 1954, earning
a master's Degree from Harvard
University in 1955. Every year,
when the 1st of April comes, many
of us will commemorate his enthronement in New York City, and
will shed a few tears of sonship on
April 10, when he left us to prepare a place in Heaven.
My diary has recorded that the
strangest secret of success has
been the selection of men and
women who surrounded his archpastoral diakonia. It is remarkable
that he lived to enjoy the privilege
of ordaining all the other Bishops
in the United States at a time
when the world was enflamed by
television, the computer and the
first Greek American millionaires
(and billionaires). I heard, with my
own ears, Archbishop Iakovos
stating to reporters that there was
a time when he was honored to
shake hands with all the heads of
state of all nations, the leaders of
all religions, and to celebrate with
those who returned to free democratic societies like Russia, Albania, and all the countries controlled by communism. He gave
his soul to the Lord with one secret
disappointment: that his island,
Constantinople, Asia Minor and
Cyprus did not become illuminated by the torch of Liberty, which
he had seen when he arrived in
New York on May 1, 1939.
With the strongest emphasis,
my diary brings out the fact that
some clergy and some laity, within
and without the Church of the
World, considered themselves
men and women who should remain in positions of disliking
Archbishop Iakovos for his vision
in uniting all humanity; in the
lessons of transforming monetary
empires into spiritual, benevolent
vehicles of assisting the weak, the
poor and the afflicted for the sake
of a triumphant kingdom of Christ
upon this Earth. How can history
forget the fact that he was the first
Archbishop Iakovos looks on as Father Demetrios Kavadas greets
then President George H.W. Bush, with whom the late Archbishop enjoyed a personal friendship.
Orthodox hierarch to visit the
Pope of Rome (after more than
900 years), representing the great
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, and succeeding in founding
the period of reconciliation? How
can we bury the power of his wit in
challenging the forces of war, and
the courage that he had to plant
olive trees on the Rocky Mountains? He was the first “flying
Hierarch” to travel so frequently
in order to bless those who started
love; to support those who legally
insisted on establishing - in a world
of revolution - order, discipline,
canonical existence and creation
of new institutions which would
promise the survival of humanity.
My guess is that Archbishop
Iakovos is the best example to remember that it is worthy to allow
your enemies to place nails and
crucify you, knowing that every
crucifixion is always followed within the element of time which only
God controls, the immortal power
of the Resurrection.
In his presence, so many of us
felt a prince marching along on the
battlefields of jealousy, assassinations and direct expression of hate,
and yet he remained silent and
humble, deteriorating by the
tongues of men, while angels
trumpeted in his mind endless
days of hope. He now lies asleep
with two of his bishops, Gerasimos
and Silas, on the grounds they
honor, at the back of the Altar of
the Holy Cross Chapel. There,
close to the statue of the tallest hierarchs of the world, Patriarch
Athenagoras I, the mentor of
Archbishop Iakovos, students of
the seminary find themselves in
personal therapeutic dialogue with
him, a miracle he desired so much
while he enjoyed spiritual life.
How can the visitor of the seminary avoid the temenos (shrine) of
the library dedicated to him, and
then to pass without remembering
the song which loses so much
meaning if translated into English:
“Eis to vouno psila ekei (High on
the mountain there)?” I visited his
grave, recited a Trisagion, and
with the vocal cords of my soul, I
chanted this song to him, and I
heard him singing the second verse
for me. That moment remained in
my heart as a symbol of eternal togetherness with my geronda.”
My Diary becomes a document
recording endless experiences and
golden moments of ecstasy, looking at him on the throne; standing
by the sacred altar; concelebrating
in the Sacraments and funerals;
anxiously awaiting for his voice
during Archdiocesan Council
meetings, Clergy-Laity Congresses, and so many ordinations and
immortal experiences of sharing
programs of progress in the
Church. Privately, he was a person
of astonishing wit and uplifting humor, enjoying art in its multiple expressions; promoting the culture
of his ancestors; applauding the
achievement of youth; and uplifting the depression of old age. Did
you know that he was an obsessive
fan of the Boston Red Sox?
When I visited his grave last
summer, on the upper right corner
of the grave he had requested to
place his Red Sox hat. My companion at the grave, and one of his
great fans in life, was my grandson
George, who teaches Psychology
at a university. Commenting upon
the unusual phenomenon of a Red
Sox supporter, George said, “Pappou, I am positive that he wanted
our American youth to know that
he will love them eternally.”
My diary demands I mention in
my testimony of this great man of
the Church the fact that he repeatedly emphasized the names of all
those at the Archdiocese who so
unselfishly sacrificed endless
hours to prepare reports, write letters, answer telephones, even take
the storms and the thunder and
the lightning and the sound of war
which appeared, and which they
had to defend in Iakovos' name.
Here are some names history will
never forget, and which Heaven
will always crown with the laurels
of good services: Vasilios Vasiliades, George Bakopoulos, Chris
Demetriades, Paulette Poulos,
Roula Pantazopoulou, Niki Kale,
Peter Kyriakos and his Presvytera,
Theodore Bagnaneas and his
Presvytera, George Poulos of
Stamford, Connecticut, all his
archdeacons who became bishops
and metropolitans, Ernest & Vicki
Vellas, Demetrios Constantelos,
and so many others that the Lord
will reward eternally.
Finally, the pages of my diary
unveil the frequent times that His
Eminence would enter the private
chambers of my priestly life, and
the sacred obligations of motherhood and the life of his spiritual
daughter and my precious
Presvytera, Rodothea Palaiologou, in order to strengthen us in
the multiple difficulties we faced
in carrying heavy crosses during
the past 50 years.
We continue to hear his voice
offering advice and solace, enduring problems with faith, hope and
love. We shall open frequently the
Diary of Life to remind us of a
teacher, a warrior and a benefactor. Every April, when the blossoms of springtime appear in nature, they will remind us of the duty of performing Archbishop
Iakovos' memorial.
I know that his memory will be
eternal for us… and the golden
pages of my diary will hold the images of his life for the generations
to follow.
Reflections on Archbishop Iakovos and his Greatness
By George C. Chryssis
Special to The National Herald
I got to know his Eminence, the
late Archbishop Iakovos, in an intimate way in 1988. It was the year
when I had been invited by him
and Metropolitan Silas (of blessed
memory) who, at the time, was
serving as president of Hellenic
College/Holly Cross, to join the
Board of Trustees as well as the
Executive Committee of the
school.
At the peak of my energetic
years then, and with a zest and fervor to serve as a volunteer and
community activist, I felt a sense
of awe and concurrently felt privileged to be a member of the Board
of our beloved Scholi, especially
during Archbishop Iakovos era.
I served on the Board of Trustees of Hellenic College with His
Eminence until his retirement
from active ministry and, since
that humble beginning, I continued to serve on the Board for a total of 16 years.
Although, during our various
collaborations, our opinions on
certain matters did not always converge, we both had a common
bond: Our love for Hellenism, our
Orthodox faith and the Omogeneia at-large. Both of us were
uncompromising and also determined to elevate our community
to prominence, through excellence
and perfection.
Archbishop Iakovos was not
your ordinary clergyman. His extraordinary charisma and leadership qualities were apparent from
the minute one encountered him.
Who can forget his deep and vibrant voice, his unique mannerisms and his commanding presence? He could speak volumes
through those magnetic eyes, and
his gaze needed no supplementary
words to understand.
He once said that our community should not be just another
piece of the American mosaic, but
the glue that holds the various mosaic pieces together.
For many years, I analyzed, dissected and made a concise effort
to understand that statement and
put its context into perspective,
until I finally realized what he
meant. Archbishop Iakovos had a
distaste for, was appalled by, a
Hellenic and Orthodox community which was ineffective, self-cen-
Archbishop Iakovos doing one of the things he loved best: spending time with a child. Iakovos passed away on April 10th of last year, the day of
the annual Greek Independence Day Parade in New York. This year's Parade, held last Sunday, was dedicated to the late Archbishop's memory.
tered and narrow-minded - a community which harbored feelings of
insecurity, low self-esteem and
self-pity.
Rather, he envisioned, and was
constantly promoting, a progressive and inclusive community, and
a faith which would reach out and
take its right-worthy leadership
position in the diverse American
fabric, a uniting and united community which would be unequivocally identified among the best in
this country.
AHEAD OF HIS TIME
Archbishop Iakovos was ahead
of his time. His dream and vision,
not only for our faith, but also for
our community, were not a simplistic or selfish adventure, but a
journey of collective hope, endurance and perseverance.
He was quick to grasp reality
and understand the challenges
both the older and younger generations of our community were fac-
ing. He never forgot the past, but
lived the present fully and planned
vigorously for the future. Indeed,
it seemed that he knew exactly
what the future held, and he was
prepared to take risks and speak
his mind on pertinent issues, many
times knowing that being a risktaker was not a popular endeavor.
Yet his strong will and determination to protect the interests of
our community and advance its future beyond the ephemeral was
worth the price and cost of any
criticism. After all, leadership
means having the courage to face
your critics and persevere.
My last intimate contact with
Archbishop Iakovos was during
the 2000 Leadership 100 conference in Naples, Florida. He was
there, fragile and weak physically,
yet attending every event with a
sharp mind and a lively spirit.
What he lacked in physical
strength, he more than made up
for in spiritual power. He was
greeting and speaking with everyone, obviously pleased that the organization he had founded had
grown and prospered, and he
counted so many of his friends and
acquaintances among its members.
I approached him and greeted
him. I was not sure whether he
would remember my name, but he
greeted me warmly, held my hand,
and he took me by complete surprise me when he leaned forward
and asked, “Mr. Chryssis are you
still writing poetry?”
I was in awe. Not only did he
readily recall my name, but he also
remembered my poetry vocation,
and most importantly, he took the
time to acknowledge it. He was a
special man, indeed, and he knew
how to make you feel special.
I am sure that many in our community have their own special
memories of Archbishop Iakovos,
memories which have touched not
only our sentiments, but also our
hearts and lives. As we commemorate, once again this year, his last
calling from God, let us reflect and
remember this special hierarch for
who and what he was, and for all
his good and worthy accomplishments, let us be thankful and appreciative for the legacy and
covenant he left behind. May his
memory be eternal.
Mr. Chryssis is an Archon of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a
member of Leadership 100, and a
former Vice Chairman of the
Board of Trustees at Hellenic
College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. A successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and community activist,
he is also a prolific writer, author
and poet and a founder and former publisher of The Hellenic
Voice weekly newspaper.
IN MEMORY OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS 11
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Remembering a Very Distinguished Chapter in the Life of the Church
By Bishop Andonios
of Phasiane
Special to The National Herald
The elders who are among you, I
exhort, I who am a fellow elder and
a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a partaker of the glory to be
revealed. Shepherd the flock of God
which is among you, serving as overseers not by compulsion, but willingly; not for dishonest gain, but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to
the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the
crown of glory which does not fade
away (1 Peter 5.1-4)
For 37 years, the Church of the
Americas was blessed with an extraordinary elder who shepherded
the flock with undeniable devotion. He served willingly and eagerly, not for any personal gain,
but rather because of his deep and
abiding love for Christ and His
Church. As we approach the oneyear anniversary of Archbishop
Iakovos' falling asleep, we are afforded the opportunity to recall
and reflect upon the life of this
most distinguished hierarch and
the central role he played in the
life of Orthodoxy here and abroad.
Archbishop Iakovos began his
ministry in 1934 as a young deacon
in Constantinople, and served
from 1939 as a priest in the United
States, before being elevated to
the episcopate in 1954. As a bishop, he served as the representative
of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the
World Council of Churches in
Geneva, and later served as one of
its Presidents, his travels taking
him to the four corners of the
globe. In 1959, as he journeyed to
the United States to ascend the
Archiepiscopal Throne of the then
Archdiocese of North & South
America, he was to make a stop at
the Vatican on behalf of Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, and
thus opened the doors of communication which had been shut since
the 11th Century.
Wherever he served, he left a
lasting impression, and the words
of Saint Paul especially echo in the
hearts and minds of those who had
the good fortune to truly know His
Eminence for the man he was.
Since assuming the position of
Archbishop's deacon in 1985, I
was to come to know and appreciate him as a true person of faith.
My years as a deacon were not
easy ones, not only because His
Eminence was a tough taskmaster
(for all those around him, and
even for himself), but also because
of the position's tremendous demands. To this day, while I may recall the “war stories” of those
years in jest, it was during that
time that I was truly molded into
the clergyman I am today. It was
then that, like a piece of iron, I was
plunged into the depths of the furnace of life to be strengthened and
shaped. No greater teacher or example could I have asked for than
Archbishop Iakovos, and I consider myself blessed to be able to refer to His Eminence as my “geronda (elder; spiritual father).”
He was, for all of us, a powerful
icon… an imposing personality
with whom we grew up, and for
most of all our lives, we knew no
other Archbishop. To him, many
accolades can be accorded, and
while some ring truer than others,
there is no denying that one of his
greatest accomplishments was to
give Orthodoxy a face in a pluralistic world and make it part of the
mainstream of society. He guided
his flock with vigilance, and inspired countless generations to remain faithful to their ancestral
identity, yet become an integral
part of life in their new homeland
and assume leadership roles. As
was often said of him, he was truly
Greek Orthodox, yet truly an
American. An avid advocate of all
things Orthodox and Hellenistic,
he embraced his new country as
fully as could any new citizen.
Despite his flowing black robes
and stovepipe hat, he was “as
American as baseball and apple
pie,” two of his favorite things, and
I would always be amused as this
“old world” and “old school”
church leader sometimes sat in
front of the television for hours
watching his beloved Boston Red
Sox. What a joy it was for him that,
after so many years of routing for
his favorite team, he was able to
see them finally win the World
Series in the last year of his life.
And who could forget the hours of
watching “Jeopardy,” “Wheel of
Fortune” and, of course, the
“Golden Girls,” which always
made him chuckle, even though,
thank God, I am sure he usually
never quite grasped the show's
questionable innuendos. Anyone
spending any amount of time visiting His Eminence would be invited
to play a game of Scrabble, during
which one marveled at the extensive vocabulary which he possessed of his adopted language,
and also at his playful ability to
create words, though a good number of them may not have been
found in any dictionary.
To some, His Eminence appeared unapproachable. To others, he appeared a despot. To
most, he was an inspiring leader
and a most capable representative
of the Church and community. To
those who truly knew him, he was
an endearing individual who could
charm and bewitch those with
whom he interacted. There was no
denying that he was a man of
faith… with shortcomings no
doubt, but then again, as we are reminded at every prayer for the deceased, “there is no man who lives
and does not sin.”
People placed on pedestals are
assumed to be devoid of imperfections, and we forget that even the
saints, when they set out on the
journey of life, were not perfect
from the get-go, but reached perfection at some point later in their
lives. This is especially true of clergymen, who many people assume
should be beyond reproach. Their
littlest infraction is viewed as the
greatest of trespasses. As affirmed
at every ordination, we pray that
“the Divine Grace Which heals
that which is infirm, and completes
that which is wanting,” will help a
clergyman become the person he
should be, but this is certainly an
ongoing process which continues
even until one breathes his last
breath.
Archbishop Iakovos, like all of
us, was on his journey down the
road of life. We may have expected him to be perfect, but that was
not realistic. We may have expected that all he did would please us,
but even our Lord did not accomplish that during His life. For in
addition to whatever shortcomings
he had, His Eminence also was in a
difficult position of leadership,
and very often saw things from a
different perspective. He was certainly privy to information not always apparent to those who passed
judgment, and his long years of experience and unique insight impelled him to do what he truly believed was best for the Church.
NO FACADES
He did not hide behind false
piety or hypocrisy, but rather the
person we saw was the same person inside. There were no facades,
and his public and private lives reflected one another. In the words
of a modern-day adage, “what you
saw is what you got.” While he was
certainly a man of the world, there
was a simple pious person within
him, and I recall on those trips
back and forth from his residence
in Rye to the Archdiocese how he
would cross himself as we passed
the Holy Trinity Church of New
Rochelle. Though barely visible
through the trees from the roadway, he knew it was there, and his
pious soul knew he was passing, albeit it from a distance, hallowed
ground. Every day, he would light
his censor in the small chapel in his
home, and begin and end his day
Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, left, Archbishop Iakovos and Archbishop Demetrios of America during Andonios' ordination as a bishop at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan on February 23, 2002.
in prayer before the small altar.
During our travels, the first thing I
unpacked upon reaching our destination was his synekthimo (prayer
book) and the small icon of Christ,
which was a gift during his deaconate, and which accompanied
him on every trip throughout his
long life.
He was truly the good shepherd
and not the hireling referred to by
Christ in John 10.12. He agonized
over the Archdiocese and wanted
nothing but the best for the
Church and his people. He had an
uncanny insight into the community and its needs, for he was without
a doubt “flesh of this flesh, bone of
this bone.” Of course, it was as the
celebrant of services that His Eminence truly manifested who he
was. Standing by his side, there
was no mistaking that he believed
he was standing in the presence of
the Almighty. The Liturgy was not
some empty ritual for him, but
rather a sacred opportunity for
him to communicate with God on
behalf of the congregation, and he
prayed with all his being. It was
during those occasions that his
other God-given talent was revealed, which was his ability to
powerfully preach the message of
the Gospel. Whether with oral or
written word, His Eminence was a
great communicator, and time after time, whether reading something he had authored or speaking
at some church service, parish
banquet or other public gathering,
I marveled at his eloquence, and
how he could weave such a beautiful image through spoken language.
What amazed me most about
His Eminence was the unique
place he enjoyed in the annals of
time. His life's journey had taken
him, the son of a poor kafenion
(café) owner from an isolated island of the Aegean to the world's
wealthiest and most powerful nation, which acknowledged him as
one of its religious leaders. And he
lived up to that role, always representing his people in a most appropriate, dignified and distinguished
manner. When he walked into a
room, or down the gateway of
some distant airport, or through
the halls of the Capitol, his presence commanded attention and
respect. Even though many outside of our community may not
have known him by name, they
knew he was someone special.
Often, what was mistaken for
ego by some was nothing more
than his inner desire to see that his
Faith and those who represented it
were accorded their proper and
due place. No doubt, there was an
ego within the man called Iakovos,
“but let him who is without a sin
cast the first stone (John 8.7),” and
I can't but help think that the Lord
used this quality of the Archbishop
to accomplish a greater good. For
had it not been for his ego, our
Church and its leaders would not
enjoy the prestige in American society they do today. Had it not
been for his boldness, a hierarch of
this small community would not
have dared to knock on the doors
of the White House and other centers of power. Seeing him in a
place of prominence at presidential inaugurations, at Republican
and Democratic conventions, and
other public events instilled in us a
sense of pride as Greek Orthodox,
and motivated us to take our rightful place in the sun. Tributes presented to His Eminence - whether
the keys to some city or an honorary doctorate from some
renowned university or the Presidential Medal of Honor - were accepted by him, not for his personal
accomplishments, but on behalf of
the community he represented so
well. He was immensely proud of
the achievements of his beloved
flock.
I marveled that, despite the
passage of decades since he had
served as Dean of the Boston
Cathedral, people who had been
his parishioners during those years
enthusiastically extolled his pastorate and continued to lovingly,
and with great devotion, refer to
him as “Pater.” I often wished I
had been able to witness his ministry there myself, for I am sure a
great many lessons could have
been learned. I would stand in
amazement we would visit a
parish, and His Eminence would
recall the names of people he had
met during his last visitation perhaps 10-20 years prior, asking
about their family members by
name. He had a God-given talent
for recalling the minutest details,
and for recognizing people he had
not seen in years. Like the Good
Shepherd, he knew his sheep, and
his sheep knew his eloquent and
sonorous baritone voice (John
10.4).
Even after stepping down as
Archbishop, he remained as con-
Archbishop Iakovos, seated, during the ordination of Bishop Gerasimos of Krateia at the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston on February 9,
2002. Bishop Philotheos of Meloa, right, and Bishop-Elect Andonios Paropoulos are shown standing behind Iakovos. Gerasimos has since gone
onto become Metropolitan of San Francisco.
cerned about the Church in America as he was during his years of active service. He prayed that the
Archdiocese would continue its
upward journey, and he was
deeply troubled when dark clouds
gathered on the horizon. It was on
those occasions especially that he
would turn to prayer to quell the
troubled waters, and to temper the
winds. He managed to maintain a
schedule of parish visitations, for
he could not bear to be separated
from the people he so loved and
had served for so many years.
Despite the passage of time and
the toll it took on his battered
body, he maintained his dignity
and used the final years to prepare
himself for the final journey.
Whatever one can say about him,
he never remained angry at anyone and forgave those who had
done him wrong, and remained
silent about those who had done
him disservice. He firmly believed
it was not his place to judge or
punish, and he did not want to
scandalize the sheep about which
he cared so much, and so as to not
diminish, in their eyes, the institution for which he had worked his
whole life to elevate.
During the last week of his life,
he was at times agitated trying to
get up from his sickbed, as his soul
struggled to accept that the hour
of departure was approaching. Receiving Holy Communion, he embraced the inevitable, and was
transformed by the inner peace
and serenity of someone who had
prepared himself to meet their
Creator. One by one, he bade
those closest to him and bid us
farewell, exchanging one last loving conversation, imparting one
last blessing.
On Friday, discussion ensued
about what would happen if His
Eminence departed this world before the annual Greek Independence Day Parade down Fifth Avenue which was to take place on
Sunday. Should the Parade be canceled? How could it go on in light
of the loss of this venerable figure
who, for so many years, had officiated at this event, and who played
such a central and critical role in
the life of the Omogeneia for so
many decades? Yet how could the
Parade be cancelled? Preparations
had been made. The city and
greater metropolitan area were
awaiting this annual festivity.
Divine Providence was to spare us
this agonizing decision. Saturday
was spent quietly with those closest to him by his bedside, and there
was a steady stream of visitors,
those people who had enjoyed a
special relationship with him, and
who came to bid him a final
farewell.
Late Saturday evening, he
slipped into a coma, and for most
of Sunday, his condition remained
stable. At 4 PM that afternoon,
about the time that the Parade was
winding down in Manhattan, there
was a dramatic change in his
breathing, and his pulse began to
slow. The hour of parting had begun, and within two hours, life
ebbed from his body, and he
breathed his last at 6 PM. Till the
end, even in this, he proved himself a patriot, departing this life
only after the annual Parade concluded. He had not wanted to disrupt or adversely affect this event,
which dramatically witnessed the
vital presence of the Greek Orthodox community in the heart of the
country's greatest city.
His departure was not simply
the end of a life, but more importantly, the closing of a long and
distinguished chapter in the life of
the Church, and of the Greek
American community. While
many may try, it is only Almighty
God and history which can judge
the life of this man.
There will never be another
Iakovos.
Circumstances which elevated
his stature occur most infrequently
in the annals of time. His God-given talents, charisma, experiences,
travels and his years of service as a
clergyman, and as an Archbishop
through the terms of nine presidents, all combined to make him
unique. Those of us left behind
can only ponder his life and do
what we can to carry on his legacy.
As we hope for his eternal repose
and chant “everlasting be his
memory,” let us pray that Archbishop Iakovos has now received
from the Chief Shepherd the
greatest of all honors: the crown of
glory that does not fade away.
Amen.
His Grace Bishop Andonios is
executive director of Saint
Michael's Home for the Aged in
Yonkers, New York.
12 OBITUARIES/CLASSIFIEDS
Alibertis, George. - Age 84; of
Roanoke, VA; passed away on Friday, March 31, 2006. He was an active member of the Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church. He was
preceded in death by a sister,
Magdeline Kournilaki. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sandra
P. Alibertis; son, Kostas J. Alibertis; sister, Marika Remdou; three
nieces. Funeral services were held
Monday, April 3, 2006 at the Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
with the Rev. Dean Nastos officiating. The interment followed in Blue
Ridge Memorial Gardens. Donations may be made to the Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
Anthony, Sophia. - An Orthodox office of Christian burial was
on March 27, 2006, in Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church in Portland, OR for Sophia Anthony, who
died March 20 at age 96. Sophia Soteriou was born March 17, 1910, in
Volos, Greece. A homemaker, she
immigrated to the United States
and settled in Portland in 1948. In
1948, she married Harry; he died in
1961. Survivors include her son,
George; and grandchildren. Her
son Stanley died in 2003. Remembrances to the Father Elias Memorial Fund at the church. Arrangements by Riverview Abbey.
Bloom, “Rosa” Repsime. - Of
Gulfport, MS, died Sunday, March
26, 2006, in Gulfport. Mrs. Bloom
was a native of Iraklion, Crete. She
had been a coast resident for the
past 44 years. She retired from KMart after 19 years of service and
was a member of Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church. She was
lovingly referred to as Yaya. Mrs.
Bloom was preceded in death by
her husband, T/Sgt. Carl L. Bloom.
Survivors include her daughter,
Rose Ann Bloom, of Gulfport; one
son, Lloyd Eugene "Gene" Bloom
and his wife, Eugenia, of Satellite
Beach, FL; four grandchildren, R.
Preston Bloom, Brittany McMillan,
Natasha Bloom and Michala
Bloom; two sisters, Maria Sarafian,
of Ft. Wayne, IN, and Elle Sarafian
of Athens, Greece; two brothers,
Argiris Sarafian, of Athens,
Greece, and Angelo Sarafian of
Louisville, KY. Visitation was
Monday, April 3, 2006, at the Pass
Road Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe
Funeral Homes in Biloxi. Funeral
services were held Tuesday at the
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Church. Interment followed in
Biloxi National Cemetery. View
and sign register book at
www.bradfordokeefe.com.
Caro, Lillian (nee Anagnostaras) - Passed away on Monday,
April 3, 2006 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Beloved wife of the late
Charles Caro; dearest mother of
Patricia Galanis (John) and Nicholas Caro M.D. (Peggy); dear sister of Ethel Lockos; dear grandmother of Lia Economou (Dean),
Bill Galanis, Charles Galanis M.D.
and John J. Galanis, Spero Caro,
Dimitri Caro and Lianna Caro;
dear great-grandmother of Paris
and Stephen Economou; she is also
survived by nieces, nephews and
cousins.Services: The Funeral Service was conducted at St. Nicholas
Greek Orthodox Church on Thursday, April 6. Interment St. Matthew
Cemetery. Mrs. Caro was a lifetime
member of Elpis Society and
Daughters of Penelope. The family
received friends at The Lupton
Chapel in University City on April
5 for a Trisagion Service.
Davis, “Katina” Katherine
(nee Rangousi) - Beloved wife of
the late John A. Davis; loving
mother of Arthur G. Davis and
Theoni (Mahmoud) Davis Khdair;
proud grandmother of Nadia and
Dina Khdair. Family and friends
met Tuesday morning at St.
Demetrios
Greek
Orthodox
Church in Chicago, for visitation
until time of funeral service. Interment Elmwood Cemetery.
George, “Rita” Argero (nee
Cotsirilos) - Beloved wife of the
late Nicolas; loving mother of Connie (James) Poulos-Trunzo, Peter
(Rita) George and Maria (Jacque)
Garceau; dear grandmother of Nicolas, Donovan, Ryan and Cara.
Resting at Cumberland Chapels in
Norridge, IL on Monday, April 3.
Service was held on Tuesday, April
4 at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Niles, IL.
Handgis, Nicholas George. Passed away on March 29 near his
home in Awatukee, Ariz. after a
prolonged illness at the age of 86.
Born June 11, 1919 in Beaver Falls
Pennsylvania, he moved in 1925 to
Ambridge PA and grew up with 5
brothers and sisters. His brother
Socs preceded him in death in the
late 70's. When his nation called he
served in both World War II and
Korea earning 3 distinguished flying crosses, 8 combat air medals
and three presidential commendations before his retirement in 1967.
He attended Carnegie Tech from
1946 to 1948 in Pittsburgh. He
found Arizona when he attended
ASU and earned his BA in Education in 1950. During his military career he served on the island of Tinian in the Mariana's with the 421st,
his N-29 bomber squadron and was
a member of the Titan missile program. He served faithfully and honorably and retired with the rank of
Major from the Air Force. He was
a life member of the Military Officers of America and VFW. After
his years in the military, he worked
in Real Estate and owned the "Topper's Steak House" in the Valley.
He was an avid thespian acting in
the Pittsburgh Playhouse and our
own Phoenix Little Theater and
other valley production. His later
years were spent with his wife
Maria where they enjoyed playing
golf and the fruits of a full life. He is
survived by his wife, Maria and his
daughter Patricia. Stepchildren
Tim, Katina and Jim. Grandchildren Christina, Nico, Baxter, Nicole, Jayme, and Zoe. His sister
Helen and Brothers Moss, Alex,
and John. Viewing was at St.
Katherines
Greek
Orthodox
Church on Friday, March 31. Services were on Saturday, April 1 with
military honors at Green Acres in
Scottsdale.
Karambelas, Gregory. - Age 78;
of North Palm Beach, FL, passed
away on March 27, 2006 at Palm
Beach Gardens Medical Center.
Born in Providence, RI, Gregory
had been a resident of Florida for
the last 18 years, coming from
Rumford, RI. Gregory served his
country in the US Navy during
WWII and the Korean Conflict.
Before his retirement, Gregory
owned Murphy's Deli and Winkler's Steak House in Providence,
RI and Murphy's Deli in Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida. He was a
member of the Greek Orthodox
Church, as well as North Palm
Beach Country Club and Pawtucket Country Club. He enjoyed golfing, boating and sports. He was a
loving husband, father and family
man. Gregory is survived by his
wife of 51 years, Katherine; three
daughters, Elaine (Gerard) Jacques, Stefanie (Paul) DiStefano,
and Karen S. (Neil) Gulledge; a
son, Gregory S. Karambelas; four
grandchildren,
Mitchell
and
Alexandra Gulledge, and Rachel
Lynn and Justin Paul DiStefano;
and his brother Constantine
Karambelas. He is predeceased by
a brother, George Karambelas and
a sister, Helene Lazaridas. Funeral
Service in the Church of the Annunciation, 175 Oakland Ave.,
Cranston, RI, 02920, Monday at 11
a.m. Visiting hours in the J. F. Skeffington Chapel, 925 Chalkstone
Ave., Providence, Sunday 4-7 p.m.
Relatives and friends are invited.
Burial will be in the R.I. Veterans
Cemetery, Exeter, R.I. In lieu of
flowers, donations may be made in
his name to Karambelas Scholarship Fund, c/o the Church of the
Annunciation.
Koliopoulos,
Maria
(nee
Roupas) - Beloved wife of the late
Elias; devoted mother of Irene
(Costas) Sizopoulos, John (Janet),
the late Gus (Hrisi) and the late
George; loving grandmother of
eight; fond great-grandmother of
four; dear daughter of the late John
and Diamondo Roupas; sister of
Gust (Toula) Roupas, the late Leo
(the late Ann) Roupas and the late
Solon (Katina) Roupas; aunt to
many nieces and nephews. Family
and friends met Friday morning,
March 31 at the Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL
for a viewing until time of services.
Interment Bethania Cemetery.
Memorials in her memory to the
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
Church would be appreciated.
Kouris, Thomas J. - Every day,
for decades, when Thomas J.
Kouris took the trolley from his
home in Mt. Lebanon to his job
teaching life and figure drawing
Downtown at the Art Institute of
Pittsburgh, PA he sketched the passengers around him. Using just a
pencil and his sketchbook, he
would turn a simple commute into
artwork. Often, he made copies of
his drawings to give to his subjects.
He kept the originals, though, and
in his lifetime, amassed more than
20,000. Mr. Kouris, who taught at
the institute for 35 years before retiring in 1991, died Saturday at the
H. John Heinz III Progressive Care
Center in Aspinwall of complications from a fall. He was 86. Mr.
Kouris continued sketching almost
until the day he died, said his
nephew, William Panos, of Fort
Hill, Somerset County. Before join-
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Deaths
Alibertis, George
Anthony, Sophia
Bloom, “Rosa” Repsime
Caro, Lillian
(nee Anagnostaras)
Davis, “Katina” Katherine
(nee Rangousi)
George, “Rita” Argero
(nee Cotsirilos)
Handgis, Nicholas George
Karambelas, Gregory
Koliopoulos, Maria
(nee Roupas)
Kouris,Thomas J.
Mitchell, Ernestine
Papadopoulos, Michael
Polychrones, John James
Protopapas, Niki “Nicole
Papas”
Sinitsas, Konstantinos A.
Tomaras, George K.
Whitney, Alexis (nee Clark)
Winkel, Frieda A.
Zoros, Anne (nee Savoy)
ing the faculty at the Art Institute,
and at the start of World War II,
Mr. Kouris enlisted in the Army.
He spent three years as an aviation
engineer, serving in North Africa
and Italy, and in ground combat in
the Balkans. During his years
teaching, Mr. Kouris, who was
mentored by Russian painter Vincent Nesbert, encouraged his students to draw from looking at the
real-life, three-dimensional object,
Mr. Panos said. To do that, he often took his students on trips outside the school, visiting the zoo, National Aviary and local museums.
"He taught you how to see," he said.
"He was exacting and very particular about proper proportion."
Among Mr. Kouris' artistic accomplishments are a diorama of an
Australian landscape that he painted and donated to the aviary in the
1960s and an iconostasis in acrylics
that he donated to the Mount St.
Macrina Monastery in Uniontown
in the 1980s. Mr. Kouris is survived
by his wife of 52 years, Jane, of Mt.
Lebanon; and a sister, Caroline
Panos of Mount Washington.
Funeral Services were held on
Wednesday, April 5 at Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox Church, Mt. Lebanon, PA. Contributions may be
made to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 123 Gilkeson Road,
Pittsburgh 15228, or to Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church, 302 W.
North Ave., Pittsburgh 15212.
Mitchell, Ernestine. - Growing
up the daughter of immigrants,
Ernestine A. Mitchell spent her afternoons in Greek school and her
Sundays in Greek Orthodox religious school. Though her father
changed the family's name from
the Greek Mpuntos to the more
American-sounding Mitchell, he
made sure his five children were
steeped in their cultural heritage.
Her parents helped found the
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the
Annunciation in 1905 after immigrating to Atlanta from their native
Argos, Greece, said her sister-inlaw, Pat Mitchell of Atlanta. At
about 10,000 members today, the
church is the Southeast's largest
Greek Orthodox community, and
Miss Mitchell was a lifelong member. "It's the religion and cultural
ancestry," her sister-in-law said.
The funeral for Miss Mitchell, 95,
of Atlanta, GA was on Tuesday,
April 4 at the Greek Orthodox
Cathedral of the Annunciation.
She died at Hospice Atlanta Friday
of complications from a stroke.
H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe
Hill, was in charge of arrangements. After graduating from
Agnes Scott College, Miss Mitchell
taught elementary school and spent
her summers traveling to Greece
and Europe, sometimes taking
nieces along. She probably became
a teacher at the urging of her mother, who was a teacher in Greece,
Mrs. Mitchell said. She earned her
master's degree at Oglethorpe
University, taught mainly third
grade and was teaching at Sarah
Smith Elementary School when she
retired 30 years ago. In retirement,
she saw after an older neighbor and
friend and would spend hours playing backgammon. Miss Mitchell's
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father, Charles Anastasius Mpuntos, owned a grocery store here.
Neither parent spoke English when
they immigrated. Miss Mitchell's
mother, Eugenia Karambelas
Mpuntos, wrote out family recipes
in Greek. Yet, Miss Mitchell baked
from her mother's recipes and
turned out kourambiethes and
koulourakia at Easter and Christmas and the traditional New Year's
Day bread, vasilopeta, in which a
coin is hidden to bring the finder
good luck. Starting weeks in advance, she used her mother's original large, wooden mixing bowl for
her holiday baking. At the Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, Miss Mitchell
helped conduct tours of the
church's Byzantine style mosaics
and icons during the annual Greek
Festival. In her home, she maintained a shrine of iconography and
votive candles. She was conversant
in Greek, and as long as her health
allowed, was a member of a Hellenic study group that focused on
topics related to Greek history and
supported the Ladies Philoptochos
Society, which her mother helped
found. There are no immediate
survivors.
Papadopoulos, Michael. - A
Divine Liturgy for Michael Pappadopoulos, 91, of Sparta was on
April 4 in St. Andrew's Greek
Orthodox Church in Randolph, NJ.
Arrangements were by the Tuttle
Funeral Home, Randolph. Mr.
Pappadopoulos, who died on
Saturday, April 1 at home, owned
several restaurants before retiring.
Born in Greece, he lived in East
Orange before moving to Sparta 12
years ago. Surviving are Anastasia,
his wife of 37 years; sons, George
M. and John M.; a brother, Spiro;
sisters, Sophia, Alexandria and
Labrene; five grandchildren and a
great-grandchild.
Polychrones, John James. Age 80; of Tempe, Ariz., passed
away Sunday March 26, 2006. John
was born December 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia to James and
Marie Polychrones. He proudly
served in the U.S. Army during
WW II and the U.S. Air force during the Korean Conflict. John was a
beloved husband, father, grandfather & great-grandfather, and is
survived by his wife of 38 years,
Maria Leticia Polychrones, sons,
James Polychrones and his wife
Shirley of Savannah, GA and John
Polychrones of Phoenix; daughters,
Carol O'Quinn and her husband
William of Beaufort, S.C. and Darlene McKinstry and her husband
Timothy of Tempe, AZ; 7 grandchildren, Bill, Julie, Matt, Toby,
Brian, Sean & Aaron; and 6 greatgrandchildren. John was a member
of St. Katherine Greek Orthodox
Church, and a former member of
the Veterans of Foreign Wars and
American Legion Posts. A Funeral
mass was scheduled for Friday
March 31 at St. Katherine Greek
Orthodox Church in Chandler,
Ariz. Interment followed at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road,
Phoenix.
Protopapas, Niki “Nicole Papas.” - Writer/comedienne. Fell
asleep in the arms of the Lord on
April 5, 2005. One year memorial
service Sunday April 2, 2006. St.
Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church,
Randolph, N.J. This world's a stage
you leave behind, we pray that
peace is what you find. Give God
and the Angels a laugh or two,
Sweet Niki, we'll miss you. Mom,
Dad and Nicholas too.
Sinitsas, Konstantinos A. - Best
known to his family and friends as
"Kocho," 43, of Syracuse, NY suddenly passed away on Monday,
March 27. Born on May 3, 1962, in
Flambouro Florina, Greece, he was
a graduate of Corcoran High
School and attended Onondaga
Community College. He owned
and operated Acropolis Auto. In
his off time he enjoyed fishing,
boating, and spending time with
family and friends. He was a member of St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox
Church. Kocho is survived by his
two daughters, Marika and Katherine Sinitsas of Baldwinsville; his
parents, Anastasios and Maria
Sinitsas of Syracuse; his sister and
brother-in-law, Stavroula (Loulla)
and George Politis of Onondaga
Hill; nieces, Georgianna and Marianna Politis; nephew, Kristoforos
Politis; along with uncles, aunts and
cousins from Syracuse, Greece and
Australia. Services were on Saturday, April 1 at St. Sophia's Greek
Orthodox Church with burial in
Oakwood Morningside Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the
educational funds for Marika and
Katherine Sinitsas, 1500 Stolp
Ave., Syracuse, NY 13207.
Tomaras, George K. - Beloved
husband of Christine, nee Giotakis;
loving father of Catherine, Dean
(Wendy) and John (Anna) Tomaras, Patricia (Doug) Espinoza;
cherished grandfather of 11; adoring brother of Tom (Paulheria) Tomaras and Panagiota Kerpiniotis;
kind uncle to many nieces and
nephews. Funeral service was on
Tuesday, April 4 from The Robert
Sheehy & Sons Funeral Home to
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
Church in Chicago, IL. Former
owner of the Royal Palace Restaurant and Banquets from 1974 until
1996.
Winkel, Frieda A. - Age 87; of
Juneau, WI; formerly of Milwaukee, died on Friday morning,
March 24, 2006. Memorial Services
were held on Tuesday, March 28, at
the Hafemeister Funeral Home in
Watertown with Rev. Stephen Savides of the First Congregational
United Church of Christ in Watertown officiating. She was born May
2, 1918 in Milwaukee, the daughter
of Peter and Georgia (nee Cornel)
Demos. She married Charles
Winkel in Milwaukee. Frieda was a
Licensed Practical Nurse at Mount
Sinai Hospital in Milwaukee for
many years. She was also involved
with Home Health Care. In her
younger years Frieda did fashion
modeling for various agencies in
Milwaukee. Frieda was a member
of the Greek Orthodox Church in
Milwaukee. She had a real passion
for reading and music. She loved to
sing Greek Hymns. She is survived
by a sister Dena Lellie of Watertown; a sister-in-law, Stella Demos
of Menomonee Falls; her God-
daughter Carmella (Richard)
Marsh of Clyman; special greatnieces, Shannon Marsh of Clyman
and Angela Marsh of Lowell; other
loving nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Frieda was preceded in death by her parents, her
husband Charles, 2 sisters, Joann
Johnson, Demetra Zastrow, and 2
brothers Nick and Frank Demos.
Whitney, Alexis (nee Clark) - A
service for Miss Alexis Whitney
Clark, 18, a lifelong resident of
Summit, NJ was on April 3 in Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church,
Westfield, NJ. Arrangements were
by the Paskas Funeral Service, Hillside. Alexis, who died Thursday,
March 30 at home, attended the
Developmental Learning Center of
New Providence. Surviving are her
mother and stepfather, Julie and
John Nieradka; her father, Stephen
Clark; a sister, Brittany, and her
grandparents, Helen and Emmanuel Logothetis.
Zoros, Anne (nee Savoy) Beloved wife of the late Theodore
J. Zoros; loving mother of George,
Denise Zoros and Melissa (Ron)
Peden; dear sister of Penelope
Neilson; fond aunt of William J.
Neilson, Minas Joannides, Georgeanna (Ralph) Swainson and
Emily (Bill) Vosnos. Family and
friends met Tuesday morning,
March 28 at SS. Peter & Paul
Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview, IL for visitation until time of
funeral service. Interment Elmwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,
memorials to SS. Peter & Paul
Church, appreciated.
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GREECE/CYPRUS 13
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Bakoyanni during Official Visit to Cyprus: Turkey Must Honor its Commitments
Continued from page 1
Union expects from Turkey. It is
therefore important for this aim to
be achieved, that Turkey comes
closer to the European Union,"
she said.
Turkey opened official membership talks with the 25-nation bloc
last year. The main obstacle presently is Turkey's refusal to open up its
ports and airports to Cypriot vessels
and aircraft, bargaining in exchange
for a better financial deal for Turkish Cypriots living in the north of the
island, including their right to trade
freely with the outer world.
Turkey is now under pressure
from the E.U. to speed up human
rights reform, and to open its ports
and airports to Cypriot ships and
planes as part of the protocol.
Bakoyanni noted that the Hellenic Republic has supported
Turkey's EU membership bid and
wants Turkey to fulfill its obligations
toward Europe.
"This is what the European
Union expects," she said after talks
with Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iakovou.
Iakovou pointed out that Cyprus
had also supported Turkey's E.U.
membership bid, but there were no
"discounts" on commitments made
to the European Union. "We expect
Turkey to do whatever it has
pledged to do," he said. "Turkey has
undertaken commitments towards
all 25 members, and there will be no
concessions on these commitments,"
Iacovou stressed.
In January, Ankara offered to
open Turkish ports to Cypriot ships
and planes if restrictions on Turkish
Cypriots were lifted. Cyprus said the
Turkish proposal was "reheated
food" aimed at "creating impressions."
The Greek Foreign Minister said
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou, right, with Greek Foreign
Minister Dora Bakoyanni in Nicosia this past Wednesday.
she was optimistic that the proEuropean forces in Turkey will prevail, however.
"A new climate prevails after the
Paris meeting and there is an expectation from many capitals that there
will soon be developments,"
Iakovou said. "We call on Turkey to
accept what is foreseen in the Paris
statement and to come forward to
the technical committees."
After a lull of two years following
the rejection of a U.N. plan by the
Greek Cypriots, Bakoyanni added,
the new momentum on Cyprus
should be supported so the new opportunity is not lost.
After meeting with Papadopoulos this past Tuesday, Bakoyanni
said "all the issues" had been examined. She did not elaborate. Papadopoulos made no comments.
ANNAN PLAN
IS “HISTORY”
Bakoyanni also said the U.N. re-
unification blueprint for the war-divided island - more commonly
known as the Annan Plan - was now
"history," and that any new initiative
should be within the E.U. framework.
"The Annan Plan, as it was submitted for approval by the Cypriot
people, was rejected. From the moment it was rejected, it is history,"
Bakoyanni said.
The reunification plan, drawn
up by Annan, was enthusiastically
approved by Turkish Cypriots, and
decisively rejected by Greek Cypriots, in separate referenda in April
2004.
Bakoyanni said the island republic's reunification remains one
of Greece's main priorities.
The above incorporates information from reports posted by the
Associated Press and the Financial Mirror on April 4-5.
Hellenic Police Raid Former Getty Curator’s Vacation Home on Island of Paros
By Nikolas Zirganos
& Jason Felch
Los Angeles Times
PAROS, Greece - In a surprise
search last Wednesday, March 29,
Greek authorities seized 17 unregistered artifacts and a Byzantine icon
from the vacation house of Marion
True, the former J. Paul Getty Museum antiquities curator on trial in
Rome on charges she trafficked in
looted art.
Among the objects seized, only a
Hellenistic marble torso is thought
to be archeologically significant.
The 17 artifacts, which also include fragments of ancient buildings, are believed to have a total value of less than $12,000, said an
archeologist who accompanied police on the search.
But their discovery could lead to
criminal charges, further complicating matters for True, 57, whose purchases of ancient art for the Getty
are the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by Greece, in addition to the Italian prosecution.
In Greece, where ruins have
been plundered for generations,
possession of ancient art is allowed
if the objects are registered with local archeological authorities, and it
is not uncommon for rural homes to
have archeological trinkets.
Possessing unregistered objects
such as those found in True's home
is a crime, authorities said. If their
value is found to be less than
$70,000 (as expected), True could
be charged with a misdemeanor
punishable by fines, judicial officials
said. The case has been referred to
prosecutors, who will decide
whether to press charges in the coming days.
Harry Stang, True's attorney in
Los Angeles, said the artifacts were
in the house when she bought the
property. "She immediately asked
the head of antiquities for the island
to review the objects, and was advised by him that they were of no
value," Stang said.
Yannis Andreopoulos, True's attorney in Paros, added that "half of
this town would go to prison" if authorities searched homes for unregistered and insignificant antiquities.
"No one declares them," he said.
"That means Marion was investigated only because of Italy."
Yannos Kourayos, the head
archeologist on Paros and a close
friend of True's who has visited her
property here, said that "there is
nothing of value" among the artifacts.
But both he and Andreopoulos
acknowledged that, given True's legal problems, she should have registered the objects with the local authorities. Even a light sentence
could have a significant effect on
True's standing in Greece, which
long has been a second home for
her. In November, Greek officials
opened a criminal investigation of
True and the Getty after diplomatic
efforts to recover four allegedly
looted antiquities failed.
At the center of the inquiry is the
Getty's purchase in 1993 of an ancient gold funerary wreath, which is
on display at the Getty Villa near
Malibu. Records obtained by The
L.A. Times showed that True had
concluded the wreath was "too dangerous" for the Museum to purchase
because she thought the man claiming to be the owner was an impostor.
Six months later, she won approval
from the Getty to acquire the piece,
paying $1.15 million to a Swiss intermediary and two men of Greek
background.
In February, Greek investigators
traveled to Rome to meet with Ital-
ian prosecutors and exchange information on stolen antiquities. Italian
officials are expected to travel to
Athens in the coming months to
continue the collaboration, the first
of its kind on antiquity matters between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Getty Museum's
director, Michael Brand, has exchanged letters with the Greek Ministry of Culture, expressing a willingness to discuss the disputed items.
The raid on True's house was
carried out last week on this Cycladic island, which is popular with
foreign tourists after art police received an anonymous tip. Five
members of the Greek art squad
and a local prosecutor served a
search warrant on True's walled
compound, which contains a traditional whitewashed stone house and
several smaller buildings perched on
a hill amid rolling green fields overlooking the Aegean Sea.
The police were let in by workers
who said they were preparing the
house for True, expecting her to arrive shortly to spend the next six
months in Greece. In Italian trials,
defendants are not required to be
present.
On March 29, True was in Rome
meeting with Getty attorneys to dis-
∂Ó· !
Ë
Ì
Ò
Ó
Á
™˘
cuss the provenance, or ownership
history, of about 100 objects the Museum is investigating in relation to
the Italian case. At the same time,
Italian prosecutors were hearing testimony in her trial from a witness
who detailed how she had acquired
the Greek house in 1995 with the
help of one of the Getty's principal
antiquities dealers.
As the Times reported in October, Christo Michaelides arranged
for his family's attorney to give True
a $400,000 loan to buy the property,
according to Michaelides' nephew.
The nephew said the attorney told
him about the details of the transac-
tion. The loan was provided by an
offshore corporation controlled by
the family to disguise its origins, the
nephew said.
True repaid the loan with money
borrowed from Lawrence Fleischman, the now-deceased antiquities collector who, days earlier, had
agreed to sell 32 pieces of his collection to the Getty for $20 million and
donate the rest of the 300 artifacts, a
tax-deductible gift worth $40 million.
True's acceptance of the two
loans, which the Getty described as
undisclosed conflict of interests, led
to her sudden resignation in Octo-
The Los Angeles Times published the above on April 2. The
original headline is, “Greek Officials Raid House of Ex-Getty Curator: Art squad seizes artifacts said
to be of modest value from Marion
True's vacation home - their discovery could add to her legal woes.”
Mr. Zirganos reported from Paros
and Mr. Felch from Los Angeles.
PRINTED IN THE NAT
IONAL
AN APOLOGY
IS WARENTED TO
MEMBER AHEPANS
AND HELLENES
EVERYWHERE
FROM a group of AHEPAns, even at a later date who formed the independent committee, “The
Old Guard” back in February 2003 to bring attention to the 2003 Board Of Directors of the Order of
AHEPA (2002-2003) that there was still time to correct the dilemma which the 2003 directors had
placed AHEPA's reputation amist the Hellenic World by publishing articles such as the one shown
to the top right of this ad. Also, a group of Independent AHEPAns, March 2004 represented “The
Spirit of AHEPA” by honoring the lighting of the Olympic Flame in Ancient Olympia as shown on
the bottom center of this ad. As we state for this monumental occasion only a decision of Yes, for a
convention in Athens, 2-3 weeks, prior to the Olympiad, would have been the only choice, so as to
make possible the dream for a majority member AHEPAns and historically to interwine forever
“The Spirit of AHEPA” with the 28th Olympiad in Ellas!
The apology is due to AHEPA's 2003 embarrassing and historical mistake, during their April
meeting and August convention (2003), in that after canceling twice for security reasons on their
promised convention in Greece, to honor the Olympiad. The 2003 Board of Directors who have jurisdiction on choosing conventions, refused, and did not create the opportunity to correct their historical mistake, and to ease the Hellenic “parapono”, during their spring meeting and national
convention, August 2003, in Phoenix, Arizona. For the war was 5 months old and the security fear
would have subsided by summer 2004. While the previous year, 2002, they held their convention in
New York City, psychologically, the most terrorist city in the world. Bravo on this decision! But, to
ease the Hellenic “parapono”, and in keeping their promise for an Athens convention which
would have proclaimed AHEPA officially honoring the 28th Olympiad in Greece. Here “Hellenic
Feelings” were not considered for their bad judgement sealed their mistake amist AHEPA’s brilliant history.
Naturally, the press in the Greek world wrote with anger, and some were asking then the
“parapono” question: “If the largest Greek-American organization, AHEPA, votes not to come
to Greece on the eve of the Olympic Games, then what is the rest of the world to think?” Thus,
the 2003 Board of Directors' rejection to vote for the convention in Greece for 2004 came as an
insult to the Greek world, since Greece was receiving bad press prior to the Olympiad, and
tourism by Americans was in a 10 year low! Also, thousands of Greek-Americans did not travel
to Greece in the summer of 2004 on hearing AHEPA's decision, according the National Greek
Tourist organization.
The other fiasco occurred when the Independent Committee, during February-March 2003,
first wrote a letter to the AHEPAN Magazine to be published in their spring issue. We were instructed by the magazine editorial board, Prof. Th. P. Perros, to contact Lee G. Rallis, 2003
Chairman Board of Directors, and Andrew Kaffes, Public Relations, AHEPA Headquarters.
Lee G. Rallis stated about security, but no action could be taken about a convention in Athens
for 2004. On Andrew Kaffes, his memorable statement was that he was sick and tired of hearing
about a convention in Greece. The other name on Lee G. Rallis' letter enclosure is Anthony
Kouzounis, then District Governor. He confronted members of the Independent Committee,
on security and to why such a big deal was made. But the travesty of Kouzounis was that he was
employed by the Greek government for two decades, as representative of Olympic Airways.
After the Independent Committee had followed the Editorial Board's instructions, five days later asked
and permitted to buy a full page ad in the spring issue, The AHEPAn Magazine, and was in the process of
editing the article “Message”, as shown on the top right of this ad, and as published later by The National
Herald, April 10-11, 2003. The editing on the full page ad, was prepared with the assistance of Basil Mossaides, Director of AHEPA Headquarters, who was one of the few with the understanding of helping to correct bad judgement on this vital issue.
When a week later Prof. Th. P. Perros called and stated that now a small letter could be printed, but the
LD
L HERA0 04
full page ad, which the Independent Committee had bought, could not be promised for print, do to
2
TIONA
HE NA PRIL 10-11,
T
IN
D
E
lack of space in the magazine! Ha-ha! While a few days later Lee G. Rallis, Chairman of 2003
ON A
PRINT
Board of Directors, overruled everyone and surprising the Independent Committee, returned the article “Message”, which was almost edited with the $1,250.00 check, as shown
on the bottom right of this ad.
The request for an apology, was long overdue. Especially now, with the 2006 AHEPA officers and with their aggressive and sensitive leader who inspires to correct things of the past.
That special AHEPAn is Gus James, Supreme President (2005-2006), Order of AHEPA. According to the “Old Guard”, that group of AHEPAns, who formed the Independent Committee, tried valiantly to bring attention that urgent action was needed, if AHEPA was to honor
officially, the 28th Olympiad in Ellas. Thus an apology should be considered! Even the Pope
apologized, a few years ago, visiting Jerusalem. Now AHEPA is visiting Greece and will commemorate in a special gathering this April, by honoring the Greek government and Hellenes
everywhere. Then an apology would proclaim, more vivid to the world, the bond which illuminates AHEPA's spirit for Greece, in that, is treasured always and forever.
COMMITTEE
SPONSORING
ADVERTISEMENT
ber. The Getty did not pay True a
severance, but agreed to pay for her
legal expenses in the Rome trial.
Barbara Fleischman, Lawrence's
widow and a Getty trustee since
2000, left the board in January.
∆√¡À TSOUNAKAS, Nafpaktos, Greece
AGGELOS D. SOFOS, Pireas, Greece
GEORGE B. KONDOS, Palo Alto, California
ANGELOS N. PAPAFOTE, Spring, Texas
THUKIS COSMOPOULOS, Ancient Olympia, Greece
DENNIS MOUSTAKIS, Houston, Texas
A. C. SOFFOS, Athens, Greece
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
HERALD ON APRIL 12-1
3, 2003
14 EDITORIALS/LETTERS
The National Herald
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Our premier public event
Again this past Sunday, a thousand small tributaries of Greeks filled
up the river of New York 's famous Fifth Ave to participate in the annual
Greek Independence Day Parade, this year marking the 185th anniversary since the revolution which liberated Greece from the Turkish yoke.
Under a brilliant sun as far as the eye could see on that grand avenue,
Greek Americans and their friends cheered as Parade participants
marched by on floats and on foot.
But what really characterized this year's Parade was the massive participation of American-born Hellenic youth, many of whom proudly carried Greek flags, expressing their pride in being Greek through their
presence and songs.
The Parade has become the premier public event in the life of the
Greek American community in the New York metropolitan area, and it
serves as a vital educational tool about an immensely important event in
Greek history, and also about the significant contribution the Greeks of
the Diaspora made at that time to the launching, and to the successful
conclusion, of the struggle for freedom and the rebirth of the Greek nation.
The fact that so many would spend their Sunday afternoon participating in New York's Greek Independence Day Parade goes a long way in
proving that there are plenty of members in this community who care
enough to keep it going for a long time to come.
It proves, once again, the greatness of this country and its people: that
a major avenue would be closed to allow minorities to express their ethnic pride is truly remarkable (the Greek Independence Day Parade is
one of 13 parades marching on Fifth Avenue each year). And it proves
how secure this country is; how much confidence America has in itself.
And indeed, as so many studies have shown, the more conscious a citizen
is about his or her roots and heritage, the better citizen a person will
make.
It should also be noted that in an inspiring speech during one of the
ceremonies, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America spoke
about the meaning of liberty, expanding it to include freedom from
hunger and necessity (and, we may add, from lack of knowledge). It was
a memorable speech unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.
Hats off to the organizing committee for a job well done.
Illegal immigrants
These past couple of weeks, while the new immigration bill was being
discussed, there was so much nonsense being tossed about, and so much
political exploitation of this important yet divisive issue, that the real issue - on both its humanitarian and practical levels - was all but ignored.
The real issue is that this country is a country of immigrants - some of
whom came to these shores illegally. Certainly, some of our grandparents reached the United States either by jumping ship, or by crossing in
through Canada or other points of entry.
These people came to this country for two reasons: for a chance to
live a better life, and because America needed - and continues to need the services of diverse people, as well as the energy, drive and motivation
they bring with them to succeed.
Now what do you do with 11-12 million people (more, by the way,
than the entire population of Greece, not to mention some states)?
Throw them back into the ocean?
On the other hand, of course, Americans can not tolerate illegal behavior, or reward people who are not doing or paying for their fair share,
but instead use the services provided by the rest of American society's
taxpaying members for free.
So what do we do? Naturally, we want to control the borders of this
country as much as possible, and allow only legal immigration. At the
same time, we should devise a program which will allow, under specific
conditions, those who qualify and obey the law to become members of
this society. The rest is hogwash.
As the New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, put it in a recent column the other day, “we need a very high fence and a very big
gate.”
One year later
In the year since the death of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, we
have come to appreciate, even more, his leadership qualities as we observed the void he left behind.
We do not mean to compare him with any one else. After all, no one
can compare.
For almost four decades, the community knew that somebody was
taking care of business; that there was somebody in charge. We had a
leader.
For almost four decades, the community had a love-hate relationship
with him. At times, he was looked upon with suspicion, and at other
times, he was viewed as the last hope of this community and Hellenism in
America.
But at all times, he was our shepherd, a dynamic leader and this community's undisputed representative. It is no wonder, then, that ever since
his forced resignation, there is a gaping hole which has proven to be so
difficult to fill.
Yet one trembles at the thought that, besides a memorial service and
a few pages in this newspaper devoted to his memory, nothing else will
be done to commemorate his memory - not a lecture, or an essay at the
schools or a banquet in his honor - nothing so as not to upset the establishment.
But he would not mind. He knew human nature all too well. He knew
that he lost the first round with his compatriots. And he was certain in
the knowledge that history's judgment will be different.
Nevertheless, the honors bestowed upon a leader posthumously do
not benefit him, but those who do the bestowing. It would have benefited
the community to the extent that, as of now, it has no heroes or saints,
and yet heroes and saints are so crucial to its future. May his memory be
eternal.
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Anti-Hellenic
Bigotry Editorial
“Way Off-Base”
To the Editor:
Your editorial on April 1 (“AntiHellenic Bigotry”), answering Mr.
Henderson's letter to the editor, is
way off-base. You called his letter
“hateful, ignorant and obnoxious,”
and said that it did not deserve to be
published. His letter is anything, but
that. We depend on the National
Herald to treat every letter that it
receives fairly, and if it's written on
a subject that it disagrees with, to
still publish it. That's one of the reasons I maintain subscription with
your newspaper.
As a person born in Greece, who
loves Greek culture and tries to pass
it onto my children, I like the fact
that our church provides that, at
least one day a week. But I can see
Mr. Henderson's point, as well.
Most non-Greeks are at best indifferent to that, if not openly against
it.
If the Greek Orthodox Church is
going to survive into the future,
however, it has to evolve from an
immigrant church to a place of worship which is accepted by the wider
American society.
Mr. Henderson's letter is not anti-Greek, as you seem to think. It is
pro-Orthodox. The only part that
he is mistaken about is that the
Orthodox Church has been growing
at the expense of the Catholic and
Protestant Churches. That is wrong.
Our church is shrinking, and that's
precisely because we do not reach
out to our fellow Americans.
Many of our churches feel as
though they are Greek social clubs,
and are not welcoming of nonGreeks. The bottom line is that the
Church is there to spread the
Gospel, not to teach our children
the language of the old country, or
folk dancing. Orthodoxy was spread
to the Slavs because the liturgy was
conducted in Slavic, not because
they learned Greek.
Mr. Henderson has something
to tell us. Let's listen to him. By
shouting him down, we only hurt
ourselves and the future of our children.
Respectfully submitted,
Lambros Karpodinis
Brick, New Jersey
Teaching Greek
Language & Culture
Is a Secular Matter
To the Editor:
I read the very thoughtful viewpoint written by Dr. Kousoulas in
your March 4 edition, “Promoting
Hellenism within our Church: Let's
Keep an Open Mind,” with interest.
After acknowledging that efforts to promote Hellenism by using the yardstick of teaching proficiency in Greek among Greek
Americans in the last 40 years have
been “very disheartening,” Dr.
Kousoulas goes onto suggest that
the Church (specifically the Sunday
Schools) be enlisted in the effort to
promote Hellenism.
Dr. Kousoulas writes: “Every
Sunday, thousands of our children
in between six and 12 years of age
attend the Sunday Schools of our
parishes. For almost two hours,
they are taught the basic tenets of
the Greek Orthodox faith. What if
half an hour was reserved for some
simple exposure to the heroes,
philosophers and dramatists of ancient Greece; to the achievements
of our ancient forebears?”
The reality is that a) nowhere
near two hours are spent in Sunday
School classes every Sunday in
most parishes, b) most, if not all
Sunday School teachers are volunteers who are chosen and trained to
teach the basic tenets of the Orthodox religion rather than ancient
Greek history, so that they would
have to be trained or a separate faculty would have to be recruited, and
c) many, if not most, observers
would argue that the religious instruction of our young people over
the past 40 years has been no less
“disheartening” than their Greeklanguage instruction. We need
more religious education, not less.
The suggestion that the Church
should continue to be the prime, if
not sole, conservator of Greek ethnic identity in America (including
the teaching of ancient Greek history), rather than concentrating on
teaching the faith and bringing
Orthodoxy to the rest of America in
fulfilling the Great Commission entrusted to us by Christ Himself, is a
sure formula for disaster.
In 1987, Father John Meyendorff wrote that “a church based
upon the ethnic or racial origin of
its membership is a heresy (i.e., a
divisive group) because it practically suppresses two basic features of
the Christian faith: the belief that in
Christ there is no Jew, or Greek,
and the commandment to bring the
Gospel to all creatures ('Vision of
Unity').” A church which is restricted ethnically or racially can not be
missionary and, in fact, becomes a
tool serving the interests of its particular membership and not the
Gospel of Christ. Arguing for devoting 25 percent of Church school
time to teach Hellenism is contrary
to Orthodox ecclesiology, as well as
to good sense.
On the contrary, a better argument can be made for removing the
responsibility for the teaching of
Greek language and culture from
the parishes entirely. If we are truly
interested in teaching our children
the faith and keeping them (and
their spouses, whether they are of
Greek heritage or not) in the
Church, the resources parishes de-
vote to their Greek Schools should
more properly be devoted to religious education. And if we really
want to teach Greek language, culture and ancient history to those
who are genuinely interested, that
responsibility should be undertaken by secular organizations such as
AHEPA, AHI, SAE, the Pan-Arcadians, Pan Macedonians and other “topika somatia,” as well as
foundations and the Greek-language press and other media, which
can sponsor private schools, classes, high school and college years in
Greece, and other such programs.
As Professor Charles Moskos of
Northwestern University has written, “If the Greek Orthodox
Church in America were to emphasize secular ethnicity over sacred
ethnicity, it might well end in a situation in which the descendants of
the immigrants are neither Greek
nor Orthodox ('Project for Orthodox Renewal: Seven Studies of Key
Issues Facing Orthodox Christians
in America,' 1993: Light & Life
Publishing).”
Respectfully submitted,
George D. Karcazes
Chicago, Illinois
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PRESS CLIPPINGS
Wall Street Journal Interview with Benon Sevan
By Claudia Rosett
The Wall Street Journal
NICOSIA, Cyprus - "Medium
or sweet," asks Benon Sevan? He is
inquiring how much sugar I would
like in the Turkish coffee he's boiling up for us on his kitchen stove,
and I am torn between thanking
him for his hospitality and wondering if he might poison the refreshments. For the past three years, we
have had a somewhat fraught connection, via a shared interest in the
biggest corruption scandal ever to
hit the United Nations - he as a star
suspect, and I in writing about it.
So when, together with a traveling
companion, I paid a surprise visit
on a recent Sunday afternoon to
Mr. Sevan's current home - here in
the capital of his native Cyprus - I
really had little hope that he would
do anything but slam the door on
me.
This city of old sandstone walls,
street cafes and orange trees is
where the former head of the U.N.
Oil for Food program has been living quietly since he slipped out of
New York last year, shortly before
he was accused by Paul Volcker's
U.N.-authorized investigation of
having "corruptly benefited" from
the graft-ridden U.N. aid effort for
Iraq. Since then, Mr. Sevan's name
has been in the news, but the man
himself has been all but invisible.
He has refused to talk to the press,
and he turned away a group of visiting U.S. congressional investigators who knocked on his door last
October. The U.N., while paying
Mr. Sevan his full pension, has deflected almost all questions about
him. He has not been brought before any court of law. As a citizen
of Cyprus, he is safe from U.S. extradition on the island, and there is
no sign the Cypriot authorities are
planning to bring charges against
him.
Yet the questions abound. It
was with trepidation that I approached the nine-story white
building where Mr. Sevan now
lives, in a penthouse apartment
previously inhabited by his late
aunt, a retired civil servant. Two
years ago, as the U.N.'s Oil for
Food investigation was about to
begin, she was hurt in a fall into the
building's elevator shaft, and some
weeks afterwards, she died of her
injuries. It later turned out that
Mr. Sevan had declared as gifts
from this same aunt - to whom he
was quite close - some $147,000 in
bundles of cash which Mr. Volcker,
in a report last year, alleged were
actually bribes skimmed out of Oil
for Food deals. No foul play has
been charged in her death, but it
did seem worth taking a close look
at the building's sole elevator. It
appears to have been recently replaced. The new one, its steel
doors gleaming, delivered us
smoothly to the small stonefloored landing in front of Mr. Sevan's door.
I knocked. The tall, bespectacled 69-year-old answered, wearing
a gray-and-blue T-shirt, warm-up
pants, slippers and a thin gold
watch. He recognized me instantly,
and protested: "I don't want to talk
to you. I have nothing to say." We
stared at each other, and he volunteered: "I am not ashamed to look
in the mirror when I shave myself."
Then: "I am closing the door now."
But he didn't. What ensued instead was a quick bargaining session across the threshold. Recalling a statement released by Mr. Sevan's lawyer last August, that he
was used by the U.N. probe as a
"scapegoat" to "deflect attention
from other, more politically powerful targets," I asked if he might like
to share his own version of the
events and characters involved in
Oil for Food. He replied: "I will
write my story one day." I offered
to buy him lunch, if he'd like to
come out and start telling it now.
He declined, saying almost wistfully, "I used to be the one who
bought the lunches." Then, in
friendlier tone, he added, "I'm sorry I can not show you Cypriot hospitality and invite you in for coffee." After some more dickering, I
finally offered the compromise
that I would not ask him to answer
questions on the record about Oil
for Food. With that, he ushered us
into his living room for what
turned into a 2 1/2-hour chat.
It is a strange limbo in which
Mr. Sevan now lives, apparently
alone and with a lot of time on his
hands. Just three years ago, he was
running a multibillion-dollar U.N.
operation in Iraq, and together
with his wife, Micheline (who also
worked at the U.N.), was renting a
midtown Manhattan apartment for
$4,370 per month, owned a house
in the Hamptons and was jetting
around the world on U.N. business. Today, if Mr. Sevan wishes to
remain out of reach of various
criminal investigations spawned by
Oil for Food, he is basically confined to self-imposed exile on
Cyprus.
Mr. Sevan denies this: "I am not
running away. I always planned to
come back here." But it's hard to
believe this is the manner of return
he had in mind. His apartment is
comfortable, but not plush… Say-
ing, "I am sorry about the mess," he
quickly moved the rack outside onto a balcony, which looks toward
Peak of Olympus in the Troodos
Mountains, though that afternoon
the view was shrouded by storm
clouds…
He wants eventually to write
two books, "one on Afghanistan,
and one on Iraq."
I ask if he is working anywhere
at the moment. "No," he says. But
in keeping with old habits, he gets
up early in the morning: "I study."
He says he needs only about four
hours of sleep a night, and "ten
minutes meditation after lunch,"
which he says served him well while
working at the U.N. office in New
York. This rouses the specter of
Oil for Food and, he adds in one of
many protestations of innocence
throughout our conversation, "I
sleep at night in peace," and, more
ominously, "I hope others can
sleep at night."
… When he gets up to make coffee, I offer a packet of chocolate
Easter eggs I happen to have in my
purse. He declines, slapping himself across the chest and saying "I
have gained seven pounds since I
came back," though for a man
pushing 70, he looks fit enough.
In keeping with our devil's deal,
I am not asking about the U.N. But
it is neither out of mind, nor even
out of sight. Mr. Sevan's kitchen
window, above the sink, looks out
on the so-called Green Line, patrolled by U.N. peacekeepers,
which runs right through Nicosia,
dividing Cyprus into the Turkish
north and Greek Cypriot south now the Republic of Cyprus. "It's a
tragedy," says Mr. Sevan, referring
to the division of the island. I ask if
it's appropriate in this southern
part of Cyprus to use the term
"Turkish coffee." He quips, "In
Greece, they call it Greek. In the
north they call it Turkish. I sometimes call it Byzantine."
Turning to current politics, he
asks, "So what's happening with
America and Turkey? Is America
withdrawing its support from
Turkey?" I say I'm not up on the
latest, and Mr. Sevan chides me for
caring only about Oil for Food.
The first cup of coffee - small
and strong - is quickly gone. Mr.
Sevan offers a second round, and
this time pulls out a pack of
cigarettes, noting that once he
starts, he tends to smoke them all.
Lighting up, he begins to reminisce
about his years working for the
U.N. in Afghanistan, during and
just after the 1989 Soviet troop
withdrawal. "Kabul was like a big
open target," he says, recalling the
rockets which would hit the city.
He observes that even dogs
learned to interpret the sounds of
an attack: "Incoming, the dogs
would howl; outgoing, they would
bark." He remembers, in particular, landing at the Kabul airport
during that era, in front of a plane
which was shot down on approach,
and getting out of his own plane
just before it was hit on the airfield,
leaving it looking - he searches for
the simile - "like a honeycomb."
That memory, and the coffee,
reminds him of the terrorist truck
bombing, in August 2003, of the
U.N. offices in Iraq, post-Saddam,
at Baghdad's Canal Hotel, in which
U.N. special envoy Sergio Vieira
de Mello was killed. Mr. Sevan,
then wrapping up Oil for Food,
was visiting from his U.N. headquarters and was in the Baghdad
building when it was hit. He says he
escaped alive only because he'd
left his desk to see a deputy who
was late for a meeting and had the
appeal of keeping an espresso machine in his office: "That's what
saved my life."
… Mr. Sevan says he decided at
that point he'd had enough. He returned immediately to New York,
although Mr. Annan's former chief
of staff, Iqbal Riza, "called and
asked me to stay longer."
He looks into his empty coffee
cup, and we chat about fate, and
the custom of fortune telling from
the shape of coffee grinds. He says
he is resigned to what happens: "I
am not born again, but I've always
believed in God."
We get up to go, and Mr. Sevan
walks us not only to the door, but
just outside it, to the elevator. We
are still saying our goodbyes as the
elevator doors start to snap shut.
With his help, we pry them open
long enough for Mr. Sevan to say,
"I hope you enjoy your stay in
Cyprus." And we descend to the
small vestibule where, on one of
the battered old wooden mailboxes, the former U.N. undersecretary-general, alleged bribe-taker,
self-described scapegoat and retired pensioner at the heart of the
biggest corruption scandal in U.N.
history has taped his name, perhaps unsure himself whether it is
meant as a gesture of impunity or
invitation: "Benon Sevan."
The Wall Street Journal published the above on April 1. The
original headline is, “The Weekend Interview with Benon Sevan: I
Am Not Running Away.” Ms.
Rosett is a journalist-in-residence
with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
VIEWPOINTS 15
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006
Secretary Rice and Turkey: Tactical and Strategic Errors
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
visited British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw's hometown of Blackburn, in England's industrial
northwest on March 31, in return
for Straw's visit in October 2005 to
Birmingham, Alabama, Rice's
hometown.
Following her remarks in
Blackburn and in response to a
question, “Ms. Rice acknowledged
that the Bush Administration had
made 'tactical errors, a thousand
of them, I am sure' in Iraq and perhaps elsewhere. She was speaking
figuratively, her spokesman said
later. Ms. Rice asserted that whatever tactical failures there may
have been, the strategic decision to
remove Saddam Hussein from
power had been right. 'Saddam
Hussein was not going anywhere
without a military intervention,'
she said (New York Times, 3-3106; A7).”
She also said that history would
be the final judge; that there would
be many dissertations on the Bush
Administration's strategic and tactical decisions regarding Iraq; and
that when she returns to Stanford,
she would probably be reviewing
some of those dissertations.
I submit that Dr. Rice - first as
National Security Advisor to President Bush from January 20, 2001
and then as Secretary of State
from January 26, 2005 to the present time - has made not only tactical errors regarding U.S. relations
with Turkey, but also fundamental
strategic errors regarding Turkey
to the detriment of U.S. interests.
U.S.-Turkey policy obviously
predates the current Administration and goes back to the Truman
Doctrine of 1947. However, U.S.Turkey relations for the Bush Administration started on January 20,
2001. The normal situation for a
new administration, particularly
one which ousted the other political party from the White House, is
to review each program in domestic and foreign affairs to determine
what changes, if any, should be
made.
Bush's victory over Gore in
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state when Prime MinNovember 2000 would
ister Erdogan tried to
have, as a matter of
obtain $6 billion above
course, resulted in a rethe $26 billion already
view of the Clinton Adshockingly offered to
ministration's foreign
let the U.S. use bases in
policy regarding U.S.
Turkey. A senior U.S.
relations with Turkey.
official referred to
This was done and, unTurkey's
negotiating
fortunately, no substantactics as “extortion in
tive changes were made.
the name of alliance
Indeed, the neoconby EUGENE T.
(lead article, New York
servatives (i.e., Deputy
ROSSIDES
Times, February 20,
Secretary of Defense
Special
2003; A1).”
Paul Wolfowitz, Underto The National
The
idea
that
secretary of Defense for
Herald
Turkey, a predominantPolicy Douglas Feith
ly Muslim country, can
and then Defense Advisory Board Chairman Richard be a bridge between the East and
Perle) all spoke of Turkey's al- West is absurd. The U.S. and the
leged importance to the U.S., with West do not need Turkey as an inglowing comments about its strate- termediary with other Muslim nagic importance; its reliability as an tions in the Middle East or other
ally; and its value as a bridge be- parts of Asia. And Turkey, the
tween East and West, with the ap- former harsh colonial master of
proval of then National Security the Arabs and oppressor of its own
Advisor Rice and then Secretary 20-percent Kurdish minority and
human rights violator, is hardly
of State Colin Powell.
Their comments and speeches welcome by Arab nations as an inwere overblown, and Wolfowitz's termediary, or as a model for the
included blatant falsehoods and Arabs.
In 1990, at the end of the Cold
misleading statements regarding
Turkey, which the American Hel- War, Turkey, in order to justify
lenic Institute documented in a U.S. military and economic aid,
letter to President Bush on floated the idea that she was even
September 4, 2002.
The Bush Administration's
continuation of Clinton's overall
policy towards Turkey was a
“strategic error,” and its other actions towards Turkey since January 20, 2001 encompass “strategic” and “tactical errors,” all to the
By Margaret Wertheim
serious detriment of U.S. interests.
Los Angeles Times
The Clinton policy, which Bush
Last Saturday, April 1, hunadopted, was that Turkey was of
significant strategic importance to dreds of girls flocked to Caltech to
the U.S.; that Turkey was a reli- celebrate the joys of science. Tarable ally; and that Turkey, a 99- geted at fifth to eighth graders, the
percent Muslim state, was a bridge Sally Ride Science Festival will enbetween the East and the West. courage its pony-tailed and barretAll three propositions are strategic ted audience to see science as a vierrors and should have been chal- able, vibrant career option. That
Ride is using her cachet as our
lenged.
Iraq invaded and occupied most famous female astronaut to
Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The champion the cause of girls in sciU.S. and its allies working through ence is to be applauded; what is so
the United Nations, and with U.N. dispiriting is that such efforts are
authorization, removed Iraqi mili- still needed.
When I was a physics student in
tary forces from Kuwait by military
force. The Persian Gulf War start- the late 1970's, there was hope that
ed on January 16, 1991 and ended women's march into science and
on February 27, 1991. Turkey was engineering was on an assured asbasically not involved. It proved cent. My fellow female students
that Turkey was of minimal strate- and I believed that, in our lifegic value to the U.S. in the Middle times, we would see equal numbers of boys and girls coming into
East and Persian Gulf.
The second war against Iraq in our fields. That hope has not
2003, in which Turkey refused to panned out.
According to the National
allow the use of a base in Turkey
for U.S. troops to open a northern Science Foundation, women make
front against Saddam Hussein's up a quarter of the nation's science
dictatorship,
demonstrated and engineering workforce, a perTurkey's unreliability as an ally centage which has changed little in
when it counted most. It also the last decade.
In some areas, such as computdemonstrated Turkey's minimal
value as a strategic ally in the re- er science, women's participation
gion because the U.S. defeated has declined from its peak in the
Saddam Hussein without Turkey's 1980's. In the biological sciences,
help.
women hold one-third of doctorBut Turkey's unreliability as an ate-level jobs. In physics, the figally is not new. During the Cold ure is 14 percent; in engineering, 8
War, Turkey actively aided the percent. At Caltech, just 39 of 287
Soviet military on several occa- professors are women (13.6 persions.
cent).
Moreover, the Iraq War exStudies show that, in the fourth
posed Turkey as an extortionist grade, boys and girls like science
more important to the U.S. because Turkey could be a bridge to
the countries of Central Asia.
That idea was a complete failure,
but it got Turkey U.S. military and
economic aid for several more
years.
U.S. policy towards Turkey also
involves the overarching issue of
Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus
in July and August of 1974, when it
grabbed over a third of northern
Cyprus.
The European Commission on
Human Rights issued a report on
July 10, 1976 on the charges made
in two applications by the Cypriot
Government. The London Sunday
Times published excerpts of the
report (January 23, 1977, page 1)
and stated, “It amounts to a massive indictment of the Ankara government for the murder, rape and
looting by its army in Cyprus during and after the Turkish invasion
of summer 1974.”
Clinton did not press Turkey to
remove its illegal armed forces
from Cyprus. Instead, he allowed
Turkey to use that issue in negotiations for a settlement which, in effect, supported Turkey's aggression.
There is no legal distinction be-
tween Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait on August 2, 1990
and Turkey's invasion and occupation of over a third of Cyprus by
Turkey in July-August 1974.
The Bush Administration's decision to continue the Clinton policy towards Turkey regarding
Cyprus, instead of calling for the
immediate withdrawal of Turkey's
40,000 armed forces and its
120,000 illegal settler/colonists,
was a strategic and tactical blunder.
Additional tactical errors by the
U.S. regarding Turkey include
supporting the following Turkish
positions in the U.N. Annan Plan:
the undemocratic provisions giving the 18 percent Turkish Cypriot
minority veto rights over all major
legislative and executive actions;
forcing the Greek Cypriots to pay
for their losses caused by the Turkish army; absolving Turkey of responsibility for its invasion; preventing 170,000 Greek Cypriots
refugees, forcibly cleansed from
the north, from returning to their
homes and properties; and preventing proper resort to the courts
by Greek Cypriots.
The tactical error by the Bush
Administration in failing to sup-
port normal democratic provisions
in the Annan Plan is most damaging to Bush's democracy initiative
in the Middle East and worldwide.
A number of articles by leading
journalists in 2005 and 2006 have
documented Turkey's virulent anti-American and anti-Semitic
views and attitudes.
Call and write to Secretary Rice
and urge her to critically review
U.S.-Turkey relations and correct
the strategic and tactical errors
made and to change U.S. policy of
a double standard on the rule of
law for Turkey and appeasement
of Turkey.
Tell her that Turkey is an unreliable ally; that Turkey is of minimal strategic value to the U.S.;
that Turkey is a virulent antiAmerican and anti-Semitic state;
that Turkey could not possibly
serve as a bridge to Muslim countries; and that Turkey should remove its armed forces and
colonists/settlers from Cyprus
now.
Mr. Rossides is President &
Founder of the American Hellenic Institute, and a former assistant secretary to the U.S. Treasury.
Pythagoras Helped Shape Views on Women
and math in much the same proportions. Yet, by the eighth grade,
twice as many boys remain interested.
Girls' ambivalence toward science mirrors society's ambivalence
toward female scientists. Last
year, Lawrence H. Summers, president of Harvard, suggested that
perhaps women were less represented in the physical sciences because they were less likely to have
the requisite mental skills. Women
scientists across the country
protested, but Summers had expressed a belief which is far more
deeply entrenched in our society
than many feminists realized.
The idea that women are less
innately inclined to rational, and
especially to quantitative, thinking
goes back to the very dawn of the
Western intellectual tradition. It
originates in the 5th Century BC
with the Greek philosopher and
mathematician Pythagoras of
Samos, the man who envisaged
what would eventually become the
modern science of physics, and
who first associated numbers with
the male mind.
The word "rational" derives
from the mathematical concept of
ratio. It was Pythagoras who discovered that intervals of the musical scale could be associated with
simple ratios between the lengths
of the strings on an instrument
such as a lyre. For two notes an octave apart, one of the strings will
be twice as long as the other, a ratio of 2 to 1.
Taking music as his model,
Pythagoras decided that the structure of the universe could be de-
scribed by such ratios: the "music
of the spheres." This concept
would prove uniquely influential
in the development of the Western
scientific tradition, up to and including the search for a "theory of
everything." And all along, the
quest would be seen as an inherently masculine pursuit.
The modern flowering of
Pythagoreanism dates to the 16th
and 17th Centuries. While it is
true that scientists then were interested in solving practical problems, such as how to navigate ships
and how to chuck cannon balls, the
search for the "harmonies" of the
world was what drove all the great
figures of the scientific revolution Copernicus, Kepler and Newton,
specifically.
Pythagorean thinking was profoundly dualistic, dividing all
things - physical and mental - into
male and female camps. Mathematics was placed firmly on the
male side of the ledger because it
was the male mind alone which
was said to be capable of reaching
toward the ultimate.
The
female,
supposedly
grounded in her material body,
was "naturally" on the earthly side
of the balance sheet and, by her
very nature, innately unsuited to
the sublime task of manipulating
numbers. Ever since, females have
been seen as inherently unsuited
to rational thinking.
A gendered view of mathematics was taken for granted by most
Renaissance thinkers, and when
the first scientific societies were
founded, almost all excluded women. Not until 1945 was a woman
admitted as a full member to the
Royal Society, still the world's
most prestigious scientific institution. Its first secretary, Henry
Oldenburg, spoke for many of his
fellows when he summed up the
society's mission as "to raise a masculine philosophy" of nature.
The universities were founded
to train the clergy, so women were
also excluded there. But universities were the only places where
mathematics was taught. Denied
access to math education, women
were unable to participate in the
history of physics. In fact, until the
20th Century, there were virtually
no female physicists. Even then,
doors remained closed. The
physics department at Harvard did
not give tenure to a woman until
1992.
Two thousand years after
Pythagoras, we are on the verge of
hearing the most symphonic of
cosmic harmonies in a unified theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. But this magnificent quest
has also left its imprint on our culture in an abiding tendency to still
regard math and science as innately male. In such a climate, young
girls of a scientific bent need all
the support and encouragement
they can get.
The Los Angeles Times published the above on March 30.
The original headline is, “Rational Inequality: Pythagoras is the
source of modern physics - and its
antipathy toward women.” Margaret Wertheim is the author of
the cultural history, “Pythagoras'
Trousers.”
Erdogan’s Erratic Behavior is Rattling Global Financial Markets
"I don't see what all the fuss
is about." With those breezy
words, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to
an Arab League summit in Sudan this week, after failing to
defuse a spat about who should
be the next central bank governor - a row, moreover, which has
badly rattled the markets.
For all his nonchalance, Mr.
Erdogan must know there is
much to worry about in Turkey
these days. Alarm bells are
sounding over the economy. Relations with the European
Union have soured over Cyprus.
With Kurdish separatist violence on the rise, some meddlesome generals are rattling their
sabers once again.
In short, the unprecedented
financial and political stability
ushered in by Mr. Erdogan's
three-year-old government is
starting to look vulnerable, and
many blame his erratic behavior.
Take the central bank affair.
Even Mr. Erdogan's allies could
not explain his choice of Adnan
Buyukdeniz, the head of an interest-free
Islamic
finance
house who has denounced the
International Monetary Fund,
as central bank chief. The nomination was rejected by the firmly
pro-secular head of state, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who is
thought to have favored keeping
the outgoing governor, Surreya
Serdengecti. The presidential
veto coincided with a firm scolding for Turkey from the IMF.
IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said the country's
market credibility had been put
at risk by a decision last month
to slash the value-added tax paid
by textile exporters, and to raise
public sector wages. Both measures breached the terms of a
$10 billion IMF credit line.
Mr. de Rato added that, despite robust growth and the taming of inflation, Turkey's economy remained fragile because of
high public debt. He might have
also mentioned a high current
account deficit. Record tourism
revenues and short-term foreign
investment have plugged the
gap, so far, but with the bird flu
outbreak earlier this year deterring visitors, and higher interest
rates in America shifting global
liquidity away from emerging
markets, foreign inflows are set
to drop. Meanwhile, the IMF is
refusing to disburse the fourth
$800 million tranche of its
standby facility until a social security reform is finally adopted.
Apparently unfazed, Turkey's
controversial finance minister,
Kemal Unakitan, said on March
28 that further tax breaks for
different sectors were being
considered.
His
comments
pushed the Istanbul Stock Exchange's main index down; he
then said only tourism would get
rebates.
On the EU front, too, the
Turkish Government seems to
have lost much of the reforming
zeal which helped it to win the
prize of membership talks last
October. This week, EU En-
[
Mr. Erdogan would be
well-advised to weigh
the risks carefully
]
largement Commissioner Olli
Rehn cautioned that relations
with Turkey could be heading
for a "train crash" over Cyprus
by the end of the year.
Turkey is obliged to open its
ports and airports to Cypriotregistered ships and aircraft under an agreement extending its
customs union to the ten governments, including the GreekCypriot one, which joined the
Union in 2004. But Mr. Erdogan
has ruled out taking this step until the EU eases its trade embargo on the Turkish-occupied
north of the island.
Many Turks share his view
that the EU is hiding behind the
Cyprus issue to sabotage their
country's membership. Disillusionment with the EU is reflected in polls which show support
for membership among Turks
slipping from a high of 74 percent to 58 percent last month.
Instead of working to salvage
his country's ties with the EU,
Mr. Erdogan has recently paid
more attention to cultivating
Arab and African leaders.
Among them was Khaled
Mashal, a senior figure in the
Hamas movement who would
hardly be welcome - in view of
the Palestinian Islamists' refusal
to renounce violence - in any
other NATO capital.
Mr. Mashal was received by
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,
and had it not been for stiff
American warnings, the visitor
would have met Mr. Erdogan.
Israel said the damage inflicted
by Turkey's embrace of Hamas
would be "hard to repair." But
ignoring America's objections
this time, Turkey issued an invitation to another Islamist firebrand, the Iraqi Shia cleric,
Muqtada Al-Sadr.
Such moves have given
rhetorical fuel, at least, to Mr.
Erdogan's pro-secular enemies,
who say he is bent on making
Turkey an Islamic state. Nominating an Islamist central
banker was "only one of the indications," the secular-minded
daily Cumhuriyet said in a frontpage editorial.
A more likely explanation for
the prime minister's new carelessness is the desire to haul in
votes ahead of parliamentary
elections next year. Lowering
taxes, raising spending and
snubbing Israel and America are
sure vote-catchers in a country
where
unemployment
has
reached 11.2 percent and pro-Islamic feelings are on the rise.
But Mr. Erdogan would be
well-advised to weigh the risks
carefully. Much of the undeniable success of his government
has been rooted in its strict adherence to the IMF program
and its embrace of Turkey's EU
goals. The turmoil which would
follow any break with the IMF
or the EU could allow the Turkish army to recover lost political
ground.
General
Yasar
Buyukanit, the hawkish land
forces commander, who is set to
take over as army chief, has already traded blows with the
Government over a nasty affair
in Turkey's wildish east: a prosecutor's indictment of three
members of the security forces,
accused of blowing up a Kurdish
nationalist bookshop in the
town of Semdinli.
The prosecutor called for the
general to be investigated on
charges of setting up an armed
gang in the southeast to provoke
tension with the Kurds and torpedo Turkey's progress towards
the EU. In a statement which
read like an indictment of the
Government, the general staff
then accused the prosecutor of
harboring a political agenda,
and of targeting the secular
foundations of the state. The
prosecutor now faces charges of
abusing his office.
With that sort of unpleasantness brewing, the Government
would be ill-advised to alienate
the EU, whose blessing is its
best insurance against the army.
As many of his qualified
Western admirers see things,
Mr. Erdogan still has the potential to bring Turkey closer to real democracy than it has ever
been, but he could also go the
way of many of his predecessors:
as a populist failure. Perhaps
the best thing about him - shown
by a row in 2004 over moves to
criminalize adultery - is that he
can change his mind.
The Economist published
the above in its April 1 issue.
The original headline is,
“Turkey's Wobble: A crescent
that could also wane.”
16
THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 8, 2006