NEO magazine - July 2021

JUL

2021

$4.95

AHEPA's Athens Annual Convention Photojournalist Tasos Katopodis Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection Researching Fascinating Greek American History Madeline Singas Confirmed to NYS Court of Appeals

Ilias Katsos

the Colossus of ...Georgitsi who Built the Colossi of New York

FROM THE EDITOR

:: magazine FOUNDED IN 2005 BY Demetrios Rhompotis Dimitri Michalakis Kyprianos Bazenikas

Publishing Committee Chairman Demetrios Rhompotis (718) 554-0308 dondemetrio@neomagazine.com Director of Operations Kyprianos Bazenikas info@neomagazine.com

Marketing & Advertising Director Tommy Harmantzis (347) 613-4163 th@radioneo.us

ATHENS - GREECE Public Relations & Marketing Director Rita Despotidis rdespotis@gmail.com

NEO Magazine is published monthly by Neocorp Media Inc. P.O. Box 560105 College Point, NY 11356 Phone: (718) 554-0308 e-Fax: (718) 878-4448 info@neomagazine.com Check our website neomagazine.com

KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE When we started this magazine over a dozen years ago we wanted to connect the v a r i o u s g e n e r at i o n s o f Greeks, and the various regions of Greek America to e a c h o t h e r, a n d b e a community forum: the platia where everybody could get together, young and old, and learn from each other.

replica of Agia Sophia in America on one of his properties.

There is a world alive out there—and we hardly know it—because for all our virtues, we are forever insular: we know what’s going on in our omospondia, in our church, in our clubhouse or catering hall, but do we know what’s going on elsewhere in our Greek American communities and what these vital people are doing - something that could benefit us all and give us unity in these trying times, as we had unity throughout the As we all know, there is a vibrant world of Greek tumult of our history?

Americans out there—the older generation that has accomplished so much, against all odds, and That was the purpose of this magazine: to shine a created our modern history. And the succeeding light on all our work, regardless of where we live generations who, while respecting the past, have in America, regardless of what part of Greece we forged paths of their own: the young strivers who come from, regardless of how rich or poor we are. have conquered the American landscape, while I remember driving at the crack of dawn to a big respecting their past. city to have a breakfast meeting with a possible investor in our magazine. And he said it would Do we know these people? take millions to keep our magazine alive. We have kept it alive through our own fortitude for over a Do the Greeks in New York know about the dozen years. I remember another meeting after eminent Greeks and the work they’re done in dark in a trailer in the shadow of a bridge to talk Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Portland, Los Angeles? with another possible investor, a bridge contractor, and a nice man, who listened to us Do the Greeks in New Orleans know about the patiently, all our arguments, and smiled patiently eminent Greeks in Canton, Ohio, Atlanta, the whole time, but inevitably sent us on our way with his good wishes, and nothing else.

Georgia, Albuquerque, New Mexico?

Or even just the ordinar y people doing extraordinary things? I will never forget the man who made candles in Astoria—but travelled the world to fight for human rights. The donut man in Pittsburg who for years had self-published volumes of his elegiac poetry. The firebrand in Oregon who spoke so passionately about how we were losing our language in America after two thousand years of keeping it alive throughout our history like the Olympic flame. The contractor in Manhattan with his mad scheme of building a

We have persevered because we believe in our mission, and believe that the story of the individual Greeks of America, of all generations, should be praised and highlighted for all of us to read about and to unite us with a common pride and spur us to further progress.

Please join us in this mission and don’t let the dream die.

DIMITRI C. MICHALAKIS

:: magazine PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN NEW YORK Editor in Chief: Dimitri C. Michalakis info@neomagazine.com Western Region Desk - Los Angeles Alexander Mizan director@americanhellenic.org West Palm Beach, Florida Desk Vassilios Kukorinis skopelitis@hotmail.com Baltimore Desk Georgia Vavas gvavas@comcast.net Photo/Fashion New York: ETA Press fpapagermanos@yahoo.com Los Angeles: Nick Dimitrokalis (951) 764-5737 photobynikos@hotmail.com Graphic Design NEOgraphix.us Adrian Salescu Athens Desk Konstantinos Rhompotis (01130) 210 51 42 446 (01130) 6937 02 39 94 k.rhompotis@neomagazine.com

Madeline Singas Confirmed to New York State Court of Appeals

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas | Don Pollard/Office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Madeline Singas, until recently Nassau County District Attorney, was confirmed as a Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state. On May 25, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he would nominate Singas to serve as an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals, replacing Leslie Stein. She was confirmed by the New York State Senate on June 8, 2021, in 37-26 vote and took office that same day.

According to lawyer Charles Capetanakis, “her nomination was contentious, and we have our Greek American elected officials, namely Senators Gianaris, Gounardes and Skoufis and Assemblyman Michael Tannousis to thank. Judge Singas is from Astoria, the daughter of Greek Immigrants, who worked her way through Fordham Law School and will continue to make our community proud.”

Singas grew up in Astoria, the youngest of two daughters born to Bill and Eugenia Singas. and graduated from The Bronx High School of Science. She earned degrees at Barnard College at Columbia University and Fordham University School of Law. “My dad owned a pizzeria called Singas Famous Pizza in Elmhurst, Queens. A lot of people know that pizza, a lot of people went through that store,” said Singas in an interview with NEO magazine in January 2020. “My parents were very open, always looking to help people out.

So a lot of people got jobs at the store, a lot of people. They were very big in the community and at St. Catherine’s and St. Demetrios in Astoria. My dad was always, and my mom:

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volunteering in the church festivals, PTA, very much a part of the community, which I think instilled in me this sense of being a part of my community and giving back to the community.” Asked why she decided to become a prosecutor, her answer to NEO's Dimitri Michalakis was: “I knew that I wanted to be in a field that helped people. And I knew I wanted to be in front of juries and doing some litigation in court. And from the minute I went into court and said Madeline Singas for the people, it just sort of clicked for me and I knew that this is what I would want to do for the rest of my career and I never looked back.”

become the top law enforcement official of Nassau County. She was elected in November of that year and took office for a four-year term in January 2016. She was reelected for a 2nd term in November 6, 2019.

Mother of twins, she lives in Manhasset, New York and is married to Theo Apostolou.

Before joining the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, Singas was an Assistant District Attorney in Queens. She began there in 1991, and worked in the Domestic Violence Bureau. After joining the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, she was appointed chief of the newlycreated Special Victims Bureau in 2006 by Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. She became Chief Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County in 2011.

She served as acting Nassau DA starting in January 2015, assuming the role following Kathleen Rice's election to Congress. Upon taking office, Singas became the first GreekAmerican and the second woman to

Madeline Singas was NEO's cover in January 2020

“Eye Spy”

a Moment: Inside the Lens of Photojournalist

Tasos Katopodis Journalists report a story. Sometimes they tell a story. Sometimes it’s a little bit of both. Good journalism tells a good story based on facts.

Journalists, for the most part, are writers. They love words. They also know they have to weave their love of words into presenting facts. How they tell that story makes all the difference

by Athena Efter

The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, GettyImages, American Express, BMW, NHL images, and PGA photojournalist Tasos Katopodis

introductory classes led him to take more classes in high school, at Columbia College in Indiana, and then to a staff position as a photojournalist for The Times of Northwest Indiana. He was with this publication for three and a half years, covering big sports events like the Superbowl and other major events that included celebrities.

Tasos admits that the news he reports isn’t always going to be exciting. He can go through periods of time where it’s not that interesting and very mundane. He believes “if you are good at sports, you are good at news.” I don’t think he meant athletically, but the fact that sports can n o t a l w ay s b e a n exciting event like the World Series. He has to find ways to make it interesting, or in this case, look interesting, e ve n i f it’s ju st a regular baseball game. That translates to news where you have to photograph people sitting around a table at an impeachment hearing. There’s not much to see there unless, in a powerful display of disdain, a House Speaker is tearing up a President’s State of the Union Address on another day. One moment photographed can be worth a thousand words written, and not spoken. With that kind of histrionic, if you happen to be in the right city at the right time, it can get very exciting, especially with a niche market in politics.

between truth and fiction, but a journalist has an obligation to present a truth. If they cannot give you the truth, they will question a lie. The goal of every good journalist is to present the truth of any situation. Photojournalism is not so different. Photojournalists love photography. Their images tell you a story based on facts. What you see is the moment.

Photojournalists wait to capture that moment.

They will arrive at a location and set up in advance, waiting around for that perfect, defining moment. Ever since he was in elementary school, Tasos Katopodis knew he wanted to be a photographer. As he puts it: “I caught the bug early in the dark room”. Those In 2017, in support of his wife’s career, Tasos 14

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found himself moving to Washington DC. It proved to be the right time for Tasos’ career as well. He always had an interest in history and politics. Many of his inspirations in his college years were a lot of photographers that came out of Chicago and war/conflict photographers. The move to DC gave him a leading edge to capture groundbreaking and controversial historical moments. He was able to cover the last two weeks of the Obama administration, the next four years of the Trump administration, and President Biden’s inauguration. In between all these events it got very exciting, if not dangerous.

Last year, with the amount of news being covered-from the height of the pandemic to the death of George Floyd, antifa, and movements like Black Lives Matter and Proud Boys-there was a lot of good and bad news to report. This may be where “being good at sports to be good at news” can also come in handy in a physical sense, especially if you are trying to dodge a few bullets or bear mace, which is 100 times stronger than pepper spray.

you have to see it to believe it.

Tasos looks forward to his next adventure covering the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, followed by the winter games in Beijing.

Tasos was lucky though. He wasn’t the subject of any direct assaults, but he found himself ducking for cover, as he was trying to get the cover, standing at the edge of an insurrection and attack on the Capitol. Tasos confirms the dangers involved: “You always have to be prepared.” In situations like this he comes equipped with his camera, his tripod, his bullet proof vest, gas mask, and first aid kit. He felt badly for the officers who were hurt, but he feels fortunate not to have gotten thrown

directly in that line of fire. He knows that violence can happen on both the left and the right side of politics. Tasos, like his family of photojournalist friends, all choose to be in situations that can put their lives and safety at risk, all in a day’s work, to bring us the powerful images of what we are not able to witness in person. Photojournalists, like Tasos, bring us that magnificent photorealism that makes us almost feel like we are really there.

Some of the challenges he has faced are showing up ahead of time, going through several security checks, and setting up for the shots. It takes up a lot of time, and he finds himself waiting around all day for that moment. Situations can often change, so learning how navigate your way through those changes, adapt on the fly, and troubleshoot come with experience. Going from a dark

room to digital photography has also made it easier to send pictures to his editor in real time, minimizing the amount of time it takes to finalize a photograph and get it out there.

His goal ultimately is to capture history in the most realistic way possible, without trying to editorialize it.

Tasos loves what he does. It’s what he lives and breathes. Not every one is lucky enough to say that, but knowing what you want to do early on in life and actually doing it makes all the difference. It’s what motivates him to get up everyday, even when he had to work at a steel mill during the day for ten years and pursue his real passion at night. Eventually his dedication and commitment paid off, and he got there.

He gets to do what he loves all the time n o w, w o r k i n g independently and as part of family of photojournalists. With his larger than life and true-tolife images published in TIME, Sports Illustrated, T h e Wa s h i ng t on Po s t , CNN, MSNBC and a client base that includes Getty images, American Express, BMW, NHL images, and PGA among others, his skills are in high demand.

He will continue to bring us those defining moments that may not make history always worth repeating, but well-worth documenting.

For what is history worth if it’s n ot wor t h photographing and reporting? If art imitates life, NEWS & NOTES

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Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection Fellows Researching Fascinating Greek American History

By Gregory Pappas

Annual Blue Dream Summer Gala On August 28, 2021, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, NY will host its 10th annual Blue Dream Summer Gala. Each year, the host committee selects deserving charities to honor and benefit at the event.

This year, the two honorees will be LUV Michael/US Autsim Homes and The Ladies of Hope Ministries (The LOHM).

The Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection has announced its Library Research Fellows for 2021-2022 along with their project titles, which offer a wide array of study and research pertaining to the Greek American community and its rich history.

The collection curator, George I. Paganelis, manages the collection and provides class orientations and research assistance in its use.

Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection 2021-22 Library Research Fellow Dr. Konstantina (Nadia) Georgiou, Independent Scholar, U.K.; Interestingly, researchers come from Project Title: “Gatekeeping Networks and universities across the world yet their topics Patronage: The Role of Diasporic Greek will shed light on many unknown stories and A m e r i c a n s i n t h e P r o m o t i o n a n d individuals from Greek American history.

Dissemination of Translated Modern Greek Literature” Consisting of the holdings of the former Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Ms. Ioanna Kipourou, Doctoral Candidate, Hellenism, the Tsakopoulos Hellenic University of Graz, Austria; Project Title: “’Mr. Collection, part of the Donald & Beverly Greek’ — The Making of a San Franciscan Gerth Special Collections and University Civic Leader : A Memoir of Peter G. Archives at Sacramento State University, is an Boudoures (1893-1982)” internationally significant resource for the c a m p u s a n d S a c r a m e n t o r e g i o n a l Mr. Panos Koromvokis, Doctoral Candidate, communities, as well as for scholars around Panteion University; Project Title: “Behind the globe. the Counter: Representations of the GreekAmerican Diner in 20th-Century Greek Currently numbering approximately 75,000 America” volumes, it comprises a large circulating book collection, journal holdings, electronic Dr. Theodora Patrona, Teaching Fellow, resources, non-print media, rare books, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Project archival materials, art, and artifacts.

Title: “Setting the Scene: The Obscure GreekAmerican Cultural Production of the Early With its focus on the Hellenic world, the Twentieth Century” collection contains early through contemporary materials across the social Mr. Thanasis Sotiriou, Doctoral Candidate, sciences and humanities relating to Greece, its University of Crete; Project Title: “Byzantine neighboring countries, and the surrounding Local Aristocrats and Turkish Conquerors in region.

Asia Minor (1260-1330)” There is a broad representation of languages in the collection, with a rich assortment of primary source materials. This multidisciplinary collection supports various campus programs and facilitates research by external scholars through the grant-funded Librar y Research Fellowship Program inaugurated in 2012.

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Prof. Fevronia Soumakis, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Queens College, CUNY; Project Title: “The Political and Social Activism of Katy Vlavianos and the Ladies Philoptochos Society”.

This story was first published in pappaspost.com You can see it in its entirety, with the Scholars' Abstracts at Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection Fellows Researching Fascinating History - The Pappas Post

The Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, NY

Luv Michael/US Autism Homes, provides a life of purpose and dignity for autistic adults. They operate an all natural stateof- the-art granola bakery in New York City dedicated to training, educating, and employing an autistic workforce. In addition to the bakery they've launched a housing initiative in Southampton to provide a first-of-its-kind fully integrated community living experience for adults on the spectrum.

The LOHM creates alternatives to incarceration, as well as, decarceration and post incarceration opportunities for women and girls, including access to resources for housing, education, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, through direct services and advocacy.

The LOHM’s core programs and services provide safe housing, employment training, mentors, and nutritional support to women and girls who have been impacted by poverty and incarceration.

Proceeds from the event will be equally shared between LUV Michael and The LOHM. In previous years, Blue Dream has benefited the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, The Nature Conservancy, Navy Seal’s Trident House, the Lonely Whale Foundation, The Children’s Tumor Foundation, Warrior Fighter Sports, Amani Global Works, Refugees International, and the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. To date, The Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons has given over $1,200,000 to the charities honored by Blue Dream.

AHEPA Celebrates 99th Anniversary and Greece's Bicentennial with its Annual Convention in Athens

by Stacey Harris-Papaioannou commend our Grand Lodge officers, and I am very proud of our worldwide membership, for their perseverance and dedication to our mission during the pandemic. I believe it has made us even stronger as an organization,” Kachmarski told Greek Reporter.

Kachmarski served as Grand President for the 2019-2020 administrative year, after being elected at the 97th Annual AHEPA Supreme Convention, Chicago in 2019. Due to Covid19 and the cancellation of the 98th AHEPA Family Supreme Convention in Orlando, Florida, Kachmarski remained Grand President for the 2020-2021 year. She has served the DOP for more than five decades and held more than 30 posts with the philanthropic organization.

The week-long convention will include plenary sessions as well as special events hosted at venues in the metropolis including the Athens War Museum, and at the Presidential Palace, to honor President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

A very special evening at the Acropolis

AHEPA Supreme President George G. Horiates

In celebration of the 99th anniversary of the Order of AHEPA and 91st anniversary of the Daughters of Penelope, (DOP), a truly Greek diaspora convention will come to Athens in July.

Delegates representing the organization to promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism will meet for their annual convention at a landmark Athens hotel during the week of July 25.

throughout the Greek Diaspora to properly celebrate its bicentennial.”

He also noted: “AHEPA’s major undertaking for the bicentennial is to highlight America’s assistance in the Greek revolution and the current state of US and Greek relations.” The July convention will launch the countdown to its 100th Anniversar y to be celebrated in 2022. “We’ve been a society under quarantine in this pandemic, yet we have been providing care throughout the world through our AHEPA Capital Cares initiative to combat COVID-19,” said Horiates.

“Many of our chapters have been delivering relief throughout our communities—not just in the United States — but in Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and throughout Europe.”

T he Ame r i c an Hel l e n i c E du c at i ona l Progressive Association (AHEPA) is a fraternal organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded to fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Last year’s convention was postponed to this July because The convention of the Greek diaspora of the pandemic. includes its sister organization, the Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla Daughters of Penelope, in its AHEPA will be among the honorees AHEPA Supreme President George G. family. “We are excited to hold our at the convention Horiates states: “We are very pleased that we Supreme Convention in Athens, will have an in-person convention this year in especially because it is a landmark year Greece to celebrate AHEPA’s 99th year, as well for Greece as the nation celebrates the Museum will see the installation of the new as the Bicentennial.” Horiates added: “We bicentennial of its independence,” Daughters officers as well as a grand banquet and ball to encourage everyone within the global o f Pe n e l o p e G r a n d P r e s i d e nt C e l i a honor Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos community to attend the convention. Not just Kachmarski said. “We cannot wait to celebrate Mitsotakis and the President of Cyprus, Nicos because Greece needs tourist dollars, but in Athens, with the people of Greece and Anastasiades. The US Ambassador to Greece, because Greece needs the support of Hellenes officials of the Greek government. “I Geoffrey Pyatt, will be honored at a reception as well.

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CEO Andreas Dracopoulos and Pfizer CEO are US presidents: Joseph Biden-2015, George Dr. Albert Bourla will also be honored at the W. Bush-2002, Bill Clinton-1996, George W. gala festivities.

H. Bush-1990, Ronald Regan-1986, Richard Nixon-1971 and Lyndon B. Johnson-1966.

AHEPA’s initial mission was to promote the image of Greeks in America, assist them with The Daughters of Penelope was the realization citizenship and assimilation into American of Alexandra Apostolides’ dream. Her desire culture, and combat prejudice. With the full was to create a woman’s organization and assimilation of Greek Americans, its mission because of her perseverance and the evolved toward philanthropy, education, and encouragement of her husband Dr. Emanuel promoting and preserving the Hellenic Apostolides, a devoted AHEPAN, she formed identity. AHEPA is present with more than EOS Chapter#1 with 25 charter members on 400 chapters in Australia, Canada, the November 16,1929 in San Francisco, Bahamas, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Belgium, California. She was elected the first Grand President of the organization in 1931.

France, Germany, Netherlands and the UK.

Daughters of Penelope Grand President Celia Kachmarski

The AHEPA Housing Corporation has been awarded over $400 million from the D e p a r t m e nt o f Ho u s i n g a n d Ur b a n Development. The total number of senior housing complexes stands at 91, with 4,753 units complete, and more in development.

Much like AHEPA, the Mission of the Daughters of Penelope is to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, Family and Individual Excellence. Philanthropy and Volunteerism have been pillars throughout the country for the Daughters of Penelope over its many years of existence. From natural disaster relief, to raising funds to eliminate life threatening diseases, to making significant contributions to our local municipalities, the Daughters of Penelope is at the forefront of charitable giving.

AHEPA also recognizes distinguished achievementns in various categories such as Other Supreme Convention Honorees Public Service, Government, Law, Business, include: Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, Journalism, Science, the Arts, Military Service Archbishop of Athens and all Greece and Humanitarian.

Ieronymos II, Defense Minister of Greece Nikos Panayiotopoulos, Greek Foreign The Socrates Award recognizes prominent Minister Nikolaos Dendias, Ambassador of men and women who have emulated ancient T h e a r t i c l e w a s f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n Greece to the United States Alexandra Hellenic ideals. This is the most prestigious Greekreporter.com Papadopoulos. Stavros Niarchos Foundation award AHEPA awards. Among the recipients

National Marine Park of Alonissos : a Modern Dive into Antiquity

by Anastasia Kaliabakos The Titanic. The RMS Lusitania. The USS Arizona. All of these are famous ships tragically destroyed, their debris and broken parts submerged at the bottom of the ocean.

Shipwrecks, although devastating, serve as a sort of time capsule through which we, benefitted by modern technology and equipment, are able to gain insight into the past. What secrets lie in the depths of the ocean, so vast and expansive, just waiting to be discovered?

officially set for June 2021, there has been much interest in the museum from across the globe. Divers who have already gone down to see the shipwreck have described it as aweinspiring and a real-life example of time travel.

And there are various options for people who do not want to partake in the actual diving as well; underwater cameras stream real-time video of the ship to tourists, and non-divers As for the Peristera itself, archaeologists have can even use specially-designed 3D glasses to managed to recover only singed sections of the take a virtual tour of the shipwreck. hull, which is a ship’s JUST OFF THE COAST of Alonissos, Greece, main body. However, this underwater museum of an ancient the piles and piles of wreckage will allow divers to be amphorae were of great transported back in time, admiring value to historians and beautiful amphoras and ruins from archaeologists alike. It the 5th century B.C. Photo courtesy has shown us how the of Timo Dersch Photography. cargo was placed in the vessel—layered on top of one another carefully in the hold. The layering also tells us how the ships would have been structured. It was previously thought that such humongous An underwater museum of a shipwreck seems v e s s e l s m e a n t f o r very fitting to the atmosphere and culture transport of amphorae Greece possesses. In Greek mythology, there and similar objects are many stories of heroes traveling to came much later in unknown and unfamiliar lands via ship on In the National Marine Park of Alonissos and history, probably during the age of the grand, tumultuous, and wild adventures. the Northern Sporades, located in the Aegean Romans, around the 1st centur y B.C. Popular myths include the decade-long Sea, lies an ancient shipwreck. The so-called However, the Peristera disproves this theory, traversing of the seas by the famous Greek “Peristera” wreck dates back to about 425 B.C. as the ship was built before that time. warrior, Odysseus; another is that of Jason, Back in 1985, a Greek fisherman named who sailed to find the Golden Fleece with his Dimitris Mavrakis discovered the shipwreck One of the most captivating parts of all of this band of Argonauts; the god Dionysus, aboard off the coast of Peristera. Nearly a decade is that the Peristera shipwreck will be opening a ship on his way to Asia, turned a hoard of afterwards, archaeologist Elipda Hatzidaki led to the public and recreational divers as an pirates trying to sell him into slavery into an experienced team to excavate the detritus underwater museum. Alonissos is already a dolphins. Sea travel and ships have been and uncover the mysteries of the shipwreck. popular tourist destination and is known for woven into the fabric of Greek history, and the its beautiful landscapes and friendly people. It Peristera wreck is a lasting testament to this As it turns out, the ship lying in the depths was is fitting that its offerings will be expanded to legacy. one of the largest merchant vessels from the its waters as well. Even before its opening, classical period of ancient Greece. Its cargo Due to the coronavirus was also fittingly huge: it consisted of pandemic, tourism has thousands of amphorae, which are big Photo Source: significantly dropped globally.

Ministry of Culture two-handled jars designed to carry and This has been particularly hold wine, from the cities Mende and unfortunate for countries such Peparethus; various bowls, cups, and as Greece, whose economy relies plates meant for banquets or symposia; heavily on money made from and fish and sponges that have found a vacationers. Alonissos was home in the wreckage ever since the particularly affected, with its 5th century B.C. tourism falling about 85% in 2020. Hopefully the Peristera, It is postulated that the ship sank due to along with Alonissos’ other the Peloponnesian War (431 – 405 distinctive attractions, will help B.C.), a long, bloody battle between the bring some of that tourism back two prominent superpowers of ancient in a more sustainable way.

Greece, Athens and Sparta. Athens was This stor y was first published in previously the dominant city-state in westviewnews.org the region, but after the war, Sparta came to wield more power, leading to 20

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the end of the Golden Age of Greece. The Peristera ship is thought to be of Athenian origin, and its wreckage parallels the outcome of the war: just as Athenian values of democracy and philosophy have endured over the past several millennia despite defeat, the Peristera shipwreck has been incredibly well preserved at the bottom of the Aegean.

Forgive the borrowed phrase from Henry Miller’s Greek masterpiece, The Colossus of Maroussi, but it rather fits Ilias (“Lou”) Katsos.

Lou’s hometown, Georgitsi, known as the Balcony of the Taygetos, is such a place, and in New York, his other hometown, Lou would later construct the steel and glass colossi of Manhattan. Finally, like the poet Georgios Katsimballis, the hero of The Colossus of Maroussi, Lou is also an active and devoted patron of culture and Hellenism.

Born in Georgitsi in 1951, branches of his family were already in the United States when Lou, his mother and sister joined their father in New York in 1956. “We lived in East New York, in Brooklyn, basically in what was the ghetto at the time,” Lou recalls. From an early age, he was at work with his father, out of a pushcart in Lower Manhattan, near the Customs House. “This was all technically illegal,” Lou reminds us, “and my father paid $4000 for a spot—you could have bought a house for that then.” Eventually, the Katsos family moved to the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn and traded a pushcart for a luncheonette in Tribeca.

“Tribeca at the time was not the hip place it is now,” Lou reminds us, it was warehouses and truck drivers, all ethnicities, and volatile. “I learned a lot about dealing with people there.

It could get pretty incendiary.” He also adds, “These were not Greek American experiences, but American—multicultural interactions.”

Ilias the Colossus of ...Georgitsi who Built the Colossi of New York

by Alexander Billinis

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Lou describes the world behind his door as a different world from the world outside. “I felt comfortable in both the wider American world and our home life. At home, our life was very insular. We were part of a subculture of people from Georgitsi who had immigrated back and forth to the United States. For us, a Xeno was not just a non-Greek, but someone from outside this network.” Outside the house, however, Lou quickly became a New Yorker, attending Brooklyn Tech— “one of the best high schools in the country at the time.”

Graduating high school in 1969, Lou went on to New York University (NYU), graduating with a Civil Engineering degree in 1973.

When not at school, Lou was at the luncheonette, and he “sometimes held a couple of other jobs on the side.”

Recalling his first job interview, arranged through NYU, he met the construction manager in a high rise, who was chomping a sandwich, swearing at subcontractors, and talking about bringing in materials by helicopter. “What do you think?” the manager asked? “I like it,” Lou said, and never looked back. He also “never said no—to a new challenge or opportunity.”

What has followed is nearly five decades of project experience in the New York real estate development, design, and construction management market. He is recognized as a leader in the field, working with major national New York construction management firms, like Tishman (now part of AECOM) w h e r e h e w a s t h e E x e c u t v i e Vi c e

husb and, fat her, and grandfather. All the adult members of the Katsos family have either prof e s s i on a l d e g re e s and/or doctorates. This is a family that deeply values education—and educating. His wife, son and daughter have all taught at university.

His themes have been as diverse as a night of music comparing Rebetika and Blues, drawing on his deep links with New York’s African American community, debating the legacy of Ali Pasha with Greeks, Turks, and Albanians, or honoring the role of Greek seamen in the Battle of the Atlantic. Culture, music, and business figure prominently, and Lou actively empowers academics, members of Congress, and artists to “do their own thing” at his events.

Lou suggests that he was not particularly involved in Greek community and wider Hellenic issues until r e c e nt l y, t h o u g h h i s involvement in his beloved New York’s civic and cultural affairs goes back decades. That started to change over the last five or so years, and Lou credits some of his stu d e nt s at N Y U for getting him involved.

“The American Hellenic

Lou is particularly interested when Hellenic issues can be contextualized to resonate beyond the Hellenic community—“We talk enough about ourselves to ourselves” he says, so regularly events sponsored by EMBCA will feature these broader themes. His decades in New York business and civic associations allow him to draw in local politicians, including members of Congress, as well as other ethnicities. An event about the Smyrna Catastrophe highlighted the humanitarian role of a Japanese freighter, and off Lou went to Japan to find out more about this event, drawing in Japanese academics and the Japanese consul in New York. In an event

Lou is particularly interested when Hellenic issues can be contextualized to resonate beyond the Hellenic community—“We talk enough about ourselves to ourselves!”

President/Chief Operating Officer. Since 1992, Lou has been president of his own firm, Jekmar Associates Inc., a construction/ development consulting firm to significant New York developers and owners. “I don’t advertise, most of my clients have a longstanding relationship with me and current work is usually repeat business.”

Jekmar Associates Inc. is currently involved in various residential, mixed use and hotel projects of over 3 million square feet. As Project Manager-Executive he has built over 15 million square feet of various high-rise building types, and Jenkmar has had corporate oversight of millions more. In addition to working with large developers he has interfaced with some of the world’s most renowned architects such as I. M. Pei and Santiago Calatrava.

Lou is also an active Member of the NYIFund which raises and lends foreign investment funds (over $500 million) to real estate developers for various projects currently being built in the New York area.

I often wonder where he finds the extra hours in the day to do all this—and to raise a family.

Lou married in 1975 and graduated with a master’s degree in finance and business in 1984 from NYU. That same year, Lou began teaching as an adjunct professor at both NYU and Cooper Union until 2014. A note should be added about Lou’s family. He is a devoted

Chamber of Commerce was conducting a business panel I was asked to chair,” he says, “and from there things just sort of took off.”

Lou’s role in the business community and his executive role at the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, among other community activities, made him a natural.

He drew on his decades of teaching, mentoring, and working with diverse people and ethnicities to create the East Mediterranean Business and Cu ltura l Alliance (EMBCA) in 2015, sponsoring events, musical productions, and panel discussions on topics Hellenic yet inclusive and global. Lou’s last event at the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce would be typical of subsequent EMBCA events.

He commemorated the tenyear anniversary of the repose of Archbishop Iakovos and the fifty-year anniversary of the March on Selma, honoring the late prelate an American hero for Civil Rights beyond his spiritual role in the Greek Orthodox Church.

honoring Rhigas Pheraios, Lou invited the Serbian Orthodox Bishop Irinej and the Serbian consul, as the first martyr of Greek independence is also revered as a hero in Serbia.

Elias as a young boy was at work with his father, out of a pushcart in Lower Manhattan, near the Customs House

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During the “Sail to Freedom”: from left, Lou Katsos, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Margo and John Catsimatidis, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis and 77WABC Talk Host Joe Piscopo

While most EMBCA events are in New York (and now, in the COVID era, online), he took the EMBCA show on the road to Athens, honoring the Greek Shipping community on the Hellas Liberty, one of two surviving Liberty Ships, in Piraeus Harbor. The US Ambassador to Greece and dozens of Greek shipping magnates and naval personnel were in attendance.

Simultaneously, Lou became involved in other Greek American organizations and syllogoi, most notably the American Hellenic E ducat iona l Prog ressive Ass o ciat ion (AHEPA), where he served as District 6 Governor and Chair of the Hellenic Cultural Commission. He would often “co-brand” events with AHEPA or other organizations.

He also served as President of the American Hellenic Institute’s New York Chapter, as Executive Vice President of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce and hosted a program on Hellenic and community issues at COSMOS FM Hellenic Public Radio Program.

While EMBCA in-person events were always an evening to remember, the world changed in 2020 and went virtual. At the same time, a milestone anniversary was approaching: the Bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The Hellenic Republic’s response was tepid, and there was a feeling that 2021 did not just belong to some official committee but to Hellenes (and Philhellenes) everywhere. Prodded by the Facebook posts of 24

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several friends, Lou decided to form the American Hellenic Revolution of 1821 Bicentennial Committee, a group which included two members of Congress and CoChairs of the Hellenic Caucus, Carolyn Maloney of New York and Gus Bilirakis of Florida.

Rarely a week has gone in the past year by where Lou has not curated an online panel about the Hellenic Revolution, and likely as not the wider resonance and significance of t he R e volut i on on t he w i d e r worl d, particularly America, figures prominently.

For Lou and his committee colleagues there is a sense that the Hellenic Revolution, like the American, is part of a global democratic and cultural commons, and it is, in a sense, a duty to build awareness about it.

The “Bicentennial Season,” if we are to call it that, culminated in a “Sail to Freedom” event in New York Harbor on June 6. He was one of many chefs preparing this particular feast.

Several craft plied the waters of New York Harbor, Lou was in the lead craft, accompanied by several key Greek communit y le aders s u c h a s J o h n Catsimatidis, Evangeline Plakas, and members of Congress C a r o l y n M a l o n e y, Nicole Maliotakis, and Gregory Meeks. Lou has known them all for years and has been constant supporters of their campaigns. That same day, Lou was honored with “The Face of the Diaspora on the Bicentennial of the Hellenic Revolution Award,” an honor fully deserved for years of constant, passionate advocacy of Hellenic causes.

While he repeats the mantra cautioning us from “talking about ourselves—to ourselves,” Lou also believes that the time has come for the Greek Diaspora to talk to each other, rather than each Diaspora location talking to Greece. Here, as so often in our conversations, he draws on history. The Greek merchants and shipowners did not wait for the Hellenic government to get things done, they did it themselves, across countries and continents.

“They were successful because they trusted each other, empowered each other, and went Lou in coordination with the EMBCA around obstructions.” Their story remains American Hellenic Revolution of 1821 instructive to the present day.

Committee, also recently participated in a live on-site presentation to the Plato Academy, Lou has never been a man to say no, or one not part of a nine school [Hellenic] charter school to take on extra responsibilities. It is part of his system in Florida. It was a combination of an roots and heritage from his two beloved onsite presentation at the Seminole, Florida “villages”—Georgitsi and New York City. His school which simultaneously live streamed to record is clear that when he takes on a project, the other nine schools, including Tarpon he completes it. He has spent much of the last Springs, Florida, where "Perhaps the Heart of 18 months honoring the Greek revolution and Diaspora Hellenism" beats. Lou beamed in its relevance to the wider world. He will, no from New York City to set the tone with an doubt, continue to help define and develop the introduction to the middle schoolers of Greek evolution—a Hellenism with deep diverse backgrounds: "The Greek Revolution roots, just like his own, but a Hellenism that of 1821 is YOUR History . . . because it is embraces the wider community, including our American History." fellow Americans.

The Zoitas-Pantelidis wedding of the summer in the Hamptons

by Fotis Papagermanos

PHOTO: ZOITAS FAMILY

The Zoitas family is originally from the island of Lefkada in the western part of Greece. Many family members with roots from the same island were in attendance, along with some of the most prominent members of the Greek community of Long Island.

The wedding ceremony took place in the church of the Dormition of Virgin Mary, l o c at e d at 1 1 St . A n d re w s R o a d , i n Southampton. Father Konstantinos Lazarakis

This Greek-American wedding was billed as a family affair, and mostly close family attended. The families of the bride and the groom are well-known in the community, having been in the forefront of the business and social ladder.

S o, when two young persons are joined with happiness and become a lovely couple ever yone enjoys the happy occasion of a summer wedding. On June 19, 2021, on a very warm Saturday, the family of George Zoitas, and the family of Calliope Pantelidis, celebrated the wedding of two of the most promising young people in A summer wedding is always a good way to the community. create memories, especially this summer, after a year of hiding behind our masks due to The father of the groom Ioannis pandemic. And if the wedding happened to be Zoitas is the owner of the West Side held somewhere in the Hamptons, then it was Market chain supermarkets that are almost certain that all guests would have a well known for their fresh produce good time. and delicious warm food from its kitchen.

George & Calliope as husband and wife

The mother of the groom Maria Katopodis–Zoitas, aside from being a great cook, has recently authored a cooking book with a variety of Greek recipes. West Side Market also has a record of social solidarity and community, offering food and other assistance to their respected communities.

The father of the bride, George Pantelidis, is a well-known and wellregarded entrepreneur, who along with his brothers formed the “PanBros Associates”, a real estate development management company. The mother of the bride, Stephanie Pantelidis, is currently the President of the Philoptochos Benevolent Society of Ladies in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Holy Trinity.

Both are very close to the life of the community, offering personal support and donations to many philanthropic organizations and the Greek Church.

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George Pantelidis with daughter Calliope walking down the aisle

were that of a touch of luxury and a fine service. The feeling everyone had was like seating comfortably inside the summer house on any other day.

The main attraction of course was the newlywed couple, who danced their first dance to the tunes of Michalis Hatzigiannis, a popular Greek singer. The traditional Greek “glenti” had already started. The mother of the groom and the father of the bride were in the dance floor first and then everyone was invited to join.

Soon after, the floor was filled with the money that guests and relatives threw on the couple.

One can argue that this is a local tradition, since it has started a long time ago in the community. But it is a tradition that came message to all guests that this was a summer from Greece and was enhanced here. wedding (by not wearing socks).

The mother of the Groom Maria KatopodisThe bride, Calliope Pantelidis arrived by Zoitas could not contain her joy at seeing her limousine and immediately upon her exit all son married. “I feel very happy about George guests were drawn to her exquisite gown, a and Calliope who are two good kids and I beautiful two-piece dress with lace and long believe that they will make a beautiful family. sleeves. The gown also had a long veil that George is the last of my children who went to accompanied the bride. Her hair was held in the altar and I wish to see him happy and full of the back by a knot.

And s o, af ter t he c e r e m o ny a n d t h e traditional exchange of wishes from guests, everyone was directed to the home of the bride in Water Mill NY. There another surprise awaited all guests. This was a black-tie optional affair, but you would officiated the ceremony, assisted by Fr. Alex not feel uncomfortable Karloutsos, vicar of the Greek Orthodox if you sat down with the Archdiocese of America. The church was tuxedo. The house and decorated with beautiful flower arrangements t h e g r o u n d s w e r e transformed into a in the shape of an arch. mythical palace George Zoitas, the groom, surprisingly offering a warm place for the reception that The newlyweds Calliope & George with parents. arrived at the church driving his own car. followed. Even those From left, Ioannis & Maria Zoitas and During the ceremony, the groom was wearing among the guests who Stephanie & George Pantelidis a blue tuxedo, unsuspectingly sending a were not somehow related to either the family of the groom, or the family joy. I wish to see both happy, and may they be blessed by God with health and happiness. I of the bride felt like they were family. also wish them to be good parents, have lots of The transformation of the backyard of children and their house be full of happiness this beautiful Hamptons home was and joy.” magical.

We also requested a comment from the father Flowers, and especially roses in pink of the bride. Before giving us a statement, he and red colors, were placed all over the told us that he tried to get the best wedding garden and welcomed the guests, who planner there is. That was the secret we were were directed to a new grand hall space looking to uncover. like ones usually used to stage wedding receptions. Even the letters C&G were Mr. George Pantelidis expressed his joy he felt displayed elegantly on the dance floor. seeing his daughter Calliope as a bride. “I wish them happiness” he told NEO and “I wish for them to always be joyful”.

Of course, the dance floor did not Family photo: from left, George Belesis, remain empty for long.

John & Maria Zoitas, George & Calliope Zoitas, That is our wish to them as well.

Jimmy & Amy Belesis and John Belesis With green trees surrounding the backyard, guests felt as if they were in 29 NEWS & NOTES JULY 2021 nature, while all the elements inside

strategy

Endy Zemenides is the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), a national advocacy organization for the Greek American community. To learn more about HALC, visit www.hellenicleaders.com

στρατηγική

TURKEY’S DISINGENUOUS CHARM OFFENSIVE

By Endy Zemenides The Republic of Turkey’s new Ambassador to the United States, Hasan Murat Mercan, is treating his U.S. hosts to a charm offensive.

Travels around the countr y, pleasant encounters, Iftar dinners, constantly posting pictures on social media – the Ambassador has used all these tools to distinguish his Embassy from the one that was involved in the Sheridan Circle assault.

No matter what diplomatic niceties Mercan deploys, the bill of indictment against Turkey has only become more damning during his tenure in D.C. For an EU aspirant, Turkey was curiously oblivious to its horrid human rights record – which included the distinctions of the world’s worst jailer of journalists and a record of losses at the European Court of Human Rights that is rivaled only by Russia. But this week it decided to burnish this record by formally withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. This despite a troubling record of femicide within the country: according to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, at least 189 women have been killed in incidents of gender-based violence so far this year in Turkey, and at least 409 women died under similar circumstances in 2020.

As the 47th dark anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus approaches on July 20, Turkey has gone from trying to present itself as a stakeholder which is really interested in resolving the Cyprus problem, to one adding new obstacles to reunification. As if its five decade long occupation, its altering of the demographics of the northern part of Cyprus, its meddling in Turkish Cypriot politics did not cause enough damage to the prospects of a solution, Turkey has now put forth a “twostate” framework for a solution – directly contradicting the UN Security Council

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resolutions on Cyprus. Its provocative steps to reopen the ghost city of Varosha – subject to its own Security Council resolutions and a key part to any solution – exposes Turkey’s “what’s mine is mine, what’s yours is mine” approach to diplomacy with its neighbors.

Me r c a n m a r c h e d a r o u n d a Tu r k i s h parliamentary delegation around Congress in late June, hoping that the absence of the HDP (a Kurdish party that Turkey is seeking to ban, a move that has been condemned by the Biden Administration) would not be a major issue.

Any hope that the Flynn pardon would end the focus on Turkey’s use of unregistered agents received a blow with the recent news that the Department of Justice is investigating Rudy Giuliani for his attempts to influence President Trump to drop money-laundering charges against gold trader Reza Zarrab and to deport Fethullah Gulen.

Turkish actions inconsistent with its status as a NATO member and ally have continued despite the consequences Turkey has suffered for violating CAATSA – including ejection from the F35 joint strike fighter program and the imposition of sanctions. These actions include the proliferation of Turkey's drones.

Over the last year, Turkish drones have been deployed by Azerbaijan against Armenian civilians in Artsakh, Syria, against Kurdish forces that have partnered with the U.S. in the war against ISIS and Libya's civil war. Turkey has entered into agreements to sell drones to Poland and Pakistan. Turkey is discussing the joint production of armed UAVs and antidrone defense systems with Russia and Pakistan. Turkey has declared its intention to establish a permanent drone base in occupied Cyprus, which will deploy attack drones from its amphibious assault ships. Multiple geopolitical flashpoints have been destabilized These are but a few illustrations that prove that further by the introduction of Turkish drones. notwithstanding changes in style for Turkish diplomats, the substance of Turkish policy is Battlefield evidence from Artsakh confirms even less worthy of the privileged position that that Turkey's Bayraktar drones contain parts Turkey long enjoyed in Washington, D.C. and technology from American firms and U.S.-based affiliates of foreign firms. Canada Of course, mission #1 for Mercan is to reverse has already suspended export permits for the imposition of sanctions imposed against Canadian components that were found in the Turkey and its ejection from the F35 program. drones. Any continued export of American Today however, Turkey should face MORE, components from this drone program not less sanctions. arguably violates arms export control laws and run afoul to CAATSA sanctions imposed on Turkey chose to violate the special treatment Turkey. and privileged status that it received in the A m e r i c a n d e f e n s e e s t a b l i s h m e nt by Turkey clearly did not learn any lessons from purchasing the Russian S400 missile air the imposition of CAATSA sanctions. An defense system in violation of U.S. law – the unequivocal message has to be sent that a Countering America's Adversaries Through change of policy, not dinner parties or a more Sanctions Act (CAATSA). While Ankara and charming Ambassador, is what Washington its enablers try to advance the spin that Turkey wants to see. Targeting Turkey’s killer drone seeks a resolution on this issue with the U.S., program would send that message. the Turkish government is undeterred, and it has been reported that Turkey is purchasing a second S400 system from Russia.

by Athena Efter If only I had a dime for every time I said I wouldn’t go back to that person, talk to that person, or deal with that person ever again, I’m not sure I’d be a rich woman, but certainly a smarter one. No matter how many times you say you won’t, you’re destined to do it again, especially when it comes to unhealthy behaviors where you may not recognize a pattern. Wouldn’t it help to have that little angel on your back to remind you of your demon? Here is where Karmascore fits in, and right into your back pocket. Paula Panagouleas Miller, founder and CEO of the digital app Karamascore, brings you your own personal guide, journal, calendar, and reminder all in one where you are in control. It’s your mental filing cabinet, alter ego, second opinion, and intuition all in one.

Paula Panagouleas Miller, founder and CEO of the digital app Karamascore 32

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This is especially helpful for social butterflies, busy people, working people, networking people, and anyone who comes in contact with people continuously. If you make friends easily and connect with people easily, whether socially or professionally, you are also vulnerable to toxic people. You won’t spot them right away. They often come disguised as wolves in sheep’s clothing, until they reveal a loose thread that slowly unravels their true self, so you might want to keep notes on them.

You may need them for something in the future, but maybe not for a relationship or a friendship. Maybe they will be useful in your next business venture, but you don’t want to be too friendly with them. Business is business.

Friendship is friendship. Often the two don’t mix. You may need a reminder as to why you chose not to work with this person nor get too friendly with this person, or both. What if they come back into your life after you forgot about them? Will you remember what made you dismiss them in the first place? Or maybe you need to remember why you should have kept in touch with them.

Karmascore is a metric system of tracking your memories, your relationships, and your habits. Maybe you are the one constantly footing the bill. Does a specific person reciprocate? You’ll want to keep track of how many times you paid the bill in case you need to take this freeloader to court. You have documented the evidence. Karmascore is a digital journal that helps you categorize by relationship contact and relationship type.

You have the freedom to structure it in a way that best serves your needs. You can also add attachments to that contact, whether it’s a video, an image, or other file to help you connect that person to memory. You rate them based on Karmascore’s metric system. It lets you add a memory to that person so you don’t forget them. You can add them to your favorite category, or not. If you want to keep track of what you bought for your significant other and how much you’re spending, Karmascore can help you with that. Do you want to keep track of who likes what? Maybe your best friend is allergic to certain plants and flowers, so you might want to think twice and remember that before you send any birthday gifts that could put them in the hospital. Do you want to preserve a special memory?

Karmascore will do that for you too. Maybe your daughter took her first steps and you videotaped or photographed it. You don’t want

to lose that special memory. You can keep it filed in Karmascore, and you can link it up and share it to other social media apps like Facebook and Instagram.

However, not every memory is sharable. Some memories are for your eyes only. Some thoughts and some memories are private.

Anything you don’t want to share can be put into Angels and Demons mode by clicking on the heart on the top left corner. With this feature, you get extra security using a password. It’s a vault of your deeply personal memories and thoughts.

Karmascore can also be especially useful for team dynamics in a work environment by giving you reminders and follow-ups on various social events, like birthdays, pizza lunches, or bowling night, that took place and helped build relationships with colleagues.

Companies can use it to track employee performance. Medical professionals can use it to track patient history. The possibilities are endless.

Paula was inspired to create this app during an afternoon walk with her husband where she expressed her concern for a friend who was going through a divorce. She spent thousands of dollars on a man who turned out to be less than worthy of the investment. If only she could have recognized the pattern of behavior that drained her emotionally and financially

by tracking it better. Paula, against your better judgment or with the support of her instincts. The relationships we husband Dr. Jason Miller, was have in our lives, the choices we encouraged to get to work make, and the patterns we repeat and gather up a team of can all be identified cohesively professionals to start working and clearly through Karmascore. on a digital app that could Paula walked me through it, and help build healthier it was fun exploring the different relationships by helping you ways I could use this app. Once keep track of behaviors and you get used to it, you’ll be patterns that are negative and reaching into your purse or back adversely affecting your wellpocket for your angels and being. Smart, successful demons to help you create people can often make make healthier relationships, keep bad choices in personal track of your relationship goals, relationships. Karmascore and give them the credit score can help you recognize them they deserve. If Karma “is a through a metric system of bitch,” maybe you’re better off valuation for relationships of with fewer negative people and all kinds, not just personal but circumstances coming back into also professional. But why your life, and constantly. How stop there? You can also keep a file of people, about those friends who like to call you and memories, appointments, expenditures, complain all the time? As much you might thoughts, and a calendar all in one. hate to do this them, it may be to your karmic benefit to keep track of every complaint, rate What if you want to forget someone the positivity score from a scale of 100 to -100, completely and dismiss them as a bad memory and file them under toxic. Karma is the destiny or relationship? All you have to do is throw you create for yourself. By taking it into your them into the app’s graveyard feature by own hands literally, all you have to do is press a documenting an incident and connecting that few buttons that can help you not repeat the person to it, and yes, bury them there. same negative pattern that comes back to bite you where you would rather it didn’t. Karma Karmascore operates like a second layer of doesn’t have to get you back if you take control intuition and a tool of empowerment, of your life and your destiny to be your own especially if you find yourself constantly going good Karma that has your back. With

Karmascore you can keep track of the positives and rule out the negatives with your own personal karmic guide serving as a life management tool.

Paula believes in helping people live better, healthier lives. With that goal in mind her product provides a charitable incentive with a “t welve mont hs of g iv ing” prog ram, partnering with various organizations to donate to their causes. Last month the focus was sports and teams. Her next partnership is with a woman’s shelter. When she’s not developing innovative relationship management products with a team of highly skilled colleagues, and procuring government contracts with it, Paula is a proud mother to her daughter Amelia who inspired her to author two children’s books.

Paula Panagouleas Miller received her BS in Business Administration from the University of Dayton with a double major in Finance and International Business, and holds a Masters of Business Administration from Tiffin where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She took her studies further with a concentration in Sustainability and Environmental Management and graduated from Harvard with a Masters of Liberal Arts. She has several years of experience in global team management with various positions that she held in fortune 500 companies that include banking, Investment Firms, Corporate Treasury, and the Private Sector.

Alexander’s Cigar Lounge: A delightful experience in the heart of Athens

“We created a snack menu that includes options such as hand ma d e org an i c corn tortillas, vegetarian tacos, guacamole sauce and much more. Products and recipes that match the excellent varieties of rum that this bar offers, such as a baba au rum, and for those who want to enjoy their cigar or a bitter chocolate tart with smoked cacao nuts.”

Cigar lover’s paradise For cigar lovers, the Alexander’s Lounge patio has an excellent wine, beverage and cocktail menu, as well as a variety of excellentlypreserved cigars that complement the ritual.

The specialist staff is always ready to help guests choose the cigar that suits everyone's personal taste, either to enjoy it in the lounge, or to buy it for another time.

The executives of the historical Grande Bretagne hotel talk to NEO about this affordable luxury

by Kelly Fanarioti Entering the Grande Bretagne Hotel, which is still the acknowledged queen of Athens hotels, one is impressed by the aesthetics and grandeur of the space. And what dominates on the first floor is the atrium of Alexander’s Cigar Lounge, an autonomous space, and at the same time an “extension” of the Alexander’s Bar which was voted by Forbes magazine as the best hotel bar in the world.

The collection of cigars includes emblematic names of Cuban origin with unique taste and rich aromas. The tobacco mixture is excellent and everything is "hecho a mano," which world-renowned cigars for guests to means handmade. accompany their drink.

The choices are many: mild, medium and fullAccording to the Director of Grande Bretagne body varieties from Cohiba Robusto or restaurants, Ms. Chrysa Dimitriadou, what differentiates this Cigar Bar from others in Athens is that it is located in the most historic and luxurious hotel in the city.

And it offers the visitor a moment of relaxation in a space with high aesthetics, and with excellent food and drink, away from the noise of the city, and yet in the heart of downtown Athens.

“Outdoors olive trees, laurels, small cypresses and flowers generously offer their colors and beauty, and guests of the Atrium of Alexander's Lounge have the opportunity to relax and enjoy their coffee or drink in an outdoor area of special aesthetics with excellent service,” she told NEO.

As for the cuisine, the Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis says that Alexander’s Lounge is the only place in the hotel where he does not focus on Greek gastronomy, and this is It has exactly the same list of drinks and because the colonial style of the place inspired cocktails, the same award-winning team of him to create a menu with a Latin-American bartenders, and also the widest variety of character.

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Cohiba Maduro Genius to Montecristo A, Partagas Serie D No 4 and Romeo y Julieta Churchil. In terms of sizes, all kinds of mythical vitolas are available, from panetelas to gran coronas.

The high level of service, in addition to the cutting and lighting the cigars, includes their combination with the drink that will accompany them: an Armagnac, or a Calvados, a great brandy, or one of the special whiskeys on Alexander's Lounge list.

The Hellenic Initiative Joins Athens Anti-Graffiti Campaign The Athens Partnership (AP) has worked with the Athens municipality to bring palpable, positive change to the city’s environs in recent years and now. The Hellenic Initiative (THI) is donating kick-off capital and launching a global fundraising effort to boost AP’s anti-graffiti campaign, in the picturesque historic Plaka District.

As for whether this is a place dearer to the heart of men--as is usually the case with cigar bars—Ms. Dimitriadou answers: “It is a magical place that attracts both men and women. The renewed Atrium of Alexander’s Lounge continues to offer unique experiences and moments of relaxation to all. In recent years it has become an increasingly popular choice for women to enjoy a cigar with a malt whiskey.”

Where histor y was written…

It is worth mentioning that the hotel has hosted several historic moments: in the basement of the hotel was delivered the war communiqué that introduced Greece into the war against the Axis. Immediately afterwards, an evacuation of the rooms was ordered to install instead various military and civilian services and a wartime staff of 40.

At the end of the Nazi Occupation in 1944, the hotel, like the country, went through numerous upheavals, including hosting members of the National Unity government elected in the fifth-floor suite, and Konstantinos G. Karamanlis resided in the hotel for four months after the end of the military dictatorship. Another important moment for the hotel was the message that Archbishop Makarios delivered from the balcony on the second floor to the Greek people after the invasion of Cyprus. Most recently, the Grande Bretagne bore witness to the demonstrations in Syntagma Square against austerity measures.

AP is a nonprofit organization that promotes partnerships between the private and public sector and leverages donations to support the city of Athens. Places like Plaka are becoming much nicer and cleaner areas for Athenians and tourists to experience thanks to the city of Athens efforts.

Almost completely reliant on tourists, the pandemic has hit the historic district hard, but with Greece’s vaccination program reopening the tourism gateways, Plaka, as a top destination for tourists from across the globe needs to look perfect as Athens welcomes back the world.

According to Drake Behrakis, THI Board Member, “Plaka is the showplace of ancient Athens and in many ways the heart of the city. It is a monument that belongs not just to Greece and Greeks but to all of us. We are proud to join in sponsoring this program and hope to encourage others to participate.”

“As a life-long visitor to Athens, and resident since 2007, I am very impressed with the progress this administration has made in caring for and beautifying the city. THI is delighted to work with AP on this important project”, said Peter Poulos, THI's Executive Director.

By cleaning the streets and treating the walls with anti-graffiti materials that resist new illegal posters and make cleaning new graffiti easy, Plaka will become even more lovely.

The City of Athens has completed 40 cleaning and anti-graffiti projects in the past year, restoring the appeal of areas like Omonia Square, Patision and Panepistimiou avenues, and the popular Thision and Monastiraki districts.

“Step by step, with well-thought out initiatives that include public-private sector collaborations through 'Adopt the City' program, we are restoring the charm and glory of the great city Athenians and visitors remember and introducing it to new friends from all over the world. We thank THI for its love for our city and its generous support,” said Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.

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Reflections on 20 Years of Editing the Washington Monthly

by Paul Glastris One morning 20 years ago, while my wife Kukula and I were getting our kids ready for school, I got a call from a colleague at the Washington Monthly saying that our offices were violently shaking, as if hit by an earthquake. I jumped in the car and sped down Massachusetts Avenue, listening to the radio. There was no news of any seismic activity in the area.

We needed to get out of those offices immediately but didn’t have the spare funds to move. So I contacted the landlord, met him on the sidewalk in front of the building, and, at the suggestion of editor Stephanie Mencimer (now an investigative reporter at Mother Jones), offered not to call the city building inspectors if he would buy out the remaining months of our lease. There was a noticeable quaver in my voice—the guy had six inches and 75 pounds on me—but after angrily waving his finger in my face, he agreed.

The money he shelled out was enough to cover the security deposit and first month’s rent on a new office space and to hire a cut-rate moving company that editor Nick Thompson (now CEO of The Atlantic) had discovered from a handbill stapled to a nearby telephone pole. The movers turned out to be recently released inmates from the Lorton Correctional Facility. One of them had an angry meltdown and had to be summarily dismissed by the foreman, but the rest were very nice. After they finished hauling our furniture to the new offices, we paid them, then set off a couple of cans of insect fogger, locked the doors, and went home for the weekend. We came back on Monday, swept out the roach carcasses, and wiped down the furniture.

Our new digs were on the 10th floor of the Woodward Building at H and 15th. Though located only two blocks from the White House, where I had been working months before as a speechwriter for President Clinton, the building was famous in D.C. for its low rents.

On the ground floor was a Croatian barber, a Christian bookstore, not one but two boutiques mysteriously selling only bikinis (we suspected they were recruiting offices for an escort service), and a liquor store—the only place within a mile of the White House where you could buy a cold 16-ounce Colt 45 to go. The offices above, with their dark wood doors, transoms, and frosted glass, had a Guy Noir vibe—the tenants in fact included a private eye along with a variety of lefty nonprofits.

I had taken over as the magazine’s editor in chief from founder Charlie Peters a couple of weeks before. The Washington Monthly was still producing great journalism and attracting world-class talent, but its finances, never good, were in the red zone. I knew that my most important job was to find a way to keep the doors open. I had not figured that this would also mean keeping the walls from collapsing.

I arrived at the old row office building north of Dupont Circle and, skipping the elevator (a tiny, unreliable contraption with one of those collapsible manual doors), climbed the stairs to the Monthly office—a warren of mismatched desks separated by rickety partitions with a single internet connection, shared with the environmental NGO upstairs, coming in through the window. The bohemian working conditions had descended into outright squalor thanks to a landlord who, eager to drive out the tenants in order to upgrade the building, had reduced trash pickup from weekly to monthly. This had greatly increased the population of roaches.

Upon arrival, our fresh-out-of-college associate publisher, Christina Larson (now an award-winning science writer and foreign correspondent), walked me through the damage. Chunks of plaster had fallen from the ceiling. Hairline cracks were spreading on the walls, fast enough to watch. The front-door frame was now so offkilter that the door itself had to remain open (one problem solved!).

We soon discovered the source of the trouble: A construction team had mistakenly removed a load-bearing wall beneath us.

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Charlie had handed me control of the magazine on the condition that I would transform it into a nonprofit, the better to attract taxdeductible donations. I spent much of the following months reaching out to scores of Monthly investors and trying to convince them to donate their shares to the new 501(c)3 that my brother Bill, a private equity investor, and his lawyer were setting up for us pro bono.

Business manager Claire Iseli and I had to do some detective-like sleuthing to track down the heirs of those who had died. Thankfully, the vast majority of the investors generously cooperated, especially once I explained that their shares were effectively worthless. One of them, the famed investor Warren Buffett, sent Charlie a cheeky letter noting that the magazine had, in effect, “always been a nonprofit.”

Though a lousy business, small magazines can be a great way to influence the world. That’s the case I made to Markos Kounalakis, a foreign correspondent turned tech executive whom I knew through Greek American political circles. Markos heartily agreed, and for the next six years he served as the magazine’s publisher, president, chief financial benefactor, and my intellectual partner. With his support I was able to recruit a string of brilliant young journalists—Josh Green, Nick Confessore, Josh Marshall, Amy Sullivan, and Ben WallaceWells—and set them loose on George W. Bush’s Washington.

During Bush’s first term, and especially after 9/11 when his popularity soared, the mainstream press was slow to grasp some of the new and alarming ways the administration was wielding power—and establishment Democrats seemed to have no idea how to fight back. That gave the Monthly the opportunity to publish a series of investigative and analytical scoops about the administration’s antiscientific and incompetent policymaking on everything from terrorism to stem cells; its strategy of overwhelming Americans and the press corps with sweeping, impossible to verify, and yet clearly false statements; and its transformation of K Street into a new kind ofpolitical machine. We were aided in this effort by a series of insightful bloggers we hired, like Kevin Drum, Steve Benen, and Ed Kilgore, who brought this critical approach to day-to-day

debates in the news (a tradition carried on in later years by D. R. Tucker, Kathleen Geier, Daniel Luzer, Joshua Alvarez, Martin Longman, Nancy LeTourneau, and David Atkins).

Journalists and Democrats had begun to wise up to the GOP’s game by Bush’s second term. So the Monthly began to pivot to wonkier subjects we felt were of major importance but that the press and political class weren’t focused on or sometimes even aware of. These included the growing consolidation of the U.S. economy, the increasingly inegalitarian nature of American higher education, the hollowing out of expertise in Congress and federal agencies, and electoral reforms like vote by mail that held out the promise of reinvigorating democracy. These stories didn’t necessarily get us attention in outlets like The New York Times. But they found influential audiences in government, think tanks, and academia. They also attracted much-needed funding from forward-thinking foundations such as Lumina, Hewlett, Gates, Kauffman, and Arnold Ventures. And, over time, they pushed the issues we were writing about onto the front pages and into law.

The work of producing these policy stories was done by a constant flow of up-and-coming journalists who signed on for tough two-year stints as Monthly writer/editors before moving on to better-paying gigs at bigger enterprises—people like Charles Homans, Rachel Morris, Zach Roth, T. A. Frank, Mariah Blake, John Gravois, Haley Sweetland Edwards, Anne Kim, Gilad Edelman, Saahil Desai, Ryan Cooper, and Matt Connolly. The most enjoyable part of my job has been getting to work with these gifted young people. The most bittersweet has been watching them leave. I’ve long marveled at the insanity of the Washington Monthly business model: hire great people, train them in Monthly ways, and then hand them to your competitors.

In a way, the Monthly is a sort of uncredentialed grad school for policy journalism, and my role is thesis adviser. Fortunately, it’s not a job I have to do alone. There’s a whole brain trust of veteran journalists and academics associated with the magazine, many of whom I’ve worked with for decades, who both write for us and provide intellectual guidance to the editors and me. They include Phil Longman, Garrett Epps, Kevin Carey, Robert Kelchen, Shannon Brownlee, Phil Keisling, Tim Noah, Tom Toch, Keith Humphreys, Steve Teles, Barry Lynn, and J. J. Gould. Charlie Peters remains an inspiring presence—at 94, his health’s not great, but his mind still is.

Contributing editors from Charlie’s era are also a constant source of support; three of them, Nick Lemann, Michelle Cottle, and Steve Waldman, serve on our board. Matt Cooper, with whom Steve and I worked as young editors under Charlie in the 1980s, is now our executive digital editor. He’s recruited an all-star cast of online writers like Bill Scher, Chris Matthews, Jodie Kirshner, Margaret Carlson, and Jennifer Taub. And a seasoned group of colleagues on the business side, now led by our deputy director, Alice Gallin-Dwyer, continues to keep our doors open.

Doing so is not easy. Journalism is under immense stress from tech platforms that have monopolized our advertising dollars and from a Trump-controlled Republican Party that has trained nearly half the country not to believe the facts we present. Like you, I’m worried about the survival of our democracy.

But I’m luckier than most, because I have a job that gives me leverage to fight back. And I get to do so from pretty nice digs. After the Woodward Building went condo in 2005, we decamped to another affordable space, then another, and finally landed at our current location in a lovely old building south of Dupont Circle owned by a benevolent family that offers reasonable rents to nonprofits that don’t throw loud parties. The family even paid to have the whole office beautifully refurbished in 2019 in return for us signing a 10-year lease. Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve hardly set foot in the place over the past year. But we’re looking forward to returning soon. I have no plans to leave my post before the lease runs out.

If you appreciate the Monthly’s unique brand of journalism, then please consider helping us by making a donation. Give whatever you can—$10, $20, $100, $1,000. If you donate $50 or more, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription to our print edition. Your contributions to the Washington Monthly are vital, tax-deductible, and much appreciated.

The Washington Monthly Announces Winners of its 2021 Kukula Award in Nonfiction Book Reviewing The Washington Monthly magazine announced the two winners of its 2021 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing—the only journalism prize dedicated to highlighting and encouraging h i g h - qu a l it y re v i e w s of serious, public affairsfocused books. The award honors the memory of the late Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine’s longtime and beloved books editor.

Kukula Kapoor Glastris

In the larger publications category, the winner is Carlos Lozada, in The Washington Post, for his review of “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” by Robin DiAngelo.

In the smaller publications category, the prize went to Sophie Haigney, in High Country News, for her review of “Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman’s Search for Justice in Indian Country,” by Sierra Crane Murdoch.

A panel of seven judges—veteran journalists, editors, and authors—selected the winners and eight other finalists from more than 125 outstanding submissions published in a range of print and online media outlets in 2020. Winners were honored for their clear and artful exposition, original and persuasive thesis, and ability to enlighten readers with new and valuable information. Judges gave priority to works of politics, public affairs, history, and biography.

“These two winners set a standard that all of us who work in this field of serious nonfiction book reviewing should challenge ourselves to meet,” said Washington Monthly editor in chief Paul Glastris, Kukula’s husband of 31 years.

Lozada and Haigney each will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

In a year of historic challenges and social upheaval, these reviews illuminated core and key issues—from racial injustice to the dangers of tech monopolies, from political party realignment and grievance to America’s entanglement in endless wars. Across these topics, “the aim of the Kukula Award is to highlight the work of the talented individuals who practice the undervalued craft of nonfiction book criticism—work Kukula devoted herself to editing and publishing for many years,” said Glastris.

The beloved and brilliant books editor of the Washington Monthly, Kukula (“Kuku” to her legions of friends and fans) made the book review section the home of some of the magazine’s best thinking and writing. A keen editor and diplomatic manager of writers, she served as den mother and provisioner of delicious late-night home-cooked meals to a generation of young Washington Monthly journalists.

“I’ve never met anyone whose combination of personal goodness, plus intellectual and professional abilities, exceeded Kukula’s,” the journalist James Fallows wrote in The Atlantic.

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a demographically Greek island until pressures against local Christians were accelerated by the Turkish government during the 1960s.

by Uzay Bulut* Zafir (Zafeirios) was found murdered in his home on May 13, 2019, with his hands and feet tied. He was tortured to death

the court sentenced Kadir Arslan, one of the detained defendants, to an aggravated life sentence for murder by design and to 15 years in prison for looting.

The case concerning the brutal murder of an 86-year-old Greek Christian citizen of Turkey in 2019 has finally concluded. The court ruled against it being considered a hate crime. It also rejected the intervention of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) in the case.

While Mete Sarı was acquitted of the charge of murdering Pinaris by design, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for looting. Arslan and Sarı’s detention was decided to continue.

Erdal Baş, who was tried without arrest, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for possession of an unlicensed weapon, but was acquitted of concealing the evidence of the crime. Juvenile delinquent A.B. was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months for aiding the looting crime. It was decided that the trials of Erdal Baş and A.B. would continue without arrest.

The victim, Zafir (Zafeirios) Pinaris, lived a desolate life on the island of Imbros (Gökçeada). He was found murdered in his home on May 13, 2019 with his hands and feet tied. He was tortured to death.

However, the request for intervention of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) was rejected by the court. Inci Incesağır, a lawyer with the IHD who followed the case, said the murder was also a hate crime:

The Independent’s Tu r k i s h w e b s i t e reported:

The court, however, did not consider it a hate crime. There is an The islanders did his understanding daily chores, and he [in Turkey] that himself hardly left his ‘If one is Greek, home. For the first one is definitely time, he did not open v e r y r i c h an d the door to his his/her money neighbor who brought should belong to food on May 13, 2019. “us,” not to the The Turkish Pogrom against The neighbor who Greek.’ Therefore, the Greeks of Constantinople. opened the door we think that this September 6-7, 1955 found the old man on sh ou l d b e the ground with his hands tied. The gendarme considered as a hate murder, but our request for who came to the house evaluated that Pinaris intervention was rejected [by the court]. had died 1 day ago and an investigation was started regarding the murder. After 11 days, the Incesağır said she believes that Kadir Arslan operations [investigations] were concluded. and Mete Sağır, two of the 5 defendants in the Within the scope of the investigation, 8 people case, directly participated in the crime: were detained. 5 of them were released, and 3 suspects, Erdoğan Baş, Mete Sarı and Kadir Sarı was acquitted of murder by design. Since Arslan, were arrested. One of the defendants, our request for intervention was not accepted, Erdoğan Baş, died shortly after being we think that the victim’s attorney will appeal. imprisoned.

It was not only Pinaris’s right to life that was The lawsuit, which went on for a year and a taken away by Turks. His hometown, the half, concluded on April 7. island of Imbros, was also violated and ethnically cleansed of its indigenous Greek In the case, held at the Çanakkale Courthouse, population by Turkish authorities. Imbros was 40

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The 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which recognized the borders and independence of Turkey, established a special status – including the right to a Greek local administration – for the then-Greek-populated Aegean islands, Imbros and Tenedos (Bozcaada). According to the treaty, Greek residents were supposed to be protected by the Turkish government.

However, those provisions of the treaty were never honored by Turkey. The island’s Turkification happened in “a detailed and carefully designed process,” said a prominent human rights advocate, Ayse Günaysu. “The sense of security, educational rights, language, and economic well-being of the Greek Christians on that island were all targeted systematically. In 1965, a 'semi-open prison' was opened on the island. The inmates were allowed to wander around everywhere on the island, committing violent crimes against the Greek population, such as harassment, rape, arson, attacks on Greek homes, and robbery.

In 1991, once the Greek population was reduced to a mere remnant, the prison was closed down. The lands owned by the Greek population and the properties of all Greek foundations began to be confiscated in the 1960s. Greek schools were closed down. The island was then declared a 'military zone' in 1970.”

While all these policies were implemented, ethnic Turks were settled on the island. Then in 1970, the name of Imbros was changed to “Gökçeada.” According to Günaysu: “The rapid decrease in the Greek resident population and the equally rapid increase in

But systematic discrimination against nonMuslims continued even after Turkey’s founding. The Civil Servants Law of 1926 made it virtually impossible for non-Muslims to work at state institutions. As a result of this law, thousands lost their jobs. In 1941, Armenian, Assyrian, Greek and Jewish “The court, however, did not consider it a hate males in Turkey were forc e d i nto l ab or crime. There is an understanding [in Turkey] camps. This occured that ‘If one is Greek, one is definitely very rich under a policy and his/her money should belong to 'us,' not to referred to as the of the the Greek.’ Therefore, we think that this should t“conscription w e n t y be considered as a hate murder, but our request classes”(“yirmi kur’a n a f ı a a s k e r l e r i“ ) . for intervention was rejected [by the court]."

They were forced to work under terrible conditions to the number of Muslims/Turks clearly reveal construct roads and airports. Some lost their the “population engineering” designed by the lives to disease and other factors.

Turkish state.”

In 1942, the Turkish government enacted the Wealth Tax Law (Varlık Ve r g i s i ) i n o r d e r t o remove Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews from the economy.

Those who could not pay the tax were sent to labor camps or deported; their properties were seized by the government.

Imbros is not the only location in Turkey that was cleansed of its indigenous Greek population. For decades, Christians and their cultural heritage all across Asia Minor have been targeted by the Turkish government and the country’s many citizens. Between 1914 and 1923, Ottoman Turkey under two successive regimes concluded a systematic campaign of

extermination against indigenous Greeks of the region. Armenians and Assyrians were also targeted. In 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars recognized the violent campaign as genocide.

On September 6-7, 1955, t h e G r e e k s o f Constantinople / Istanbul were the target of a government-led pogrom; Armenians and Jews were also victimized. Turks attache everything belonging to these minorities: homes, businesses, churches, cemeteries and schools, among others. A British journalist reported that the Greek neighborhoods of Istanbul “looked like the bombed parts of London during the Second World War.” The savagery of the mobs created such an atmosphere of fear that, following the pogrom, tens of thousands of Greeks left Turkey.

The Turkish news website Bianet reported in 2005: According to church records, only 1,244 Greeks remain in Turkey. They are nervous. Their religious holidays, rites and ceremonies are [considered as scandalous] incidents. Their lives are under surveillance.

In the same report, Mihail Vasiliadis, Editorin-Chief of the only remaining Greeklanguage newspaper in Constantinople / Istanbul, “Apoyevmatini”, said: “We [Greeks in Turkey] have started to go extinct like the Caretta Caretta turtles or northern bald ibis.

But unfortunately, the Greeks are seen as more worthless than a turtle, a bird.”

Since the early twentieth century, Turkey has been committing a campaign of annihilation against native Greeks. The latest victim is Zafir Pinaris, an elderly, lone man whose only crime was being Greek. His fate was just like the hundreds of thousands of other Greeks that Turkey has killed or forcibly deported for the same reason.

In 1964, Greeks in Constantinople/Istanbul — including the disabled, the elderly and the infirm — became victims of a mass expulsion at the hands of the government.

The deportees were given twelve hours to leave Turkey and were only p er mitte d to t a ke 20 kilograms (44 lbs.) of possessions and the equivalent of Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist and political $20 with them, leaving behind the rest of their analyst formerly based in Ankara. property, much of which was then confiscated This story was first published in jihadwatch.org a site that seeks to provoke continuous and increasing outcry wherever by the Turkish state and private citizens. and whenever the Sharia’s institutionalized injustices threaten dhimmis (non-Muslims) and women.

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hellenes without borders

Alexander Billinis is a writer and lawyer in Chicago, Illinois. He and his family returned to the US after nearly a decade in Greece, the UK, and Serbia. He writes prolifically on Balkan topics. His books, The Eagle has Two Faces: Journeys through Byzantine Europe, and Hidden Mosaics: An Aegean Tale, are available from Amazon.com.

Who Speaks for the Diaspora Greeks?

Greeks are a very individualistic lot. We often quarrel, and tend not to like others speaking for us. Having said that, for centuries Greeks have had to create organizations to foster community, educational, and religious cohesiveness, whether during the years of the Ottoman Empire, or before and since in the Diaspora. As individualistic as we Greeks are, we are all oriented to some degree towards institutions. This is both natural and a good thing, yet it does require a bit of scrutiny. Do our organizations speak for us, or do they speak for themselves? Do we Greeks in the Diaspora speak to each other, or only to Greece?

It’s time to ask these questions.

There are also any number of professional, cultural, intellectual organizations again with a limited scope and a questionable shelf-life, but these too should be fostered to bring individuals together and to build a wider awareness of Hellenism both within the community and without. Again, the degree to which they are widely representative is an open question. Also, it might help if such organizations go global. What stops a Greek American Doctors Association from pairing u p w i t h a C a n a d i a n o r Au s t r a l i a n counterpart? Nothing at all, particularly in the Zoom Era.

This organization could, potentially, with the right leadership, up its game and be truly representative. Their growing youth arm, the Sons of Pericles/Maids of Athena, is doing excellent work in empowering youth—another area neglected by and large by our ethnic organzations. AHEPA has the history, infrastructure and gravitas, and A H E PA d o e s h ave Eu rop e an / Gre e k , Canadian, and Australian chapters. The AHEPA model, if internationalized, might be a flexible yet credible representative of the Greek Diaspora. It would, however, require an AHEPA that acts like a dynamic international organization aware of its heritage and We also have various Hellenic advocacy responsibility. organizations, in the United States often as not based in Washington, D.C., who claim to I suggest that we do need something, perhaps speak for Greeks here. However, these less formal and infrastructural than AHEPA, organizations generally respond to their taking into account our diversity and wide funders, donors, or membership, who do not geographies. We need an organization, or necessarily represent a wide spectrum of series of organizations, that will connect the G r e e k A m e r i c a , a n d o f t e n t h e y a r e Diaspora to each other, as well as to the compensated by the Greek or Cypriot motherland. A participative series of fora governments for advocacy. It is hard to suggest where ideas can be shared, decisions made, that they represent us. Yet they often do and people empowered. A model that have a suggest just that. A small membership of a few sense of history to inspire us, but with the hundred or a clique of donors does not means to take us forward and empower us to representation make. ensure that we are not a historical footnote.

We are a global and globalized tribe, with an ancestral center of gravity in the Balkan and Asia Minor peninsulas. Most of us are Orthodox Christian, and as such the Church, as ever, is a key reference point for us and our hierarchs do play a role in our lives. The Church, however, is not designed to be representative and indeed may not reflect normative opinion for everyone in the Greek Diaspora. As such, while I am personally an adherent of Greek Orthodoxy, I do not think that the Church speaks for the Diaspora. To s p e a k f o r u s , I b e l i e v e , r e q u i r e s a It is also questionable the degree to which such representative process, which the Church is organizations are “in touch” with the realities not designed to accommodate. of Greece, or with the widely dispersed, diverse Diaspora they claim to represent. They For many of us, particularly our parents or may be, but we ought to see evidence of this grandparents, there were the regional origin and some sort of performance indicators. syllogoi centered around one’s ancestral region (Crete, Macedonia, Pontus, etc) which In the United States, we do have the American do a great job in preserving ties to the region, Hellenic Educational Progressive Association fostering local traditions and pride, but are less (AHEPA), a lodge type order with chapters all important in an era of intermarriage where across the US and nearly 100 years of history ties to a Greek heritage may be hard enough to and gravitas. AHEPA emphasized American preserve. Here, I am speaking as a Greek- citizenship and Greek heritage; in World War American, it may be that in Australia or, say, Two the organization raised more war bonds Germany’ these organizations still have a than any other single entity. longevity, but eventually the issue will be the same.

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Perhaps we all speak for Diaspora Greeks, and we need a model to empower us to speak individually and collectively. As a mosaic, individuals but coordinated, we do well. In art as in life.

It’s time to talk about this. Events both in the motherland and in our own countries demand it.

Oleosophia: Love & Tradition Align with the Wisdom of Nature to Bring High-Quality Manaki Olive Oil to the World

by Maria A. Karamitsos

involved in production, applying sustainable agricultural practices, and introducing new and innovative techniques to not only create high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), but to also respect the environment. Oleosophia was born. Marianna created the business plan; designed the concept, branding, the vision and values they would embody. By the time they married the following year, the first bottles began to hit the market.

The name is inspired by the product’s global character and the art and science of producing top-quality EVOO. Marianna explained.

“Oleosophia reflects what we feel about olive oil and that is awe at its immense wisdom.

Hence, the name combines the Latin word for olive oil (oleo) and the Greek word for wisdom (sophia). Producing high-quality EVOO is not simple. It’s a combination of tradition, science, and art. This makes us feel humbled before the olive tree.”

While most people are familiar with Koroneiki olives and EVOO cultivated and produced in Crete and Kalamata (and massproduced in other areas), Manaki olive oil is different in character. This variety boasts a unique aroma and flavor profile. Marianna described Manaki olive oil as rich in fruitiness and flavor, with a predominance of fresh green aromas.

OLEOSOPHIA First Harvest Manaki Monovarietal, a rare and award-winning artisan extra virgin olive oil.

IMAGE BY ELENA TEKTON PHOTO BOUTIQUE, COURTESY OF OLEOSOPHIA

When Marianna Devetzoglou met her husband George Manginas, it was a match made in an olive grove. Born in Athens to an entrepreneurial family, Marianna studied physics and worked in the materials industry and in EU research projects for autonomous vehicles. She’d always loved to travel and explore. “My father’s businesses and my exploring nature sparked something in me. I wanted to create something of value that helps local communities and changes people’s lives,” Marianna said. She didn’t know what that would be, until she met George. “He had similar ideas, a creative mind, and a restless spirit. That was the final boost I needed in order to start realizing my purpose and setting my goals.”

George worked as an IT engineer. He hailed from an agricultural family with a long history of producing olive oil. “Through him, I was reintroduced to nature. I learned about olive oil—the cultivation, the olive groves, but also the great connection that people and nature have to enjoy through this unique food.”

With George as her guide, she learned about freshness, authenticity, and discovered the aromas of olive oil, that seemed so distant from the oils she consumed in the city. “That 44

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was my aha moment,” she revealed. “I realized this was something I wanted—needed—to share with the world.”

Manaki olive trees thrive in Corinth’s microclimate. It’s grown only in one other area in Greece–Argolis–and nowhere else in the world. This rare and sensitive olive renders a unique, top-quality oil, but due to its highmaintenance nature, it’s a challenge to cultivate and produce. Yields are typically small, which makes it a truly artisan product.

Additional time and care go into every tree, every olive, and into each segment of the production process. Time-honored techniques combined with innovative processes, blended with a love and passion for the olive and nature, fuse art and science into a well-balanced product, worthy of this rare and beautiful olive.

Marianna recalled her mother’s nostalgic stories. Like many Greeks of the Diaspora, her mother, born and raised in Rhodesia, spoke about limited access to Greek products.

“Whenever they could obtain a Greek As Marianna’s passion for the olive grew, so product, it felt like having a real taste of did her thirst for knowledge. It fueled her G r e e c e . T h a t’s something I want to create in A table set for an olive oil tasting. people’s hearts and COURTESY OLEOSOPHIA minds.”

The family has produced Manaki olive oil, cultivated in their olive groves in the village of Kalentzi near Corinth, for three generations.

Soon after George and Marianna became engaged in 2017, the new generation became actively

Marianna Devetzoglou and her husband George Manginas of Oleosophia.

IMAGE BY DIMITRIS KITSAKIS, COURTESY OLEOSOPHIA

desire to educate people about the benefits of olive oil, how to distinguish a quality olive oil from a mass-produced variety, and how to incorporate it into one’s diet. She became a certified olive oil sommelier. “An olive oil sommelier is a professional who has undergone training and learned to identify the positive attributes and the defects found in olive oil. They also understand where the defects come from, so as to advise producers about good practices to apply. They also recommend appropriate food pairings, educate professional chefs, and help educate consumers on the health benefits, how to store it, and how to shop. I took a course and passed an examination, but I’m always learning, building on my knowledge.” She described the course as “lifechanging”, and “gave me new perspectives on the entire olive oil lifecycle.”

This education and their forward-thinking have resulted in oils that have garnered a series of prestigious awards. Their Manaki Monovarietal First Harvest received a silver awards in the 2021 Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards and 2021 Athena International Olive Oil Competition. They’ve also received a GREAT TASTE AWARD and Bronze Award from Olympia Awards. More recently, they were awarded the coveted prize of Best Manaki Monovarietal in Greece.

Marianna has applied this knowledge to workshops she has to designed to educate people about EVOO, and in tastings and tours of their olive groves. “I teach them how to evaluate an oil, spot the defects, so they know what they’re buying. We discuss the entire process. Most have no idea about how olive oil is produced, the parameters that must be examined, the difficulties many producers face, and why, as a result, it cannot be the cheap

product that you often see on supermarket shelves. Consumer education is key in our field. Wellinformed consumers make better choices about ingredients they use in their kitchens and for their families.

After, they know how to select olive oil, and know the real value and significance of tracing it back to the producer. Once you experience authentic EVOO and learn how to evaluate one, you can’t go back. Olive oil must be evaluated both chemically and organoleptically by a certified panel of tasters in order to be characterized as extra virgin, virgin, or just olive oil. Only high-quality EVOO can boost our health due to its nutritional value and plethora of antioxidants. A good, quality oil elevates our food experience.”

Olive oil tastings are growing in popularity. During these tastings, consumers learn what authentic, topquality EVOO looks and tastes like.

“Learning how to taste and assess EVOO will help you avoid defective oils on the shelves and help you select an authentic product. Don’t just look at what the label and price tag say. We also stress the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and the great effects high-quality EVOO has on our body and mind.”

If you have the opportunity, visit an olive grove. Marianna believes that in addition to learning about EVOO and tastings, seeing the actual trees has many benefits. “It’s a wonderful experience that creates beautiful memories. It connects you to the place and cultivates a new way of seeing things.”

Harvest Manaki Monovarietal through the eshop at shop.dianekochilas.com.

This hardworking young couple remains committed to learn more about their craft and Visitors to OLEOSOPHIA tour the olive groves and enjoy olive oil tastings in this stunning setting.

COURTESY OLEOSOPHIA

to apply that knowledge to their products, but family is their top priority. “Family is important to us, and our followers—the Oleosophers—are our extended family. We hope to see you all someday on a tour and tasting.”

Learn more at Oleosophia.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @Oleosophia.

Maria A. Karamitsos has been a positive voice in Greek media since 2002. She was the Founder, Publisher, & Editor of WindyCity Greek magazine. For 10 years, she ser ved as the Associate Editor & Senior Writer for The Greek Star newspaper. Her work has been published in GreekCircle magazine, The National Herald, GreekReporter, Harlots Sauce Radio, Women.Who.Write, NEO Magazine, KPHTH magazine, XPAT ATHENS, and more.

Maria has contributed to three books: Greektown Chicago: Its History, Its Recipes; The Chicago Area Ethnic Handbook; and the inaugural Voices of Hellenism Literary Journal.

She's working on her 1st novel.

Next time you’re in the area, put a visit to Oleosophia on your list. The family grove is located in the village of Kalentzi, near Corinth.

Just one hour from Athens, it’s easy to visit.

They host two tours a day (morning and evening sessions), limited to eight people maximum, to create the optimum experience.

Sessions include a walking tour through the groves and an educational olive oil tasting.

Visitors learn all about the Manaki trees and all Visitors enjoy an olive oil tasting with Marianna Devetzoglou phases of cultivation, of Oleosophia (2nd from left). COURTESY OLEOSOPHIA harvest, and production.

They’ll leave with the basic principles of EVOO tasting that can be applied to shopping, storage, and meal preparation. They’ll also know how to evaluate the quality of an olive oil to elevate their taste experience.

Oleosophia EVOO is available in the U.S. via a partnership with Diane Kochilas. Purchase their award-winning First NEWS & NOTES

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Bringing the Simplicity of Greek Cuisine to South Florida with Award-Winning MINA Group First Greek Concept, Estiatorio Ornos Estiatorio Ornos Transports Guests to the Greek Islands with Warm Hospitality, Approachable Environment and South Florida’s First Fish Sommelier

by Laura Neroulias

Estiatorio Ornos interior

Not traveling to Greece or Cyprus this summer? Looking for the next best thing? You no longer have to travel too far for warm, h e a r t f e l t G r e e k h o s p i t a l i t y. N o w boarding….South Florida!

Back in September 2020, award-winning MINA Group introduced its first Greek concept to South Florida, Estiatorio Ornos – bringing to life the sensory pleasures similar to a trip to the Greek Isles. Since then, it has continued to serve their guests delectable fresh fish, beloved Mediterranean specialties, and genuine Greek hospitality, in an approachable, friendly environment everyone can enjoy.

Led by award winning Chef Michael Mina and Las Vegas’ dynamic duo – Girair “Jerry” Goumroian and Chef Nikolaos Georgousis, the 160-seat neighborhood restaurant sits in Aventura Mall’s (Aventura is part of the Miami metropolitan area) outdoor oasis and marks the first-of-its-kind restaurant opening in the area offering traditional, simplistic yet flavorful Greek cuisine.

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NEWS & NOTES

“As we continue to evolve, our travels around the world and rediscovering cities is what inspires us for our next concepts. With a lighter fare and a deep passion that transcends so effortlessly through food, drinks and design, Estiatorio Ornos pays homage to our love affair with Greece,” says Chef Michael Mina. “Launching this restaurant is our opportunity to give a new meaning to travel by bringing authentic products from Greece, coupled with fish from our own shores, to create a laidback ambiance that transports you to the Mediterranean without having to book a ticket. We want our guests to feel as if they have stepped onto the islands by capturing the beauty and simplicity that resembles the islands through our clean and authentic recipes, and relaxed atmosphere.”

Bringing a cultural, fun experience from the islands, Estiatorio Ornos is home to South Florida’s first Fish Sommelier allowing diners to experience the taste of a simple grilled fish.

The seasoned professional’s passion for fishing is hard to miss, as they are responsible for sourcing the freshest fish from the Aegean Sea that is delivered overnight, to finding hidden gems located within Florida’s local waters. Accompanied with an exclusive onsite fish cart to educate guests on finest specimens of the sea, the Fish Sommelier’s knowledge paired with Chef Nikolas’ expertise of Mediterranean flavors brings the fish forward restaurant to life.

We sat in this quaint little restaurant located in front of a small fishing village, and quickly saw how it brought the community together – this is what Greece is about, its comfort through food and classic Greek kindness. We continued to uncover the freshest ingredients, the friendliest people, and we knew we had to bring this experience to the States,” said Girair Chef Michael Mina, Adam Sobel, “ J e r r y ” G o u m r o i a n , Niko Georgousis, Girair Jerry Goumroian m a n a g i n g p a r t n e r.

“Growing up and having the Greek culture as part of my everyday life, food is and has always been, the center of our family gatherings. Estiatorio Ornos brings us back to traditional cooking techniques where you’ll feel as if you’re eating from yiayia’s (grandma’s) kitchen, with an elevated presentation and hospitality that the MINA Group does so well.”

“The concept started to take form a few years Inspired by the laidback ago when Chef Nikolaos and I took a trip to c h a r m s a n d w a r m Greece and visited Ornos Beach in Mykonos. hospitality of the Greek 48

Islands, the welcoming restaurant creates a t r u e aut h e nt i c Gre e k e x p e r i e n c e by encouraging those to feel comfortable to put their elbows on the table, dip their bread in the fresh olive oil, dance along and laugh out loud with family and friends. Guests can escape to paradise through the restaurant’s unique experiences, such as pristine family-style dishes highlighting seafood, meats and vegetables, as well as three-course lunch menus, daily specials, a wood fire grill and a Mykonos-inspired soundtrack.

Grilled Octopus

“Greeks are passionate and proud, everything we do has heart, soul and meaning. As a Greek Chef, our philosophy is to gift guests with delicious food that has the best and most authentic ingredients,” says Nikolaos Georgousis, executive chef. “At Estiatorio Ornos, it’s not just about recreating dishes that we grew up with in Greece but pairing the right products to truly bring the Greek experience to life. Every bite counts, every ingredient has a purpose.”

Guests will feel as though they have just jumped right into the crystal-clean blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and traveled throughout the land of Greece, for dine-in,

Langoustines

Lavraki

Maine Lobster Pasta

Estiatorio Ornos’ menu features the finest delicacies from Greek waters’ such as a lavraki (imported Greek sea bass), fagri (Mediterranean Snapper), astakos (lobster), and includes a raw bar displaying oysters, calamari, octopus and a wide selection of fresh fish. By land, the restaurant offers several popular, traditional items such as lemon chicken, lamb shoulder, and classic spreads such as tzatziki, hummus, melizanosalata (roasted eggplant). For those looking to order for takeout or delivery, the experience travels seamlessly to your f i n a l destination offering a curated menu including avgolemono soupa (traditional egg-lemon soup), grilled octopus, grilled filet mignon, and more. For wine and spirits enthusiasts, the restaurant offers a special craft cocktail menu and feature a selection of Greek spirits, wines and beers.

The MINA Group tapped Fo u n d r y C o n c e p t & Design, the awardw i n n i ng f u l l - s e r v i c e design firm, to bring a simplicity and openness feel to life. Inspired by n a t u r e a n d G r e e k ’s traditional interior designs, Estiatorio Ornos features neutral palettes, white wall planks and hanging modern lights filled with plants. The 3,200 square-foot interior space will include splashes of vibrant blue, a

symmetrical wall mural and touches of limestone-inspired titles to create a warm,

rustic look. A nod to Greece comfort and coastal style dining, the restaurant features 1,600 square-foot outdoor patio with a stylish, intimate atmosphere featuring wood textures, tribal patterns, airy side chairs and simple sofa designs to create cozy and welcoming ambiance. Private dining rooms and lounge areas are available for special events, and full restaurants buyouts are an option for largescale parties.

Welcoming all guests from every generation, Estiatorio Ornos a Michael Mina Restaurant is located in Aventura Mall at 19565 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 946 Aventura, FL 33180. The restaurant is open for lunch on Tuesday’s – Friday’s from 12 – 3 p.m. and again for dinner from 5 – 10 p.m. on Tuesday’s – Sunday’s. On the weekends, Estiatorio Ornos offers brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 3 p.m.

The restaurant also offers take-out and delivery.

For more information, follow the restaurant on Facebook at @estiatorioornos or Instagram at @ estiatorioornos. To make reservations to dine-in, you can visit SevenRooms or call 786.697.1681.

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Friends, we need your help!

I hope this message get to you before you go to Greece and Cyprus and you spend all your money, bringing back beautiful memories and credit card bills that will remind you of your vacation for many months to come!

We are in trouble! Well in the 2nd year of Covid and while things look already much better, difficulties persist and uncertainty prevails in many areas. This is especially true for printed media because expenses run high and support is harder to get.

Many of the businesses that advertise in NEO are facing critical difficulties themselves and understandably haven't been able to make payments on time. We can't pressure them to do so because they have been with us for years and we know their problems are as real as ours.

continued from page 38

Despite the difficulties, we managed to keep publishing regularly, as we have been doing in the last 16 years, thanks to your help.

Unfortunately, we are currently facing major difficulties due to lack of funds. We know eventually checks from previous issues will come in, but because of the crisis, it will take more time. Our payments however to the printer and the people who make this beautiful magazine possible can't wait…

So, we are doing a fundraiser campaign on Facebook until September 10. We need to collect $25,000 so that we can pay our debts and start with a clean slate in September. It's a big feat, but I know you are out there and you love this magazine. Please, go to Facebook, find my profile Demetrios Rhompotis, you will see the fundraiser and the button DONATE. You can contribute any amount you wish, using your credit or debit card. Even something small helps big because others see it and are tempted to give, too.

If you prefer anonymity you can go on our web page--Support NEO magazine now! – NEO Magazine--and you will see plenty of options to support your favorite magazine and one of the very few remaining in our community.

If that's too complicated, you can make a check to Neocorp Media and mail to Neocorp Media, PO BOX 560105, College Point, NY 11356.

There are plenty of ways to help and you don't need to overspend, a little good will is needed and the understanding that as individuals we are part of something bigger, out community and its institutions, an important one of which is NEO magazine. Help us keep this publication alive and strong for the benefit of Greek America and Hellenism at large.

From all of us at NEO, many thanks and have a beautiful summer!

Are there any playwrights or theater directors that have influenced you?

What do you hope to covey to the audience I am deeply inspired by physical theatre, the work of Grotowski and Boal are deeply through this theatrical experience? influential in my work. I really believe in the I like the idea of my art serving a function. At power of a group of people moving together the moment people really need a space for and the deep b onds that non-verbal communal activity, catharsis, and to let go of communication can form. I am a true the traumas of the past year. I wanted to create multimedia artist and draw inspiration from a space for people to find ways to heal after the many mediums beyond theatre. pandemic, and slowly ease back into group activities. I used live music and Greek I love the poeticism of Tennessee Williams. He mythology to ease people back in to the world, is one of the few American writers who creates while giving them a chance to “bury” what the kind of magic and romanticism that I love. they wanted to leave behind. Many people said I am influenced by many other writers as well, they got very emotional during that part of the like Cavafy’s ability to tell epic tales and bring show, but felt a weight had lifted off of them, myths into modernity, Anais Nin’s erotic short with the freedom to start over. The music stories that inspire the freedom and sexuality helps with that! I also wanted to show the women are often not allowed to have, Gabriel audience how rich and how beautiful our Garcia Marquez’s way of finding magic in the culture is, and how powerful our stories are brutal realities of war and life, and lastly Kazantzakis, Seferis, Remedios Varos, Mariah when they are told by us.

Robertson, and Hilma af Klint.

What type of theater genres are you drawn to?

Was theater something you always wanted to I am drawn to experiential, site specific theatre do? that serves some sort of function, and creates a communal, dialogical experience, which I’ve always wanted to change the world, and i nv o l v e s t u r n i n g t h e au d i e n c e i nt o create art that builds awareness. I am a first participants. The goal is to invite the audience generation American which means I exist into a conversation that can extend beyond the between two worlds. What I try to do is fuse performance. The theater is a natural these two worlds together.I see a lot of work gathering place, and when a group of people that is not approachable to people outside of are willing to come together to experience the arts, and I think that has its place, but I something, it is the perfect opportunity to know from experience that working class work out difficult ideas, conflicts, and find people, immigrants, and people who have resolutions. Ancient Greek plays were social escaped very difficult situations, desperately commentaries that spoke to the realities and need art. I see how in Cyprus many people do conflicts that existed. They were not just not have a way of healing from the trauma of superfluous performances but a way to the invasion and occupation, and what that question, examine, and serve a deep function does to a society. For me, the theater has in society, and that is why we still study them always been a place of healing. I try to share that with as many people as I can. Most of my today. work is cultural. I work with a lot of

immigrants from many different countries and communities. To me, theater is an incredible way to preserve culture, which is in constant danger of being erased due to assimilation.

Do you have any plans to take this production outside of New York City?

Yes! I am planning to bring it other places in the US and hopefully to Greece and Cyprus as well!

Lastly can you tell us what Persou means?

Persou is a nickname for Persephone in Cypriot. My grandmother in Cyprus is yiayia Persou. Persephone is a special name in my family. All my female first cousins are named Persephone. I was supposed to be Persephone, but I ended up being named Elpida (Hope), which is very special in itself! The show is named after my yiayia Persou, and the many lessons from my grandparents in Innia Village, Paphos. periXscope

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In Pursuit of Persephone: A Journey with Persou

by Athena Efter

didn’t understand that the Greek gods were any different than the God we learned about in church. Hellenes have been developing art and philosophy for thousands of years. There is so much wisdom about life, death, love, and everything in between. I was inspired by l e ss ons I l e ar ne d i n my t hol o g y and philosophy and combined them with the practical knowledge my Yiayia and Papou in Cyprus taught me. They were both farmers and I learned so much about the changing seasons, the earth, strength, fearlessness, and the passing of life. With this performance I w a nt e d t o e x p l ore a n c i e nt He l l e n i c ceremonies and their connection to the earth.

Also, Greek drama and mythology are scarcely performed with any consideration of Hellenic culture. There is seldom any connection to modern Greeks or ancient Hellenes, or actual Greek culture because so much of our history has been Westernized. People truly think Greeks wore togas. I had many people in the show wearing authentic folk costumes from all over the Hellenic empire.

I wanted to make a show for us, by us, but I wanted to also make it accessible to a general audience so they could better understand what our culture really looks like. The cast and many of the crew members are either Greek, or E astern Mediterranean. I wanted us to get the chance to tell our own stories.

That region of the world has a long and complex history, but also a very beautiful and rich one, and we are often excluded from telling our own stories.

Theater Director Ellpetha Tsivicos explores the healing power of sights, scents, tastes, and sounds with her production of Persou, an immersive sensory experience celebrating the regeneration of spring. Ellpetha, with her cast and crew, and writer and creative collaborator Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez, takes you on a mesmerizing, dreamy tour of ancient c e re mon i a l Gre e c e and t he my t h of Persephone through a vibrant, colorful festival of music, dance, poetry, and visuals. Persou had its world premiere at Nanc y Manocherian’s the cell theatre in Chelsea on Can you tell us a little bit about your May 19 for a six-week run. Ellpetha shares her collaboration with Camilo-Queroz-Vazquez? thoughts on Persou and theater below in NEO’s interview with her.

Camilo and I met while studying at New York University’s Tisch School of What was your inspiration the Arts over 10 years ago and for Persou? Did you come up have been working together with the concept? since. He is MexicanAmerican, we were both There are many! After this raised in immigrant incredibly difficult year communities that deeply filled with so much tragedy valued family, community, and death, I wanted to create and culture. We both feel the a cathartic communal pull to hide our cultures in experience based on what order to be successful as has always given me strength Americans. We have been - my culture. As a Cypriot able to actively push against and Greek-American I am that and place our cultures at constantly tr ying to the forefront of the work we understand the ancient make. We both care deeply aspects of our culture and about preserving our cultures how they relate to our but also allowing them to be modern culture; as a child I updated in order to engage 54

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NEWS & NOTES

Theater Director Ellpetha Tsivicos

younger generations. We understand the world in similar ways but also in different ways that compliment each other. I talk about the themes I am thinking about, the texts that inspire me, the conflicts that haunt me, and we discuss inspirations. I see in pictures and he sees in words, and we bring them together.

I read that this is an interactive, sensory, and immersive experience. Is there any dialogue?

Yes! A lot of the script is inspired by the poetry of Giorgos Seferis. There is also dialogue in Cypriot and in Greek, which I feel is very important, not only because it is beautiful, but because there are some things that can only be said in the original language. I also think it is important for English speaking audiences to hear our languages and understand their rhythm and sounds, and how those sounds change the room. The interactive portion involves engaging all of the senses; upon entering the space, the audience’s hands are washed with orange blossom water from Chios. Then they are invited to take dirt and bury something they need to leave behind along with Persephone. We give the audience halloumi, olives, wine, and loukoumia, and use incense throughout the performance.

Scent is one of the most important senses tied to memory. We gave every audience member a small plant near the end of the show as a symbolic gesture that the performance can live on. continue on page 37