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Calamos Investments Wins 2022 Refinitiv Lipper's Award
Who Was Laskarina Bouboulina? The Greek American Abolitionists
The End of Disinformation On Social Media?
The Tragedy with the 4,000 Greek Children who Were Sent to the US (1950s-1960s)
The Andrews Sisters Were Greek!
GEORGE SEHREMELIS and Overlooked.com
Michael Georgiou is the Cofounder at Imaginovation, award-winning serial entrepreneur, creative marketeer & business storyteller, podcaster, member of the Forbes Council, and an advisor/mentor for European Startup Universe.
Michael also hosts a popular business storytelling podcast called Tales from the PROS interviewing top-level CEO’s, business leaders, and founders sharing their inspirational stories of success and struggle. To name a few famous guests on the show are Evan Carmichael, David Michael and his business partner Meltzer, Chris Do, Neil Patel, Pete Peranzo started a turn-key Rand Fishkin, and many more. technology company in 2011 Check it out at based out of Raleigh, North Carolina called Imaginovation. www.talesfromthepros.com.
to boost your productivity and output while decluttering the mind allowing you to get more done and enjoy the amazing things that life has to offer. MagicTask now has over 5,000 users enjoying the future of productivity with some flavor. Try it for free at www.magictask.io.
In addition to Michael’s heritage being 100% Greek Cypriot, his drive and passion come from Celebrating now over 10 years of The newest venture that Michael, inspiring and making a positive his partner Pete, and their team impact in other people's lives and building award-winning enterprise applications driven by have been working on is recently in the community. top-level design, strategy, and technology with a customer“I know that as long as I do right by centric approach. people and have kind and empathetic Forward-thinking and hypergrowth companies work with Imaginovation to explore, conceptualize and turn ideas into successful digital realities. From concept to product launch, their solutions are personalized and customized to meet your unique business needs that drive value. Imaginovation’s suite of services include custom mobile & web applications, enterprise software, large-scale websites, digital transformation solutions, and consulting for mid-size to larger companies.
intention behind what I am trying to accomplish, then nothing is impossible.” - Michael Georgiou
launching a platform known as MagicTask. This is a nextgeneration gamified task management system built for hyper-simplicity. The mission is If you feel that your business needs a boost in technology, we are here to help. You can visit us at www.imaginovation.net or send me a direct email at mgeorgiou@imaginovation.net
FROM THE EDITOR
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THE SHINING EXAMPLE OF GREEK LIBERATION
A new book has been published called, simply, THE GREEK REVOLUTION, by Mark Mazower (Penguin Press), and it’s the first dense and scholarly work about the great event that I can remember for a long time. Its central premise is that the Revolution “was unique, not merely eradicating the power of the Ottoman states in their lands, but also sweeping away an entire ruling philosophy and the institutions that had supported it.”
horrifically, the brutality of overlord nations to suppress freedom is perennial and knows no bounds. But perhaps the example of how a rural America overthrew a mighty world power, how the French overthrew their gaudy and corrupt dynasty, how the East European populace overthrew Soviet domination, and how little Greece, with its hardy band of klephts and sailors overthrew the yoke of a brutal Ottoman dominion, can inspire the Ukrainian people to resist the Russian onslaught and continue to inspire the world to support them and further their cause. In an era of chemical and nuclear weapons in the hands of a megalomaniac, this cannot be easy.
It says there were uprisings everywhere, in Spain, in When my family and I lived in Chicago in the ‘60s, Italy, but there were easily suppressed. the custodian of my father’s Greek school was a man “Only the Greeks fought on and, against the odds named Walter, who smoked a lot and left a trail prevailed.” behind him, who shambled rather than walked, and who had an accent that I thought was Polish (half And in the process, for the moment, these the kids at my school had unpronounceable Polish revolutionaries from a backwater and mostly rural names), but when I asked him finally, he said the state of Europe created a new nation where “faith, accent was Russian, but he was Ukrainian. capitalism and constitutional representation were the watchwords of this new order.” And I had no clue where Ukraine was—was it even a country? “The fundamental principle, wrote Lord Actor in his 1862 essay on ‘Nationality,’ was that ‘nations “It’s a great country,” said Walter, typically smoking would not be governed by foreigners’ It was this and waving his cigarette, “and it’s full of wheat and principle that marked the Greek war out from the freedom.” other revolutions of southern Europe and helps explain why it was sustained and widespread, and Poor Walter wound up a custodian at a Greek school in Chicago, but he was a true patriot, as we also unusually brutal and violent.” all are patriots of Ukraine in its war of resistance to And it not only inspired Byron and Shelley and Putin, and as we perennially marvel as Greeks, other Philhellenes, “Members of other oppressed particularly this year, at how a small vassal state in peoples—such as the Italians, Poles, and Europe 200 years ago, had kept alive the beacon of Germans—flocked to join the struggle, seeing in freedom, and its ancient birthright of democracy the success of the Greeks a promise of their own over hundreds, if not thousands of years of future.” oppression, and won one of the most astonishing wars of liberation in history. It’s been a rocky road since for Greece, and other nations, and as we see now, tragically, and DIMITRI C. MICHALAKIS
:: magazine PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN NEW YORK Editor in Chief: Dimitri C. Michalakis info@neomagazine.com
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Calamos Investments Wins 2022 Refinitiv Lipper’s Best Overall Small Fund Family Award Calamos Investments, a global investment management firm with more than $40 billion in assets under management, announced today that it has received the US 2022 Best Overall Small Fund Family Award from the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards. This important distinction is based on outstanding three-year risk-adjusted performance across the firm’s investment strategies; it demonstrates Calamos’ depth and breadth of investment expertise. Granted annually, the award recognizes the fund company that has excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The Small Fund Family peer group included firms with less than $99 billion in AUM.
Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer, John P. Calamos, Sr. Calamos President and Chief Executive Officer John Koudounis said, “John Calamos founded our firm more than 40 years ago on the bedrock belief that active risk 10
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management served investors best. Winning the best overall small fund company award based on performance during the past three years underscores the importance of this founding principle and the breadth of our investment talent.” Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer, John P. Calamos, Sr. stated, “Throughout the market cycles, risk management has always been the cornerstone of our approach. This award recognizes consistent outperformance across multiple funds and is a testament to the consistency of our investment philosophy. We are honored by this recognition.” Calamos Investments is a diversified global investment f irm of fering innovative investment strategies including alternatives, multiass e t , c onve r t ibl e, f i xe d i n c o m e , e q u i t y, a n d sustainable equity, currently managing more than $40 billion in assets under management. The firm offers strategies through separately managed portfolios, mutual funds, closed-end funds, private funds, and UCITS funds. Clients include major corporations, pension funds, endowments, foundations, and individuals, as well as the financial advisors and consultants who serve them. Headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area, the firm also has offices in New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Portland (Oregon), and the Miami area. For more information, their website is www.calamos.com. For more than 30 years and over 17 countries worldwide, the highly-respected Refinitiv Lipper Awards have honored
fund and fund management firms that have excelled in providing consistently strong riskadjusted performance relative to their peers and focus the investment world on top funds. The merit of the winners is based on entirely objective, quantitative criteria. This coupled with the unmatched depth of fund data results in a unique level of prestige and ensures the award has lasting value. Renowned fund data and propr iet ar y met ho dolog y is t he foundation of this prestigious award qualification, recognizing excellence in fund management. For more information their website is www.lipperfundawards.com
Calamos President and Chief Executive Officer John Koudounis
So Who Was
Bouboulina? by Dimitri C. Michalakis For one, she was a tough cookie.
revolt against their Ottoman According to legend, she was born in a Turkish overlords, and prison in Constantinople (where her father singing klepht Portrait of Bouboulina had been imprisoned), she became the songs. by Friedel. Photo credit: Capetanissa of her own fleet, gave birth to The Bouboulina Museum seven children, survived two husbands, Her stepfather became the scourge of the Turks during the e n c o u r a g e d Greek War of Independence, was killed by her, and because he was a Russophile and accident, or not, when a rival family shot up admired the empress Catherine and the her house during a vendetta, and after her advancement of women, he also gave her death she was named an admiral in the access to his library, which contained all the fruits of the Enlightenment, including books Russian navy. by Schiller and Voltaire. And among all those mustachioed captains of the Revolution, she was the only Capetannisa. So Laskarina was both a firebrand, and a learned woman, rare for her age. “To me she was a phenomenon in her own right, a pioneer of her time, whose story But still she was a woman of the sea, so she inspired writers, poets and artists throughout went on to marry two sea captains, one of Europe,” her descendant and director of the them a Dimitri Bouboulis, making her Bouboulina Museum in Spetses, Pavlos Bouboulina. Demertzis-Bouboulis, told The Greek Reporter. “A b o r n l e a d e r , w h o commanded her own fleet and her own private army during the revolution and, until recently, was the first and only woman in world naval history to hold the title of Admiral. The fact that she managed all of this in early 19th century Greece, a land dominated by men and patriarchal tradition, is astounding.”
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And in early 1821, twelve days before the Revolution was officially declared, she was the first to raise the flag of the Revolution, a modified Greek flag, from the mast of the Agamemnon, and then sail with eight ships to launch a naval blockade of Nauplion and begin her legend. “From the start of her command, she displayed tremendous powers of leadership,” records the encyclopedia.com. “Assisted by her sons and brothers, she commanded a small fleet that distinguished itself on many occasions, including the naval blockade of Monemvasia and Nauplia.”
Pavlos Demertzis-Bouboulis in front of a painting of Laskarina Bouboulina in naval battle. Courtesy of Pavlos Demertzis-Bouboulis
L a s k ar i n a B ou b ou l i n a , maiden name Pinotsis from Hyd r a , w as b or n pre su mably i n t he Constantinople prison in 1771, where her father Stavrianos has been imprisoned for participating in the Orlov revolt against the Ottomans. After he died in prison, Laskarina and her mother Paraskevo moved to Spetses when she was four years old, where her mother married Captain Dimitri Lazarou-Orlov, who added the Orlov to his name to commemorate his participation in the Orlov revolt, and Laskarina grew up with her half-siblings and became a tomboy: riding, swimming, fishing, sailing, listening to rumors about a Greek 12
because her husband had fought with the Russians against them during the TurkoRussian wars. She thwarted that, with the help of the Russian ambassador to Constantinople, but by then she was already working with the Filiki Eteria that was planning to overthrow the Ottomans in Greece. Her ships were often used to smuggle food, weapons and munitions to Spetses.
She often sailed her ships where they were needed, including at the siege of Tripolis.
“Bouboulina brought her ships to assist the besieged Greek insurgents. After the fierce battle ended, she was the first of the liberating forces to enter the relieved town, doing so in Only she lost them both during pirate raids, dramatic fashion on horseback.” leaving her a fleet, a tribe of children (a family of ten, including three adopted children), and In fact, she cut a dashing figure. a fortune, that she increased by becoming a partner in several ships and building more of “Indeed, it was not uncommon for her her own, including the fabled Agamemnon, enthusiasm and courage to motivate her to with 18 cannons, the largest Greek ship that temporarily abandon her flagship and venture fought in the Revolution. ashore. Fortunately, her lieutenants were able to maintain discipline and follow her orders in But even before the Revolution she had her her absence. Whether on sea or land, she was run-ins with the Turks. universally respected both by her own crews and by Greek soldiers of the liberated In 1816, they tried to seize her property
territories as their Capetanissa, the brave, resolute woman naval commander of the Free Hellenes.” One eyewitness historian, Anargyros HatziAnargyrou, says, it was “indeed the very rare event in the history of nations of a woman to take up arms, a very rich woman who decided to offer her ships, her money, and her sons as a sacrifice to the altar of her country.” And she “was indeed lionhearted. As I recall, on her own vessel, she alone gave the orders for the boats to attack a fort. They immediately attacked, but a rain of bullets and cannon fire from coastal fortifications made her brave lads fall back for a moment.’ ‘Like an angry Amazon watching the battle from the side of her boat she ten shouts: ‘Are you women, then, and not men?! Forward!” During the battle of Argos, her eldest son was killed in battle and after the fall of the city to Bouboulina attacking Nafplion. the Greeks, she sent word back to Spetses that Photo credit: The Bouboulina Museum said simply: “My son is dead, but Argos is while remaining vehement that they must seek courageous, she started laughing. ours.” no revenge and that no harm should come to And she baked her own paximadia to avoid But along with her courage and toughness, the Turkish harem women.” getting poisoned. there are also reports of her compassion—a She allowed the soldiers to take the jewels and rare thing in those savage times. coins of the women, but insisted Bouboulina’s sword. that no harm come to the Photo credit: The Bouboulina Museum women themselves. “Whoever attempts to do so will have first to pass over my dead body,” she told them. Most obeyed, some set fire to the fortress where the women had been kept, but Bouboulina was able to contact the local Greek commanders, and join them with her sword out, to View of the inside of Bouboulina’s house. make sure the harem women Photo credit: The Bouboulina Museum were allowed safe passage to a chartered vessel that brought After the war, she settled in Nauplion, the new Greek capital, until 1824 when, predictably, them back to Asia Minor. “After the town of Tripolis was captured by the the Greeks turned on each other and Greeks, she determined to save as many lives Kolokotronis was thrown in jail, Bouboulina as possible through political compromise. A “Over the course of the war Bouboulina was was jailed twice, and finally exiled to Spetses, skilled diplomatic negotiator, she worked out a considered an equal with other revolutionary with her fortune depleted from fighting in the deal with the Turkish military commander, commanders and was involved in planning war. Elkas Aga, where Greek ecclesiastical leaders their strategy,” says femalesoldier.com. “She were exchanged for the harem of the Turkish became good friends with General Theodoros She met her end when the Koutsis family took vizier and governor of the Peloponnesus, Kolokotronis and their children later offence that her son Giorgo had eloped with married.” Hourshid Pasha.” their daughter, and when she confronted them from her balcony, she was shot in the head and Unfortunately, not many of the Greek soldiers, apparently died on the spot. battle-hardened veterans of the bloodshed, “who thought the only good Turk was a dead After her death, the Czar gave her the Turk,” liked the arrangement. honorary rank of admiral in the Russian navy, the first woman so honored in history, and “Determined to deal with their anger and today, of course, she is a national hero. opposition, she asked that the soldiers Bouboulina’s assemble to hear her side of the issue. Speaking embroidered headscarf. “Furthermore, if you are willing to move past to them not as a revered Capetannisa but as a Photo credit: The Bouboulina Museum the Greek Revolution,” says her descendant middle-aged widow and mother, Bouboulina Demertzis-Bouboulis, “and also consider addressed them as ‘my children’ so as to share She also had a sense of humor about the myths modern day civil and equal rights moments her personal grief with those assembled. She and legends that soon sprang up around her: and the struggle for the emancipation of mentioned that it had been ‘barely eight days when she was told that back in Paris they women throughout the world, I believe her since my son John was killed by the Turks,’ c on s i d e re d h e r b e aut i f u l a s w e l l a s story could not be more relevant today.” NEWS & NOTES
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THE GREEK AMERICAN ABOLITIONISTS Afric's
by Dean Kalimniou*
soil, ing n r u b f o d toil s e n n o e s d r e a h “Y of s d n a h r you p u t f i coil e r L l l i h y ever m o r f s t ou Your sh e.” e r f e r a you Today
When John Celivergis Zachos penned the above verses in 1862, he was on Parris Island, formally appointed by the Boston and New York Education Commissions to prove that emancipated slaves could be educated. With 400 freed slaves on a plantation, Zachos was known to recite poetry to them, teaching them to read and helping them overcome years of years of torture and psychological abuse. In many respects, Zachos was ideal as an appointment. Having been exposed to slavery himself during the Greek Revolution, his harrowing experiences would prove the catalyst for his life-long advocacy for emancipation and equal education rights for African Americans and women.
he obtained a patent for a spinal support as for abolitionists. So synonymous did Garafilia well as for a stenotype used for printing legible become with the American abolitionist English text at a high speed. m ov e m e nt , t h at s h e e v e n m a k e s a n appearance in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “The When Zachos left for America as a child, he Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin” a book published to was accompanied by Garafilia Mohalbi document the veracity of the depiction of (Garifalia Mihalbei), a young girl who had lost slavery in her iconic anti-slavery novel “Uncle her parents in the massacre of Psara. Sold as a Tom's Cabin” where Stowe writes: “I was in slave to a Turk in Smyrna, she was redeemed Smyrna when our American consul ransomed by an English merchant, a Mr. Langdon who a beautiful Greek girl in the slave-market. I arranged, through Samuel Gridley Howe, her saw her come aboard the brig ‘Suffolk,’ when passage to America. Sadly, she did not live she came on board to be sent to America for long, dying of tuberculosis at the age of her education.” thirteen in 1830, but her plight moved the American public a great deal. American painter and miniaturist Ann Hall created a miniature portrait of her as a Greek slave girl which was later popularised as an engraving by Edward Gallaudet. American poet Lydia Sigourney wrote a poem in her honour, while in 1843, American poet Hannah Flagg Gould wrote the poem, "Garafilia's Picture", which was featured in her book The Golden Vase A Gift for the Young. In turn, writer Sarah Josepha Hale featured an article in her book Woman's Record Or, Sketches of All Distinguished Women, relating to Garafilia.
Having lost his father, freedom-fighter Nicholaos Zachos and then his mother Euprosyne, in 1824, Zachos and a number of other orphans and emancipated child slaves were taken to America by philhellene and surgeon Samuel Gridley Howe, in order to be educated. Enrolled at the Mount Pleasant Classical Institute in Amherst Massachusetts, Zachos and the other young Greek refugees were instructed by Gregor y Anthony Perdicaris, a survivor of the 1822 massacre of Naousa. Showing great promise, he completed a Teaching Degree and a Medical Degree and went on to found the Literary Club of Cincinnati. In the 1850s, Carl Hause commissioned Carl Gartner Serving as a surgeon in the American Civil to compose a mazurka for War, he was an outspoken advocate for the piano to honour her memory, necessity of the abolition of slavery and for the while it became the fashion for rehabilitation of African American slaves, ships to be named after her devising programmes for their integration and parents to give her name to into society as equals. He also supervised an their daughters. So pervasive experiment in re-settling recently freed slaves was her posthumous fame that on land abandoned by planters. The she inspired American sculptor experiences that he gained were applied to Hiram Powers to travel to Europe educating immigrants and women and he to witness the slave trade. It was went on to pioneer a phonic system of while in Florence that he began to teaching reading, publishing the primer: sculpt the popular sculpture The Greek Phonic Primer and Reader. An avid inventor, Slave, which held great symbolic meaning 14
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John Celivergis Zachos
Photius Fisk
newspaper “The Republic” considered "…is made the vehicle, in a conversational form, of conveying the expression of the author’s republican sympathies on behalf of Greece and Turkey, as well as of discussing some phi lolog ica l quest ions, intended to prove that modern Greeks pronounce their language as the ancients did..”
also what he called “mental slavery”. During the outbreak of the American Civil War, he travelled to Boston to aid the abolitionist cause. In 1861, he donated a substantial amount of money to abolitionist William Shreve Bailey. After the war, he amassed close to forty thousand dollars for the purposes of providing for destitute former slaves and also raised funds to erect monuments to important abolitionists such as Henry Clarke Wright in Providence, William Shreve Baily in Kentucky and Jonathan Walker in Michigan.
Perhaps the most influential of all the Greek-American abolitionists was Photius Fisk. Born Photios Kavasalis on the island of Hydra, he was taken to America in 1822 by missionary Pliny Fisk where he was educated at Amherst College. Having secured a position in Capodistrias’ government, he travelled to Greece and was directed to await the outcome of the Battle of Navarino. Instead, Fisk tried to secure passage back to America, ending up instead on the island of Martinique where he witnessed chattel slaver y and was horrified by the experience, which he related to his own childhood exposure to the horrors of Ottoman slavery. After successfully securing passage to New York, he stopped in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he witnessed American Slavery, an institution which he later wrote, was more horrific than that on the island of Martinique.
Having donated all his income to his last surviving family members in Greece on a trip there in 1873, Photius Fisk returned to the United States and continued his philanthropic work. Large sums were donated to the Perkins School for the Blind, which was run by the Epirot Michael Anagnos, and who provided early training to Helen Keller. In 1881, he donated one hundred twenty-nine volumes of Ancient Greek books to the University of Iowa. In 1884, he donated one thousand dollars to the Paine Memorial Company to support lectures and also gifted it his valuable collection of pictures and artifacts. At his death in 1890, he bequeathed his entire fortune to the poor and destitute, specifically naming The Coloured Woman's Home in his will as a beneficiary and directing the executors of his will to seek to relieve the plight of destitute African Americans.
Dealing with the trauma of prejudice, discrimination, massacres and slavery, the Greek-American abolitionists were following Harriet Beecher Stowe obtained much of her in the footsteps of their ancient ancestors. In information about Garafilia from his “Messiniakos” Ancient Greek philosopher Christophorus Castanis’ 1851 book “The Alcidamas of Elaea advocating the freeing of Greek Exile.” Enslaved during the massacre of the Messenian helots, stating: "God has left all Chios and forcibly converted to Islam, men free; nature has made no man a slave.” In Castanis was also one of the orphans sent to this vein, the Greek-American abolitionists America by Samuel Gridley Howe. Educated were able to capture the sympathy of the at Yale and Amherst College, Castanis American public, already sensitive and delivered many lectures on the subject of his sympathetic to the struggles of the renascent Greek nation for freedom from persecution Dealing with the trauma of prejudice, discrimination, massacres and for the right to self-determination. They were able to channel that sympathy so as to and slavery, the Greek-American abolitionists were following in facilitate public empathy will all persecuted the footsteps of their ancient ancestors. In his “Messiniakos” people, regardless of creed or colour. In so doing they became valuable and influential Ancient Greek philosopher Alcidamas of Elaea advocating the members of the anti-slavery movement. It is freeing of the Messenian helots, stating: "God has left all men free; upon that rich and profound legacy that all diasporan Greeks, campaigning for social nature has made no man a slave.” In this vein, they were able to justice, can freely draw for to paraphrase capture the sympathy of the American public, already sensitive Photius Fisk, these heroes, “though often outraged and martyred for [their] principles, and sympathetic to the struggles of the renascent Greek nation for [were] never conquered, suppressed or freedom from persecution and for the right to self-determination. discouraged. It was through the efforts of such Heroes that the world had been made fit for experience of slaver y, using his own As a result of his experiences, he became a the abode of Humanity.” circumstances to call for the abolition of the fervent abolitionist, teaming up with such institution in America. His accounts also preachers as the Reverend Samuel Hanson *) Dean Kalimniou (Kostas Kalymnios) is an referred to the fate of the other orphans Cox who preached that Jesus was dark attorney, poet, author and journalist based in rescued by Howe and he went on to publish skinned. He became a US Navy Chaplain and Melbourne Australia. He has published 7 poetry numerous works about Greek philology and campaigned for the abolition of flogging on collections in Greek and has recently released mythology, as well as his 1849 book, Oriental US ships, which would benefit slaves working his bi-lingual children's book: "Soumela and the Amusing, Instructive, and Moral Literary on them. As a result of his endeavours, he was Magic Kemenche." He is also the Secretary of Dialogues: Comprising the Love and f r e q u e n t l y a b u s e d a n d s p a t u p o n . the Panepirotic Federation of Australia. Disappointment of a Turk of Rank in the City Unperturbed, he continued his endeavours, of Washington, which the Washington DC fighting not only against physical slavery but NEWS & NOTES
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NHS Celebrates Greek Independence Day with Virtual Jazz FreedomFest The National Hellenic Society, a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and passing-on Hellenic heritage in America, hosted a unique celebration on March 25th, 2022, in celebration of Greece’s War for Independence after 400 years of subjugation and oppression — an online FreedomFest Jazz Festival. Special guest appearances in honor of Greece’s Revolutionary War for Freedom are headlined by legendary Harvey Mason. Mason, considered to be among the most recorded and sought-after drummers of all time, is also a prolific composer, producer and recording artist and the Father of Harvey Mason, Jr., record producer, songwriter, film producer and the current Chief Executive Officer of the Recording Academy (The Grammys). Vi e w e r s w i l l a l s o e nj oy performances by: • Harvey Mason and Fourplay; • I t a l y ’s i n c o m p a r a b l e songstress, Letizia Gambi; • celebrated jazz pianist, Bill O’Connell; • the rich sounds of Julie Michaels backed-up by the soothing Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto; • the mystical and soulful sounds of artists Riva Nyri Percil and Monvelyno and their band, Bohio Music; • the alluring music of the laouto, a stringed instrument masterfully performed by awardwinning musician, composer and visionar y, Vasilis Kostas; • the internally acclaimed, award-winning Dimitris Vassilakis, a Greek saxophonist, vocalist, educator, and founder of the Rhodes International Jazz Festival; • singing sensation Vassy, a multi-platinum award winning artist with eight #1 Billboard singles considered one of dance music’s most prominent female vocalists; • veteran pianist, songwriter, producer, composer and creative force, Tom Alexander joined by the multi-talented Earth Code; • the universal and multitalented Richard Barrata, film maker, producer and musician joined by the Richard Baratta Latin Jazz Septet; • the echoes of truth from artist and vocalist Aimeé Allen complemented by profound lyrics, insightful reflections accompanied by guitarist Tony Romano; and the versatile sounds of award-winning bassist, composer, and producer, Petros Klampanis. This outstanding and dedicated selection of artists are contributing their voices to chorus celebrating freedom for Greece and all people. Professors and authors, Tom Papademetriou from Stockton University, President of the Modern Greek Studies Association, and Alexander Kitroeff, from Haverford College set the stage for the concert with context and insights brought to life through a clip from the feature film, Cliffs of Freedom. This epic motion picture revolves around an ill-fated love story set in the early throes of Greece’s Revolutionary War in 1821.
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The film features a stellar cast and crew including the late Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Plummer in one of his final screen appearances, Billy Zane, Patti Lupone, and many others. FreedomFest virtual jazz concert is available on the National Hellenic Society’s website, www.hellenicsociety.org, and on March 25, 2022, on social media www.facebook.com/myparea.
Tina Courpas Named Executive Director of The Hellenic Initiative Director of Development, and then as the organization’s Executive Director, navigated THI through COVID and help build it into a brand name. Poulos will be taking a six-month sabbatical and rejoining THI as co-chair of its International Ambassador’s Program along with Princess Tatiana, the current chair of THI’s International Ambassadors. Andrew Liveris added, “THI has brought the global Greek diaspora together like no other Hellenic organization has ever achieved, and the connectivity to Greece and its considerable philanthropic needs, and to become a stronger member of the EU and a presence in its region, has been led by Peter in a manner that leaves a strong legacy and a foundation for Tina to build on. I’m very pleased that he will stay involved with THI after a well-earned sabbatical “ According to George Stamas, “After ten years of remarkable work, THI has a track record of unifying the global Greek Diaspora to make a positive impact in Greece. With Tina’s leadership, we are poised to take THI to the next level. With our Board, team, partners on the ground in Greece, powerhouse New Leaders community, and the many donors and friends of THI globally, the sky’s the limit for where THI will go for the next ten.” The Hellenic Initiative is a global nonprofit organization that brings together Diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes to invest in the future of Greece through programs focused on crisis relief, entrepreneurship, and economic development. For more information their website is thehellenicinitiative.org Tina Courpas, THI new Executive Director The Hellenic Initiative announced that Tina Courpas will take on the role of the organization’s Executive Director, effective March 4. Currently the Director of Global Corporate Partners for THI, Courpas will succeed longtime Development Director and Executive Director Peter Poulos. “On behalf of the Board of Directors it is my great honor to welcome Tina Courpas as our new Executive Director and to express our Board’s and community’s deep gratitude and appreciation for Peter’s contributions to our mission,” said Co-Founder and Board President George P. Stamas. He praised Tina for her work the past two years at THI, noting that she brings to the role over 20 years of financial and legal experience on Wall Street as well as four years as a senior manager in the non-profit sector. “Tina is the perfect choice to replace current Executive Director Peter Poulos, who had taken the organization on a path of increased growth and visibility. I am confident that Tina’s professional experience and background, as well as her strength of character and love of our community, will help propel THI into the future,” said THI’s Co-Founder and Board Chairman, Andrew N. Liveris. The Hellenic Initiative was founded in 2012 to raise funds from Greeks of the Diaspora, to provide crisis relief and economic development investment to Greece in response to Greece’s economic crisis. Since its formation, THI has provided over $17 million to Greece, 60% of which has gone towards Greece’s entrepreneurial and economic development. Ms. Courpas stated, “THI combines the professional excellence of our remarkable Board of Directors, staff and partners in Greece with a mission to unite the global Greek diaspora in support of Greece. This is a powerful combination and makes us truly unique. I am grateful to THI’s Board for this opportunity and look forward to all we will accomplish together.” Peter Poulos who has been with THI since its inception, first as 18
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NEWS & NOTES
IOCC is responding to the crisis in Ukraine. Please pray for all those affected and for those serving them.
International Orthodox Christian Charities Responds to Ukraine Crisis The humanitarian and development agency International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding to needs created by the conflict in Ukraine. Given the enormity of the crisis, IOCC has launched a campaign to raise at least $1 million dollars in private donations to support this work. In response to the crisis in Ukraine, IOCC is working with partners in country and across the region to help address immediate needs, while looking ahead and planning for longerterm response. Initial efforts in Ukraine include providing generators and fuel, as well as flashlights, batteries, and candles. Families with young children will also receive baby diapers. In addition, IOCC is working with partners on the ground in Romania and Moldova who are serving refugees arriving from Ukraine. They’ve deployed staff to the area and are coordinating with local churches. IOCC support will provide emergency supplies including food, water, cots, mattresses,
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blankets and other bedding, baby food, wipes, Anyone who wishes to support IOCC’s and diapers, plus other hygiene and sanitary humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis is items. asked to pray for all those affected and the people serving them, to share what IOCC is “The core of IOCC’s work has always been doing in order to spread the word, and to give re s p ons i bly an d e f fe c t ive ly of fe r i ng as they are able financially. To make a humanitarian aid,” said IOCC Executive donation toward these efforts, please visit D i r e c t o r a n d C E O C o n s t a n t i n e M . iocc.org/ukraine22 or call 877.803.4622. Triantafilou. “We’re grateful to be in a position to mobilize quickly, both inside and outside of International Orthodox Christian Charities Ukraine, to help people in dire need right (IOCC) is the humanitarian relief and now.” development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops of the United States of A campaign of this magnitude, gathering America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC private dollars, will allow IOCC to adjust and has provided more than $742 million in respond even more effectively as needs hu m an it ar i an rel i e f and su st ai n abl e change. In addition, private funding will help development programs in over 60 countries IOCC establish a presence so that when worldwide. Today, IOCC applies its expertise institutional funding becomes available, the in humanitarian response to natural and a g e n c y c a n p r e s e n t a c o m p e l l i n g manmade crises in Africa, Europe, the Middle programmatic case for support. With the aim East, and the United States, offering assistance of helping as many people as possible, this based solely on need. Learn more at iocc.org combination is a proven strateg y for and follow us @IOCCRelief on Twitter, addressing both short-term and long-term Instagram, and Facebook. needs in a crisis.
INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE JUSTICE FOR CYPRUS “We Stand With The People of Ukraine”
Next Generation of Menendez Headed for US Congres
by Philip Christopher* Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they endure a brutal and violent invasion. The terrifying world changing invasion of Ukraine did not start in 2022, nor did it start in 2010 when Russia invaded Georgia. It started in 1974 when the free world accepted the illegal tragic invasion of Cyprus by Turkey! It’s difficult to witness the destruction of Ukraine and not be reminded and draw a parallel to Turkey’s violation of US and International law when it illegally invaded the Republic of Cyprus in 1974 and still occupies 37% of its territory. Much like Putin, the dictator of Russia, who wants to rebuild the old Soviet Union, the radical dictator of Turkey, President Erdogan, wants to rebuild the old Ottoman Empire. Putin and Erdogan have been operating outside the world order and believe they are immune from any consequences. Putin on the pretext of protecting the Russian minority, declared a special military operation to “de-militarize” and “de-Nazify” Ukraine. We are witnessing deaths, destruction and a monumental refugee problem. Turkey, on the pretext of protecting the Turkish Cypriot minority, declared a special military “peace” operation resulting in 5,000 deaths, 1,600 missing, 170,000 refugees, and the establishment of a puppet state (TRNC) in the occupied area of Cyprus. The playbook was written in 1974. Turkey was never held accountable and today, the free Western Democracies are witnessing the same playbook in Ukraine! Russia’s attack on Ukraine is criminal and wrong! It’s time to hold Turkey and Russia accountable for their actions. *) Philip Christopher is President of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA).
[L to R] Mike Manatos, Tasos Zambas, Cyprus Ambassador Marios Lysiotis, Robert Menendez, Jr., Greek Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, Andy Manatos and Nick Larigakis.
Recently Robert Menendez, Jr, the son of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, met in Washington, DC with the Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus and Greek-American and CypriotAmerican community leaders. A few weeks ago Menendez, Jr. announced that he is russing for the US Congress to represent his father’s former seat in the House, New Jersey’s 8th Congressional district. He is heavily favored to win this election. While Menendez, Jr. has been to Greece and Cyprus numerous times over the years with his father and Cypriot-American leader Tasos Zambas, he took the time today to receive an in-depth briefing on issues of concern to Greece, Cyprus and the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as American security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Those attending this luncheon briefing, hosted by Andy Manatos and Mike Manatos, included: Ambassador of Greece to the US Alexandra Papadopoulou; Ambassador of Cyprus to the US Marios Lysiotis; CypriotAmerican leader Tasos Zambas; and American Hellenic Institute President Nick Larigakis. The luncheon was also supported by AHEPA.
Archbishop Elpidophoros Joins Ecumenical and Interfaith Leaders for Prayer Service with Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA In his speech, the Archbishop said, “As we watch the news from the region, we are inspired by both the incredible courage of the Ukrainian people who are facing terrible adversity with a valor which no one expected, and by the bravery of the many thousands of Russian People who are risking their freedom — and perhaps even their lives — as they protest this unprovoked and unreasonable attack.” Photo: GOARCH / Brittainy Newman
Recently, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America joined Metropolitan Antony of Hierapolis and Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA for an Intercessory Prayer Service for Ukraine. The Service, which was hosted in the Ukrainian Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Manhattan, was a reflection of ecumenical and interfaith support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States.
Several international, elected, and religious leaders offered remarks, as well, including Kathleen Hochul, Governor of New York; Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, New York Board of Rabbis; and Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Mission of the Ukraine to the United Nations.
Partnerships; Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Ukrainian Catholic Archeparch of Philadelphia; Bishop David, President of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches; Rabbi Diana Gerson, The New York Board of Rabbis; Rabbi Noam Marans, American Jewish Committee; Rabbi Joshua M., Davidson, Temple Emanu-el; Miguel Angel Moratinos, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations; Dr. Kostantinos Koutras, Consul General of Greece; and many other esteemed representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and members of Ecumenical and Interfaith communities.
Also present were Metropolitan Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America; Pastor Gil The service concluded with a moment of Monrose, NYC Mayor’s Office, Director of the silence and a hymn in memory of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Heavenly Hundreds.
by Athena Efter If George Sehremelis gets his way, disinformation on social media will find itself at the receiving end of a proverbial knockout punch. It’s not every day you’ll find a twenty-four year old Greek-American millennial who is on a mission to change the world by ensuring we have access – in a world over saturated with both disinformation and its cousin “misinformation” – to the truth in our daily news feeds. But that’s what Sehremelis has been working on for the past four years. He’s the founder of a new app and “social news network.” It’s called “Overlooked” and it’s quite the thing. Sehremelis, a self-professed news junkie, traces his passion for the truth in the media to his own Greek roots. His relatives escaped the massacre of their village Distomo at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. “Seeing the tragedy and hearing stories of my family members from Distomo made me understand the importance and significance of the truth,” he says. While in college at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of
Disinformation is being weaponized by bad actors and we need to act as soon as possible. Business, he landed upon an event that would spark the launch of Overlooked – the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar in 2017.
The End of Disinformation On Social Media?
GEORGE SEHREMELIS and Overlooked.com
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COVER STORY
“I founded Overlooked after seeing disinformation spread on social media fuel hatred and genocide in Myanmar,” he says. It was the lack of oversight and responsibility by the major social media outlets to filter and stop the spread of lies, propaganda, and hate speech that created a major problem that desperately needed a solution. This problem is made considerably worse by users spreading disinformation to their large audiences of followers, and the invention of ‘bots’- or artificial intelligence programs that behave like human users - posting, commenting, and sharing content that drives falsehoods. Bots can cause a false story to trend right at the top of a social media feed. In today’s society, this is made especially relevant as 86% of Americans get their information through a smartphone, often through big technology platforms such as social media networks. And so, Overlooked was born. According to the company, Overlooked is The Social News Network built around the world’s most trusted publishers. “85% of Americans trust local news, so we built a social network around statistically the best sources of information,” says Sehremelis. The platform also allows users to access national news - such as BuzzFeed, CNN, BBC, Fox News and Reuters to name a few - and to share and comment on articles with friends in their network.
unlimited news subscriptions and choose a local newspaper on the platform to support. Overlooked comes with both free and premium ($99.99 annually or $9.99 monthly) versions. Customers are able to purchase Overlooked Premium at Overlooked.com, and once they do, the mobile application automatically updates to the premium version. One of the early initiatives of Overlooked was to establish relationships with college newspapers around the country. These papers are at the core of access to local news but have been traditionally limited in their reach because of a physical paper model of distribution. Not only have big technology companies played a role in spreading disinformation online, but they have also monopolized the advertising space in the digital realm. This has made access to targeted advertising dollars an uphill battle for media organizations, especially small, local publishers.
“Our mission is to limit disinformation on social media,” says the company’s website. Overlooked recently joined the Associated “A n d a s Gre e k - A m e r i c ans , it i s ou r College Press as an affiliate. Together, they aim responsibility to support what is morally right to change the trajectory of the publishing - we believe that includes a healthy and active democratic system.” The relationship between disinformation and democracy is core to the company's values. The importance of solving this problem seems to come at an important time as disinformation from the Ukraine and Russia conflict has created a new type of information war between western and authoritarian countries - again, mostly taking place across social media. Disinformation has evolved over the years from the printing press to network television and now into the digital age. People are getting smarter at spreading disinformation online, especially through spreading false content on existing social media platforms. “Disinformation is being weaponized by bad actors and we need to act as soon as possible” says Sehremelis. He believes that the best way to l i m it disinformation online is to bring trustworthy newspapers to the forefront of the technologies of the 21st century.
The monument of the massacre in Distomo industry to a brighter future by developing revenue for student newspapers. Local news organizations that sign up on the Overlooked platform can now generate digital ad revenue that also eluded them before, particularly with local advertisers. It’s a win-win situation! But launching a startup, one with ambitious but incredibly responsible goals, is no easy task. “We’re a very lean team that is trying to solve an important problem. We are looking to find more enterprise customers and investors who believe in our mission,” says Sehremelis. “We enjoy meeting new people who are passionate about solving the disinformation problem.”
c ustomers, and a de dic ate d te am of supporters. Overlooked has been featured in TechCrunch, Forbes, Spectrum News LA, and in the Seal Beach Sun. The Los Angeles Business Journal included Sehremelis in its ‘20 in their 20s’ special edition. Overlooked was one of three companies to represent USC’s entrepreneurship program at Launchpad Propel by Blackstone and TechsStars in New York City.
After being accepted at the University of Southern California, Sehremelis now splits his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was born in Orange County and is a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. At his high school, Los Alamitos High School, he was a former valedictorian and was the captain of the lacrosse team. At USC, George was involved in both student government and Greek life. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, going to the beach, and spending time with his family and friends. To stay close with the Greek community he grew up with, George enjoys Greek dancing and playing GOYA Basketball, in which he has participated for 14 years at his hometown parish, the Assumption Church in Long Beach, California. During the summers, Sehremelis enjoys visiting his village Distomo with his family. He has two siblings, Tina and Eleni, and was raised by his parents Andy and Leslie.
The Overlooked mobile application has a 4.9 star rating on the Apple App store and its user Overlooked has had base is growing. Overlooked is looking for success driving the more subscribers to Overlooked Premium first digital recurring and for more users on the free version of the revenue in the history app. “It feels good to keep our audience of several of its informed, so we want to provide the best p a r t n e r e d customer experience to consumers ever for a publications. As print news service. ” Growth is what the platform is circulation continues setting its sights on: adding to its affiliate news to decline around the partners and generating participation world, newspapers The Village of Distomo where one amongst its members. And then, Sehremelis’ T h e c o mp a ny i s w o r k i n g can use Overlooked as of the worse massacres against own success story will rise to the top of his own diligently to fulfill its mission a w a y t o r e p l a c e civilian population by the Nazis social news network. w i t h e a r l y s u p p o r t f r o m subscription revenue took place Un ive r s it y of S out h e r n that formerly came to them through their print publication. With California’s Blackstone Launchpad and the For more information about Overlooked their Overlooked Premium, users can unlock USC Incubator, some key seed investors and website is www.overlooked.com or search ‘Overlooked’ in the App Store. COVER STORY
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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
Democracy’s Fueling Station By Endy Zemenides On December 29, 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appealed to Americans listening on radio: “If Great Britain goes down,” he warned, “the Axis powers will control the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the high seas. … It is no exaggeration to say that all of us, in all the Americas, would be living at the point of a gun.” The President urged his nation to prepare for war, “we must have more ships, more guns, more plans—more of everything. We must be the great arsenal of democracy.” With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe faces its highest stake crisis since World War II. In today’s nuclear world, President Biden hasn’t echoed FDR’s “arsenal of democracy” rhetoric - conscious of how escalating with Putin’s Russia could get out of control. But the US is working overtime to find a way to neutralize Russia’s greatest leverage over the West — its oil and gas. This is where Greece and Cyprus come in.
American diplomatic support for the highest profile energy infrastructure project under consideration, the East Med Pipeline. The “non paper” employed tortured logic — it unilaterally declared a lack of commercial feasibility despite incomplete and ongoing EU funded feasibility; it cited a policy of opposing fossil fuel infrastructure while explicitly supporting three other pieces of fossil fuel infrastructure (the Alexandroupolis Floating Storage and Regasification Unit; the GreeceBulgaria Interconnector; the Greece-North Macedonia Interconnector).
Interconnectors could come online more quickly. But as the prospect of Russia using energy as a weapon against Europe, and the crisis driving up prices worldwide, the US should have made it clear that it had options to speed up Europe’s energy independence from Russia. Greece and Cyprus still substantially rely on Russian gas. Greece’s northern neighbors — Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia — are almost entirely reliant on Russia gas. The diplomatic benefit of bringing Eastern Mediterranean gas online and getting it to the Western Balkans through Greece is obvious. The Western Balkans have become an arena of intense competition for influence between Russia and the EU/US. Taking potential alternatives to Russian gas off the table — and to allow Ankara to promote the narrative that the State Department did this in part as a favor to Turkey — signals a lack of commitment to winning this Western Balkan competition.
This tortured logic was matched by the dizzying spin that followed the diplomatic controversy over the “non paper”. State Department officials seemed confused over whether this was a “non paper” or “talking points” or “the beginning of a conversation.” Amazingly, other officials still maintain that the problem in this case was a “leak” rather than an apparent reversal of policy that was in direct conflict with the Eastern Significant hydrocarbon finds in the Eastern Me d ite r r an e an S e c u r it y an d E n e rg y Gre e ce and Cypr us do not have t he capabilities to be the “arsenals of Mediterranean over a decade democracy” in Southeast Europe ago raised the prospect that or the Eastern Mediterranean, but Athens and Nicosia could they do have the potential to be export not only olive oil, but democracy’s fueling station in the oil (mostly natural gas, but region. Climate policies will be still some possibility of oil). advanced - we are talking about These discoveries kicked off regions that still have to transition an unprecedented peacetime away from coal and, in the case of diplomatic f lurr y that Greek islands, the use of petroleum resulted in partnerships, for electricity. Most importantly, institutions and even malign influences like Russia will American legislation — the suffer a loss of influence and Greece/Cyprus/Israel and leverage in several young Greece/Cyprus/Egypt democracies. trilateral mechanisms, the Eastern Mediterranean Gas For the first time, three Western Forum, The Eastern Me d ite r r an e an S e c u r it y an d E n e rg y Partnership Act and was reduced to writing democracies — Greece, Cyprus, Israel — in the Eastern Mediterranean control substantial Partnership Act — that no one would have without consulting allies and partners. energy resources. The growing spirit of dared dream of at the turn of the century. The greatest head scratcher here, however, was cooperation in energy diplomacy and The amount of natural gas, project timelines, how someone thought it was a good idea to development in the region has consistently methods of delivery have all been moving raise doubts over Eastern Mediterranean been compared to the European Coal and targets, but the Biden Administration started energy developments at precisely the time that Steel Community, which helped bolster European democracy after World War II. It is with Eastern Mediterranean gas very close to they may be needed the most. time for the US to support — diplomatically, entering European markets. The EastMed Pipeline could still end up not technically, and financially — this energy Then, at the end of 2021, the State Department b eing fe asible, or t he ot her E aster n co op eration. It may hold the key to delivered a “non paper” withdrawing Mediterranean pipelines and electricity democracy’s victory in Europe. 28
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10 Suggestions for Lent
by Archbishop Demetrios, former of America 1. Meditate on the History of Salvation Think of the Lenten period as a time of meditating on the history of salvation. Think about the creation of the universe and of Adam and Eve as the beginning of human life on earth. Think about the fall of Adam and the entrance of sin in humanity. We see in the hymnology of the liturgical book of Lent, the Triodion, constant references to the tragedy of the fall of the first human beings. For example, in the Oikos of the Matins on Cheesefare Sunday, we read: “Adam sat and cried in those days across from the delights of Paradise; beat his hands upon his face, and said: Merciful One, have mercy on me who have fallen.” The memory of what happened through the fall of Adam and Eve continues on in us to this day. Think of the current condition of the world with its chaotic situation, confusion, violence, poverty, injustices, oppression, sickness and death, and remember it all started way back with Adam and Eve as a consequence of their sin and fall. But then contemplate the course of history and how the amazing, unimaginable, and unpredictable act of God Himself to become a human being radically changed everything. So in the course of Lent remember the history of salvation: From the fall of humankind, to the promise of redemption, the Incarnation of God as the new Adam, His Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension into Heaven, and the Second Coming. Take time to reflect on God’s divine actions through history.
of humankind, and at the same time as a victory through Christ. We fast for forty days in Lent before Holy Week not merely as an exercise, an ascesis, but also because there is an important Christological significance attached to 4. Be conscious of the gravity of sin fasting. Sometimes we don’t take sin seriously. Yet We have forty-day fasting models Scripture offers a very strong and unequivocal f r o m b o t h t h e O l d a n d N e w picture of the gravity of sin. The hymnology of Testaments. In the Old Testament, the Triodion is replete with occurrences of the Moses fasted for forty days on Mount word “sin” or variations of it. Sin is a very Sinai before receiving the Ten serious issue. In the Hebrew Old Testament, Commandments (Exodus 34:28, there are fourteen different words to describe Deut. 9:9, 9:18) and Prophet Elijah sin, but chiefly four: sin as a matter of human fasted for forty days on Mount Horeb weakness, sin as a distortion or perversion, sin (3 Kingdoms 19:8). Both of these as a rebellion (borrowed from the political instances are connected with an realm), and sin as an error or mistake related to encounter with God at the end of their ignorance. fasting. If we believe in God becoming a human being In the New Testament, we have the and willingly being crucified on the Cross for forty day fasting in the desert by our the sins of the world, then we must understand Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark the seriousness of sin. Let’s reflect on how sin 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). At the end of the has control in our lives, and how it has distorted forty day fasting by Christ in the the divine image within each of us. Let us deal desert, there are the well-known seriously with our sins with an understanding “Temptations” of Christ, the first of which is that they are part of the huge amount of sins related to eating: And the tempter came and and evil that led Christ to the Cross. But then said to him, "'If you are the Son of God, remember that God has given forgiveness as command these stones to become loaves of the perfect antidote through the very same bread.' But he [Christ] answered, 'It is written, Cross. Forgiveness, however, is inseparably ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every connected to repentance. word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:3-4). 5. Make Lent a season for repentance
Is this event in the life of Christ in any way connected to the Fall of Adam? Indeed, the Fall of Adam was caused by an eating situation, yet the victory of Christ also happened through an eating situation. While Adam said “yes” to the temptation and ate (Genesis 3:1-6), Christ said “no” to the temptation and did not eat. This is why the fasting of the forty days during Lent is not simply a matter of abstention or an issue of diet, but is a major Christological and soteriological situation; the fall of humankind, and then the restoration through the victory of Christ. So let us take fasting seriously and prepare ourselves for a blessed encounter with God. 3. Reconsider our life of prayer
Great Lent is a special time to pray. But what is the content of our prayer? What is our praying language? For several people, their prayer is still on the same level of that when they were ten or fifteen years old; it has stayed undeveloped. Why when speaking to God are we using a poor language? What efforts are we making to improve and enhance our prayer in terms of content and expression? Looking at the Triodion, we see many examples of different types of prayer language and content. 2. Review the understanding of fasting Try to pray and study the prayers that the Take fasting seriously as a very important Church has given us which are superb aspect of Lent. Think of fasting not simply as an examples of conversing with God and try item of diet, but as something related to the fall especially to prayerfully read the Psalms, the standard and universal book of prayer. 30
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During Lent we find an increased number of opportunities for community prayer and worship. The Church invites us each week to pray the services of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, the Presanctified Liturgy, the Salutations to the Theotokos, the Great Compline, and others. So try to pray more frequently this Lent and develop through constant praying a more refined language of prayer.
Along with sin, we are called to reflect upon repentance. Repentance is a very important aspect in our lives and is a dominant theme throughout the Triodion. We should not forget that Jesus Christ our Lord began His public ministry with the words, “Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.”“Repent [change your mind], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). The whole Sermon on the Mount is a commentary on this fundamental declaration on repentance. The writings of St. Paul and the other New Testament writings are permeated by calls to repentance. Repentance is not merely a shallow or superficial act, but a radical change of mind, soul, will and mentality. It is a central issue and an essential component of the Lenten period. God is always ready to forgive, but first we must repent. 6. Reflect on our reading the Bible Lent is a time to reflect on our relationship with the Holy Scriptures, because the Bible is central in the texts of the Triodion. We must always keep the biblical element at the forefront in our worship and in our life. How close are we to the Bible? Most people think about the Bible only at the reading of the Epistle and Gospel on Sunday at the Divine Liturgy. It is unthinkable that we as Christians do not have the Word of God as a central guide in everything we do. The Lenten period assists us to come closer and more
frequently to the Bible and encourages us to reflect upon the Scripture. We should try to make reading from the Holy Bible a daily practice during this Lenten season and beyond. 7. Be aware of the Christocentric focus Of course, the greatest focus of Lent should be on Jesus Christ Himself. Sometimes we can get caught up in fasting, in saying prayers, in going to Church, on our sins, or in all the rituals of this holy season; yet in the midst of all we do, we forget about Jesus Christ Himself. Lent is above all else a time to draw closer to Christ! Christ is the center of this Lenten period and should be the center of our lives. As we go through Lent and arrive at Holy Week with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ must be at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of all things. This Lenten period is a tremendous opportunity to come closer to Christ, and to be Christocentric in all that we think, say, or do. We remember that the fall of Adam and Eve occurred through eating in disobedience to the commandment of God (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:124), and that the restoration and victory in Christ was realized through His overcoming the temptation of eating (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). But what does our incarnate God offer to us as the ultimate possibility of union with Him? He gave us His Body and His Blood to be eaten. He said to us,
“Ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει, κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.” ”He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56). Here is the ultimate paradox: During Lent, abstinence from food, i.e. fasting, is accompanied by partaking of the imperishable food, i.e. the Body and Blood of Christ. Adam and Eve fell away from paradise and from their connection to God through eating, and we are restored and united to God in the highest way through the Holy Communion by eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ. This is much more than being Christocentric. This is having Christ dwelling in us in a palpable way. 8. Cultivate human relationships The season of Lent is also an opportunity to cultivate our human relationships in more authentic ways. Looking again at the hymnology of the Triodion, we clearly ascertain that there is an emphasis on loving and caring for each other, on moving away from evil and wrong things, on forgiving one another, and on being reconnected with our fellow human beings. The Book of Isaiah, read in its entirety during Lent, begins with a condemnation of the people of Israel because they had abandoned God, and then continues with an admonition to the Israelites to return to God and to be fair and to establish proper relationships with their fellow human beings. So we are called to think of any relationships that are not in the proper condition and make
every effort to remedy them. This is a very integral part of living our lives during Lent. 9. Practice almsgiving Almsgiving is a vital aspect of the Lenten period. On one of the multiple occasions speaking about the need to be a person who takes care of others, St. John Chrysostom said that we are all called to give alms. He continued to say that even those who claim to be poor are not free from offering alms. It could be said that almsgiving is a requirement for living our life as Christians. Christ said, “when you give alms” (Matt. 6:3), not if you give alms. Almsgiving is especially emphasized during this Lenten period, evidenced again by the hymnology of our Church. 10. Make this Lent a time for transformation Ultimately, our Lenten season is a time of having a transformative experience. We are challenged to resolve that at the end of the Lenten period, when we celebrate Pascha, we are different from what we are today. The transformative aspect of Lent is an absolute necessity for spiritually enjoying this season. We are in the process of transformation if we steadily become Christocentric in all things, through the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Lenten season provides us with a tremendous possibility to prepare spiritually, to be constantly transformed, and to be with Christ in His Passion and Resurrection.
New Film Celebrates Greece's Miraculous 2004 EuroCup Championship by Athena Efter
You must have felt a huge sense of responsibility to bring such an iconic event to the screen. Were there memorable moments in the filming that gave you pause to reflect on that? Yes, we tried not to focus too much on that so it wouldn’t overwhelm the production. But the sense of responsibility to get this right was very important. I intentionally hired a German editor and my producer is British. So it was good to have non-Greeks working with me to check my own innate Hellenism and make sure that the story worked for both Greeks and the rest of the international cinema going audience. One of the most memorable moments was when they closed down the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens for us to shoot one morning. It was just us and Mr. Rehhagel and Mr. Topalidis alone in this great stadium, and it was the first time he had been back since they won the Euro and celebrated in that stadium 17 years prior. So that was very special.
What’s fascinating about the film is, although a documentary, it plays out like a In the summer of 2004 the Greek National What was the genesis of this film? How did it f i c ti on fe atu re w it h a prot a g on i st , soccer team shocked the world by winning the get started and where did the funding come supporting characters, and a 3 act structure European Championship. It was a momentous from? event that takes its rightful place in modern Greek history. Now, that story comes to life in The genesis of the film was really a rousing and enormously entertaining new to bring this story to the big screen documentary film that’s making its way into for the first time. I remember theatres across the US this spring officially when they won the Euro 18 years starting on March 25th, Greek Independence prior. I thought, someone had to Day. For tickets, showtimes, and more info make a movie about this one day. their website is www.KingOttoMovie.com. Then, about four years ago, I had A n d o n Tw i t t e r a n d I n s t a g r a m a t just made a film for ESPN’s 30 for @KingOttoMovie. 30 series, and a producer made a comment how there weren’t any g re at international sports stories that had been told yet. I objected s t ron g l y, a n d essentially set out to pursue this, and that builds to a stirring climax. Was that made it my mission to make the something that happens in preparation or as film and do justice to a story that you work your way through in the editing Greeks hold close to their hearts. room?
Directed by Greek-American filmmaker Christopher Andre Marks, “King Otto” tells the tale of how a renowned German coach, Otto Rehhagel, transformed the ultimate underdogs into the unlikeliest of heroes, galvanizing an entire nation in the process. Packed with amusing interviews and revealing footage, the film takes the viewer on an exhilarating front row journey that is at once mythic, humorous, and thrilling.
The logistics must have made for quite an undertaking. It’s remarkable how all the archival footage weaves in so well with the interviews. How long did it take to go from production to completion?
Thank you. It was a challenge, definitely. The multiple languages were difficult, but really it was the thousands upon thousands of hours of archival footage that had to be sourced and scoured for the right moments to include in the film. The actual filming of the players, and Mr. Rehhagel, only took a couple of weeks. But the archival and edit process was where the bulk of the time was spent. Overall, it took about 3.5-4 years (with a year of Covid delays) NEO sat down for an interview with director from concept to our World Premiere in Christopher Andre Marks to discuss the film. Australia last May. 32
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We definitely approached it as a feature film and kind of ignored the documentary aspect of it. That was the objective throughout - to tell a story that would work in cinemas and work theatrically. To achieve that scale, we felt like we had to let the story unfold quickly as it would in a sports drama, and we spent about four weeks on the game sound itself to make it feel like you were in the stadium reliving those moments. We had this plan going in, and then we tried to formulate the story with our outline and structure. Has Otto Rehhagel seen the film? What was his reaction? It was shown in Germany, yes? Yes, he first saw it in Athens and loved it, but obviously it was half in Greek. So, the real test came when we released in German cinemas. We actually premiered it at a historic theatre in
It was very special. The team was in attendance at the Zappeion in the National Gardens of Athens. We were very excited to bring it home to Greece and let Greeks see their story first hand. Of course, Greek audiences are more familiar with the story than other locations around the world, but the players were very emotional and we really were proud to bring it home to Greek cinemas a few blocks from the Panathenaic Stadium where the team celebrated their victory 18 years prior.
his hometown of Essen. It was very special for him, and it just so happens that many national German premieres take place at this beautiful cinema called the Lichtburg that he used to go as a boy to sneak in and watch movies. Now, 70 years later, he was headlining the German premiere of ‘King Otto’ with 1,000 people giving him a standing ovation and German media surrounding him on the red carpet. It was a great honor for us to be a part of that, and the cinema molded his hands into gold to adorn the lobby wall like the actors he used to look up to as a child.
and family. We released to over 80 cinemas in Australia and people were showing up in Greek flags with faces painted blue and white, chanting the entire movie as if watching a live game. We hope this kind of communal experience will exist in the US and Canada. What’s next for you? Any new projects on the horizon?
Yes, we are working on a feature narrative to be shot in Greece next year. It is becoming a hot spot for foreign productions as of late. So looking forward to getting back to Athens to The film will be playing in theatres work on the next one. across the US starting in March. It’s such a welcome opportunity to see the film with an audience. Are there plans for it to make its debut on streaming and digital channels?
Yes, we plan to release it streaming / digitally as well, but we really do encourage people to go to the theaters first and watch this as it was intended to be seen on a big screen. We open on March 25th, Greek Independence Day, and hope The Greek premiere must have been quite a Greeks will go celebrate by watching the film with friends moment. What was that like?
The tragedy with the 4,000 Greek children who were sent to the USA during the Cold War (1950s-1960s) "Imagine someone who chooses clothes from a fashion catalogue. This is exactly what happened to the infants from Greece at that time. Americans ordered a baby, and if they were not satisfied for a number of reasons - such as the child’s illness, or quarrels with the other siblings – they gave the baby back,” says Professor Gonda Van Steen to NEO. by Kelly Fanarioti
Professor Gonda Van Steen It was a simple email of a few lines, with which a 20-year-old American student went searching for his Greek roots, that took Gonda Van Steen - a Belgian-American classical scholar and neo-Hellenist, who specializes in ancient and modern Greek history, language and literature - into the new, uncharted terrain of adoption stories in Greece that are emblematic of Cold War politics and history. 36
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Professor Van Steen is the first woman to hold the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature. She is also Director of the Centre for Hellenic Studies at King's College London. To write her book about the Cold War adoption history of Greece, she engaged in a thorough i nv e s t i g at i o n t h at started in 2013 and lasted seven years. During her visits to archives in Greece and across the USA, she searched meticulously through hundreds of p u b l i c re c o rd s o n passports and visas issuances at the time. Van Steen recently published her book titled "Adoption, Memor y, and Cold War Greece: Kid pro quo?" in Greek translation as Ζητούνται παιδιά από την Ελλάδα: Υιοθεσίες στην Αμερική του Ψυχρού Πολέμου. The Greek version was issued by Potamos Publications in November 2021.
“I was trying to answer the 20-year-old student’s questions about the adoptions of his mother and aunt by an American family, but I was faced with a serious issue: I did not know anything about these adoptions, despite my many years of study, as I had never come across a relevant reference in the literature," she said. She further explained that the young man who opened the door for her to this unknown page of modern Greek history was the grandson of Elias Argyriadis, who was e xe c ute d on t h e s am e d ay a s Ni ko s Belogiannis in March 1952. "The adoption of Argyriadis’ children was political, because then the Greek state did not want Communists’ children, so they were given away. Unfortunately, there were more such cases in addition to the children who were sent away for adoption because social stigma rested on their unwed mothers,” she explains. The massive wave of adoptions of Greek children by wealthy American couples hit a peak from 1950 to 1962. Many babies who were the fruit of a forbidden love were placed in nurseries, and from there various lawyers undertook the work of placing them abroad for a fee. Some lawyers who pursued adoptions for personal profit sent brochures with photos of the babies to American families, for them to choose the child they liked best. "Imagine someone who chooses clothes from a fashion catalogue. This is exactly what happened to the infants from Greece at that time. Americans ordered a baby, and if they were not satisfied for a number of reasons Caregivers and beaming Ahepans, Leber
What she finds particularly sad is the fact that most lawyers’ motivation was purely financial and that there was absolutely no assessment of the suitability of the adoptive American families. “I met some adopted people who ended up in the United States and who were in some instances raped or brutally beaten by their adoptive parents. Keeping a child in an institution is definitely not good, but a thorough evaluation of the suitability of the adoptive families was lacking for many years and that was a huge mistake, too.”
such as the child’s illness, or quarrels with the other siblings – they gave the baby back,” Professor Van Steen says to NEO. She adds: “In such cases, the lawyers who acted as intermediaries did not bring the child back to Greece, but they looked for another family and made even more money from the transaction.”
Jane Russell, 29 Oct 1958
Another story that has touched Van Steen is that of Maria Heckinger, who published her adoption memoir in a book called Beyond the Third Door (2019). Maria was born of rape in Patras. Social taboos and the fear of public outcry forced her 17year-old mother to leave her baby in the city nursery, and from there the child ended up in the United States. The two met several decades later. However, there are still many Greek-born adoptees who keep trying to find their birth parents, but the nurseries where they came from deny them access to their files.
The aim of the Belgian professor is to persuade the Greek authorities to systematically examine the records of the 4,000 people concerned, to facilitate their reunion with They are still looking for their Greek birth families, and also to give them the Greek citizenship back, which they their roots
Van Steen’s research has r e c o n n e c t e d m a ny families who were separated for decades. Indicative is the case of a 66-year-old woman By 1955, lawyers received approximately 500 who was desperately dollars for each adoption. But from then looking for her birth onwards, demand for white and healthy babies mother. on the other side of the Atlantic sharply increased as childless couples in the midst of “I explained to her that the American baby boom felt socially the chances of finding stigmatized. Thus, the fee for an adoption her birth mother alive from Greece reached 3,000 dollars by the end were low, as she would of the 1950s.
Wilson, Lamberson, adoptees
TWA, Cleo Lefouses
be over 90 years old. We finally found her, mother and daughter reunited after sixty-five years. In fact, the adopted woman brought her daughter with her to Greece, and the 90-year-old birthmother met h e r granddaughter,” says Van Steen with a warm smile on her face. She continues: “It is very moving to bring families t o g e t h e r . Somehow, I also become a member of the family.”
once had. “Officials from the Prime Minister’s office and from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs have been in contact. I have expressed my desire to participate voluntarily (pro bono) in an organized effort to reunite the adopted children with their birth relatives and to help pave the way to a restored Greek citizenship (as a second citizenship). Significantly, even if their birth parents have passed away, these Greek-born people care to be recognized as Greek. My activism has made them aware that they are not alone anymore, as there are many others like them.” The campaign is rightly called “Nostos for Greek Adoptees.” She concludes: “Greece is always actively looking for ways to strengthen relations with the diaspora. At this time, the Greek-born adoptees of the 1950s and 1960s fervently desire to reconnect with their families. The time is right for Greece to take the first step to welcome them back!”
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! р и м у р и М The title, an old Communist motto meaning “Peace to the World,” is one that both Ukrainians and Russians understand. It remains to be seen when and how they will take it seriously. Having entered the fourth week of conflict, things don't look good. A human tragedy is unfolding in Europe, traditionally the most advanced and civilized place on Earth, and from where not one, but two, World Wars started and involved much of humanity. This is clearly and unequivocally an act of aggression on the part of Russia and can only be condemned in the strongest terms, especially from us, Greeks still suffer the consequences of a brutal Turkish invasion and continuing occupation based on similar premises with Russia, in Cyprus. And there are about 150,000 Greeks living right in the middle of the conflict in Ukraine! There used to be many more, but Stalin scattered them all over Siberia. Those were the lucky ones, because a great number of them were killed on the spot... Having said that, unfortunately our country, the US, is also much to blame. This tragedy is rooted in the NATO summit of Bucharest, April 2008, when then-President George
Bush invited Georgia and Ukraine to join the alliance, triggering Russia's violent response, first in Georgia and now in Ukraine. Thanks to that naïve policy of our most naive president, both countries nowadays are in ruins and both have chunks of their territory in limbo. And the US did absolutely nothing, other than offer generous condemnations, after it jumpstarted the conflicts in the first place! If you are not gonna defend them, why are you inviting them to become formal allies in the first place??? This time, days before the invasion, another brilliant president was declaring that Russia's military intervention is imminent and that the US won't do anything about it! Only if NATO countries are threatened there will be a response. How convenient for the aggressor! Instead of discouraging, they encouraged Putin, not that he needed any encouragement! It shows clearly the kind of leadership, or actually lack of it, the West is under, when we are heading towards a multi-polar world with China as the superpower in the offing and us her humble consumers. If we all survive the onslaught of Muslim fundamentalism that is... The conflict in Ukraine, like the one in Georgia 14 years ago, proved that the US is not to be trusted. And that is a major tragedy itself...
PS: 1) It's impossible to create a no-fly zone o v e r Ukraine! The country has so many swamps, it's full of mosquitoes, bugs and other flies... 2) US Evangelicals are praying for Putin, who in the last two decades has taken drastic measures to curtail their efforts to "evangelize" Russia! What will be next? Gays and lesbians for Putin??? 3) Forget Ukraine, speaking of tragedies, you heard about the cargo ship full of luxury cars going down in the Atlantic! My Lamborghini Aventador was among the victims and for the time being I have to suffer by using my old Bentley! How humiliating! 4) I went to the casino and I lost a quarter! It fell somewhere and I couldn't find it..
Did you know the Andrews Sisters were Greek?
The Andrews Sisters: Maxene, Patty and Laverne
Honoring International Women's Day on March 8, the National Hellenic Museum highlighted the famed musical group, The Andrews Sisters. LaVerne Sophia, Maxene Anglyn, and Patricia "Patty" Marie were the three daughters of Peter Andreas, a Greek immigrant, and his wife Olga Sollie. Patty, the youngest, was only seven years old when the three sisters formed their musical act, using their adopted Anglicized name, “Andrews”: The Andrews Sisters. In the years just following and during World War II, The Andrews Sisters were one of the leading musical acts in America, recording a number of hits including, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else But Me)”, “Boogiewoogie Bugle Boy,” and “Rum and Coca Cola.” They also toured extensively, as part of the USO Tours. Following the War, the Andrew Sisters pursued other ventures, marrying, having children, divorcing, putting on solo acts. They enjoyed a resurgence, however, after Betty Midler covered their hit song “Rum and Coca Cola” in 1973, inspiring Patty and Maxene to stage the WWII-inspired Broadway musical Over Here! In 1974. The Andrew Sisters are one of the highest-selling and most influential musical acts of all time and the first commercially successful “girls group” in popular music. If you would like to learn about amazing people like The Andrews Sisters, you can follow the National Hellenic Museum on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. NHM often shares things from their collection and the stories of people who have contributed to the Hellenic Legacy across social media.
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