NEO magazine

NOV 2016

ELECTION 2016: THE GREEK-AMERICAN ANGLE Helen Voutsinas runs for reelection in Nassau County

George Tsandikos Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council

Workshop: Handcrafted Shoes Made in Greece

Interview: Historian Erik Bruns a Dutch Rhodian

$4.95

November 2016

www.neomagazine.com

:: magazine

6

From The Editor: So here we are

25 Acoustic Greek Music Concert

with Soprano Julie Ziavras

by Dimitri C. Michalakis

8 Setting the Bar High with

Legal Eagle Trailblazer Judge Helen Voutsinas

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Hellenes Without Borders: Erik Bruns, a Dutch Rhodian

By Alexander Billinis

10 When Men of Power Use it

to Get what They Want with Women...

30 New Iraq a Ray of Hope

(that didn't come) for Greek Assyrians

14 32 AHEPA’s Supreme President

Visits Gold Coast Chapter 456

Election 2016: The Greek-American Angle

35 Raising Funds and Awareness

for Thassos Island

16 George S. Tsandikos,

New Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council

18 Workshop brand handcrafted

shoes made in Greece that have conquered the world

22 The Asia Minor Catastrophe

as Case Study in Management and Leadership

37

periXscope: It takes a crook to expose the crooks...

by Demetrios Rhompotis

38 Concert Tribute to

the Great Rembetika (Greek Blues) with Legendary Singer Babis Tsertos and Orchestra

So here we are :: magazine FOUNDED IN 2005 BY

Demetrios Rhompotis Dimitri Michalakis Kyprianos Bazenikas

Publishing Committee Chairman

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We are coming (hopefully but you never know) to the end of this fraught election season that even after the votes are counted will still leave us deeply divided.

Half of us want a popular rebellion because we think the other half is stepping on our necks. And with good reason: people are losing their jobs in Middle America—jobs that have sometimes sustained whole families for generations while those jobs go overseas. Our Main Street is crumbling, our old car is rusting, our old roof is leaking, we can’t afford health insurance to live or die, we can’t send our kids to college to get them out of our own circumstances, unless they mortgage their future with student loans.

Meanwhile, it’s our kids who man the fire engines and patrol the streets and have to make split-second decisions and go to fight in the wars that you start but can’t finish for the people who don’t mind seeing them die but resent us, anyway.

The other half of us is wondering what this country is coming to. You want to stymie or abolish government, but you want to keep getting your Social Security and Medicare and unemployment benefits; you want to get the old bridge replaced; you want the old highway paved (creating jobs); you want the state university funded so your kids can actually afford to go to school; you want your food and medicine and cars made safe and gas kept cheap so you can drive your gas guzzler; and you particularly

want your constitutional right to the separation of church and state, except when you want your religion to comment on every election and your collection money to be used to fight the rights of your fellow citizens which are the law of the land.

Every society has its contradictions and every country goes through its cycles of uncertainty and f e a r. G r e e c e r e m a i n s agelessly beautiful but endlessly mired in trouble.

England has cut itself off from Europe (it seems inadvertently) and doesn’t know its own future. Germany assuaged its ancestral guilt by accepting a wave of refugees and doesn’t know its future.

France is no longer frothy but an armed state and its Jewish citizens are afraid to walk the streets. And the Middle East remains the proverbial powder keg.

America is a great country because it never stopped evolving in its whole history. It never stopped being an America for all the people, and not just for some. We owe it to those who fled on ships and founded this country and we owe it to our immigrant ancestors who got off the ship at Ellis Island and worked in the steel mills and shoe shine parlors and coffee shops to make sure America remains the beacon of hope around the world and we vote to keep it that way.

:: 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

- San Jose Office Andrea Photopoulos a.photopoulos@neomagazine.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

by Athena Efter

Setting the Bar High with Legal Eagle Trailblazer Judge

Helen Voutsinas 8

NOVEMBER 2016 NEWS & NOTES

As a Greek-American woman and contributing writer, it was very inspiring to be given the opportunity through NEO Magazine to interview the Honorable Helen Voutsinas, the only Greek-American woman to rise to the position of District Court Judge in Nassau County and in what still is a predominantly male-oriented position in the general Court system. In this interview, Judge Voutsinas shares her thoughts with us on what motivates and inspires her. Being the eldest daughter of working class Greek immigrants who emphasized education above all else, it’s important for us, as a community, to express our support for her re-election.

Judge Voutsinas is committed to leadership and justice. By supporting her candidacy, we, too, commit ourselves to upholding the same ideals of fairness and justice that she vows to uphold and maintain.

We thank Judge Voutsinas for taking the time out of her busy schedule to accommodate this interview. As a community, we are proud of her dedication to her work, her family, and her representation as a successful young Greek-American woman in our legal system. Every vote counts and yours will too.

How important is this re-election for you and Judge at the time. He asked me where I wanted to be what does it signify for your long-term career in the future and I told him I wanted to become a goals?

Judge. He started me on the career path and introduced me to the process. I was able to observe I have served for almost six years as a District Court others become Judges and I tried to replicate their Judge. If I do not come in first or second in this race, efforts. my term will end on December 31, 2016. I would like to continue as a District Court Judge and some As a woman, and being the only Greek-American day move on to be a Supreme Court Justice. I would woman to serve as a judge in Nassau County, like to move on to higher office eventually. If I do not were there any challenges you had to face in win, I obviously will no longer represent my achieving this rank? community and those goals will be put off for another time or extinguished. I trust that all Greek- Currently, I am the only Greek-American Judge in Americans will come out and vote and I will be the Nassau County court system and there are very victorious on November 8th. With the Greek- few women Judges in the Court system that became American vote I will no doubt win. a Judge at my age, so I had few role models or mentors. In essence, I am blazing a trail for other Last time you received 104,000 votes in Greek-American women. I knew I had the Hempstead and Long Beach. There is no doubt credentials and temperament to be a good Judge, you have many supporters and people who but I had to convince others to get over their believe in you to be the best woman for this role. preconceived notions of what a Judge should look How can we, as a Greek-American community, like. I built a substantial resume. I served as an support your campaign? attorney to a County Court Judge for over six years and I became involved in many organizations You can support my campaign in many ways. The throughout the years. I also became involved in my Greek-American community can change an election local community. I served as President of the Nassau locally. They have that power. How can they help? If you live in the Town of Hempstead of City of Long Judge Helen Voutsinas with husband Beach, which extends from the Antonio Grouzis and their children Queens border to Seaford and is all the area south of Old Country Road in Nassau County, please vote for Voutsinas on Line 9. You can tell your friends and neighbors to vote for me, put a sign on your property, follow me on facebook at @JudgeHelenVoutsinas, join my campaign and make phone calls for me, and spread the word.

Tell us about your beginnings.

Did you always want to pursue a career in law?

As a Judge I am not permitted to speak about causes or issues. We can only run on our qualifications.

However, I can say it is of utmost importance to me that everyone that come before me get a fair and equal chance. I treat everyone that comes before me with respect and I listen to all the facts of each case that comes before me. I think it is important that Judges are in touch with the needs of the community. Everyone is entitled to protections of the law and their day in Court. I am mindful of my role as a referee to make sure that people get a fair chance.

What are the primary concerns and issues that face the district and county that you serve?

Judges can’t answer questions with regard to issues because we are not policy makers. We cannot legislate, we are there to administer the law.

What are the rewarding experiences that make the work you do, as an attorney and a District Court Judge, so important to our legal system and societal welfare?

It is of utmost importance to me that everyone that come before me get a fair and equal chance. It is also important to me that the people of Nassau County receive the help they need during tough times in their lives. It is always rewarding when a just outcome is achieved, whether it is by helping a member of the community get the services they need, letting an innocent person go free, or administering the appropriate punishment to those that are found guilty. When justice is served in any form, it is rewarding. If justice is not served our society falls apart.

Do you visit Greece often? Does your heritage play a big role in your life outside the courtroom?

I am living the American Dream. My parents are both immigrants, who came from simple beginnings to the United States in search of a better life. My father started as a bus boy and my mother as a cashier at a clothing store and they worked numerous jobs to make a better life for themselves and their children. They both instilled in me the importance of a good education. My dream was to be a leader and defender of people’s rights from a young age. However, as the eldest of three children I did not know whether I would be able to obtain that dream financially or even academically.

With hard work, my dream became reality when I graduated from St. John’s University with an Accounting and Law Degree.

I try to visit Greece every year. I love it there. My husband is Greek and my son County Women’s Bar Association and founded the has started Greek school at two years old. It is Nassau County Women’s Bar Foundation, which important to me that they learn the language and provides scholarships to women who can’t afford culture. Being Greek is just a part of my life. law school. In order to become a Judge, I had to go before the bar association to be found well qualified What advice can you offer to young attorneys for the position. Once I was found well qualified, I starting out? What are the challenges they will had the political challenge of being chosen as the face? nominated candidate by the political parties to be the District Court Judge. The biggest hurdle is Be honest to everyone. Be prepared. Know the law. getting the community to vote for you. However, Be courteous to everyone. Love your job. Be good at with all the work I had done in various organizations your job and confident with everything you do. The and in the community I was successful in 2010. major challenge they will face is being true to themselves and who they are. My advice is to keep What are the issues and causes that matter to stern in your beliefs, don’t waver, and always try to What inspired you to go to the next level, to run you firstly, as a prominent and well-respected give and help others. for District Court Judge? member of the legal community, secondly, as a woman, and thirdly as a Greek-American When I graduated law school, I started at a local law woman in this position? firm and one of the partners there was running for NEWS & NOTES NOVEMBER 2016

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encountered in Greece and some of my own personal reflections on the subject. To sum it up, most Greeks I spoke to are in absolute awe (and fear) over the possibility of Trump representing what they perceive as the most powerful country in the world. They are fearful what will happen if he should win. Are they crazy about Hillary? No, but they cannot understand how the USA has allowed such a racist, misogynist candidate to emerge on our national ticket.

When asked to compare Trump to some of their most recent leaders, they laughed and added that “all politicians are thieves,” but added that “The cover editor asked me if I at least their leaders had would like to meet Marcello some idea of how a democracy should Mastriano (who wouldn’t) and function while Trump then be on a photo shoot where seems to know nothing about either national or he was being filmed. In the taxi foreign policies. cab ride back, the cover editor

by Marcia Haddad-Ikonomopoulos

When Men of Power Use it to Get what They Want with Women…

Having just returned from a seventeen day visit to Greece, during this contentious political season in the United States, and having the opportunity to hear the opinions of my friends who live in Greece, I would like to share my very “unscientific” findings with you. I say “unscientific” because I did not do a “man on the street” sampling and, since my friends are well-educated, intelligent and articulate, their opinions do not necessarily reflect those of their fellow countrymen. In general, I do not like to discuss US politics, nor comment on the politics of the countries I am visiting, with those living in other countries. This did not work with my visit this year. The world is concerned with our presidential election, reminding me that the leader we choose will affect the whole world.

Having been away when some of the most obnoxious comments were coming from Trump, I thought I would share with you some of the comments I 10

NOVEMBER 2016 NEWS & NOTES

then informed me that the I, also, found that among the youth of the competition was very intense for country the image of the the cover article and then United States in Greece is changing. Usually, grabbed me. I was appalled and when asked where I ran out of the cab in traffic. I come from (my accent never forgot that instance." when speaking Greek is a sure giveaway that I was not born in the country) and I mention the United States, I get comments about wanting to visit someday. Not so much this year. A comment of a young employee at my hotel in Ioannina was not uncommon. “It is very dangerous in the United States….so many guns.” While I might agree wholeheartedly, it was a shock to hear it from so many. Our image overseas is definitely tarnished. It reminded me of a visit to Italy in the 1980s where a young person in Rome described Americans as “cowboys” while imitating the gun-toting pose from a western movie. It was humorous then. Not so humorous now.

On a personal level, I listened with pride to Michelle Obama’s response to Trump’s ten-year old tape of his “locker room” banter and, like many women my age, recalled when we were sexually harassed. Most vivid in my personal memory was an instance when I was nineteen years old and attending Brooklyn College. I was doing some modelling at the time and was approached by the cover editor of Newsweek Magazine who informed me that they were planning a spread on college youth. He asked if I would be interested. For one day, a Newsweek photographer followed me on campus. It was quite an experience and is probably the only reason I passed Chemistry that term! The cover editor asked me if I would like to meet Marcello Mastriano (who “On a personal level, I listened wouldn’t) and then be on a photo shoot where with pride to Michelle Obama’s he was being filmed. In response to Trump’s ten-year old the taxi cab ride back, tape of his 'locker room' banter the cover editor then informed me that the and, like many women my age, competition was very recalled when we were sexually intense for the cover article and then grabbed harassed." me. I was appalled and ran out of the cab in traffic. I never forgot that instance. Needless to say, I did not make the cover. It stayed with me my life. In the 1960’s this was so common. Men of power used their power to get what they wanted with women. We can only hope and pray that the times have changed. For most they have. For Trump, it was just “locker room talk.” I can only hope that more women will reflect on such instances in their lives and ask themselves, “Is Trump’s world the world they want to live in?” “Is this the future they want for their children?”

Marcia Haddad-Ikonomopoulos is Museum Director of Kehila Kedosha Janina Museum and President of the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry and, in this capacity, runs annual tours to Jewish Greece.

by Endy Zemenides* As the 2016 Presidential campaign season kicked off, Greek-Americans active in politics dreamed of impacting this election the way it affected the one in 2008. During that open seat election: the community divided its support among several candidates in the primaries; the major candidates for President – including then Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton and McCain – all addressed the PSEKA Conference; and significant “GreekAmericans for” committees with influential and recognizable surrogates were established across several campaigns.

The Players “Backing Hillary in this election is pretty close to a no-brainer from the community’s standpoint,” according to George Tsunis, CEO of Chartwell Hotels. Tsunis chaired the 2012 Greek-Americans from Obama-Biden efforts and along with Dennis Mehiel has led 2016 efforts on the East Coast on behalf of the Clinton campaign (in the interest of full disclosure the author has donated to those efforts).

“Secretary Clinton has deep ties with the community. Many of our most active national donors are in New York, and she was our Senator. We dealt with her as Secretary of State on the Cyprus issue, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Macedonian issue and the Greek economic crisis.”

When asked to respond to the critique that Secretary Clinton hadn’t come through on Hellenic issues, Tsunis replied: “That is just not true. As much as we George Gigicos (second from right) is one of the key Greek Americans in would like a U.S. President or Donald Trump's campaign. Here, with the candidate and members of his team Senator or Secretary of State to A potential primary between Vice President Biden wave a magic wand and solve all Hellenic issues and Secretary of State Clinton – one that would have overnight, that’s not a proper way to evaluate had major Greek-Americans in the Democratic Party someone’s record. Take a close look at Hillary’s lining up against one another – never materialized. involvement on Greek issues. As First Lady she Early Greek-American investments in the visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate and that led to candidacies of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Scott President Clinton’s visit to the Phanar. These trips Walker went for naught, as those campaigns fizzled really put the political spotlight on the plight of the early on. The chaos of the Republican primary and Ecumenical Patriarchate and of Christians in Turkey. what appears to have been an assumption that the She continued this work as Secretary of State by Trump candidacy was a flash in the pan led Greek- visiting the Patriarchate again, by sending her American Republicans to jump from one Trump Assistant Secretary of State to Halki, by hosting the alternative to another – engaging with Rubio, Cruz Ecumenical Patriarch at the State Department and by and Kasich as well – kept the community from intervening to help secure Turkish citizenship for building a real relationship or even a solid line of Orthodox hierarchs – thereby ensuring the communication with the Trump campaign. succession of the Ecumenical Patriarch.”

By the end of July the battle lines had been drawn and the question of whether Greek-Americans – with concentrations in key swing states like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire – would rally to one candidate or another. Would the drama of the overall election have its counterpart in the community’s involvement?

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NOVEMBER 2016 COVER STORY

As Secretary of State, she supported – and made sure that then Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu understood U.S. support for – Cyprus’ rights to explore its EEZ for natural gas without interference or threat from Turkey. The ensuing discovery of hydrocarbons has changed the entire dynamic of the Cyprus problem and Cyprus’ role in the region as well. On the Macedonian name issue, her State Department reversed the Bush Administration’s policy of trying to secure NATO membership for FYROM over Greece’s objections and she made it clear that Skopje would only get into NATO when it

Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis with Hillary Clinton, Markos Kounalakis and Bill Clinton

came to terms with Athens.”

The Clinton record on Hellenic issue was also praised by Andy Manatos, President of Manatos and Manatos and the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes. According to Manatos, “A Hillary Clinton White House could be spectacular if it is anything like the Bill Clinton White House, in which Hillary played an important role. It moved forward on at least six separate Hellenic and Orthodox matters [Cyprus’ EU accession; a Presidential visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate; a public apology for the US role in Greece’s junta; pressuring FYROM to remove irredentist claims from its constitution; getting Albania to release the “Omonia Five”; and resolving “This isn’t the only area in which Secretary Clinton the Imia crisis] each of which no other White House has a track record and credibility with us,” could move.” continued Tsunis. “On Cyprus, the Clinton Administration and Richard Holbrooke – who Tsunis and Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis – who before his passing was one of Hillary’s closest served as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary under advisors – played an indispensable role in making Secretary Clinton, headed Greek-Americans for sure that the Republic of Cyprus could get European Clinton in 2008 and is a major bundler for Clinton Union membership even over Turkey’s objections. again this year – also stressed the role of high level

Clinton staffers, specifically John Podesta (GreekAmerican on his mother’s side) and her chief of policy, Jake Sullivan. “Jake was involved in keeping Turkey from interfering in Cyprus’ EEZ and was Vice President Biden’s National Security Advisor when he went to Cyprus,” said Tsunis. “You really can’t get someone more familiar with our issues in that position.”

Christos Marafatsos, President of Blue Sky Capital Management, holds a seat on the National Diversity Coalition for Donald Trump

It would be unfair to expect a similar track record of Donald Trump, who never served in government.

Yet his Vice Presidential candidate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, served in Congress and consistently earned low scores on AHEPA’s Congressional Scorecard. On his last Scorecard in Congress, Pence earned a 0% on pro-Hellenic legislation and an overall evaluation of only 20% f r o m A H E PA . Pe n c e ’ s m o s t n o t e w o r t h y “contribution” to Hellenic issues was vocally opposing U.S. participation in the Greek bailout.

opportunity, small business growth, Christianity, free markets, individual liberty and limited government, [all] characteristics promoted and valued by the Greek American culture and community.”

The lack of a preexisting relationship, a well-known and respected surrogate within the community, and the lack of direct outreach is reflected in polling. In a nationwide poll (940 respondents over 48 states) Measuring Support HALC conducted in October, 49.36% of GreekAmericans favor Hillary Clinton to 35.53% for While both campaigns could be expected to have Trump. In a previous poll in May, HALC found that vocal Greek American supporters, and debates on 33.5% of Greek Americans preferred Trump, while social media show a community divided between 30.3% preferred Sanders and 27.2% preferred the two candidates, are there more telling signs of Clinton. Greek American independents were up for how the community is approaching the 2016 grabs at that point. Trump failed to reach out to election? them, and a month of controversy seems to have driven them decisively into the Clinton camp. When In previous election cycles, Democratic bundlers combined with a pre-convention poll undertaken by and mega-donors were balanced (if not Greek Reporter overwhelmed) by Republican counterparts. (which showed a A review of Federal Election Commission Clinton advantage of records show that to not be the case this year.

45% - 41%), it is clear While the Clinton campaign features typical that 30% - 40% of Democratic bundlers like Tsunis, Mehiel, Greek-American and Tsakopoulos and the Greek-American voters identify as community has hosted high profile and high independents, and dollar fundraisers with Secretary Clinton, their support could John Podesta and Senator and Vice be influenced by Presidential nominee Tim Kaine all clear stands on attending, there have been no similar efforts Hellenic issues (in on the Republican side. FEC records as of all three polls, a Clinton speaking at October show modest contributions to Hillary super majority of Dennis Mehiel's house in January Trump by John Catsimatides, but also show Greek-Americans greater contributions by a slew of Greek-American declared that their vote would be influenced by a Republican donors to Trump’s primary opponents. candidate’s stances on Hellenic issues).

On the positive side, as the anti-establishment candidate Trump has not been inculcated with the conventional wisdom of the American foreign policy establishment that holds Turkey in such high regard that there is no meaningful pressure on the Aegean, the Armenian Genocide, Cyprus or the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Washington has always preferred “quiet diplomacy” and it is hard to imagine anything “quiet” about a Trump Presidency.

We have also witnessed the emergence of new faces from the community that might have influence over a President Trump. Manatos points out “that one of Donald Trump’s earliest campaign staff people is the kind of Hellene who holds our issues extremely high on his own agenda. His name is George Gigicos. He worked in the George W. Bush White House along with my daughter-in-law Dana Manatos and her brothers Chris and Mark Edwards. George is a rare Hellene who is willing to spend his “chits” with a Trump White House assisting in our issues.”

Greek-American support.

Republican Candidate for Vice President Mike Pence and family visiting Archbishop Demetrios

According to a top Republican operative in the Hellenic community who preferred to remain anonymous, “All of the communities pre-existing relationships were with other candidates. When Trump finally emerged as the nominee, the outreach to the community started too late, and it was undertaken by people whose role in the campaign In addition to Gigicos, RNC Chairman Reince was not exactly clear. It was not the ideal way to build Priebus – who is of German and Greek descent and a relationship.” is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – has stood by Donald Trump throughout every The Trump campaign seems to have missed some controversy that had dinged the campaign. During easy opportunities to build this relationship, the primaries, Tr ump described George starting with Congressman Tom Marino’s surrogate Papadopoulos as a foreign policy advisor – although appearance on behalf of the Trump campaign at the he has not emerged in any public role or even as a PSEKA Conference in June 2016. The Congressman spoke at length about foreign policy issues, but community surrogate during the general election. failed to mention Hellenic issues. When pressed on Another new face to emerge has been Christos the campaign’s stances on Cyprus and Greece, he Marafatsos, President of Blue Sky Capital incredibly answered that the campaign “hasn’t Management, who holds a seat on the National gotten to that yet.” Enough prominent GreekDiversity Coalition for Trump. Marafatsos believes American advocates consider Secretary Clinton as that Greek-Americans will rally to Trump because he tepid on Turkey that more assertiveness by the is “someone that favors hard work, equal Trump campaign on this front may have affected

The Clinton campaign has been more open than Trump with the community – Secretary Clinton attended an event at Dennis Mehiel’s home in January 2016 and spoke directly on Hellenic issues; John Podesta conducted a national conference call (which also featured Governor Mike Dukakis and Ambassador Tsakopoulos Kounalakis) on which Cyprus, the Aegean and Greece were discussed; and it specifically discussed Hellenic issues via Tsakopoulos Kounalakis at the PSEKA Conference.

Yet even Secretary Clinton’s team must have noticed the lack of engagement by Trump, because they have yet to release a position paper on Hellenic issues (as did the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign).

Greek-American votes and donations are swinging decisively towards the Clinton campaign. Polling and the history of this community shows that this was not preordained. If Clinton is victorious, will her team realize that Greek-Americans cannot be taken for granted and more should be done to consolidate this support? On the other hand, will the Republican party ever at the national level realize that it can make inroads with the community – just as several Republican members of the House of Representatives have – by building a positive record on Hellenic issues? The 2016 election hasn’t been held yet, but it may be time for the community to have a new strategy for 2018 and 2020.

Endy Zemenides is the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), a national advocacy organization for the Greek American community. He is also a frequent contributor to NEO magazine. To learn more about HALC, visit hellenicleaders.com

COVER STORY NOVEMBER 2016

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George S. Tsandikos, New Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council

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George S. Tsandikos is the new Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America succeeding the late Michael Jaharis who served in this position for 16 years.

Archbishop Demetrios about the new Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council.

During the fall meeting of the Archdiocesan Council, Oct. 14, 2016, Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America nominated Mr. Tsandikos and the other members of the Executive Committee, and the Council approved their election.

George Solon Tsandikos, born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is the son of Reverend Father Solon and Presvytera Joanna Tsandikos. He is a lawyer, a graduate of Brown University in Economics and a graduate of Boston College Law School. He is Managing Director in Rockefeller & Company, since 2003, and a Senior Client Advisor to high net worth individuals, families and private foundations.

“Mr. Tsandikos has a long, devoted and productive service to the Church and its organizations. His service has been characterized by integrity, sensitivity, directness and methodical approach. We are sure that in his new important position Mr. Tsandikos will display the basic qualities of a leader whom Prophet Isaiah describes as prudent listener, admirable counselor and wise architect,� said

He is currently the Chairman of Leadership 100, a position to which he was appointed in 2014. He is also an Archon Hartoularios of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a trustee of the Kallinikeion Foundation in New York, and a member of the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral, where he served for many years as Vice President.

NOVEMBER 2016 NEWS & NOTES

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It all started when twin brothers Alex and Jason Hatzianastasiou, together with fraternal friend Vasilis Alagianis, decided to create some espadrilles and show them to their friends. After all, they had the skill: when they were kids they used to spend hours in the small factory on Iolkou Street in Nea Ionia helping their father with his work. And Vasilis usually came along.

Workshop brand handcrafted shoes made in Greece that have conquered the world How three young people achieved success in the middle of a crisis

By Kelly Fanarioti The handcrafted shoes called The Workshop that have conquered Europe, America and Australia in only their third year on the market could be a Hollywood success story.

It all started when twin brothers Alex and Jason Hatzianastasiou, together with fraternal friend Vasilis Alagianis, decided to create some espadrilles and show them to their friends. After all, they had the skill: when they were kids they used to spend hours in the small factory on Iolkou Street in Nea Ionia helping their father with his work. And Vasilis usually came along.

time went on there came more and more orders.

Two months later, the first shoe store in Greece approached them to stock their shoes, and with their workload increasing, the three friends quit their day jobs to dedicate themselves to Workshop.

partners say. “We feel very lucky for what is happening to us. Of course, we worked hard and we grabbed the chances we had.”

I met them in their small factory which practically buzzed with their own excitement.

Of course, it was a huge risk—in a country in crisis and with rampant unemployment. But they did it, anyway: Alex quit being a computer programmer, Vasilis quit working for his father’s construction company, and Jason quit being a designer for a large fashion chain.

“We cannot describe our joy when our clients send as messages and ask us to make shoes for them or thank us because they were satisfied by our products,” says Jason. “We do something with a lot of pleasure and whenever we see that our creations get popular, it gives us a lot of satisfaction and strength But they did it and the results have been astonishing. to carry on.”

To show off their new handcrafted Workshop shoes to friends they made a Facebook page, but they “I could never imagine that the espadrilles we made But they’re happiest when they see people actually never expected what happened next: the first orders one evening would be the beginning of such a wearing their shoes. This summer they had a thrill from their friends came within a few hours and as fascinating and creative journey,” the friends and when they saw a group of three girls at a café, all 18

NOVEMBER 2016 NEWS & NOTES

wearing Workshop sandals. “We literally become like little children when we see somebody at the street wearing them. We nudge each other saying, Look, look, what they‘re wearing!”

Of course, it’s hard to support such large ambitions in the narrow limits of the Greek market. That’s why Workshop has sprouted wings and is now sold all over Europe as well as places like Finland and Russia. It is also collaborating with outlets in the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Australia, and last summer it got requests from U.S. stores.

“Undoubtedly, the recognition of our work is our greatest reward but we don’t want to focus absolutely on these proposals and neglect our Greek clients,” says Vasili. “We want our next step to be stable and show respect to both our local and foreign clients. We want our movements to be very well-organized and help us go forwards and not backwards.”

That’s why Workshop is working with stores from all over Greece, even while fielding orders online from all over the world. Their main exposure comes from social media, particularly Facebook, where their page has more than 40,000 followers. “It is a fact that the internet has helped us a lot, but I believe that

other companies also benefit from it, because it is a rapid and direct means. One sees your job, likes it and gets in contact with you immediately” says Jason.

One of the main characteristics of Workshop shoes is that they are exclusively made in Greece, from raw materials to the handcrafting of the final product.

But with factors like the country’s high taxation, Workshop is vulnerable against the products imported from countries with a more developed economy or countries with lower production costs.

natural question to ask: “What can the future of the young people be in a country which is collapsing day by day and killing the dreams of millions of people?”

Each one of them had a different message to convey, but they all agreed that hard work can show you the way to reach your dreams--an opinion much more optimistic than my own.

“We live in a time that young people turn towards the jobs that they would snub some years ago. For example, a parent who was a farmer would urge his child to study and become a scientist. Nowadays, many scientists go back to the farm, become farmers, and many of them become successful,” says Alex, stressing that living off the land might have a lot to offer if you’re willing to work hard. make it, because there won’t be any buyers. Even if the result is going to be very attractive, we’ll Vasilis, who worked many years in road construction withdraw.” with his father and also in quarries in Africa, is the In Greece during the financial crisis, where most restless person in the group. He told me he investments have dropped more than 80% in the last couldn’t imagine how a young person without work seven years, it‘s at least impressive to see young can just stay home or waste his time at the cafe talking about the difficulties of Greece. “Greeks tend people succeeding in such a short time. to blame others for their problems. Of course the situation is unpleasant, but young people must look So what’s the secret of their success? for ways to bring an income home. Possibly at the Apart from hard work, they say it’s the chemistry and beginning they won’t find what they are looking for, bond among them. That’s obvious when you talk to but they will certainly meet people who may be them. “If we didn’t feel that way towards each other, useful to them for their next job, where they will meet other people and so on. I believe that nothing we doubt if we could accomplish all this.” can stop somebody who really wants to succeed. For some time you might have to do what we call odd But what else? jobs, but in the end, you will achieve your goal”.

The answer came a bit later when Alex, Jason and Vasilis explained that one of their priorities is Jason says he doesn’t let disappointment discourage building and preserving a personal relationship him. “We must always be alert and keep our eyes open to grab at chances. After all, this is what we did. with each client.

When we realized that people liked our work we “It means that if a client is not satisfied with a shoe took advantage of it and with a lot of work we got that he bought from us, we can talk about it, we here. Nothing is taken for granted.” make the necessary changes and we want him/her to leave totally contented. Buying our products, being Their work is not work because they love it, but discontented and not getting in contact with us to they’re also grateful to the people who helped them discuss it and see what we can do, is the worst thing along the way. “We are very happy with what is happening: something that started as a hobby and for us” says Alex with disarming honesty. finally became a job. We feel the need of saying a big This personal contact they want to have with every thank you to all those people who have supported customer is reflected in in the scale of their repeat us and believe in us. Times are not easy, there is a lot buyers. Workshop refurbishes even shoes with of competition out there and we are really grateful to normal wear so they can be worn again. “We want all those who have chosen us to make their shoes.” people to understand that we do have just a workshop and not a factory of massive production that produces millions of standard designs.

Everything is handmade, and created with love, and our goal is that n o b o d y i s dissatisfied.”

When asked if they would sell cheaper shoes at cheaper prices to stay competitive their answer is nonnegotiable. “When you want to support the economy of your country there are few alternatives.

I mean, a product can’t be as competitive as a product coming from China. So we try to offer qualitative shoes at low prices, as much as it’s possible. We are not going to change that in order to During our interview they were constantly become more competitive”. getting phone calls Cost of production, of course, cannot be denied. “If from clients of any the final price of a pair of boots is 300 , we won’t age and that made me think of the

NEWS & NOTES NOVEMBER 2016

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The Asia Minor Catastrophe as Case Study in Management and Leadership

by Dora Vakirtzi*

The speakers, Stratis Zafeiris, Dr. Vlassis Agtzidis, Nick Kakaris, Liana Lekanidis, Stelios Fenekos, Dr. Nikolaos Uzunoglu

the collapse of internal reform efforts due to the emergence of a novel militarist nationalist movement known as the Young Turks.

The Young Turks tried to solve the national issue with the extermination and exclusion of populous Christian communities and by forcibly converting the multi-ethnic Muslim populations to modern Tu r k s . T h i s i n t e r n a l p r o c e d u r e l e d t o unprecedented homogenization methods of the society, methods that humanity will realize a few decades later by the absolute horror of the Holocaust.

The historical starting point, according to Mr. Agtzidis, was the military coup of the nationalist Young Turks in 1908. The physical extermination of Christian populations in the Ottoman Empire was decided and planned in order to reduce the financial strength of the "slaves" by imposing forcible transfer capital from Christians to Muslims and build a Turkish bourgeoisie. The Greeks of the Ottoman Empire before 1914 were about 2.2 million in a total population of about 10 million. Their economic power was greater than their population proportion. It is estimated that 50% of invested capital in industry and 60% in manufacturing industries belonged to Ottoman Greek communities.

- Stratis Zafeiris, General Secretary for Industry at the Hellenic Ministry of Economy, Development & Tourism. He talked about the need for a holistic approach and careful planning on Industrial development, setting targets on most favorable sectors where primary efforts should focus. The state mush provide flexible services, supporting and not manipulating the private sector. Furthermore, it is crucial for small enterprises to overcome obstacles arising from their small size through collaboration with others. He also underlined that the most proper development model is the one It is quite common in developed countries for based on differentiation and added value managers to study wars, important battles, the products/services where creative thinking is a strategy of renown marshals in order to learn from precondition. their successful or unsuccessful decisions. Studying the Asia Minor Catastrophe we realized that from - Dr. Vlassis Agtzidis, Historian, Author of 16 books, this emblematic period that changed the map of awarded by the Academy of Athens. He pointed out Hellenism and had quite a tragic impact for Greece, that the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1922, was the real we can use several case studies for management, and symbolic end of a great historic procedure associated with the final entry of the Near East to the leadership, HR and crisis management. nation-state era. The transformation of the The distinguished speakers that participated in the multiethnic, islamic Othoman Empire was not peaceful and bloodless. It was associated first with conference were: The Institute on Social Dynamics, an Athens based think tank, organized a conference on October 2nd at Estia Neas Smyrnis, titled “Asia Minor Catastrophe as Case Study in Management, Leadership, Crisis Management and HR�. The idea came while working on social problems that block the development of industry in Greece and after we noticed some findings quite relative with those found when studying the Minor Asia Catastrophe, like poor management and poor leadership skills and most importantly the low level of social cohesion.

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At the same time the Greeks in Greece were 4.5 million and lived in a completely different way, when it came to social and civil terms. The productive forces were poorly developed like other structures that were essential for a nation-state. The actual structural weaknesses will lead to an ideological "overcompensation" based on ancient recall, the revival of a dead past as compensation to the real cultural identity of Greek centers outside Greece itself. It will also establish self-recognition by the ideology of the "metropolis" as a superiority feeling.

The key feature in the development of the Greek society is the absence of major urban strata. This will lead to overactivity of the state sector, thus creating strong bonds between free market and state-party function. The policy of the new state was quite introvert. There was only the emergence of Bulgarian nationalism that claimed territory in Macedonia and Thrace that motivated forces in Greece. There will be a severe rupture between old conservative policy represented by the monarchy of King Constantine and reformists represented by El.Venizelos.

The internal contradictions of the Greek Hellenism will lead to a loss, which was not predetermined at all. The Government of Popular Party that was elected in 1920 will follow completely irrational policy which finally led to Kemal’s victory and the Asia Minor Catastrophe. After that the Greek state chose a policy of oblivion.

Dora Vakirtzi

feelings of people who lived a certain historical useless if the scope is not to learn from mistakes. In period. This autobiography is quite interesting due accordance: to the long duration (1917-1924) and the variety of experiences the author had. Studying it by HR theory, Mrs.Lekanidis showed that the author managed to survive due to certain skills and attitudes (team mentality, solidarity, emotional intelligence, continuous shelf improvement etc) which are also valuable nowadays as we have to overcome difficulties due to the current economic crisis and act creatively.

-Stelios Fenekos retired Admiral, with studies in management, international policy, strategy, crisis management and rich professional experience. He gave emphasis on the proper military training and how useful is for officers to know and respect the involvement of their subordinates in a project. He pointed out that the current migration crisis is quite different from the refugee crisis after the 1922 catastrophe. The new crisis must not be handled only with -Nick Kakaris, management consultant for the humanitarian criteria but with rational and Organization of Information Technolog y. He professional management as well. presented several cases from the Asia Minor expedition showing lack of managerial skills, Managing it should take complete absence of crisis plan, inadequate into consideration the knowledge of battlefield, insufficient information needs of these people but about the enemy. He also analyzed the completely also their different culture different leadership skills of General N. Trikoupis and in some cases their and Colonel N. Plastiras and how these affected the effort to establish in development of the war.

Europe values quite different from the Mr Kakaris noticed that similar attitudes we can see European ones. Just for in business field today, like lack of collaboration managerial issues, the culture, insufficient knowledge of competition and state could use the skills of global markets and trends, inferior management officers trained to manage skills. History is our society’s experience and this big human groups. knowledge should be exploited.

-Dr. Nikolaos Uzunoglu, professor at NTUA, - Liana Lekanidis, HR Consultant with great Division of Information, Transmission Systems and professional experience, having collaborated with Material Technology. He is also President of the private and state organizations. Her presentation Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans. He was based on the autobiography of Constantinos pointed out that organizing commemorations for Politis. Literature provides the experience and the historical events like the Asia Minor Catastrophe is

-Study of these facts should teach the importance of dialogue at national level to avoid divisions. This is primarily an issue of democracy, the development of perception dialogue and the importance of avoiding frontal collisions. Equally it means avoiding demagogic and populist attitudes and understanding their consequences as in the case we are considering.

- History should be taught not as a series of events but in order to disclosure the mechanisms that act and their configuration.

- Regarding Military Schools and Political Studies, there should be courses that enable students' critical thinking about events like this. Especially in military schools there should be taught contemporary history of Turkey and the Greeks of Near East in light of the above principles. Postgraduate studies should also be offered for the above mentioned issues.

Along with this conference The Institute on Social Dynamics organized an exhibition in collaboration with Mr. Nikos Kardasilaris, businessman and collector. A small part of Mr.Kardasilaris collection was presented under the theme: The Greek Newspapers in Asia Minor at the period of the Greek army expedition 1919-1922. The exhibits offered supplementary information and the emotion of “touching” traces of history. * Dora Vakirtzi is President of the Institute on Social Dynamics.

Greek-American Soprano Julie Ziavras

ACOUSTIC GREEK MUSIC CONCERT WITH SOPRANO JULIE ZIAVRAS ballads ranging from the plaintive to the rhythmic, with works by the most prominent Greek songwriters, Hadjidakis, Theodorakis, Tsitsanis, Xarchakos, Greek blues (rembetika) and traditional folk. Many of her song selections are written to the poetry of prominent Greek poets such as the Nobel Prize winning poets Odysseas Elytis and Giorgios Seferis and are of historical and cultural significance.

Julie will introduce the songs to enhance the experience for the non-Greek speaking audience, with an explanation of the musical styles and how they express the history and culture of the Greek people. The concert is performed without amplification. An artist reception will follow the concert with refreshments and Greek treats offered

by The Hellenic Culture and Heritage Society and the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

The Hellenic Culture and Heritage Society of Lowell, MA in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts in Lowell present the acclaimed New York based Greek-American soprano Julie Ziavras in an “unplugged” acoustic concert program of Greek classic and popular songs, on November 6, 2016, at 2:00 PM at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Fisher Recital Hall in Durgin Hall at 31 Wilder Street, Lowell, MA 01852. Julie Ziavras will accompany herself on guitar and is joined by pianist Athena Ziavras has performed in concert, on radio and Adamopoulos and bouzouki master Kostas Psarros. television in the US, Greece and abroad in a repertor y ranging from Greek music and The program is free and open to the public. international ballads to opera and folk. Described as Julie Ziavras’ musical program captures the lyric "an estimable vocalist” by the NY Times, her expression and the rich, deep texture of the Greek numerous appearances in NY City include Carnegie spirit and culture. It includes a variety of songs and recital hall, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Hall,

Symphony Space Theater and the World Music Institute and had been invited to Greece by Manos Hadjidakis to appear on Greek National Radio (ERT) and at the National Theatre in Piraeus. She has toured internationally representing Greece in international festivals and performing selections from her solo CDs. An accomplished singer with a warmly compelling and expressive voice, she is classically trained with bachelor and master degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. "Greek may be foreign to most of our ears, but Julie Ziavras' lovely, liquid voice expresses feelings of love, longing and wonder that don't need translation". (Steve IsraelTimes Herald Record).

The Hellenic Culture and Heritage Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and preserve the culture and heritage of the Greek American community in the Lowell, Massachusetts region by sponsoring community cultural programs, events and exhibitions and preserving historic documents and artifacts. For more info, those interested can contact Fotine Panagakos, fotinep@verizon.net

hellenes without borders

By Alexander Billinis

Erik Bruns, a Dutch Rhodian I have known Erik Bruns for many years, meeting, as one often does these days, over the ubiquitous medium of Facebook. In our case, a shared affection for the works of Patrick Leigh Fermor was the initial reference point. Other common interests included a passion for history, the shared angst of the Generation X cohort, and a profound love for Greece.

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.

right below my bedroom. There was a great sense of anticipation. The following spring, May 1977 we went to Greece, by car. It all seems now so easy and simple, but back then going to Greece was still something relatively rare, long before real mass tourism and travel had begun. Of course certain islands, like Corfu and Rhodes, already were firmly established as mass destinations, at least for the standards of the seventies, A Dutch-born and educated historian, Erik maintains a but overall Greece was still a far destination in a time in foot in both Greece and the Netherlands, calling, like so which air travel and intercontinental holidays were still many Europeans today, more than one country home. very rare.

He is not the Northern “Sun Worshiper” seeking a spot on the beach; his love for Greece is visceral and learned. We went by ferry from Venice, a ship from the His is a complicated feeling, yet studious and Karageorgis Lines and it all made a huge impression on methodical—dare I say “Dutch”—way in which he me; the Adriatic, the Greek flag at the stern, the Canal of approaches his “adopted” homeland. He is at home Corinth that looked like we could touch its walls, the with Dutch, English, German, French, and Greek, and smell of tar and oil, the heavy customs officer with a in our conversations we darted between three of these moustache, stamping our passports in the harbor of Pireas. Once we started driving I knew I was in a ‘different’ place; the brilliant light, the cheerful atmosphere, the odd car models, exotic images like of huge carcasses of animals hanging on iron hooks outside butcheries, with hundreds of flies swarming around them. And of course the landscape, the antiquities, the sea in its countless bays and coves, the friendliness of the people, especially to a 5 year old. We travelled through the mainland, in remote villages people waved at us or patted the car, as a sign of welcome. Maybe the Dutch number plate helped, it was after all shortly after the Junta and the Dutch minister Van der Stoel was seen as a hero [for his anti-Junta policies]. I have countless memories from that first trip, all of five languages to prove a point or when one language which are set in my memory. So, I can date my simply “puts it” better. This mix of culture and language ‘relationship’ with Greece from that moment. is the Europe we both subscribe to, and one which he What in particular about Rhodes has held you for so struggles to preserve. many years?

Working with several other locals and expatriates, he established the Rhodes International Culture & In spite of that immediate love I felt for Greece in 1977, Heritage Society (RICHeS) (www.rhodesriches.org) in which was confirmed two years later with a second trip, 2009, a unique organization dedicated to the holistic it took me until the year 2000 to return to Greece, a approach to Rhodes’ astonishingly rich and diverse more than twenty year absence. In the intermediate cultural heritage. Among RICHeS many activities years I went everywhere but Greece, and the country include sponsoring lectures in their Studium Generale became increasingly known [in Northern Europe] as a series, and I had the great honor to lecture on cheap mass tourist destination. To be honest, I was Byzantium for one of their lectures. I profiled RICHeS afraid to go back, afraid that it had changed dramatically in the September 2014 issue of Neo Magazine but I felt and that my childhood memories would prove to be an that the reader would be best served for Erik to provide illusion. his own views, in his own words, on Rhodes, Greece, Finally I did try it again and booked a trip to Rhodes, Europe, and the Greek Diaspora. indeed very cheap. I thought that going to Rhodes When did your, for lack of a better word, would lessen the chance to spoil my memories because it had already been ‘different’ in the seventies when we “relationship” with Greece begin? drove with our car through the remote free valleys and My special relationship with Greece goes back to along the development free coastline of mainland autumn 1976, when I was just 5 years old. I remember Greece. Moreover, I thought Rhodes, with its strange one evening where my parents were visited by friends Gothic palaces and Hospitaller heritage, was somehow who had recently returned from a journey to Greece by not so ‘Greek’. Of course I was very wrong, Rhodes turned out to be very Greek, and its diverse heritage, car. landscape and light immediately rekindled that old My parents asked them all sorts of practical things, flame. about boats, experiences, and I remember feeling that something adventurous and special was being planned Since 2000 I have been traveling a lot in Greece but there, that very night. I was sent to bed but could hear Rhodes has remained my base whenever I am in the soft murmur of their voices in the drawing room Greece. I taught Dutch history and language for a while 26

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on the Dutch School in Rhodes. As a historian I became fascinated by Rhodes’ past and heritage and the challenges surrounding its preservation and the general lack of knowledge about it. I founded the Rhodes International Culture & Heritage Society (RICHeS) to promote the cultural heritage of the town and island.

You know Greece and her history and culture intimately, how do Aegean islands such as Rhodes differ from mainland Greece?

I think it is not correct to distinguish ‘the’ Aegean islands so clearly from ‘the’ Mainland, both regions are not opposed and far from uniform. Greece consists of many distinctly different regions, all with their idiosyncrasies in culture, history, landscape and character. I agree with [celebrated author] Lawrence Durrell and others that each island constitutes a world by itself, even those which are grouped together, such as the Dodecanese and the Cyclades.

Rhodes is very different from other large Aegean islands but also different from its direct neighbors. Of course there are certain similarities and common denominators but still, I wouldn't go so far as to make this clear distinction between mainland and islands. Of course, islands have a direct influence from the sea, which inland areas do not but mainland regions like the Mani do have, so it all depends where you look. Most Aegean islands do however miss the ‘Balkan’ character that is found in north Greece, and many do also, at least that applies to Rhodes, have a more ‘Levantine’ character, situated as they are on the crossroads between north and south, east and west and in close proximity to the actual Levant.

When you are in Rhodes, you wake up with the sight of the mountains of Turkey every day. This proximity to Asia Minor, how does it affect Rhodians and other Greeks who live within sight of this massive mini-continent?

I believe that this differs per island and depends on factors such as geographical proximity and also on the size of the island. I imagine that in Kos and Samos - or even more, Kastelorizo - where you can see the houses opposite – it’s a totally different feel than here in Rhodes where the sparsely populated Turkish mainland is still at least 18km away and therefore far enough in the distance to give a feeling of remoteness. At night we do not see lights opposite. Nevertheless, in Rhodes problems like with Turkish jets violating Greek air space are an almost daily occurrence and everybody is aware of this.

Still, things have changed. There is now a thriving exchange of tourists between both countries. Initially it was mostly European holiday makers in either Rhodes or Turkey on a day trip but in the last couple of years we see an increasing flow of both Turks and Greeks spending holidays in each others countries. This was still very unusual in, let’s say, 2001, when I first visited Turkey from Rhodes and people warned me about making that trip. Few of my Greek friends and acquaintances had visited Turkey, now all of them have, and often more than once. There is also a commercial

interest; Turkish customers have become a welcome addition to existing tourist flows. Rhodes is a world by itself, large enough and prosperous, the direct presence of Turkey does not play a real role in people’s every day imagination, at least, that is my take on it. But when something specific happens it is different. When we heard about Erdogan being bombed in his holiday retreat in Marmaris, right opposite Rhodes, during the failed coup of July, many people realized (again) clear how close it all is and basically how vulnerable we are in this region.

You are on the Eastern Border of the EU in Rhodes, what does Europe mean to you, and is Europe disintegrating?

Europe as a civilization means everything to me, but the EU as an institution in its present state means very little to me. In the past I saw its positive aspects but I think too many wrong decisions have been made and expansion went to fast and uncontrolled. I have always been skeptical about the lack of defining what ‘Europe’ really means and should mean. The EU has unfortunately become an increasingly negative concept to me in recent years, I associate it with its lack of democracy, too much bureaucracy and double standards. The situation regarding the Greek crisis has not helped either. It has become more and more a vehicle for the interests of big corporations. But I also see there is no real alternative and I hope it will turn out for the better. I do not see the EU really disintegrating, in spite of developments like the Brexit. But you never know, we live in a volatile and uncertain period, everything is possible and reform is essential to keep it all together.

And in terms of Europe, what is Greece in relation to Europe? Are we part of Europe, or somehow different?

Yes, Greece is clearly part of Europe, as a member state of the EU and also geographically. Historically and culturally the same, though of course Greece is clearly different than, let’s say Poland or Denmark. Greece is not different from ‘the’ rest, because the rest of Europe is not one homogenous mass. Nevertheless it is interesting, and to an extent telling, that we often ask ourselves this question, if Greece belongs in Europe. It does reveal something about the Greek identity.

Citizens in the Netherlands do not ask themselves this question.

which were all western European states. But this has changed with the accession of all the new member states. Europe has become more heterogeneous and Greece has become less ‘special’.

by organizing exhibitions, the European Heritage Days, concerts, lectures, seminars and educational programs.

We also actively engage in debate regarding matters of preservation of cultural heritage and are developing plans and projects for the future.

While Rhodes has had less of an influx of the massive refugee wave coming via Turkey, how do you feel that Greece, and the rest of Europe, needs to confront this massive problem?

I have witnessed your love for Greece, while you have not gone native, your defense of Greece has all of the passion of a local. Where do you see your “second country” headed?

The massive wave of migrants has been going on for years, but only now has become so pressing and visible for the general public due to the situation in Syria and Libya and elsewhere. As official data show most of them are not refugees but economic migrants. Europe and Greece cannot cope with these numbers. The impact on local communities and culture is too big in my opinion. Real refugees should be helped; I am in favor of providing shelter in areas close to their homeland and if that is not possible for limited and temporary shelter in Europe. Once the war in Syria is over, they should return to rebuild their country. As for the other migrants, from Africa and elsewhere, that is a big problem as well. At the root of it is the population explosion in those countries and lack of opportunity and jobs. As long as that is not dealt with we can expect much more migrants to come our way in the future. This will lead to such immense demographic changes, already happening in certain places, that the Europe and the Greece we knew will become something entirely different.

Of course, I cannot predict anything, but what is certain is that we live in complicated times with lots of uncertainties. That goes for the EU as a whole, for certain individual member states and for Greece in particular.

Talk to me about RICHeS, how it was founded, and your goals.

RICHeS was founded in early 2009. Rhodes has a very important and diverse cultural heritage, the result of its history. There is the classical past, the Byzantine, Hospitaller, Ottoman, Sephardic, Italian colonial and Modern Greek, each with its distinct architectural legacy.

Rhodes is a UNESCO world heritage city. It is unique to find in such a small space Gothic churches, Ottoman mosques, Italian fascist buildings, Sephardic synagogues and Byzantine domed churches together.

Moreover, Rhodes has kept to a large degree the communities it had during Ottoman times; Jews, Muslims, Levantines and Orthodox. Contrary to other Levantine towns such as Smyrna, Alexandria and Thessaloniki, the social fabric of Rhodes has remained much more intact, in spite of catastrophic events like the deportation of the Jews, which however was caused by an external party and not the result of tensions within the communities of Rhodes itself.

RICHeS was founded to stimulate awareness of all aspects of this heritage, to disseminate knowledge about it among the population and tourists alike, to develop new audiences, and in general to contribute to the cultural and intellectual climate of the island. We advocate an inclusive approach to Rhodian history and heritage and hope to build an interest among the general Rhodian community about all these different aspects. There is still too much a community driven and There is no standard European country. Europe is an therefore limited view on all this. The Italians study the amazingly diverse patchwork of cultures, traditions, Italian history, the Jews look at their part, the Greeks customs, languages, nations, communities and the same. The Ottoman history is largely overlooked. histories with very large differences in mentality and development. It is in nothing like the Unites States and The integral and overarching approach is missing. We never will be. Nevertheless, though one should be want to help contribute to the notion that there is such careful with this, there are several cultural zones and a thing as a distinct Rhodian cultural identity and regions to be distinguished. Greece belongs to the heritage which is shared by all constituent parts and Balkan/Orthodox group of countries, if there is such a communities. Also, we seek to build bridges with other group at all. When Greece became a member of the EEC regions and towns in order to lift Rhodes from its in 1981 it was indeed different than the other members cultural isolation, the result of being an island. We do so

I don't like saying it but I am not very optimistic about where the country is headed. The crisis, any crisis, always provides us with an excellent opportunity to improve things, but that has not happened here. While the crisis is already seven years old there seems to be no sense of urgency that society needs to be reformed in order to get better. On the contrary, many want to go back to the situation from before the crisis.

There is not enough sense of shared responsibility, of community and there is a general absence of direction where Greece should be headed. No vision, mission or clear strategy, so to speak. On top of that we now have the new government which, I think, has harmed Greece and Greece's interests to an extent that we cannot yet assess fully. The situation has visibly worsened since they came to power, yet there is strikingly little protest from society. Maybe people have become numb. In any case; a whole generation of talented young people goes abroad, contributing to the downward trend. On the other hand, many individual Greeks and private institutions and companies are resourceful and show lots of acumen, they can help stem the tide. It has been done before.

Most of our readers are in the diaspora. Rhodes has a large diaspora abroad, what role do you see the Greek Diaspora playing in the affairs of the homeland, particularly in the realm of history and culture?

I think 'the' diaspora can potentially play a valuable role in Greek matters, especially in culture, cultural heritage, academic studies and so forth. Though maybe I should say certain individuals or organizations in the diaspora. After all, we are of course talking about a very large and diverse group of people, with greatly varying levels of attachment to Greece.

The role of the diaspora can be to stimulate and to support, with financial and other means but also through an exchange of ideas, opinions and networks.

In cultural matters in Rhodes the various diasporas are absent where projects for the general public are concerned. There is much to be gained there. Cultural projects such as ours are chronically underfunded and because of our independence from politics we do often miss out on funding possibilities.

I would expect that organizations from the diaspora, since they are less directly connected to the political reality of every day, would assess organizations and proposals on their merit and their value for society and not on their ties to certain politicians or parties. In that respect organizations such as ours who find themselves outside the mainstream channels of public funding but who organize events and activities of general public interest, could certainly benefit from cooperation with relative outsiders.

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New Iraq a Ray of Hope (that didn't come) for Greek Assyrians I did this story about 10 years ago. Today Mosul is again on the forefront of international news.

Yet, the international community hasn't done much for the Assyrians and neither Greece has actively supported the legitimate claims of a group of her citizens.

by Demetrios Rhompotis

Seventy Greek Assyrian families could claim compensation for lost property in northern Iraq, as reconstruction plans try to bring justice to oppressed minority groups.

Thousands of Assyrians, also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs, were driven from the oil-rich area of Mosul in the 1910s. For decades, those who settled in Greece hesitated to press claims, fearing reprisals against their compatriots in Iraq. The overthrow of Saddam Hussein now brings new hope to the cause.

German financial institutions, winning $20 billion. The case has potential, according to lawyers like Nick Karambelas of the Washington-based law firm Sfikas & Karambelas. "There might be a strong legal base for compensations," he says. Karambelas has experience in such matters, representing families that lost property in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Assyrians are still classed as foreigners in Greece, which may help the case, he adds. Six thousand emigrated from Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Only around 1,000 are naturalised citizens. The rest have no papers. Karambelas says this refugee status means they did not give up rights to their land.

"Our people lived there for thousands of years and they threw them out violently," says Steve Sorros, whose grandparents were expelled from the Mosul district. "Of course, we do not wish to return there... but (we) have every right to be compensated. And our Another Greek American lawyer at one of property was where the oil is."

New York's largest consulting firms - who asked to remain anonymous - was even more Sorros, who emigrated to New York in 1976, optimistic. He estimates descendants o f the believes the interests of oil companies expelled Assyrians could demand 20% of the overrode human concerns. He hopes Greek profits since oil started to be exploited on Assyrians will pursue a class action lawsuit, as their properties - an amount that could reach Holocaust victims did against Swiss and billions of dollars.

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Greek authorities are largely oblivious to the brewing controversy. The Greek foreign ministry has not commented on the situation, despite repeated requests.

Yet English authorities in Constantinople stopped their ship, claiming an epidemic had struck their area. The Assyrians were lumped in with the people fleeing the Asian Minor disaster - and re-routed to Greece. They The time is ripe for political settlement for landed at Makronessos, which later became a Assyrians in Iraq and abroad. They dare not notorious prison island. hope for an autonomous state like the Kurds.

Cultural freedom is all they ask, according to Conditions were rough there. The refugees Kyriakos Batsaras, president of Union of would draw water and wash from a big hole, Assyrians in Greece. "Whatever the Muslims encouraging the spread of disease. Around get, this is what we also want, nothing more, 10-15 people died each day, among them nothing less," he stresses. Yet the Assyrians Yaou's stepmother. They were moved several may be excluded from the final settlement in times to Keratsini, a monastery in Poros and northern Iraq, sources there claim. Instead of the military barracks of Kalamata, where an being recognised as a minority group, they estimated 4,000 people perished. Locals are being dismissed as Orthodox Christian warned them not to drink the contaminated Arabs. "For a people with 7,000 years of water, but no one understood Greek, Yaou history, it's ridiculous to call us that," Batsaras explained. At the end of 1923, the Assyrians! says. finally settled in the Athens suburb of Aegaleo, building a church in the memory of Greek Assyrian odyssey Saint Andrew.

Today 4.5 million still consider themselves Assyrians. Their empire once stretched across northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, Turkey and Iran. Ninevah - the ancient capital near Mosul - may have been the world's first city. The kingdom crumbled in 612 BC, scattering the people into small pockets around the Middle East. They embraced Christianity in the 1st century AD and still speak Aramaic, one of Jesus Christ's languages.

Over the centuries, the Assyrians have been persecuted for their ethnicity and their religion. The enjoyed some autonomy under Ottoman rule in the early 20th century, because it was dif! ficult f or Imperial forces to subdue their militia. This delicate balance ended when the Ottoman Empire massacred Christians - Assyrians and Armenians alike - in 1915. Winston Churchill described it as "whole districts blotted out in one destructive holocaust".

Sorros believes oil-hungry foreigners prompted the attack. "They used the Muslims to expel the more educated Christians. After they threw them out, they drilled the oil. Our forefathers did not receive any form of compensation."

The late Nissan Yaou - president of the Union of Assyrians in Greece for many years supported this theory. His written testimony attests: "Oil was running into the river and people used it to burn wood that had not yet dried." Locals called the stream "Kriya" (black), because it brimmed with the crude liquid. During the winter snowfall, the oil turned to asphalt, which had to be scraped off to cultivate the land.

Further troubles back home Assyrians who remained in the Middle East suffered as well. They fought for the Allies in World War I, but were left without ammunition and support just before the conflict's end. They fled to Baghdad, losing one-third of their population to attack, disease and hardships.

Britain, France and Russia promised to help establish an Assyrian homeland in the Mosul district, but this never came to pass. During the formation of the modern Iraqi nation in 1933, civilians were massacred and 60 villages destroyed. Batsaras says that English authorities moved 80,000 Arabs into the abandoned area, harshly oppressing any remaining Assyrian resistance.

Iraqi forces razed another 200 towns in the 60s and 70s, as well as scores of ancient churches. Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation policy" forced more people from their homes in the mid-80s. After the Gulf War, 250,000 Assyrian refugees joined fleeing Kurds.

Batsaras stresses: "When you hear about ships full of Iraqi refugees, their majority are Assyrians."

Search for justice Both Sorros and Batsaras hope all Assyrians eventually could return to a safe and tolerant homeland. In the meantime, those in Greece will pursue compensation for lost lands and revenue. At least 70 families are eligible.

Sorros plans to push the case through powerful Assyrian organisations in the US, whose leaders met with the President George W Bush and his administration in March 2003. "For 70 years big conglomerates drill oil from my grandfather's backyard," he says. "At least something should be given to us."

Yaou documented the expelled Assyrians' flight. They initially sought refugee in Iran, then Christian Russia, followed by the Black Sea port Novorossisk. They decided to return home in 1922, as the Mosul district was under Amanda Castleman contributed to this British rule. report.

AHEPA’s Supreme President Visits Gold Coast Chapter 456

by Cindy Klimek

The Christmas Dinner/Dance Fundraiser will be held the evening of Wednesday, December 14th at the North Hills Country Club in Manhasset, NY. As always, there will be cocktails and dinner, followed by live music and dancing. Tickets are $150 per person in advance and $200 at the door. Says Levas, “Everyone is welcome to attend. It’s always a great event, always top shelf.”

Zachariades has served AHEPA in numerous leadership positions including most recently supreme vice president. As Supreme President, Zachariades' responsibilities include being the chief executive officer, and principal spokesperson, of the entire AHEPA domain, which includes the United States, Canada, and chapters in Europe. By day, he is Chief Financial Officer and Controller of FBE Limited LLC, a Wall Street-based investment firm.

The Children’s Christmas party will take place after mass on Sunday, December 11th at the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Port Washington, NY. As in previous years, the invitation has also been extended to the children of Saint Basil’s Academy, a Greek Orthodox Archdiocese-run home for children in need located nearby in Garrison, NY. “The Gold Coast Chapter sponsors a coffee hour and a lunch. It’s a nice event. We did it for them the past couple of years and so we’re doing it again this year.”

At the chapter meeting, Zachariades “outlined what his mission and his goals are for AHEPA, along with what’s going on with St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero,” says Levas. St. Nicholas is a Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Manhattan that was destroyed on September 11th. AHEPA has been fundraising to help rebuild it. “We had pledged that we would raise $1 million and so far we’re up around $600,000 so there’s only $400,000 to go. Two years ago, AHEPA asked each chapter to ledge $2000 and my chapter fulfilled that pledge and then some. We presented our check to the Supreme President at the Grand Banquet the last night of the convention. I wanted everybody to see the Chapter President giving the donation to the Supreme President. I wanted to get some mileage out of it, that’s why I Members of AHEPA's District 6 did it there. If you Gold Coast Chapter 456 send it in, they just put you on a list. I wanted everyone to see how much we donated and what a great job my chapter did. So we donated a check and they took some pictures of it and it went into the AHEPA magazine, so that was really nice,” he explains.

AHEPA’s mission is to promote Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, Family and Individual Excellence. It was founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia and now has over 20

AHEPA Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades addressing the meeting.

On his right is Paul Macropoulos and Chapter President John Levas.

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association’s District 6 Gold Coast Chapter 456 welcomed the organization’s newly elected Supreme President earlier this fall. The appearance marked Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades’s first visit to a chapter since being elected.

Says Chapter President John Levas, “I invited him after the election. The Supreme President usually visits different Chapters throughout the country, but Andrew works in Manhattan and I’ve been friends with him a long time so I said, ‘You know, it would be wonderful if you came to our Chapter as your first visitation’ and he said that he would.”

Zachariades attended the meeting at the Port Washington Yacht Club in Port Washington, NY, along with the Supreme Governor of New York and New Jersey, Chris Diamantoukas, and Executive Director Basil Massaidis. “We had quite a few dignitaries there that evening,” says Levas.

The visit was even more special because it marked the first visit of Chapter’s year. Monthly meetings are held 10 months out of the year, September-June.

Says Levas, “During July and August the chapters take a break because of the conventions and people that go on vacation and such. So September was the first time that we got back together.”

members are also busy with once-a-year events. As we head into the holiday season, the chapter will be preparing for its annual Christmas party and children’s Christmas party.

the gathering. “All the delegates at the convention get to vote for president. It’s the same as electing the president of the United States here. You have a caucus and then candidates are put on the ballot and then all of the delegates get to vote for who they want as Supreme President. They, they tally up the votes and either that night or the next morning they tell everyone who won the election,” he explained.

Gus Constantine and Andrew Zachariades

districts in the United States (most with multiple chapters), as well as in Canada, Greece, and Australia. The organization offers approximately $500,000 in college scholarships every year and past philanthropic deeds have included taking part in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and sending care packages to troops overseas. Though most members are of Hellenic descent, membership is open to anyone who believes in the organization’s mission statement.

Chapter 456, the largest chapter in Long Island and Despite the astronomical cost to rebuild the church second largest in the state of New York, typically The convention Levas is referring to is the AHEPA (last estimates were ~$45 million), Levas says it meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Port Family Supreme Convention, which took place July should be completed within the year, thanks in no Washington Yacht Club in Port Washington, NY. 24-29 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. small part to the members of AHEPA. To learn more about AHEPA Chapter 456, to Levas himself attended, along with five delegates purchase tickets to the Christmas party, or to donate from his chapter. The election that brought Aside from once-in-a-lifetime projects, like Zachariades to power was one of the main events of rebuilding St. Nicholas’s, Gold Coast Chapter 456 to the Children’s Christmas Party, contact Chapter President John Levas at AHEPA456@gmail.com.

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Raising Funds and Awareness for Thassos Island

by Stella Mandehou* Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the island and said that “the destruction was extensive, but Thassos has huge reserves of green areas and will remain a very important tourist destination”.

Thassians also believe that the sections of forests lost to the fires will eventually grow back, bigger and greener than ever before. The Deputy Head of Tourism for the Region of Eastern MacedoniaThrace Michalis Amoiridis, stated that despite the fires, tourists continued visiting Thassos and the situation did not impact the tourism industry.

by my homeland’s side (from a distance) during this challenging time was to help by creating a fundraising campaign. There was no better way to turn my sadness into something productive and positive for my homeland. There was nothing else I could do other than raising awareness and motivating people to donate a small amount that could go a long way.

For over a week, Greek media depicted with the most horrible colors the story, presenting Thassos as if the entire island was burned to the ground. This is clearly not the truth. Indeed certain images have been dramatic and no one can claim that this was not an unexpected natural disaster but Thassos remains a beautiful and safe destination.

In the early morning hours of September 11, 2016 a dry thunderstorm caused 4 wild fires on the island of North Aegean, Thassos. In the span of a few hours, hundreds of lightning strikes hit the island’s mountains followed by no drop of rain, but strong winds that spread the biggest fire that the island has seen since the wildfires of the late 1980s.

Greece’s Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras stated that affected farmers, livestock farmers and beekeepers will be compensated by the Ministry of Agriculture and ELGA (the Farmers’ Insurance Fund). Greek government also promised to prepare studies on flood protection and land reforestation.

But until this happens, Thassians are sad to see the aftermath even though we all know it will recover with time and care. The coming months will be difficult as we all adjust to what was lost to the fires.

Until the Greek government allocates funds to reforestation and the affected areas, the question rises as to what can we do to help? It is moments like these that make us come together and think how we can The areas most impacted were mainly at the south all contribute to our motherland. part of the island, however no human lives or villages were impacted. The biggest part of the I am a Thassian. I was not there to volunteer where forests burned was in the mountains and everyone was rolling their sleeves up and helping fortunately, not all forests were destroyed. with whatever way they could. My only way to stand The scale and speed of the fires demanded such a large emergency response that almost 300 military, firefighters, emergency workers and locals joined forces for over 4 days against nature’s rage. It is believed that the wildfires had burned through some 10,000 hectares of forest.

In collaboration with the Youth Association of Thassos, I created this fundraising campaign https://www.youcaring.com/youth-association-ofthassos-youthassos-662091 All donations go directly to the Association and will be used for re-forestation.

I know that we will witness the rebirth of the forests as the island’s soil is blessed. But I also wish you can help us make this happen faster.

Thassos remains a welcoming, beautiful and green island. The island and its people are looking forward to welcoming you on your next holiday and thanking you for your support! *Stella Mandehou is Director of Undergraduate Career Development & Employer Relations at the Hult International Business School, San Francisco, California.

It takes a crook to expose the crooks...

If fits the surreal of this election that Donald Trump is accusing Hillar y Clinton of representing the interests of billionaires and of Wall Street at the expense of the common man.

It's like Hillar y accusing Donald of representing the interests of--unions. Which is true! A big part of his success as a businessman emanates from his ability to bring unions over to his side, making the constructing of huge edifices in New York possible—just like it’s true that Hillary's political success owes to her support from Wall Street throughout the years.

This is the best democracy money can buy, as Greg Palast put it years ago in his book of the same title, and unless you have the dough you make no bread, my friend. This is the state of the American politics today and we are all in it, voters and voted. It's easy to point the finger to the people on stage, the politicians, and blame them for everything, but have we taken a minute to ask ourselves when did we stop being citizens, if we ever were, and instead turned to pathetic spectators—and not even the kind that you find in football stadiums? At least they are engaged, we are not!

It wasn't my intention to give democracy lessons; I believe you can only teach by example and I'm not much better in that regard. The feeling of hopelessness when it comes to politics, the knowledge that we can't do much to change the course of a system that affects our lives, is paralyzing. Pharmaceutical companies spent three billion(!) last decade in lobbying alone, so how can we ever hope to get affordable medicine that actually cures diseases instead of coping with the symptoms so that we do become and remain customers for life--literally drug addicts?

Even the bold and the beautiful get tired and either adapt or disappear. For the common folk indifference has become the prevalent form or resistance and our mortgage and debts are the front on which our daily struggle takes place in a Sissyphian manner. For the sake of sanity we turn to comedy, rock n' roll, or both, but those are placebos with a temporary effect, strong enough to keep us in place, most of us, most of the time. Our appetite for more of everything feeds our addiction to material things and our total dependence on consumerism materializes as a “natural” consequence. If we are what we eat, then we become what we buy, and our existence is shaped by what we owe and for how long ...

Often it takes a crook to expose the crooks so I believe that overall Trump's candidacy has had a positive effect, so far. Sometimes things need to become worse before they get better and, who knows? if we’re lucky that might be the case now, whether he is elected or not. And I hope he will challenge the results! The smooth

transition from one president to the next brought us where we are now, with no real choice, once more. Between a professional politician and a clown the choice isn't always obvious: that's why Hillary is struggling to win what should have been an easy landslide. If we had four, let’s say, viable candidates, then we could talk about one or more real choices and we'd be tempted to act as citizens, not as consumers of the only two dishes served, just like airline food.

“Natural” and “Naturalized” ...

I also hope that Trump’s ascendancy and ridicule of our political system will lead to the kind of discussion that will end the awfully discriminatory state of two kinds of citizens: the “natural” (those who were born here) and the “naturalized” (foreign-born). For a country created and made up of immigrants this bipolar stance when it comes to citizenship is unacceptable! This “naturalized” status makes me feel ...transgender! Who can question my patriotism and my Americanism? I have both a shrink and a lawyer! Either we are citizens, with absolutely equal rights, or we are not.

This sort of discrimination made sense when it was implemented, for fear that some monarchists would push for the second son of the then- British king to become king of America. In our time only ...Gipsy Kings came close in the '90s and they too are over now.

Besides being unjust and discriminatory, this distinction between “natural” and “naturalized” prevents enlightened citizens like me(!) from running for president! I'm totally confident that I'm capable if only it were allowed. I was elected and triumphantly reelected president of the Association of Lefkadians in New York. Believe me, if I could manage to deal with the roughly 17 Lekfadians who showed up at the meetings for sure I can govern this country! Don't forget, Obama too started as a community organizer--and he was foreign-born, if we believe both Hillary in 2008 and Trump since then!

Help feed the ...rich!

Every year, members of the National Hellenic Society asked me why I don't cover their convention. The answer was simple. I usually am in Greece in early fall and I would miss it for a few days.

This year I stayed on in the US, so I called their office and told them that I'm interested to covering the convention. The person I spoke to was happy to hear that and told me he would confirm with me shortly. In a few days I received an email from him indicating that the “founding father” of the organization said that if I wanted to do so I had to pay and being the generous he is offered “reduced rates” in order for me to attend the various events!

Now this is a small publication: we struggle with each issue to make ends meet. I have to pay for my airline ticket, for the hotel--and ON TOP OF THAT--I have to pay (at reduced rates) to cover THEIR convention?! The reduced rates have to do with the meals that are served at the events. In other words, they wanted me to pay for my lunch and dinner in order to give them FREE publicity! And so much for the famous Greek hospitality; although to admit the truth, we go there to work and not for the food. It might be hard for the “founding father” to believe it, but we poor have enough to eat: we don't need to go to Vegas for that...

Joking aside, this is unheard of! Usually major organizations facilitate coverage by the Greek American media because they value their help and understand the struggle to survive every media outlet must face and overcome. If the organizations don’t want coverage they say so and we part friends. With all due respect to the “founding father” offering “reduced rates” sounds—cheap--and coming from him is impossible to believe!

Because I consider the National Hellenic Society an organization with great potential, albeit not displayed as of yet, I want to help!

And since I'm a man of deeds, not just words, I decided to donate our last issue's profits, $150

Waiting to transmit the election results old style.

Unlike Samsung, these phone don't explode.

Too bad they don't work either!

to be precise, to the organization to help with the meals and drinks of next year's convention!

I also urged associations such as the National Philoptochos, the Church, the benevolent societies in the names of various saints, even the Hellenic Initiative, to come together and create a fund for this purpose. We are Greeks after all and we must help those of us in need!

by Demetrios Rhompotis

dondemetrio@neomagazine.com

P.S. 1) The other night Ann Coulter was accusing the Koch bothers of conspiring against Trump! We are living the absolute surreal in the American politics. What will be next, Tea Party for Hillary?

2) Whereas the Republicans were trying to exclude as many Black and Hispanic voters as possible from the voting lists, now they will be trying to make them vote any way possible so that Trump doesn't get elected!

3) Poetic justice with the Deutsche Bank!

Germans are hoping for the kind of solution they rejected as unacceptable for Greek and Italian banks…

Concert Tribute to the Great Rembetika (Greek Blues) with Legendary Singer Babis Tsertos and Orchestra

The Great Rembetika songs which comprise the most representative aspects of Greek music will be revived in a most authentic manner on Friday, November 4, 2016, 8:30pm at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on East 68th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues in Manhattan. This long awaited performance produced by Elena Maroulleti and co-presented by the non-profit cultural organizations, AKTINA Productions and CYPRECO Of America, is part of AKTINA’s acclaimed concert series GREEK MUSIC JOURNEY (EST. 1997). The concert will feature the renowned singer from Greece Babis Tsertos and his band consisting of the much celebrated folk musicians, Kyriakos Gkouventas, violin, Ifigeneia Ioannou, kanonaki/vocals, Dimitris Reppas, bouzouki/baglama/vocals, Yiannis Tsertos, piano/accordion and Kostas Tsekouras, guitar.

Babis Tsertos, a leading recording singer with an impressive career spanning for 40 years, is among the primary artists in Greece who has distinguished himself for serving rembetika music genre in the most authentic manner. Apart from his distinct and unique voice which is perfectly suitable for this type of music, Tsertos has also extensively studied and researched the rembetika. He officially launched his career in 1980 and soon after he collaborated with renowned rembetika singers of the early generation including the legends, Soteria Bellou, Takis Binis, Anna Chrysafi, Keti Grey, Kostas Kaplanis, Koulis Skarpelis among others. In later years he also collaborated with other distinguished rembetika legends of the generation that followed such as, Babis Goles, Stelios Vamvakaris, including the renowned traditional folk musician Chronis Aidonidis among others. He has released 12 personal albums (among them two collectible series) and has participated as a guest artist in more than 35 other albums. He has also released four exclusive collectible series of albums, entitled “Rembetiki Tetras” (Rembetiko Quartet) in collaboration with the popular singers, Glykeria, Agathonas Iacovidis and Babis Goles.

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The rembetika is the urban Greek folk song which originated towards the end of the 19th century and gained its present familiar form during the third decade of the 20th century. This type of music evolved mainly in the port cities of Greece and thereafter was widespread and accepted, especially during the classic period of the rembetika between 1942-1952. The rembetika have inspired great Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba the Greek), Manos hadjidakis (Never on Sunday) among others, while Stavros Xarhakos is much credited for further reviving the rembetika in 1983 after he wrote the original music for the award winning movie “Rembetiko” which was based on the life of the rembetika singer Marika Ninou.

Greek Music Journey (GMJ) concert series was introduced in 1997 with a purpose of promoting different aspects of the representative music of Greece for the benefit of lovers of Greek music and of all New Yorkers. Each new concert from the series is dedicated to a specific theme and features unique singers and musicians directly from Greece who serve the specific music theme. Referring to this new concert from the series GREEK MUSIC JOURNEY, Elena Maroulleti, President of AKTINA and CYPRECO and the concert’s Executive Producer stressed that, “lovers of Greek music will be treated to yet another memorable performance that will revive in the most authentic manner the Great Rembetika of Greece! This long awaited concert with Babis Tsertos who is making his debut performance in New York is not to be missed and we invite everyone to come and enjoy an unforgettable performance filled with the finest rembetika of Greece!”

In recognition of Mr. Tsertos’ outstanding contributions to Greek music and for supporting the non-profit mission of AKTINA and CYPRECO, the organizations will be honoring him during his upcoming performance in New York with “AKTINA’s Distinguished Artist Award”, presented exclusively to selected and notable artists. Mr. Tsertos will be the fourth recipient of this prestigious award. Past recipients were Lavrentis Machairitsas (GMJ 2013), Yannis Kotsiras (GMJ 2015) and Eleni Tsaligopoulou (GMJ April 2016). In addition, Council Member Costa Constantinides, will honor Mr. Tsertos with a Citation on behalf of the City of New York.

Tickets are exclusively sold by the organizers and may be charged by telephone by calling AKTINA at 718-545-1151. For cash purchases you may also visit TITAN Foods at 25-56 31st Street, Astoria, NY., and for more information and to watch videos of Babis Tsertos please visit aktinafm.com.