AHEPA Welcomes New Emirates Year-round Daily U.S. Route to Athens, Greece
AHEPA welcomes the launch of a new year-round, non-stop daily service from the United States to Greece offered by Emirates Airlines. The new Dubai-Athens-Newark service began March 12. Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades was on-hand in Newark, N.J., with Emirates officials, joining Matthias Schmid, vice president of Sales, Emirates; Joel Goldwsky, regional sales director Eastern USA for Emirates; and Consul General of Greece Konstantinos Koutras, to mark the launch of the new route.
“We applaud the launch of Emirates’ new Dubai-Athens-Newark service because it will enhance relations between the United States and Greece, especially in the tourism and commerce sectors,” Zachariades said. “Of course, the new route fills a tremendous void for consumers, especially Greek Americans.”
Supreme President Zachariades announced that when he departs on the annual AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion in April that he will be taking Emirates Airline.
AHEPA Happenings | Veterans Honored in Upstate New York
Four AHEPA chapters in Upstate New York honored 17 Veterans for their service this week at a luncheon meeting attended by U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Supreme President Andrew Zachariades. “It was a proud day for AHEPA, and we thank all Veterans for their sacrifice and devotion to our great nation,” Supreme President Zachariades said.
Chapter 140, Albany, N.Y. hosted the luncheon. Chapter 37, Syracuse; Chapter 125, Schenectady; and Trojan Chapter 306, Troy, participated.
Programming Note
AHEPA appreciates its districts and chapters for honoring Ahepans who are Veterans with the AHEPA Medal for Military Service and certificate. To keep a proper accounting, and for archival purposes, the AHEPA Veterans Committee is requesting all Veterans who have received this honor to register with the Committee’s database (preferred method). Registration can also be facilitated through a downloadable PDF. If your district or chapter has held an event to honor our Veterans with the medal, please ensure they are registered with the AHEPA Veterans Committee.
AHEPA appreciates its districts and chapters for honoring Ahepans who are Veterans with the AHEPA Medal for Military Service and certificate. To keep a proper accounting, and for archival purposes, the AHEPA Veterans Committee is requesting all Veterans who have received this honor to register with the Committee’s database (preferred method). Registration can also be facilitated through a downloadable PDF. If your district or chapter has held an event to honor our Veterans with the medal, please ensure they are registered with the AHEPA Veterans Committee.
For More Info/To Register: Click Here
ICYMI | Journey to Greece Deadline Extended
Study abroad this summer and earn 6 college credits in Greece. AHEPA, in partnership with Webster University, is sponsoring 20 students to visit locations like Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Hosios Loukas, Arachova, and Crete — all while earning college credits!
Deadline Extended: Apply Today
Watch & Share: Journey to Greece Promo Video
More Info: Click Here
Call for Applications | 2017 AHEPAcademy Session
Join a select group of Greek American students from across the country for AHEPAcademy, June 25 – July 1, 2017, at George Mason University, outside Washington, DC. Learn more
- Early Application Deadline: April 1, 2017
- Final Deadline: April 15, 2017
Download Application: Download
Watch & Share: AHEPAcademy promo video
Rebuild St. Nicholas Campaign
AHEPA is determined to meet its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal of $1 million. Donations–large and small–keep pouring in for AHEPA’s #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.
Visit our #RebuildStNicholas campaign webpage
Check Out: Our panel of donors
AHEPA Chapter 41, Brooklyn, N.Y. announces its $20,000 donation for the campaign to help rebuild Saint Nicholas.
TAKE ACTION!
Has your district or chapter organized a fundraiser for the campaign to #RebuildStNicholas? Take action and support AHEPA’s campaign today! Please tweet about your fundraising activity by using #RebuildStNicholas to share your work with the broader community!
Share Media
New Media Share | St. Nicholas Appeal Video
AHEPA has produced its latest appeal video to help #RebuildStNicholas.
TAKE ACTION: Donate Today!
MORE TO SHARE: Initial appeal video released at the 94th Grand Banquet!
Project Update
MEDIA COVERAGE: New York Times: Cross Takes Its Place, Temporarily, Atop Shrine at World Trade Center
Live Webcam!
Thanks to a live webcam, you can watch progress being made with a first-hand look at the site where Saint Nicholas National Shrine will be build.
At left: A look at Tower 1 at the World Trade Center through the dome of St. Saint Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center. (Photo credit: Theo Nicolakis, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese)
Washington Update
AHEPA Attends State Department Briefing on Cyprus
AHEPA attended a Department of State briefing on the status of the Cyprus settlement talks with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus Kathleen Doherty and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jonathan Cohen, March 15. Executive Director Basil N. Mossaidis represented AHEPA on behalf of Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades.
“The State Department has done an exceptional job of keeping the community abreast of developments with the Cyprus settlement talks,” Zachariades said. “We appreciate the department’s proactive outreach with the community, and the administration’s continued engagement on the Cyprus issue.”
Senate Introduces Greek Independence Day Resolution
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a resolution recognizing the 196th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating democracy in the United States and Greece, March 6, 2017. The resolution, S.Res.81, has 26 co-sponsors.
It’s a New Congress! Help Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
The 115th Congress is well underway. And with it, the work renews for the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, led by Co-chairs U.S. Reps. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). The Hellenic Caucus begins the 115th Congress with 120 members.
Is your U.S. representative a member of the Hellenic Caucus? Click here to find out.
DOWNLOAD & SHARE: Action alert to help you outreach to Congress
The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
March
24 | Greek Independence Reception at the White House
26 | New York City Greek Independence Day Parade
31 | Deadline to apply for an AHEPA National Educational Foundation
Scholarship
April
1 | Early Deadline: AHEPAcademy Application
2 | Philadelphia Greek Independence Day Parade
11 – 23 | AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion
15 | Final Deadline: AHEPAcademy Application
30 | Chicago Greek Independence Parade
May
3 | AHEPA Family Capitol Hill Day
21 | AHEPA Day
22 | AHEPA Wreath-laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery
Greek American News Digest
Editor’s Note: Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinion pieces are shared for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the Order of AHEPA, its affiliated organizations, and members.
Key EU-Turkey migration deal looks wobbly a year later
Associated Press (Mar. 17)
The waters off the Greek island of Lesbos once echoed with the shrieks of people drowning as they struggled to reach Europe, and the thrumming of rescue helicopters. A coastguard patrol Friday encountered nothing more alarming than a few fishing boats. A deal between Turkey and the European Union stemmed the flow of migrants who used to come ashore here by the hundreds every day – or died trying to make the crossing from Turkey in flimsy boats. One year later, that agreement appears at risk amid deteriorating EU-Turkish relations, raising fears that Lesbos once again will become the scene of a humanitarian catastrophe. read more
Three objectives to president’s US visit, spokesman says
Cyprus Mail (Mar. 19)
President Nicos Anastasiades was due to leave on Sunday for the US for a visit the government spokesman said on Sunday had three objectives, the Cyprus issue, foreign investment and energy. Especially important would be his meetings with the UN Secretary-General and the British foreign minister, Nicos Christodoulides said on the sidelines of a memorial service on Sunday morning. “The visit of the president to the US is designed to serve three very specific objectives,” he said. read more
Greek, Turkish communities of Cyprus move slowly to resume peace talks
Famagusta Gazette (Mar. 19)
The estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities are slowly moving towards resuming peace negotiations, which were suspended a month ago amid acrimonious accusations traded between both sides, party officials have said. Averof Neophytou, leader of the ruling DISY party, told state television that he met Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Thursday to discuss the prospects of resuming negotiations aimed at a settlement of the decades- old Cyprus problem. read more
The Life and Death of the Library of Alexandria
Lit Hub (Mar. 13)
Alexandria was the true hero of the book: an exotic, darkly seductive and sensuous city, fragrant of “offal and drying mud, of carnations and jasmine, of animal sweat and clover.” Durrell painted a picture of a cosmopolitan, Greco-Arab outpost, where East met West in a delicious collision of hotels, hashish cafés, colonial villas and squalid slums, all set between the blankness of the desert and the blue of the Mediterranean. Yet Durrell’s Alexandria was far from a product of the 20th century alone. Instead he called it a “capital of memory,” a place that still held on to the “echoes of an extraordinary history.” It was a remnant and a shadow of a much greater city, one born out of a dream two-and-a-half thousand years old.
In 331 BC, according to the Greek historian Plutarch, after successfully conquering Egypt, Alexander the Great received a vision in his sleep. read more
Greece law allows descendants of Holocaust survivors to apply for citizenship
Jewish Telegraphic Agency (Mar. 19)
Greek lawmakers passed a parliamentary amendment that will allow descendants of Holocaust survivors from Greece to apply for citizenship.The amendment passed on Thursday was praised on Saturday by the head of the country’s Central Board of Jewish Communities, the French news agency AFP reported.”This is a moral victory,” and a “fresh step forward in the recognition of the history of the Holocaust and of Greek Jews,” Central Board President David Saltiel told AFP. read more
Greek defense minister to meet US counterpart in Washington
Ekathimerini (Mar. 20)
Defense Minister Panos Kammenos will meet with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Washington on Thursday or Friday. The meeting comes at a time of renewed military planning by the US in the volatile Eastern Mediterranean region.Greece has made no secret of the fact it wants to strengthen bilateral military ties, and to modernize its military arsenal with American systems. read more
Jesus’ Tomb Is Unveiled After Year-Long Renovation
NBC News (Mar. 21)
Just in time for Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest sites has been restored to its former glory. The tomb that Christians believe was where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected — officially known as the Holy Edicule — has undergone a year-long renovation. Gone is the cage-like structure that was put in place to prop up the walls 70 years ago. And the black soot that had accumulated on the stone structure from years of visitors’ candles has been scrubbed clean. Now the warm red marble welcomes worshippers. read more watch video
Just in time for Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest sites has been restored to its former glory. The tomb that Christians believe was where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected — officially known as the Holy Edicule — has undergone a year-long renovation. Gone is the cage-like structure that was put in place to prop up the walls 70 years ago. And the black soot that had accumulated on the stone structure from years of visitors’ candles has been scrubbed clean. Now the warm red marble welcomes worshippers. read more watch video
Just in time for Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest sites has been restored to its former glory. The tomb that Christians believe was where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected — officially known as the Holy Edicule — has undergone a year-long renovation. Gone is the cage-like structure that was put in place to prop up the walls 70 years ago. And the black soot that had accumulated on the stone structure from years of visitors’ candles has been scrubbed clean. Now the warm red marble welcomes worshippers. read more watch video
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