BOSTON – The 2018 budget of the Archdiocese has been dramatically reduced by $8 million. Specifically, it was reduced to $22 million from $30,240,112 for the year 2018 and $27,816,483 for the year 2017. The budget has more than double in the 19 years since Archbishop Demetrios took office with an increase from $13 to $30,240,112.

The new budget was approved by the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council and it will be presented to the 44th Clergy Laity Congress of the Archdiocese which will be convened in Boston from July 1-5.

This is the first time the Archdiocese has constructed a “real world” budget, from the ground up, that reflects the true and accurate revenue and expenditure profile of the Archdiocese.

The 2018 “balanced budget” projects a surplus of $1.9 million that will be used to repay the Archdiocese legacy obligations. There is also a budgeted $1.3 million “contingency” for unbudgeted and/or unexpected expenses.

If this “contingency” is not used, then the $1.3 million will be additional funds available to repay the Archdiocese legacy obligations.

Please reflect on where the Archdiocese was in August 2017, prior to the $8 million of effected/completed cost reductions and the implementation of protocols and governors on overall spending, and what it has achieved now from a financial stand-point.

It is also significant the fact that the Archdiocese “froze” revenues/assessments to Parishes at 2017 levels, therefore this surplus was not achieved by increasing the burden on Parishes.

Prominent businessman Michael Psaros who is leading the efforts for the purge and reconstruction of the finances of the Archdiocese played a pivotal role in drafting the new budget along with the efforts of Lazaros Kircos Chair of the Finance Committee, Elaine Allen Chair of the Audit Committee, Fr. Soterios- Chief Financial Officer, and Bishop Andonios of Phasiane- Chancellor of the Archdiocese.

This is the first time that the Archdiocese released the budget so early before the Clergy Laity Congress. Usually it was released a few days prior to the Clergy Laity Congress when the parishes and the delegates of the Clergy Laity Congress had very little chance to study it but were called shortly before the end of the Congress to vote on it by acclamation.

Read the PDF of the 2018 Adopted Budget:

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April is a busy month for many people. Book lovers, however, always make time for reading. It is also National Poetry Month, so enjoy some verse from your favorite poets or any of the following.

Dionysios Solomos, the national poet of Greece, was born on April 8, 1798 in Zakynthos. In May 1823, Solomos completed the Hymn to Liberty, 158 stanzas, inspired by the 1821 start of the Greek Revolution. The poem was published in Greece in 1824 and throughout Europe one year later. Solomos’ reputation soon spread throughout Greece and abroad. The Hymn to Liberty was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, and is the longest national anthem in the world by length of text. In 1865, the first three stanzas (and later the first two) officially became the National Anthem of Greece and, from 1966, also that of the Republic of Cyprus.

The unfinished epic The Free Besieged (Greek: Οι Ελεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι, Oi Eleftheroi Poliorkimenoi) by Dionysios Solomos was inspired by the third siege of Missolonghi (1825–1826), a crucial conflict in the Greek Revolution. It consists of three separate poems in fragmentary form, and though never completed, The Free Besieged is considered one of Solomos’ greatest poems.

Megali Evdomada stin Psyche Mou (Holy Week in my Soul) by Maro Sideri is a fascinating poetry collection inspired by Holy Week. In her introduction to the book, Sideri noted that her allies through the writing process were the Byzantine hymns for Holy Week along with the Brandenberg Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach and the music of modern Greek classical composer Stamatis Spanoudakis. Sideri has also written the novel To Telos tou Anthropou Pou ton Elegan Iesou (The End of the Person called Jesus) which offers a unique perspective on the final days of Jesus.

On April 17, 485 AD, Proclus Lycaeus, called the Successor, passed away at the age of 73 in Athens. Proclus was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last of the main classical philosophers towards the end of classical philosophy development. His writings and type of thought influenced Western medieval philosophy in Greek and Latin. During the Middle Ages, Boethius wrote Consolation of Philosophy, which includes many of Proclus’ principles and motifs.

A favorite among poetry enthusiasts, George Seferis: Collected Poems 1924-1955 is a bilingual edition and revises the two earlier editions published in 1967 and 1969. It presents, for the first time, the complete Notes for a Week,Three Secret Poems, and three later poems that were not collected by the poet himself but whose English translation he authorized during his lifetime.Originally published in 1982, the latest edition of the book was published in 2014 by the Princeton Legacy Library.

Seferis’ A Levant Journal translated into English by Roderick Beaton details Seferis’ time in the Middle East with wonderful passages of travel writing, describing what he sees and also looking deeper into the issues affecting the region at the time. The Hellenistic influence in the Middle East and the religious sites are thoughtfully delineated in the journal.

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NEW YORK – Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum (KKJ) will host the fourth annual Greek Jewish Festival on Sunday, May 6 from 12-6 PM. The festival, a unique cross-cultural celebration, will take place in front of KKJ’s landmark historic synagogue on Broome Street between Allen Street and Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

The Greek Jewish Festival celebrates and showcases the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of Kehila Kedosha Janina. The festival will offer authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries; live Greek and Sephardic musical performances with four different bands; two different traditional dance performances; an outdoor marketplace full of vendors; arts and educational activities for kids; and much more. This is the only festival of its kind in the world.

More than 8,000 people attended the festival in 2017, and even more are expected this year. KKJ is proud to collaborate with more than thirty different community organizations that include local, national, and international partners. Long-standing local partners include the Tenement Museum; the Museum at Eldridge Street; the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy; and Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, among others. National partners include the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America; the American Sephardi Federation; and Sephardic communities from Seattle, Portland, Indianapolis, Miami, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. KKJ is also excited to welcome the Greek and Israeli tourism offices, as well as leaders from the Jewish Community of Athens, Greece.

International performers include the Stavros Theodorou Orchestra, Avram Pengas and the Noga Group, Vasilis Kostas, Trio Sefardi, the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, and Layla Isis.

“There’s no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than celebrating the culture and beauty of Romaniote and Sephardic Jews,” said Marvin Marcus, President of KKJ. “As a Lower East Side native, I grew up experiencing different cultures among neighbors, and the Greek Jewish Festival is our way of sharing our traditions with the broader Lower East Side and New York community.”

“The Greek Jewish Festival, now in its fourth year, has become one of our most successful ventures to date,” said Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, Museum Director of KKJ. “I have seen the Festival act as an in-gathering of our community. Greek Jews have come from all over the country to eat our traditional foods, dance to Greek music on the streets of the Lower East Side in front of the tenements where our families once resided, and to remember what makes us so special.”

“No matter your ethnic, cultural, or religious background, there is something for you at our Greek Jewish Festival,” said Festival Director Andrew Marcus. “Join us and learn more about a community you may not have known existed, while enjoying our delicious foods and energetic music and dancing.”

“The Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America is thrilled to continue to partner with KKJ,” said Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Executive Director of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America. “We are very proud of our heritage and this festival helps bring together our Sephardic and Romaniote communities in an incredible way. It is exciting to see the festival grow every year and we look forward to continuing the revitalization of our community.”

“We are proud to support our friends at Kehila Kedosha Janina and wish them great success at this wonderful gathering on the historic Lower East Side,” said Toula Xiradakis, President of the Parish Council of Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church.

“The Museum at Eldridge Street loves working with Kehila Kedosha Janina for this festival,” said Hanna Griff-Sleven, Director of Cultural Programs at the Museum at Eldridge Street. “The food, the music, the ‘hood – it’s always a beautiful day down here!”

First launched in May, 2015, the Greek Jewish Festival has quickly grown into an international event that brings together the Greek Jewish community as well as the broader Greek and Jewish communities. It is the newest and largest effort of KKJ to share the culture and traditions of this community in a major public way. The festival cuts across religious, cultural, age, and geographic lines. Situated within the historic immigrant neighborhood of the Lower East Side, the Greek Jewish Festival celebrates centuries of cultural exchange that occurred in Greece and the Balkans.

More information on the Greek Jewish Festival is available online at: www.GreekJewishFestival.com, on Facebook, and YouTube.

Kehila Kedosha Janina (the Holy Community of Janina) is the only Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Romaniote Jews are a unique community of Greek-speaking Jews whose history in Greece dates back over 2,300 years to the time of Alexander the Great. The Romaniotes are historically distinct from the Sephardic Jews, who settled in Greece after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

The congregation was first organized in New York in 1906 by Greek-speaking Romaniote Jews from the city of Ioannina [sometimes spelled Janina] in Northwestern Greece. In the early twentieth century there were hundreds of other synagogues on the Lower East Side that served Ashkenazi Yiddish-speaking Jews or Sephardic Spanish-speaking Jews. Needing a place of their own where they could preserve their unique traditions, customs, liturgy, and language, property was purchased at 280 Broome Street and the congregation opened its doors to worship at its current location in 1927.

The synagogue is a designated New York City landmark and continues to hold services every Shabbat as well as all Jewish holidays. In 1997, a Museum was created within the synagogue to tell the story of the Greek Jewish community to a world that knew so little about them. The museum is open to the public every Sunday and serves as a repository for Romaniote and Sephardic history, both in Greece and on the Lower East Side. The museum hosts numerous educational programs including lectures, book signings, movie screenings, and concerts.

Today, KKJ is proud to be one of only a handful of active synagogues that remain on the Lower East Side.

For more information, visit www.kkjsm.org.

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On Wednesday, April 4th, 2018, the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) dedicated “The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Gallery” at the NYSCF Research Institute in New York, which showcases NYSCF’s research developments. The event was attended by leadership from the NYSCF, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

On the same day, the NYSCF and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics co-hosted a panel: “What You Need to Know About Stem Cell Tourism” at NYSCF’s headquarters in New York. Among the panelists were Jeff Khan and Susan Solomon who will also be speaking at the 7th Annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation International Conference on Philanthropy in June in Athens.

The SNF has provided significant support for NYSCF’s new laboratories and headquarters. The SNF also supports NYSCF’s Outreach and Education programming. In 2017, the SNF’s Co-President, Mr. Andreas Dracopoulos, was honored with NYSCF’s Humanitarian Award.

The SNF is also a lead supporter of various initiatives at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.

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CHICAGO, IL – His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago sent out his Pascha Encyclical for 2018, his first as the new metropolitan. The full text follows.

Nathanael

By the grace of God, Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Chicago

Pascha 2018

To the Reverend Clergy, Monastic Communities, and blessed people of the Holy Metropolis of Chicago.

Beloved fathersand brethren,

Beloved children in the Lord of the Metropolis of Chicago,

During this joyous and triumphant season of the Resurrection of Christ, as I extend to all of you my festal and paternal embrace, I greet each of you personally with the most profound message in history:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Together, as a metropolis family, we glorify the Risen Christ “with all our soul and all our heart” because we have been found worthy, especially this year, to celebrate His Resurrection, having also receiveda foretaste of the joy and grace of Pentecost. Our Pentecost preceded the feasts of Pentecost and the Resurrection, and we remain with the same feeling shared by the Apostles on that day whenthey descended from the upper room of Jerusalem. During these last few weeks, the Holy Spirit—just as in the early days of Christianity—illumined and guided the successors of the Apostles as they electedyour new Metropolitan, and through the mystery of the Archpriesthood, the Spirit also descended to ordain your new Chief-Shepherd and to enthrone him in his holy see. I express my gratitude to all of you foryour prayers and concerns during the period following the repose of Metropolitan Iakovos of blessed memory. I particularly thank you for your participation and your expressions of love during the recentimportant days in our local Church, namely, my hierarchal ordination and my enthronement.

As one body of clergy and laity you revealed how worthy indeed you are to partake in both Pentecost and the Resurrection. You are worthy to receive both the joy that flows from the universal message ofChrist’s Resurrection and the most beautiful harmony that emanates from the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

On these blessed days, a passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians comes to mind. Therein, as the Apostle to the Nations speaks of the Resurrection of Christ, he notes: “Now, that [Christ] ascended,what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same who also ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fulfill all things” (Eph. 4: 9-10). Throughthese words of the Apostle we understand the magnitude of Jesus Christ’s journey between two extremes: the descent into Hades—the lowermost point—and the ascent into the heavenly throne of God—theuppermost point. The cosmos stands in awe as it faces the height and depth of the mystery of our salvation, and through this mystery, we perceive the extent of Christ’s love for the world.

Christ descends into Hades and announces the gospel of salvation to “those held captive.” On that day, we all experience the pain of the Cross in silence. Indeed, during the silence of Holy Friday we do notcelebrate the Holy Eucharist because the entire world is in mourning and plunges into the silence of its heart. For man, it is a day of mourning; however, for Hades, Pascha has already commenced. Death hasalready been conquered and eternal life has been proclaimed. And Christ, following this perfect descent to the deepest corners, emerges, not merely from the grave, but from the dead. Christ is vested inglory! And on the day of the Resurrection, His halo, as depicted in Orthodox iconography, is not limited to His head, but surrounds His entire body. This indicates that Christ has already reached the glory ofheaven, even as He lifts Adam and Eve from Hades.

My beloved children,

I consider you all my friends and my brethren, and I invite you to walk with me as we confront our common struggles, and in so doing, reach the height of God’s Kingdom together. You need my help, and I needyours—we need each other. The choice of isolation and self-centeredness leads to the deepest point of corruption—Hades. The choice of unity and love leads to the other end of the spectrum, namely, theglory of the Risen Christ. Come, therefore, let us walk together for His glory and for the glory of our Church. As I urged you on the day of my enthronement, let us unite and walk together on this new day forour local Church.

As I embrace all of you—clergy, monastics, and pious faithful of the Metropolis of Chicago—I pray that your life, your family’s life, and your Godly works may abound with the joy of the Risen Christ.

With Paschal prayers and paternal love,

The post The Pascha Encyclical of Metroplitan Nathanael of Chicago appeared first on The National Herald.

APRIL 5-8

MANHATTAN – Greece, Images of an Enchanted Land, 1955, Photo exhibition by Robert McCabe at The Photography Show Presented by AIPAD at Pier 94, 711 12th Avenue (55th Street and the West Side Highway) in Manhattan, Booth 705, on Thursday, Apr. 5- Sunday, Apr. 8. More information is available online at: https://aipadshow.com.

APRIL 7

EAST MEADOW, NY – The midnight Vigil and Divine Liturgy for Orthodox Easter will be held on Saturday, Apr. 7 at 11:15 PM at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 369 Green Avenue, East Meadow. A festive Paschal meal will follow the service. The Paschal Vespers for Orthodox Easter will be held on Sunday, Apr. 8 at 12 noon. The outdoor children’s procession and Easter egg hunt will follow the service. All services will be conducted in English. The full schedule for Holy Week can be found on the parish website’s calendar at www.htocem.org.  For more information, call 516-483-3649 or email info@htocem.org.

APRIL 8

PASADENA, CA – St. Sophia Cathedral Greek Orthodox Community of Los Angeles holds its 96th Annual Easter Picnic on Sunday, Apr. 8, 1-7 PM at Brookside Park, 360 N Arroyo Blvd., next to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Our annual Easter Picnic provides all parishioners with the opportunity to break the Lenten fast together, and to celebrate the glory and joy of the Resurrection as a family. Join us for great food, music and fun. It is a time to make new friends and catch up with old friends from all parishes in Southern California. Admission for Adults: $12, Children 16 and under: Free. More information is available by phone: 714-313-9027 and online at www.stsophia.org.

APRIL 12

MANHATTAN – The Hellenic American Association of Professionals in Finance (HABA) invite you to a panel discussion- Man vs. Machine:Who will generate the best investment returns in 2018? at Marsh Private Client Services 1166 Avenue of the Americas, 35th Floor(Entrance on 45th Street) in Midtown Manhattan, Thursday, Apr. 12, 6-8 PM. Panel of experts TBA. Wine andhors d’oeuvres reception. More information is available online at: Eventbrite search HABA Man vs. Machine Panel Discussion.

APRIL 14

MANHATTAN – Celebrate Greek Independence Day with the Greek-American Writers Assn. at the Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., in Manhattan, Saturday, Apr. 14, 6-8 PM. Two brilliant musical talents will perform. Nektarios Antoniou, founder and artistic director of Schola Cantorum. Pericles Kanaris, composer, producer, performer and founder of the band Synolon. Their credits would fill volumes. Literary lights Dean Kostos and Stephan Morrow will offer poetic inspiration. $10 includes admission and a drink. Come early. A capacity crowd is anticipated.

BRIGHTON, MA –Live Greek Music Night in Brighton. Oinos is excited to be performing at Athan’s, 407 Washington Street in the Village on Saturday, Apr. 14. This will be a special appearance with lots of your favorite songs and dance numbers. As always, Aristides is preparing delicious food and will be a great host. There will be lots of dancing and sing-alongs to time-honored favorites. You don’t want to miss this!The evening will include a special guest appearance by our friend Arthur Chingris, percussionist.For reservations, please call: 617-840-6373.

APRIL 16-21

MANHATTAN – Loot: MAD About Jewelry, at the Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, the annual five-day exhibition and sale of contemporary art jewelry, with all proceeds benefiting the Museum’s programs and exhibitions opens to the public Tuesday, Apr. 17- Saturday, Apr. 21 with Greek designers Katerina Anastasiou, Tassa Ganidou, and Tina Karageorgi among the international artists presenting their work. The Opening Night Benefit is Monday, Apr. 16, featuring the announcement of the Loot Acquisition Prize and presentation of Loot Awards honoring Carolee Lee, Loreen Arbus, and Michael and Karen Rotenberg. More information is available online at: http://madmuseum.org.

APRIL 21- OCTOBER 6

TARPON SPRINGS, FL – Night in the Islands returns on Saturday, Apr. 21, 6-11 PM, the City of Tarpon Springs will present Night in the Islands–a free event on the world famous Sponge Docks (Dodecanese Blvd. between Athens and Roosevelt Streets). Enjoy a Greek panagiri with music, dancing, and dining! And we will offer an hour of free Greek dance lessons by the Levendia Dance Troupe from 6-7 PM.Night in the Islands will feature the engaging music of Odyssey in April and May, and in July, August, and September we will feature Ellada in front of the Sponge Exchange. In April and May, we will also feature Neos Ihos playing Greek music on the block between Hope and Roosevelt Streets.To reserve a table for dinner, please contact participating restaurants Costa’s, Hellas, Mama’s, or Mykonos. Night in the Islands will return on May 19, July 7, August 4, and October 6 this year. This popular event is free, thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tarpon Springs Merchants Association. For more information, contact Tina Bucuvalas at 727-916-0235 or tbucuvalas@ctsfl.us.

APRIL 22- JULY 8

NEW YORK – The Onassis Cultural Center New Yorkpresents Birds: A Festival Inspired by Aristophanes,comprising a rich array of events that consider the enduring—and, currently, pressing—central themes of Aristophanes’ ancient satire, The Birds, April 22- July 8. The festival is produced by Onassis Cultural Center New York for the American premiere of Nikos Karathanos’ uproarious and poetic adaptation of the original Aristophanes play, presented by St. Ann’s Warehouseand Onassis Cultural Centre-Athens. More information is available online at: onassisusa.org.

APRIL 28

ASTORIA – The Hellenic Relief Foundation in cooperation with the Theatrical Group “Thespis” of the Ascension Church-Fairview, NJ present the Greek comedy Mia Treli Treli Sarantara (A Crazy Crazy 40-Year-Old Lady) at the St. Demetrios Petros G. Patrides Cultural Center, 30-11 30th Drive in Astoria, on Saturday, Apr. 28, 8 PM. Donation $35 per person. Refreshmentsto follow. Doors open at 7 PM. For tickets please call 201-220-7599 or 954-294-7680, make checks payable to Hellenic Relief Foundation, Inc. a Non Profit 501 c (3) Organization. The play is in Greek.All net proceeds will benefit the Easter Food Distribution to the needy families in Greece. If you are not able to attend, please mail your donation to Hellenic Relief Foundation: PO Box 735, Mineola, NY 11501.

FLUSHING – Saint Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church celebrates its 100th Anniversary Dinner Dance at Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111th Street in Flushing, on Saturday, Apr. 28. Cocktails: 6 PM Dinner: 7 PM. Performing live- Yianni Papastefanou & Orchestra with A Special 50th Anniversary Retirement Tribute to Fr. Athanasios (Al) Demos. For more information, reserve a table or purchase tickets please call: Avgerini Catechis: 347-697-5711, Nicole Garasimopoulos: 917-750-9774, or Anne Hlampeas: 516-426-4035. Advance Ticket Purchase: $150. Door Purchase: $200. Children 5-12: $70. Table Purchase: $1,400 (seating for 10). Free bus transportation will be available from St. Eleftherios Church, departure at 4:45 PM sharp from 359 West 24th Street in Manhattan, return trip departs at 11 PM.

MAY 2-13

BROOKLYN – Following its sold-out World Premiere at the open air Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and a subsequent popular engagement at the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, the play- Aristophanes’ Birds, directed by Nikos Karathanos, will run for 12 performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse, 45 Water Streetin Brooklyn, Wednesday, May 2- Sunday, March 13.More information is available online at: http://stannswarehouse.org/show/the-birds/.

MAY 4-6

PHILADELPHIA -–The Greek America Foundation presents its National Innovation Conference and Forty Under 40 Awards Weekend in Philadelphia, PA with a complete weekend of receptions, speakers, workshops, and events. This event is presented in association with the National Hellenic Student Association (NHSA).Tickets for students and young professionals should be purchased through NHSA (with or without hotel accommodations at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown)For more information visit: www.nhsaofamerica.org and www.greekamericafoundation.org.

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CHICAGO, IL – The PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation announced its 2018 Paradigm Award honoree, Reince Priebus. Mr. Priebus currently serves as President and Chief Strategist of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Most recently, Mr. Priebus served as White House Chief of Staff – becoming the first ever Greek American to fill that role – managing White House staff and collaborating with Members of Congress and other key policymakers.

Mr. Priebus was born in New Jersey to parents Dimitra Pitsiladis and Richard Priebus. His father served in the US Army in Ethiopia before meeting his mother in Sudan, where she worked at the American Embassy. Although Dimitra was born in Khartoum, Sudan, her family was originally from Mytilene, Lesbos. The Priebus family eventually moved to the Midwest, settling in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“As a young kid in Wisconsin, I grew up going to Greek Orthodox Church surrounded by a strong, faith-based community. The values I heard from Scripture and witnessed in the actions of that community helped shape me, and taught me what it means to live a life cloaked in faith and guided by principles,” said Mr. Priebus.

Mr. Priebus volunteered for his first political campaign at the age of 16, before graduating from Tremper High School in Kenosha. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, graduating cum laude with a degree in English and Political Science before attending the University of Miami School of Law.

While attending law school, Mr. Priebus served as Clerk for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He also interned for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Los Angeles before graduating with a Juris Doctor with honors.

Mr. Priebus has a long history in politics as a grassroots volunteer, working his way up through the ranks of Wisconsin politics. In 2009, he served as general counsel to the Republican National Committee, before being elected to serve as Chairman in 2011. He oversaw a dramatic turnaround of the Committee – rescuing its finances, repairing its operations, and rebuilding its ground game. During Priebus’ tenure, Republicans expanded their majorities in the House of Representatives, took back the Senate and ultimately, won the presidency in 2016. He left his role as one of the most successful chairmen of either political party in American history.

Mr. Priebus is a proud Greek American, supporting Hellenic issues and bringing them much-needed national attention. He has been a vocal supporter of US-Greece relations and a strong advocate of Hellenic values such as free speech, freedom of belief, and education. In 2011, Mr. Priebus became an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle.

Please join the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation on June 16, 2018 at our Awards Ceremony and Gala event, where we will honor the achievements of Reince Priebus as a successful Greek American, as well as the best and brightest college students from across the nation.

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PANAMA CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump’s company appealed directly to Panama’s president to intervene in its fight over control of a luxury hotel, even invoking a treaty between the two countries, in what ethics experts say was a blatant mingling of Trump’s business and government interests.

That appeal in a letter last month from lawyers for the Trump Organization to Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela was apparently unsuccessful — an arbitrator declined to reinstate the Trump management team to the waterfront hotel in Panama City. But it provides hard proof of exactly the kind of conflict experts feared when Trump refused to divest from a sprawling empire that includes hotels, golf courses, licensing deals and other interests in more than 20 countries.

The bitter standoff in Panama began in October when the owners of the hotel — which was run by Trump under a management agreement — sought to fire his company, citing damage to Trump’s brand and mismanagement by hotel officials. But the Trump Organization disputed its termination as illegitimate and refused to hand over the property.

It came to a head in early March, when Panamanian judicial officials sided with majority owner and Greek-Cypriot Orestes Fintiklis and a justice of the peace backed by police officers ordered the Trump management team to vacate the property. Workers immediately scrubbed Trump’s signage from the hotel and renamed it The Bahia Grand Panama.

“This could be the clearest example we’ve seen of a conflict of interest stemming from the president’s role as head of state in connection with other countries and his business interests,” said Danielle Brian, executive director of The Project on Government Oversight, a Washington ethics and good government organization.

In the March 22 letter to Varela, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, lawyers for the Trump Organization “URGENTLY” request the Panamanian leader’s influence to help reverse the company’s acrimonious eviction as managers of the 70-story luxury high-rise once known as the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower.

While never mentioning Trump or his role as president, the letter says lawyers representing the Trump Organization were aware of “the separation of powers” in Panama but essentially asks the country’s president to intervene in the judicial process anyway. It goes on to say that the eviction violates an investment treaty signed by the two countries and suggests that the Panamanian government, not the hotel’s new management team, could be blamed for any wrongdoing.

“We appreciate your influence in order to avoid that these damages are attributed not to the other party, but to the Panamanian government,” said the letter, which was copied to Panamanian Cabinet officials, as well as the presidents of the Supreme Court and National Assembly.

Late Monday, the Trump Organization made available a translated statement from its Panamanian lawyers, Britton & Iglesias, insisting that the letter to Varela was not an attempt to pressure him “or any other official of the government of Panama.” The law firm said its appeal to Panama’s government was “very common” and that it had not even informed Trump Organization officials of the move beforehand.

Five days after the law firm urged Varela’s intervention, however, a court arbitrator ruled against reinstating the previous management, even though he agreed that Trump’s company should not have been evicted while arbitration was ongoing.

A source in Varela’s office who was not authorized to comment publicly confirmed receipt of the letter but his office did not respond to calls for comment.

Panama’s foreign secretary, Isabel de Saint Malo, who also received a copy of the letter, said Monday: “I don’t believe the executive branch has a position to take while the issue is in the judicial process.”

The White House referred all questions to the Trump Organization, which did not respond until late Monday night.

Even if Trump was not directly involved in the dispute, his company’s citation of the treaty and its appeal to Varela “implicitly traded on President Trump’s name and power,” said University of Minnesota political governance expert Lawrence Jacobs.

Despite frequent ethics complaints from critics and three current lawsuits accusing him of accepting gifts from foreign and state governments, Trump has clung to constitutional precedence holding that presidents are mostly immune from conflict-of-interest laws.

While most previous presidents have divested some financial assets and placed others in “blind trusts” they could not control during their tenures, Trump kept total control of the Trump Organization but ceded day-to-day management to two of his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.

Brian said she and other ethicists worry that “this sets a low bar of standards for future presidents.”

The emergency arbitration decision late last month said the case should have remained in arbitration and never gone to Panamanian courts. Both sides continue fighting over who violated the hotel management contract.

___
By JUAN ZAMORANO and STEPHEN BRAUN , Associated Press

Braun reported from Washington.

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HOLMDEL, NJ – The renowned Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey (HDNJ) presents its 46th Anniversary Taverna Night Dinner Dance, Saturday, April 28, at Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church, 20 Hillcrest Road in Holmdel. Beginning at 6:30 pm, attendees will enjoy a full Greek dinner buffet and desserts, Greek and popular music, and a special performance and fashion show by the HDNJ. All proceeds from the event will support HDNJ in preserving the folk dance customs of Greece, and perpetuating Greek heritage in America. Funding from the event will also support the dance troupe’s 2018 touring schedule.

For reservations, contact Aphrodite Bucco by phone: 732-576-1511 or email: info@hellenicdancersofnj.org, or online: www.hellenicdancersofnj.org/taverna.php with secure payment through Paypal. Tickets are $30 adults/students (13 – 23) and $20 children under 12 if reserved by April 15. Adult tickets are $40 at the door (student and children tickets remain the same as above).

“This year, HDNJ is excited to show off its ever-growing repertoire of dances. Our instructional staff has dedicated itself to attending Greek dance workshops in Montreal, Canada; Bethesda, MD, and in several villages throughout Greece, in order to continue bringing our audiences new and fresh dances,” said HDNJ Artistic Director Spiro Petroutsos. “Instead of focusing on any one region, this year’s Taverna Night routine will showcase the incredibly diverse styles of dance that can be exhibited from both past and present-day Greece. Among others, regions that will be represented include; Crete, Macedonia, Thrace, Asia Minor, Pontos, Cyprus, and the Aegean Islands. We are very excited to show how much our Greek traditions truly have to offer.”

Several “new” traditional Greek folk dances will debut on the HDNJ stage at the 2018 Taverna Night including:  Perdikoula Imeriva and Aintin from Florina and Serres, both in Macedonia, Ethianos Pidihtos from Ethia, Crete, Mantilia, from Pontos, Ballaristos from Mykonos and Syrtos from Tzia (Kea), both in the Cyclades islands. These additions to the troupe’s 350+ dance repertoire not only continue HDNJ’s mission of preserving the folk dance traditions of Greece, but also keep the performances fresh for its long-time supporters.

While the 2018 Taverna Night is a dinner dance celebrating Greek folk dance traditions, the event is a chance for the troupe’s friends, supporters, alumni, and anyone who has a love of Greek culture to dance the night away. Proceeds from HDNJ’s Annual Taverna Night will support this all-volunteer 501 (c) 3 nonprofit with general operating expenses. By purchasing a ticket, or an ad in the new electronic journal, audience members directly assist HDNJ in its mission of preserving Greek culture through presentations of the traditional folk dances of Greece.

Founded in 1972, by Fr. Jim and Eleni Chakalos, the HDNJ has researched, presented, and preserved over 350 folk dances, songs, and traditions from mainland Greece, its islands, Cyprus, and Asia Minor, and passed them on to three generations of Greek Americans. The troupe has been commended numerous times throughout its 46-year history, for its dedication to its mission, as well as the enthusiasm and excitement of its performances. The dance troupe is currently comprised of first, second, third, and fourth generation Greek-Americans, ranging in age from 16-45, and representing the many Greek communities of New Jersey.

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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby paid nearly $3.4 million to the woman he is charged with sexually assaulting, a prosecutor revealed to jurors Monday, answering one of the biggest questions surrounding the case as the comedian’s retrial got underway.

District Attorney Kevin Steele highlighted the 2006 civil settlement during his opening statement, in an apparent attempt to suggest Cosby wouldn’t have paid out so much money if the accusations against him were false. Cosby’s lawyers have signaled they intend to use the settlement to argue that Greek-American Andrea Constand falsely accused the former TV star in hopes of landing a big payoff.

The amount had been confidential — and was kept out of the first trial — but a judge ruled that both sides could discuss it at this one.

“This case is about trust,” Steele told the jury. “This case is about betrayal and that betrayal leading to the sexual assault of a woman named Andrea Constand.”

Cosby, 80, is charged with drugging and molesting Constand, a former employee of Temple University’s basketball program, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Constand says he gave her pills that made her woozy, then penetrated her with his fingers as she lay incapacitated, unable to tell him to stop.

“She’s unconscious. She’s out of it,” Steele said. “She will describe how her body felt during this circumstance. She’s jolted during this. She feels herself being violated. … And she’ll tell you she remembers waking up on this sofa with her clothes disheveled at 4 o’clock in the morning. This is hours after this starts.”

A lawyer not associated with the trial said Monday the settlement amount could figure prominently in the prosecution’s case.

“The question that I’m sure we’re going to hear a lot about is, why would an innocent man pay $3.38 million for something he didn’t do?” said Dennis McAndrews, who prosecuted chemical heir John E. duPont for murder in 1997.

The defense will deliver its opening statement on Tuesday in a trial expected to last a month.

Cosby’s first trial last spring ended with the jury hopelessly deadlocked. The comedian faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Ahead of opening statements, a topless protester who appeared on several episodes of “The Cosby Show” as a child jumped a barricade and got within a few feet of Cosby as the comedian entered the courthouse.

The woman, whose body was scrawled with the names of more than 50 Cosby accusers as well as the words “Women’s Lives Matter,” ran in front of Cosby and toward a bank of TV cameras but was intercepted by sheriff’s deputies and led away in handcuffs. Cosby seemed startled by the commotion as a half-dozen protesters chanted at him.

The protester, Nicolle Rochelle , 39, of Little Falls, New Jersey, was charged with disorderly conduct and released.

“The main goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women,” she said afterward.

Rochelle, an actress, said she didn’t have any bad experiences with Cosby when she was on the show, nor did she intend to physically hurt him. She is a member of the European feminist group Femen , which is known for staging topless protests around the world.

Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt praised deputies for their quick action but urged court officials to increase security. Officials added a second row of barricades, and Cosby left court without incident Monday afternoon.

“It’s a different world. Things have changed,” Wyatt told The Associated Press, referring to recent mass shootings and other cases. “You never know who’s going to want to make a name for themselves.”

Opening statements were delayed for several hours while the judge sorted through allegations raised late Friday that a juror told a woman during jury selection that he thought Cosby was guilty. Cosby’s lawyers wanted the juror removed from the case.

After questioning all 12 jurors and six alternates behind closed doors, Judge Steven O’Neill ruled the juror could stay, saying all the panelists told him they stuck to their pledge to remain fair and impartial.

Prosecutors have lined up a parade of five additional accusers to make the case that the man revered as “America’s Dad” lived a double life as one of Hollywood’s biggest predators. Only one additional accuser took the stand at the first trial.

Cosby lawyer Tom Mesereau, who won an acquittal in Michael Jackson’s 2005 child molestation case, has said the jury will instead learn “just how greedy” Constand was.

The retrial is taking place in a potentially more hostile environment for Cosby. The #MeToo movement caught fire four months after the first trial, raising awareness of sexual misconduct as it toppled Harvey Weinstein, Sen. Al Franken, Matt Lauer and other powerful men.

Constand first approached authorities with her accusations against Cosby in 2005. The district attorney at that time ended his investigation after four weeks, announcing the comedian wouldn’t be charged because the evidence showed both parties “could be held in less than a flattering light.”

The current DA’s immediate predecessor, Risa Vetri Ferman, took another look at the case in 2015 after the AP fought to unseal parts of Cosby’s deposition testimony — including lurid passages about him giving drugs to women he wanted to have sex with. Cosby was charged shortly before the statute of limitations was set to expire.

Referring to the unsealed deposition, Steele told jurors on Monday: “That, ladies and gentlemen, led to our office reopening the investigation.”

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand and Dickinson have done.

___
By MICHAEL R. SISAK , Associated Press

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this story.

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NEW YORK – The Greek Orthodox faithful of all ages and generations in the New York tri-state area and beyond attended the Resurrection services at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan to experience and chant “Christ is Risen.”

The cold temperatures did not dampen the spirit of all those present as the Holy Light was brought out to the awaiting crowd eager to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.

At the ceremony of the Resurrection and Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, was assisted by the Dean of the Cathedral Fr. John Vlachos, Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos, and Deacon Eleftherios Constantine, as well as Stephen Cherpelis, Past President of the Cathedral Board and Archon of the Ecumenical Throne who held the icon of the Resurrection.

In a message shortly after the Resurrection ceremony, Archbishop Demetrios said that “with joy and exultation, we celebrate again this year this great feast of Easter and the Resurrection of the Lord.” He also said that “the Resurrection of the Lord is the permanent, unlimited, transcendent source of hope and perspective for man.”

The Archbishop also noted that “we are facing difficulties, problems, injustices, deaths, illnesses, but can my brothers imagine something worse than the Cross of Christ? But He defeated it. The cross and death were only for three days. On the third day, he was victorious over all these enemies that tortured man.”

Archbishop Demetrios then wished the best for all those in attendance.

Many hurried inside the Cathedral for the Divine Liturgy while others headed home to enjoy the traditional soup mageiritsa and the red-dyed eggs.

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NEW YORK – Julian McBride is a forensic anthropologist and director of the ROW Initiative. Over the past year, he completed a series of drawings on Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians who were slaughtered during the Ottoman genocides in the last century and had a major presentation on it. McBride visited the offices of The National Herald and spoke about his work and the important field of Genocide studies.

McBride grew up in Lawrence, NY and always wanted to do something that would leave his mark on the world and simultaneously give back. He just didn’t know how to do it as he was growing up. His family and teachers motivated him to do better and McBride excelled in the Lawrence School District, which is currently run by Dr. Ann Pederson, his childhood mentor and kindergarten teacher.

In 2009, McBride enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and did two tours under 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. He has been to many countries, including Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, and Singapore to name a few. After seeing six of his brothers killed in Afghanistan and the devastating effects it took on the local populace, McBride wanted to do something that would help the victims of war on all sides. He just didn’t know how to connect the puzzle yet, he told TNH.

Enrolling at Adelphi University, McBride took an interest in criminal justice and anthropology, under the mentorship of Dr. Stephanie Lake, Prof. Argie Agelarakis, and Dr. Anagnostis Agelarakis. It was under Prof. Argie Agelarakis that McBride not only learned how to draw, but also how to speak publicly.

In February 2017, under the direction of Prof. Argie, McBride created the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW). The mission of the ROW Initiative is to tell the stories of the victims of war, who never have their voices heard since history has always been written by the victors. The slogan of his NGO is “this time, history will be written by the victims.” Through artwork, as well as guided, qualitative, and quantitative research, McBride shares the stories of victims of war worldwide. He told TNH, “It’s one thing if somebody sees something on TV but odds are they’ll ignore it a week later, but if they see art behind it they’re going to ask what went on in that story. The whole purpose of art is to tell a story and everyone’s going to look at it and think and talk about it and that’s my goal to get people to talk about these things that nobody wants to talk about.”

A main focus of the Initiative is Genocide studies, as he was motivated to push for recognition of unrecognized genocides through a field school in Crete, Greece, where he saw the graves and memorials of Greeks who were brutally murdered during Ottoman rule and the Nazi occupation. “The Arkadi Monastery was the most heartfelt factor. Over 1,500 Greeks were killed by self-immolation during the Cretan Revolt of 1866.”

Liberty or death was something taken literally at that time as the Cretans fought for their freedom from Ottoman oppression. What surprised McBride was that some Greeks he met did not know anything about the Arkadi Monastery and what happened during the Cretan Revolt. They appreciated that his work was shedding light on the history. In the excavations at the ancient city of Eleutherna, Crete and on a Neolithic site, McBride told TNH that they found skeletons that were thousands of years old and he hopes to be a part of excavations in Cyprus, Corinth, and Meteora in the future.

McBride currently works at the United Nations under the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP) Meaningful World which celebrated its 30th anniversary in March, and Rosa Mexicano, as he is no stranger to hard work. “In order to know the struggles of the worker, you have to partake in it.”

McBride credits his co-founders, Amberly Jaycox, Michelle Aslanyan, Nicholas Cosmo, John Salica, Vladyslav Verba, Rebecca Holmquist, and Jarand Dravik for helping to motivate him during his philanthropic work. He also credits Jessie Corso, Ariel Barrera, Rosina Prisco, Zachary Mazur, and the Sociology and anthropology departments at Adelphi for pushing him to become the forensic anthropologist he is today. “They were all instrumental in my development and I know as well they’ll leave their marks on this world, too,” he said.

McBride plans on leading more anthropological field expeditions around the world in the future under the ROW Initiative. He has partnerships with the Greek Genocide Resource Center- based in Australia, the Assyrian International News Agency, the Meaningful World, and the Aletheia Artists Shedding Light organizations, along with his internship at the UN. McBride noted that “The war in Syria, seeing the Turkish military intervention is bringing up a lot of memories of what happened in Greece and Armenia under Turkish rule.”

In learning about his own family history and heritage which is Native American- Cherokee and African-American, he told TNH, that he understands what it is like to see persecution. When asked if young people are more involved in learning about genocide, McBride said he thinks that the younger generation is more involved in learning about many issues today, which is a hopeful sign for the future.

More information about the ROW Initiative is available online at: www.rowinitiative.org.

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NEW YORK – Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria will be airing on PBS stations across the United States this April, check your local listings. The documentary chronicles life in the picturesque town of Kastoria, where Jews and Christians lived in harmony and friendship for over two thousand years. The title Trezoros is the Ladino/Judeo/Spanish term of endearment meaning “treasures.” The film takes the audience on a journey from the joyful innocence of the pre-war years through the heartbreaking struggles of the Holocaust, to a unique place in time and history highlighting a Greek Jewish culture lost forever.

In October 1940, the peaceful life of the community changed forever with the invasion of Greece by Axis forces. Initially occupied by Italy, the Jewish community remained, but after Mussolini fell from power, the Nazis took control of the town, eventually gathering all the residents in a single day, and sent them to concentration camps.

Using never-before-seen archival footage, Trezoros vividly brings to life just one of many Jewish communities that had existed in Greece for centuries and even millennia before the end of World War II. The film is a story told by its survivors, with interviews filmed on location in Kastoria, Thessaloniki, Athens, Tsur Moshe, Tel Aviv, Miami, and New York.

Directed by Lawrence Russo, and co-directed and produced by Larry Confino, the film was widely praised on the film festival circuit with screenings in London, Cannes, Melbourne, Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles. Russo co-founded the independent studio The Shooting Gallery (Laws of Gravity, Sling Blade) and directed the Emmy-nominated PBS short film series ShortCuts. Producer/Co-Director, Confino is the Founder of Synapse Productions and Executive Director of ImageRescue, Inc. Based in New York City, Confino has produced documentaries and commercial projects on a multitude of subjects around the world.

Trezoros is an inspiring story of survival that resonates universally and is of particular interest to Jewish and Greek communities worldwide. The poignant story of one family’s experience helps honor the memory of the once vibrant community and reminds us of man’s inhumanity to man and also of the enduring spirit of the people who survived the horrors of the war. As George Santayana wrote in The Life of Reason, 1905, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Check your local listings for the PBS schedule. More information is available online at http://trezoros.com.

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NEW YORK – A staple in the West Village, Waverly Restaurant has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after allegations of not paying former workers their overtime. Village Red Restaurant Corp., the company that owns the diner, made the filing on April 6 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, as it faces “potential liability in two lawsuits alleging management didn’t pay overtime to a group of former waiters, dishwashers, busboys and delivery men,” the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

The filing pauses the lawsuits but allows the Waverly to stay open while it works on liabilities estimated “between $500,000 and $1 million” and “up to $50,000 in assets,” the WSJ reported.

A bankruptcy lawyer representing Waverly, Stuart P. Gelberg told the WSJ on April 9, “Yes, we do intend to remain open.”

New York Diners have struggled in recent years with rising rents, the cost of doing business, and even changes in eating habits. According to court records, Waverly founder Nick Serafis “filed for personal bankruptcy protection in January” and the diner’s current owner, Serafis’ daughter, Christine Serafis, “received the restaurant as an inheritance gift,” the WSJ reported.

Among the diner’s creditors are former employees who have sued in the past, but the business disputes their claims, according to the court papers, the WSJ reported.

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Waverly “is liable to the employees for unpaid wages,” and “the court last month concluded a bench trial to determine damages against the diner,” the WSJ reported.

The potential damages are more than $2.2 million, a court filing in June showed, with many of the employees having worked for years at the diner, among them “Valente Garcia who worked there from 1992 to 2015 as a waiter, host and counterman,” the WSJ reported.

Lou Pechman, a lawyer representing the former employees told the WSJ, “The bankruptcy is a blatant attempt to avoid paying the back wages owed to the restaurant’s workers.”

Lawyer for the Waverly Restaurant did not return messages for comment on the case at press time. According to court documents filed last year, Ms. Serafis had no involvement “in hiring or pay decisions for any employees at the restaurant,” the WSJ reported.

The first court hearing on the Waverly Restaurant bankruptcy will take place on May 8.

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NEW YORK – A fire broke out at the Consulate General of Cyprus in New York on Tuesday. An eyewitness at the scene, Costantine Tzifas told The National Herald that “smoke was coming out of the second floor, and [there were] lots of fire engines.”

The firefighters were able to control the blaze relatively quickly, and as of 3:20 PM, the fire seems to be out, according to eyewitness accounts.

Mr. Tzifas noted that the fire engines blocked most of the view of what was happening, and all the lights are off at the Consulate.

Details have not yet been released about the extent of the damage. More information to come.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (BUSINESS WIRE)- Gander Outdoors, formerly known as Gander Mountain, is open in Cicero, New York. A special grand opening event is planned for Saturday, April 14, 2018. The 65,000-square-foot store is located at 5864 Carmenica Drive and will be one of five Gander Outdoors retail locations in New York, operating with over 55 part-time employees and full-time staff.

The grand opening will kick off at 9:00 A.M. with free pastries and coffee in the morning. Family fun includes opportunities for children to paint a lure 11 A.M. – 2 P.M. and build a duck call from 1-3 P.M. The event includes storewide savings on a huge assortment of products and fantastic giveaways with customers receiving a gift with purchase and drawings for gift cards throughout the day, while supplies last. Experts on fishing, hunting, boating and more will be available to talk with customers.

Greek-American Marcus Lemonis, star of CNBC’s The Profit, bought Gander Mountain assets in bankruptcy court in May 2017 and is beginning to reopen many of the chain’s stores to serve customers who are passionate about hunting, fishing, marine and water sports, camping, and active and shooting sports. Gander Outdoors is owned by Camping World Holdings and will provide outdoor enthusiasts with regionally and seasonally relevant products and services that are competitively priced.

“We look forward to seeing large crowds across the country as we continue the next phase of reopening Gander retail stores,” said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman of Camping World Holdings. “We are excited to continue expanding our outdoor industry footprint, while supporting economic growth across the country.”

For more information about Gander Outdoor, visit https://www.ganderoutdoors.com/.

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With an average age of just 25 this year’s social entrepreneurs who made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list are proving that when it comes to social responsibility, the young are leading the way, the Forbes says.

Among them, stands Greek-Australian Natalie Kyriacou, 29, the multi award-winning founder and CEO of My Green World, an organisation dedicated to educating and encouraging positive youth participation to help charitable initiatives in wildlife and environmental conservation.

She is also the creator of the mobile game app, World of the Wild, which allows young people to take part in virtual wildlife conservation scenarios. In addition to being the Australian Director for the Sri Lanka based animal welfare NGO, the Dogstar Foundation, Kyriacou is also responsible for the global ban on elephant rides by Australia’s travel wholesaler, Tempo Holidays.

Read the full story here.

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NEW YORK – The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture took place on April 10 at Columbia University with Dr. David Goldstein sharing his progress and recent successes in developing targeted treatments that have fundamentally improved the lives of patients living with devastating disease. Entitled “Finding the right medicine one patient at a time,” Dr. Goldstein’s lecture was well-received by those in attendance.

The lecture highlighted the fascinating advances in this targeted type of medicine. Dr. Goldstein noted that technological advancements have helped reduce the cost and the time it takes to sequence the genome of an individual allowing for doctors and teams of experts to help patients discover the cause of certain diseases and to administer treatment sooner when possible.

As Dr. Goldstein noted, the field of genetics and precision medicine is one of the most promising avenues for identifying the underlying causes of disease in individual patients. After many years of halting and intermittent progress, the path to comprehensive gene discovery in a broad range of human diseases is now clear, and these findings are now being used as the starting points for the development of new treatments.

Among the areas Dr. Goldstein discussed were diagnostic sequencing for rare diseases, neurological diseases, kidney diseases, and liver disease. He noted that families play a critical role in the efforts, citing one father’s blog that went viral as he shared his son’s symptoms in order to find others who could be sequenced to find the genetic variation that caused the rare disease.

Steven A. Siegelbaum, PhD- the Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D. Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Pharmacology; Chair, Department of Neuroscience; and Principal Investigator at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, gave the welcoming remarks, thanking the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) for its continuing support. He introduced Dr. Goldstein, noting his many accomplishments.

According to his biography, David Goldstein, PhD, is the John E. Borne Professor of Genetics and Development and Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Previously, he was a Professor of Genetics at Duke University and the Director for the Center for Human Genome Variation. He trained in theoretical population genetics at Stanford University. Dr. Goldstein’s primary research interests include human genetic diversity, the genetics of disease, and pharmacogenetics.

The Goldstein group and collaborators have discovered a number of disease causing genes and syndromes, in particular neurological and infectious diseases. Dr. Goldstein was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2013, received the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy award for clinical services in 2012, and was a recipient of one of the first seven nationally awarded Royal Society/Wolfson research merit awards in the United Kingdom for his work in human population genetics.

In 2013, Dr. Goldstein chaired the Gordon Research Conference in Human Genetics, and he is currently serving on the Advisory Council at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health.

The SNF Brain Insight Lecture series is offered free to the public to enhance understanding of the biology of the mind and the complexity of human behavior. The lectures are hosted by Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and supported by the SNF. Among those in attendance were Vasili Tsamis- Chief Operating Officer of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, supporters of Dr. Goldstein’s work, and many students and teachers. A Q&A session followed.

Dr. Goldstein’s lecture concluded the 2017-2018 SNF Brain Insight Lecture Series. Dr. Siegelbaum thanked all those for attending and again thanked the SNF for the continuing support. He invited everyone back for the fall when the Zuckerman Institute will again host another year of intellectually engaging science programming in the SNF Brain Insight Lecture series.

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ASTORIA – St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria held its Sarakostiano Luncheon on March 25, honoring administrative assistants Persa Margaritidou, Dimitra Moutafidis, Vasiliki Psyllos, Maria Pefanis, Mary Sakkis, and Polytimi Tsenesidis for their many years of dedicated service and tireless work for the St. Demetrios Community and School.

The event took place in the Petros G. Patrides Cultural Center. Among those in attendance were the presiding priest of the community, Archimandrite Nektarios Papazafiropoulos- Dean of St. Demetrios Cathedral, Fr. Anastasios Pourakis, Fr. Vasilios Louros, Parish Council President Van Christakos, and benefactor and Chairman of the School Board Nikos Andriotis.

Melina Tsiropoulos sang the National Anthems. Mr. Christakos gave the welcoming remarks followed by Archim. Papazafiropoulos. Luncheon Committee Chairman Nick Gavalas and Nikitas Theologitis- Co-Chairman also spoke at the event. The presentation of the awards followed with remarks from all the honorees and a benediction by Archim. Papazafiropoulos.

A dance performance and musical selections by DJ Alex Krampis entertained all those present who look forward to next year’s luncheon.

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NEW YORK – Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum (KKJ), 280 Broome Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, holds the annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony on Sunday, April 15 at 1 PM.

This Yom HaShoah, KKJ is celebrating Sol Kofinas, its Shamash, and highlighting his story of being a hidden child in Athens during the Occupation of Greece. Sol and his brother Zino survived with the help of the Greek Orthodox Christian Hatzi family. As part of our Yom HaShoah commemoration, KKJ will show Sol Kofinas’ presentation at the Bronx Supreme Court, where he told his story of survival. Filmed and produced by Richard Solomon.

RSVP by email at: museum@kkjsm.org or by phone: 516-456-9336.

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