From JUNESAM at aol.com Fri Mar 8 23:17:45 2002 From: JUNESAM at aol.com (JUNESAM@aol.com) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Parthenon Marbles - VOTE !!! Message-ID: <121.d313c93.29bb1119@aol.com> Passing this one on to all cultural activists & Philhellenes !! I've already cast MY vote, even though I am English !!! June Samaras ---------------------------------------------- Calling all Greeks! At CNN website you can now vote for the return of the Parthenon marbles to Greece. Go to the related website and vote! http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/01/17/marbles/index.html From rolandmo at pacbell.net Sat Mar 9 01:17:14 2002 From: rolandmo at pacbell.net (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] New web-based subscription management for the list Message-ID: <0GSP00FJM8GQWQ@mta6.snfc21.pbi.net> Hello, all. As you've probably seen by now, your MGSA-L subscription has been moved from a listserv management system to a web-based management system. Over the long run, it should be easier for you as well as for Maria Pantelia and me to keep your options (mail or nomail, daily digest or individual posting, etc.) the way you'd like them. Initially, however, the default seems to be the individual postings and mail on -- even for people who had one subscription turned on and others set to nomail on other email accounts. Note the password given to you at the bottom of each welcome message and follow the links in that message to change your settings the way you'd like them. I suggest saving that welcome message for future reference, but you will be mailed a reminder of your password once a month if you happen to misplace the welcome message. If you encounter any trouble, please let me know. Maria and I have access to a master list of subscription options for each subscriber that we can alter easily if you can't get your subscription the way you'd like it. Best -Roland rolandmo@pacbell.net PS If someone wants to subscribe to the list, refer her or him to: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l From aliakos at otenet.gr Sat Mar 9 02:52:51 2002 From: aliakos at otenet.gr (LIAKOS ANTONIS) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Re: modern Greek programs References: Message-ID: <002501c1c75c$41445340$32f8673e@aliakos> Link for Modern Greek Studies around the world at the site of Athens University http://history.arch.uoa.gr/hellenicstudies/ A.Liakos ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Syrimis" To: Sent: Friday, March 08, 2002 6:45 PM Subject: modern Greek programs > > Hello everyone, > I have tried to locate the addresses of Modern Greek programs > in Europe and Australia but I've been unable to find them on the MGSA > website. Does anyone know where that information might be? Thanks > > George Syrimis > From anagnostu.1 at osu.edu Sat Mar 9 11:14:36 2002 From: anagnostu.1 at osu.edu (Georgios Anagnostu) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Message-ID: The following information may be of interest to members of the list: A number of fellowships are available to support research in the extensive Modern Greek library collection in the U. of Cincinnati. For details see at http://classics.uc.edu/graffiti.html under the 'Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program'. I thank Siriol Davies of the U. of Cincinnati for passing on this information. Yiorgos Anagnostu From aleontis at umich.edu Sat Mar 9 14:55:12 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek Film Series and Panel Discussion, U of M Message-ID: <3C8A92CF.63984000@umich.edu> The UM Hellenic Student Association and the C. P. Cavafy Professorship in Modern Greek Studies present: Mighty Aphrodites: Greek Women in the 20th Century and Beyond Saturday, March 16, 23 and 30, 2002 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Also sponsored by: - Foundation for Modern Greek Studies - Michigan Student Assembly - Greek Film Center - Institute for Research on Women and Gender - Women's Studies Program Admission: free More info: http://www.umich.edu/~hellas/mightyaphrodites Saturday 3/16 Lorch Hall Aud., 8:00 pm THE PRICE OF LOVE (1984) 110' --- In the beginning of the 20th century on the island of Corfu, a young woman of humble origins and a young man of the gentry whose family is now facing debts fall in love. Her poor dowry is an obstacle to their marrying and he is not willing to go against social norms. As an unmarried mother, the woman will become an outcast. She will rely on her job as a factory worker to help her maintain her dignity and survive in a closed but changing society. Tonia Marketaki's critically acclaimed drama combines a realistic depiction of turn-of-the-century Corfu with a powerful story of betrayal, perseverance and change. Saturday 3/23 Lorch Hall Aud., 8:00 pm VASSILIKI (1997) 135' --- In 1949, as the blood-tainted decade of World War II followed by the Civil War is ending in Greece, Vassiliki, the wife of a missing guerilla, is arrested for aiding her husband's comrades. The officer responsible for her questioning will force himself on her only to find himself in love with her. He will sacrifice his position to be with her but a hostile and unforgiving environment will not let their love thrive. Vagelis Serdaris presents powerful characters in a faithful recreation of 1940's Greece, based on a true story. Saturday 3/30 Michigan Union, Anderson Room D, 5:30 pm Panel/Discussion: The Position of Greek Women in a Changing World --- - Athena McLean, Assoc. Professor, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU - Zana Litos, Research Associate, E. European and Russian Studies, MSU, Instructor, Humanities and Performing Arts, Lansing Community College - Sophia Koufopoulou, Lecturer, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU, Visiting Lecturer, Sociology, MSU - Marilyn Corsianos, Asst. Professor, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU The panelists will draw on their background as women of Greek descent as well as social scientists to address various issues and struggles that women of Greek roots are facing as they negotiate a changing world. - Moderator: Vassilis Lambropoulos, Professor, Modern Greek Studies, UM Saturday 3/30 Lorch Hall Aud., 8:00 pm FEMALE COMPANY (1999) 104' --- Six women, married to more or less influential men of a small town, lead a life of neglect, sexual deprivation and fashionable hairdos. To alleviate their boredom, they spend endless hours card playing, gossiping and hairdressing. The apartment that they find to house their card games will come to house much more as each of them decides to reclaim her right to pleasure with a new partner. However, this "crime" cannot go unpunished in their provincial society and they will find their nemesis in the form of a spiteful private investigator with an assertive mother. Nikos Perakis' satire of the small-town nouveau riche was a record-breaking box office hit in Greece. (All films are 35mm, color, in Greek with English subtitles.) From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Sat Mar 9 20:33:59 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek Film Series and Panel Discussion, U of M Message-ID: On Sat, 9 Mar 2002, Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis wrote: > The UM Hellenic Student Association > and the C. P. Cavafy Professorship in Modern Greek Studies > present: > > [snip] > > Saturday 3/30 > Lorch Hall Aud., 8:00 pm > FEMALE COMPANY (1999) > 104' > --- > Six women, married to more or less influential men of a small town, lead a > life of neglect, sexual deprivation and fashionable hairdos. To alleviate > their boredom, they spend endless hours card playing, gossiping and > hairdressing. The apartment that they find to house their card games will Up to here it reads as if the (unknown to me) movie was made in the 60's ... > come to house much more as each of them decides to reclaim her right to > pleasure with a new partner. However, this "crime" cannot go unpunished in > their provincial society and they will find their nemesis in the form of a > spiteful private investigator with an assertive mother. Nikos Perakis' ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ... but, save *perhaps* for this spicy detail, it sounds dangerously close to a real story from Larissa: the private investigator's apartment-made movie was shown at a dinner party where the husband who sponsored the project invited all eight involved couples (including the hosts)! > satire of the small-town nouveau riche was a record-breaking box office > hit in Greece. Again, I missed this one, but the movie's success testifies to the story's frequency in a rapidly changing, multiculturalism-practicing Greek society. G. B. "I also subscribe to the cockroach theory that if you see one scuttling across the floor, there are probaly others under the baseboar" -- James Greenwood investigating Enron, as reported on bbc.com on 2/24/02 From ckakava at mwc.edu Sun Mar 10 06:26:48 2002 From: ckakava at mwc.edu (Christina Kakava) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek Alternative Communic. systems for ALS patients? Message-ID: Dear MGSA subscribers, I was wondering if anybody has any information on Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems available for Greek (only) patients of Neuromuscular diseases (e.g. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis that affects the bulbar region and as a result makes the speech gradually incoprehensible). Please contact me directly: ckakava@mwc.edu. If there's enough interest, I'll post the results for the list. Thank you very much in advance. Christina Kakava Associate Prof. of Linguistics Department of English, Linguistics, and Speech Mary Washington College Office # (540) 654-1548 Fax # (540) 654-1569 From roilos at fas.harvard.edu Sun Mar 10 17:39:16 2002 From: roilos at fas.harvard.edu (Panagiotis Roilos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Lecture this week Message-ID: Dear all, The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies invites you to the following lecture: Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University), "Articulating Memories: Chronicle, History, and Heritage in the Conservation of the Spaces of the Greek Past." Barker Center for Humanities, Room 114, March 13, at 5:00 pm. Looking forward to seeing you there, Panagiotis Roilos Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Studies Panagiotis Roilos Office tel.: (617) 495-7783 Harvard University Office fax: (617) 496-6720 Department of the Classics e-mail: roilos@fas.harvard.edu Boylston Hall 2nd Floor Cambridge MA 02138 From AKarpathak at aol.com Sun Mar 10 18:53:12 2002 From: AKarpathak at aol.com (AKarpathak@aol.com) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Fwd: CfP: Words, Wars, Worlds: Confronting the Polemics of Narration (Eastern... Message-ID: <6.254c0e86.29bd7618@aol.com> I found a bit of an irony here, but clearly, the politics go much deeper. Anyone interested in commenting on this??? Anna K. -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Martina Rieker Subject: CfP: Words, Wars, Worlds: Confronting the Polemics of Narration (Eastern Mediterranean University) Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 08:31:18 +0100 Size: 7087 Url: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020310/19716428/attachment.mht From roilos at fas.harvard.edu Mon Mar 11 21:08:37 2002 From: roilos at fas.harvard.edu (Panagiotis Roilos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Lecture tomorrow Message-ID: Dear all, The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies invites you to the following lecture: Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University), "Articulating Memories: Chronicle, History, and Heritage in the Conservation of the Spaces of the Greek Past." Barker Center for Humanities, Room 114, March 13, at 5:00 pm. Looking forward to seeing you there, Panagiotis Roilos Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Studies Panagiotis Roilos Office tel.: (617) 495-7783 Harvard University Office fax: (617) 496-6720 Department of the Classics e-mail: roilos@fas.harvard.edu Boylston Hall 2nd Floor Cambridge MA 02138 From aleontis at umich.edu Tue Mar 12 08:23:39 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:25 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] another query Message-ID: <3C8E2B88.3B307066@umich.edu> From mkliro at sfsu.edu Tue Mar 12 11:17:22 2002 From: mkliro at sfsu.edu (Martha Klironomos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Oral History Workshop, Sat., March 16 Message-ID: The Center for Modern Greek Studies The Nikos Kazantzakis Chair San Francisco State University The Greek American Oral History Project and the Modern Greek Studies Foundation Present: A Workshop with Gail Kurtz in Oral History Techniques Saturday, March 16, 2002 11:00 am - 3:30 p.m. Humanities 127 San Francisco Sate University This workshop is intended for the community at large and is not restricted to members of the Greek American community or to those affiliated with the oral history project begun at the Center for Modern Greek Studies. It is open to all individuals who are interested in documenting their own personal oral family histories. The Center for Modern Greek Studies at San Francisco State University, with the support of the Modern Greek Studies Foundation, have recently established the Northern California Greek American Archive at the Center for Modern Greek Studies. The Archive's long-term goal is to document the history of local Greek immigrants and Greek Americans from the earliest immigrations through the twentieth century and continue as an ongoing project into the present millennium. The archive documents the broader history of Greek Americans in northern California but primarily focuses on the Bay Area. The Archive is beginning to compile a collection of videos, audio tapes, primarily of oral histories, and photographs in digitized format on computer discs. In addition, a comprehensive microform collection of Greek American newspapers published throughout California as well as a collection of books and periodicals related to the scope of the Archive and to the history of the Greek American experience are to be housed at the J. Paul Leonard Library at San Francisco State University. The workshop is sponsored by the Center for Modern Greek Studies and the Modern Greek Studies Foundation. Workshop leader is Gail Kurtz, oral history consultant to the Bancroft Library at U.C. Berkeley, Judah Magnes Museum and other Bay Area institutions. For more information and to register, please call the Center Office at (415) 338-1892. This workshop is open to the general public. There is no charge, but reservations are necessary. For reservations, call or e-mail the Center. We advise bringing a sack lunch since most restaurants and snack shops on campus are closed Saturdays. We will provide coffee and cookies. --------------------------------------------------------- Center for Modern Greek Studies Nikos Kazantzakis Chair, San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco. CA 94132 TEL: 415-338-1892 FAX: 415-338-0932 e-mail: modgreek@sfsu.edu web: http://www.sfsu.edu/~modgreek Professor Martha Klironomos, Director Smithy Blackwell, Office Manager From aleontis at umich.edu Tue Mar 12 13:02:11 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Cavafy Conference organized by U of M Classical Studies Message-ID: <3C8E6CD3.FE7901C6@umich.edu> The University of Michigan Department of Classical Studies is pleased to present a lecture and conference: "Greek at a Slight Angle: Cavafy and Classical Poetry" Cavafy read widely in classical literature and his poetry regularly both uses antiquity as overt subject-matter and develops style, theme, and ethos from ancient texts. This conference will read classical Greek authors, especially Hellenistic poets, through Cavafy's readings of them, examining not just how he adapted them, but how his work can reveal new aspects of theirs. Friday, March 15, 4 p.m. Pendelton Room, Michigan Union Gerald Else Lecture Daniel Mendelsohn: "Cavafy and the Erotics of the Lost" Reception to follow Saturday, March 16, Anderson Rooms, Michigan Union 9:15-11:15 "Cavafy and Ancient Aesthetics" Speakers: Ahuvia Kahane, Cavafy Modernism, and the Classical Patricia Rosenmeyer, Love in the Library Kathryn Gutzwiller, Visual Aesthetics in Cavafy and the Greek Anthology 11:30-12:45 "Cavafy and Texts" Speakers David Kutzko, Cavafy and the Discovery of Herodas Ruth Scodel, Young Men of Sidon, Aeschylus' Epitaph, and Canons 2:30-4:30 "Cavafy and Callimachus" Stephanie Winder, Secrets and Lies: Circumscribed Speech in Cavafy and Callimachus Ben Acosta-Hughes, The Poem Remembers: Conceptualization of Memory in the Poetry of Callimachus and Cavafy Mary Depew, The Poetics of the Museum: Aesthetics in Callimachus and Cavafy Organized by the Department of Classical Studies With support from Contexts for Classics, Constantine A. Tsangadas Trust of the Rackham Graduate School, and the C. P. Cavafy Professorship in Modern Greek contact Ruth Scodel rscodel@umich.edu or Anne Shore acshore@umich.edu From gondicas at Princeton.EDU Wed Mar 13 06:09:05 2002 From: gondicas at Princeton.EDU (Dimitri Gondicas) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek Film Screening at Princeton Message-ID: <3C8F5D81.2013F557@princeton.edu> Greek Film Screening: "Loufa kai Parallagi" Thursday, March 14, 2002, Time: 7:00 pm Location: Room 107, 58 Prospect Ave. This week's screening, Loafing and Camouflage (Loufa kai Parallagi), the 1984 comedy by director Nikos Perakis, tells the story of a young filmmaker who attempts to make ends meet during his stint in the Army. Soon after he is transferred from the Bulgarian border to Athens, the junta seizes power and he finds himself working for the fledgling Armed Forces Television Service (YENED). His struggles to cope with the paranoid military culture he encounters in the aftermath of colonels' rise to power make him stumble into several comic situations. The film ranks among the most commercially successful Greek films of the1980s. Te film will be shown with English subtitles. From katsan.1 at osu.edu Thu Mar 14 10:09:31 2002 From: katsan.1 at osu.edu (Gerasimus M. Katsan) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Re: Two Special Hellenic Cultural Events in NYC In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I am forwarding this information to the list for those interested and in the area who might want to attend. Gerasimus Katsan >>> >>>Ciao tutti, >>> >>>For those of you in NYC . . . >>> >>>I just received this information, very late, unfortunately! There is a >>>workshop and a concert this week by Ghetonia, a band from the >>>Griko-Speaking >>>culture of Salento, Italy, presented in part by the World Music Institute, >>>including some discussion and a photo exhibit on tarantismo. All the >>>information is below. >>> >>>There is mention in this press release about Aramire', also from Salento, >>>but don't be confused. They will NOT be performing at this event. BUT >>>ARAMIRE' WILL BE PERFORMING ON THE EAST COAST AND IN NEW YORK THIS APRIL!! >>>I will be sending you information shortly. I also have their new cd, >>>SudEst, >>>for sale and owe you an announcement about that too. (If you can't wait, >>>email me and I'll send you one.) >>> >>>Mary Ciuffitelli >>> >>>____________ >>> >>>(I'm forwarding this note from Robert Browning of WMI. The "we" is not me, >>>but he sums it up nicely so I wanted to include it.) >>> >>>We are co-producing two events with the Onassis >>>Foundation at their center.The firstof these is: >>>A Tribute to the Greek Speaking Culture of Southern Italy - "Grecia >>>Salentina" featuring the documentary film "The Bridges of the Ionian Sea" >>>by >>>Dimitri Mavrikios, a lecture entitled "The Language, the History and the >>>Culture of Grecia Salentina" by Prof. Isabella Bernardini and a short >>>performance by the Ghetonia Ensemble. There is also a photographic >>>exhibition by Luigi Chiriatti. >>>The event takes place on Wednesday. March 13 at 6:30 pm. at the Onassis >>>Cultural Center, 645 Fifth Avenue - entrance from 51st St. Ther will be a >>>reception afterward with refrexhments. >>>The event is free. RSVP (212) 486-4448. Mention that you were invited by >>>World Music Institute. >>> >>>You can e-mail all your friends about this. They are all welcome. They >>>still >>>have room for 100 more.Please pass this on to everyone! >>> >>>All the best, >>>Robert >>> >>> >>>====================== >>> > > Two Special Hellenic Cultural Events presented by the >>> > > Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) >>> > > in collaboration with World Music Institute and ADaM Productions >>> > > >>> > > March 13 - 14, 2002, 6:30 pm >>> > > at the ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER >>> > > Olympic Tower - 645 5th Ave - Enter on 51st Street >>> > > >>> > > ADMISSION FREE >>> > > RESERVATIONS REQUIRED >>> > > Please Call: 212-486 4448 >>> > > >>> > > *********************************** >>> > > March 13, 2002 - 6:30 pm >>> > > >>> > > "GRECIA SALENTINA" >>> > > A tribute* to the Greek speaking Culture of Southern Italy >>> > > >>> > > The cultural tradition of the Greek speaking villages of Southern >>>Italy >>>is >>> > > one of the most precious traditions of Hellenism, which still remains >>> > > alive within the bounds of the two Greek-speaking communities of >>>Salento >>> > > and Calabria. A poetic, "singing" linguistic idiom, which preserves >>> > ancient >>> > > versions of the Greek language, along with more modern italic >>> > > amalgamations. >>> > > The Greek songs of Southern Italy constitute currently the major >>>conveyors >>> > > of the grecanic language (griko's language). In the last years, an >>>open >>> > > line of communication has been established linking the two shores of >>>the >>> > > Ionian Sea, strengthening the bonds. A central and catalytic position >>>in >>> > > this process is held by the ensemble Ghetonia, from Salento, where it >>>was >>> > > originally formed and where it obtained its final outward appearance, >>> > > especially influenced by its contact with the Greek audience. This is >>>the >>> > > most advanced expression of a vague within the newer generation of >>>"Grecia >>> > > Salentina" to rediscover within the songs of the Greek-speaking >>>tradition, >>> > > a linguistic and cultural identity. >>> > > >>> > > Program: >>> > > >>> > > * Presentation of the elements of the tribute by Nikos Valkanos >>> > > * The Bridges of the Ionian Sea: screening of pieces from the >>> > > documentary series of the director Dimitri Mavrikios >>> > > * The Language, the History and the Culture of Grecia Salentina: >>> > > lecture by the professor at the University of Lecce, Isabella >>> > Bernardini >>> > > * Ghetonia Music Ensemble: Live Concert with Greek speaking songs >>>of >>> > > Southern Italy by the 8 piece Ghetonia Music Ensemble >>> > > >>> > > Parallel Events: >>> > > >>> > > Grecia Salentina: The People, The Music and The Ritual "Tarantella >>> > pizzica" >>> > > A PHOTO EXHIBITION of the work of Luigi Chiriatti, a multi-talented >>>artist >>> > > and researcher of the Griko tradition from the town of "Kalimera" in >>>the >>> > > region of Salento, Italy. >>> > > >>> > > The Bibliography of Griko and The Grecanic Cultural Tradition >>> > > An exhibition of the most important publications (dictionaries, >>>studies, >>> > > diaries, literature, musical works etc.) for the Griko idiom, >>>designed >>>by >>> > > Roberto Licci, Luigi Chiriatti and Nikos Valkanos. >>> > > >>> > > *The tribute to "Grecia Salentina" conceived by Arts, Dance and Music >>> > > Productions in collaboration with Nikos Valkanos - OM Center >>> > > >>> > > ************************************************************ >>> > > March 14, 2002 - 6:30 pm >>> > > >>> > > THE MUSIC IN THE AEGEAN SEA THROUGH THE AGES >>> > > >>> > > Lecture by Professor Lambros Liavas >>> > > with live music demonstration by violinist Nikos Ikonomidis and >>>members >>>of >>> > > the Keros Music Ensemble >>> > > >>> > > This lecture points out the richness and the continuity of the Greek >>> > > musical heritage in the area of the Aegean Archipelago through the >>>ages. >>> > > The rich musical life of the Antiquity and the Byzantium is reflected >>>in >>>a >>> > > large number of archaeological finds, miniatures and frescoes, as >>>well >>>as >>> > > in written sources. >>> > > >>> > > The islands and the shores of the Aegean are, from earliest times, >>>the >>> > > stepping stones between the musical worlds of East and the West, Asia >>>and >>> > > Europe, Balkans and the Mediterranean. >>> > > >>> > > This music tradition is characterized by mutual exchanges and >>>creative >>> > > assimilation, treating the new with imagination and inspiration and >>> > > conserving the old out of instinctive respect. >>> > > >>> > > The lecture will be illustrated by the projection of slides and >>> > > accompanied by live musical examples performed by Keti Koulia, >>> > > Nikos Ikonomidis and musicians of the "Keros Music Ensemble". >>> > > >>> > > ************************************************** >>> > > Background Information: >>> > > >>> > > Isabella Bernardini: >>> > > Isabella Bernardini was born in Istanbul (Turkey) in 1948. She >>>graduated >>> > > from the University of Bologna, where she received in degree in >>>Political >>> > > Science. She is one of the founding members of the Modern Greek >>> > > Dialectology Society (1992). Most currently Professor Bernardini has >>>been >>> > > focusing her special knowledge in "Landscape Cultures", a specialized >>> > > course on "Italian-Greek relationships' planning and economic >>>promotion". >>> > > Currently she is teaching a course at the University of Lecce, Italy, >>> > > Modern Greek Language and Literature. >>> > > >>> > > Professor Bernardini has done much research on the relationships >>>between >>> > > Modern Greek and "Griko" languages and also on the common themes of >>>Greek >>> > > and "Grika" popular literature. Most recently she has participated >>>with >>> > > her expertise in international seminars entitled,"History of Greek >>>Dialect >>> > in >>> > > the Hellenic Villages of Grecia Salentina", "Mediterranean Peoples >>>and >>> > > Commonwealth Nations: Connections and Relationships", and "The Greek >>> > > Community of Alexandria of Egypt and Constantino Cavafy". Professor >>> > > Bernardini has also written the introduction to a book on "The Grika >>> > > poetry" >>> > > . >>> > > >>> > > GHETONIA MUSIC ENSEMBLE >>> > > >>> > > ROBERTO LICCI, vocals - guitar >>> > > SALVATORE COTARDO, saxophone - clarinet - flute >>> > > EMMANUELE LICCI, classic guitar - vocals >>> > > FRANCO NUZZO, tamporello - drums >>> > > ADMIR SKURTAJ, accordion >>> > > MASSIMO PINCA, bass >>> > > ANTONIO COTARDO, flute >>> > > FRANCESCA PETRUCCELI, dancer >>> > > >>> > > The Ghetonia Ensemble is the leading group of the new generation in >>>the >>> > > Greek-speaking villages of southern Italy which maintains its >>>cultural >>> > > traditions through its songs. Its repertoire encompasses three >>>traditions >>> > > of southern Italy: the Greek-speaking tradition of Grecia Selentina, >>>the >>> > > traditional healing ritual of tarantella, and the songs from the >>>greater >>> > > region of Otranto (the ancient Greek colony of Ydrous). The group was >>> > > formed in Salerno in 1992 by Roberto Licci. The following year >>> > > Ghetonia appeared at a gathering of the Greek communities from all >>> > > around the world coordinated by the OM Center in Thessalonika. >>> > > Ghetonia went on to perform in Portugal, the Mediterranean festival >>> > > of Marseille, the 15th Festival of the Caribbean in Cuba, the >>> > International >>> > > Festival of Babylon in Iraq, major Italian cities (Rome, Trieste, >>>Milan) >>> > > and the villages of Grecia Salentina. The band's recordings include >>>Per >>> > > ncratamento, three cassettes (Mara l'acqua, Agapiso, Malia), and the >>>CD >>> > > Grecia Salentina- Canti e musiche popolari. The group's leader, >>>Roberto >>> > > Licci, has extensive credits, including the Canzoniere Grecanico >>>Salentino >>> > > band (1976), his first attempt at reviving the rich tradition of >>> > Salentina; the >>> > > 1976 Dimitrios Maurikios film Polemonta; and his ensemble's >>>performance >>> > > on the 1983 Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation's recording dedicated >>>to >>> > > the Greek-speaking tradition. >>> > > >>> > > Luigi Chiriatti: >>> > > Luigi Chiriatti (from Kalimera) has been doing research on >>>ethnographic >>> > > and ethnomusicological in his region of origin for over twenty years. >>>The >>> > > material from his 1979 CD consisted of material from public >>>performances. >>> > > His profound attention to the life of a community with which his >>>shares >>> > > experiences and culture enabled him to select the repertoire through >>>an >>> > > "internal" criterion. He was unaffected by the fashionable exoticism >>>or >>> > > "otherness" which frequently influences selected recordings in this >>>field. >>> > > Aramire', an ensemble led by Luigi Chiriatti perform not only the >>>oral >>> > > and musical traditions of the Salento, but are committed to filed >>>research >>> > > and cultural ecology. They make full use of Chiriatti's private >>>archives >>> > of >>> > > field recordings. These collections of recordings span over 20 years >>>and >>> > > are therefore a good guide in reviving the Salentine oral culture. At >>>the >>> > > International and Interdisciplinary Conference in Los Angeles, >>>October >>> > > 19-28, 2000 the ensemble performed "Performing Ecstasies: Music, >>>Dance, >>> > > and Ritual in the Mediterranean. This event was Co -Sponsored by the >>> > > UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology. There were also two photographic >>> > > exhibitions. These exhibitions were drawn from a collection of Luigi >>> > > Chiriatti, Pilgrimage to Galatina: Images of Tarantismo 1970-1992 >>>will >>> > > explore the traditional Salentine pilgrimage site for tarantati >>>(those >>> > > bitten by the spider) at Galatina, on the south easternmost tip of >>>Italy.) >>> > > >>> > > Lambros Liavas: >>> > > Lambros Liavas was born in Athens in 1959. He attended Athens >>>University >>> > > where he studied Law, as well as The Greek School of Music where he >>> > > studied the theories of European Music along side Yiannis Ioannidis >>>and >>> > > learned to play the piano. Professor Liavas studied Byzantine and >>>Greek >>> > > folk music with Simon Karas at the Music School for the Society for >>>the >>> > > Dissemination of ethnic music (1978-1981). Finally he received his >>> > > Doctorate after a study on "the pear-shaped Lyre in Crete and >>>Dodecanese". >>> > > Lambros Liavas studies were in collaboration with his studies of >>>oriental >>> > > music, research of different areas of Greece and with Greek-speaking >>> > > villages in Italy as well and with the organization of Ethno >>>Musicological >>> > > archives in Geneva. In 1991 he was elected as the Assistant >>>professor >>>and >>> > > in 1998 Associate professor of Ethnomusicology at the Music >>>Department >>> > > of the University of Athens. He has also collaborated with Fivos >>> > > Anoyanakis at the foundation of the "Museum of Greek Folk Musical >>> > > Instruments", of which since 1991 he has been the Director. Lambros >>> > > Liavas works with the State as well as with private radio and >>>television >>> > > stations, producing programs on Greek and international traditional >>>music. >>> > > Since 1991 he has been working as a musical critic for the daily >>>newspaper >>> > > "Eleftherotypia". Lambros Liavas has also been a collaborator with >>>the >>> > > "Friends of Music Society" on a scientific program of research for >>>the >>> > Greek >>> > > music of Thrace and Eastern Macedonia. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > Nikos Ikonomidis & the Keros Music Ensemble: >>> > > Nikos Ikonomidis was born into a musical family living on the small >>>island >>> > > of Shinousa (in the Cyclades). Inspired by both his grandfather and >>> > > father, both well known violinists he began his studies of the >>>classical >>> > > violin. He studied at the Athenian Odium with the assistance of >>>Ismini >>> > > Carter-Chysochoos, and at the National Odium with Kosta Setta. Nikos >>> > > Ikonimidis never ceased to research the style of music that primarily >>> > > interested him, traditional folk music. Throughout his career he has >>> > > involved himself with the official registration of Greek national >>>music >>>in >>> > > recordings and films for the national TV network and has also >>>dedicated >>> > > himself to performing and teaching traditional music. >>> > > Nikos Ikonomidis worked with many great artists of traditional music, >>>such >>> > > as Chronis Aidonidis and Domna Samiou, the renowned composer Giannis >>> > > Markopoulos, and with popular singers such as Mariza Koh, Haris >>>Alexiou, >>> > > and Giorgos Dalaras. He has contributed to the formation of >>>traditional >>> > music >>> > > bands such as Akrites and his current group, Keros Music Ensemble. >>>He >>>has >>> > > also participated in many festivals and recordings. His latest >>>credits >>> > > include his completed research on the northern and eastern Aegean, >>> > > featured on the recording East of the Aegean and music of Kithira and >>> > > Amorgos, featured on Passage to Kithira and Passage to Amorgos. >>> > > >>> > > **************************** >>> > > ___________________________________ >>> > > >>> > > If you would like to add someone to the list, please send an email to >>> > > mailinglist@heartheworld.org with "add to email list" written in the >>> > > subject field. If you are on this list and wish to be removed, please >>>send >>> > > an email with "unsubscribe" written in the subject field to >>> > > mailinglist@heartheworld.org. This list will only be used to announce >>> > > upcoming concerts and other WMI related information. It will not be >>>sold >>> > > to or used by any other organization. Please do not post items to >>>this >>> > list. >>> > > ___________________________________ >>> > > >>> > > World Music Institute >>> > > 49 West 27th Street, Suite 930 >>> > > New York, NY 10001 >>> > > Phone: (212)-545-7536 >>> > > Fax: (212)-889-2771 >>> > > www.heartheworld.org >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > >>> > >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: >http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx From mkliro at sfsu.edu Fri Mar 15 10:37:16 2002 From: mkliro at sfsu.edu (Martha Klironomos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Oral History Workshop Message-ID: The Center for Modern Greek Studies The Nikos Kazantzakis Chair San Francisco State University The Greek American Oral History Project and the Modern Greek Studies Foundation Present: A Workshop with Gail Kurtz in Oral History Techniques Saturday, March 16, 2002 11:00 am - 3:30 p.m. Humanities 127 San Francisco Sate University This workshop is intended for the community at large and is not restricted to members of the Greek American community or to those affiliated with the oral history project begun at the Center for Modern Greek Studies. It is open to all individuals who are interested in documenting their own personal oral family histories. The Center for Modern Greek Studies at San Francisco State University, with the support of the Modern Greek Studies Foundation, have recently established the Northern California Greek American Archive at the Center for Modern Greek Studies. The Archive's long-term goal is to document the history of local Greek immigrants and Greek Americans from the earliest immigrations through the twentieth century and continue as an ongoing project into the present millennium. The archive documents the broader history of Greek Americans in northern California but primarily focuses on the Bay Area. The Archive is beginning to compile a collection of videos, audio tapes, primarily of oral histories, and photographs in digitized format on computer discs. In addition, a comprehensive microform collection of Greek American newspapers published throughout California as well as a collection of books and periodicals related to the scope of the Archive and to the history of the Greek American experience are to be housed at the J. Paul Leonard Library at San Francisco State University. The workshop is sponsored by the Center for Modern Greek Studies and the Modern Greek Studies Foundation. Workshop leader is Gail Kurtz, oral history consultant to the Bancroft Library at U.C. Berkeley, Judah Magnes Museum and other Bay Area institutions. For more information and to register, please call the Center Office at (415) 338-1892. This workshop is open to the general public. There is no charge, but reservations are necessary. For reservations, call or e-mail the Center. We advise bringing a sack lunch since most restaurants and snack shops on campus are closed Saturdays. We will provide coffee and cookies. --------------------------------------------------------- Center for Modern Greek Studies Nikos Kazantzakis Chair, San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco. CA 94132 TEL: 415-338-1892 FAX: 415-338-0932 e-mail: modgreek@sfsu.edu web: http://www.sfsu.edu/~modgreek Professor Martha Klironomos, Director Smithy Blackwell, Office Manager From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Fri Mar 15 13:14:42 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Oral History Workshop In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Not directly related to this, but: is anyone using the Ellis Island Records (www.ellisislandrecords.org) for 'documentation' of Greek immigration? There seems to be some great potential there! By the way, regarding an old post of mine on coffeehouses, I received a few responses off list (at least one of which was meant to be public), pointing toward an initially purely Muslim tradition, and a couple of references: Hattox, Ralph: Coffeehouses, The origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieaval Near East, Univ. of Washington, Near Eastern Studies #3, 1985 Heise, Ulla: Coffee and Coffee-houses, West Chester (PA), Schiffer, 1987 From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Sun Mar 17 15:25:55 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Conference at York University, Toronto (fwd) Message-ID: * Conference on Greece at York -- final program York University organizes a conference on Modern Greek Studies, Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23, 2002, at Founder's College building, Assembly Hall, 152 Founders College. Founders College is north of the Student Centre and of the Retail Centre, which are the main meeting points at York. Local public transporation: You can take the subway north to Downsview station (left part of U, north of Wilson) and then, with the same ticket, pick the York Rocket Bus 196, which is an express bus to York. There is a regular bus as well, 104, that goes to York, but I would not suggest it. The Rocket is every 12 or 15 minutes and it is really fast. The conference is sponsored by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation. The final program is appended below. There is no registration fee for attending these lectures. ``Modern Greece in a International Context'', March 22-23, 2002. A conference organized by York U. Friday, March 22, 2002 - 11:00 a.m. Session 1: The 19th Century * Alex Kitroeff, Haverford College, "Greek Nationhood Between East and West: the late 19th century" * Katherine Fleming, New York University, "The language of Orthodoxy: Hellenism and the Gospel Riots of 1901" - 2:30 p.m. Session 2: World Wars and civil war * Richard Clogg, St. Antony's College, Oxford, "Academics at War: the British School at Athens and the American School of Classical Studies in two World Wars" * Stathis Kalyvas, University of Chicago, "Resistance, collaboration, and Civil War: Reflections on the Greek Civil War" * Janet Carol Hart, University of Michigan, "Tales from the walled city: aesthetics of political prison culture in post-war Greece" - 5:00 p.m. Reception Saturday, March 23, 2002 - 10:30 a.m. Session 3: Greece and its neighbours * Alexis Alexandris, Consul general of Greece in Toronto, "The Ecumenical Patriarchate and its international position since World War II" * Gerasimos Augustinos, University of South Carolina, "Greece, the Balkans, and Europe" * Susannah Verney, University of Athens, "Greece and the European Union" * Panagiotis Tsakonas, The University of the Aegean, "The breakthrough in Greek-Turkish relations: Helsinki and its aftermath" - 2:30 p.m. Session 4: Greek identities * Antonis Liakos, University of Athens, "Citizenship and identity in modern Greece" * Thomas Gallant, University of Florida, "From Romioi to Hellenes to Evropaioi: Greek identities in the Modern Age" * Adamantia Pollis, New School University, "Greece: a civic or ethnic nation-state?" From gondicas at Princeton.EDU Mon Mar 18 08:39:27 2002 From: gondicas at Princeton.EDU (Dimitri Gondicas) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek Film Screening at Princeton Message-ID: <3C96183F.E84B7B38@princeton.edu> PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Program in Hellenic Studies http://www.princeton.edu/~hellenic/ Greek Film Screening Thursday, March 21, 2002, Time: 7:00 pm Location: Room 107, 58 Prospect Ave. "Balkanizateur" (1998) Directed by Sotiris Goritsas Starring Stelios Mainas, Gerasimos Skiadaressis, Yiota Festa, Nikos Portokaloglou Running time: 1:38 "Balkanizateur" is the story of two Greek men's journey through the Balkans to Switzerland in an effort to make some quick money by converting drachmas into leva and leva into dollars. This humorous film is a witty critique of cultural contradictions in contemporary Europe, as well as of Greece's ambiguous position in the modern world. The film will be shown with English subtitles From roilos at fas.harvard.edu Mon Mar 18 12:41:07 2002 From: roilos at fas.harvard.edu (Panagiotis Roilos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] News from the George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies: "HELLENIC ENCOUNTERS" at the Harvard Film Archive Message-ID: Dear all, The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies invites you to the "HELLENIC ENCOUNTERS"--A Movie Series at the Harvard Film Archive: The "Hellenic Encounters" has been organized in the context of the literature classes offered by the George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies this semester: 1."The Poetics of the Spirit: Nikos Kazantzakis." 2."Exploring Modernism: The Poetry of C.P. Cavafy and G. Seferis." --Tuesday, March 19, 9:30, Dassin's "He Who Must Die" ("Christ is Recrucified") Directed by Jules Dassin, France/Italy 1957 At the end of World War I, a Greek village that is prospering under laissez-faire Turkish dominion and practicing for its annual Easter passion play finds itself host to a horde of starving peasants - survivors of a distant massacre. Fearing the wrath of the Turkish bey, the village elders refuse them refuge, but a few - including the local harlot, cast as Mary Magdalene, and an illiterate shepherd assigned to play Jesus - come to their aid, with fateful consequences. Adapting Nikos Kazantzakis's Christ Recrucified, Dassin and fellow blacklist exile Ben Barzman create a timeless parable of righteous defiance in the face of corrupt authority. We are pleased to present a newly restored 35mm archival CinemaScope print, courtesy of MGM. --Tuesday, April 16, 9:00, Scorcese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" The Hellenic Encounters has been co-sponsored by The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies and the Harvard Film Archive. Additional financial support has been offered to the Harvard Film Archive by the Kokkalis Program on Southeastern Europe at KSG. Looking forward to seeing you there, Panagiotis Roilos Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Studies Panagiotis Roilos Office tel.: (617) 495-7783 Harvard University Office fax: (617) 496-6720 Department of the Classics e-mail: roilos@fas.harvard.edu Boylston Hall 2nd Floor Cambridge MA 02138 From Roland at prev.org Mon Mar 18 16:49:11 2002 From: Roland at prev.org (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:26 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Spring Events 2002/Hellenic Studies/Columbia University Message-ID: From: vy5@columbia.edu DIASPORA, IMMIGRATION, AND GREECE Program in Hellenic Studies/Spring Events In connection with the Kimon A. Doukas Lecture on Wednesday, March 27, the Program in Hellenic Studies and the Greek American Undergraduate Association of Columbia University have organized a film festival on Diasporas --Greek diasporas and diasporas in Greece today. The films will be shown throughout March and April. Monday, March 25, 2002 From rolandmo at pacbell.net Mon Mar 18 21:38:13 2002 From: rolandmo at pacbell.net (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] FW: Preservation of American Hellenic History Message-ID: <0GT700KSRGZQW1@mta5.snfc21.pbi.net> The following site has been added to the list of useful links in the MGSA website: http://www.mgsa.org/links.html (suggestions for additional links or updates are welcome -Roland rolandmo@pacbell.net) Preservation of American Hellenic History http://www.pahh.com/ Our site is dedicated to the Preservation of American Hellenic History. It is meant to be a national umbrella website to promote and coordinate local Greek-American history organizations. We invite the participation of individuals and groups nationwide. Each local organization maintains its own pages, including contact pages, and each indicates some of the resources available for research in its location. So, the site should be interest to your members. This is a non-commercial, volunteer endeavor. (We hold the PAHH.org domain-name, which points to the site also, while we prefer to use the PAHH.com version for visitors' ease of memory.) Sincerely, M.K. Mousalimas mailto: admin@pahh.com From Roland at prev.org Mon Mar 18 20:53:28 2002 From: Roland at prev.org (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] History Workshop at Brown University in April Message-ID: From: "Margarita Miliori" My name is Margarita Miliori and I am a visiting assistant professor in Modern Greek History at Brown University (this is my second year at this post). I am writing to announce a two-day History Workshop on 'Western Visions and the Construction of Identities in Southeast Europe', that I am organizing here at Brown on 25 -26 April 2002. The workshop is sponsored by the Program of Modern Greek Studies at Brown, and the members and friends of the MGSA are very cordially invited to attend. I attach below the program of the Workshop. The Program of Modern Greek Studies at Brown University invites you to Western Visions and the Construction of Identities in Southeast Europe A History Workshop on the Late Ottoman Empire and the Balkans Brown University, 25 26 April 2002 The workshop will bring together a number of scholars who work on identity construction in the late Ottoman Empire and in the Balkan nation-states, in order to discuss how the West , viewed as a symbolic entity and as a source of canonical discourses, has influenced the ways in which people in Europe s South-East imagined themselves, their past and their future, in the late 19th and in the 20th centuries. Thursday, 25 April 2002 (Piano Lounge, Graduate Center, 92 Thayer St.) 9.30-10.15 am: Welcome, Opening Remarks: David Konstan and Margarita Miliori (Brown University) 10.15am-1pm: Western Visions and Political and Social Change in the late Ottoman Empire Haris Exertzoglou (University of the Aegean, Greece): Luxury and its Uses; A Perspective from the Late Ottoman Period / G?nhan B?rek?i (Sabanci University, Turkey): Framing the Western Images; Visual Representation and the French Revolution in the late Ottoman Cartoon Space / Vangelis Kechriotis (University of Athens, Greece): Allons enfants de la& ville ; Celebrating the French Revolution in Izmir at the turn of the 20th century. Moderator/discussant: Engin Akarli (Brown University). 3.00-600 pm: Balkan Nation-Building and Western Norms: History and Politics Effi Gazi (University of Thessaly, Greece): Creating national disciplines ; Greek Academics and their intellectual contacts and influences at the end of the nineteenth century / Monika Baar (University of Oxford, UK): The Competition of the Ideals of Liberalism and Nationalism in Romanian Historiography towards the Second Half of the 19th Century. / Augusta Dimou (European University Institute, Italy): Between the Skylla and Harybdis; The Contextualization of Socialism as a Modern Discourse in Bulgaria (1891-1903). Moderator/discussant: Margarita Miliori (Brown University) Friday, 26 April 2002 (Swig Board Room, 241, CIS, Brook and Thayer St.) 10-11am: Guest Speaker: Larry Wolff (Boston College, USA): Venice and the Slavs in the Eighteenth Century. 11am 2pm: Confronting the Tropes; Balkan and Western Stereotypes in Shifting Contexts. Tolga Esmer (University of Chicago, USA): Delivering Identities; Postcards and Popular Culture in Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire Prior to WW I / Ioanna Laliotou (University of Thessaly, Greece): America is our West; Migration and Images of the West in Greece, 1900 1950 / Predrag Markovic (Belgrade Institute for the Study of Contemporary History, Yugoslavia): Who is European and who is Barbarian among the peoples of ex-Yugoslavia; a tag- play of the stereotype transfer. Moderator/discussant: Athena Athanasiou (Brown University) Reception/Buffet (at the Piano Lounge, Graduate Center 3.30 5.00 pm: Concluding Remarks: Tom Gleason and Engin Akarli (Brown University) General Discussion: All Participants For updated information contact Margarita_Miliori@Brown.edu , or see (forthcoming) http://www.brown .edu/Modern_Greek_Studies/Western_Visions/ From boogie at the.forthnet.gr Mon Mar 18 23:08:21 2002 From: boogie at the.forthnet.gr (AStefanidou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Greek American poetry Message-ID: <002e01c1cf14$db2f72e0$17f6dbc2@nasiousk> I would greatly appreciate it if a list member could share any information he/she might have concerning the first Greek or Greek American poets, such as Aristides Phoutrides, Demetrios Michalaros, George Coutoumanos and others. I am particularly interested in the private or public libraries which hold material by or about early Greek or Greek American poets or in any other sort of information which you might consider relevant. If someone would like to contact me, please do so by writing directly to my email address. A few months ago I completed my doctoral dissertation on Greek American poets and I would be interested in exhanging ideas with people interested in Greek American literature. Thank you very much. Anastasia Stefanidou School of English Aristotle University Thessaloniki email: boogie@the.forthnet.gr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020319/880bedb5/attachment.html From aleontis at umich.edu Tue Mar 19 18:48:45 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] two queries Message-ID: <3C97F887.1FDA8805@umich.edu> Hello. I have two questions. First question: A story by a Cretan author Xexakis who wrote short stories in the 1970s describes a scene in which women wash the skulls of men killed during the occupation in wine. A prehistorian colleague asks if there is a modern ritual, or any evidence of other such rituals involving skulls. Perhaps one of our colleagues in anthropology can answer this. I'd love to give her an answer. Bibliography would be welcome. Second question: Any bibliographical references or records showing how and when the market was established in Athens during Ottoman times? Thanks in advance. You can write to me directly at: aleontis@umich.edu Artemis From mkliro at sfsu.edu Tue Mar 19 20:31:52 2002 From: mkliro at sfsu.edu (Martha Klironomos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Annual Petris Lecture on Cyprus Message-ID: The Modern Greek Studies Foundation The Center for Modern Greek Studies the Nikos Kazantzakis Chair The Colleges of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences San Francisco State Unviersity Present Elizabeth Prodromou, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boston University, who will deliver the Annual Senator Nicholas Petris Lecture: "Partition versus Patriotism: Evaluating the Choices for a Cyprus Solution" Professor Prodromou writes of her topic: "It is a reflection of the many paradoxes of the post-Cold War international system that, only a little more than a decade after the triumph of the reunification of Germany, partition theory has enjoyed a renaissance amongst scholars and policymakers preoccupied with problems of peace building." Ongoing and acute instability in the contiguous regions of Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean has contributed significantly to a rise in the stock of partition theory. Using Cyprus as a case study for the merits of partition theory, Professor Prodromou rejects the claim that partition is the optimal solution for preventive responses to communal violence. Instead, she posits that the least-worst option for resolving communal conflict is to promote democracy building according to notions of collective identity expressed in terms of a nation of citizens. She proposes that the prospects for democratization in any solution beyond the current conditions in Cyprus, as well as for regional democratization, are optimized by a national construct built on constitutional patriotism. Professor Elizabeth Prodromou is the Associate Director of the Institute on Religion and World Affairs at Boston University, where she also teaches in the Department of International Relations. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the M.I.T. She has taught at Princeton, Harvard and Tufts Universities. She is a regional expert on Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Her scholarship and policy work focuses on religion and international relations, nationalism and conflict resolution, democracy and religious change, culture and international security. She is active in public policy, and has worked with numerous government, and international institutions. Professor Prodromou is also Executive Director at the Cambridge Foundation for Peace, and Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University in the Kennedy School of Government. The lecture will take place on Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 3:00 p.m. in the Humanities Building 133, on the San Francisco State University campus. A reception sponsored by the Modern Greek Studies Foundation will follow. Please join us. --------------------------------------------------------- Center for Modern Greek Studies Nikos Kazantzakis Chair, San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco. CA 94132 TEL: 415-338-1892 FAX: 415-338-0932 e-mail: modgreek@sfsu.edu web: http://www.sfsu.edu/~modgreek Professor Martha Klironomos, Director Smithy Blackwell, Office Manager From george.syrimis at yale.edu Wed Mar 20 07:28:48 2002 From: george.syrimis at yale.edu (George Syrimis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Venetsanou Message-ID: Is anyone aware of a concert by Nena Venetsanou in NYC tomorrow, Thursday? If so, are tickets still available and how does one go about getting them? Thanks. George Syrimis From hellenic at Princeton.EDU Wed Mar 20 13:50:33 2002 From: hellenic at Princeton.EDU (Hellenic Studies) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] TEST Message-ID: <3C990429.4F67A870@princeton.edu> THIS IS A TEST -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Program in Hellenic Studies Princeton University 58 Prospect Avenue Princeton, NJ 08544 U.S.A. Tel.: (609) 258-3339 Fax: (609) 258-2137 Web: http://www.princeton.edu/~hellenic/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From hellenic at Princeton.EDU Fri Mar 22 09:32:31 2002 From: hellenic at Princeton.EDU (Hellenic Studies) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] HELLENIC STUDIES WEEKLY WORKSHOP, FRIDAY MARCH 29, 2002, 2:30 P.M. Message-ID: <3C9B6AAF.F4A62E11@princeton.edu> PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Program in Hellenic Studies hellenic@princeton.edu http://www.princeton.edu/~hellenic/ Hellenic Studies Workshop DATE: Friday, March 29, 2002 TIME: 2:30 p.m. PLACE: 58 Prospect Avenue, Princeton, NJ Room 101 SPEAKER: Stelios Virvidakis University of Athens Visiting Fellow, Program in Hellenic Studies Email: svirvida@princeton.edu ?Between Philosophy and Literature: Modern and Postmodern Tendencies in Contemporary Greek Criticism? ABSTRACT: There are various ways in which one can approach the problem of the relations between philosophy and literature. This paper provides a particular account that aims at bringing to light different kinds and levels of interaction. I begin by isolating some generally accepted characteristics respectively of philosophy and literature, emphasizing the cognitive or quasi-cognitive aspirations of the former and the aesthetic function of the latter. I then concentrate on ?external? relations of more or less easily identifiable and separable elements having to do with the content of philosophical thought and the form of literary expression. After describing some possible uses of philosophy in literature and of literature in philosophy, I move to the study of a deeper level of mutual influence. Following Arthur Danto?s analysis of the philosophical disenfranchisement of art, I want to examine the contemporary tendency towards a philosophical disenfranchisement of literature and point to an analogous, converse tendency towards a literary disenfranchisement of philosophy. I try to explain this phenomenon and to take into consideration the influence and the possible mediating role of recent literary theory, focusing on a number of examples from contemporary Greek literature and criticism. Indeed, I am especially interested in the reception of literary theory in Greece, in its uses and applications, and in the debate between traditionally oriented critics and more theoretically inclined authors, who often describe themselves as postmodernists. I shall conclude with an attempt at a tentative critical assessment of the development of relations between philosophy and literature, leading to their parallel transformation through osmosis. I intend to defend the thesis that we should resist this double disenfranchisement, insofar as it seems to result in bad literature and literary theory presented as philosophy and in bad philosophy presented as literature and literary theory. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Stelios Virvidakis was born in Athens in 1955. After graduating from Athens College in 1974, he studied Philosophy and Classics at the University of Athens (Ptychion), and Philosophy and History of Philosophy at the University of Paris I (Ma?trise, D.E.A.) and at Princeton University (Ph.D). He has taught at the American College of Greece (Deree) and at the Universities of Thessaloniki, Crete and Rennes. He is currently an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy and History of Science of the University of Athens. His publications include several articles in Greek, in French and in English and a monograph (La robustesse du bien, ??mes: ?ditions Jacqueline Chambon, 1996), in the areas of ethics, metaethics, epistemology and the history of philosophy, as well as philosophy textbooks for Greek highschools and the Greek Open University. He is a member of the editorial board of a number of philosophical and social science journals such as Deukalion, Philosophical Inquiry, Isopoliteia and Episteme kai Koinonia, and he is the representative of the European Society for Analytic Philosophy in Greece. The HELLENIC STUDIES WORKSHOP provides an opportunity for post-doctoral Fellows, visiting fellows, and graduate students to present their work-in-progress or recently published research. The aim is to encourage exchange of ideas across disciplines among Classical scholars, Byzantinists, and Modern Greek Studies specialists. DATES: Most Fridays, 2:30-4:00pm, during the term. Dates, speakers and titles will be announced in advance via e-mail. PLACE: Room 101, 58 Prospect Ave (Program in Hellenic Studies), Princeton University For further information about Hellenic Studies current events please refer to the calendar posted on our website: http://www.princeton.edu/~hellenic/calendar.html -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Program in Hellenic Studies Princeton University 58 Prospect Avenue Princeton, NJ 08544 U.S.A. Tel.: (609) 258-3339 Fax: (609) 258-2137 Web: http://www.princeton.edu/~hellenic/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020322/079ee9d5/attachment.html From info at caratzas.com Sat Mar 23 12:24:59 2002 From: info at caratzas.com (J. S. Philobiblos, Jr.) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Publication Announcement by Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher Message-ID: <3C9CE49A.ADA22BBA@caratzas.com> New York, March 23- Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher announces the publication of "'Founded on Freedom and Virtue:' Documents Illustrating the Impact in the United States of the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1829, " edited by Constantine G. Hatzidimitriou. This book, the product of over fifteen years of research aims extensively to document the American response to the declaration of Greek War of Independence. It is not widely known today that when the news of the Greek uprising reached the United States the was American was spontaneous. In large part due to the efforts of Edward ("Grecian") Everett, Harvard Greek professor and later prominent political figure, some of the most distinguished Americans of the time publicly supported the Greek struggle. Because the Greeks were descendants of the ancients, but largely because of their commitment to democracy and Christian faith, Americans of all walks of life expressed an intense emotional commitment to the Greek cause and organized an extensive and generous movement in support. As detailed information on the fighting and the brutality of the Turkish response became known in America, prominent men such as Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, congressmen Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Sam Houston and many others, were moved to speak and to act in support of Greek independence. "Founded on Freedom and Virtue" is a collection of official and unofficial contemporary documents tracing the American response. The book is divided into the following sections on: 1. "Aspects of American Philhellenism," which concentrates on Everett's activities seeking to inform public opinion and to arouse interest in the plight of the Greeks. 2. "The Greek Uprising as Reported in the Press," includes representative articles reporting events that influenced American public opinion such as the fall of Messolongi and the massacre at Chios . 3. "The Grass Roots Response," includes the texts of proclamations of support issued by state legislatures and a range of organizations: fraternal, professional and student groups as well as letters from individuals to the press, editorials and other evidence of popular expression. 4. "The 'Greek Question' as an Issue in U.S. Foreign Policy" documents the debate between the Executive and Congress on whether to support the Greeks. The speeches often eloquently juxtaposed the conflicts still encountered by democracies, i.e. the clash between geopolitical and commercial considerations versus ideals, principles and values. 5."Tangible Support" documents the actions of some Americans who were moved by the Greek cause to join the freedom fighters. Extracts from their letters and memoirs are included in this section. It is less known that perhaps the first, albeit unofficial, U.S. foreign aid project is probably that which was collected and delivered to Greece. Finally, an extended introduction by Aristide Caratzas and Constantine Hatzidimitriou provides the background and context for each of the document sections. At a time when foundational values of the United States are tested by policies, such as support for the tyrannical Kemalist Turkish regime, this book in part aims to remind us of the instrinsic relationship between two democracies. The closing lines of the letter by the Messenian Senate asking for support by the citizens and Congress of the United States stated, ". . . the bonds of gratitude and fraternity will forever unite the Greeks and the Americans. Our interests are of a nature more and more to cement an alliance founded on freedom and virtue." "Founded on Freedom and Virtue" Documents Illustrating the Impact in the United States of the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1829 http://www.caratzas.com/category.cfm?Category=152 lxiv+384 pages, illustrated Available paperbound and clothbound Paperbound ISBN: 0-89241-581-9 Clothbound ISBN: 0-89241-572-X Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher http://www.caratzas.com From george.syrimis at yale.edu Mon Mar 25 08:33:35 2002 From: george.syrimis at yale.edu (George Syrimis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Conference Reminder Message-ID: Modern Greece and its Monuments Hellenic Studies Conference, April 5-6 Yale University, Whitney Humanities Center, Auditorium, 53 Wall Street, New Haven Friday, April 5 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Maria Georgopoulou, 1:15 p.m. Session I: 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. ARCHAEOLOGY, MYTH, AND THE MUSEUM Moderator: J.J. Pollitt (Yale University) Eleana Yalouri (Princeton University) The Acropolis at Athens. Readings of a National Monument's 'sacredness' Can Bilsel (Getty Center & Princeton University) Zeus in Exile: Space, Form and Spectacle in Berlin's Pergamon Museum Artemis Leontis (University of Michigan Ann Arbor) What's the place of a Modern Poet in an Archaeological Museum? Coffee break, 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. Session II: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. THE CHALLENGE OF EUROPE Moderator: Christopher S. Wood (Yale University) Nina Athanassoglou-Kallmyer (University of Delaware) Classicism and Resistance in Late nineteenth-century European Art Irene D. Fatsea (University of Thessaly) The reception of J.J. Winckelmann by Greek Scholarship during the formative stage of the Greek State (1832-1862) Public Reception, 6 - 7 p.m., Whitney Humanities Center Saturday, April 6 Session III: 9.30 a.m. - 12 p.m. OTHER WORLDS? Moderator: Dimitri Gutas (Yale University) Robert Nelson (University of Chicago) Hagia Sophia A Modern Greek Monument? Molly Greene (Princeton University) Ottoman Archives and Greek History Eleni Bastea (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque) Between Home and Nation: Memories of Place in Modern Greece Vangelis Calotychos (New York University) 'Twice a Greek' in Cyprus: On Monumentalizing Greece Elsewhere Session IV: 1:30 - 3.30 p.m. CREATING THE HOMELAND Moderator: Thomas Tartaron (Yale University) Susan Sutton (Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis) Blinded by the Site: National Monuments and Local Places in Greece Alexandros Lagopoulos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) Monumental urban space and national identity:Thessaloniki in the early twentieth century Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University) Monumental Concerns: Popular Historiography and the Fate of Domestic Spaces in Greece Coffee break 3.30-4 pm Session V: 4 - 6 p.m. BACK TO THE FUTURE? Moderator: George Syrimis (Yale University) Vilma Hastaoglou-Martinidis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) Looking towards the past, looking towards the future. Urban design projects for "Thessaloniki 1997" Cultural Capital of Europe Panayotis Tournikiotis (National Technical University of Athens) The construction of the Athens' architectural heritage and the aesthetics of historical stratification Stavros Lambrinidis (Ambassador, Director of the International Olympic Truce Centre) The Olympic Truce: An Ancient Concept for the New Millennium For more information contact Rosemarie Hansen, (203) 432-3423; rosemarie.hansen@yale.edu The Conference is sponsored by the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation, the Kempf Fund, the Whitney Humanities Center and it is free and open to the public -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020325/3c3486e2/attachment.html From aleontis at umich.edu Sun Mar 24 12:23:29 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Lecture on Greek historiography Message-ID: <3C9E35C0.7006E69F@umich.edu> The C. P. Cavafy Professorship in Modern Greek Studies is pleased to present: A lecture by Antonis Liakos Professor of History, University of Athens ?Post Colonial Studies and Modern Greek History? Wednesday, March 27, 2002 at 4 pm Classical Studies Library, 2175 Angell Hall From J.S.Philobiblos at mta4.service.uci.edu Sat Mar 23 13:09:12 2002 From: J.S.Philobiblos at mta4.service.uci.edu (J.S.Philobiblos@mta4.service.uci.edu) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] New Caratzas Publication on US & the Greek Revolution Message-ID: <200203232117.g2NLHck04595@mta4.service.uci.edu> New York, March 23- Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher announces the publication of "'Founded on Freedom and Virtue:' Documents Illustrating the Impact in the United States of the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1829, " edited by Constantine G. Hatzidimitriou; it is a work of special interest to Greeks and Greek-Americans in that it traces the roots of the relationship between Greece and the United States. This book, the product of over fifteen years of research aims extensively to document the American response to the declaration of Greek War of Independence. It is not widely known today that when the news of the Greek uprising reached the United States the American reaction was spontaneous. In large part due to the efforts of Edward ("Grecian") Everett, Harvard Greek professor and later prominent political figure, some of the most distinguished Americans of the time publicly supported the Greek struggle. Because the Greeks were descendants of the ancients, but largely because of their commitment to democracy and the Christian faith, Americans of all walks of life expressed an intense emotional commitment to the Greek cause and organized an extensive and generous movement in support. As detailed information on the fighting and the brutality of the Turkish response became known in America, prominent men such as Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, congressmen Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Sam Houston and many others, were moved to speak and to act in support of Greek independence. "Founded on Freedom and Virtue" is a collection of official and unofficial contemporary documents tracing the American response. The book is divided into the following sections on: 1. "Aspects of American Philhellenism," which concentrates on Everett's activities seeking to inform public opinion and to arouse interest in the plight of the Greeks. 2. "The Greek Uprising as Reported in the Press," includes representative articles reporting events that influenced American public opinion such as the fall of Messolongi and the massacre at Chios . 3. "The Grass Roots Response," includes the texts of proclamations of support issued by state legislatures and a range of organizations: fraternal, professional and student groups as well as letters from individuals to the press, editorials and other evidence of popular expression. 4. "The 'Greek Question' as an Issue in U.S. Foreign Policy" documents the debate between the Executive and Congress on whether to support the Greeks. The speeches often eloquently juxtaposed the conflicts still encountered by democracies, i.e. the clash between geopolitical and commercial considerations versus ideals, principles and values. 5."Tangible Support" documents the actions of some Americans who were moved by the Greek cause to join the freedom fighters. Extracts from their letters and memoirs are included in this section. It is less known that perhaps the first, albeit unofficial, U.S. foreign aid project is probably that which was collected and delivered to Greece. Finally, an extended introduction by Aristide Caratzas and Constantine Hatzidimitriou provides the background and context for each of the document sections. At a time when foundational values of the United States are tested by policies, such as support for the tyrannical Kemalist Turkish regime, this book in part aims to remind us of the instrinsic relationship between two democracies. The closing lines of the letter by the Messenian Senate asking for support by the citizens and Congress of the United States stated, ". . . the bonds of gratitude and fraternity will forever unite the Greeks and the Americans. Our interests are of a nature more and more to cement an alliance founded on freedom and virtue." Information Summary: "'Founded on Freedom and Virtue" Documents Illustrating the Impact in the United States of the Greek War of Independence, 1821-1829 Edited by Constantine G. Hatzidimitriou lxiv+384 pages, illustrated Available paperbound and clothbound Paperbound ISBN: 0-89241-581-9 Clothbound ISBN: 0-89241-572-X http://www.caratzas.com/category.cfm?Category=152 [ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS AND PARISHES CONTACT US FOR INFORMATION ON QUANTITY PURCHASES] Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher Melissa International Publications, Ltd. http://www.caratzas.com Distributed by Caratzas/SVS Book Service 575 Scarsdale Road, Crestwood NY 10707-1677 USA Tel: 914-961-2203 Fax: 914-961-5456 From Roland at prev.org Tue Mar 26 12:03:44 2002 From: Roland at prev.org (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Lecture at Brown U., Apr. 22, 2002 - Mackridge on Diglossia Message-ID: From: Elsa Amanatidou [mailto:Elsa_Amanatidou@Brown.edu] The Committee of Modern Greek Studies at Brown University invite you to the following lecture: Peter Mackridge, St Cross College, Oxford "Diglossia and the Separation of Discourses in Greek Culture" Monday, April 22, 2002 6.00 p.m. Brian Room, Maddock Alumni Hall, 38 Brown str., Brown Campus. A reception will follow. Looking forward to seeing you all there, Elsa Amanatidou Department of Classics Brown University From tmertzi at physics.rutgers.edu Tue Mar 26 14:57:24 2002 From: tmertzi at physics.rutgers.edu (Theodore Mertzimekis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] The physics of classical poetry Message-ID: <3CA0FCD4.17113118@physics.rutgers.edu> Coming from a Physics background, I found that extremely interesting: http://physicsweb.org/article/news/6/3/18 -- Theodore J. Mertzimekis Radioactive cats have 14 halflives http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~tmertzi/ \\|// Lab: +1 732 445 3376 @^@ Vox: +1 732 VIM GUTS | Fax: +1 732 445 4343 \-/ ICQ: #21688829 From aleontis at umich.edu Wed Mar 27 07:41:02 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: <3CA1E806.1FD32832@umich.edu> The following unpleasant experience may have some useful lessons for subscribers who either travel from Europe to the US to give academic lectures for an honorarium or who receive such guests in the U.S. On Monday I traveled to Windsor, Canada to pick up Antonis Liakos, Professor of History at University of Athens, from the train station (he was traveling from Greece via Toronto) and bring him into the U.S. by way of the tunnel that connects Canada and the US at Detroit, so that he could give a lecture at the University of Michigan. Before entering the country, we stopped at the immigration booth where the preliminary review of documents takes place. A soldier next to the booth started a conversation with me and a third person, who was driving the car, a Greek with U.S. citizenship, telling us that when he was stationed in Germany he was told never to drink "that Greek drink that tastes like licorice" because Greeks put opium in it. When I suggested politely that I didn't think Greeks put opium in ouzo he put an abrupt stop to the conversation. We were instructed to take the car to the next stop, where it would be searched while we checked into the immigration office. At this point, an officer began to interrogate the three of us, asking the two American citizens if we knew the Greek man, why we were picking him up, where we were taking him, and what he was going to do; then they asked professor Liakos where he was going, why, and to what financial gain. He explained that he would be receiving an honorarium for several lectures at different academic institutions in the U.S. We were asked to take a seat and wait. After about a 1/2 hour delay, we were called up again and told that Professor Liakos was not being granted admission into the U.S. He was intending to go for work and did not have the appropriate visa. The "honorarium he was being offered" was financial gain beyond reimbursement, which the law allowed him on a B1/B2 visa. Politely I explained that this is something that universities do all the time, to which he answere: "Then the University is breaking the law." We then said we would agree not to give him an honorarium, to which he answered that the man had already declared he would receive one, so there was no turning back and there was no way of making sure that we or other institutions remained true to our word. We called in a supervisor. More delays, then the same tense, harsh, inflexible answer: refusal of admittance. We were instructed to take Mr. Liakos back to Canada and send him home. The supervisor refused to give us a written account explaining the refusal of entry. He threatened the Greek American who was driving the car that if he tried to bring Mr. Liakos back in, his car would be confiscated and he would be in serious legal trouble. We were asked how much time we needed in Canada, we said two hours, they told us they would be expecting to see us again. When arriving in Canada, we were treated rudely by the Canadian immigration officer, who only cared if Mr. Liakos had the means to leave the country and would do so as soon as possible. When we returned to Detroit they searched the car high and low. At this point we sought the help of the American Embassy in the U.S. The next day in Athens (early morning in the U.S.), a wonderful woman named Peggy in the Embassy recognized this decision as dead wrong, found the law allowing Academic honoraria for visiting B nonimmigrant Aliens (American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), Section 431 of ACWIA of amended section 212 of the INA, allowing "honorarium payment and associated incidental expenses for usual academic activity or activities lasting not longer than 9 days at any single institution..." to be given by institutions of higher education as defined by section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 or a related or affiliated nonprofit entity or nonprovit research organization or a Government research organization. She phoned the port director at Detroit with compliance from an INS officer associated in some way with the Embassy (so as to avoid the appearance that one branch of government was intervening in the work of another), who instructed the supervisor who had denied entry to allow Prof. Liakos to reapply. So with fear and trepidation I drove back to Windsor, alone this time in another car, to try again. The woman at the embassy kept contact with me throughout the trip, informing the port of our pending arrival. We were again instructed to stop the car and go over the the immigration office. This time the supervisor came over, smiling, gave me his hand, and apologized to us, telling us he was wrong. We entered the country without further ado. He gave me a copy of a Memeorandum for all Regional Directors sent 11/30/99 advising all Service officers about the law and its application. He said this might be useful to us. I now have a copy of the memo quoting the law in my hand. Lessons I learned: a) INS officers are tense; b) they make mistakes, erring on the side of too strict an application of the law or of nonexistent laws; c) people are frequently the victims of their mistakes; d) most people have no recourse when they are treated unjustly, since a petition is a timely and costly process; e) it pays to have "meson"; "meson" is needed everywhere; f) borders are unpleasant places to cross; g) Americans have some pretty crazy ideas about Greeks and the stuff they drink; h) if you are traveling to the US for academic work or inviting guests from outside the US, you should become acquainted with the law quoted above. From GeorgeNakos at mail.clayton.edu Wed Mar 27 08:30:40 2002 From: GeorgeNakos at mail.clayton.edu (GeorgeNakos@mail.clayton.edu) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:27 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: <69DB6625B1D3D111A80900A0C9AB2DFD05435F9D@mail.clayton.edu> Artemis, This is definitely a horrible story. I just want to make a comment about the ouzo with opium. I have heard the story several times here in the States. I have no idea how it originated. Most of the individuals that told me the "existence" of ouzo with opium were former military. I guess is another one of those "mythical" totally unsubstantiated stories that people like to believe and repeat to others. George Nakos -----Original Message----- From: Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis [mailto:aleontis@umich.edu] Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 10:41 AM To: mgsa list Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS The following unpleasant experience may have some useful lessons for subscribers who either travel from Europe to the US to give academic lectures for an honorarium or who receive such guests in the U.S. On Monday I traveled to Windsor, Canada to pick up Antonis Liakos, Professor of History at University of Athens, from the train station (he was traveling from Greece via Toronto) and bring him into the U.S. by way of the tunnel that connects Canada and the US at Detroit, so that he could give a lecture at the University of Michigan. Before entering the country, we stopped at the immigration booth where the preliminary review of documents takes place. A soldier next to the booth started a conversation with me and a third person, who was driving the car, a Greek with U.S. citizenship, telling us that when he was stationed in Germany he was told never to drink "that Greek drink that tastes like licorice" because Greeks put opium in it. When I suggested politely that I didn't think Greeks put opium in ouzo he put an abrupt stop to the conversation. We were instructed to take the car to the next stop, where it would be searched while we checked into the immigration office. At this point, an officer began to interrogate the three of us, asking the two American citizens if we knew the Greek man, why we were picking him up, where we were taking him, and what he was going to do; then they asked professor Liakos where he was going, why, and to what financial gain. He explained that he would be receiving an honorarium for several lectures at different academic institutions in the U.S. We were asked to take a seat and wait. After about a 1/2 hour delay, we were called up again and told that Professor Liakos was not being granted admission into the U.S. He was intending to go for work and did not have the appropriate visa. The "honorarium he was being offered" was financial gain beyond reimbursement, which the law allowed him on a B1/B2 visa. Politely I explained that this is something that universities do all the time, to which he answere: "Then the University is breaking the law." We then said we would agree not to give him an honorarium, to which he answered that the man had already declared he would receive one, so there was no turning back and there was no way of making sure that we or other institutions remained true to our word. We called in a supervisor. More delays, then the same tense, harsh, inflexible answer: refusal of admittance. We were instructed to take Mr. Liakos back to Canada and send him home. The supervisor refused to give us a written account explaining the refusal of entry. He threatened the Greek American who was driving the car that if he tried to bring Mr. Liakos back in, his car would be confiscated and he would be in serious legal trouble. We were asked how much time we needed in Canada, we said two hours, they told us they would be expecting to see us again. When arriving in Canada, we were treated rudely by the Canadian immigration officer, who only cared if Mr. Liakos had the means to leave the country and would do so as soon as possible. When we returned to Detroit they searched the car high and low. At this point we sought the help of the American Embassy in the U.S. The next day in Athens (early morning in the U.S.), a wonderful woman named Peggy in the Embassy recognized this decision as dead wrong, found the law allowing Academic honoraria for visiting B nonimmigrant Aliens (American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), Section 431 of ACWIA of amended section 212 of the INA, allowing "honorarium payment and associated incidental expenses for usual academic activity or activities lasting not longer than 9 days at any single institution..." to be given by institutions of higher education as defined by section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 or a related or affiliated nonprofit entity or nonprovit research organization or a Government research organization. She phoned the port director at Detroit with compliance from an INS officer associated in some way with the Embassy (so as to avoid the appearance that one branch of government was intervening in the work of another), who instructed the supervisor who had denied entry to allow Prof. Liakos to reapply. So with fear and trepidation I drove back to Windsor, alone this time in another car, to try again. The woman at the embassy kept contact with me throughout the trip, informing the port of our pending arrival. We were again instructed to stop the car and go over the the immigration office. This time the supervisor came over, smiling, gave me his hand, and apologized to us, telling us he was wrong. We entered the country without further ado. He gave me a copy of a Memeorandum for all Regional Directors sent 11/30/99 advising all Service officers about the law and its application. He said this might be useful to us. I now have a copy of the memo quoting the law in my hand. Lessons I learned: a) INS officers are tense; b) they make mistakes, erring on the side of too strict an application of the law or of nonexistent laws; c) people are frequently the victims of their mistakes; d) most people have no recourse when they are treated unjustly, since a petition is a timely and costly process; e) it pays to have "meson"; "meson" is needed everywhere; f) borders are unpleasant places to cross; g) Americans have some pretty crazy ideas about Greeks and the stuff they drink; h) if you are traveling to the US for academic work or inviting guests from outside the US, you should become acquainted with the law quoted above. _______________________________________________ List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l From gedeon at globalserve.net Wed Mar 27 09:19:33 2002 From: gedeon at globalserve.net (george gedeon) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala Message-ID: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Dear MGSA: Here is my document as an email. Now it is within your KB limits. Thank you for cooperation. WHY NOT A GREEK "MALA"? THE QUESTION Recently I received a raving review of Anna Vissi's WW2 musical "Mala" based on the tragic story of a Polish Jewess. The reviewer described the play as "an amazing experience", a "real labour of love and a "wonderful exploration of human behavior", all well deserved adjectives for what apparently is a compelling theatrical production. The play is clearly a success, understandably so, in a country that suffered so much under Nazism. It is precisely for this reason that I could not help but wonder... "WHY POLAND"? Why not Thessaloniki, Kerkyra, Rhodos, Iannina, Athens, Kastoria, Veroia, Drama, Florina, Didymoteichon, Komotini and other Greek towns and islands whose Jewish populations were decimated? Instead of a Mala Zimetbaum why not a Habib, Florentine, Modiano, Hagouel, Molho, Bienveniste or a Saltiel, ONE of the 58, 000 Greek Jews who perished in Auschwitz/Birkenau and Treblinka? I emailed my thoughts to a few friends and acquaintances prompting various responses. One of the arguments sent back was that by changing the locale to Greece, the play would not have been able to explore the horrors and complexities of central and eastern European anti-Semitism. "Hmm" I thought, "why travel so far to find something that is so close"? HOW CLOSE? Contrary to official proclamations, Christian/Jewish relations in what are now Greece and other lands where Greek Orthodoxy had a historical presence were not always amicable. Jews lived in these regions for over two thousand years. With the establishment of Christianity as the official faith of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, the small Jewish communities found themselves within a new realm with mixed attitudes towards them. Although allowed to prosper, at times they were also the targets of uncomfortable religious controversies. Their ancestors' role in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and in the persecution of early Christians, as well as their refusal to convert to Christianity, provided the seeds for medieval and future anti-Judaism. In the 4th century AD, John the Golden Mouthed (Chrysostomos), a bishop from Antioch, unleashed a series of biting sermons: "The Jews do not worship God but devils. God hates them, and indeed has always hated them... But since the murder of Jesus He allows them no time for repentance... When it is clear that God hates them, it is the duty of Christians to hate them too." In a region at war with paganism, Christian dissenters and Judaism, his words reflected the mood of his era. On and off and for centuries to come, Judaism was contained through various Imperial edicts banning Jewish proselytism, synagogue expansions and intermarriages, the latter decreed a capital offence. John the Golden Mouthed went on to become Archbishop of Constantinople, the capital of the Empire, and one of the most beloved Saints of the Greek Orthodox Church. However, Judaism went through dramatic demographic changes when the Balkans and much of the Middle East fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 1400s. Encouraged by Islamic tolerance of monotheistic religions, and Jewish mass migrations from Catholic persecution in southwestern Europe, Jews in Greece, especially Thessaloniki (Salonika) gradually became a force to be reckoned with. For the next four centuries, supported by the Turks in appreciation of their entrepreneurial talents, the Jews prospered throughout the Ottoman Empire. Their presence however was more remarkable in Salonika whose economy and culture they developed and eventually dominated. Their hard work as port workers, tradesmen, industrialists, merchants and Biblical scholars transformed this city into a bustling port of international status. They also evolved into the city's largest ethnic group, outnumbering Turks, Greeks and Slavs. However, their amicable relations with the hated Turks and their unfamiliar Judeo-Hispanic language and customs, did not endear them to the indigenous Greek population. Seen as agents of the Turks and as an unwelcome foreign element, Jews could not escape the inter-ethnic bloodshed of the 1800s of Central and Southern Greece where Greek nationalists had taken up arms in the cause of national independence. During the Greek War of Independence that began in 1821, and provoked by anti-Ottoman emotions and even the dreaded rumors of the mythological "Jewish blood libels", anti-Jewish riots erupted in Kerkyra (Korfu), Zakynthos, Crete, Volos, Larissa, Trikala and Peloponisos, bringing death and destruction to their Jewish communities. In 1930, anti-Jewish riots broke out also in Kavalla over a false allegation of the ritual murder of a Christian child by a Jew. However, nowhere in Greece did Jews feel the effects of anti-Judaism, economic competition, Greek national aspirations and eventually the Holocaust, as in Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek city. When it was liberated from the Ottomans in 1912, Thessaloniki was 49% Jewish (61,000 Jews, mainly Iberian Jews or Sephardim). Virtually a Jewish city, Salonika had 32 synagogues, schools, orphanages, a hospital, philanthropic societies and business associations. In fact, their political and financial power was so potent the city would close down on Saturdays in respect of the Jewish Sabbath. Thirty years later, following a disastrous Greek military campaign in Turkey, and despite the influx of 100,000 Greek refugees from that country, the city still had 50,000 Jews. Today only 1,000 remain. This cataclysmic reduction in their numbers was over all the obvious result of the Holocaust. However, Greek official policies to reduce Jewish economic power and anti-Semitic sentiments amongst its Christian population, contributed to the decline of this once proud and vibrant community. Here are some examples: In 1912-13, following the city's liberation, looting, beatings, rapes and even a couple of killings of Jews shocked Greece and attracted severe diplomatic criticisms from around the world. Jews although financially compensated for their losses, were not allowed to return to their old neighborhoods after their destruction in the Great Fire of 1917. In 1922-23, the city's mayor prohibited Jews from working in the port, a major blow considering that thousands made their living as port merchants and workers. In 1924, Sunday replaced Saturday as the Lord's Day forcing Jews to either accept the new day of rest or lose another working day. Around the same time, Hebrew store signs were banned. During that year's elections, Jews were denied equal-voting rights by being allowed to choose only two representatives from appointed districts. The inter-war period also saw a dramatic increase in a media campaign by local newspapers, one of them Makedonia, accusing the city's Jews of "treason" and lack of "patriotism". In 1931, following unsubstantiated accusations of Jewish support for Bulgarian expansionism, Greek nationalists burned down the Salonika Jewish district of Campbell prompting thousands of its inhabitants to leave Greece. Starting in 1942 and for the next two years, the Nazi "Final Solution" was unleashed on Greece by the Germans in the public humiliation of 9,000 Jewish males at Eleftheria (Freedom) Square and their subsequent recruitment into "labour brigades". In 1943, the Nuremberg Laws were imposed in German occupied territories, beginning with the confiscation of radios, telephones and printing machines. Soon after, Jewish private and communal properties were confiscated, looted, "donated" to the Greek State and offered to Nazi collaborators. To complete the isolation of the embattled Jews, business transactions with them were also forbidden and so was their use of private cars and public transportation. Considering the dreadful effects these measures were having on the Jews, including terrifying threats and rumors of mass deportations, the Greek and communal Jewish authorities continued to reassure the confused Jews that no harm would fall upon them. Unfortunately, the Nazi plan was carried out with such speed and efficiency, its victims had no time or official guidance to reconsider their false sense of security. Starting on March `15th 1943 and for the next six months, convinced by their leaders that they were being "resettled" in Krakow, Poland, 45,000 terrified people were loaded on cattle train wagons and sent to the Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps. Most of them were gassed upon arrival. During the following year, another 12-13,000 Jews from other parts of Greece also met the same fate. With the exception of looting and the physical extermination of the deportees, all of the above catastrophic measures were achieved with the passive co-operation of Greek national, regional and municipal employees, lawyers, banks and sometimes police- the gendarmes and later the Security Battalions, being directly responsible to the SS. Trained and armed by the Germans, several battalions of the SB fought on their side against the Resistance. In fact, Greek co-operation if not collaboration with the occupiers was not hard to come by. For the duration of the war, three successive Occupation Prime Ministers and their cabinets attempted to rule Greece from Athens under the watchful eyes of the Germans and Italians. Disobeying their King and his government in exile from their Cairo headquarters, the three controversial politicians desperately tried to keep Greece from totally falling apart. Starvation, foreign occupation, civil war and threats of annexation of Greek territories placed their priorities elsewhere. The Jews were not on top of their list. The most disturbing collaboration example though must have been of Hasson, the Rekanati brothers, Daniel Cohen and several other scrupulous Jews who acted on behalf of the Gestapo as spies, ghetto policemen and "Jew hunters"! Their story alone would make a powerful theatrical or cinematic screenplay! By war's end, 60,000 Greek Jews were shipped to concentration camps in Poland. Two thousand survived. It is estimated that in proportion to their numbers, Greece's human catastrophe in the Holocaust was one of the highest in Europe. GREEK NEO-NAZIS Even though Mala had very little to do with Greece (although I hear there are a few references to Greek Jews) I read in "Loipon", an entertainment magazine, that Ms. Vissi had to increase her personal security following a number of threatening calls. Responding to my disgust about "Greek neo-Nazis", someone suggested that such people do not have many followers in Greece. "Hmm" I thought... "This is not what I found during my last two trips to Greece..." THE AIRPORT In the autumn of 2000, I landed at Thessaloniki's airport on a location-scouting trip for a potential television documentary on the Jews of Greece. Overloaded with video equipment and gifts for relatives, I nearly had a heart attack when suddenly the building thundered with hundreds of voices singing the Greek national anthem: "I recognize you from the terrible slash of the sword..." Surprised and curious about sounds and words I had not heard in so many years, I walked over to the large hall where the moving words of Dionisios Solomos were coming from. Over one hundred young Greek soldiers, pumped from military exercises, were standing proud, faces red from the effort, belting out what must be one of the most powerful anthems ever composed. These young "fandaroi" (infantrymen) were clearly expressing emotions this Canadian Greek had not felt for a long time. I was in awe. With resurrected childhood memories of patriotic celebrations on October 28th and March 25th and the thrill of being on Greek soil after a long absence, I could hardly keep a straight face as my eyes were filled with tears. Following a final prayer, hands in unison, three fingers held together in Trinitarian symbolism, the testosterone filled youths broke up their formation and off they went to visit parents, relatives, friends and lovers. As I watched them take off in packed taxis, I knew that I had landed in a country where land, national identity and religion had a very different meaning from what I was used to in multi-cultural North America. THE TAXI The first Greek I had a lengthy conversation with, was the talkative cab driver who took me to my hotel. Upon discovering that I was researching the history of Greece's Jews, the friendly "taxitzis" (taxi driver) asked me if I were a Jew. Feeling more comfortable with my "Oxi den eime Evraios" (No I am not a Jew or a Hebrew), he proceeded to tell me all about the "Judeo-Masonic" conspiracy that is "killing Greece"! He talked passionately of this topic ALL THE WAY from the airport until we arrived at my downtown destination! THE TRAIN STATION Thessaloniki's Jews were rounded up in March 1943, imprisoned in a poor neighborhood (Baron Hirsch/Ta Trena or "The Trains") then marched to the old train station across the street, loaded onto cattle wagons and sent to Auschwitz/Birkenau. While shooting at the very same station from where 45,000 terrified Jews and many Gentiles were sent to their deaths, I encountered a group of railway workers having a coffee break. Faithful to their tradition of hospitality and generosity, "ta palikaria" (young braves) invited me for some "metrio cafe" (medium-sweet coffee). "Pronto" it arrived with a glass of cold water and a genuine curiosity about this nosy Canadian Greek. "Yassas kai kalos orisate" (To your health and welcome), we cheerfully settled down for some "parea" (friendly company) and a discussion on the historical significance of their workplace. Once more, I was asked of my religious affiliation and whether I was there in search of "the hidden Jewish gold"! (Legend is that panicky Jews hid their jewelry in the vicinity before their deportations.) One of the workers, a middle-aged man with life's scars on his face and looking forward to his retirement, took on the lead: "We do not honour Jews here. If they want to mourn their dead, they can go to their Wailing Wall. It is not true that Hitler killed them. They are the enemies of our faith because they killed Jesus"...and so he went on, a few yards from where thousands of people were loaded on cattle wagons... To my delight, one of his co-workers, a handsome and moustached Cretan, came to the defense of Jews and scolded the anti-Semite for his disbelief in the Holocaust. The other 6-8 workers sat quietly listening to the argument. TO KAFENION (The Coffee shop) When Greek troops entered Salonika in 1912, there were over 60,000 Jews living in the city with roots in Andalusia, Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe. Most of them had lived here for almost 400 years. One of these neighborhoods was the "Louloudadika" (Flower shops) in the vicinity of Tsimiski/Venizelou streets. Having a delightful lunch of various mezedes (appetizers) in one of the local restaurants next to the small synagogue and the old Hamam Yahudi (Jewish baths), I overheard three men passionately discussing politics. Seeing an opportunity for inquiries, I asked them if I could join in the conversation and perhaps videotape it. Again, I had to repeat my reassurance to hear their concerns. One of them was convinced that the Greek identification card controversy was a "Jewish conspiracy" (under pressure from the European Parliament, Greece in 2000 removed any religious references from Greek identification cards). The other man pontificated on how the White House and the US are "ruled by Jews"! Both TRULY believed that Jews, international and local, were on a secret mission to destroy Greece! "Hmm" I thought. "This is going to be an interesting ride"... TO KASTRO (The Castle) In the 1300s, a working class revolution broke out in the city. On one occasion, an angry mob dragged terrified merchants and politicians from their refuge and threw them down the Byzantine walls of Ano Poli (Upper Town). Those who did not die from the fall were finished off by an angry crowd. As I stood on perhaps the very same spot where those poor bastards met their bloody fate, I met three young professionals equally enjoying the view from the observation deck overlooking the city. When asked if I could interview them on their thoughts on Jews, clearly worried of "what the Jews might do" to her, one young woman declined to be filmed. Following my "Den eimai Evraios" which by now was becoming my calling card, she repeated all the stereotypes and conspiracy theories expressed by the previews individuals. "Hmm" I thought. "This IS an interesting ride"... ABRAHAM THE MAGICIAN Puzzled and shocked at what I was hearing, I decided to do some research on the origins of such ideas. Thessaloniki has a number of fascinating bookstores from your basic clean, organized and mainstream establishments, to dusty basement joints with obscure publications to satisfy even the most eccentric biblio-aficionado. Almost every store, with the exception of the Molchos', a popular local landmark owned by an old Jewish family, sold publications with titles like: "Abraham the Magician", "Talmud The Great Lie", "666 Zionism- the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse", "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and various neo-pagan "Hellenistic" anti-Christian and anti-Jewish literature. These books were openly displayed in store windows, shelves and tables! I then proceeded to the beloved kiosks. If you are in need for a newspaper, cigarettes, snacks, city directions, bus information, telephone cards, water or gossip, you only have to walk to the end of almost any city block where most kiosks (periptera) are located. As small, if not smaller than a theater ticket booth, Greek kiosks add a local charm and services that few Greeks or foreigners would not appreciate. Overloaded with their wares, every free space filled with products, kiosks are the carriers and merchants of information. Greece must have one of the most diverse and healthy newspaper industries in Europe. From the extreme Left to the extreme Right, dozens of efimerides (newspapers) and filadika (rags) are clear examples of the famous capacity of Greeks to offer their opinions on every possible subject (including yours truly). A few of them such as Orthodoxos Typos, Chryssi Avyi and a handful of other ultra-nationalist and often anti-Jewish newspapers were not too hard to find. Here too, the myth of the "International Jewish Conspiracy" was available for those attracted to this nonsense. Unfortunately, the print media are not alone in this nasty business. TELE-ANTISIMITISMOS Greece also has a vibrant television industry. From State run to privately owned stations, one can watch shows that vary from trashy American soaps and B-rate Canadian films, to sophisticated classical tragedies on dozens of nationally and locally run broadcasters. A viewer can also switch on to hatred. In my hotel room, I was astounded to witness three separate channels passionately discuss the perennial "Judeo-Masonic conspiracy"! I watched in horror as a politician, historians, hosts and viewers joined in orgiastic anti-Jewish discussions and promotion of literature worthy of Joseph Goebbels. This apparently they do regularly and without much opposition! MY YAYA'S HOUSE (My grandmother's house) My ancestors came from Crete. Having never been there, and hearing about the incredible story of a one man's efforts to restore a synagogue in Hania, I took a plane to find my yaya's neighborhood and to visit the only synagogue left standing on the island. Crete had thousands of Jews before they were either killed or left in panic ahead of rioting Greeks in the late 1800s. Over 100 years later, in Heraklion where I believe I finally found my yaya's house, I noticed a wonderful old church-turned-museum of Byzantine icons. At its door, a bored middle aged man was standing waiting for some tourist action. An academic, this gentleman was the curator of the museum. Noticing my video gear, he came over to chat. Pleased to meet a "local son" but "frustrated" with my profession's "irresponsible nature", he complained about a "disrespectful" young Athenian journalist with whom he recently had an argument with. "I don't know where this country is going", the visibly angry man complained. "Our youth have no respect for our traditions any more. This is what the European Common Market and the JEWS are teaching them"! Across the yard of his museum, two attached old houses built a long time ago, stood as witnesses to a time when my yaya and her family had to run for their lives, this time from vengeful Turks. Right next to the two houses, the ruins of another Ottoman era home laid scattered, crushed by the tremors of an earthquake or the destructive hands of man. I am told this could have been my ancestors' home. DEN EIMAI EVRAIOS For all those readers who by now have had enough of my "anthellinismos" (anti-Hellenism) I would like to reassure them that I am not an "agent" of the "Zionist lobby" or of the "Mongol hordes" (Turks!). I am fully aware that ten thousand Greek Jews survived the Holocaust thanks to the Greek Orthodox Church, the Resistance, the Police, and thousands of Christians who risked their lives to help them. Even the Occupation Prime Ministers, Logothetopoulos and Rallis, privately attempted to stop the deportations. I have interviewed Greek Jews who would not be alive today if friends and even strangers had not reached out to protect, shelter and feed them despite the threat of severe punishment for harboring Jews. Two of the most important differences between Greece and other Nazi occupied nations were the clear absence of mass executions of Jews on their native soil and that the Greek authorities did not instigate or support their expulsions. I am also convinced that the present Greek Government is generous and honourable in its efforts to include Greece's Jews, their history and the Holocaust, in the Greek national conscience. At no other time in the past 57 years has a Greek government done so much to preserve the country's Jewish heritage in museums, exhibitions and restored Jewish sites. And, from what I gather, most Greek Jews today are comfortable with their lives in Greece where they are made to feel welcome by most of their Christian compatriots and their country's constitution. I am proud of my Greek heritage but not of Greeks who still hold grudges and believe in political ideas that six decades ago brought so much misery to the world and cost the lives of more than 500,000 Greeks of all faiths-which brings us back to where we started. How much more poignant a Greek "Mala" would have been...What an opportunity lost to come to terms with a heroic but also a disturbing page of Greek history! I hear that Kostas Gavras is working on a film about Athenian Jews- THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! George Gedeon Videotape news editor Toronto, Canada gedeon@globalserve.net March 15, 2002 From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Wed Mar 27 10:03:10 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala In-Reply-To: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Message-ID: On Wed, 27 Mar 2002, george gedeon wrote: > In 1924, Sunday replaced Saturday as the Lord's Day forcing Jews to either > accept the new day of rest or lose another working day. Around the same > time, Hebrew store signs were banned. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was told by a friend that, during the occupation, the Germans suspected that his grandfather -- of Vlach origins, if that matters -- was a Jew because of the Hebrew sign on his store: is it possible that such signs were allowed back later on, by the Metaxas regime, for example? > In 1931, following unsubstantiated accusations of Jewish support for > Bulgarian expansionism, Greek nationalists burned down the Salonika Jewish > district of Campbell prompting thousands of its inhabitants to leave Greece. I *think* that the alleged/suspected expansionism was Serbian, not Bulgarian. > With the exception of looting and the physical extermination of the > deportees, all of the above catastrophic measures were achieved with the > passive co-operation of Greek national, regional and municipal employees, > lawyers, banks and sometimes police- the gendarmes and later the Security > Battalions, being directly responsible to the SS. Trained and armed by the > Germans, several battalions of the SB fought on their side against the > Resistance. When it comes to 'passive co-operation' and the gendarmes, Mr. Statharos' message of less than a month ago was an excellent testimony -- I would in fact encourage everybody who missed it to go to the archieves and read it, even if not interested in the fate of Greek Jews during WWII! G. B. From PAllen at ric.edu Wed Mar 27 10:08:01 2002 From: PAllen at ric.edu (Allen, Peter) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: Many thanks to Artemis for this enlightening message. We should all make note of the INS laws cited and have them handy when dealing with visiting academics, especially if we are going to cross borders. Things were much looser pre-9/11. We once had an au pair from Germany who accompanied us to Michigan via Canada and she decided she wanted a stamp in her passport. However, she had left her visa in RI. The Canadians would not let her in. Faced with a detour of several hundred miles, I decided to take a chance and drove to a nearby town with another crossing into Canada. When asked if we were all one family from the states, I said, "Yes," and we sailed through. We did the same at the other end when we re-entered the states and repeated it when we drove home a couple of weeks later. I doubt if we could get away with that now. Peter Allen > -----Original Message----- > From: Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis [SMTP:aleontis@umich.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 10:41 AM > To: mgsa list > Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS > > The following unpleasant experience may have some useful lessons for > subscribers who either travel from Europe to the US to give academic > lectures for an honorarium or who receive such guests in the U.S. > > On Monday I traveled to Windsor, Canada to pick up Antonis Liakos, > Professor of History at University of Athens, from the train station (he > was traveling from Greece via Toronto) and bring him into the U.S. by > way of the tunnel that connects Canada and the US at Detroit, so that he > could give a lecture at the University of Michigan. > > Before entering the country, we stopped at the immigration booth where > the preliminary review of documents takes place. A soldier next to the > booth started a conversation with me and a third person, who was driving > the car, a Greek with U.S. citizenship, telling us that when he was > stationed in Germany he was told never to drink "that Greek drink that > tastes like licorice" because Greeks put opium in it. When I suggested > politely that I didn't think Greeks put opium in ouzo he put an abrupt > stop to the conversation. > > We were instructed to take the car to the next stop, where it would be > searched while we checked into the immigration office. At this point, > an officer began to interrogate the three of us, asking the two American > citizens if we knew the Greek man, why we were picking him up, where we > were taking him, and what he was going to do; then they asked professor > Liakos where he was going, why, and to what financial gain. He > explained that he would be receiving an honorarium for several lectures > at different academic institutions in the U.S. We were asked to take a > seat and wait. After about a 1/2 hour delay, we were called up again > and told that Professor Liakos was not being granted admission into the > U.S. He was intending to go for work and did not have the appropriate > visa. The "honorarium he was being offered" was financial gain beyond > reimbursement, which the law allowed him on a B1/B2 visa. Politely I > explained that this is something that universities do all the time, to > which he answere: "Then the University is breaking the law." We then > said we would agree not to give him an honorarium, to which he answered > that the man had already declared he would receive one, so there was no > turning back and there was no way of making sure that we or other > institutions remained true to our word. > > We called in a supervisor. More delays, then the same tense, harsh, > inflexible answer: refusal of admittance. We were instructed to take > Mr. Liakos back to Canada and send him home. The supervisor refused to > give us a written account explaining the refusal of entry. He > threatened the Greek American who was driving the car that if he tried > to bring Mr. Liakos back in, his car would be confiscated and he would > be in serious legal trouble. We were asked how much time we needed in > Canada, we said two hours, they told us they would be expecting to see > us again. > > When arriving in Canada, we were treated rudely by the Canadian > immigration officer, who only cared if Mr. Liakos had the means to leave > the country and would do so as soon as possible. > > When we returned to Detroit they searched the car high and low. > > At this point we sought the help of the American Embassy in the U.S. > The next day in Athens (early morning in the U.S.), a wonderful woman > named Peggy in the Embassy recognized this decision as dead wrong, found > the law allowing Academic honoraria for visiting B nonimmigrant Aliens > (American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), Section > 431 of ACWIA of amended section 212 of the INA, allowing "honorarium > payment and associated incidental expenses for usual academic activity > or activities lasting not longer than 9 days at any single > institution..." to be given by institutions of higher education as > defined by section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 or a > related or affiliated nonprofit entity or nonprovit research > organization or a Government research organization. > > She phoned the port director at Detroit with compliance from an INS > officer associated in some way with the Embassy (so as to avoid the > appearance that one branch of government was intervening in the work of > another), who instructed the supervisor who had denied entry to allow > Prof. Liakos to reapply. > > So with fear and trepidation I drove back to Windsor, alone this time in > another car, to try again. The woman at the embassy kept contact with > me throughout the trip, informing the port of our pending arrival. We > were again instructed to stop the car and go over the the immigration > office. This time the supervisor came over, smiling, gave me his hand, > and apologized to us, telling us he was wrong. We entered the country > without further ado. He gave me a copy of a Memeorandum for all > Regional Directors sent 11/30/99 advising all Service officers about the > law and its application. He said this might be useful to us. I now > have a copy of the memo quoting the law in my hand. > > Lessons I learned: a) INS officers are tense; b) they make mistakes, > erring on the side of too strict an application of the law or of > nonexistent laws; c) people are frequently the victims of their > mistakes; d) most people have no recourse when they are treated > unjustly, since a petition is a timely and costly process; e) it pays to > have "meson"; "meson" is needed everywhere; f) borders are unpleasant > places to cross; g) Americans have some pretty crazy ideas about Greeks > and the stuff they drink; h) if you are traveling to the US for academic > work or inviting guests from outside the US, you should become > acquainted with the law quoted above. > > > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l From PAllen at ric.edu Wed Mar 27 10:14:19 2002 From: PAllen at ric.edu (Allen, Peter) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: A typical urban myth > -----Original Message----- > From: GeorgeNakos@mail.clayton.edu [SMTP:GeorgeNakos@mail.clayton.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 11:31 AM > To: aleontis@umich.edu; Mgsa-l@uci.edu > Subject: RE: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS > > Artemis, > This is definitely a horrible story. I just want to make a comment about > the ouzo with opium. I have heard the story several times here in the > States. I have no idea how it originated. Most of the individuals that > told me the "existence" of ouzo with opium were former military. I guess > is > another one of those "mythical" totally unsubstantiated stories that > people > like to believe and repeat to others. > > George Nakos > > -----Original Message----- > From: Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis [mailto:aleontis@umich.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 10:41 AM > To: mgsa list > Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS > > > The following unpleasant experience may have some useful lessons for > subscribers who either travel from Europe to the US to give academic > lectures for an honorarium or who receive such guests in the U.S. > > On Monday I traveled to Windsor, Canada to pick up Antonis Liakos, > Professor of History at University of Athens, from the train station (he > was traveling from Greece via Toronto) and bring him into the U.S. by > way of the tunnel that connects Canada and the US at Detroit, so that he > could give a lecture at the University of Michigan. > > Before entering the country, we stopped at the immigration booth where > the preliminary review of documents takes place. A soldier next to the > booth started a conversation with me and a third person, who was driving > the car, a Greek with U.S. citizenship, telling us that when he was > stationed in Germany he was told never to drink "that Greek drink that > tastes like licorice" because Greeks put opium in it. When I suggested > politely that I didn't think Greeks put opium in ouzo he put an abrupt > stop to the conversation. > > We were instructed to take the car to the next stop, where it would be > searched while we checked into the immigration office. At this point, > an officer began to interrogate the three of us, asking the two American > citizens if we knew the Greek man, why we were picking him up, where we > were taking him, and what he was going to do; then they asked professor > Liakos where he was going, why, and to what financial gain. He > explained that he would be receiving an honorarium for several lectures > at different academic institutions in the U.S. We were asked to take a > seat and wait. After about a 1/2 hour delay, we were called up again > and told that Professor Liakos was not being granted admission into the > U.S. He was intending to go for work and did not have the appropriate > visa. The "honorarium he was being offered" was financial gain beyond > reimbursement, which the law allowed him on a B1/B2 visa. Politely I > explained that this is something that universities do all the time, to > which he answere: "Then the University is breaking the law." We then > said we would agree not to give him an honorarium, to which he answered > that the man had already declared he would receive one, so there was no > turning back and there was no way of making sure that we or other > institutions remained true to our word. > > We called in a supervisor. More delays, then the same tense, harsh, > inflexible answer: refusal of admittance. We were instructed to take > Mr. Liakos back to Canada and send him home. The supervisor refused to > give us a written account explaining the refusal of entry. He > threatened the Greek American who was driving the car that if he tried > to bring Mr. Liakos back in, his car would be confiscated and he would > be in serious legal trouble. We were asked how much time we needed in > Canada, we said two hours, they told us they would be expecting to see > us again. > > When arriving in Canada, we were treated rudely by the Canadian > immigration officer, who only cared if Mr. Liakos had the means to leave > the country and would do so as soon as possible. > > When we returned to Detroit they searched the car high and low. > > At this point we sought the help of the American Embassy in the U.S. > The next day in Athens (early morning in the U.S.), a wonderful woman > named Peggy in the Embassy recognized this decision as dead wrong, found > the law allowing Academic honoraria for visiting B nonimmigrant Aliens > (American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), Section > 431 of ACWIA of amended section 212 of the INA, allowing "honorarium > payment and associated incidental expenses for usual academic activity > or activities lasting not longer than 9 days at any single > institution..." to be given by institutions of higher education as > defined by section 101 (a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 or a > related or affiliated nonprofit entity or nonprovit research > organization or a Government research organization. > > She phoned the port director at Detroit with compliance from an INS > officer associated in some way with the Embassy (so as to avoid the > appearance that one branch of government was intervening in the work of > another), who instructed the supervisor who had denied entry to allow > Prof. Liakos to reapply. > > So with fear and trepidation I drove back to Windsor, alone this time in > another car, to try again. The woman at the embassy kept contact with > me throughout the trip, informing the port of our pending arrival. We > were again instructed to stop the car and go over the the immigration > office. This time the supervisor came over, smiling, gave me his hand, > and apologized to us, telling us he was wrong. We entered the country > without further ado. He gave me a copy of a Memeorandum for all > Regional Directors sent 11/30/99 advising all Service officers about the > law and its application. He said this might be useful to us. I now > have a copy of the memo quoting the law in my hand. > > Lessons I learned: a) INS officers are tense; b) they make mistakes, > erring on the side of too strict an application of the law or of > nonexistent laws; c) people are frequently the victims of their > mistakes; d) most people have no recourse when they are treated > unjustly, since a petition is a timely and costly process; e) it pays to > have "meson"; "meson" is needed everywhere; f) borders are unpleasant > places to cross; g) Americans have some pretty crazy ideas about Greeks > and the stuff they drink; h) if you are traveling to the US for academic > work or inviting guests from outside the US, you should become > acquainted with the law quoted above. > > > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l From JUNESAM at aol.com Wed Mar 27 11:05:21 2002 From: JUNESAM at aol.com (JUNESAM@aol.com) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: <121.e3f4860.29d371f1@aol.com> I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Liakos' speech last weekend in Toornto, and am appalled at the treatment he recieved (Suspect that Mr Magriotis, who also went to that conference, had no such hassles crossing the border since he was reported hobnobbing with the President at the White House a few days later.) I am aware of the obvious increase in security checks at the border (some English friends travelling with me to New York at the beginning of October were subject to more checks at the airports than I was with my Canadian passport, which they found a little stressful) However this kind of obdurate idiocy is NOT likely to add positively to international perceptions of America - when the rhetorical flourishes of Freedom and Democracy by the spin doctors in Washington are shown up by actions of crass stupidity such as this. It is quite obvious that the personnel hired to operate the INS are badly trained and managed - though to be fair they have probably been under a great deal of pressure during the past 6 months and are probably overreacting. As to Mr Nakos comment about the spiked Ouzo > I just want to make a comment about the ouzo with opium. > I have heard the story several times here in the States.... > Most of the individuals that told me the "existence" of ouzo > with opium were former military. << This might merely be the result of misguided attempts by officers to keep enlisted men out of trouble in the local bars by warning them away from the local hooch - which efforts probably mightily increased the traffic is those same establishments !! Though it is not so much the ouzo as the home brewed Tsipouro that might be the Greek secret weapon with which to disarm the US Fleet in the Mediterranean June Samaras KALAMOS BOOKS 725 Vermouth Ave. (# 1) Mississauga, Ontario Canada. L5A 3X5 Tel : 905-272-4841 E-mail : kalamosbks@aol.com http://www.kalmosbooks.com http://www.abebooks.com/home/SAMARAS/ From astallsmith at towson.edu Wed Mar 27 11:14:36 2002 From: astallsmith at towson.edu (Stallsmith, Allaire) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS Message-ID: Dear Peter Do you think that the idea that there is opium in ouzo has anything to do with another licorice-tasting drink, absinthe, (the inspiration of Verlaine and Rimbaud) which used to have opium (or wormwood or something narcotic) in it? just a thought. Also I believe it is an urban legend. A 'myth', strictly speaking, should refer to the divine. Greeks should not feel offended at this naive hommage to the power of ouzo. Allaire -----Original Message----- From: Allen, Peter [mailto:PAllen@ric.edu] A typical urban myth Most of the individuals that told me the "existence" of ouzo with opium were former military. I guess is another one of those "mythical" totally unsubstantiated stories that people like to believe and repeat to others. Americans have some pretty crazy ideas about Greeks and the stuff they drink -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020327/24fde059/attachment.html From gedeon at globalserve.net Wed Mar 27 11:29:45 2002 From: gedeon at globalserve.net (george gedeon) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala References: Message-ID: <007c01c1d5c6$5405ed40$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Apparently a Greek Jew, representing the Salonika Macabbee organisation attended a gathering of the Macedonian Youth Movement in 1931 Sofia. He was accused of knowingly supporting the Macedonian separatist movement in some sort of public message. He was later exonerated by the Greek government. Greek sources accused the MYM of being affiliated with the Komitazides. (see p174-192 Documents on the History of the Greek Jews, Kastaniotis Editions) The Greek gendarme participated in the round-ups, delivery and guarding of Jews in Greece. They as the Security Battalions were under the jurisdiction of the SS and the Greek Ministry of the Interior. But their willing or enthusiastic participation in the early stages of the Final Solution in Greece was not common. Most of them were more concerned with the Communist underground than harassing Jews. In fact, as in Mr Statharos's account, many Greek chorofilakes felt empathy with the Jews and often went out of their way to assist them. Same experiences can also be found with the Battalionists. Having said that, yes gendarmes and Battalionists helped the Germans with their anti-Jewish dirty work but not necessarily with too much conviction; they also partook in the looting of Jewish properties. I am not sure about the Hebrew signs during Metaxas. It is possible that during his administration, some of the earlier anti-Jewish legislation was withdrawn. Metaxas was apparently sympathetic towards the Jews. ----- Original Message ----- From: George Baloglou To: george gedeon Cc: Sent: March 27, 2002 1:03 PM Subject: Re: [MGSA-L] Mala > > > On Wed, 27 Mar 2002, george gedeon wrote: > > > In 1924, Sunday replaced Saturday as the Lord's Day forcing Jews to either > > accept the new day of rest or lose another working day. Around the same > > time, Hebrew store signs were banned. > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > I was told by a friend that, during the occupation, the Germans suspected > that his grandfather -- of Vlach origins, if that matters -- was a Jew > because of the Hebrew sign on his store: is it possible that such signs > were allowed back later on, by the Metaxas regime, for example? > > > In 1931, following unsubstantiated accusations of Jewish support for > > Bulgarian expansionism, Greek nationalists burned down the Salonika Jewish > > district of Campbell prompting thousands of its inhabitants to leave Greece. > > I *think* that the alleged/suspected expansionism was Serbian, not Bulgarian. > > > With the exception of looting and the physical extermination of the > > deportees, all of the above catastrophic measures were achieved with the > > passive co-operation of Greek national, regional and municipal employees, > > lawyers, banks and sometimes police- the gendarmes and later the Security > > Battalions, being directly responsible to the SS. Trained and armed by the > > Germans, several battalions of the SB fought on their side against the > > Resistance. > > When it comes to 'passive co-operation' and the gendarmes, Mr. Statharos' > message of less than a month ago was an excellent testimony -- I would in > fact encourage everybody who missed it to go to the archieves and read it, > even if not interested in the fate of Greek Jews during WWII! > > G. B. > > > From bpetre at her.forthnet.gr Thu Mar 28 00:59:06 2002 From: bpetre at her.forthnet.gr (Ben Petre) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Liquor legends References: Message-ID: <003c01c1d636$d26b25e0$2fabdbc2@user> As a Scot living on Crete, I have frequently become involved in arguments with locals who insist that whisky is made from onions! I can't think of a stranger drink. Ben Petre bpetre@her.forthnet.g From bpetre at her.forthnet.gr Thu Mar 28 02:05:24 2002 From: bpetre at her.forthnet.gr (Ben Petre) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] "King Minos" ring rediscovered Message-ID: <001601c1d640$159323a0$2fabdbc2@user> Not strictly a Modern Greek topic, but subscribers may be interested to learn that the fabled "King Minos" ring from Knossos, lost for several generations, was recently handed over to the Ministry of Culture. Details of the fascinating story can be found at http://www.patris.gr:16080/news/curent/ (sic). Ben Petre -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020328/e34489d8/attachment.html From ygdrasil at socrates.Berkeley.EDU Wed Mar 27 21:07:34 2002 From: ygdrasil at socrates.Berkeley.EDU (Evdoxios Doxiadis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:28 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala References: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Message-ID: <001901c1d616$7b0479c0$efeecdd4@HIP.Berkeley.EDU> Mr. Gedeon's account is fairly accurate although I would like to point out a few things. Many Jewish communities were massacred, especially in the Peloponisos, during the Greek War of Independence, but this had little to do with "blood libel accusations" which appear in the Eastern Mediterranean in the second half of the 19th century and are possibly of Western European origins. In most occasions Jews were massacred alongside the Muslim communities during the fall of the cities to the Greeks. I would also like to point out that for most of the 19th century there was very little anti-Semitism in the Greek state (a notable exception being Kerkyra). Strong anti-Semitism up until the second World War seems well confined in "New Greece" (the territories added after 1912 including Thessaloniki). That was the area where the anti-Semitic organization EEE was active until banned by Metaxas. It is true, however, that anti-Semitism has risen significantly after the second World War even as the numbers of Jews in Greece have been reduced to a mere 5,000 people. I cannot offer an explanation but I will point out that the anti-Semitic publications Mr. Gedeon mentions have the debate to themselves since no-one seems willing to challenge them (perhaps because the mainstream media avoids the issue?) Doxis Doxiadis ----- Original Message ----- From: "george gedeon" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:19 AM Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala > Dear MGSA: Here is my document as an email. Now it is within your KB limits. > Thank you for cooperation. > > > > WHY NOT A GREEK "MALA"? > > > THE QUESTION > > Recently I received a raving review of Anna Vissi's WW2 musical "Mala" based > on the tragic story of a Polish Jewess. The reviewer described the play as > "an amazing experience", a "real labour of love and a "wonderful exploration > of human behavior", all well deserved adjectives for what apparently is a > compelling theatrical production. > > The play is clearly a success, understandably so, in a country that suffered > so much under Nazism. It is precisely for this reason that I could not help > but wonder... "WHY POLAND"? > > Why not Thessaloniki, Kerkyra, Rhodos, Iannina, Athens, Kastoria, Veroia, > Drama, Florina, Didymoteichon, Komotini and other Greek towns and islands > whose Jewish populations were decimated? > > Instead of a Mala Zimetbaum why not a Habib, Florentine, Modiano, Hagouel, > Molho, Bienveniste or a Saltiel, ONE of the 58, 000 Greek Jews who perished > in Auschwitz/Birkenau and Treblinka? > > I emailed my thoughts to a few friends and acquaintances prompting various > responses. > > One of the arguments sent back was that by changing the locale to Greece, > the play would not have been able to explore the horrors and complexities of > central and eastern European anti-Semitism. > > "Hmm" I thought, "why travel so far to find something that is so close"? > > > > HOW CLOSE? > > Contrary to official proclamations, Christian/Jewish relations in what are > now Greece and other lands where Greek Orthodoxy had a historical presence > were not always amicable. > > Jews lived in these regions for over two thousand years. With the > establishment of Christianity as the official faith of the Eastern Roman or > Byzantine Empire, the small Jewish communities found themselves within a new > realm with mixed attitudes towards them. Although allowed to prosper, at > times they were also the targets of uncomfortable religious controversies. > > Their ancestors' role in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and in the > persecution of early Christians, as well as their refusal to convert to > Christianity, provided the seeds for medieval and future anti-Judaism. > In the 4th century AD, John the Golden Mouthed (Chrysostomos), a bishop from > Antioch, unleashed a series of biting sermons: > > "The Jews do not worship God but devils. God hates them, and indeed has > always hated them... But since the murder of Jesus He allows them no time > for repentance... When it is clear that God hates them, it is the duty of > Christians to hate them too." > > In a region at war with paganism, Christian dissenters and Judaism, his > words reflected the mood of his era. On and off and for centuries to come, > Judaism was contained through various Imperial edicts banning Jewish > proselytism, synagogue expansions and intermarriages, the latter decreed a > capital offence. > > John the Golden Mouthed went on to become Archbishop of Constantinople, the > capital of the Empire, and one of the most beloved Saints of the Greek > Orthodox Church. > > However, Judaism went through dramatic demographic changes when the Balkans > and much of the Middle East fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 1400s. > > Encouraged by Islamic tolerance of monotheistic religions, and Jewish mass > migrations from Catholic persecution in southwestern Europe, Jews in Greece, > especially Thessaloniki (Salonika) gradually became a force to be reckoned > with. > > For the next four centuries, supported by the Turks in appreciation of their > entrepreneurial talents, the Jews prospered throughout the Ottoman Empire. > Their presence however was more remarkable in Salonika whose economy and > culture they developed and eventually dominated. > > Their hard work as port workers, tradesmen, industrialists, merchants and > Biblical scholars transformed this city into a bustling port of > international status. They also evolved into the city's largest ethnic > group, outnumbering Turks, Greeks and Slavs. > > However, their amicable relations with the hated Turks and their unfamiliar > Judeo-Hispanic language and customs, did not endear them to the indigenous > Greek population. > > Seen as agents of the Turks and as an unwelcome foreign element, Jews could > not escape the inter-ethnic bloodshed of the 1800s of Central and Southern > Greece where Greek nationalists had taken up arms in the cause of national > independence. > > During the Greek War of Independence that began in 1821, and provoked by > anti-Ottoman emotions and even the dreaded rumors of the mythological > "Jewish blood libels", anti-Jewish riots erupted in Kerkyra (Korfu), > Zakynthos, Crete, Volos, Larissa, Trikala and Peloponisos, bringing death > and destruction to their Jewish communities. > > In 1930, anti-Jewish riots broke out also in Kavalla over a false allegation > of the ritual murder of a Christian child by a Jew. > > However, nowhere in Greece did Jews feel the effects of anti-Judaism, > economic competition, Greek national aspirations and eventually the > Holocaust, as in Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek city. > > When it was liberated from the Ottomans in 1912, Thessaloniki was 49% Jewish > (61,000 Jews, mainly Iberian Jews or Sephardim). Virtually a Jewish city, > Salonika had 32 synagogues, schools, orphanages, a hospital, philanthropic > societies and business associations. In fact, their political and financial > power was so potent the city would close down on Saturdays in respect of the > Jewish Sabbath. > > Thirty years later, following a disastrous Greek military campaign in > Turkey, and despite the influx of 100,000 Greek refugees from that country, > the city still had 50,000 Jews. Today only 1,000 remain. This cataclysmic > reduction in their numbers was over all the obvious result of the Holocaust. > > However, Greek official policies to reduce Jewish economic power and > anti-Semitic sentiments amongst its Christian population, contributed to the > decline of this once proud and vibrant community. Here are some examples: > > In 1912-13, following the city's liberation, looting, beatings, rapes and > even a couple of killings of Jews shocked Greece and attracted severe > diplomatic criticisms from around the world. > > Jews although financially compensated for their losses, were not allowed to > return to their old neighborhoods after their destruction in the Great Fire > of 1917. > > In 1922-23, the city's mayor prohibited Jews from working in the port, a > major blow considering that thousands made their living as port merchants > and workers. > > In 1924, Sunday replaced Saturday as the Lord's Day forcing Jews to either > accept the new day of rest or lose another working day. Around the same > time, Hebrew store signs were banned. > > During that year's elections, Jews were denied equal-voting rights by being > allowed to choose only two representatives from appointed districts. > > The inter-war period also saw a dramatic increase in a media campaign by > local newspapers, one of them Makedonia, accusing the city's Jews of > "treason" and lack of "patriotism". > > In 1931, following unsubstantiated accusations of Jewish support for > Bulgarian expansionism, Greek nationalists burned down the Salonika Jewish > district of Campbell prompting thousands of its inhabitants to leave Greece. > > > Starting in 1942 and for the next two years, the Nazi "Final Solution" was > unleashed on Greece by the Germans in the public humiliation of 9,000 Jewish > males at Eleftheria (Freedom) Square and their subsequent recruitment into > "labour brigades". > > In 1943, the Nuremberg Laws were imposed in German occupied territories, > beginning with the confiscation of radios, telephones and printing machines. > Soon after, Jewish private and communal properties were confiscated, looted, > "donated" to the Greek State and offered to Nazi collaborators. > > To complete the isolation of the embattled Jews, business transactions with > them were also forbidden and so was their use of private cars and public > transportation. > > Considering the dreadful effects these measures were having on the Jews, > including terrifying threats and rumors of mass deportations, the Greek and > communal Jewish authorities continued to reassure the confused Jews that no > harm would fall upon them. > > Unfortunately, the Nazi plan was carried out with such speed and efficiency, > its victims had no time or official guidance to reconsider their false sense > of security. Starting on March `15th 1943 and for the next six months, > convinced by their leaders that they were being "resettled" in Krakow, > Poland, 45,000 terrified people were loaded on cattle train wagons and sent > to the Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps. Most of them were gassed upon > arrival. > > During the following year, another 12-13,000 Jews from other parts of Greece > also met the same fate. > > With the exception of looting and the physical extermination of the > deportees, all of the above catastrophic measures were achieved with the > passive co-operation of Greek national, regional and municipal employees, > lawyers, banks and sometimes police- the gendarmes and later the Security > Battalions, being directly responsible to the SS. Trained and armed by the > Germans, several battalions of the SB fought on their side against the > Resistance. > > In fact, Greek co-operation if not collaboration with the occupiers was not > hard to come by. For the duration of the war, three successive Occupation > Prime Ministers and their cabinets attempted to rule Greece from Athens > under the watchful eyes of the Germans and Italians. > > Disobeying their King and his government in exile from their Cairo > headquarters, the three controversial politicians desperately tried to keep > Greece from totally falling apart. Starvation, foreign occupation, civil war > and threats of annexation of Greek territories placed their priorities > elsewhere. The Jews were not on top of their list. > > The most disturbing collaboration example though must have been of Hasson, > the Rekanati brothers, Daniel Cohen and several other scrupulous Jews who > acted on behalf of the Gestapo as spies, ghetto policemen and "Jew hunters"! > Their story alone would make a powerful theatrical or cinematic screenplay! > > By war's end, 60,000 Greek Jews were shipped to concentration camps in > Poland. Two thousand survived. It is estimated that in proportion to their > numbers, Greece's human catastrophe in the Holocaust was one of the highest > in Europe. > > > > GREEK NEO-NAZIS > > Even though Mala had very little to do with Greece (although I hear there > are a few references to Greek Jews) I read in "Loipon", an entertainment > magazine, that Ms. Vissi had to increase her personal security following a > number of threatening calls. > > Responding to my disgust about "Greek neo-Nazis", someone suggested that > such people do not have many followers in Greece. > > "Hmm" I thought... "This is not what I found during my last two trips to > Greece..." > > > > THE AIRPORT > > In the autumn of 2000, I landed at Thessaloniki's airport on a > location-scouting trip for a potential television documentary on the Jews of > Greece. > > Overloaded with video equipment and gifts for relatives, I nearly had a > heart attack when suddenly the building thundered with hundreds of voices > singing the Greek national anthem: "I recognize you from the terrible slash > of the sword..." > > Surprised and curious about sounds and words I had not heard in so many > years, I walked over to the large hall where the moving words of Dionisios > Solomos were coming from. > > Over one hundred young Greek soldiers, pumped from military exercises, were > standing proud, faces red from the effort, belting out what must be one of > the most powerful anthems ever composed. These young "fandaroi" > (infantrymen) were clearly expressing emotions this Canadian Greek had not > felt for a long time. I was in awe. > > With resurrected childhood memories of patriotic celebrations on October > 28th and March 25th and the thrill of being on Greek soil after a long > absence, I could hardly keep a straight face as my eyes were filled with > tears. > > Following a final prayer, hands in unison, three fingers held together in > Trinitarian symbolism, the testosterone filled youths broke up their > formation and off they went to visit parents, relatives, friends and lovers. > As I watched them take off in packed taxis, I knew that I had landed in a > country where land, national identity and religion had a very different > meaning from what I was used to in multi-cultural North America. > > > > THE TAXI > > The first Greek I had a lengthy conversation with, was the talkative cab > driver who took me to my hotel. Upon discovering that I was researching the > history of Greece's Jews, the friendly "taxitzis" (taxi driver) asked me if > I were a Jew. > > Feeling more comfortable with my "Oxi den eime Evraios" (No I am not a Jew > or a Hebrew), he proceeded to tell me all about the "Judeo-Masonic" > conspiracy that is "killing Greece"! He talked passionately of this topic > ALL THE WAY from the airport until we arrived at my downtown destination! > > > > THE TRAIN STATION > > Thessaloniki's Jews were rounded up in March 1943, imprisoned in a poor > neighborhood (Baron Hirsch/Ta Trena or "The Trains") then marched to the old > train station across the street, loaded onto cattle wagons and sent to > Auschwitz/Birkenau. > > While shooting at the very same station from where 45,000 terrified Jews and > many Gentiles were sent to their deaths, I encountered a group of railway > workers having a coffee break. > > Faithful to their tradition of hospitality and generosity, "ta palikaria" > (young braves) invited me for some "metrio cafe" (medium-sweet coffee). > > "Pronto" it arrived with a glass of cold water and a genuine curiosity about > this nosy Canadian Greek. "Yassas kai kalos orisate" (To your health and > welcome), we cheerfully settled down for some "parea" (friendly company) and > a discussion on the historical significance of their workplace. > > Once more, I was asked of my religious affiliation and whether I was there > in search of "the hidden Jewish gold"! (Legend is that panicky Jews hid > their jewelry in the vicinity before their deportations.) > > One of the workers, a middle-aged man with life's scars on his face and > looking forward to his retirement, took on the lead: > > "We do not honour Jews here. If they want to mourn their dead, they can go > to > their Wailing Wall. It is not true that Hitler killed them. They are the > enemies of our faith because they killed Jesus"...and so he went on, a few > yards from where thousands of people were loaded on cattle wagons... > > To my delight, one of his co-workers, a handsome and moustached Cretan, came > to the defense of Jews and scolded the anti-Semite for his disbelief in the > Holocaust. The other 6-8 workers sat quietly listening to the argument. > > > > TO KAFENION (The Coffee shop) > > When Greek troops entered Salonika in 1912, there were over 60,000 Jews > living in the city with roots in Andalusia, Portugal, Italy and Eastern > Europe. Most of them had lived here for almost 400 years. > > One of these neighborhoods was the "Louloudadika" (Flower shops) in the > vicinity of Tsimiski/Venizelou streets. Having a delightful lunch of various > mezedes (appetizers) in one of the local restaurants next to the small > synagogue and the old Hamam Yahudi (Jewish baths), I overheard three men > passionately discussing politics. Seeing an opportunity for inquiries, I > asked them if I could join in the conversation and perhaps videotape it. > > Again, I had to repeat my reassurance to hear their concerns. One of them > was convinced that the Greek identification card controversy was a "Jewish > conspiracy" (under pressure from the European Parliament, Greece in 2000 > removed any religious references from Greek identification cards). The other > man pontificated on how the White House and the US are "ruled by Jews"! Both > TRULY believed that Jews, international and local, were on a secret mission > to destroy Greece! > > "Hmm" I thought. "This is going to be an interesting ride"... > > > > TO KASTRO (The Castle) > > In the 1300s, a working class revolution broke out in the city. On one > occasion, an angry mob dragged terrified merchants and politicians from > their refuge and threw them down the Byzantine walls of Ano Poli (Upper > Town). Those who did not die from the fall were finished off by an angry > crowd. > > As I stood on perhaps the very same spot where those poor bastards met their > bloody fate, I met three young professionals equally enjoying the view from > the observation deck overlooking the city. > > When asked if I could interview them on their thoughts on Jews, clearly > worried of "what the Jews might do" to her, one young woman declined to be > filmed. > Following my "Den eimai Evraios" which by now was becoming my calling card, > she repeated all the stereotypes and conspiracy theories expressed by the > previews individuals. > > "Hmm" I thought. "This IS an interesting ride"... > > > > ABRAHAM THE MAGICIAN > > Puzzled and shocked at what I was hearing, I decided to do some research on > the origins of such ideas. > > Thessaloniki has a number of fascinating bookstores from your basic clean, > organized and mainstream establishments, to dusty basement joints with > obscure publications to satisfy even the most eccentric biblio-aficionado. > > Almost every store, with the exception of the Molchos', a popular local > landmark owned by an old Jewish family, sold publications with titles like: > > "Abraham the Magician", "Talmud The Great Lie", "666 Zionism- the 5th > Horseman of the Apocalypse", "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and > various neo-pagan "Hellenistic" anti-Christian and anti-Jewish literature. > > These books were openly displayed in store windows, shelves and tables! > > I then proceeded to the beloved kiosks. > > If you are in need for a newspaper, cigarettes, snacks, city directions, bus > information, telephone cards, water or gossip, you only have to walk to the > end of almost any city block where most kiosks (periptera) are located. As > small, if not smaller than a theater ticket booth, Greek kiosks add a local > charm and services that few Greeks or foreigners would not appreciate. > Overloaded with their wares, every free space filled with products, kiosks > are the carriers and merchants of information. > > Greece must have one of the most diverse and healthy newspaper industries in > Europe. From the extreme Left to the extreme Right, dozens of efimerides > (newspapers) and filadika (rags) are clear examples of the famous capacity > of Greeks to offer their opinions on every possible subject (including yours > truly). > > A few of them such as Orthodoxos Typos, Chryssi Avyi and a handful of other > ultra-nationalist and often anti-Jewish newspapers were not too hard to > find. Here too, the myth of the "International Jewish Conspiracy" was > available for those attracted to this nonsense. > > Unfortunately, the print media are not alone in this nasty business. > TELE-ANTISIMITISMOS > > Greece also has a vibrant television industry. From State run to privately > owned stations, one can watch shows that vary from trashy American soaps and > B-rate Canadian films, to sophisticated classical tragedies on dozens of > nationally and locally run broadcasters. > > A viewer can also switch on to hatred. > > In my hotel room, I was astounded to witness three separate channels > passionately discuss the perennial "Judeo-Masonic conspiracy"! I watched in > horror as a politician, historians, hosts and viewers joined in orgiastic > anti-Jewish discussions and promotion of literature worthy of Joseph > Goebbels. This apparently they do regularly and without much opposition! > > > > MY YAYA'S HOUSE (My grandmother's house) > > My ancestors came from Crete. Having never been there, and hearing about the > incredible story of a one man's efforts to restore a synagogue in Hania, I > took a plane to find my yaya's neighborhood and to visit the only synagogue > left standing on the island. > Crete had thousands of Jews before they were either killed or left in panic > ahead of rioting Greeks in the late 1800s. > > Over 100 years later, in Heraklion where I believe I finally found my yaya's > house, I noticed a wonderful old church-turned-museum of Byzantine icons. At > its door, a bored middle aged man was standing waiting for some tourist > action. An academic, this gentleman was the curator of the museum. Noticing > my video gear, he came over to chat. > > Pleased to meet a "local son" but "frustrated" with my profession's > "irresponsible nature", he complained about a "disrespectful" young Athenian > journalist with whom he recently had an argument with. > > "I don't know where this country is going", the visibly angry man > complained. > > "Our youth have no respect for our traditions any more. This is what the > European Common Market and the JEWS are teaching them"! > > Across the yard of his museum, two attached old houses built a long time > ago, stood as witnesses to a time when my yaya and her family had to run for > their lives, this time from vengeful Turks. Right next to the two houses, > the ruins of another Ottoman era home laid scattered, crushed by the tremors > of an earthquake or the destructive hands of man. I am told this could have > been my ancestors' home. > > > > DEN EIMAI EVRAIOS > > For all those readers who by now have had enough of my "anthellinismos" > (anti-Hellenism) I would like to reassure them that I am not an "agent" of > the "Zionist lobby" or of the "Mongol hordes" (Turks!). > > I am fully aware that ten thousand Greek Jews survived the Holocaust thanks > to the Greek Orthodox Church, the Resistance, the Police, and thousands of > Christians who risked their lives to help them. > > Even the Occupation Prime Ministers, Logothetopoulos and Rallis, privately > attempted to stop the deportations. > > I have interviewed Greek Jews who would not be alive today if friends and > even strangers had not reached out to protect, shelter and feed them despite > the threat of severe punishment for harboring Jews. > > Two of the most important differences between Greece and other Nazi occupied > nations were the clear absence of mass executions of Jews on their native > soil and that the Greek authorities did not instigate or support their > expulsions. > > I am also convinced that the present Greek Government is generous and > honourable in its efforts to include Greece's Jews, their history and the > Holocaust, in the Greek national conscience. At no other time in the past 57 > years has a Greek government done so much to preserve the country's Jewish > heritage in museums, exhibitions and restored Jewish sites. > > And, from what I gather, most Greek Jews today are comfortable with their > lives in Greece where they are made to feel welcome by most of their > Christian compatriots and their country's constitution. > > I am proud of my Greek heritage but not of Greeks who still hold grudges and > believe in political ideas that six decades ago brought so much misery to > the world and cost the lives of more than 500,000 Greeks of all faiths-which > brings us back to where we started. > > How much more poignant a Greek "Mala" would have been...What an opportunity > lost to come to terms with a heroic but also a disturbing page of Greek > history! I hear that Kostas Gavras is working on a film about Athenian Jews- > THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! > > > > George Gedeon > Videotape news editor > Toronto, Canada > gedeon@globalserve.net > March 15, 2002 > > > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > > From gedeon at globalserve.net Wed Mar 27 22:14:24 2002 From: gedeon at globalserve.net (george gedeon) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala References: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> <001901c1d616$7b0479c0$efeecdd4@HIP.Berkeley.EDU> Message-ID: <001001c1d620$61cce500$d89efed8@globalserve.net> Dear Mr. Doxiadis: Thank you for your fair clarifications. The post WW2 rise of anti-Semitism in Greece is indeed a disturbing phenomenon that needs closer scrutiny. You may have a point about the main stream media. I have been noticing an increase of some pretty nasty material published in Eleftherotypia and Apoyevmatini that make me wonder if we have learned anything from History. Even here in Canada, local Greek papers are sneaking-in anti-Jewish articles. It seems that whenever the Arab-Israeli conflict flares up it is also Jew-baiting season for some papers. I have no objections to objective criticisms of Israel but when old stereotypes of Jews and rumours of Jewish conspiracies begin to circulate in Athens and Toronto I realise that old habits are difficult to stop. GG In 1945 there were about 10,000 Greek Jews in Greece-today there are 5,000. I wonder why... ----- Original Message ----- From: Evdoxios Doxiadis To: george gedeon Cc: Sent: March 28, 2002 12:07 AM Subject: Re: [MGSA-L] Mala > Mr. Gedeon's account is fairly accurate although I would like to point out a > few things. > > Many Jewish communities were massacred, especially in the Peloponisos, > during the Greek War of Independence, but this had little to do with "blood > libel accusations" which appear in the Eastern Mediterranean in the second > half of the 19th century and are possibly of Western European origins. In > most occasions Jews were massacred alongside the Muslim communities during > the fall of the cities to the Greeks. > > I would also like to point out that for most of the 19th century there was > very little anti-Semitism in the Greek state (a notable exception being > Kerkyra). Strong anti-Semitism up until the second World War seems well > confined in "New Greece" (the territories added after 1912 including > Thessaloniki). That was the area where the anti-Semitic organization EEE was > active until banned by Metaxas. > > It is true, however, that anti-Semitism has risen significantly after the > second World War even as the numbers of Jews in Greece have been reduced to > a mere 5,000 people. I cannot offer an explanation but I will point out that > the anti-Semitic publications Mr. Gedeon mentions have the debate to > themselves since no-one seems willing to challenge them (perhaps because the > mainstream media avoids the issue?) > > Doxis Doxiadis > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "george gedeon" > To: > Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:19 AM > Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala > > > > Dear MGSA: Here is my document as an email. Now it is within your KB > limits. > > Thank you for cooperation. > > > > > > > > WHY NOT A GREEK "MALA"? > > > > > > THE QUESTION > > > > Recently I received a raving review of Anna Vissi's WW2 musical "Mala" > based > > on the tragic story of a Polish Jewess. The reviewer described the play as > > "an amazing experience", a "real labour of love and a "wonderful > exploration > > of human behavior", all well deserved adjectives for what apparently is a > > compelling theatrical production. > > > > The play is clearly a success, understandably so, in a country that > suffered > > so much under Nazism. It is precisely for this reason that I could not > help > > but wonder... "WHY POLAND"? > > > > Why not Thessaloniki, Kerkyra, Rhodos, Iannina, Athens, Kastoria, Veroia, > > Drama, Florina, Didymoteichon, Komotini and other Greek towns and islands > > whose Jewish populations were decimated? > > > > Instead of a Mala Zimetbaum why not a Habib, Florentine, Modiano, Hagouel, > > Molho, Bienveniste or a Saltiel, ONE of the 58, 000 Greek Jews who > perished > > in Auschwitz/Birkenau and Treblinka? > > > > I emailed my thoughts to a few friends and acquaintances prompting various > > responses. > > > > One of the arguments sent back was that by changing the locale to Greece, > > the play would not have been able to explore the horrors and complexities > of > > central and eastern European anti-Semitism. > > > > "Hmm" I thought, "why travel so far to find something that is so close"? > > > > > > > > HOW CLOSE? > > > > Contrary to official proclamations, Christian/Jewish relations in what are > > now Greece and other lands where Greek Orthodoxy had a historical presence > > were not always amicable. > > > > Jews lived in these regions for over two thousand years. With the > > establishment of Christianity as the official faith of the Eastern Roman > or > > Byzantine Empire, the small Jewish communities found themselves within a > new > > realm with mixed attitudes towards them. Although allowed to prosper, at > > times they were also the targets of uncomfortable religious controversies. > > > > Their ancestors' role in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and in the > > persecution of early Christians, as well as their refusal to convert to > > Christianity, provided the seeds for medieval and future anti-Judaism. > > In the 4th century AD, John the Golden Mouthed (Chrysostomos), a bishop > from > > Antioch, unleashed a series of biting sermons: > > > > "The Jews do not worship God but devils. God hates them, and indeed has > > always hated them... But since the murder of Jesus He allows them no time > > for repentance... When it is clear that God hates them, it is the duty of > > Christians to hate them too." > > > > In a region at war with paganism, Christian dissenters and Judaism, his > > words reflected the mood of his era. On and off and for centuries to come, > > Judaism was contained through various Imperial edicts banning Jewish > > proselytism, synagogue expansions and intermarriages, the latter decreed a > > capital offence. > > > > John the Golden Mouthed went on to become Archbishop of Constantinople, > the > > capital of the Empire, and one of the most beloved Saints of the Greek > > Orthodox Church. > > > > However, Judaism went through dramatic demographic changes when the > Balkans > > and much of the Middle East fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 1400s. > > > > Encouraged by Islamic tolerance of monotheistic religions, and Jewish mass > > migrations from Catholic persecution in southwestern Europe, Jews in > Greece, > > especially Thessaloniki (Salonika) gradually became a force to be reckoned > > with. > > > > For the next four centuries, supported by the Turks in appreciation of > their > > entrepreneurial talents, the Jews prospered throughout the Ottoman Empire. > > Their presence however was more remarkable in Salonika whose economy and > > culture they developed and eventually dominated. > > > > Their hard work as port workers, tradesmen, industrialists, merchants and > > Biblical scholars transformed this city into a bustling port of > > international status. They also evolved into the city's largest ethnic > > group, outnumbering Turks, Greeks and Slavs. > > > > However, their amicable relations with the hated Turks and their > unfamiliar > > Judeo-Hispanic language and customs, did not endear them to the indigenous > > Greek population. > > > > Seen as agents of the Turks and as an unwelcome foreign element, Jews > could > > not escape the inter-ethnic bloodshed of the 1800s of Central and Southern > > Greece where Greek nationalists had taken up arms in the cause of national > > independence. > > > > During the Greek War of Independence that began in 1821, and provoked by > > anti-Ottoman emotions and even the dreaded rumors of the mythological > > "Jewish blood libels", anti-Jewish riots erupted in Kerkyra (Korfu), > > Zakynthos, Crete, Volos, Larissa, Trikala and Peloponisos, bringing death > > and destruction to their Jewish communities. > > > > In 1930, anti-Jewish riots broke out also in Kavalla over a false > allegation > > of the ritual murder of a Christian child by a Jew. > > > > However, nowhere in Greece did Jews feel the effects of anti-Judaism, > > economic competition, Greek national aspirations and eventually the > > Holocaust, as in Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek city. > > > > When it was liberated from the Ottomans in 1912, Thessaloniki was 49% > Jewish > > (61,000 Jews, mainly Iberian Jews or Sephardim). Virtually a Jewish city, > > Salonika had 32 synagogues, schools, orphanages, a hospital, philanthropic > > societies and business associations. In fact, their political and > financial > > power was so potent the city would close down on Saturdays in respect of > the > > Jewish Sabbath. > > > > Thirty years later, following a disastrous Greek military campaign in > > Turkey, and despite the influx of 100,000 Greek refugees from that > country, > > the city still had 50,000 Jews. Today only 1,000 remain. This cataclysmic > > reduction in their numbers was over all the obvious result of the > Holocaust. > > > > However, Greek official policies to reduce Jewish economic power and > > anti-Semitic sentiments amongst its Christian population, contributed to > the > > decline of this once proud and vibrant community. Here are some examples: > > > > In 1912-13, following the city's liberation, looting, beatings, rapes and > > even a couple of killings of Jews shocked Greece and attracted severe > > diplomatic criticisms from around the world. > > > > Jews although financially compensated for their losses, were not allowed > to > > return to their old neighborhoods after their destruction in the Great > Fire > > of 1917. > > > > In 1922-23, the city's mayor prohibited Jews from working in the port, a > > major blow considering that thousands made their living as port merchants > > and workers. > > > > In 1924, Sunday replaced Saturday as the Lord's Day forcing Jews to either > > accept the new day of rest or lose another working day. Around the same > > time, Hebrew store signs were banned. > > > > During that year's elections, Jews were denied equal-voting rights by > being > > allowed to choose only two representatives from appointed districts. > > > > The inter-war period also saw a dramatic increase in a media campaign by > > local newspapers, one of them Makedonia, accusing the city's Jews of > > "treason" and lack of "patriotism". > > > > In 1931, following unsubstantiated accusations of Jewish support for > > Bulgarian expansionism, Greek nationalists burned down the Salonika Jewish > > district of Campbell prompting thousands of its inhabitants to leave > Greece. > > > > > > Starting in 1942 and for the next two years, the Nazi "Final Solution" was > > unleashed on Greece by the Germans in the public humiliation of 9,000 > Jewish > > males at Eleftheria (Freedom) Square and their subsequent recruitment into > > "labour brigades". > > > > In 1943, the Nuremberg Laws were imposed in German occupied territories, > > beginning with the confiscation of radios, telephones and printing > machines. > > Soon after, Jewish private and communal properties were confiscated, > looted, > > "donated" to the Greek State and offered to Nazi collaborators. > > > > To complete the isolation of the embattled Jews, business transactions > with > > them were also forbidden and so was their use of private cars and public > > transportation. > > > > Considering the dreadful effects these measures were having on the Jews, > > including terrifying threats and rumors of mass deportations, the Greek > and > > communal Jewish authorities continued to reassure the confused Jews that > no > > harm would fall upon them. > > > > Unfortunately, the Nazi plan was carried out with such speed and > efficiency, > > its victims had no time or official guidance to reconsider their false > sense > > of security. Starting on March `15th 1943 and for the next six months, > > convinced by their leaders that they were being "resettled" in Krakow, > > Poland, 45,000 terrified people were loaded on cattle train wagons and > sent > > to the Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps. Most of them were gassed > upon > > arrival. > > > > During the following year, another 12-13,000 Jews from other parts of > Greece > > also met the same fate. > > > > With the exception of looting and the physical extermination of the > > deportees, all of the above catastrophic measures were achieved with the > > passive co-operation of Greek national, regional and municipal employees, > > lawyers, banks and sometimes police- the gendarmes and later the Security > > Battalions, being directly responsible to the SS. Trained and armed by > the > > Germans, several battalions of the SB fought on their side against the > > Resistance. > > > > In fact, Greek co-operation if not collaboration with the occupiers was > not > > hard to come by. For the duration of the war, three successive Occupation > > Prime Ministers and their cabinets attempted to rule Greece from Athens > > under the watchful eyes of the Germans and Italians. > > > > Disobeying their King and his government in exile from their Cairo > > headquarters, the three controversial politicians desperately tried to > keep > > Greece from totally falling apart. Starvation, foreign occupation, civil > war > > and threats of annexation of Greek territories placed their priorities > > elsewhere. The Jews were not on top of their list. > > > > The most disturbing collaboration example though must have been of Hasson, > > the Rekanati brothers, Daniel Cohen and several other scrupulous Jews who > > acted on behalf of the Gestapo as spies, ghetto policemen and "Jew > hunters"! > > Their story alone would make a powerful theatrical or cinematic > screenplay! > > > > By war's end, 60,000 Greek Jews were shipped to concentration camps in > > Poland. Two thousand survived. It is estimated that in proportion to their > > numbers, Greece's human catastrophe in the Holocaust was one of the > highest > > in Europe. > > > > > > > > GREEK NEO-NAZIS > > > > Even though Mala had very little to do with Greece (although I hear there > > are a few references to Greek Jews) I read in "Loipon", an entertainment > > magazine, that Ms. Vissi had to increase her personal security following a > > number of threatening calls. > > > > Responding to my disgust about "Greek neo-Nazis", someone suggested that > > such people do not have many followers in Greece. > > > > "Hmm" I thought... "This is not what I found during my last two trips to > > Greece..." > > > > > > > > THE AIRPORT > > > > In the autumn of 2000, I landed at Thessaloniki's airport on a > > location-scouting trip for a potential television documentary on the Jews > of > > Greece. > > > > Overloaded with video equipment and gifts for relatives, I nearly had a > > heart attack when suddenly the building thundered with hundreds of voices > > singing the Greek national anthem: "I recognize you from the terrible > slash > > of the sword..." > > > > Surprised and curious about sounds and words I had not heard in so many > > years, I walked over to the large hall where the moving words of Dionisios > > Solomos were coming from. > > > > Over one hundred young Greek soldiers, pumped from military exercises, > were > > standing proud, faces red from the effort, belting out what must be one of > > the most powerful anthems ever composed. These young "fandaroi" > > (infantrymen) were clearly expressing emotions this Canadian Greek had not > > felt for a long time. I was in awe. > > > > With resurrected childhood memories of patriotic celebrations on October > > 28th and March 25th and the thrill of being on Greek soil after a long > > absence, I could hardly keep a straight face as my eyes were filled with > > tears. > > > > Following a final prayer, hands in unison, three fingers held together in > > Trinitarian symbolism, the testosterone filled youths broke up their > > formation and off they went to visit parents, relatives, friends and > lovers. > > As I watched them take off in packed taxis, I knew that I had landed in a > > country where land, national identity and religion had a very different > > meaning from what I was used to in multi-cultural North America. > > > > > > > > THE TAXI > > > > The first Greek I had a lengthy conversation with, was the talkative cab > > driver who took me to my hotel. Upon discovering that I was researching > the > > history of Greece's Jews, the friendly "taxitzis" (taxi driver) asked me > if > > I were a Jew. > > > > Feeling more comfortable with my "Oxi den eime Evraios" (No I am not a Jew > > or a Hebrew), he proceeded to tell me all about the "Judeo-Masonic" > > conspiracy that is "killing Greece"! He talked passionately of this topic > > ALL THE WAY from the airport until we arrived at my downtown destination! > > > > > > > > THE TRAIN STATION > > > > Thessaloniki's Jews were rounded up in March 1943, imprisoned in a poor > > neighborhood (Baron Hirsch/Ta Trena or "The Trains") then marched to the > old > > train station across the street, loaded onto cattle wagons and sent to > > Auschwitz/Birkenau. > > > > While shooting at the very same station from where 45,000 terrified Jews > and > > many Gentiles were sent to their deaths, I encountered a group of railway > > workers having a coffee break. > > > > Faithful to their tradition of hospitality and generosity, "ta palikaria" > > (young braves) invited me for some "metrio cafe" (medium-sweet coffee). > > > > "Pronto" it arrived with a glass of cold water and a genuine curiosity > about > > this nosy Canadian Greek. "Yassas kai kalos orisate" (To your health and > > welcome), we cheerfully settled down for some "parea" (friendly company) > and > > a discussion on the historical significance of their workplace. > > > > Once more, I was asked of my religious affiliation and whether I was there > > in search of "the hidden Jewish gold"! (Legend is that panicky Jews hid > > their jewelry in the vicinity before their deportations.) > > > > One of the workers, a middle-aged man with life's scars on his face and > > looking forward to his retirement, took on the lead: > > > > "We do not honour Jews here. If they want to mourn their dead, they can go > > to > > their Wailing Wall. It is not true that Hitler killed them. They are the > > enemies of our faith because they killed Jesus"...and so he went on, a few > > yards from where thousands of people were loaded on cattle wagons... > > > > To my delight, one of his co-workers, a handsome and moustached Cretan, > came > > to the defense of Jews and scolded the anti-Semite for his disbelief in > the > > Holocaust. The other 6-8 workers sat quietly listening to the argument. > > > > > > > > TO KAFENION (The Coffee shop) > > > > When Greek troops entered Salonika in 1912, there were over 60,000 Jews > > living in the city with roots in Andalusia, Portugal, Italy and Eastern > > Europe. Most of them had lived here for almost 400 years. > > > > One of these neighborhoods was the "Louloudadika" (Flower shops) in the > > vicinity of Tsimiski/Venizelou streets. Having a delightful lunch of > various > > mezedes (appetizers) in one of the local restaurants next to the small > > synagogue and the old Hamam Yahudi (Jewish baths), I overheard three men > > passionately discussing politics. Seeing an opportunity for inquiries, I > > asked them if I could join in the conversation and perhaps videotape it. > > > > Again, I had to repeat my reassurance to hear their concerns. One of them > > was convinced that the Greek identification card controversy was a "Jewish > > conspiracy" (under pressure from the European Parliament, Greece in 2000 > > removed any religious references from Greek identification cards). The > other > > man pontificated on how the White House and the US are "ruled by Jews"! > Both > > TRULY believed that Jews, international and local, were on a secret > mission > > to destroy Greece! > > > > "Hmm" I thought. "This is going to be an interesting ride"... > > > > > > > > TO KASTRO (The Castle) > > > > In the 1300s, a working class revolution broke out in the city. On one > > occasion, an angry mob dragged terrified merchants and politicians from > > their refuge and threw them down the Byzantine walls of Ano Poli (Upper > > Town). Those who did not die from the fall were finished off by an angry > > crowd. > > > > As I stood on perhaps the very same spot where those poor bastards met > their > > bloody fate, I met three young professionals equally enjoying the view > from > > the observation deck overlooking the city. > > > > When asked if I could interview them on their thoughts on Jews, clearly > > worried of "what the Jews might do" to her, one young woman declined to be > > filmed. > > Following my "Den eimai Evraios" which by now was becoming my calling > card, > > she repeated all the stereotypes and conspiracy theories expressed by the > > previews individuals. > > > > "Hmm" I thought. "This IS an interesting ride"... > > > > > > > > ABRAHAM THE MAGICIAN > > > > Puzzled and shocked at what I was hearing, I decided to do some research > on > > the origins of such ideas. > > > > Thessaloniki has a number of fascinating bookstores from your basic clean, > > organized and mainstream establishments, to dusty basement joints with > > obscure publications to satisfy even the most eccentric biblio-aficionado. > > > > Almost every store, with the exception of the Molchos', a popular local > > landmark owned by an old Jewish family, sold publications with titles > like: > > > > "Abraham the Magician", "Talmud The Great Lie", "666 Zionism- the 5th > > Horseman of the Apocalypse", "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and > > various neo-pagan "Hellenistic" anti-Christian and anti-Jewish literature. > > > > These books were openly displayed in store windows, shelves and tables! > > > > I then proceeded to the beloved kiosks. > > > > If you are in need for a newspaper, cigarettes, snacks, city directions, > bus > > information, telephone cards, water or gossip, you only have to walk to > the > > end of almost any city block where most kiosks (periptera) are located. As > > small, if not smaller than a theater ticket booth, Greek kiosks add a > local > > charm and services that few Greeks or foreigners would not appreciate. > > Overloaded with their wares, every free space filled with products, kiosks > > are the carriers and merchants of information. > > > > Greece must have one of the most diverse and healthy newspaper industries > in > > Europe. From the extreme Left to the extreme Right, dozens of efimerides > > (newspapers) and filadika (rags) are clear examples of the famous capacity > > of Greeks to offer their opinions on every possible subject (including > yours > > truly). > > > > A few of them such as Orthodoxos Typos, Chryssi Avyi and a handful of > other > > ultra-nationalist and often anti-Jewish newspapers were not too hard to > > find. Here too, the myth of the "International Jewish Conspiracy" was > > available for those attracted to this nonsense. > > > > Unfortunately, the print media are not alone in this nasty business. > > TELE-ANTISIMITISMOS > > > > Greece also has a vibrant television industry. From State run to privately > > owned stations, one can watch shows that vary from trashy American soaps > and > > B-rate Canadian films, to sophisticated classical tragedies on dozens of > > nationally and locally run broadcasters. > > > > A viewer can also switch on to hatred. > > > > In my hotel room, I was astounded to witness three separate channels > > passionately discuss the perennial "Judeo-Masonic conspiracy"! I watched > in > > horror as a politician, historians, hosts and viewers joined in orgiastic > > anti-Jewish discussions and promotion of literature worthy of Joseph > > Goebbels. This apparently they do regularly and without much opposition! > > > > > > > > MY YAYA'S HOUSE (My grandmother's house) > > > > My ancestors came from Crete. Having never been there, and hearing about > the > > incredible story of a one man's efforts to restore a synagogue in Hania, I > > took a plane to find my yaya's neighborhood and to visit the only > synagogue > > left standing on the island. > > Crete had thousands of Jews before they were either killed or left in > panic > > ahead of rioting Greeks in the late 1800s. > > > > Over 100 years later, in Heraklion where I believe I finally found my > yaya's > > house, I noticed a wonderful old church-turned-museum of Byzantine icons. > At > > its door, a bored middle aged man was standing waiting for some tourist > > action. An academic, this gentleman was the curator of the museum. > Noticing > > my video gear, he came over to chat. > > > > Pleased to meet a "local son" but "frustrated" with my profession's > > "irresponsible nature", he complained about a "disrespectful" young > Athenian > > journalist with whom he recently had an argument with. > > > > "I don't know where this country is going", the visibly angry man > > complained. > > > > "Our youth have no respect for our traditions any more. This is what the > > European Common Market and the JEWS are teaching them"! > > > > Across the yard of his museum, two attached old houses built a long time > > ago, stood as witnesses to a time when my yaya and her family had to run > for > > their lives, this time from vengeful Turks. Right next to the two houses, > > the ruins of another Ottoman era home laid scattered, crushed by the > tremors > > of an earthquake or the destructive hands of man. I am told this could > have > > been my ancestors' home. > > > > > > > > DEN EIMAI EVRAIOS > > > > For all those readers who by now have had enough of my "anthellinismos" > > (anti-Hellenism) I would like to reassure them that I am not an "agent" of > > the "Zionist lobby" or of the "Mongol hordes" (Turks!). > > > > I am fully aware that ten thousand Greek Jews survived the Holocaust > thanks > > to the Greek Orthodox Church, the Resistance, the Police, and thousands of > > Christians who risked their lives to help them. > > > > Even the Occupation Prime Ministers, Logothetopoulos and Rallis, privately > > attempted to stop the deportations. > > > > I have interviewed Greek Jews who would not be alive today if friends and > > even strangers had not reached out to protect, shelter and feed them > despite > > the threat of severe punishment for harboring Jews. > > > > Two of the most important differences between Greece and other Nazi > occupied > > nations were the clear absence of mass executions of Jews on their native > > soil and that the Greek authorities did not instigate or support their > > expulsions. > > > > I am also convinced that the present Greek Government is generous and > > honourable in its efforts to include Greece's Jews, their history and the > > Holocaust, in the Greek national conscience. At no other time in the past > 57 > > years has a Greek government done so much to preserve the country's Jewish > > heritage in museums, exhibitions and restored Jewish sites. > > > > And, from what I gather, most Greek Jews today are comfortable with their > > lives in Greece where they are made to feel welcome by most of their > > Christian compatriots and their country's constitution. > > > > I am proud of my Greek heritage but not of Greeks who still hold grudges > and > > believe in political ideas that six decades ago brought so much misery to > > the world and cost the lives of more than 500,000 Greeks of all > faiths-which > > brings us back to where we started. > > > > How much more poignant a Greek "Mala" would have been...What an > opportunity > > lost to come to terms with a heroic but also a disturbing page of Greek > > history! I hear that Kostas Gavras is working on a film about Athenian > Jews- > > THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! > > > > > > > > George Gedeon > > Videotape news editor > > Toronto, Canada > > gedeon@globalserve.net > > March 15, 2002 > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > > From Roland at prev.org Thu Mar 28 11:47:36 2002 From: Roland at prev.org (Roland Moore) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Seferis Film Screening/HellenicStudies/ColumbiaUniversity Message-ID: From: Vassiliki Yiakoumaki --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Program in Hellenic Studies, Columbia University, would like to invite you to the following film screening, as part of the Spring event series 2002 on Diaspora, Immigration and Greece: Friday, March 29 Logbook, George Seferis (Imerologia Katastromatos, Yiorgos Seferis) (documentary, 2001), dir., Stelios Charalambopoulos. On the life of George Seferis as a diasporic writer and literary figure. First prize, Greek-state documentary film awards, 2001 (1h 20 min.) (with subtitles) 702 Hamilton Hall, 7.30 pm For more information, please contact Vassiliki Yiakoumaki at vy5@columbia.edu, or at 212-854 4551 From selene32607 at yahoo.com Thu Mar 28 13:06:33 2002 From: selene32607 at yahoo.com (Mariou B. Gottesman) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Olympic Airways Message-ID: <20020328210633.19226.qmail@web9506.mail.yahoo.com> The following might be of general interest. "..The world this week: Business 23rd - 28th March 2002.." More on Greece -- The Greek government announced a restructuring at Olympic Airways, the state-owned national carrier. Reluctantly, it will sell 51% of the loss-making airline, lay off some 22% of the 9,000 workers and cut routes. Doubtless, it would prefer a bail-out but is already under investigation by the European Commission for illegal subsidies. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Thu Mar 28 14:17:25 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Aigai(o) = Goat(y)? Message-ID: Since a number of recent messages deal with Greece's very old days, I feel comfortable inquiring here about an alternative, non-mythological etymology for Aegean Sea -- related not to an island once known to Poseidon as Aigai, but to an apparent human need to liken a stormy sea's white caps to white animals or birds (in Greece's case sheep, or, by merciful extension, goats)! While this alternative etymology does not seem to survive in contemporary Greek folklore, Byzantine era sources such as Artemidorus (Oneirokritikon 2.12) and Pseudo-Symeon (Chronografia p. 705) derive "Aegean" from waves that go up and down like hopping goats; coupled with the Greeks' likening of white caps to sheep -- as opposed to German pigeons, North American horses, etc -- this leads to my amusing, if unsupportable, etymology :-) [Has anyone seen this possibility mentioned anywhere? Please forward it to the Classics list if you find it worth posting; I also have a somewhat longer message on this, posted in Greenglish to the hellas list (with a reference to Koukoules E.378, where I got the idea) earlier this month ("H katcikicia mas 8alacca") and available upon request.] Thanks, G. B. From stratos.safioleas at diaspora-net.org Fri Mar 29 06:07:35 2002 From: stratos.safioleas at diaspora-net.org (Stratos Safioleas) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS In-Reply-To: <121.e3f4860.29d371f1@aol.com> Message-ID: Well, I just happen to know for a fact that Mr. Magriotis went through a lot of hassle as well, since ALL HIS suitcases were spread wide open, emptied on a bench, and checked one by one! That was repeated for ALL the members of the mission that were accompanying him from Greece, diplomats, staff and journalists ... Stratos -----Original Message----- From: mgsa-l-admin@uci.edu [mailto:mgsa-l-admin@uci.edu]On Behalf Of JUNESAM@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:05 PM To: MGSA-L@uci.edu Subject: Re: [MGSA-L] Experience with the INS I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Liakos' speech last weekend in Toornto, and am appalled at the treatment he recieved (Suspect that Mr Magriotis, who also went to that conference, had no such hassles crossing the border since he was reported hobnobbing with the President at the White House a few days later.) I am aware of the obvious increase in security checks at the border (some English friends travelling with me to New York at the beginning of October were subject to more checks at the airports than I was with my Canadian passport, which they found a little stressful) However this kind of obdurate idiocy is NOT likely to add positively to international perceptions of America - when the rhetorical flourishes of Freedom and Democracy by the spin doctors in Washington are shown up by actions of crass stupidity such as this. It is quite obvious that the personnel hired to operate the INS are badly trained and managed - though to be fair they have probably been under a great deal of pressure during the past 6 months and are probably overreacting. As to Mr Nakos comment about the spiked Ouzo > I just want to make a comment about the ouzo with opium. > I have heard the story several times here in the States.... > Most of the individuals that told me the "existence" of ouzo > with opium were former military. << This might merely be the result of misguided attempts by officers to keep enlisted men out of trouble in the local bars by warning them away from the local hooch - which efforts probably mightily increased the traffic is those same establishments !! Though it is not so much the ouzo as the home brewed Tsipouro that might be the Greek secret weapon with which to disarm the US Fleet in the Mediterranean June Samaras KALAMOS BOOKS 725 Vermouth Ave. (# 1) Mississauga, Ontario Canada. L5A 3X5 Tel : 905-272-4841 E-mail : kalamosbks@aol.com http://www.kalmosbooks.com http://www.abebooks.com/home/SAMARAS/ _______________________________________________ List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l From roilos at fas.harvard.edu Fri Mar 29 11:51:41 2002 From: roilos at fas.harvard.edu (Panagiotis Roilos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Lecture next week Message-ID: Dear all, The George Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies invites you to the following lecture: Anna Stavrakopoulou (Ilex Foundation; Yale) "'Returning from Greece': Journey and Homecoming in Two Contemporary Greek Novels." Barker Center, Room 133, April 4, at 6:15 pm. Looking forward to seeing you there, Panagiotis Roilos Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Studies Panagiotis Roilos Office tel.: (617) 495-7783 Harvard University Office fax: (617) 496-6720 Department of the Classics e-mail: roilos@fas.harvard.edu Boylston Hall 2nd Floor Cambridge MA 02138 From AKarpathak at aol.com Fri Mar 29 14:10:59 2002 From: AKarpathak at aol.com (AKarpathak@aol.com) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Re: My big fat greek wedding Message-ID: <51.1b8f680d.29d64073@aol.com> > Rarely does a movie come along that embraces the heart, soul > and joy of being Greek. IFC Films' romantic comedy "My Big Fat > Greek Wedding" both captures and celebrates this great Greek > spirit. The movie, written by and starring "Second City" alumna > Nia Vardalos, is based on her critically acclaimed, autobiographical, > one-woman show and stars Sex in the City's John Corbett and N'Sync's > Joey Fatone. The film, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Rita > Wilson, opens April 19th in movie theatres and is rated PG. > > www.movies.yahoo.com/greekwedding. > > In My Big Fat Greek Wedding everyone in the Portokalos family > worries about Toula (Vardalos). She is thirty years old, dowdy, > still unmarried, and still working at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek > restaurant owned by her overbearing father (Michael Constantine, > The Juror) and mother (Lainie Kazan, My Favorite Year) where > they constantly remind her that they are waiting for her big, > fat, Greek wedding. Her domineering family is driving her crazy, > so Toula decides she must make a change. > > > >Toula takes a job at the travel agency run by her Aunt Voula > (Andrea Martin, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Wag the Dog). With > a new outlook on life, Toula begins a remarkable personal > transformation. > Soon she meets and falls for the tall, handsome, but undeniably > non-Greek Ian Miller (John Corbett) and in no time the two are > falling in love. But what will her family say? > After all, Ian is a "Xeno" (foreigner), and he's a vegetarian. > Somehow, Ian must convince Toula's family that even though he's > not Greek, he's the perfect man for her. What ensues is a clashing > of cultures, but will their love > survive? > > My Big Fat Greek Wedding came to the attention of producers Rita > Wilson,Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman when Wilson, a fellow actress > of Greek heritage, discovered Vardalos' one-woman show in Los > Angeles. The ensemble cast also includes Joey Fatone (of N'Sync), > Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Bess > Meisler, Fiona Reid, Bruce Gray and Vardalos' real-life husband > Ian Gomez. > > > > > > > > > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/attachments/20020329/08abd415/attachment.html From dgw1 at nyu.edu Fri Mar 29 18:36:57 2002 From: dgw1 at nyu.edu (Diana Wright) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Seferis Film Screening/HellenicStudies/ColumbiaUniversity References: Message-ID: <009d01c1d793$c4065c00$2a03a5d8@computer> A gentle and powerful film. A gift. Thank you, DW > Friday, March 29 > Logbook, George Seferis (Imerologia Katastromatos, Yiorgos Seferis) > (documentary, 2001), > dir., Stelios Charalambopoulos. > On the life of George Seferis as a diasporic writer and literary figure. > First prize, Greek-state documentary film awards, 2001 > (1h 20 min.) (with subtitles) > 702 Hamilton Hall, 7.30 pm > > For more information, please contact Vassiliki Yiakoumaki at > vy5@columbia.edu, or at 212-854 4551 > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > From ec22 at nyu.edu Sat Mar 30 05:58:25 2002 From: ec22 at nyu.edu (Evangelos Calotychos) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Aigai(o) = Goat(y)? Message-ID: <2579a4d257e0e8.257e0e82579a4d@homemail.nyu.edu> Dear George: I am reminded of a couple of lines from the second draft of Solomos's Eleftheroi Poliorkhmenoi (Free Besieged)-- Lefko vounaki provata kinoumeno velazei, Kai mes sth thalassa vathia xanapetietai pali, Ki ololefko esusmixe me t'ouranou ta kallh. Best, V Vangelis Calotychos Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature & Hellenic Studies, New York University Director, Undergraduate Studies 19 University Place, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003 (212) 998 3998 ec22@nyu.edu ----- Original Message ----- From: George Baloglou Date: Thursday, March 28, 2002 5:17 pm Subject: [MGSA-L] Aigai(o) = Goat(y)? > > > Since a number of recent messages deal with Greece's very old days, > I feel > comfortable inquiring here about an alternative, non-mythological > etymologyfor Aegean Sea -- related not to an island once known to > Poseidon as Aigai, > but to an apparent human need to liken a stormy sea's white caps to > whiteanimals or birds (in Greece's case sheep, or, by merciful > extension, goats)! > > While this alternative etymology does not seem to survive in > contemporaryGreek folklore, Byzantine era sources such as > Artemidorus (Oneirokritikon > 2.12) and Pseudo-Symeon (Chronografia p. 705) derive "Aegean" from > wavesthat go up and down like hopping goats; coupled with the > Greeks' likening > of white caps to sheep -- as opposed to German pigeons, North American > horses, etc -- this leads to my amusing, if unsupportable, > etymology :-) > > [Has anyone seen this possibility mentioned anywhere? Please > forward it > to the Classics list if you find it worth posting; I also have a > somewhatlonger message on this, posted in Greenglish to the hellas > list (with a > reference to Koukoules E.378, where I got the idea) earlier this month > ("H katcikicia mas 8alacca") and available upon request.] > > Thanks, > > G. B. > > _______________________________________________ > List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l > From baloglou at Oswego.EDU Sat Mar 30 15:40:59 2002 From: baloglou at Oswego.EDU (George Baloglou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Aigai(o) = Goat(y)? In-Reply-To: <2579a4d257e0e8.257e0e82579a4d@homemail.nyu.edu> Message-ID: On Sat, 30 Mar 2002, Evangelos Calotychos wrote: > Dear George: I am reminded of a couple of lines from the second draft of Solomos's > Eleftheroi Poliorkhmenoi (Free Besieged)-- > > Lefko vounaki provata kinoumeno velazei, > Kai mes sth thalassa vathia xanapetietai pali, > Ki ololefko esusmixe me t'ouranou ta kallh. Koukoules (E.379) reports that the Pontians say that "i thalassa provatazei" when an ocean storm is brewing and the white caps begin to emerge :-) G. B. From vefthi at otenet.gr Sun Mar 31 10:04:50 2002 From: vefthi at otenet.gr (Efthymiopoulou Vivian) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala References: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Message-ID: <003201c1d8de$8e21be80$0affcdd4@cs0vr01> Dear Mr.Gedeon. I read your report with great interest. Although I hate to cut a person's text into pieces and reply line by line , I find it inevitable here because your text is long. I will try to avoid it as much as possible though. "The Question- Why not a Greek Mala." I am afraid that the answer is awfully simple. Probably the composer of the musical, Mr. Karvelas , doesn't really now that only 50 years ago, in Greece flourished and prospered a big Jewish community. Mr.Karvellas and Mrs. Vissi are artists that have built their careers in the famous Greek night clubs called " Bouzoukia" . I was astonished to hear that they were preparing a rock-opera based on the Holaucust. Too difficult to be absorbed by their fanatic audience , I though. But soon, I realized that there wasn't such a danger,to disappoint their audience, I mean. If you have walked outside the theater, you would have seen that the title is " Mala- A real love story" and if you had the opportunity to hear to the radio some of the songs you would realize that the whole plot was focused on the love story. The Camp was just the scenery. To tell you the truth Mr.Gedeon, this fact, that a concentration camp was used as scenery upsets me. My grand mother is one of those Greek-Jews that have crossed the gates of such a camp and she was one of the survivors, one of the 1037 ( if I remember well according to an article of Mrs. Ambatzoglou ), that returned home. I am not so sure that I enjoy Mrs. Vissi building her career on a painful historical fact , giving nothing back, not even a tribute to the victims. I also found shocking that although newspapers ( like Eleftherotypia or Kathimerini) are usually quite sarcastic towards the specific artist. In case of Mala , they didn't write a word. My point is that I cannot accept, as Greek that the owned tribute to our fellow Jewish citizens is paid by Mrs. Vissi's artistic experiments.And although I try not to speak on other people's behalf ,I am almost certain that my late grandmother wouldn't find that entertaining either. In an attempt to be fair I will mention that nasty rumors were spread that the artist chose to play the Jew in order to promote her international career. On the other hand allow me not to take so seriously the rumors that I read in "Loipon", an entertainment > magazine, that Ms. Vissi had to increase her personal security following a > number of threatening calls." I have to tell you Mr. Gedeon that some years ago ( I was still at school and I remember those things quite well) Mrs. Vissi didn't hesitate to spread rumors that she was dying our of Aids in order to promote her work that had a similar title... As for the magazine Loipon... is as entertaining a magazine as "The National Enquirer" for example. "The Taxi." Athenian taxi drivers are a must see, indeed. I can picture your conversation as if I was present. "The bad Jews" is part of the repertoire of the average Greek taxi driver.You are lucky he didn't lecture you on how the 400 years of Ottoman occupation are responsible of every evil in my country or that the American President wakes up every morning thinking what he will do to destroy Greece. I think that the taxi-driver would be extremely flattered if he knew that you saw in his face a carrier of anti-Semitism in Greece.Too much credit in my opinion. The episode in the Train Station is sad indeed. But correct me if I am mistaken, such discussions that take place in the Greek coffee shops about the Historical Truth of the Holocaust were a major public issue in France ( It 's the affaire Garody that I am having in mind )Such discussions are sad in the coffee shops ,indeed, mostly sad in court rooms, you must admit though. There are some journalists and Members of Parliaments that they do not hide their anti-Semitism and someone wondered why none responds to them. I have to tell you that I don't like the idea that a Greek Historian will ever have a public discussion with those caricatures. I cannot picture anyone of the Professors of Modern History for example debating Karatzaferis or worse with Plevris on whether Jews are plotting against Hellenism. The general public doesn't expect from scientists to argue with magicians, why they expect historians to argue with those persons? I hope you get my point. I don't understand why you were surprised that books like " The protocols of the Elders of Zion " are sold. Greece is a free country. Many people who find me philo-Semite (sic) try to discuss such books with me. I reply to them that if they want to talk about Jews referring to the "protocols" then we must discuss about Jesus referring to Mimis Andoulakis books... The discussion ends there. Someone wondered why in Greece currently live only 5.000 Greek Jews. My great grand father, if he had survived the camp wouldn't live in Greece too. My grandmother for example, went to Israel after the War. The reason is that unfortunately Greece after the War couldn't support the kind of economy Jews were used to working in. This was due to the extinction of the Jewish community. Along with the Jewish died the healthiest part of Greek economy. Mr. Gedeon. I didn't find your article " anti-hellenic" at all. On the contrary. I understand that you expect the best from a country that lives so vividly in you heart. Your article presented a modern country, where freedom of ideas and religion exists but occasionally suffers from the endemic prejudice,common in every country on the globe.A prejudice that cannot possibly be called anti-Semitism. Greece -as you pointed out in the epilogue of your article- is one of the few counties that can face its Jewish fellow citizens straight in the eyes. But I agree with you. We can do better than " Mala". In fact, much better. Best regards Vivian Efthymiopoulou From despi at eexi.gr Sun Mar 31 11:42:58 2002 From: despi at eexi.gr (Despina Christodoulou) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:29 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] Mala In-Reply-To: <005301c1d5b4$4f59cf80$6ca1fed8@globalserve.net> Message-ID: At 12:19 -0500 27/3/2, george gedeon wrote: >Dear MGSA: Here is my document as an email. Now it is within your KB limits. >Thank you for cooperation. > > > > WHY NOT A GREEK "MALA"? > > >THE QUESTION > >Recently I received a raving review of Anna Vissi's WW2 musical "Mala" based >on the tragic story of a Polish Jewess. The reviewer described the play as >"an amazing experience", a "real labour of love and a "wonderful exploration >of human behavior", all well deserved adjectives for what apparently is a >compelling theatrical production. As the author of the "raving review" referred to by George above, I am slightly concerned that my 'reviews' (two, in fact) have been quoted in a way that makes them look like wishy-washy sentimental drivel. So, here are both 'reviews' in full, sent to a list George has compiled for people whom he believes may be interested in his work against anti-semitism in Greece. 'Review' 1, sent 10/2/2002: "The other night I went to see the musical 'Mala, i mousiki tou anemou' starring Anna Vissi, arguably Greece and Cyprus's biggest female singer, and written by her former husband and long-term collaborator Nikos Karvelas. The musical is based on the life of Mala Zimetbaum, a Polish Jew who died at Auschwitz. It was quite an amazing experience, not least because of its subject matter, the Nazi holocaust of the Jews. Indeed, the musical was perhaps one of the most intense and profound treatments of the holocaust that I have ever encountered. It was a real labour of love, taking us from Mala's birth in 1918 in a small Jewish community in Poland, through the rise of the Nazis, the persecution of the Jews, the outbreak of the war and, of course, the Shoah. The musical was excellently historically informed and also a wonderful exploration of human behaviour. The cast was brilliant, Vissi demonstrating both her singing and acting talents. The scenery and scene changes were outstanding, with some extremely effective projections of original footage that recreated the sense of madness and fear that must have prevailed. The reconstructions of Auschwitz, both in terms of scenery and acting, were highly graphic and disturbing. The treatment of the subject matter and plot was extremely moving and very well done, you could sense that Karvelas really put his soul into it. It was a passionate protest against anti-semitism and bigotry and certainly has a profound affect on viewers. My only criticism would be the length - 3 1/2 hours - both because you start to lose track and also because it is extremely emotionally exhausting. On the other hand, this might be a good thing and it is excellent that such big stars as Vissi and Karvelas are drawing packed crowds from all walks of life - people who never go to the theatre, teenage fans of Vissi, perhaps even a few ignorant bigots - to see a production on such a subject matter. The programme is also as equally packed with information and an eagerness to speak out on this issue, being filled with details of the historical background, survivor accounts, the life of the real Mala Zimetbaum, information on Greece and the Greek Jews. I recommend everyone to go and see it." 'Review' 2 slightly abridged, sent 13/2/2002, in response to criticisms of 'Mala' (note: none of the people criticising the musical had actually seen it)" "Firstly, there is absolutely no way in which the production 'Mala' can be criticised for shying away from issues or not encouraging introspection and thought. If the core of the criticism is that Karvelas should have written a musical about Greek Jews, then one can argue, yes, it would be nice if there was more stuff about Greek Jews - although I'm not sure we can criticise Karvelas and Vissi, essentially two completly apolitical pop musicians, for not providing the focus of discussion on Greek Jewry. But, if the criticism is that 'Mala' shies away from issues and makes Greek Jews invisible, then this simply does not hold. The musical is a searing critique of anti-semitism, Nazi ideology and bigotry in general. The first half is set variously in Poland, Germany and Belgium prior to the outbreak of the war and the Nazi rise to power. The notorious anti-Jewish measures in place in Poland and Germany during the 1920s and 1930s just didn't exist in Greece. A musical about Greek Jews in Thessaloniki would therefore not have been able to explore any of these issues - pogroms and oppression, ghettoes, book-burnings, the political organisation of the Jews themselves, being sacked from your job because you are a Jew and the police have threatened your employer, the general climate of fear and intimidation. Before going to see 'Mala' I was a bit apprehensive about how such a subject can be presented in the form of a musical, and wasn't looking too forward to the idea of SS officers singing songs on stage. 'Mala' is meant to be a love story as well and I was a bit wary that it might all just end up as some sentimental, romantic tale with a happy end which just turned life in the concentration camps into a wishy-washy message about love overcoming all odds. In fact, the whole production was highly intelligently put together, with an incisive, graphic and head-on treatment of the issues, and the ending is not happy, but it is definitely positive, and provides a way of reconciling with something that is essentially too difficult to ever really reconcile with (the Shoah). Mala Zimetbaum was a real-life figure and Nikos Karvelas obviously found a message in her story, and wanted to make art out of it and share it. So, it's a shame to criticise 'Mala' for shying away from the issue of Greek Jews and the decimated Jewish commnunities of Greece. References are made to Greek Jews, including one Josif from Thessaloniki, who is, of course, organising a rebellion in Auschwitz-Birkenau and, of course, sadly bewails his beloved country - "Greece, the most beautiful country in the world," as he puts it. There is a section on Greek Jews in the programme as well. Not to mention the fact that Vissi spends half her time on stage going round passionately declaring "I am a Jew, I am a Jew!" As for any supposed attacks on Vissi, is 'Loipon' the sensationalist gossip magazine? I heard someone say that somebody told them that it was reported on one of the sensationalist gossip news bulletins on private TV that neo-Nazis had criticised Vissi. George, similar people exist in Canada don't they? But, we wouldn't extrapolate from this that neo-Nazism is a mainstream trend in Canada, as you seem to imply for Greece. Indeed, any neo-Nazis attacking Vissi for playing a Jew would simply be represented in the media and in people's conversations as a bunch of nasty lunatics. Such attacks only serve to show how marginal these neo-Nazis are in Greece. The same can be said for Stohos, and Karatzaferis. And, don't these supposed attacks on Vissi just prove that 'Mala' is shaking some people up?" Despina Christodoulou From aleontis at umich.edu Fri Mar 29 12:12:49 2002 From: aleontis at umich.edu (Artemis Leontis aleontis Artemis Leontis) Date: Mon Dec 19 08:04:30 2005 Subject: [MGSA-L] U of M Greek film series and panel discussion Message-ID: <3CA4CABE.B24D4B90@umich.edu> The UM Hellenic Student Association and the C. P. Cavafy Chair of Modern Greek present: Mighty Aphrodites: Greek Women in the 20th Century and Beyond Saturday 3/30 Michigan Union, Anderson Room D, 5:30 pm Panel/Discussion: The Position of Greek Women in a Changing World --- - Athena McLean, Assoc. Professor, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU - Zana Litos, Research Associate, E. European and Russian Studies, MSU, Instructor, Humanities and Performing Arts, Lansing Community College - Sophia Koufopoulou, Lecturer, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU, Visiting Lecturer, Sociology, MSU - Marilyn Corsianos, Asst. Professor, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, CMU The panelists will draw on their background as women of Greek descent as well as social scientists to address various issues and struggles that women of Greek roots are facing as they negotiate a changing world. - Moderator: Vassilis Lambropoulos, Professor, Modern Greek Studies, UM Saturday 3/30 Lorch Hall Aud., 8:00 pm FEMALE COMPANY (1999) 104' --- Six women, married to more or less influential men of a small town, lead a life of neglect, sexual deprivation and fashionable hairdos. To alleviate their boredom, they spend endless hours card playing, gossiping and hairdressing. The apartment that they find to house their card games will come to house much more as each of them decides to reclaim her right to pleasure with a new partner. However, this "crime" cannot go unpunished in their provincial society and they will find their nemesis in the form of a spiteful private investigator with an assertive mother. Nikos Perakis' satire of the small-town nouveau riche was a record-breaking box office hit in Greece. More info (including movie trailer): http://www.umich.edu/~hellas/mightyaphrodites