NEW YORK – With great solemnity and strong participation from the Greek-American community, commemorative events marking the 90th anniversary of the passing of Eleftherios Venizelos began across the United States. The events were held in the presence of Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Ambassador Aglaia Balta, and Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the United States Antonis Alexandridis.
The Venizelos Foundation USA, in cooperation with the Pancretan Association of America (PAA) and the World Council of Cretans (WCC), organized the annual memorial service for the Ethnarch on March 8 in three major cities of the United States, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, honoring the historic figure who shaped the course of modern Greece.
In New York, the memorial service was held at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan and was officiated by His Grace Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia. Among those in attendance were Ambassador Balta, Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus in New York Kyriakos Pogiatzis, Professor at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Southeast European Studies Centre Dr. Othon Anastasakis, Venizelos Foundation USA President and WCC President Nickos Kastrinakis, Hellenic Lawyers Association Chairman of the Board George Zapantis, and Venizelos Foundation USA Secretary Maria Stratoudakis. The event was also honored by the presence of presidents and members of the regional societies of the Pancretan Association of America in the greater New York area, as well as representatives of many other Greek-American cultural organizations.
Dr. Othon Anastasakis during the lecture: ‘The Legacy of Eleftherios Venizelos: Leadership, Reform, and the Power of Political Vision’, at the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria, NY. Photo: Fotis Papagermanos/ Courtesy of the Venizelos Foundation USA
In San Francisco, the memorial service was held at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in the presence of PAA President Diane Kounalakis. The event was organized by George Panos, President of the Cretan Society ‘Epimenides/Ariadni’ of San Francisco, while the co-presidents of the Cretan Chapter ‘Crete’ of San Francisco Vasiliki Roussaki and Nikos Flokas were also present. Numerous members and friends of both societies, along with representatives of the local Greek community, attended the event to pay tribute to the memory of the great Cretan statesman.
In Chicago, the memorial service took place at Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in the presence of the Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Antonis Alexandridis and Consul General of Greece in Chicago Emmanuel Koubarakis. Also in attendance were Venizelos Foundation USA Vice President Yiannis Bertakis, WCC Treasurer Bianca Nikoleta Pigounaki, and local Cretan Association ‘Amalthea’ President Georgia Beladaki, who also served as MC of the event. A large number of Cretans and Greek-Americans from the greater Chicago area were present to honor the memory of the Ethnarch.
The anniversary events were inaugurated by a special lecture delivered by the distinguished Oxford University Professor and Director of the Oxford Southeast European Studies Centre Dr. Othon Anastasakis, titled ‘The Legacy of Eleftherios Venizelos: Leadership, Reform, and the Power of Political Vision’.
The Chicago memorial service for Eleftherios Venizelos was held at St. Haralambos Church. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
The lecture took place on March 6 at the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria, NY. The event was co-organized by the Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Center of Queens College (CUNY) as part of the Themis C. Brown Memorial Lecture series, the Venizelos Foundation USA, and the Hellenic American Project (HAP) of Queens College, with the support of the WCC, the PAA, and the Famagusta Council.
Opening remarks were delivered by the Director of the Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Center at Queens College, Dr. Fevronia Soumakis, who also served as MC of the event, Queens College Provost Maria DeLongoria, Consul of Greece in New York Petros Dorizas, WCC President Kastrinakis, HAP Director Dr. Nicholas Alexiou, and Kostas Evangelatos, member of the Center’s Advisory Board. The lecture was attended by many students of Queens College as well as numerous members of the Greek-American community, who had the opportunity to participate in a particularly engaging and meaningful discussion with the speaker. The event concluded with a small reception sponsored by the Cretan Women’s Society ‘Pasiphae’ and the Cretan Society ‘Minos’ of New York.
The Venizelos Foundation USA, in cooperation with the Pancretan Association of America and the World Council of Cretans, organized the annual memorial service for the Ethnarch Eleftherios Venizelos on March 8 in New York at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
Pancretan Association of America President Diane Kounalakis, front row, third from left, was among those present for the memorial service in San Francisco for Eleftherios Venizelos. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
The memorial service in San Francisco for Eleftherios Venizelos was held at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
At the memorial service in New York for Ethnarch Eleftherios Venizelos, front row, left to right, Dr. Othon Anastasakis, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Ambassador Aglaia Balta, Venizelos Foundation USA President and World Council of Cretans President Nickos Kastrinakis, and Consul General of Cyprus in New York Kyriakos Pogiatzis. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
The lecture ‘The Legacy of Eleftherios Venizelos: Leadership, Reform, and the Power of Political Vision’, was held at the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria, NY. Photo: Fotis Papagermanos/ Courtesy of the Venizelos Foundation USA
Attendees chatted after the lecture on Eleftherios Venizelos at the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria, NY. Photo: Fotis Papagermanos/ Courtesy of the Venizelos Foundation USA
The Venizelos Foundation USA, in cooperation with the Pancretan Association of America and the World Council of Cretans, organized the annual memorial service for the Ethnarch Eleftherios Venizelos on March 8 in New York at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Photo: Courtesy of Venizelos Foundation USA
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