John Georges, Lover of Greece and Louisiana
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S O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of E ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek- Americans N c v A wEEkly GrEEk-AmEriCAN PuBliCATiON www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 16, ISSUE 817 June 8-14, 2013 $1.50 John Georges, Lover of Jaharis Foundation Gives $2M for Greek Relief Greece and Louisiana, Primarily to Help Target Hunger of Acquires a Newspaper Greece’s Children By Constantine S. Sirigos – now, the sitting mayor and TNH Staff TNH Staff Writer governor – against whom once he ran. ΝEW YORK – The Jaharis Fam - NEW YORK – Call John Georges In addition to doing his civic ily Foundation, Inc. has an - a good Greek, and he will beam duty, imbued in him by his own nounced a pledge of a $2 mil - and tell you about his heritage family and reinforced by his lion Challenge Gift that will and his commitment to Ortho - wife Dathel, who comes from a specifically target hunger and doxy and Hellenism. Acknowl - prominent and civic minded poverty relief efforts to help edge his love of Louisiana and New Orleans family, he believes children and families in Greece. he will say it is all the same: he has the winning formula and The announcement was “Being Greek and being from vision which he developed as he made to the Greek Orthodox Louisiana, we have one thing in built successful ventures upon Archdiocese of America in honor common: We are a proud peo - the foundation of the family of His Beatitude Archbishop ple.” business – to succeed in a Ieronymos of Athens and His The businessman and phil - stressed industry. Eminence Archbishop anthropist who has succeeded His mother’s father, Gus Demetrios of America for their in different kinds of businesses Pelias, established the Imperial collaboration of efforts on pro - just purchased The Advocate, Trading Company in 1916. It is viding humanitarian assistance the venerable 105 year-old now the fifth largest conve - to the people in Greece. newspaper headquartered in Ba - nience store supplier in Amer - The gift will be primarily di - ton Rouge, LA. ica, supplying 5000 stores. rected to the IOCC (Interna - It is the latest challenge for The newspaper business is tional Orthodox Christian Char - a man who has run for governor tough, but Georges loves chal - ities to help develop, sustain and of Louisiana and Mayor of New lenges. “In New Orleans we support its Hunger Relief efforts Orleans, and helped lead the re - overcame Katrina, BP, we won and partnership with Apostoli, covery after Hurricane Katrina. a Super Bowl. We seem to al - the humanitarian affiliate orga - Buying the Advocate was ways be the underdogs,” he nization of the Archdiocese of motivated not by politics, he said. Regarding the struggling Greece. With an alarming and told TNH, but by his desire to newspaper industry he said “it growing need for hunger relief do even more for his state, a no - has its challenges but the solu - AP PHOTO/PETrOS GiANNAkOuriS programs, specifically for chil - tion that was seconded at the tions are the same as in the gro - An elderly man pulls a shopping cart as he walks near demonstration by pensioners, in central dren, this grant will help the announcement of the purchase cery distribution business: ex - Athens, Thursday, June 6. Elderly Greeks have faced successive pension cuts since Greece began IOCC dramatically expand its by the presence of the very men pand geographically, control relying on international rescue loans in 2010, and have also been hard hit by health care cuts. humanitarian aid programs and your costs, and work hard.” partnership with Apostoli such The paper expanded into as providing food and meals to New Orleans before he bought children and families in need it, being given and opening by Greek Joblessness at Record 26.8% while also supporting local agri - its main competitor, The Times cultural industry and creating Picayune. They decided to focus jobs through the distribution of on their digital presence and to By Andy Dabilis earlier that in January, 2014 he sands of needless workers in re - fresh produce, dairy products, print only three days a week. TNH Staff Writer would have a program to hire turn for votes. and bulk nutrients such as Georges said that’s a strategy 75,000 young people, but didn’t That helped create a stagger - grains. that might work everywhere ex - ATHENS – Three years after say what kind of jobs or pay ing $460 billion debt that has Constantine M. Triantafillou, cept New Orleans, not in a providing Greece a first bailout they would receive as the gov - been reduced to a still-unsus - Executive Director of the IOCC town that is as famous for tra - of $152 billion as part of a ernment has also cut the mini - tainable $390 billion despite re - said, “We are grateful for the Ja - dition and family ties as it is for Troika of lenders, the Interna - mum wage to 683.76 euros lentless pay cuts, tax hikes, haris Family Foundation’s gen - great parties. tional Monetary Fund (IMF) has ($897) a month before taxes. slashed pensions and imposing erosity which will greatly assist He hopes his children will admitted that it vastly underes - Samaras is touting what he 74 percent losses on investors, us in capacity building and fur - follow his footsteps. Both his timated the effect of harsh aus - calls the country’s “success including those in the Diaspora ther developing our programs daughters, college students terity measures that have now story” as he said it is edging to - who put their savings into buy - and partnerships with Apostoli Alexandra and Liza, are inter - raised the unemployment rate ward recovery from a crushing ing Greek bonds. to offer assistance to children ested in pursuing media studies, to a record 26.8 percent. economic crisis caused by four The jobless figure was re - who are experiencing the dev - which was one of the motivating The rate for those under 25, decades of his New Democracy vised from 26.7 percent in the astating effects of poverty and factors for establishing the which was at 63.8 percent, fell Conservatives and their rival PA - most recent reporting period in hunger. This lead gift will help The new publisher and CEO of slightly to 58.3 percent. Prime SOK Socialists packing public The Advocate, John Georges. Continued on page 5 Minister Antonis Samaras said payrolls with hundreds of thou - Continued on page 9 Continued on page 4 Chryssis is RESTAURANT REVIEW Greece’s FM Found Dead Speaks at In His Home Parea Prime: Steak and Greek Food All in One AJC Event By Penelope Karageorge By Theodore Kalmoukos Special to The National Herald Special to The National Herald By Lena Argiri As a Greek-American I grew TNH Staff Writer BOSTON, MA – George Chrys - up thriving on grape leaves and sis, prominent Greek-American all foods Hellenic. My earliest WASHINGTON, DC – “We will businessman, author, and poet, memories include dipping bread not allow hate and racism, to was found dead at his residence into olive oil while seated in a spread,” Greek Foreign Minister in Southborough, MA on May high chair. As much as I lusted Dimitris Avramopoulos 31st by his wife, Margo. No of - after Greek food, I yearned to promised Jewish-Americans as ficial announcement has been be the All-American girl. Real one of the principal speakers at issued as yet about the cause of Americans dined on red T-bone the annual Global Forum of the his death. Chryssis, 66, beloved steaks and pink roast beef, but American Jewish Committee husband of Margo (Sayegh) my parents, Melpomene and (AJC) that was held his week at Chryssis, devoted father of Ra - Stephen, considered bloody a prominent hotel in Washing - nia Makkas and her husband meat an abomination. As for the ton, DC which featured Manny, Lily Chryssis, Alex T-bone, it never passed our speeches by, among others, Sec - Chryssis, and his wife, Lindsay. table. What good was a big retary of State John Kerry. Proud grandfather of Theo and steak in a household where The conference participants Luke Makkas and brother of Ste - “falling off the bone” was the were key figures in the Ameri - lios Chryssis and Eleni Kekaki. rule? Not until I was a college can foreign policy establishment freshman did I have the Big and the Israel lobby and the Continued on page 6 Steak Experience. Greek Foreign Minister prefaced A date invited me to a top his presentation with warm Boston restaurant and ordered greetings to the Executive Di - For subscription: steak for both of us. And how rector of the AJC, David Harris, 718.784.5255 did I want it? Attempting so - saying that friendship between [email protected] phistication, not knowing what the two countries is deep and is to say, I asked for rare. Shocked characterized by strong ties. at the blood that flowed when I TNH/COSTAS BEJ From conference podium cut into the oversized chunk, I The door is open at Parea Prime, Manhattan’s unique Steak House and Greek restaurant at 36 Avramopoulos also referred to East 20th Street. Preparations are underway to receive diners who can enjoy both haute Amer - Continued on page 12 ican and Greek food in a tasteful atmosphere that fosters conviviality. Continued on page 8 2 COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, JUNE 8-14 2013 GOINGS ON... n THRU JUNE 22 Dancing from our Dance TARPON SPRINGS, FL – The Groups. City of Tarpon Springs/Center for Gulf Coast Folklife is proud n JUNE 15 (DEADLINE) to host Journey Stories.