Saint Nicholas Church Waiting to Rise from Ashes Archbishop: Fires Were

O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek Americans A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION c v www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 10, ISSUE 518 September 15, 2007 $1.00 GREECE: 1.75 EURO Saint Nicholas Church Waiting to Rise from Ashes NY/NJ Port Authority Spokesman: Historic Church Integral Part of WTC Memorial Plan By Evan C. Lambrou Special to the National Herald NEW YORK – Six years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center complex and the Twin Towers, dramatically affecting New York City and the collective Ameri- can consciousness. The terrorist attacks also made a major impact on the Greek Ameri- can community, killing almost 40 Greek Americans and leveling Saint Nicholas Church in downtown Manhattan, which once stood be- neath in the shadows of the mighty towers. Early last year, the National Her- ald reported that members of Saint Nicholas parish community were optimistic that reconstruction of the historic little church could begin as early as this fall, with com- pletion by sometime in 2009. But the reconstruction effort is AP PHOTO/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS still behind schedule, not only for Election Building Blocks the church, but also for the entire World Trade Center Memorial site, Workers piece together ballot boxes in Athens' municipality's warehouse, before delivering them to the polling stations around Greece on and it does not look like reconstruc- Rendering of Freedom Tower Wednesday, September 12, 2007. Greeks head to the polls in early general elections on Sunday, September 16 . The conservative party of Greek tion of the church will begin any Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, which seemed assured of victory when he called snap parliamentary elections last month, will be waiting sooner (ideally) than the second or sometime after VCS construction to see how much recent wildfires have altered the political landscape when the nation goes to the polls. See related story on page 9. third quarter of 2008, and perhaps commenced. considerably later than that. “We know it’s a little frustrating According to Glenn Guzi, pro- for the Saint Nicholas parish com- gram manager for government af- munity – and they’ve been a great fairs at the New York-New Jersey group of people to work with – but Port Authority, to which the proper- it’s frustrating for everybody. The Archbishop: Fires were “Unprecedented Tragedy” ty where the church is set be rebuilt church is one piece of a very large will be transferred, the Port Au- puzzle, and it’s an important piece. By Theodore Kalmoukos op said the Archdiocese fire relief His Eminence. member anything comparable in thority remains committed to re- It’s just taking time for all the Special to The National Herald fund had received the sum of Asked if he had been informed Greece which had happened in his building the church and considers pieces in that puzzle to come to- $400,000 from a wealthy Greek about the situation directly by the lifetime. “The only similar level of it to be “an integral part of the mas- gether,” Mr. Guzi told the National BOSTON – In an interview with the American, and was expecting anoth- Greek Government, the Archbishop destruction took place during the ter plan,” but the construction Herald. National Herald, His Eminence er $1 million this past Monday, Sep- said, “Yes, I have. We have spoken years of the Second World War, schedule depends heavily upon the Asked whether Mr. Shorris, who Archbishop Demetrios of America tember 10. with Ambassador Alexandros when we had to deal with the bom- deconstruction of the Deutsch Bank was appointed the PA’s executive discussed the deadly wildfires in “The fires were of immense pro- Mallias in Washington many times, bardments and dead in the streets, building, now a vacant pre-9/11 director this past January 4, shares Greece which claimed the lives of portions, and they had terrible con- as well as with the Consul General of and fires.” relic, and the subsequent construc- the same commitment to rebuild- more than 65 people especially in sequences in terms of loss of human Greece here in New York (Catherine Asked what the Archdiocese tion of the Memorial’s future Vehi- ing the church as his predecessor, the Peloponnese, and the Archdio- life and property. A large segment of Boura). But his case does not need done up until now to advance the re- cle Security Center. Kenneth J. Ringler, Mr. Guzi said, cese mobilization of the Archdiocese the population has lost the most ba- detailed briefing because what has lief effort, the 80-year-old Archbish- Mr. Guzi, who works for PA Ex- “Mr. Shorris is committed to the en- for the relief of the victims, referring sic elements for survival, especially happened – the magnitude of the op said, “I learned about the fires on ecutive Director Anthony E. tire master plan, which also calls to the catastrophe as an “unprece- in Peloponnesos. We are speaking destruction – is so visible.” Saturday morning, August 25, on Shorris’ Community Relations of- for rebuilding Saint Nicholas dented tragedy.” about an unprecedented tragedy. As to the extent of the destruc- fice, also noted that reconstruction As of September 5, the Archbish- Greece will need a lot of help,” said tion, Demetrios also said he not re- Continued on page 4 of the church could not begin until Continued on page 3 Police Officer Charged with Displaying 2nd Degree Manslaughter of Hellenism: Homeless Man in Upstate NY 1904 to 1984 By Mark Frangos manslaughter in the death of a By Steve Frangos Special to the National Herald homeless Guatemalan immigrant Special to The National Herald on April 28 that had shaken this MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — A Greek community of 10,000 people. Public displays and fully curated American police officer was The officer, George Bubaris, also museum exhibitions on the Greek charged on Thursday, September 6, faces one count of unlawful impris- presence in North America have a 2007, with second-degree onment and two counts of official far longer more complicated histo- misconduct, according to an indict- ry than contemporary Greek Amer- ment unsealed in Westchester icans now realize. While the Great County. Age of Museums, 1850 to 1910, Officer Bubaris, 30, was the first roughly parallels the greatest influx of three Mount Kisco officers to an- of Greek migration to the United Patriarchate swer a 911 call placed by the man States, the potential for studying who died, Rene Javier Perez, from a immigration as it was taking place Defrocks Rev. laundromat that night. Officer went largely unnoticed. There were Bubaris determined that no further notable exceptions such as the Con- action was necessary, and the other stantinople Street Scene tableaux Nick Katinas police officer left. in the Anthropology Building at the An hour later, Mr. Perez, a 42- 1893 Columbian Exposition in year-old vagrant with a history of Chicago. Yet this tableaux followed By Theodore Kalmoukos alcoholism and a long arrest record Victorian anthropological notions Special to The National Herald for petty crimes, was found uncon- of the day, and decidedly did not scious on the side of a dirt road a represent a Greek view of their own BOSTON – The Holy & Sacred Syn- few miles away in the neighboring culture and society. od of the Ecumenical Patriarchate town of Bedford and died in a hos- I have located some 14 Greek in Constantinople defrocked Rev. pital a few hours later. American exhibitions. This does Nicholas Katinas and returned him The county medical examiner A view from the popular exhibition, “Aristotle Onassis: Beyond the Myth,” which was held during the not represent every such public dis- to the rank of the laity. Rev. Katinas ruled the death a homicide, saying tenure of the current president of the Aristotle S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation Antonis Papademetri- play or exhibition of Greek Ameri- has been accused of sexual miscon- Mr. Perez died of internal abdomi- ou. Mr. Papademetriou spoke candidly to the Herald about his future plans for the Foundation. can society and culture ever offered duct with minors while shepherd- nal injuries. in the United States. But our self- ing the Greek Orthodox parishes of In a news conference the understanding of what we have the Dormition in Olympia Fields, Westchester district attorney, Janet done to explain ourselves to the Illinois and Holy Trinity in Dallas, DiFiore, refused to detail what in- American Society around us – via Texas. vestigators believe transpired be- Change thru Continuity is our Theme museum exhibitions – must begin The National Herald has learned tween Officer Bubaris and Mr. somewhere. that the Patriarchate defrocked Perez, other than to say that Officer By Antonis H. Diamataris great successes to speak of. Natu- the grants it offered institutions On March 25, 1904, at the re- (now former) Father Katinas on Ju- Bubaris, “while on duty as a Mount Special to The National Herald rally, we want to continue along throughout the world for the pro- quest of the local Greek communi- ly 11, though nothing had been an- Kisco police officer, restrained Rene those lines. For us, it acts as a motion of the Hellenic culture and ty, Jane Addams authored and nounced by the Archdiocese, thus Perez and exposed him to a risk of NEW YORK – I met with Antonis bridge between Greece and the heritage. Can you tell us how you hosted a Greek display with public far. The Orthodox Observer had not serious physical injury,” recklessly Papademetriou, president of the United States.” see your role as President of the programs at Chicago’s Hull House published anything about the deci- causing his death.

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