Enjoy our Greek American Weddings Annual Special Insert S BRINGING THE NEWS W TO GENERATIONS OF ND E GREEK- AMERICANS The National Herald 2an 2 ni versary N A WEEKLY GREEK-AMERICAN PUBLICATION 1997-2019 VOL. 23, ISSUE 1165 www.thenationalherald.com February 8-14 , 2020 www. ekirikas .com $1.50 Saving St. Psaros, Mehiel Speak Exclusively to TNH on St. Nicholas Nicholas Fundraising efforts Shrine underway to Church complete the church By Theodore Kalmoukos Time for Greek- BOSTON – The construction the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Americans to do Church and National Shrine has already resumed according to all we can Dennis Mehiel and Michael Psaros, chairman and vice chair - Commentary man, respectively, of Friends of By Nicholas Gage St. Nicholas, who spoke to The National Herald during an ex - No one has been more dis - clusive and extensive interview. heartened than I have been by They also said that “the net the unfortunate fate of the St. cost” to complete the Church, Nicholas Shrine at Ground Zero, interior and exterior, is $42 mil - which should have been fin - lion, and they spoke about the ished two years ago at half the fundraising efforts that are un - cost of what it will now take to derway. complete it. When we asked if any finan - Everyone who contributed to cial irregularities took place dur - the delays and the ballooning ing the first phase of the project costs – from the incompetent and if so, by whom, Mehiel and managers of the project at the Psaros said “this is the final time Archdiocese to the slew of we will address this subject. The lawyers, accountants, contrac - answer is there were no finan - tors, suppliers, and designers – cial irregularities, fraud, theft, bear responsibility for the fail - or malfeasance with respect to ure to complete the shrine on St. Nicholas. Period.” time and on budget. TNH The entire interview follows. But despite the mismanage - The building site at the St. Nicholas National Shrine Church at the World Trade Center remains quiet while fundraising efforts The National Herald: Thank ment and waste, I believe it’s are underway to finally complete the construction by September 2021. The western façade/narthex is the least complete part time for all Greek-Americans to of the building. At www.stnicholaswtc.org/en/architecture the renderings may be seen. Continued on page 12 get fully behind St. Nicholas Shrine and to do all we can to finish it. I have come to that conclusion for two reasons: First, it will stand as the pre - Greek Words for Love Highlight Super Bowl Ad Question: mier monument for our people in the United States because it is projected to attract some 10 TNH Staff that comes from friendship, viously served as the Company’s He graduated with distinction Why Learn million people every year, twice storgi, as love for a grandparent Chief Operating Officer, in addi - from Stanford University with an as many as any museum or NEW YORK – The Super Bowl or brother, eros, as romantic love, tion to holding senior manage - AB and earned a JD from the house worship in the country in - commercials are always a high - and “agape, which New York Life ment positions in New York Life’s University of Virginia. Greek? cluding the most majestic cathe - light of the big game and this expresses as the most profound, life insurance and annuity busi - New York Life, the nation’s drals. year’s crop was especially cre - admirable type of love, which in - nesses and agency department. largest mutual life insurer with It will tell Americans in bril - ative. The Greek words for the volves ‘courage, sacrifice, and Mathas has been a director of the more than $500 billion in assets By Basil Zafiriou liant visual images for genera - four different types of love were strength,’” heavy.com reported. Company since July 2006. He under management, is also cele - tions to come who we Greeks the focus of the insurance com - The company’s Chairman of was appointed to New York Life’s brating its 175th anniversary this At a recent talk on teaching are, where we came from, what pany New York Life’s Super Bowl the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Management Commit - year. The core business of the Greek in Ottawa, a member of we believe in, and what we have ad. The commercial, titled Agape, Executive Officer is Greek-Amer - tee in June 2002. company includes life insurance, the audience questioned the achieved in our new found land. “highlights the importance of ican Theodore A. Mathas, who Mathas serves on the Execu - retirement income, investment benefit of learning Greek. Why Second, I have examined the Agape, or ‘love as an action,’ ac - became Chief Executive Officer tive Committee of the American management, and long-term care should non-Greeks or Diaspora backgrounds and proposals of cording to New York Life,” on July 1, 2008, and was named Council of Life Insurers, as well insurance. New York Life is the Greeks of the second or third the new team of managers who heavy.com reported. Chairman of the Board of Direc - as the Boards of the American leading provider of life insurance generation learn Greek, he The commercial describes tors on June 1, 2009. He joined Museum of Natural History and and income annuities in the asked. It doesn’t help them learn Continued on page 18 four Greek words: filia, as love New York Life in 1995 and pre - the Partnership for New York City. United States. mathematics or chemistry, he added. The question betrays a sadly narrow view of education as mere technical training. Why Greece Says Dalaras, Tzouganakis Impress at the Apollo do we study literature, history, philosophy, religion, music? They don’t make us better car - Brexit Helps By Eleni Sakellis and penters. Learning is its own re - Matina Demelis ward. So why learn Greek? In order Parthenon NEW YORK – The historic to know it, to echo French- Apollo Theater in Harlem was Canadian classicist Maurice TNH Staff crowded with Greek music fans Lebel: “Comme on apprend le on January 31 for the opening francais, ou l’anglais, ou l’espag - ATHENS – The departure of the concert in George Dalaras’ nol, ou l’italien, ou le russe.” United Kingdom from the Euro - North American tour, The Songs But why Greek in particular? pean Union will strengthen the of Our Life, featuring Michalis One reason is that it gives us case for the return of the stolen Tzouganakis, his son Alexandros Parthenon Marbles from the Tzouganakis, and Aspasia Continued on page 10 British Museum, Greek Culture Stratigou. Proceeds from the Minister Lina Mendoni said. tour will benefit the charitable Decades of diplomacy have organization the Ark of the failed to move the British Mu - World. seum or any UK government to Produced by Globe Enter - Elpidophoros send the marbles back, and not tainment and V.I.P. Interna - even the opening of a new tional, the concert tour is under Acropolis Museum in 2009, with the auspices of the Consulate Creates High a top windowed floor built to General of Greece in New York house them under the Acropolis and continues with stops in At - Council for Ed. aiding the cause. lanta, Chicago, Toronto, and At - Mendoni told the news lantic City. More cities will be agency Reuters that Greece now announced for part two of the NEW YORK – His Eminence expects to get more support concert tour. Archbishop Elpidophoros of from other countries with the The concert opened with an America announced the creation UK out of the EU, believing instrumental medley of some of of the High Council for Greek British influence will wane as it Dalaras’ best known songs TNH/MATINA DEMELIS Education in the U.S. The Arch - puts itself outside the bloc after Left to right: Michalis Tzouganakis, George Dalaras, Aspasia Stratigou, and Alexandros bishop made the announcement leaving on Jan. 31. Continued on page 5 Tzouganakis performing at the Apollo Theater. during an evening celebration Since independence in 1832, for the Feast of the Three Hier - Greece has repeatedly called for archs and the Day of Greek Let - the return of the 2,500-year-old ters at the Archdiocesan Cathe - sculptures that Scottish diplo - dral of the Holy Trinity in A Child’s Remembrance of Living through WWII Manhattan. Continued on page 11 The celebration for the Three Hierarchs featured a very illumi - By Leonidas Petrakis in1943, and the capitulation of against the Spartiates in the Fall though very young at that time, nating lecture by the Very Rev. Italy forced them to assume sole of 1943, although extensively I have very clear recollection of Maximos Constas titled Sing to For subscription: It is well documented that responsibility for the Occupa - documented is less well known. the associated reign of terror, the Lord a New Song: The Three 718.784.5255 the Nazis committed many hor - tion. In their open warfare The intent of this article is the curfews, the bloka (blocking Hierarchs and the Theology of [email protected] rific acts of violence against the against the civilians they had not to retell that atrocity against off streets or coffee shops to Music. Fr. Maximos is the Interim civilians in occupied Greece dur - the eager participation of Greek the Spartiates, but rather to sweep and pick up hostages), Dean of Holy Cross Greek Ortho - ing World War II. The ferocity collaborators. Kalavryta, Kan - share my remembrances of the the night time raids with help dox School of Theology in Brook - and brutality of the German oc - danos, Distomo are well docu - horrific events as I lived them from masked collaborators who line, Massachusetts.