AHEPA Commemorates Oxi Day at Ellis Island

AHEPA Commemorates Oxi Day at Ellis Island AHEPA commemorated Oxi Day with an event on Ellis Island that featured a lecture and film presentation as well as a reception, Oct. 28, 2017. Approximately 200 persons attended and paid tribute to the heroic valor of the Greek people who repelled the Axis invasion, Oct. 28, 1940. Asteris Fanikos, PDG, spoke about the Greek immigrant experience and Louis Katsos, detailed the courage of the Greeks during the Oxi Day resistance. Among those joining with the AHEPA family to mark the 77th anniversary of Oxi Day were: Consul General of Greece in New York Dr. Konstantinos Koutras, the newly-appointed Consul General of Greece in New York Lana Zochiou, and the Director of the Department of State of New Jersey Rowena Madden. The iconic Ellis Island, which welcomed 12 million immigrants, provided the perfect backdrop to the somber and educational event.   COVERAGE: CosmosPhilly, The National Herald Supreme President Interviewed by  GreekNews Supreme President Carl R. Hollister sat down with GreekNews for an interview. Among the topics discussed were AHEPA's role as a bridge between the U.S. and Greece to help enhance relations and AHEPA's community service initiatives.  Check it out. Ninth Annual Hellenic History Tourney Held in Connecticut For the second year in a row, "The Hellenes," team of Alexander Koutsoukos, Phoebe Hartch, and Lukas Koutsoukos, from Stamford, Conn., won the 9th Annual Hellenic History Tournament hosted by AHEPA Yankee District 7 and Chapter 98, New Haven, Conn, Oct. 28, 2017. "The Hellenes" team members each received a Hellenic History Trophy and a $1,000 prize. "The Olympians" team from Boston, comprised of Alkinoos Armoundas, Phevos Paschalidis, and John Zavras, placed second. "The Olympians" team members each received a $500 prize.   AHEPA on Twitter: Thoughts are with Victims of NYC Attack Veterans Committee Preps for Veterans Day As Veterans Day approaches, the AHEPA Veterans Committee is committed to helping AHEPA chapters recognize veterans and active-duty service members. Please visit ahepaveterans.org to register veterans from your community and to order the AHEPA Medal for Military Service. The committee also encourages chapters to submit photographs from events honoring veterans via email, webmaster@ahepaveterans.org.  History of Veterans Day

The Ahepan ICYMI! Hot off the electronic press -- the Fall 2017 edition of The Ahepan magazine is out! Relive magical memories from the 2017 Supreme Convention at Walt Disney World, learn about the work of a Washington, DC-based global health team upon its return from the refugee crisis in Greece, get caught-up on how chapters are serving their communities, and more! Upcoming Events & Deadlines November  1 - 4 | AHEPA National Golf Invitational, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor, Fla. 4 | AHEPA Supreme Lodge Meeting, Edison, N.J. 4 | 5th District Cancer Research Foundation Gala, Edison, N.J. December 16 | St. Basil Academy Visitation, Garrison, N.Y. Join AHEPA Today! In Our Own Words. What AHEPA means to us. Join AHEPA Now Greek American News Digest    Editor's Note: Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinion pieces are shared for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the Order of AHEPA, its affiliated organizations, and members.   Greece finally growing, but taxes crushing new businesses Associated Press (Oct. 31) If Greek business needed a role model, Stathis Stasinopoulos would make an ideal candidate. An athlete, engineer, and entrepreneur, he invented an easy-folding bicycle design and began building them himself and created a small company. The project was shortlisted for a national start-up award in 2014 and, the following year, he peddled onto the stage to applause to give a motivational speech.  read more Greece Sees Higher Budget Surplus This Year, Solid Growth in 2018 The New York Times via Reuters (Oct. 27)    Greece expects to beat creditors' projections and achieve a higher primary surplus this year and buoyant growth in 2018, authorities said, as lenders moved forward on "constructive" talks on bailout reforms.  With its economic performance under the close scrutiny of lenders who have extended billions to the indebted country, outperforming budget targets is crucial for Greece, which has a huge debt and has been struggling to fix its fiscal woes for seven years.  read more   Greece is on track to exit its bailout plan but doubts over its future remain CNBC  (Oct. 26)     Greece's bailout program is set to end in August of next year but doubts remain over whether the country will be able to stand on its own feet after the summer.  After implementing hundreds of new laws in exchange for financial disbursements from its 86 billion euro ($100 billion) bailout program, Athens is set to break from its international creditors in 2018.  read more   Pyatt: Where religious freedom is not protected, violent extremism likely to take root ANA-MPA (Oct. 30) In regions where religious freedom is not protected, instability, human rights abuses, and violent extremism are more likely to take root, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt said on Monday in remarks at the 2nd International Conference on "Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East", held in Athens.  read more Extra: Read Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's address to the Conference Greece Picks the Film 'Amerika Square' as Oscars Representative The Pappas Post (Oct. 28)  Greece- and Europe's- current refugee and immigrant crisis is the theme of the film selected by the Greek Film Center to represent Greece at the 90th Academy Awards that will be held on March 4, 2018.  The film "Amerika Square," by Yiannis Sakaridis tells the story of the intersecting fates of three people living in an Athens housing complex: a local, aging hipster bar owner who falls in love with an African singer; a Syrian refugee who turns to a human trafficker in order to emigrate to Germany; and an unstable, xenophobic nationalist who takes matters into his own hands to stop the influx of migrants.  read more    Basketball's Positionless Savior Is Ready for Primetime  The Atlantic (Oct. 29)  The future of the National Basketball Association has arrived in the form of a 22-year-old from Athens, Greece, who didn't start playing basketball until he was 12, who discovered the joys of a smoothie just a few years ago, who watched Eddie Murphy's Coming to America over and over to improve his English, and who feels like he's still figuring it all out on the basketball court. Giannis Antetokounmpo is truly unlike anything we've ever seen. Entering his fifth season in the league, he is already looking like the next best basketball player in the world.  read more    the director says, almost absently.