Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 40

official publication of the pancretan association of america

PHTH
www.PANCRETAN.org

october 2007

IKOS
KAZANTZAKIS
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF HIS DEATH

SALT LAKE CITY CHAPTER


PURCHASE THEIR CRETAN HOUSE
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:51 PM

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:51 PM

KPHTH (CRETE)

USPS 298-020
Published monthy except the combined issues of July/August and
December/January for $20 per year by the: Pancretan Association of America
(PAA) 32-33 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11106

NIKOS KATSANEVAKIS
Editor in Chief - Business Manager
Tel: 718-302-1100 / Fax: 718-302-0141
Email: KPHTH@11211.COM
KPHTH (CRETE)
917 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
GEORGE ZORBAS
Publishing Advisor-Reporter
NIKOS ZOULAKIS
Reporter
GREGORY KLIRONOMOS
Art Director - 11211.COM

Periodical Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY


POSTMASTER: Send Address Change to:
KPHTH c/o PAA 8530 Sharon Dr. White Lake, MI 48386-3472
YEAR 78th - NO 781
OCTOBER 2007

Send your letters, photos, advertisement, news, etc at:

KPHTH MAGAZINE:
PMB#387, 94-98 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222

OFFICERS OF PAA
NATIONAL PRESIDENT: EMMANUEL E. VELIVASAKIS, P.E.
220 DELHI ROAD, SCARSDALE, NY 10583
Tel. (917) 661-7800 EVelivasakis@TheTTGroup.com
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: JOHN S. SARGETIS, Esq.
Tel. (916) 649-3600 j.sargetis@comcast.net
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: JOHN G. MANOS
Tel. (630) 686-0600 jmanos@worldnet.att.net
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT: LEFTERIS DRAMITINOS
Tel. (714) 606-5051 edramitino@aol.com
GENERAL SECRETARY: ERASMIA NOVOTNY
8530 Sharon Drive, White Lake, MI 48386
Tel: (248) 698-8580 Fax: 248-698-8573 Erasmia@aol.com
TREASURER: TOM LANTZOURAKIS
Tel: (909) 614-1416 toml@pancretan.org
WOMENS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: CAROL TRAVAYIAKIS
Tel. (617) 327-5696 ctravayiakis@yahoo.com
GENERAL SUPERVISOR: Dr. JAMES SAKLAS
Tel. (202) 366-9254 jsaklas@verizon.net
LEGAL ADVISOR: JOHN A. KOKOLAKIS, Esq.
Tel. (718) 545-1111 john@kokolakis.com
AUDITOR GENERAL: ANTONIOS DOGIAKIS
Tel. (781) 935-8727 ergotelis@aol.com
PYA PRESIDENT: MARIA KIAGIAS
Tel. (630) 456-5191 ctngem00@sbcglobal.net
YOUTH SUPERVISOR EAST COAST: GREG MANOUSELIS
Tel. (718) 336-9430 gmanouselis@aol.com
YOUTH SUPERVISOR WEST COAST: GEORGE LIODAKIS
Tel. (801) 733-0541 theosone@aol.com
DISTRICT GOVERNORS
District 1: EMMANUEL SIFAKIS
Tel. (401) 499-6770 emmanuel_sifakis@alumni.brown.edu
District 2: VASILIS MARANGOUDAKIS
Tel. (516) 627-3217 vmarangoudakis@aol.com
District 3: JAMES DENNEY, Esq.
Tel. (330) 545-4250 aroni@outdrs.net
District 4: NICK VERIKAKIS
Tel. (419) 474-4287 nverikakis@buckeye-express.com
District 5: GEORGE TSOUTSOUNAKIS
Tel. (801)467-4779 gtsoutsounakis@aol.com
District 6: STAMATIS ZOUMBERAKIS
Tel. (562) 923-5750 stamatisz@aol.com
District 7: JOHN DATSERIS
Tel. (704) 795-0024 krete44@aol.com
PAA FOUNDATION:
THEODORE MANOUSAKIS (703) 549-3700
Theodore.Manousakis@breadandchocolate.net
CULTURE & EDUCATION CHAIR: TAKIS PSARAKIS
Tel. (908) 256-6813 ppsaraki@telcordia.com
INVESTMENTS CHAIR: Dr. MANUEL G. RUSSON
Tel. (914) 738-4887 mrusson@aol.com
SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR: REMA MANOUSAKIS
Tel. (703) 549-3700 rtmanousakis@comcast.net
IT CHAIR: GEORGE KOKONAS
Tel. (718) 460-0527 georgekokonas@gmail.com
PANCRETAN ENDOWNMENT FUND CHAIR: MARY VASILAKIS
Tel. (412) 421-2110 Pithari@aol.com
PHILANTHROPIC FUND CHAIR: ROXANNE KOSTON
Tel. (650) 368-7891 roxannekoston@hotmail.com
STRATEGIC PLANNING: Dr. MARIA HNARAKIS
Tel. (215) 895-6143 mh439@drexel.edu
EXTERNAL PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR:
KOSTANDIS LAMBRAKIS
31-25 36th Street Astoria, NY 11106
Tel. (718) 626-0303
PAA CONVENTION COORDINATOR: KOSTAS TRAVAYIAKIS
Tel. (617) 327-569 ktravayiakis@yahoo.com
For more information please visit our site at: www.pancretan.org

contents

[Presidents Message]
Message from the PAA President
Manolis velivasakis

[cover story]
Nikos Kazantzakis:
The 50th Anniversary of his death

[]
:

[]

[scholarships]
The 2007
PAA Scholarship Recipients

[KPI-KPI]
News from our Youth

[month in photos]
Photo calendar from events

4
8
12

05

14
18
21

26 16


TREE OF LIFE

[poetry]

28

[]

29

[chapter news]

32

News from our local chapters

[calendar]
[donations]

30
38

UTAH CHAPTER
GOT A NEW HOME

39

DEADLINE FOR ARTICLE, PHOTOGRAPH AND ADVERTISEMENT


SUBMISSION IS THE 5TH OF THE MONTH

Cover by Mr. Papadoperakis


OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[presidents message]

Provincialism or Topikismos,
a syndrome we should try to disspell at any cost!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Greetings.


Several months ago, you may recall that I tackled that
topic of alcohol abuse at our Cretan functions! This month I
would like to take on the subject of provincialism, or
topikismos.
Topikismos, a Greek word, is the syndrome that an individual suffers from, when he or she, believes that its them and
nobody else! And that people from their particular village, city
or nomo, or town are better than anyone else!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled to report to you
that the syndrome of topikismos is thriving among a perhaps
not so small minority of our people, and in my opinion the
situation may be getting worse by the day! Its not enough that
some of us brought our prejudices from Crete all the way to
America and have managed to keep them intact and vibrant
for so many years, but worse yet, we are transferring those
prejudices to our children!
I would like to think that in the old days, back in the villages
and mountains of Crete, what drove people to their topical
beliefs, may have been the lack of knowledge, or even fear of
the unknown! After all, they had even developed sayings which
memorialized and readily expressed those beliefs, such as,
Papoutsi apo ton topo sou kias ene mpalomeno!
,
In todays world however, what gives someone even the
poetic license to think that Cretans from one part of Crete,
i.e. Iraklio are better than those from another, i.e. Chania, is
beyond seriousness and comprehension! Those from Sfakia, at
times half-jokingly claim that their town is the center of the
Universe! And of course, those from Mylopotamo may wish
to claim that they are truly the fastest guns in Crete? We all
have heard those assertions and at least I have always considered them as good innocent Cretan humor! But after some
recent incidents, which I happened to have experience myself,
I am seriously starting to have doubts and to think that the
innocent Cretan humor about topikismo may actually be not
so innocent after all, and that it may be rooted deep into our
subconscious mind, something that worries me a great deal!
Several months ago, some by all other standards good and
active members approached me during a social gathering and
out of the blue, started to express their ultimate disappointment
with and disapproval of, the holiday CD that the PAA had produced and sent to all our members as a Christmas gift last De4

cember. The reason I asked? Because the CD contained only


tunes and songs from the eastern part of Crete and nothing
from the Chania-region they said! A few weeks later, another
good and active member of our Association and ex-officer of
the PAA, raised this same matter during a meeting, which he
apparently brought up for discussion and from what I heard,
demanded that a resolution be passed to reprimand the PAA
President (perhaps for his ultimate dereliction of duty!), in not
including in the CD any tunes from Apokorona, Selino, or Kissamo,
etc.! This good Cretan apparently also thought it appropriate to
return his CD back to the PAA along with a message of disapproval! (I surmise that this gentleman may have conveniently forgotten the saying which goes: If someone gives you a horse,
you should not look at its teeth!) Luckily, cooler heads prevailed
at the said meeting and at the end of a fruitless discussion, no
resolutions were passed, nor was the CD accepted for return!
And how could we forget some rather comical and tragic
scenes from the last PAA Convention, where several electoral-cooks, a.k.a. eklogomageres, perhaps in desperation,
were openly making the argument that it was incomprehensible and perhaps sacrilegious to them, for people to make the
same mistake twice, by again electing an Iraklioti, as PAA President, especially since such a person, regardless of qualifications, was not capable of properly representing their unique
causes and (skewed?) point of view! Needless to say again
that better sense prevailed and the overwhelming majority
rejected such an absurd argument!
This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a clear indication of the
rather sad state of our affairs! These are things that some of
us, luckily few, choose to cultivate, rather than doing something constructive for our benevolent Association! An organization which I would like to think represents ALL Cretan-Americans and their descendants, without regard to their particular
place of birth or origin, or color of their eyes!
I believe that its time for us to get serious! I proclaim
that this type of behavior should NOT be tolerated any longer,
and that we should stop judging a person by his or hers place
of origin, or color of their eyes, and instead judge them on their
achievements, ideas, and abilities to lead and to do good deeds
for the benefit of all!
Let us all embrace one another as Cretans, brothers and
sisters. Lets become and behave like true Pancretans! Besides,
we have so much in common, and so much more stuff that
should unite us, rather than divide us!
Sincerely,
Manolis Velivasakis
National President, PAA

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[ ]


, .
, .
,
/
!
. , ,

, ,
!
, ,



!

,
!
,
,
,
!
:
, !
,
, ..
,
, .. ,
! ,
! ,
,
!

!
,
,


,
!
,


CD ,

2006. ; . CD

!, . ,

, ,
,
,
CD ,
!
CD
. ,

! ,

, ,
CD!

,
, ,
,

,


( ) !


!
&
! ,
,
!

, ,
!
!


,
,
, !
, !
-!
-,
, !

,


OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[special report]


,
-
-
.
.
, ,
, . ,
, , , , ,
, ,

, ,
,
.
, , , ,
, , .
,
, ,
. X ,
.

.
, .
, , ,
.
.
; .

:
,
, , ,

,
6


. ,

...
;



.

,
(, , ),
.



( , ..).
- -

.


, . ,
.

-
( ,
, ,
, . .).
,


.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[special report]

Greek forest fires


Sixty five people lost their lives,
an estimated 4,000 people lost their
homes and thousands of mostly forest
and farmland acres were destroyed by
the unprecedented forest fires that ravaged Greece in August.
The fires blackened hillsides and
raced through towns and villages
prompting a massive relief effort but
also criticism of Greeces government
for allegedly responding to the crisis
slowly and failing to safely evacuate
villages before they were burned.
The government, seeking to deflect criticism, has blamed arson, arresting several people suspected of
setting various fires. The Greek news
media also spread conspiracy theories including one that the fires were
started as a hostile act from abroad.
Although forest fires are common
during Greeces hot, dry summers, the
country has one of the worst records
in Europe on forest protection. Greek
law protects the countrys forests from
development, but there is no national
registry of forest land. Fires are sometimes set to circumvent the law and
clear land for development before forestry officials could document claims

that would protect the land.


In addition to the initial handouts,
the government has pledged more than
$400 million to rebuild farms, businesses
and villages. It also seeks emergency
aid from the European Union. Thousands of Greeks in Greece and abroad
have donated millions of euros for
reconstruction efforts and flood-prevention measures were being implemented
in some of the affected areas in the
event of heavy rain.
Experts agree that changes in the
forestry service (the Greek Government
moved responsibility for rural fire management from the Greek Forest Service
to the city-based Greek Fire Service)
have made forest fire fighting a purely
reactive process in Greece, with evident results. What actually happens is a
loss of prevention emphasis, less willingness to listen to local expertise, an
increase in costs, a decrease in effectiveness and a loss of environmental
values, rural livelihoods, and even life.
Ultimately, Greece must develop a
long-term plan for saving its natural
spaces and take a long, hard look at
their emergency procedures in the
wake of a disaster. Many experts also

question Greeces reliance on tackling


the fires from the air with water-bombing planes and helicopters in preference to using firefighters on the ground.
Successful rural fire management,
experts agree, is based on what are
known as the four Rs risk reduction,
maintaining readiness, response, and
recovery within a structure which values communication, cooperation with
people who understand land management and vegetation fires, local knowledge and the spirit of volunteerism.

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[cover story]
Although a national hero in his beloved Crete, Nikos Kazantzakis has not
achieved the recognition in the United
States that he so richly deserves. Many
people have only heard of his novels Zorba
the Greek and The Last Temptation of
Christ, both of which have been adapted
into films. Novelist, playwright and journalist; disciple of Nietzsche, Bergson and
Buddha; admirer of Christ and Lenin;
praised by Thomas Mann, Albert
Schweitzer and Albert Camus, his works
are the external expression of an inward
cry that seeks answers to the most profound questions of existence.
Kazantzakis was born in Iraklion in
1883 and studied in Athens before moving to Paris to study under the influential
French philosopher Henri Bergson. It was
in Paris that he nurtured his love for
Nietzsche and soon afterwards Buddha.
As well as his interest in philosophy and
dramatic works, his journalistic commitments led him to compose travel-books
about his visits to Italy, Spain, Russia,
Japan, China and England. His magnum
opus, translated as The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel consists of a monumental
33,333 verses and was completed in
1938. The latter part of his life saw his
concentration focus primarily upon the
composition of novels, most notably the
works translated as Zorba the Greek,
Freedom and Death and The Last Temptation of Christ, which was placed on the
Roman Catholic Index of Forbidden Books
by the Pope in 1954. Due primarily to the
widespread condemnation of the book,
his body was refused permission to lie in
state in Athens after his death, before

which he claimed that Kazantzakis deserved the honor a hundred times more
than himself. The letter, dated March 16,
1959, shows the affection Camus felt
for the Cretan: I have always nurtured
much admiration and, if you permit me, a
sort of affection for your husbands
work. I had the pleasure of being able to
give public testimony of my admiration in
Athens, at a period when official Greece
was frowning upon her greatest writer.
The welcome given my testimony by my
student audience constituted the finest
homage to your husbands work and acts
could have been granted. I also do not
forget that the very day when I was regretfully receiving a distinction that
Kazantzakis deserved a hundred times
more, I got the most generous of telegrams from him. Later on, I discovered
with consternation that this message had
been drafted a few days before his death.
With him, one of our last great artists
vanished. I am one of those who feel and
will go on feeling the void that he has
left.
As Camus notes, Kazantzakis had
sent him a telegram congratulating him
on his Nobel Prize. This telegram was sent
from a clinic in Freiburg, Germany, where
Kazantzakis spent his last days, cheered
by a visit from Albert Schweitzer, before
he passed away on October 26, 1957.
Camus, who was eager to find a
theatre to stage Kazantzakis play Melissa when the two met in Paris during
1947, had attempted to find a meaning
to life when one accepted the renunciation of the existence of God and eternal
values in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus

ikos Kazantzakis
The Eternal Thirst
The 50th anniversary of his death
being taken to Crete. His humble grave
overlooks his beloved Iraklion.
Although he came close, he was
never awarded the Nobel Prize, narrowly
missing out to Juan Ramon Jimenez in
1956. However, it is poignant that, after
his death, his wife received a letter from
Camus, awarded the Prize in 1957, in
8

(1939). In his interpretation of the myth,


in which Sisyphus is condemned to eternally roll a rock up a hill that no sooner
reaches the top rolls down to the other
side, Camus asserts that the hero provides a way to proceed beyond the paralysis of nihilism. As Sisyphus is conscious
of the futility and hence absurdity of his

action, he is able to transcend the despair that might easily have followed. For
Sisyphus, the value in life is to be found
not in its inherent meaning, but in ones
attitude towards it. This attitude is one
of revolt, the refusal to be paralyzed by
the consciousness of the absurdity of our
existence.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[cover story]

In a similar way, Kazantzakis sees this


approach of Sisyphus as a way beyond
nihilism and despair. In a letter dated October 21, 1947, he wrote to his friend,
the Swedish politician Borje Knos: [What
is the right path?, an Indian proverb asks.
The path of God. And what is the path
of God? The uphill path! Humanity will
once again take the uphill path, like
Sisyphus].
Kazantzakis aphoristic work The
Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises, captures the essence of his philosophical
ideas. A highly complex and difficult work,
was greeted with accusations of nihilism
and pessimism in its initial publication in
Greece in 1927. It was a new and refreshing approach to the relationship between matter and spirit and the ultimate
question of God.
Kazantzakis referred to himself as a
tragic optimist which, according to his
wife Eleni, describes someone who has

confidence in man, who looks straight


at the demon of destruction, hates it, but
is not afraid of it, because he knows that
all destruction is but the preparatory stage
to a new creation. This emphasis on
destruction as a preparatory stage to a
new creation is based on Kazantzakis
belief in his present epoch as a transitional
age, an age that must seek to create a
new channel for the spirit, and move
from a middle age to a renaissance.
Using his own idiosyncratic language
and philosophy, Kazantzakis claims that
in working with matter, the artist creates the channel for the spirit that is
required if the uphill path is to be continued. In Kazantzakian terminology, humanity must become The Saviors of
God.
In his epic The Odyssey: A Modern
Sequel, the hero Odysseus begins his
journey by saturating himself with the
excesses of sensual pleasures. However,

after the destruction of what Odysseus


saw as his ideal city, in Book XV of the
epic, he realizes the futility of all things
before all-conquering death and seeks
aesthetic withdrawal on a mountain to
commune with his God.
Kazantzakis felt the pulsating rhythm
of life pumping through his veins and was
able to transfer this rhythm into his works.
He penetrated to the core of human passions, hopes and fears and managed to
distil this into the very marrow of his characters. Whether it be the fierce and fearsome Captain Michael in his self-sacrificial struggle for Cretan liberation described
in the novel Freedom and Death, or the
strong-willed yet scared Manolios, chosen to represent the figure of Christ in a
village play in the work Christ Recrucified,
or even the loveable, larger than life Alexis
Zorba, we are greeted by characters who
epitomize Kazantzakis desire for both
political and spiritual freedom. Some of
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[cover story]
the last words he spoke to his wife capture his attitude to life: Im thirsty, he
lamented. Like his perpetually searching,
experiencing and homeless hero
Odysseus, for whom the goal of Ithaca
is the journey itself, Kazantzakis would
have scorned the idea of resting in peace.

The Temptations
Kazantzakis Christ Recrucified is the
story of Manolias, a fair-haired timid young
man chosen to play Christ in a Passion
play. He wants to avoid the burden; but,
having accepted it, he becomes steadily
more Christ-like. Crowds of dispossessed
Greeks come to live outside the village,
and the villagers hate them; Manolias
takes their part. Eventually, Manolias is
ritually murdered by his own villagers; the
dispossessed villagers have to move on.
Kazantzakis works out his parallel
with Christ in some detail, the Turkish Aga
being Pilate, the village pope Caiaphas,
etc. The power of the book lies in the
breadth of its canvas, its hundreds of characters, all made to live. It caused
Kazantzakis some trouble; the Greek
Church wanted to excommunicate him.
When he died, the Greek archbishop refused to allow his body to lie in a church;
he was later given a heros burial in Crete.
(Although he had irritated the Cretans
with Captain Michalis, which was regarded as a libel on the Cretan character.)
Having got into trouble with Christ
Recrucified, Kazantzakis promptly repeated the offence with The Last Temptation, this being an immense novel on
the life of Christ. Unlike other novelists
who have dealt with Jesus, Kazantzakis
was not intent on creating a sinless god.
He wanted to create Christ in his own
image tormented by everlasting temptation, a Promethean Jesus, learning,
step by step, to cast off the fetters of
the family, the body, the ego, etc. On the
cross, the devil sends him a final temptation: he imagines that he had chosen the
easier road of men, had become a respected and happy old man, with his family about him. He thrusts aside this temptation to approve the human road, and
dies with the sense that he has accomplished his mission, taught men that there
are greater values than mere living. The
novel is an amazing achievement, simply
as a piece of historical re-creation.
Kazantzakis perhaps wanted to convince himself that all his own sufferings
and temptations had somehow been justified: he may have suspected that, after
10

all, he had flagellated himself a little too


vigorously. One is too aware that his
Jesus is a piece of self-defense, an apologia.
Perhaps the nearest literary-relative of
Kazantzakis in English-speaking countries
is, surprisingly enough, W. B. Yeats. Yeats
had the same admiration for men of action, the same mystique of the wanderer,
the same self-division, the same obsession with fire and blood and sex. Yeats
also had this idea of the man of genius
as a self-consuming flame, and the longing for a mystic vision that would destroy
the hunger of the flesh.
In the years before his death, recognition had begun to come to Kazantzakis.
His books were translated into many languages, but were not widely read.
Schweitzer, Thomas Mann and Camus
hailed him as one of the greatest European writers. In 1953 he contracted leukemia, and dictated parts of his St Francis
novel when in great suffering. In 1956,
he was awarded the Soviet Peace Prize
(although most of his books were banned
in Russia, and he had never been a Communist Party member). It was his incorrigible need to travel that finally brought
about his death at seventy-four. He accepted an invitation to visit China, and
was accidentally given a smallpox vaccination in Canton. He died in Germany in
October 1957.
What Purpose? Kazantzakis asks,
in a letter, What do we care? Dont ask,
fight on! Let us set ourselves a purpose .
. . We must conquer the last, the greatest of temptations that of hope. We
sing even though we know that no ear
exists to hear us; we toil though there is
no employer to pay us our wages when
night falls. We are despairing, serene and
free. This is true heroism . . .
On Kazantzakiss tomb in Crete are
engraved the words: I do not hope for
anything. I do not fear anything. I am free.
It is significant that his epitaph should be
a Buddhist expression of nihilism.

Captain Michalis
(Freedom or Death)
Captain Michalis is important to a full
understanding of Kazantzakis. Its original
title was My Father, and it deals with the
unsuccessful rebellion of the Cretans
against the Turks in 1889. Kazantzakis
was old enough to remember this clearly,
as well as the final rebellion of 1896,
when the Turks were finally expelled. Crete
had been oppressed by the Turks for a
hundred years, and there had been many

bloody uprisings and endless violence. On


one occasion, a monastery was besieged
by Turks; as they rushed into the courtyard, a young fighter fired his rifle into the
open powder-barrels in the basement. Six
hundred women and children were hiding
there; the monastery and everyone in it
was blown to atoms. In these risings, both
sides were completely merciless; women
would be raped and murdered, children
bayoneted, the men often tortured to
death.
The novel is a huge, leisurely affair
that reminds one sometimes of War and
Peace, sometimes of Dylan Thomass
Under Milk Wood in its detailed and amusing description of the private lives of the
people of Megalocastro. Its hero is the
wild
beast
Captain
Michalis
(Kazantzakiss father was also Captain
Michalis, and was also known as the wild
beast; but he was not, like the hero of
the novel, killed in 1889.) He is a typical
Kazantzakis figure, of immense physical
strength, taciturn, brooding, completely
brave. He is obsessed by a beautiful
Circassian girl, the wife of his blood brother
Nuri Bey, a Turk; but, being a self-divided
man, he never gets around to sleeping
with her, although she would have been
happy enough. The novel is full of seductions, sex and slaughter; it would be very
easy to parody it in the manner of Cold
Comfort Farm, with its strong, silent men
and sensual women. But one only has
to read fifty pages of it to realize that,
whatever Kazantzakiss faults as a man
he was the greatest European artist since
Tolstoy. But in one respect he falls below
Tolstoy. He never seems to question
whether all this slaughter is worthwhile,
or whether his heroic men are only hotheaded fools. His power as a writer is so
great that the reader is not aware of this
while he actually reads the book. But at
the end, when Michalis and his followers
allow themselves to be slaughtered
merely because they are too proud to
surrender, one feels that there was something seriously lacking in Kazantzakis if he
didnt feel the futility of the whole thing.
Shaw said: When the shooting starts, I
get under the bed; one wishes
Kazantzakiss heroes had half as much
sense.
This brings up another point about
Kazantzakis. He was all his life ashamed
of being a pen pusher, and hankered after the life of action. This again reveals a
curious immaturity. In the novel, Michaliss
nephew is also a poet and a pen pusher
who lives abroad; he returns to Crete at
the end of the novel, and dies with his

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

10

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[cover story]

uncle in the final act of resistance. One


suspects that Kazantzakis saw himself
as the nephew, and was somehow trying to propitiate his fathers ghost.

Odyssey, A Modern Sequel


After Nietzsche, Christ, St Francis,
Gautama and Lenin, Kazantzakis turned
to Odysseus, and began his greatest
work, the epic poem in which Odysseus
leaves Ithaca for the second time and
goes in search of God or a meaning for
human existence.
Odyssey, A Modern Sequel, is probably the greatest journey in modern literature. It is impossible to offer an adequate summary of the poem here.
(There is an excellent book about it by
the authors friend Prevelakis, Kazantzakis
and His Odyssey). It begins when Ulysses
re-sheathes his sword after killing the
suitors. But he finds life in Ithaca a bore,
and decides to set out again on his travels. He renounces human happiness in the
form of Nausicaa, but marries her to his
son Telemachus, and then leaves Ithaca
for the last time. He takes five companions, with such curious names as Captain Clam, Hardihood, Kentaur, Orpheus
and Granite, selecting them for their different qualities. He sails to Sparta and
steals Helen of Troy again from Menelaus;
the violation of hospitality, which involves
killing a guard, symbolizes his Nietzschean
rejection of morality. In Crete, the home
of Kazantzakis, he takes part in a sexual
orgy, and ends by setting fire to the palace. He deserts Helen and goes on to
Egypt. There he takes part in a worker

revolt, and comes close to being executed; however, he dances in front of


the king wearing a horrible wooden godmask, and Pharoah sets him free. He now
decides to found the ideal city-state at
the source of the Nile. After battles with
a local tribe, Odysseus has a vision of God
on a mountain, and then they build their
Ideal City. It is only just completed when
an earthquake destroys it. Odysseus experiences total despair at the destruction
of all his companions, but now feels that
he is fully aware of the illusory nature of
the world. But he rejects the temptation
to suicide and travels on. In subsequent
books he meets figures who are thinly
disguised versions of Gautama, Don
Quixote and Christ. In Don Quixote he salutes a madness equal to my own, but
rejects his vision as he has rejected
Gautamas. Odysseus is ultimately the lifeaffirmer, the lover of the earth. He makes
his last voyage towards the South Pole in
a boat, and the last three books are occupied with a description of this voyage,
ending with an impressive evocation of
the snowy wastes (for which Kazantzakis
drew on his memories of Russias tundra
regions). Odysseus climbs on to an iceberg, where the spirit of his old companions join him, and he finally dies. The ending is as noisy as the end of a Wagner
opera and as rhetorical as the last scene
of Faust, but it does not give one the
impression that Odysseus has found what
he set out to find.
Such a summary can do no justice
to the poem, which has been superbly
translated by Kimon Friar, but it may give
some idea of the sheer excitement of its

wide sweep. It produces the effect like


music that someone once described as
the effect of War and Peace.
The Odyssey was written seven times
between 1924 and Christmas 1938,
when it finally appeared in Greece in a
limited edition. The critics were puzzled.
The poem was immense 33,333 lines
long. The spelling was peculiar
Kazantzakis was like Shaw in his desire
for a reform of the alphabet and
Kazantzakis dispensed with most of the
Greek accentuation. The seventeen syllable lines were not easy to grasp on a
first reading. Undismayed, Kazantzakis
went on to write his series of great novels. Captain Michalis (translated as Freedom or Death) was begun in 1936, Zorba
the Greek was written in 1942 (published
1946), Christ Recrucified in 1948, The
Last Temptation in 1951, and The Poor
Man of God in 1953. There is also a novel
with the curious title: He says he wants
freedom, kill him, and an early novel about
Russia, Toda Raba. The ascetic exercises,
The Savors of God, are also of considerable importance.

At the Palaces of Knossos


Blending historical fact and classical
myth, the author of Zorba the Greek and
The Last Temptation of Christ transports
the reader 3,000 years into the past, to
a pivotal point in history: the final days
before the ancient kingdom of Minoan
Crete is to be conquered and supplanted
by the emerging city-state of Athens. The
familiar figures of King Minos, Theseus and
Ariadne, the Minotaur, Diadalos and
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

11

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

11

[]

26 1957
.


.
:
, , , ,
, , .

, , (,
3333 ),
,
,
, ,
,
..


,
,

,
,
.

1950
: ,
, .
. ,
,

.
: .

,

:
, ,

,


. ,
... ,

... .

,
,

.


1972



15 .

,

Ikarosfill the pages of this novel with lifelike immediacy.


Written originally for an Athenian youth periodical, At the Palaces of Knossos is
a gripping and vivid adventure story, recounted by one of this centurys greatest
storytellers, and peopled with freshly interpreted figures of classical Greek mythology. We see a new vision of the Minotaur, portrayed here as a bloated and sickly
green monster, as much to be pitied as dreaded. And we see a grief-stricken and
embittered Diadalos stomping on the homemade wax wings that have caused the
drowning of his son, Ikaros.
On another level, At the Palaces of Knossos is an allegory of history, showing
the supplanting of a primitive culture by a more modern civilization. Shifting the setting back and forth from Crete to Athens, Kazantzakis contrasts the languid, decaying life of the court of King Minos with the youth and vigor of the newly emerging
Athens.
Protected by bronze swords, by ancient magic and ritual, and by ferocious-butno-longer-invincible monsters, the kingdom of Crete represents the world that must
perish if classical Greek civilization is to emerge into its golden age of reason and
science. In the cataclysmic final scene in which the Minotaur is killed and King Minoss
sumptuous palace burned, Kazantzakis dramatizes the death of the Bronze Age,
with its monsters and totems, and the birth of the Age of Iron.
12


, ,

.

, .

. .
.

.
,
,

, ,

.
,

,
experts


,

, .

,
.
-
;

, .
,
, ,
.
-
,


.

.
,

, .
,
,

()

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

12

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[]
.
.
,
,
, , ,
.
,

, .
, 54 .
,
,
, .

, .

,
,
.


, .
, ,
.
,
. ,

.
.
. ;
! , ,
. ,

.. ,
.

, .
, ,

.
,
. ,

, ,
,
. ..
-


. . 14
, ,
. ,
, :
.

.
,
(
),
.
,

.

PROPERTY FOR SALE


IN APOKORONAS
Beautiful fertile property in high elevated
area of 16,000 square meters with olive trees
in Vrysses-Vamos area. With 300 frontage on
paved Rd, located in area karydi, just 2 kilometers from the Vryses and 3 from Vamos.
The property has a spectacular view of White
Mountains, it is just 6 minutes driving from cosmopolitan beach of Georgioupolis, 30 minutes from
Chania, 15 minutes from Rethymnon and just 3
minutes from the National Cretan Highway.
It has electricity, water and telephone line.
Because is located between 2 country roads
builds 200square meters in two stemmata.
Property cleard as buildable from the Forestry Service.

Call: 803-648-3519 USA


Cell 803-979-9401 USA
Chania: 28210-642-87
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

13

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

13

[]

. : . . ( ),
, (
), . ( ), . (
, . ( )

. : . . , . , .
, . . , , .
, . , . , . , . . ,
, . , . Bauer.



.
, .



.
,
, 3,4 5
,
, ,
,
, .



( ,

&
)
.
,
,
. .
.
, . ,
, ,
. .
.
.
.

.
E, ,
,
.
,
14

.


. ,
.


.


, ,
.
. ,

,
. I. ,
,
,

.
, . ,



.
, . ,



,

-



,

.


Google
Michigan




.

,
,
,

,
.

:

.
,
,
,




,
, El
Greco,

,


,
,
.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

14

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

[special report]

The World Convention of Cretans at Iraklion


Cretans in Greece and abroad as well
as local residents met for three days, August 3, 4 and 5 at Iraklion, to discuss the
development of Crete and issues of education, history and culture. The convention is organized by the World Council of
Cretans and the Regional District of Crete.
Its goals include closer ties between the
Cretans around the world and their cooperation to help effectively their place
of origin and promote Cretan culture.
Crete is bigger than what we see on
the map, World Council of Cretans President Stavros Semanteres pointed out in
his welcome speech. Crete is where
Cretans live, in the diaspora, in Africa, Australia, Europe and America. Thats where
Crete ends. It is very big and in todays
world we need to collaborate and communicate with the support of the Church,
the Prefectures, the Municipalities and
Communities and the Higher Institutions.
The convention accepted the proposal by the Pancretan Association of
America, as presented by Dr. John
Nathenas, for a Central Road that will connect the island and will contribute to the
growth of all its regions. For the first time,
Mr. Semanteres said, the proposal was
met with enthusiasm and a lot of support and the expedition of a cost analysis was announced.
Crete, Mr. Semanteres pointed out,
was excluded from big construction
projects in Greece until today and it is
imperative that all Cretans demand participation and consideration for future
growth and support works like the railway that will connect Chania-Iraklion in
a less than half an hour trip.
A proposal was also adopted for the
creation of a virtual University as a means of
on line Greek studies, the acquisition of a degree recognized by the Greek state but also
for the projection of Greek culture and the
support and promotion of national issues.
The chairman of the World Council of
Cretans reported in the convention the
possibility of digitally recording via Google
the library of the University of Michigan
and the need to send books by Cretan
authors and any books related to Crete in
order to be included in the library and be
accessible via the internet in the future.
In the convention, the low birthrate
in Crete, the preservation and promotion
of the islands cultural legacy, the protection of the environment and the quality of
Cretan products were also discussed.


. .


2007
!

3 5 .
, ..,


.
2007, 2001
,
.
.
. .

. !


()
. 1985
1993 . . .
.
.. www.pask.edc.uoc.gr
:

.
,
.
.

.
T .. . ,
. , . , .
. .
.
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

15

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

15

[special report]

Etz Hayyin Synagogue, before reconstruction

Etz Hayyim, The Tree of Life


BY GEORGE A. PAPADANTONAKIS, Ph.D.

Only eight years have passed since Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania was renovated and re-dedicated in 1999.
The entire renovation of the synagogue was the result of
hard work of Dr. Nikos Stavroulakis, the founder of the internationally acclaimed Jewish Museum of Greece in Athens.
Chania had two synagogues dated from the Middle Ages
until 1941, the Beth Shalom and Kal Kadosh Etz Hayyim. In that
year during the bombing of Chania by the Nazis, Beth Shalom
was destroyed. The site of the destroyed synagogue is known
today as Konaki Restaurant at the south end of Kondylaki
street in the Jewish Quarter, Ovriaki, of the Old City.
In May of 1944 the entire Jewish community of Chania,
approximately 270 people, was arrested by the Nazis and
after short imprisonment were sent by convoy to Herakleion
where they were herded onto a ship, the Tanais. This ship
was torpedoed by a British submarine and Cretan Jews
found a less painful death than that at the crematoria of
Auschwitz and Treblinka.
Since the destruction of the Jewish community in
Chania, the site of Etz Hayyim became a convenient spot
for dumping neighborhood rubbish, its walls pock-marked
by shells and shrapnel and in imminent danger of collapse.
The indifference of the Jewish community in Greece to
this relatively minor incidence of horror along with the
local non-Jewish indifference to the tragic death of cocitizens, made the devastated Etz Hayyim to stand as a
monument in itself.
Despite the financial difficulties, the opposing rhetoric
of the then Nomarch of Chania George Katsanevakis, and
other reactionary voices to progress, the synagogue opened
its doors and it was re-dedicated on October 10, 1999 in
the presence of Mr. Constantine Mitsotakis, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, the then Mayor of
16

Chania Mr. Tzanakakis, the Capuchin Friars of the nearby


Roman Catholic Church and more than 250 people.
Not long after the dedication, a number of local Christian ladies appeared one morning in the synagogue asking
Dr. Stavroulakis if they could light candles in memory of
some of their Jewish friends who had died in 1944. Dr.
Stavroulakis stated that ...nothing was said, nothing more
was done than to provide them with a basin of olive oil set
in front of the Ehal, though I remember distinctly that they
left behind them a flickering and strangely supportive sense
of community.
Quite apart from the religious role, Etz Hayyim has a
library with many seldom books and plays a role in the
contemporary life of Chania as a venue for lectures, concerts, and meetings. It stands as a vibrant statement of
reconciliation, culture, prayer and resource center.

Dr. Nikos Stavroulakis (center) with Dr. Robert J. Gordon (left) Head of the Chemistry
of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Mrs. Evvy Gordon (right) in Etz Hayyims
courtyard.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

16

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

17

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

17

[scholarships]

PAA Scholarship Recipients


College Undergraduates 2007

18

Zanic Christina
Nicholas Varouh

Vasilakis Aristaia
Rev. & Presv. Kostakis

Varypatakis Gregory
Costas & Mary Maliotis

Tschetter Jennifer
Nicholas Varouh

Trillis -Williard Sophia


General

Stavrakis Stavros
General

Stathoudakis Stavros
Hedwig Varouh

Sophinos Andrew
General

Smith Peter
George & Margo Chryssis

Emmanuel & Orsa Velivasakis

Skendelas Stephen
Nicholas Varouh

Rozakis Kiriaki
Nick Delis Family

Papamarkakis Kostas
Hedwig Varouh

Paladino Derek
General

Nikolakakis Maria-Eleni
General

Nikolakakis Maria-Angela
Anna Vavagiaki

Marsh Nicholas
Nick Kalmer

Makridakis Sophia
General

Koutsoupakis Paula-Anna
General

Kopassis Eleni
Joanne Ahladiotis

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

18

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

Skoulas Maria

[scholarships]

PAA Scholarship Recipients


College Undergraduates 2007

Kopasakis John
Nick Stefas

Katsanevas James
Nick Delis Family

Filos Hrisoula
Hedwig Varouh

Faklis Elizabeth
Arthur Platsis

Elefter Konstantinos
General

Dormas Paul-Steven
Ganakis-Vidalakis Family

Dagadakis Marissa
Michael A. Svourakis

Castro Alexandra
General

Bitetzakis Christopher
General

siskakis Loretta
General

Taxakis Elias
Hedwig Varouh

Tsahakis Katherine
Joanne Ahladiotes

Sophinos Andrew
General

Manolis Michael
General

Rodoussakis Emmanuel
John & Anna Bobolakis

Zevlakis Michalis
John & Anna Bobolakis

Kiagias Ekaterini
Christina Pavlakis

Adronis Eftihios
Hedwig Varouh

Kampetis Kristen
Nicholas & Mary Paterakis

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

19

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

19

[scholarships]

PAA Scholarship Recipients


High School Senior 2007

Semanderes Nikolis
General

Katakis Elpida
John & Anna Contorakis

Pappas M. Kirk
Nicholas Varouh

Pallas Elizabeth
Christina K. Tsiskakis

Manolis Maria
Nicholas Varouh

Kantilierakis Argie
General

Triphon Julianne
Michael A. Svourakis

Fiotakis Eleftheria
Joanne Ahladiotis

Kosmas A. Matthew
Nick Kalmer

PAA Scholarship Recipients


College Graduates 2007

Kalogridakis Stylianos
General

Kalogeropoulos Aspasia
General

Bogdanos Demetria

Giannetakis Montana

Mary Siradakis

General

20

Stamatiou Regina
General

Barchini Sadie
General

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

20

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

Novotny Stephanie
General

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

21

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

21

22

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

22

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

23

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

23

24

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

24

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

25

01-Oct-2007, 01:52 PM

25

. . : . , . , .
, . . , . . , . , .


, .

World Council of Cretans Conference


Heraklion, Crete - 08/3,4,5/2007

From a gathering at Terra Marris Hotel


Heraklion, Crete - August 2007
26

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

26

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

Cretans Association Omonoia Dance Group and musicians John Koutsoupakis laouto, Antonis and
Alekos Marmatakis lyra and laouto at Athens Sq. Park in Astoria, NY September 23. The event
was organized by the Greek Aid Awareness to raise awareness supporting Greece in the aftermath
The adult women dance group at Kritiko Spiti of Omonoia
of the destructive fires.

Fathers Day celebration at the picnic

Fathers Day celebration at the picnic

Cretan Association OMONOIA Pic-nic


New York- 06/17/2007

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

27

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

27

[poetry]

, ,

,
,
,
,

.

,
,
,

,

,
.


,
,
.
,
,


,

,



.
.



DATSUN.

,

,
.

. ,


.



2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

28

. .
, :
- , , !!!


.
- , , , ;
- , . ;
- , , .
:
- , !!!

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

[]

.
, , ,
!
, , :
- ;
- ! .
- , , , . ,
!!!

...

.
,
, .
- , , !!!

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

29

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

30

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

31

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternews
ASTORIA, NY

[PASIPHAE]

(
,

PYA

NJ)
(
)


. (/
) (
) (
) ()
. 27
2008 . !
We would like to welcome back our members from their
summer vacation and we hope that the rest of 2007, will be a
productive year for all. On October 7, we will be having a
Fundraiser Luncheon for the Fire Relief at 1:00 PM at the Cretan
House.
Our sympathy to the family of Tarsi Katsoulakis for the passing of her mother Fofo Zisou and her brother Theodore Zisou.
Some of our members children got married this summer
and we would like to congratulate them and welcome the
newlyweds to our chapters. We wish the newly weds, happiness, health & prosperity. Na Zisoune.
Congratulations to Theodoros & Katerina Drivas on their
marriage on September 9, 2007. Katerina is the daughter of
Costa and Elpida Fradelakis. Elpida is our Treasurer and Katerina
was a past Vice-President.
Congratulation to Manoli & Erasmia Sbirakis they were
married on July 27, this summer in Crete. Manolis is the son of

32

George and Afrodite (Toula) Sbirakis, board member. Erasmia is


the daughter of Michael and Eleni Frangadaki.
Congratulations to Nick & Chrissy Kournidakis on their
marriage, September 7, 2007. Nick is the son of Elefterios &
Maria. Chrissie is the daughter of our past Vice-President Maro
and Agamemnon Stefanakis.
Congratulations to John and Artemis Koutsoupakis they
were married in July in California. John is the son of our past
President Katerina & Spyro and Artemis is the daughter of Strati and Pagona Varvatakis.
Congratulations to our Board member Anthoula and her
husband Antoni Kaloudakis, their daughter Eleni gave birth to a
baby-boy, Pavlo, May God Bless Him.
Athena Marangoudakis, KPHTH Magazine Correspondent

ASTORIA, NY

[ OMONOIA ]
Radio personality,
Manolis Kouroupakis is taking on the air interests and
themes of the events in Greece and the cretan-greekamerican population in America, every Tuesday at 8 pm at
the Kritikes Athivoles radio program. Minders of same issues enjoy the chat and call often from all over. The program accessible through the Internet, links to Omonoias
web site www.nycretans.org
The Dance Group of Omonoia was invited and performed for the Newyorkers outdoors, in a hot summer evening
of August 24. The music ensemble of Marmatakia and
Yianni Koutsoupaki vibrated the cretan sounds in the whole
area of Athens Square in Astoria, New York. The president
Mr Fasarakis along with other members of the association
enjoyed along in the crowed area
Special dance-guest, the Dance Group of Omonoia,
invited and performed at the three-day fair organized by
the Assumption of Theotokos Church in Port Jefferson,
New York on August 26. Another show-time was enjoyed
on September 15 at the fair organized by the Holy Trinity
Church in New Jersey.
, ,
, 4
.

.

.



.





.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

32

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews


.

,
,
.


.
, 3 ,
. ,

11 .
,
.


, , .
,
. .

. ,

.
,

ANCHORAGE, AL

[ CRETANS OF ALASKA ]

history of the Battle. Following brunch, the PAA Board conducted


its last official meeting prior to the Springfield National Convention.
On Sunday evening, a beautiful dinner was held at the Villa Nova
restaurant where the Cretans of Anchorage met to sign up as
members. We are happy to report that the PAA now has 30 new
members. President Velivasakis gave a speech thanking all those
involved in the formation of the new chapter followed by Vice President John Sargetis issuing the oath of office to the following chapter officers: President Nick Malembianakis; Vice President, Bobby
Alefantinos; Secretary, Chrisy Armstrong and Treasurer, Andreas
Alefantinos. The swearing in was follows by a Cretan dance performed by the youth of Anchorage.
The groundwork to form this chapter was initiated by John
Raptakis, past President of the Zeus Cretagenis Chapter of Sacramento, California on one of his trips to Anchorage. With
Johns charismatic personality, he lit a fire amongst his friends
to form a PAA chapter. We give special thanks to Gregory
Giannulis and Maria Baskous, Parish Council President for coordinating and organizing the events and to Bobby Alefantinos
for hosting the PAA Board for a dinner at his restaurant.
On Sunday May 19, 2007, several PAA board members along
with some of the newest Pancretans went on a fishing expedition
out of Seward, Alaska, three hours out to Montague Island for
halibut and black bass. Every fisherman and two ladies Mary Vasilakis
and the Mary Coutoulakis, caught the limit of halibut and rock fish.
Nearly 100 fish were pulled out of these Alaskan waters in this


On May 20, 2007, the anniversary day of the Battle of
Crete another milestone was achieved in the history of the PAA
with the induction into our organization of the Cretans from
the State of Alaska.
Cretans are proud that from our tiny island in the middle of the
Mediterranean we have reached nearly every corner of the earth.
PAA has now reached its hand out to the farthest region of our
nation, the State of Alaska, to organize the newest chapter of our
association, proudly named the Cretans of Alaska. On Sunday May
20, 2007, the Board of the PAA inaugurated the officers of our
new chapter at a dinner celebration in Anchorage, Alaska. Earlier in
the morning the Board attended church services at the Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in services performed by Father
Leo Scherfe where a memorial was offered by the PAA for those
who fell defending the island of Crete. Our National President
Emmanuel Velivasakis gave a speech to the Congregation on the

8
www.hellasfm.us
T 718-707-3120
K



.



.
E .


OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH 33

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

33

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
unforgettable experience. We again thank Gregory Giannulis who
through his business cleaned, froze and packed each of the Board
members fish in boxes ready for their flights home.
The PAA welcomes our Cretan brothers and sisters and
their friends into our organization.
John Sargetis

CHICAGO, IL

[ CRETAN LADIES AMALTHIA ]

CLEARWATER, FL

[ ORANGE BLOSSOM]
Congratulations to Peggi M. Kokolakis who graduated Cum
Laude from the University of Florida. She is studying at SUNY
college of Optometry in NYC.
Congratulations to Phil Xanthoudakis and Andreas Lagos.
Both young men graduated from Palm Harbor University High
School. Phil Xanthoudakis is now studying at the University of
Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Andreas Lagos is now studying at
Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
We would like to inform all our Cretan friends and to invite
them to our Annual Dinner Dance, February 2, 2008. Also,
our youth will have a dance, Saturday, December 1, 2007.
They would like to extend an invitation to all youth groups.
Justine Nicolacakis, KPHTH Magazine Correspondent

CHARLESTON, WV

[ MOUNTAINEER CHAPTER ]



.

2 .
.

.
.

.
,
.
.
,





25 2007.


22 2007. ,
.
,
34

The Mountaineer Chapter hosted its Annual Cretan Picnic


on Sunday, September 16th, at Coonskin Park in Charleston,
WV. It was a beautiful day and many Cretans came out to
enjoy the good food and good company. It was great to see
so many kids in attendance enjoying gift bags donated by Chapter President, Xrisanthi Hess.
Stelios Vitakis, District III Lt Governor and President of the Cleveland, Ohio, Chapter joined us with his wife and three beautiful daughters. We were also joined by our District III Governor and President of
the Mahoning Valley Chapter, Jim Denney, and his lovely wife. We
would like to thank them for taking the time to drive all the way to
Charleston to help us celebrate our Cretan heritage.
The Mountaineer Chapter would like to recognize the
Birurakis Family for all their help in organizing the event and
bringing some delicious dishes. A special thanks to Mike Birurakis
for doing a great job at the grill!
A portion of the picnic proceeds will go to benefit the
PAA Greek Fire Relief Fund. The fund was established by the
PAA Board in response to the devastating fires that ravaged
Greece this summer.
The Mountaineer Chapter would like to invite everyone to
join us in our upcoming events.

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

34

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
DISTRICT NEWS

[ DISTRICT 6 ]
On May 5, 2007 we held our biannual district conference and
election of new officers. It was hosted by Ommonia of Orange County
and it was a very well attended conference and very productive.
I am happy to announce that we now have a new district
governor, Mr. Stamati Zoumberakis. After the conference we
gathered at St. Johns the Baptist Hall in Anaheim and had a
wonderful party with music from Crete.
As the outgoing governor of the district I would like to
thank each and every member from the district for giving me
the opportunity to represent them the last four years on the
national board and for all the love and hospitality that was
provided to me everywhere I went.
I would also like to thank them for their generosity on two
particular fund raisers that we held within the last year. One of
them was for a needy family which was connected with the
PAA Philanthropic Chair, Roxanne Koston. We collected $4,300.00
for this family that has given me their appreciation and their thanks.
For such generosity I would personally like to thank the
following chapters: Southern California Cretans Association
($1,000.00), Epimenidis ($500.00), Lefka Oree ($400.00), Sisterhood of Eleftheria ($450.00), Ikaros ($500.00), Polirinia
($500.00), Ommonia of Orange County ($750.00).
The other fund raising was regarding Zoodohos Pigi Monastery and St. Nicholas Ranch. This was for honoring and continuing the work of our late beloved Metropolitan Anthony. Again I
would like to give my personal thanks to the following families
and chapters for their dedication, love, and generosity: John
Raptakis family ($1,000.00), GR Trucking Company- families of
Antonio Marangakis and Panagiotes Rozakis ($1000.00), Nick
Delis & Vandarakis ($1000.00), Strarvos Semanderes ($1000.00),
George Liodakis ($500.00), George Tzikas ($1000.00), John
Sargetis ($1,000.00), Nicholas Boyios ($1,000.00), Eleftherios
Dramitinos ($1,000.00), John Kordazakis ($500.00), Mike
Vasilomanolakis ($200.00), Tom Lantzourakis ($500.00), Gus
Pallios ($500.00), George Mavrakis ($500.00), Steve Manolakis
($50.00), Manuel Katotakis ($100.00), Stamos Cocolas ($50.00),
Jim Stamos ($50.00), Zeus Creatagenis ($1,000.00), Minoan
Chapter of Las Vegas ($500.00), Ikaros ($1,000.00), Epimenidis
($1,000.00), Lefka Oree ($500.00), Christo Daskoulakis ($100.00),
and Joe Lissak in the memory of Ted Bizakis ($250.00). I would
also like to convey thanks from the Abbott Markella and from
St. Nicholas Ranch for helping to try to finish several phases for
that important project.
There are not enough words of appreciation to describe
the last four years and I cant thank you enough for that. I
know that you will extend the same courtesy to the new
district governor and the new board.
I would also like to mention to you one of the highlights
was of creating another chapter in our district in Alaska and I
wish to welcome them in our great organization.
Eleftherios Dramitinos, District 6 Governor
OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH 35

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

35

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
DETROIT, MI

[ PSELORETES ]

T , 12 ,

, .

. ,
.

,
25
,


(Iowa),


, .
.
,
, .
.
.

.

. ,
, , ,
, , Y,
,
,
. ,
!

, 9 ,


,

.



. ,


36

, . () .
, .
, .
. ,
!

. ,
.

, . ,
. ,
,
. , 2
7 . ,
. !

Farewell
The Cretan Ladies
Society of Detroit
and the AKN mourn
the loss of Athena
Andrews
(nee
Marangakis)
Athena Andrews, age
85 died August 25,
2007 just months after
her beloved
husband of 59 years,
J o h n . Athena was
a founding member of
the AKN and a long
time member of the
Cretan Ladies Society
of Detroit KPHTH.
She was active in the Philoptochos Society, the Daughters of
Penelope, founded the St. Nicholas Cub Scout Pack, and volunteered at Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Athena will be missed by many, and her passing creates a deep
void for all that knew and loved her. Athena was devoted to
her family and friends, a wonderful cook and baker, and an all
around good Greek lady. She is survived by her 2
sons, Nicholas and George Andrews, and by her sister Stella
(Cristo) Ristas.


. .
.

, - 2007,

.
.
.
M,

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

36

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
PITTSBURGH, PA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

[ ARKADI-MALEME ]

[ EPIMENIDES ]
On Febraury 28,
2007, Monica Maridakis
-Alvarez gave birth to a
baby girl, Nicolette....
The proud Grandfather is Nick Maridakis
and the proud Great
Grandparents are Alex
and Jean Maridakis.

The Arkadi-Maleme Chapter hosted a Cretan picnic at


the Gus Barbish Memorial Hall in Langeloth, Pa. in late August.
Over 200 visitors experienced an afternoon and evening of
games for the children, face painting, dancing, door prizes and
food prepared by Mr. Gyros of Washington, PA. The Greek and

Our deepest sympathies to the family of


George Kounalakis, a
Epimenides member,
who passed on may 12, 2007. The Kounalakis family have
been active dedicated members of Epimenides. His son Markos
Kounlakis has been an active member. His brother Anthony
Kounalakis served as president for several terms and he is now
serving on Epimenides board. His daughter in low Theodora
Kounalakis is serving on the board. His niece Diana KounalakisBaxter has also served as president and she is now serving on
the Epimenides board.
Epimanides welcomes six new members from the family
of late Nick Dalis Sr who was one of the early National Past
Presidents of PAA. They are Mrs Pearl Dalis his wife, Karen
Vandarakis his daughter, Stephanie Delis his daughter in low,
Dessie Delis his grandsons wife, Katina Blasingame his granddaughter, and Dave Blasingame his granddaughters husband.

Cretan music was provided by the band Panigiri. The Senior


and Junior dance troups were the highlite of the evening being
enthusiastically received by those in attendance. Helene
Semanderes and Kalliope Roumbakis are the dance troup coordinators. Our president Faith Trillis Williard was the master of
ceremonies recognizing dignataries such as Stavro Semanderes,
past president of PAA, and current Cretan World President.
James Denny, Disrtict 3 Governor, Mary Vasilakis, Chairperson
of PFA, and Dr, Petro Maropis, treasurer, PFA.. The members
and guests are looking forward to next years annual Cretan
Picnic.
Dr. Peter. J. Nikas, KPHTH Magazine Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, MA

[ CRETAN LADIES PROODOS ]


.
,
.

.
. .

TEXAS, AZ

[ CRETANS OF ARIZONA ]
Second Lieutenant Select
Lydia
Eleni
Bigelow, graduated this May
30th, 2007 from
the United States
Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science
Degree in History,
a Minor in Russian and a Commission into the
United States Air
Force. After four
years at the Air
Force Academy,
Bigelow
has
completed proOCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

37

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

37

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
grams such as Basic Cadet Training, Combat Survival Training,
earned her jump wings in the Academys Freefall Parachuting
course, and completed the Academy Flight Screening Program
which includes local area solo flights. She graduated as a distinguished graduate with honors and ranked 77th of 987 graduating. She received recognition on the Deans and
Commandants list for all four years of attendance. She has
participated in language immersions programs to both Russia
and Ukraine, and has earned a varsity letter all four years as an
NCAA Division I athlete competing for the Air Force Falcon
Fencing Team. Lydia was captain of the Fencing team and was
voted Most Valuable Player in her fourth year at the Academy.
After graduation she has traveled throughout Europe and visited with her relatives and YiaYia Eleni Kasselakis in Skines,
Xania, Kriti. This fall she has started her career with her next
assignment in the United States Air Force.
Patricia Cristie, KPHTH Magazine Correspondent

WEST PALM BEACH, FL

[ CRETAN VOICE ]

Congratulations to the following chapter students and recipients of PAA Scholarships: Maria Manolis freshman year
attending Univ. of Florida in Gainesville, FL majoring in Medicine,
Eftihios Andronis sophomore year attending Florida State
Univ. in Tallahassee, FL majoring in International Business and
on the Deans List the entire freshman year, Michael Manolis
junior year attending Univ. of Florida in Gainesville, FL majoring in
Civil Engineering and on the Deans list, & Andrew Sophinos
sophomore year attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ. in
Daytona Beach, FL majoring in Aviation Business Administration and on the Deans list. Our chapter wishes them Best of
Luck in their studies and is honored to have such successful
students! The PAA scholarships were presented to the students in church on August 12th by Chapter President, Costas
Kontodaskalakis.
Congratulations to Nicholas Manolis who graduated on
May 4th with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Nicholas is the son of Vasilios and Eleni Manolis - members of our
chapter.
Our chapter is honored to have a great graduate and wishes
Nicholas the Best of Luck in his future career!
Get Well wishes are offered to chapter members: Mrs.
Sophia Manolis and Mr. Emmanuel Kanellakis who are slowly
recovering.
Our chapter members extend prayers and sympathy to Treasurer, Mrs. Eleni Manolis whose beloved father, Mr. Harisis
Delonis passed away on August 10th in Mavropoulo Ioanninon
Epiros. Zoe sai sas Eleni & Vasilios, and to your family, Nicholas, Michael, Theodore, Harisis, & Maria, Also prayers and sympathy from our chapter members to the family of Mrs. Pigi
Kontekakis of Springfield, MA and to the family of Mr. Michael
Beladakis of Chicago, IL. Zoe sai sas to your families.
Dianne Maragoudakis Sophinos, Secretary

[calendar]
PLACE
Brooklyn, NY
New Brunswick, NJ
Cherry Hill, NJ
Charleston, WV
Phoenix, AZ
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Brooklyn, NY
Tarpon Spring, FL
New Brunswick, NJ
New Brunswick, NJ
San Antonio, TX
38

DATE
10/27/2007
11/03/200
11/10/2007
11/10/2007
11/17/2007
11/17/2007
11/24/2007
12/02/2007
02/02/2008
02/02/2008
05/03/2008
05/23-25/2008

EVENT
Cretan Brotherhood of NY Annual Dance
White Mountains Annual PILAFI event
Knossos Chapter Dinner Dance
Christopher Janus book presentation
rizona Cretan Association Annual Dance
Cretan Fraternity of Chicago Annual Dinner Dance
CMBA Annual Dinner Dance
Cretan Sisterhood Christma Spectacular Luncheon
Orange Blossom Annual Cretan Dance
White Mountains Annual Dinner Dance
Arkadi Youth of New Jersey Dance
District VII Conference- Hosted by Ariadne Chapter

CONTACT
Elena Lambrakos - 718-339-8409
George Papadakis - 732-887-2203
Katerina Verganelakis - 267-307-8958
Xrisanthi Hess - 304-722-4858
George Christie - 623-214-3363
George Papadantonakis - 312-485-3423
Stelios Vitakis - 216-524-4285
Helen Tzagarakis - 718-745-6745
Tom Kostakis - 727-791-8000
George Papadakis - 732-887-2203
Alekos Marmatakis - 732-777-0104
Eleftheria Winters - 210-393-0522

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

38

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

chapternewschapternewschapternewschapternews
[donations]

DONATIONS TO PAA April 1, 2007 - August 31, 2007

DONORS

AMMOUNT COMMENTS

JSemanderes Stavros
Siganos Management
Polirinia Chapter of Marin
Vasilakis Mary
Cretan Assoc Nikos Kazantzakis
Akrotiri of Merimack Valley
Minos Youth Clearwater
CretansofConneticut
OrangeBlosom
Zombanakis George
Chryssis George
Propodos
Cretans Arizona
Cretan Ladies Society - KPHTH
Arkadi-Maleme
Pseloretis Detroit
Cretan Sisterhood - Ariaddne
Cretan Assoc. West Palm Beach
Diktamos Cretan Association
Brokos Emmanuel
Diktamos Cretan Association
Chryssis George
Chryssis George
Velivasakis Emmanuel
Velivasakis 3Emmanuel
Velivasakis Emmanuel
Kefalogiannis Ismini
Kefalogiannis Ismini
Spirakis Ernest
Simvoulakis Helene
Wren Martha
Wolf Thomas
Johnson Bruce
Bruce Burger Realty
Micheletos Bill
Jones Mary
Ferris Audrey
Williard Faith
Politis Mariellena
Pologeorgis George
John Christopher
Peros Pete
Balale Michael
Diktamos Cretan Association
NPD Investments Delis
Varanakis Nick E.
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Semanderes Stavros
Tzitzikas George
Raftopoulos Steve
Rotary Club Denver
Bobolakis John G.
Bobolakis John G.

2,500.00
5,000.00
500.00
100.00
100.00
200.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
200.00
100.00
100.00
500.00
1,000.00
200.00
500.00
100.00
250.00
100.00
100.00
1,000.00
100.00
100.00
50.00
50.00
100.00
100.00
50.00
100.00
25.00
500.00
50.00
25.00
100.00
100.00
25.00
100.00
50.00
150.00
50.00
150.00
500.00
25.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
1,000.00
1,200.00

TOTAL

19,350.00

Donation Cultural & Education-Kazantzakis Translations


Donation Cultural & Education-Kazantzakis Translations
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General-Dist 6th Family
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General Rent for Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General Rent for Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General Rent for Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General Rent for Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General Rent for Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - General
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - Rent for Olga Theodoraki
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - Rent for Olga Theodoraki
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - Rent for Olga Theodoraki
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - Rent for Olga Theodoraki
Philanthropic Endowment Fund - Olga Theodorakis
Philanthropic Endowment Fund -Olga Thedorakis
PPEF - Van
Scholarship General Donation
Scholarship General Donation
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Kariotakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Byron Ieronimidis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Kariotakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Kariotakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Zachary Stavroulakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Eugenia Dematriades
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel & Christine Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emanuel & Christine Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Pegi Kontikakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Michael Beladakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Eleftherios Liodakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Steve Zaharias
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Mike Stamatakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Markos Psihoundas
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Byron Ieronimides
Scholarship Memorial Fund-John Vasialkis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Mike Kariotakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Eleftherios Liodakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund- Mike Pavlakis
Scholarship Memorial Fund-Emmanuel Pavlakis
Scholarship Named Donors
Scholarship Named Donors

- Philanthropic
- Philanthropic
- Philanthropic

- Philanthropic
- Philanthropic

OCTOBER 2007 |KPHTH

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

39

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

39

40

KPHTH|OCTOBER 2007

2007-10-KPHTH.pmd

40

01-Oct-2007, 01:53 PM

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi