From the Editor
When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life.
—Antisthenes
This past weekend, I received yet another plea for help from a complete stranger living in Greece desperate for help amidst the financial crisis. The letters have increased and I know they will not stop. The challenge for each and every one of us is to not let it fall on deaf ears. Recent reports say Greece has an unemployment rate of 26.8 percent. There is a sense of urgency to help. Underneath this financial crisis there is a bond that must not be broken but rather when we read these letters a sense of brotherly love finds its way into the need to stand up and help.
The world has all sadly witnessed the increase in racist violence in Greece. From all four corners of the world leaders are calling on the government to do something about it.
Kalo Pascha!
This week we are proud to bring you our annual Easter issue—the biggest to date. This year we are reminded that with so many strifes around the world—especially the hardships endured in Greece—that now is the time for renewal.
When you look closely at the definition of this powerful word, the following is listed: the state or process of being made spiritually new in the Holy Spirit.
St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
These are powerful words, especially during the season of Pascha.
As we celebrate the Resurrection, it is a challenge for us all to examine this word and apply it to those areas that are broken. A time for renewal.
Christ is Risen. Truly He is Risen.
Andrew A. Athens 1921-2013
I first met Mr. Andrew A. Athens in 1994 through Frank S. Kamberos.
When I was introduced to him I was met with a kindness that continued throughout every meeting, conference, and lecture, that we both attended throughout the years.
Mr. Athens was someone who embodied the spirit of humility and hard work but above all—a benevolent spirit.
I can’t recall how many events I attended where Mr. Athens reminded everyone in the audience to fight the good fight for the rights of Greeks all over the world. His speeches never became empty rhetoric but rather he was a man of action. His innumerable list of accomplishments is testimony to that.
Friends for over 40 years, Frank S. Kamberos offered these kind words for his cherished longtime friend: “Andy was the real deal. He never had an agenda about him.”
Kamberos first met Athens in the 1970s. It was an encounter that transformed into an inseparable bond.
“We were nine months apart in age and I would always kid Andy and tell him your older than me,” Kamberos fondly recalled.
They both served as board of directors for The Greek Star newspaper for many years as well a list of other charitable causes.
Many people around the world were touched by the limitless generous spirit that Mr. Athens embodied.
As for Kamberos, he said he was honored to call Andy his friend and that their friendship was nothing short of brotherly love.
Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.—Plato
Last week, AP reported that the “Golden Dawn party has defended its decision to give Greek history lessons to primary school children at one of its offices.” Government officials have been relentless to condemn the practice of this far-right party and the education ministry last week went so far as to say that no political party has the right to “manipulate children.”
This week as we slowly head into Spring, I can’t but be excited. So to welcome the upcoming season, I am writing today about music.
On Saturday, Jan. 19, Chicagoans joined several thousand people across the Atlantic in central Athens as a show of solidarity and to protest a spate of anti-immigrant attacks in Greece.
As Greeks we are a proud culture. Our history is rich and deep, filled with endless amounts of wonderful pieces of the fabric of who we are.
Happy New Year! The Greek Star is proud to boast that it is in its 109th year of publishing. This is an enormous feat in this industry as many publications are not in existence. The entrepreneurship of Mr. Peter Lambros, who founded the paper in 1904 exists today.
Last week in an article posted on The Guardian website Syriza party leader Alex Tsipras said: “We are the great hope for change.” The Greek people have and continue to suffer. However, with the new year, hope always seems to push itself up from the depths of despair.
