History of Greece's Jewish Community Before the Holocaust Presented in D.C. by Tasos Kokkinidis Published on 29 March 2019 in the GreekReporter.com ----- Over one hundred people of Greek-American and/or Sephardic Jewish descent gathered together earlier in March to celebrate their rich, shared history at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). The event, titled “The Jewish Community of Greece Before the Holocaust: A Multimedia Presentation“, was a collaborative effort by the Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) with support from Sephardic Heritage International D.C. The presentation enabled the audience to learn about what has been added into USHMM’s collection regarding the Jewish community of Greece prior to and during World War II, and after the Holocaust. Vicki Georges, Youth Director for the HAWC and the Development Coordinator at USHMM, opened the program by briefly explaining why these discussions are important. She stated, “The Holocaust a...

WHEAT SONGS:  A GREEK-AMERICAN JOURNEY Non-Fiction book authored by Perry Giuseppe Rizopoulos and William A. Meis Published by Academic Studies Press, 2018 Description: Wheat Songs  is a memoir of two interconnected Greek-American journeys―an actual physical journey for the grandfather, Pericles Rizopoulos, and a philosophical quest by the author, Perry Giuseppe Rizopoulos. When the grandfather, Pericles Rizopoulos, a proud old man, tells his fascinating, tragic and true stories of the Nazi occupation of Greece during World War II and the following Greek Civil War, to his twenty-something grandson, Perry Giuseppe Rizopoulos, Perry’s philosophical reflections on his grandfather’s stories along with his own memories of growing up in his extended Greek/Italian/American family in the Bronx combine to create an enduring story about the strength created by a tightly-knit family and the powerful values passed down from generation to generation. Available on...

BOOK - THE ODYSSEY OF AN IMMIGRANT - A young immigrant's war-weary life in Greece during WW II, his challenging life in America, the history of Greek immigration to the USA, the history of modern and ancient Greece, Hellenic historic events, and much more .. . Authored by Thomas I. Vavaroutsos Self p ublished in 2013 ----- Description: Between his love of his motherland, Greece, and his adopted land, America, Thanasis Elias Vavaroutsos recounts the horrors of living in war-torn Greece and the strife of daily life in a city under the rule of Hitler's army, starvation, and an agonizing civil war. Simple pleasures and a loving, close-knit family kept a young boy's dreams of America alive. To readers of Hellenic descendancy, this book will bring both tears of pain from the knowledge of the suffering of Greek ancestors, but also joy and pride at being a part of Hellenic heritage, of the brave men and women, their sacrifice, endurance, and love of country. To all re...

Immigration of Jews from Ioannina to the United States  Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos  Museum Director  Kehila Kedosha Janina During the massive wave of immigration the United States between 1881 and 1924, an estimated 15 million immigrants entered the country.  By all estimates, both Greek-Christian and Greek-Jewish immigrants were a small minority.  What is of interest is the fact, that according to the major source of official data (ship manifests) of those emigrants from Epirus, the greater majority appear to be Jews.  While the impetus to leave might have been the same, the dynamics of the emigration and the intentions varied.  While all emigrants shared the desire to find resources to improve their lives back in the old country, most Greek-Orthodox Christians thought of the move as temporary, the majority hoping to shortly return to live out their improved existence in Greece.  For most Greek-Jews the move was perm...

THE ENTERPRISING GREEKS OF MOZAMBIQUE Authored by Nick Dallas and published in ΝΕΟΣ ΚΟΣΜΟΣ, 7 February 2011  ----- "The evolution of the Greek Diaspora constitutes an integral part of Modern Greek history. One cannot appreciate the development of the Modern Greek State without understanding the consequences and impact of migration. There are very few corners of the globe where Greek migrants have not set foot. The developed regions of North America, Europe and Australia have attracted the majority of Greek migrants in recent times. Relatively few have sought their fortunes in less developed parts of the world, the so-called ‘Third World’. Even fewer to Sub-Saharan Africa or Black Africa as it is known in the popular imagination. The migration of Greeks, although only a trickle, to Sub-Saharan Africa has its origins in the late 19th century, overlapping with the ‘Scramble for Africa’ by the various colonial empires of the era. As Greeks, they did not have any st...

GREEKS IN WASHINGTON - read the following excerpt from article  "Firm, Fair and Friendly" Louis Lallas’ first employer told him he would be successful in both life and business if he consistently followed the three “fs”. These three words – firm, fair and friendly – have guided him throughout a successful career in education and life in general. Louie Tom (Thanasi) Lallas was born about three blocks from his present home in Bellingham, Washington, on February 11, 1932. His name should have been Louka after his  papou  (grandfather) Loukas; however, when baptized, he was named Louis and only later was he more commonly referred to as Louie. It is interesting to note that in Greece the Lallas name was spelled Lalas – with only one “l”; the second “l” was added to the Lalas name at Ellis Island by the immigration authorities. LOUIE’S FAMILY Louie’s maternal grandparents Louis (Lukas) and Stella “Stravroula” Raptis immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

The digital collections of the Greek State Archives offer a wealth of information to those of us interested in Greek genealogy.  As part of their online collection is the "Election Material From the Collection of Vlachoyiannis" .  This includes "General Election Lists" for each Municipality; recorded by community (city, village, settlement, etc.). You can view a scanned copy of each list, printed in the Greek language.  This is a GREAT resource, but very difficult to navigate for those who do not read Greek.  Each row includes:  Line # -  Given Name, Surname - Father's Name -  Age - Occupation. I have translated these pages and made them available in both Greek and English, doing my best to transcribe the information accurately.  I would always recommend viewing the original scanned copies (link below). - To the best of my knowledge, these lists include all Males who were eligible to vote in the elections. - Names are in alphabetical order b...

Book to be released on April 30, 2019 - available for pre-order on Amazon.com THE GREEKS AND THE MAKING OF MODERN EGYPT Author - Alexander Kitroeff Description: " From the early nineteenth century through to the 1960s, the Greeks formed the largest, most economically powerful, and geographically and socially diverse of all European communities in Egypt. Although they benefited from the privileges extended to foreigners and the control exercised by Britain, they claimed nonetheless to enjoy a special relationship with Egypt and the Egyptians, and saw themselves as contributors to the country’s modernization. The Greeks and the Making of Modern Egypt is the first account of the modern Greek presence in Egypt from its beginnings during the era of Muhammad Ali to its final days under Nasser. It casts a critical eye on the reality and myths surrounding the complex and ubiquitous Greek community in Egypt by examining the Greeks’ legal status, their relations wi...