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Greece and Israel complete historic $1.68 billion defence agreement

The Greek Herald
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Greece and Israel complete historic $1.68 billion defence agreement

On Tuesday, the Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed that Greece and Israel had completed the signing of a new $1.68 billion defence agreement, introducing a new flight academy for the Hellenic Air Force.

The deal is the largest defence procurement agreement between the two countries to date, approved by the Greek government following an international tender.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday said the new agreement is a reflection of “excellent and developing relations” between the two countries.

Photo: Israel Ministry of Defence

“It is a long-term partnership that will serve the interests of both Israel and Greece, create hundreds of jobs in both countries, and promote stability in the Mediterranean,” Gantz said in comments reported by the Israeli Defense Ministry after Athens approved the agreement.

“In the phone call that I received after the agreement was approved, I thanked my friend the Greek minister of defense, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, and expressed my appreciation for his personal involvement in advancing this project.”

The Hellenic Government approved the establishment and operation of the Flight Training Center by the IMOD and Elbit Systems for an amount of approximately $1.68 billion (approximately €1.375 billion) for a period of approximately 20 years.

The agreement includes the procurement of ten M-346 aircraft and maintenance of T-6 aircraft, as well as the provision of simulators, training and logistic support.

“We believe this milestone agreement opens further new horizons of cooperation, strategic, economic and other and appreciate the decision taken by the Prime Minister and his Government to chose Israel as Greece’s partner in this project,” the Embassy of the State of Israel to Greece said on Twitter.

Bail relaxed for Sam Karagiozis to attend wedding and manage souvlaki stores

The Greek Herald
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Bail relaxed for Sam Karagiozis to attend wedding and manage souvlaki stores

A cryptocurrency founder charged with trafficking cocaine, ice and other drugs has had his bail conditions changed so he can attend his brother’s wedding and bucks night and oversee his chain of souvlaki stores, according to The Age.

Sam Karagiozis, the Lamborghini-driving founder of the Auscoin cryptocurrency, was granted a variation to his bail conditions in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

The Greek Australian 29-year-old from Melbourne is charged with 13 offences including importing, possessing and trafficking drugs such as cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and methamphetamine between March 2016 and October 2017.

Mr Karagiozis was charged almost two years ago and granted bail in mid-2019.

READ MORE: Greek souvlaki store owner caught up in Melbourne drug-trafficking investigation.

In seeking the changes, defence counsel Dermot Dann, QC, said Mr Karagiozis had complied with bail conditions since his release and wanted a curfew condition dropped so he could be best man to his brother George on January 30 and attend the bucks night two weeks earlier.

Sam Karagiozis is charged with trafficking cocaine, ice and other drugs.

Mr Dann said the dropping of the curfew would also allow his client to be at his souvlaki stores at night. Mr Karagiozis has up to 10 stores, the court heard, but had been unable to be at any outlets in Melbourne’s outer suburbs because of the nightly curfew.

Magistrate Andrew McKenna questioned what Mr Karagiozis would be doing at the restaurants.

“I doubt he’d be rolling up any souvlakis,” Mr McKenna said.

But Mr Dann argued his client would be working there and not just driving past.

“What he wants to be able to do is be on site at any one of those restaurants as the need arises,” the lawyer said.

Mr McKenna said a family member “implored the court to have a heart” in relation to the wedding in a letter tendered on Mr Karagiozis’s behalf.

Prosecutor Rosalind Avis opposed the application, arguing the case against Mr Karagiozis was strong and police allege he was the “boss” of the drug network.

“He was effectively the head of the operation,” Ms Avis told the court.

But Mr McKenna decided to cancel the curfew and vary the conditions so Mr Karagiozis could attend the stag event and the wedding.

He was barred from discussing the allegations, court case or any proceedings with his alleged co-offender at the events, the magistrate ordered.

“They can discuss how wonderfully well the wedding is going, the weather, the progress of the pandemic but nothing related to these proceedings or these charges,” Mr McKenna said.

He also cancelled Mr Karagiozis’s curfew because of his businesses and labelled it “undesirable and unnecessary”.

Mr Karagiozis must still abide by other conditions including twice-weekly reporting to police, not to contact prosecution witnesses, not to contact his co-accused and not to leave Victoria.

He will next face court in March.

Sources: The Age and The Australian.

The Epiphany: What is it and why do Greeks celebrate it?

The Greek Herald
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The Epiphany: What is it and why do Greeks celebrate it?

By Victoria Loutas

The Epiphany is one of the most sacred Greek Orthodox celebrations that dates back to ancient times. This Christian tradition is celebrated on the 6th of January around the world and is a day of joy and brightness. 

What is the Epiphany?

The Epiphany (also called Theofania or Fota) is a day when Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan by St John the Baptist. It is the moment Christ is recognised as both the Messiah and the second person of the Holy Trinity.

Greek celebration of the Epiphany:

The most important ritual of the Epiphany is the ‘great blessing of the waters.’

On January 6, Christians all around Greece take part in various traditions and ceremonies to celebrate the Epiphany. 

The most important ritual on this day is the ‘great blessing of the waters,’ which is performed by a Greek Orthodox priest. The tradition is that a priest throws a special cross into the sea and many brave young men and boys dive into cold water to retrieve the cross. 

The lucky person who finds and returns the cross is blessed by the priest for the whole year. Once the cross has returned, the priest releases a white dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This long-standing tradition is carried out to commemorate the Baptism of Christ and to bless the waters.

Along with the blessing of the waters, there are many other rituals that happen all over Greece to commemorate the Epiphany. Some of which include:

  • Fota kalanda: Just like Christmas and New Years Eve, kalanda (carols) are sung by children in Greece to celebrate the coming of Epiphany. These carols are known as “Fota Kalanda” and begin with a retelling of the creation of the world and the waters by God, and finally end with the day of Jesus Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River by St John the Baptist.
  • Roukgatsia: In Thessalia, Central Greece, the ‘Routkagsia’ are the main attraction of the holiday. On the eve of the Epiphany, groups of 10-15 people dressed in costumes go from house to house singing carols for a small amount of money. Each Rougkatsia group must feature a bride and groom, a priest, a grandfather, a doctor and the “arkoudiarides.” This ancient ritual is also performed in some other Greek cities, with minor changes to the name and its performance.  

On This Day in 1913: The decisive Battle of Lemnos

The Greek Herald
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On This Day in 1913: The decisive Battle of Lemnos

On January 5, 1913, the Battle of Lemnos took place between Greek and Turkish fleets in the North Aegean. It is considered a turning point for the outcome of the First Balkan War as Greece’s victory led to its dominance in the Aegean.

We take a look back at the history of the battle, including its aftermath.

The Battle of Lemnos:

On the morning of January 5, the Turkish cruisers Mesudiye, Barbaros Hayreddin, Turgut Reis and eight more destroyers left the Dardanelles and headed for the Greek island of Lemnos.

The Greek destroyers Leon and Aspis reported the appearance of the enemy fleet to Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, who ordered the exit of the Greek fleet from the port of Moudros to face the enemy.

The fleet consisted of the battleships Georgios Averof, Spetsai, Hydra and Psara and seven extra destroyers.

Map for the Battle of Lemnos. Source: San Simera.

Meanwhile, the Turkish ships reached a distance of a few miles from the eastern end of Lemnos and at 11.34 am began to attack the Greek ships from a distance of 8,400 metres. The Greeks responded immediately with a counter-attack.

At 11.50 am, the two fleets were at a distance of 6,700 metres. 

At 11.54 am, the Mesudiye had suffered serious damage. A barrage from the Georgios Averof also caused significant damage and losses to the battleship Barbaros Hayreddin, which withdrew from the battle. This was followed by the relatively intact Turgut Reis. Thus, after a twenty-minute naval battle, the Turkish fleet fled.

At 12.02 pm, the battleship Georgios Averof began to pursue the Turkish fleet and at 1.50pm its missile found the Turgut Reis, causing a crack from which water entered its boiler room. 

All three Turkish warships, which had been severely damaged, eventually escaped to the entrance of the Straits and did not attempt another exit throughout the war.

During the naval battle, the Turkish fleet fired a total of 800 shots, about the same as the Greek fleet. However, the Greek shooters were more accurate and killed over 100 people. From the Greek side, only one injury was reported of the trumpeter of the Georgios Averof.

Aftermath of the Battle of Lemnos:

The result of the naval battle of Lemnos undoubtedly contributed to the decision of the Pasha government to proceed with the signing of peace. 

Turkish Navy Commander Ramiz Bey was replaced by Captain Tahir Bey and referred to a military tribunal, which acquitted him. 

Turkish warships, sent to offshore operations, set about protecting Istanbul from a possible Bulgarian attack.

Source: San Simera.

St John’s College in Victoria thank Archbishop Makarios for its ‘revival’ in 2020

The Greek Herald
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St John’s College in Victoria thank Archbishop Makarios for its ‘revival’ in 2020

The entire community of St John’s College in Preston, Victoria have thanked His Eminence Archbishop Makarios for “his trust, guidance and dedication to the revival” of Australia’s oldest Greek Orthodox College.

In a statement, the College confirmed that even before His Eminence’s arrival in Australia, he had received suggestions for the closure of the school, due to “the limited number of enrolments, its large debts, general poor financial situation and especially the negative record of academic performance.”

However, Archbishop Makarios quickly turned his efforts to supporting the College, “securing more than $3 million for its operational needs, displaying personal interest and constant care to ensure its continued existence,” according to the statement.

  • Archbishop Makarios was passionate about supporting the College.
  • Archbishop Makarios at St John’s College. Photos supplied.

“Thanks to the personal commitment of His Eminence and the fervent support of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, St John’s College has now turned the page and is emerging as a leading Greek Orthodox College, of which the entire Victorian Greek community can once again be proud,” the College writes.

Under the leadership of the new School Principal, Anna Urban, who was appointed by His Eminence in early 2020, St John’s College recorded an enviable increase in enrolment, with more than 80 new students to have joined the St John’s family since December 2019. Today, the school has 264 students.

It is also noteworthy that in the VCE exams of 2020, the school achieved its best ever result. Specifically, St John’s managed to rank 54th among 582 schools in the State of Victoria. This is an outstanding improvement in the school ranking, as in the last three years (2017, 2018, 2019) it was ranked in positions 415, 237 and 344 respectively.

  • New School Principal, Anna Urban, has spearheaded a process of continuous improvement, including new school facilities.
  • The Very Reverend Father Evmenios Vasilopoulos with students from the school. Photos supplied.

St John’s also surpassed in the relevant ranking some of the most famous private schools in Victoria. The school’s average study score was 34 and the percentage of students with a grade above 40 was 15%, while two thirds of St John’s students at VCE level achieved an ATAR of over 40. This is a remarkable student achievement, unprecedented in the history of St John’s.

“With the support of the Board of Directors and the financial support of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Ms Urban spearheaded a process of continuous improvement and progress in all areas – from school facilities to educational programs, staff training, management, values and enhanced school culture,” the College says.

“All members of the College express our pride and joy at the progress made in 2020 and reaffirm our commitment to the Archdiocese and the local community that we will continue to work dedicated to the vision embodied in the school’s emblem: ‘To always excel’.”

Greek Australian students in South Australia shine in the International Baccalaureate

Andriana Simos
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Greek Australian students in South Australia shine in the International Baccalaureate

Four Greek Australians have been named among the leading 2020 graduates from International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in South Australia.

The IB is an international school-leaving credential. It has fewer in-class assessments and about 80 percent of a student’s result is based on the final exam. 

In South Australia, there were among 222 students who sat the IB instead of the SA Certificate of Education this year.

READ MORE: Greeks ranked among top SA students in the SACE 2020.

South Australia’s top International Baccalaureate diploma graduates: James Psaltis (front row, third from right); Natacha Zisogiannopoulos (middle row, second from right); Mihalis Kokkoni (back row, first from right); George Karageorge-Nguyen (front row, first from right). Picture: Dean Martin.

Among them was 18-year-old James Psaltis from St Peter’s College, who received 44 out of a possible 45 score – the equivalent of the maximum possible 99.75 Australian Tertiary Entrance Rank.

Speaking to The Advertiser, James says he has applied to study medicine at Adelaide or Flinders University. He also aims to bolster his volunteer work.

“I manage my own social enterprise operations, in partnership with United Way Australia,” James says to the newspaper. “I aim to improve literacy rates in at-risk children.”

Also recognised among the top IB students in SA were Natacha Zisogiannopoulos from St Peter’s Girls’ School and Mihalis Kokkoni.

Pembroke School graduate, George Karageorge-Nguyen, was also recognised for achieving an IB score of 43 out of 45, translated to an ATAR of 99.55.

Congratulations to all four Greek Australian students!

READ MORE: Greek Australian students dazzle in 2020 HSC rankings.

Greek PM announces Cabinet reshuffle, makes history with first openly gay minister

The Greek Herald
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Greek PM announces Cabinet reshuffle, makes history with first openly gay minister

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, reshuffled his cabinet on Monday in an attempt to give a boost to his conservative government, but left key ministers in place to signal policy continuity for the economy and foreign affairs.

As Greece aims to reopen schools next week and start mass vaccinations this month, the government is keen to kick-start the economy after the novel coronavirus pandemic destroyed hopes of a recovery last year.

To face the challenges, Mitsotakis has switched some ministers around and brought in a few new faces, including Christos Tarantilis, an Athens University professor who was appointed the government’s spokesman to help polish its image.

Greece’s PM appointed what officials said was the country’s first openly gay minister, Nicholas Yatromanolakis.

In addition, the prime minister appointed what officials said was Greece’s first openly gay minister, naming Nicholas Yatromanolakis, a former member of the centrist Potami party, as deputy culture minister in a move that underlined his socially liberal governing style.

“Every government needs to demonstrate flexibility at the right time,” Tarantilis said, announcing the cabinet line-up.

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos remain in place, as tensions with Turkey over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean have grown in recent months.

Harry Theoharis also keeps his job as tourist minister, a role that is also central to the Greek economy.

Kostas Skrekas was moved from deputy agriculture minister to take over the energy ministry from Kostis Hatzidakis, who has moved to the labour ministry, a significant portfolio with pension reforms pending and as businesses have suffered during the pandemic.

The economy is expected to have declined by some 10% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and hopes for a strong recovery are pinned on the second half of 2021. Greece emerged from a decade-long debt crisis in 2018.

The country has reported 139,447 infections and 4,881 related deaths since its first coronavirus case was detected in February. The latest changes were announced during a nationwide lockdown, the second since the outbreak.

Source: Reuters.

Greek Orthodox churches in Greece to defy lockdown by opening for Epiphany

Andriana Simos
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Greek Orthodox churches in Greece to defy lockdown by opening for Epiphany

Greece’s Orthodox Church said on Monday it would defy a government lockdown order imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus and open churches to the faithful during the Epiphany celebration on January 6.

The decision was made following an emergency session of the Holy Synod, the Greek Orthodox Church’s governing body.

“The synod does not agree with the new government measures regarding the operation of places of worship and insists on what was originally agreed with the state,” the ecclesiastical body said in a statement.

READ MORE: Announcement regarding the Celebration of Theophany in Australia.

“It asks that the aforementioned decision be absolutely respected by the state without further ado taking into consideration… that all the foreseen hygiene measures were upheld by clerics in thousands of churches across Greece.”

Greek Orthodox churches in Greece to defy lockdown by opening for Epiphany.

The announcement marks a rare show of dissent by Church authorities, which until now have largely respected government restrictions curbing religious services, along with other public activities, during the pandemic.

Before the holiday season Athens’ centre-right government had said it would relax curbs and permit all places of worship to conduct services, albeit with limited congregations, on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and the Epiphany.

But with the country’s health system under pressure after a surge in coronavirus cases, the administration rescinded the decision on Sunday saying restrictions eased over the festive period would be reimposed until January 11.

READ MORE: UK’s mutated COVID-19 strain detected in Greece as the lockdown is extended.

In response to this dissent, a government official said lockdown laws applied to everyone equally and that the Greek Church cannot “cherry-pick” among the health rules and restrictions. 

“We hope that the Church will realise the urgency of these times for society, as it has responsibly done so far,” the official said, noting that the government has sought dialogue with the Church at all stages of the pandemic, showing “respect for public health and people’s faith.”

Epiphany, which officially marks the end of the Christmas holidays, is one of the most important religious festivals in the Greek Orthodox calendar.

READ MORE: Greek Orthodox churches in Australia adapt house blessings for Epiphany this year.

Good Samaritan, Nicholas Karagiannis, surprises aspiring Olympian with generous gift

Andriana Simos
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Good Samaritan, Nicholas Karagiannis, surprises aspiring Olympian with generous gift

When Meresini Leivere’s story of how she’d fallen victim to a car scam and lost nearly $9000 aired on Channel 9’s A Current Affair, Greek Australian Nicholas Karagiannis was glued to the screen. He knew he needed to do something to help.

The Team Manager rallied together a team from his Homebush business, Crash Claim, and started a fundraiser to help Ms Leivere get a Hilux – the same type of vehicle used in the Facebook Marketplace scam.

“We were moved by Mereseini’s journey…” Mr Karagiannis tells The Greek Herald.

Since spending her remaining savings on another car, Ms Leivere had been working nearly every day to get the money back.

She was desperate to have the funds to return to Fiji to gain selection for the country’s Olympic and World Cup rugby 7’s team – a dream she’d been working towards for years.

Mr Karagiannis says he could see the drive and passion in Ms Leivere’s eyes to make her Olympic dream a reality and that only made him more determined to help out.

“Accomplishing any dream is hard work with many obstacles along the way and having something like what Meresini experienced can not only be soul destroying but a huge set-back,” he says.

“Being on our own journey, we know this would have been a difficult set-back and wanted to reach out and lend a hand. With all the negative going on in the world right now, we also wanted to show that goodwill and good people do still exist.”

Mr Karagiannis giving a $5,000 cheque to Ms Leivere. Photo: Supplied / A Current Affair.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Through a GoFund Me page, Mr Karagiannis and his team at Crash Claim, managed to raise $20,000 all up, with some funds going towards the purchase of the Hilux, and the remaining $5,000 being given to Ms Leivere as a cheque.

There was no shortage of tears from Ms Leivere and the Crash Claim team.

“The entire team were pumped to say the least and loved being able to make a difference,” Mr Karagiannis tells The Greek Herald.

Mr Karagiannis started a fundraiser to help Ms Leivere get a Hilux. Photo: Supplied / The Greek Herald.

Mr Karagiannis is the driving force behind Crash Claim, which he founded in April 2019 with his wife. The business is well-known for providing a quality service to people who have had a motor vehicle accident.

Over the years, he has also been a prominent member of Sydney’s Greek community, having supported a number of charitable events, including the 30 year anniversary celebration of his local Parish, St Stefanos Hurlstone Park, where $250,000 was raised and a donated car was raffled.

With such a strong background in philanthropic and charitable activities, it’s no surprise Mr Karagiannis has just added another thing to his Good Samaritan list.

Greek Orthodox churches in Australia adapt house blessings for Epiphany this year

Andriana Simos
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Greek Orthodox churches in Australia adapt house blessings for Epiphany this year

Following the announcement that the annual Blessing of the Waters will not go ahead in Sydney, Victoria and WA this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Greek Orthodox churches across Australia have also had to adapt their scheduled house blessings.

In New South Wales, due to a number of recent coronavirus outbreaks in the Northern Beaches, Berala and Croydon, masks are now mandatory in some indoor venues, including places of worship.

In Greater Sydney, household gatherings have also been reduced to a maximum of five guests including children.

These restrictions have made it difficult for traditional house blessings to go ahead. This is how some churches in Sydney are adapting (please note, this is not an extensive list):

St Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Mascot:

After seeking advice from His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and due to the current COVID-19 restrictions in NSW, St Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Mascot has decided they will not be doing house blessings this year.

Instead, Father Athanasios and his parish “will be providing cups for everyone to take Holy Water for themselves and their homes this Tuesday and Wednesday.”

“We all know that our parishioners are always waiting with great anticipation for their parish priest to bless their homes as it is customary but this decision was taken… in order to protect our parishioners health, especially our most vulnerable members,” the parish wrote in a Facebook statement.

Greek Orthodox churches in both Liverpool and Kogarah:

Both Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Liverpool and The Resurrection of our Lord, our Lady of Myrtles and St Elessa, Greek Orthodox church in Kogarah, have decided to go ahead with house blessings.

This is according to Facebook posts they published on December 31 and December 30 respectively, featuring their epiphany house blessing schedules for 2021.

In Kogarah’s announcement, which also includes their church program for January 2021, the Parish asks that people are “home on the day the Priest has designated for your suburb, because it will not be possible for him to return a second time should you not be at home.”

Greek Orthodox Community and Parish of Prophet Elias in Norwood, South Australia:

In South Australia currently, people present in a place of worship must not exceed 1 person per 2 square metres, so the maximum capacity will depend on the size of the venue.​

While the total number of people allowed at a private residence is 50.

Now although restrictions in South Australia are not as tough at the moment as they are in New South Wales, one Greek Orthodox church in the state has still decided to change the way it does house blessings this year.

The Greek Orthodox Community and Parish of Prophet Elias in Norwood has released a statement on Facebook saying Parish priest Michael “will not personally bless your homes by visiting them” this year.

“Instead a bottle of Holy Water will be available to all families, as well as prayers and instructions concerning the Sanctification of your own homes,” the post reads.

“Great Holy Water (Agiasmos) for the blessing of homes will be available for all at the services for Holy Epiphany (5th and 6th January, services from 8am).”

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