Greek forces are on heightened alert as reports have surfaced that Turkey is preparing to push through a fresh wave of migrants into Greece, with many infected by COVID-19 among them.
According to Greek government officials, the heightened alert follows intelligence reports showing Turkish authorities moving refugee groups from remote inland areas to Turkey’s western shores, where smugglers could secretly ferry them to Greek islands less than a few kilometers away.
Minister for Alternate Migration, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, said migrants will be quarantined. Source: AP News.
In response, Greece’s coastguard, Air Force and Navy are increasing patrols along the Aegean waterway that divides Greece and Turkey.
“The political blackmail attempt at Evros did not work out. Just as the pressure on Greece and the blackmailing of Europe failed there, any such attempt in the Aegean Sea will also fail,” Minister for Alternate Migration, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, said on public television.
“And with the possibility that migrants arriving in Greece might be carriers of COVID-19, every migrant will go into quarantine.”
Relations between Athens and Ankara have been strained since Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced earlier this year that he would no longer block migrants and refugees from seeking entry to Europe.
Turkey has since recorded a total of 56,956 coronavirus cases, with the country’s death toll currently sitting at 1,198.
Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Greek Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The service presents the faithful with an array of themes based chiefly on the last days of Jesus’ earthly life.
On Holy Monday, there are two specific events which are commemorated, each with an important lesson to learn:
Joseph the Patriarch:
Joseph the Patriarch. Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Joseph the Patriarch, the beloved son of Jacob, is commemorated on Holy Monday for his virtue, nobleness and innocence. He is typically seen as a “prototype” of Christ as his life closely resembles that of the Lord’s son.
Told in the final section of the Book of Genesis, Joseph’s story is one of extreme hardship. Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he ended up in prison after being falsely accused of raping the wife of Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh’s guard in Egypt.
However, Joseph was able to leave prison after interpreting one of Potiphar’s dreams and predicted Egypt would experience seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. He advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain against the coming famine and by doing so, he saved the people of Egypt.
Following the fulfillment of the prediction, Joseph became one of the most powerful men in Egypt, responsible for food distribution in the kingdom. His brothers, on the verge of starving to death, travelled to Egypt and presented themselves to him asking for his help. Although the brothers did not recognise Joseph, he realised who they were and helped them, showing the greatness of his soul.
The lesson to be learned from Joseph’s life:
Set your heart to forgive those around you. This will not only heal your relationship but it will also keep your heart free from bitterness and deep rooted resentment from the past. This forgiveness is especially clear when Joseph addressed his brothers:
“’Fear not … As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he reassured them and comforted them” (Genesis 50:19-21).
The Cursing of the Fig Tree:
The Gospel reading for Holy Monday focuses on the parable of the barren fig. Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The Gospel reading for Holy Monday is about the barren fig, which Christ cursed and withered because it bore no fruit.
The fig tree is a Parable of those who have heard God’s word, but who fail to bear fruit of obedience and repentance. Originally the withering of the fig tree was a testimony against those Jews who rejected God’s word and His Messiah. However, it is also a warning to all people, in all times, of the importance of not only hearing God’s word, but putting it into action.
Those who belong to Christ ought to live and walk in the Spirit; and the Spirit will bear fruit in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-25).
Do you like wine? Do you want to take advantage of your time and learn everything about Greek wine?
Take a virtual tour of the Greek vineyard by the Master of Wine, Konstantinos Lazarakis.
The Greek Herald highlights the initiative of the Hellenic Wine Association, which presents all regions of the country, giving information about the place, the vine varieties and the styles of wines they produce.
Σας αρέσει το κρασί; Θέλετε να εκμεταλλευτείτε το χρόνο
σας και να μάθετε τα πάντα για το ελληνικό κρασί;
Κάντε μια virtual ξενάγηση στον ελληνικό αμπελώνα από τον Master of Wine Κωνσταντίνο Λαζαράκη.
Ο Ελληνικός Κήρυκας αναδεικνύει την πρωτοβουλία του Συνδέσμου Ελληνικού Οίνου, που παρουσιάζει όλες τις περιοχές της χώρας, δίνοντας βασικές πληροφορίες για τον τόπο, τις ποικιλίες αμπέλου και τα στιλ κρασιών που αυτές παράγουν.
Greek man of Cretan origin and founding member of the Cretan Association of New Zealand, Christos Tzanoudakis, is one of the two latest victims of the COVID-19 in New Zealand, bringing the total death toll to four.
According
to a statement from the New Zealand Ministry of Health, both victims were
elderly, had underlying health conditions, and could be linked to existing
clusters.
The
Honorary Consulate of Greece in New Zealand expressed their condolences for the
loss of the member of the Greek Community of Wellington, with a message on
Facebook:
“It is with great sadness and
a heavy heart that I would like to confirm that the 3rd victim of the
coronavirus in New Zealand is a member of the Greek Community here in
Wellington and it is Mr. Christos Tzanoudakis.
Mr. Tzanoudakis has been a
resident of Wellington for over 50 years. He was a founding member of the
Cretan Association of New Zealand and a valuable member of the Greek Community.
He passed away peacefully at the Wellington Hospital at 5.30 pm yesterday
afternoon. Our Thoughts and Prayers are with his children Vasiliki and
Emmanouel, their spouses, and his grandchild.
May he Rest in Peace”
Members
of the Greek Community of Wellington describe Tzanoudakis as a vibrant,
respected member who was always smiling.
On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.
Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people went out to meet the Lord and welcomed Him with displays of honour and shouts of praise. On this day, we receive and worship Christ in this same manner, acknowledging Him as our King and Lord.
Palm Sunday Traditions
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus return to Jerusalem, with his followers waving palms in celebration, shouting “Hosanna!” Today, we mirror Jesus’ follower’s actions by carrying with us small woven palm crosses.
Typically given out in church, the woven palm crosses symbolise the Lord’s presence with the faithful, and are typically carried around by the faithful throughout the day.
While Palm Sunday still occurs during the Sarakosti (40 days of Lent), the Greek Orthodox Church typically allow people to consume fish, oil, and wine but not dairy products, eggs, chicken and red meat.
Biblical Story Summary
The biblical story of Palm Sunday is recorded in all four of the Gospels (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; and John 12:12-18). Five days before the Passover, Jesus came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Having sent two of His disciples to bring Him a colt of a donkey, Jesus sat upon it and entered the city.
People had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and were looking for Jesus, both because of His great works and teaching and because they had heard of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. When they heard that Christ was entering the city, they went out to meet Him with palm branches, laying their garments on the ground before Him, and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”
At the outset of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God and announced that the powers of the age to come were already active in the present age (Luke 7:18-22). His words and mighty works were performed “to produce repentance as the response to His call, a call to an inward change of mind and heart which would result in concrete changes in one’s life, a call to follow Him and accept His messianic destiny. The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is a messianic event, through which His divine authority was declared.
Photo: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king: the Word of God made flesh. We are called to behold Him not simply as the One who came to us once riding on a colt, but as the One who is always present in His Church, coming ceaselessly to us in power and glory at every Eucharist, in every prayer and sacrament, and in every act of love, kindness and mercy. He comes to free us from all our fears and insecurities, “to take solemn possession of our soul, and to be enthroned in our heart,” as someone has said. He comes not only to deliver us from our deaths by His death and Resurrection, but also to make us capable of attaining the most perfect fellowship or union with Him. He is the King, who liberates us from the darkness of sin and the bondage of death. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our King: the vanquisher of death and the giver of life.
Palm Sunday summons us to accept both the rule and the kingdom of God as the goal and content of our Christian life. We draw our identity from Christ and His kingdom. The kingdom is Christ – His indescribable power, boundless mercy and incomprehensible abundance given freely to man. The kingdom does not lie at some point or place in the distant future. In the words of the Scripture, the kingdom of God is not only at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), it is within us (Luke 17:21). The kingdom is a present reality as well as a future realization (Matthew 6:10). Theophan the Recluse wrote the following words about the inward rule of Christ the King:
“The Kingdom of God is within us when God reigns in us, when the soul in its depths confesses God as its Master, and is obedient to Him in all its powers. Then God acts within it as master ‘both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13). This reign begins as soon as we resolve to serve God in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then the Christian hands over to God his consciousness and freedom, which comprises the essential substance of our human life, and God accepts the sacrifice; and in this way the alliance of man with God and God with man is achieved, and the covenant with God, which was severed by the Fall and continues to be severed by our willful sins, is re-established.”
It’s no surprise that Greek Australian parents are always on the lookout for a brand new children’s book to help their children #KeepItGreek. Seeing a limited market, Greek Australian News Corp journalist Stephanie Timotheou decided to write her first children’s book, ‘Cooking with Yiayia’, part of a new bilingual book series ‘Ikoyenia‘.
Recently joining the world of motherhood with the birth of her daughter, Anthea, in 2018, Ms Timotheou decided to use her own writing experience to develop a four-part children’s book series that represented Greek families.
“Before Anthea was born, I was on the hunt for a really special book that I could give her future grandmothers, but I found it quite difficult to find what I was looking for,” Ms Timotheou, 29, says.
“After months of searching with no luck, I thought to myself, ‘why not write one of my own?’ and that’s exactly what I did.”
The new book series is titled ‘Ikoyenia’, translated from Greek as ‘family’. Her first book ‘Cooking with Yiayia’ is a bilingual rhyming book about one little Greek girl and the beautiful bond she has with her Yiayia through cooking.
The book is written in English and Greek to encourage children to learn the language.
“Cooking with Yiayia is designed so our Greek language and culture isn’t lost as generations go on,” Ms Timotheou says.
“My biggest fear is that when our grandparents and parents are gone, nobody is going to teach our children about Greek culture and the beautiful traditions we have.
“It’s something I really want for our future and this book depicts a lot of things we typically do in a Greek home.”
The three books to follow are Gardening with Pappou, Playtime with Baba and Bedtime with Mama.
Limited copies of Cooking with Yiayia can be pre-ordered at www.ikoyenia.bigcartel.com, expected to arrive in August 2020.
How do you take a business’ high quality products and services to the next level of broadening its customer base? Its longevity as a successful business is proven, yet how does its owner(s) gauge the timing of taking that daring next step of expansion; although the growing demand for a business’ products may be natural, there is still that element of uncertainty underlying the decision to physically expand the business itself.
For thirty five years, Surry Hills’ Athens/Athenaikon Cake Shop was Sydney’s longest running Greek cake shop; today, it is Christophers Cake Shop with ten franchises across Sydney. Not only is the Christophers Cake Shop story interesting from the perspective of its growth and success, it is also fascinating to note how a Greek business successfully made the crossover into the broader Australian community.
The Christophers Cake Shop story dates back to 1955, when Chris Koumis opened the Athens Cake Shop on Bourke Street; Chris’ decision made sense as many post- World War II Greek migrants had settled in the inner city suburbs of Paddington and Redfern. Subsequent to this Greek settlement, the Athens Cake Shop was part of the establishment of the Greek business network in the area, as the Baveas Greek delicatessen was next door and Andrew Carr’s Meats around the corner.
Chris Panayi and his partner Fanos Papcharalambous. Photo: Courtesy of Panayi family
Having married Andrea Vasiliou, Christopher Panayi bought the Athens Cake Shop- with his partner, Fano Papcharalambous- in 1976, and they continued to work this busy Greek cake shop until 1987, when Fano left the partnership and the business name morphed into Athenaikon Cake Shop.
Throughout the 1990s, Christopher and Andrea’s three sons- Peter, Kyriako and Anthony- all finished college as pastry chefs and joined them at Atheniakon Cake Shop- making it a truly family business.
For the Panayi family, the 1990s were a turning point, as Kyriakos Panayi recalls, “Surry Hills’ demographics had greatly changed by the 1990s- many Greeks had left the area and more professionals moved in- and our customer base was broadened. Alongside our Greek customers, we had Australian customers asking for the “baked custard”- which was the galaktobouriko- or “cheese pasty”- which was the tiropita.
Chris Panayi and an employee. Photo: Courtesy of the Panayi family
“In the family, we had four pastry chefs and the potential was there for us to expand our business; when we established our second shop in Mascot- and moved our kitchen there- it was an ideal opportunity to rebrand our business and change our business model.
”’Athenaikon” was a very general name. We wanted a name that represented our family, and “Christophers” was a personal brand that embodied our family and its values.”
Changes in the business model at the time saw Christophers Cake Shop decrease its sweets lines and introduce savoury lines. In doing so, the focus was on providing the highest-quality products the Panayi family could offer their customers. Overcoming the initial challenges, and competing against other patisserie franchises, the rest is history with Christophers continually growing and now operates a factory which caters for their ten stores across Sydney.
Twenty years passing since the rebranding, how has Christophers Cake Shop’s menu changed in our market-driven world? Kyriako explains, “We are continually evolving and develop according to the changes in the market. On offer, we always had our Greek savouries but there were many other products such meat pies and sausage rolls that we introduced to expand our savoury lines.
Three Generations of the Panayi family in the original Surry Hills patisserie. Photo: Courtesy of Vasilis Vasilas
“The growing veganism in our community has also impacted the market and we have had to adapt this development too. People would be so surprised to know so many of the Greek products, such as baklava or paximadia, can easily transformed to vegan, and they are actually “nistisima”- perfect for our Easter.”
Asked where the Greek identity fits into Christophers Cake Shop today, Kyraikos points out, “Our ethos is Greek. Our passion as pastry chefs is Greek; our strong bond of family is Greek and our sense independence is Greek.
“When I visit our stores and customers state that they are third-generation customers because their yiayia and pappou used to come into our Surry Hills store, this makes us very happy because it reinforces our belief our business is based on the strong connections to family. This history is where we came from and this embodies the identity of who we are.”
The coronavirus has taken its toll on every country, geopolitically and financially. Yet while some countries’ leaders are making decisive actions to ensure economic stabilisation post-coronavirus, others are not.
As Turkey runs dangerously low on foreign-currency reserves, its economy may succumb to a recession amid the coronavirus pandemic. While many believe this to be the cause of Erdogan’s drive for ever-lower borrowing costs in recent years, diminishing Turks’ confidence in their own currency, it is certain that Turkish leaders are faced with limited options to help stabilise the Turkish economy.
Bloomberg analyses the economic strategies being presented to the Turkish Government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Options Being Presented
A pro-government newspaper reached out to the possibility of borrowing from the International Monetary Fund, helping give legitimacy to what officials have long publicly regarded as a non-starter. When asked Thursday how the IMF might assist Turkey, the fund’s chief said the institution has “a very constructive engagement” with it.
“We have been consulting all our members in this crisis on what are the policy actions that can help steer the economies through this very difficult time. In this virtual spring meeting that’s coming just next week, we will continue this constructive engagement with the membership, including with Turkey,” the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said Thursday in a Bloomberg Television interview.
Other economists have mentioned the option of printing money to help shoulder the burden of the stimulus needed to prop up growth. Bloomberg mentions that this path that appears to be more tenable now that the central bank is soaking up sovereign bonds from the secondary market.
Per Hammarlund, chief emerging-markets strategist at SEB AB in Stockholm, presents a third option for Turkey. The strategist suggests that Turkey could impose capital controls, with the government being more likely to seek bilateral support from the U.S., China or the European Union to restore confidence.
“Capital controls are a double-edged sword as they also keep sorely needed capital out of the country,” Hammarlund said. Turkish officials have in the past given assurances that capital controls weren’t an option even when they struggled to stabilise the currency.
Action Must Be Taken Now
If Erdogan persists with doubling down on mistakes made in the past, he will undoubtedly bring further economic ruin to Turkey, with financial consequences that Turkish citizens will bear far beyond the pandemic’s end.
The last time the IMF bailed out Turkey in 2001, the financial crisis at the time wiped out a whole generation of Turkey’s political leaders.
“Any IMF package would likely put an end to the president’s growth-at-all-costs-approach to running the economy”, Bloomberg reports.
“Yet time could be running out, with hundreds of thousands of businesses already shut down because of the outbreak and the fate of the country’s $34.5 billion tourism industry at stake.”
Whichever action Turkey pursues, Erdogan must choose an option swiftly and decisively in order to achieve economic stability for the next 10 years.
“Ankara needs to figure out a way of bailing out the economy without causing a balance-of-payments crisis,” Global Source Partners economists including Murat Ucer in Istanbul said in a report. “And because this is so difficult to do on its own, the only practical solution, normatively speaking, is an IMF program — no matter how unrealistic the politics of it may sound.”
A full analysis on Turkey’s economic options can be observed in the Bloomberg report: HERE
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has hit back at NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard’s claims on Friday that he will need permission to resume the season. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, V’landys has claimed that the NRL has received appropriate permission and the NRL could resume “tomorrow if we wanted to”.
The NSW Health Minister said on Good Friday that he had not spoken to V’landys or chief executive Todd Greenberg for more than a month.
“I don’t think they are a law unto themselves,” Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said. “Some of the players and coaches may think so, but they’re part of society and they have a part – as we have all done – to support not only safety for themselves but for all of us.
“They’re making their plans for the road out [of the suspension of sport] and I encourage them to do so in other sports. But whether May is the time will remain to be seen and definitely they’ll need to get some permission to do that.”
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys on Sunday. (Getty)
V’landy’s has disputed the medical officer’s comments, stating he is certain the NRL received written permission to resume in May from the NSW State Emergency Operations Centre.
The Greek Australian ARLC chairman reportedly called Hazzard on Friday to remind him that the state public health orders signed last week do not stop sporting events from taking place.
“In reality we could do it tomorrow if we wanted to, but we’re not going to because we’re going to let the infection rate continue its stabilisation,” V’landy’s told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“What we have juggled is to make sure we are no threat to the community’s health by spreading the virus. But I can’t see how we spread the virus if the players who are going there are all negative and playing each other in a sterile situation when we know they’re all negative.”
ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys says the NRL already has government permission to restart the season in May.
The NRL told AAP while they hadn’t spoken to Hazzard directly, they had been in almost daily communication with the NSW government.
“The NRL has been in constant contact with Federal and State Governments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic including this week, and will continue to work closely with government in the weeks ahead,” an NRL spokesman said.
New research from Adelphi University has uncovered one of the earliest documented brain surgeries, conducted in Greece during the Proto-Byzantine period (330-824 AD).
According to a statement released by Adelphi University, researchers led by Anagnostis Agelarakis examined the remains of four women and six men who were buried at the site of Paliokastro on the Greek island of Thasos.
It is assumed that the men and women were part of a group of mounted archers and lancers. Unearthed from elaborate graves near a monumental church, their bones indicated their physical activities, traumas, and even a complex form of brain surgery.
“The burial place and architecture of the funerary monumental church and the construction of the graves is spectacular,” said lead researcher and anthropologist Anagnostis Agelarakis, PhD, who added that it indicates the high social standing of the individuals buried there.
All of the individuals led physically demanding lives, and men and women had both suffered traumas that had been treated with great care, Agelarakis explained.
For the brain surgery, Agelarakis suggests that “even despite a grim prognosis, an extensive effort was given to this surgery for this male. So, it’s likely that he was a very important individual to the population at Paliokastro.”
Agelarakis explains that this brain surgery is the most “complex I have ever seen in my 40 years of working with anthropological materials,” and found it unbelievable that it was carried out in a pre-antibiotic era.
Early evidence of brain surgeries in Greece was also found over 10 years ago by Greek archaeologists in Veria, uncovering the body of woman who had died from from a failed brain operation 1,800 years ago.
“We interpret the find as a case of complicated surgery, which only a trained and specialized doctor could have attempted,” Thessaloniki site excavator Ioannis Graikos said.
