ARGONAUTS ASSOCIATION 2ND HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

Greek News
me=News&file=article&sid=8039
Feb 4 2008
New York

New York.- Bitter personal memories of the Jewish Holocaust in Greece
were revived on Saturday February 26, 2008, at the 2nd Holocaust
Remembrance of the Argonauts Association of Magnesia Prefecture,
that took place at the Stathakeion Center in Astoria, NY.

Lina Casuto-Goren, the eventʼs main speaker, described her
familyʼs story and how the survived the war taking refuge in
a monastery in Thessaly and protected by the partizans. Although Ms
Casuto-Goren was one of the fortunate ones, more than 60,000 Greek
Jews died in the concentration camps.

"We commemorate Holocaust because Greek nation has fallen victim
of a genocide, like the Greeks of Pontos and Asia Minor, or ethnic
cleansing like in Cyprus. When we Greeks ask for the recognition of the
Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos, we must be equally sensitive to every
other genocide, like the Jewish Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide",
said the president of Argonauts Association, Apostolos Zoupaniotis.

The event was under the auspices of the Ambassador of Greece in
Washington, Alexandrow Mallias. Consul-General of Greece Agi Baltas,
Consul-General of Cyprus Andreas Panagiotou, senior advisor of the
US State Department Office of Holocaust Affairs Gregory Mattson,
US Representative Carolyn Maloney, Assemblyman Michael Giannaris, NY
City Council Member Peter Vallone Jr, State Senator George Onarato,
would be NYC mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, Very Rev. Apostolos
Koufalakis (representing Archbishop Demetrios), past president of the
Pan-Macedonian Association Panos Spiliakos (whose father Demitrios
has been placed on the list of the Righteous) spoke at the event that
concluded with a viewing of the documentary "The Jews of Thessaloniki".

In his message, Ambassador Mallias said that "the history of the
Greek Jewish community is part and parcel of the history of Greece.

The Holocaust Remembrance Day is not only for honoring those who
perished, but also to contemplate the evils of intolerance, which
lead to violent acts of hatred."

Congratulating the Argonauts Association, the President of the
Israelite Community of Volos Marcel Solomon said in his message
that "this gesture reflects a special honor, for it demonstrates
humanitarian feelings of the highest order.".

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney congratulating the Argonauts stressed
the importance of people to promote tolerance and human rights and she
informed the audience of the resolution she introduced in the House of
the Representatives for the protections of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

"Today we are not only honoring the memory of those who perished
during the Holocaust, but also the heroism of Greek people", said
Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. State Department Senior Advisor
Gregory Mattson praised Greeceʼs participation in Task Force
for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and
Research that was initiated in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minster
Goran Pearson. Greece is scheduled to take the presidency of the Task
Force in 2010.

State Assemblyman Mike Gianaris pointed out the common path of Greek
and Jewish communities in America, while John Catsimatidis praised
the close cooperation of these two communities.

Consul General of Greece Agi Balta pointed out that we should not
allow fanaticism and racism to lead our society, while Cypriot Consul
General Andreas Panagiotou mentioned that in total 280 Greeks and
Cypriots are included in the list of the Righteous of the Nations.

Panos Speliakos spoke about his father who saved many Greek Jews and
stressed the importance of remembering history. "We should remember,
forgive, but not forget", he said.

The chairman of the event, professor Asher Matathias – born in a
cave of Mt Pelion while his parents were hiding from the Germans –
commented the association "for continuing a second year the voluntary,
non-governmental initiative to remember the loss of Jewish compatriots
— 87% loss of population, 62,573 — while honoring those in the
general population who, with dire risk to their safety, reached out
to assist, hide, and otherwise strive to save them", he said.

Professor Matathias stressed the importance of educating the broad
about the holocaust and anti-Semitism and pointed out the close
relationship events like this builds between the two communities.

"Our humanitarian impulses were joined by numerous Jews from the
New York metropolitan area, contributing to assist in the Mt Pelion
reforestation project", Matathias said.