On Sunday April 5, the Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of Illinois “ENOSIS” celebrated the Greek Revolution of 1821.This year’s parade theme was dedicated to the heroes and heroines of 1821, to the 90th anniversary of the second phase of the Pontian Greek Genocide and to the Olympic Games (2016 Olympic Games-Chicago).
The Pontian Greek Society’s float was selected to be at the start of the parade according to the decision proposed by the Federation’s Executive Committee and approved by the General Assembly.
The float carried the following messages:
Commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Pontian Greek Genocide
No more genocides
No more lost homelands
As the Pontian float and marchers were marching, spectators were applauding and reacting emotionally to the messages.
When the float and marchers approached the platform with the dignitaries, the announcer read the following message in Greek and then English:
“Today we honor the hundreds of thousands of Pontian Greeks who lost their lives during the Pontian Greek Genocide.
90 years ago, on May 19, 1919, the second and final phase of the genocide was brutally initiated against the Pontian and Anatolian Greeks.
We demand international recognition of the Genocide of Pontos and Asia Minor. The worst crime of genocide is denial.
We call on all nations to follow the steps of the International Association of Genocide Scholars who in December 2007 declared that. "the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks. Be it further resolved that the Association calls upon the government of Turkey to acknowledge the genocides against these populations, to issue a formal apology, and to make prompt and meaningful steps toward restitution.”
In addition to the parade on Sunday, the Pontian Society’s youth group participated in the festivities of the Greek American community. On Friday, April 3the Cretan and Pontian youth performed various dances at the Daley Center after the Greek Flag was raised for the weekend celebrations.
Also on Saturday evening, April 4,at the gathering of all dignitaries at the Fountain Blue Banquet Hall, the dance troupe was invited to perform several dances.
The picture of the dance troupe taken at the Fountain Blue is with the Minister of Health from Greece, the honorable Mr. Marios Salmas.
Annual Dinner Dance
Niles, IL - On November 1, 2008, the annual Dinner Dance celebration took place at the Chateau Ritz.
Click above for Hellenic Voice article in PDF
New York Life Insurance Company - September 2008
New York Life Launches Voluntary Program to Reach out to Heirs of Greek Policies from 1914
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York Life Insurance Company announced an outreach program to locate and compensate heirs of approximately 1,000 life insurance policies issued to Greeks in the Ottoman Empire prior to 1915. As part of the Greek Life Insurance Policy Program, New York Life will publish notices in national and international newspapers about the claims review process so that heirs can submit claims relating to these policies. The company said it will also contribute $1 million to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, since descendants of many of those displaced from their ancestral homelands are now members of the Archdiocese. The total value of the voluntary program is $12-15 million, including administrative and other costs.
'Ευξεινος Πόντος' Pontian Greek Newspaper - August 2008
Click on title above to view entire article in PDF.
Published in August 2008, the article above is from the Pontian Greek Newspaper, 'Ευξεινος Πόντος', printed in Thessaloniki and written by Dr. Vlassis Agtzidis, an expert historian regarding the Pontians in Georgia and ex-Soviet Union.
