Greek - Israeli Friendship & Alliance

[skymantle]

Hi there all. Over recent times Greece and Israel have fostered closer relations. It is said, both countries, although obviously different, share many parallels, and as many analysists have pointed out, they make for natural allies. There are of course those who question the alliance, especially leftiists, wherever they may be. What do you guys think?


Here are a few reports in relation to the topic.

Our Greek friends

The tragedy of the Carmel fire allowed Athens to prove that friendship is tested most in times of need.

Early Friday morning, fire-fighting planes and firefighters began pouring in from countries around the world, answering Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s call for help in fighting the largest forest fire it had ever known. Only hours before, the blaze claimed the lives of more than 40 people, most of them Prisons Service employees in a bus that got trapped in the flames.

The first arrivals were toy-like yellow planes, sent from Greece. They flew low over the Mediterranean, scooping up seawater. Then they moved inland, pouring the water over the flames.


Impressed by the speed of Athens’s response Netanyahu told reporters he “knew that the Greeks were our friends, but I didn’t realize what good friends they were.”

He then phoned Prime Minister George Papandreou to thank him personally. These planes – later dwarfed by the Russian Ilyushin and the American Boeing Supertanker – were immensely useful because in the time it takes to fill up the belly of one of the massive ones, they can make several sorties.

The tragedy allowed the Greeks to prove that friendship is tested most in times of need. And prove it they did...

...continued http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThes...aspx?id=198323

Netanyahu to Greek PM: I'm not skeptical about peace

...Athens and Jerusalem are the basis of the world's civilization, Netanyahu said, speaking of relations between the countries.

"The relationship between us continues in the modern age when Jews lived in Greece," he said, adding that today Greece and Israel are the cornerstones of stability in the Middle East and partners in the cause of peace.

The prime minister called for the link between the two states to be strengthened and promised to aid Greece in the fields of technology and finance...

...continued http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...923805,00.html

Greek FM : Region only gains from blooming bilateral ties

Dimitris Droutsas to 'Post' "We are writing new pages in the history of Greek-Israeli relations;" arrives for one-day visit.

Israeli-Greek ties have improved over the past few months at about the same pace Israeli- Turkish ties have deteriorated, but Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas believes the two sets of relationships are unrelated.

Droutsas told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive e-mail interview just before his arrival on Sunday night that the recent bloom in Jerusalem’s relations with Athens “categorically” has no connection to the Israeli-Turkish crisis...

...continued http://www.jpost.com/International/A...aspx?id=191753

Israel's new Mediterranean best friend

...However, the Greeks have several advantages. Their country is a longtime member of the European Union, a multi-national body in which Israel is vitally interested and which it would be happy to join if given the opportunity. They also serve as discreet intermediaries for Israel’s unpublicized exports to the Arab states.

There also is a profound Greek religious interest and involvement in the Holy Land.

The Greek Orthodox church is one of Israel’s major landowners. Its possessions include churches and monasteries throughout the country (especially in Jerusalem, where its prelates granted the prestate Zionists permission to build the attractive Rehavia neighborhood on land adjacent to the Monastery of the Cross). And thousands of Greek Orthodox pilgrims flock to Israel annually, especially for Christmas and Easter on the dates designated by the Greek religious calendar...

...continued http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=185222

Greek-Israeli Relations and the New Assertive Geostrategic Rapprochement

Greece and Israel are very old nations with extremely rich and complicated history. Specifically, since the Ulysses and Moses periods these two Mediterranean nations have been associated with all the crucial historical developments and ethnic and biblical struggles in the eastern Mediterranean region and the wider Balkan and the Middle East regions. Thus, both Greek and Israelis feel very proud for their respective historical and cultural achievements throughout the centuries.

The Jewish Zionist movement that was created and established in the late 19th century by Theodore Herzl had very similar characteristics with the Greek irredentist movement of “Great Idea.” Also, both nations have triumphed as Diaspora in various countries across the globe. Moreover, both ethnic groups have been occupied by the Ottomans. Furthermore, Greeks and Jews controlled and influenced the economic life of the Ottoman Empire. Currently, both countries are Western style representative democracies. In addition, both countries are allies with the U.S.A. and are located in very crucial geostrategic position...

...continued http://www.examiner.com/foreign-poli...-rapprochement

[Ynhockey]

I support cooperation with as many countries as possible. Greece is one of the countries most statistically similar to Israel, so it has a special meaning.

On the other hand, we need to ask Greece to take steps to curb antisemitism and help advance our positions in the EU. This is very important as the EU is becoming more and more anti-Israel all the time, and until recently Greece has been contributing to this momentum. I believe that most Israelis are supportive of Greece, even more so because of our current problems ties with Turkey. We hope that the people of Greece will feel the same about us.

[Olympios]

Originally Posted by Ynhockey

On the other hand, we need to ask Greece to take steps to curb antisemitism and help advance our positions in the EU. This is very important as the EU is becoming more and more anti-Israel all the time, and until recently Greece has been contributing to this momentum. I believe that most Israelis are supportive of Greece, even more so because of our current problems ties with Turkey. We hope that the people of Greece will feel the same about us.

The Greek-Israeli relations are not meant to be antagonistic towards any country. AFAIK, Greece is one of the few EU or EU candidate countries that have not seen any anti-semitic rise during the last years. Greek antisemitism is neither traditional, nor religious but it is mostly superficial and based on leftist grounds of solidarity towards the Palestinian people. Most of the people have no idea how badly was Greece hitten by WWII, and regardless of this, it was probably the only occupied country with institutionalized reactions towards the upcoming Holocaust.

The miraculous story of the Jews of Zakynthos
By LEORA GOLDBERG, SPECIAL TO THE JERUSALEM POST

http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellit...cle%2FShowFull

The Archbishop of Athens was the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox people of Athens and All Greece, and Damaskinos worked very hard to live up to his position during those hard times. In 1943, the Germans began the persecution of the Jews of Greece, and their deportations to Nazi concentration camps. Damaskinos formally protested the actions of the occupational authorities.

According to The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation the appeal of Damaskinos and his fellow Greeks is unique as no document similar to the protest against the Nazis during World War II has come to light in any other European country.

The letter in part reads:
“ The Greek Orthodox Church and the Academic World of Greek People Protest against the Persecution... The Greek people were... deeply grieved to learn that the German Occupation Authorities have already started to put into effect a program of gradual deportation of the Greek Jewish community... and that the first groups of deportees are already on their way to Poland...
According to the terms of the armistice, all Greek citizens, without distinction of race or religion, were to be treated equally by the Occupation Authorities. The Greek Jews have proven themselves... valuable contributors to the economic growth of the country [and] law-abiding citizens who fully understand their duties as Greeks. They have made sacrifices for the Greek country, and were always on the front lines of the struggle of the Greek nation to defend its inalienable historical rights...
In our national consciousness, all the children of Mother Greece are an inseparable unity: they are equal members of the national body irrespective of religion... Our holy religion does not recognize superior or inferior qualities based on race or religion, as it is stated: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek' and thus condemns any attempt to discriminate or create racial or religious differences. Our common fate both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens, without exemption, irrespective of race...

Today we are... deeply concerned with the fate of 60,000 of our fellow citizens who are Jews... we have lived together in both slavery and freedom, and we have come to appreciate their feelings, their brotherly attitude, their economic activity, and most important, their indefectible patriotism...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbis...inos_of_Athens

So, it's just unfair to portrait Greece as any other country with historical anti-semitic roots, because there are-as they ought to be in any democratic society, people who disagree with aspects of the current Israeli stance towards their neighbors.

That being said and based on my personal experience from visits down there, I find Israel to be probably the most similar country to Greece. Laid-back people, religious nuts (interestingly called ultra-orthodoxs in both countries, but at least their average age in Greece is around 60 y.o.), sea, cosmopolitan and insular mentality in the same time, huge diaspora and a looooooong history that streches back thousands of years.

[Stanpolitan]

..

[skymantle]

[skymantle]

Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture

Did You Know That….

1. Jewish presence in Greece spans more than 2,400 years?

2. In the 2nd century BCE, the Athenians had erected a statue of the Jewish leader Hyrcanus on the Agora, honoring him for his expressed feelings towards the Athenian Republic?

3. Until the arrival of the Sepharadim from Spain, in 1492, the Jewish communities of Greece used the Greek language, and assumed Greek names?

4. Around 50 CE, Paul preached in Thessaloniki’s synagogue on three consecutive Saturdays?

5. The 20,000 Sepharadim who came to Thessaloniki in 1492 gave new life to the city that was almost deserted after the Turkish conquest of 1430? The historian Apostolos Vacalopoulos writes “…The commercial activity of those Jews was a special incentive for the economic growth of the Gteek inhabitants of the city, which, combined with other factors, led to their national awakening in the 19th century…”.

6. During the Greek national uprising of 1821: A. Reporter Lafitte, a French Jew, with his moving articles in “France Libre”, roused French public opinion in support of struggling Greece? B. The Chief Rabbi of Westphalia in Germany collected donations in the Synagogues for the Greek liberation fighters? C. Moses Gaster, a Jew, diplomatic agent of Holland in Bucharest, helped Alexandros Ypsylantis escape from the Turks after the lost battle of Dragatsani?

7. Jews of international renown, such as Max Nordau and Salomon Reinach, supported in every possible way Greek national aspirations in Crete and Macedonia?

8. David Sciacky, a Jewish physician, took an active part in the fighting during the Macedonian struggle, helping sick and wounded Greek fighters around the Yannitsa Lake area?

9. Greece with Eleftherios Venizelos as Prime Minister and Nicolaos Politis as Foreign Minister, was one of the first countries that accepted the Balfour Declaration on the creation of a jewish National Home in the Palestine?

10. Henry Morgenthau, and American Jew, led an international movement of solidarity to Greece, during the suffering that followed the Asia Minor defeat, and settled in Thessaloniki as President of the International Committee for the Rehabilitation of Refugees?

11. 12,898 Jews served during World War II in the Greek Army, defending their country? That 343 were officers? That 513 died and 3,743 were wounded? That among the first casualties was Colonel Mordechai Frezi from Chalkis?

12. In 1943, the leaders of the Jewish Communities of Serres, Drama, and Cavala, refused to denounce their Greek nationality, although pressured to do so by the Bulgarian authorities? That a few months later all the Jews of those cities were turned over to the Germans who killed them?

13. That Christian Greeks sheltered to the persecuted Greeks, risking their own lives? That the Church and Clergy, the National Resistance Movement, the Gendarmerle, and the Metropolital Police were the first to help? That the Chief of Metropolitan Police, Angelos Evert, issued thousands of false identity cards to Jews, helping them to evade the Nazis?

14. The Archbishop of Athens, Damaskinos, sent a letter of protest to the German occupation authorities, demanding that they cease persecuting the Jews? That this letter, unique in the whole of occupied Europe, was co-signed by 27 Presidents of various Organizations and institutions, such as the Athens’ academy, the Chamber of Commerce etc.?

15. Jews were assisted by the Bishops of Thessaloniki, Gennadios, of Dimitrias, Christodoulos, of Chalkis, Gregorios, and of Zante, Chrysostomos? That the Bishop of Zante helped by the Mayor of the city Loukas Carrer, prevented the arrest and deportation of the local Jews? That the same was done in Katerini by Mayor Athanasios Vassilladis and Chief of Police Papagergiou?

16. That the Greek State, having by law inheritance rights on the property of Greeks who die leaving no inheritors, refused to benefit from the plight of the Greek Jews, and waived its rights by law?

http://www.sephardicstudies.org/thes3.html

[skymantle]

Greek - Jewish event

AJC Boston Launches Greek-Jewish Community Exchange Initiative

March 3, 2011 - Over 150 people gathered at the Maliotis Cultural Center of Hellenic College in Brookline, MA for the launch of the AJC Boston and Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston Greek-Jewish Community Exchange Initiative yesterday evening. The event, entitled "Passover & Pascha: How Greeks and Jews Shaped Each Other’s History, Culture, & Faith," is intended as the first in a series of programs dedicated to enhancing understanding and friendship between Greek and Jewish Americans.

Greek and Jewish Americans share a long and highly consequential history. According to His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, “For thousands of years, the Greek and Jewish worlds have made an indelible impact on each other's histories, cultures, and faiths. The upcoming holidays of Jewish Passover and Greek Orthodox Pascha present the opportunity to explore this historic encounter in a welcoming community setting.”

Robert Leikind, AJC’s Boston Director noted that, "Our hope is to enhance understanding of our shared history, traditions and interests. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn and appreciate how what we do locally is part of a global tapestry of relations."

The evening featured remarks by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston and Rabbi Dan Liben, President of Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, as well as performances by the Metropolis of Boston Greek Dancers, Israeli dancing, a panel presentation by leading scholars about the ties between Passover and Pascha, and Mediterranean foods.

http://www.ajcboston.org/site/apps/n...149305&notoc=1

[חבר1.0]

Hey Skymantle,

Thanks for starting this thread! I really hope that there will be a serious and significant improvement in Greek-Israeli relations. I think this would be great for both countries.

[yianni]

personally speaking i know of no greeks within greece or abraod who has negative views towards jewish people in general.yes we have a lot in common.
but of course if our relations will prosper and grow ,both peoples and nations have to respect each other .
this is not about antisemetism or antihellenism it is about having common goals,interests, and aspirations for the betterment of our relations.
both greeks and jews has been attacked and are continusouly bombarded in many ways historically and presently ,therefore i do not think we should focus on who has suffered through more in this link.
learning from the past is what we all should do and try to make our beautiful eastern med region more peaceful and prosperous.
my feeling is both jews and greeks can make this occur if we both want it enough.

[skymantle]

Originally Posted by חבר1.0

Hey Skymantle,

Thanks for starting this thread! I really hope that there will be a serious and significant improvement in Greek-Israeli relations. I think this would be great for both countries.

You're welcome חבר1.0 I think there's already been a serious and significant improvement in Greek - Israeli relations, as many of the reports I linked indicate. They can of course improve even further, which should occur, even lf like most relationships, bumps appear along the way that may need to be overcome, because as you said, it would be great for both countries. Here's to the ancient cultures and nations of the Greek and Israeli people. Shalom friends.

[skymantle]

I want to share a story with you about a little Greek island. an island not too far from the mainland of Greece, steeped in maritime heritage and covered in a verdant carpet of forest. An island which the discerning traveller would find and where those with a bit of spare change in their pockets choose to visit and even reside. It's the beautiful island of Spetses in the Saronic islands group. another jewel in the long chain of inviting Greek islands.

Spetses always had the distinction of being a resourceful maritime island, but it was a local that came back to his island after travelling the world looking for his fortune, and it is he who endowed it with much of its most vital infrastructure and attractions, including constructing the island's first water supply system, a luxury hotel that has just recently been restored to its former glory, he replanted over half the island's forest and built a renowned educational institution that saw some of Greece's brightest and most famous graduate from. He was Sotirios Anargyros and he remains the island's most formiddable patron and son.

Well you may ask, what has this got to do with Greek and Jewish friendship, and I will simply answer quite a bit, albeit in a not so obvious way. Anargyros eventually made his way to America for a better life, like so many in his day. He worked for the Thompson Tobacco House and ended up owning one of the biggest tobacco factories in the world after the Jewish owner adopted him and gave him the company. Anargyros used the money he had gained wisely, for philanthropic and community needs, including being an environmentalist well before the term was ever coined. He was instilled with a sense of civic duty and responsibility and with the fortune he received from his Jewish employer, provider and friend, he was able to make his altruistic dreams come true.

...As an employee at the Thompson Tobacco House, he was soon given the responsibility of buying tobacco from Ottoman Greece and Turkey. A few years before dying, the company's Jewish owner adopted the Spetsiot. Anargyros became the owner of one of the largest tobacco factories in America. Catering to a wealthy metropolitan clientele, captivated by Eastern civilizations, Anargyros introduced Turkish and Egyptian cigarette brands featuring images of the exotic Orient. Murad, Aegyptian Deities, Helmar, Mogul and Ramses were some of the popular cigarettes introduced by the S. Anargyros Company in the US.

In 1899 he sold the company for a fortune and returned to his birthplace. A hostile reception from his envious relatives and the breakdown of his childless marriage helped him quickly make up his mind. He would devote his fortune to Spetses...

http://www.odyssey.gr/default.asp?en...id=50&langid=2

Statue of Anargyros in Spetses town.


The lovely fin de siecile Poseidonion hotel on Spetses built by Anargyros. The (ex) Greek royalty recently held a wedding on the sland, with a reception at the hotel. http://www.poseidoniongrace.com/


The Anargyros School http://www.akss.gr/site/index.php/en...ate=2010-04-01


Images of the island








I hope you all come visit, bearing in mind that a well-to-do, humane Jewish person had something to do with the way this beautiful island is today.

[Kappa21]

I cant believe I missed this thread!!!!!


Well in a few words what can I say...
I definately would support trade with Greece. I see no problem in it...other have mentioned some challenges and obstacles...

Turkey is slowly moving away from Western nations and trying to become their own superstar in the stans. Half of the country is for moving towards the east, half of the country is nationalistic and no one can make up their minds.

For Israelis, anyone who opens their hands and wants diplomacy is an automatic friend of Israel and Greece should never be excluded. I see Greece and Israel have a lot of things in common and can work together for better trade and development.

[skymantle]

Hey Kappa, I like your 'Greek' username.

Greece and Israel indeed have a lot in common and can work together for mutual benefit. Greece is going through some very diffiicult times at the moment, and I fear it's going to get worse before it gets better, in fact I'm sure it is, so forging relations with Israel and other countries in trade, development etc is a very constructive move.

As for the Turkish - Israeli situation, I'm not an expert, but I sincerely hope things improve between both nations for the benefit of the region. Let's hope you can solve your differences and all three nations can have better, closer relations. Imagine that, Greece, Turkey and israel as allies working closely together for the betterment of the entire region? It can happen. Personally, my dealings with Turkish people have been for the most part positive and I like the country and its hospitable people very much. Greeks and Turks have gone a long way in improving relations, and i'm sure you guys can too. Inshallah, as the Turks would say.

Perhaps Greece could help in this endeavour as well?

Greece should mediate between Turkey and Israel

Sadly, years-long Turkish efforts to mediate for a happy ending in the Arab-Israeli conflict have ended up with Turkey and Israel in a 21st-century cold war that is colder than its 20th-century version. This has left Ankara (along with Hamas) uninvited to direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine – with Egypt and Jordan readying to be present at the dinner table. But we should not give up hopes for successful mediating efforts in our region.

Fixing this though would be the most exemplary single piece of almost-Nobel Peace Prize-winning initiative and a spectacularly illustrative showdown supporting interfaith dialogue both wrapped in one nice gift box: Greece mediating between Turkey and Israel.

Put it in the language that might appeal better to the fans of the Alliance of Civilizations fairy tale: A Christian nation acting as an honest broker between a Muslim and a Jewish nation. Fabulous! In the unwanted event that all three are bogged down in bigger disputes we can always think of a Hindu or a Shinto nation to mediate between the three. And if all four got into trouble we will have to think about an atheist nation to mediate.

But there is a mathematical logic for optimism: 1- Turkey’s foreign policy centers on the idea of having zero problems with neighbors, 2- Greece is a neighbor, 3- Turkey will therefore have zero problems with Greece, 4- (meanwhile) Greece is excelling in improving its relations with Israel, 5- In this part of the world, the enemy of your enemy is your friend, 6- Hence the opposite is also true: the friend of your friend is your friend, and 7- Turkey and Israel can rediscover the virtues of peace and friendship thanks to a common friend...


...continued
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...ael-2010-08-24

[Kappa21]

Like they say...once you go greek, you never wanna sit down for a week

[חבר1.0]

Originally Posted by skymantle

Statue of Anargyros in Spetses town.
[URL=http://img31.imageshack.us/i/zz5cb.jpg/][IMG]http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8936/zz5cb.jpg[/IM

The lovely fin de siecile Poseidonion hotel on Spetses built by Anargyros. The (ex) Greek royalty recently held a wedding on the sland, with a reception at the hotel. http://www.poseidoniongrace.com/
[URL=http://img849.imageshack.us/i/zz8x.jpg/][IM]http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/4826/zz8x.jpg[/I

The Anargyros School http://www.akss.gr/site/index.php/en...ate=2010-04-01
[URL=http://img708.imageshack.us/i/zz9c.jpg/][IMG]http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/2637/zz9c.jpg[/I

Images of the island
[URL=http://img858.imageshack.us/i/zz7.jpg/][IMG]http://img858.imageshack.us/img858/7425/zz7.jpg[/IM

[URL=http://img200.imageshack.us/i/zz3q.jpg/][IMG]http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8886/zz3q.jpg[/I

[URL=http://img22.imageshack.us/i/zz4d.jpg/][IMG]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/7762/zz4d.jpg[/IMG

[URL=http://img823.imageshack.us/i/zz6y.jpg/][IMG]http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/2681/zz6y.jpg[/IMG

I hope you all come visit, bearing in mind that a well-to-do, humane Jewish person had something to do with the way this beautiful island is today.

What a beautiful country! Every time I fly over the Greek Islands, I always wonder how beautiful they must be. Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to visit Greece, but I hope this definitely changes soon!

[Gzdvtz]

Originally Posted by Kappa21

Like they say...once you go greek, you never wanna sit down for a week

Speaking from experience??

[Kappa21]

Originally Posted by Gzdvtz

Speaking from experience??

Greek superstition!!!!!

[skymantle]

@ Kappa, I know you're just kidding.

Originally Posted by חבר1.0

What a beautiful country! Every time I fly over the Greek Islands, I always wonder how beautiful they must be. Unfortunately, I've never had a chance to visit Greece, but I hope this definitely changes soon!

Hey חבר1.0 thanks for your comment. Greece has some lovely spots, but can definitely be better cared for and much improved, especially the urban areas. You must come visit soon.

Here's a website that may be of interest and use for all Jewish people, and non-Jewish as well, in fact.

Welcome to Yvelia, the website of Yvette and Elias (Yvelia),
the online community where Greek culture, Jewish culture, Architecture, Healing, Environment and Community activity meet.
http://www.yvelia.com/

And now more in relation to this architecture forum and the above website by renowned architect Elias Messinas, the Green Prophet

Elias Messinas Builds On Green Education From Israel and Practice in Greece

There’s a phenomenon that’s hit the world, and Israel is no exception: designers, restaurants, grocery stores, companies and architects “in the green know” are talking about sustainability.

Gone are the days when a soup company can paint a “recyclable” logo on a tin can and call itself environmentally friendly.

Like in America, Israelis too have evolved the important concept of sustainability, where green practices are woven through the entire fabric of a product, building or community.

Sustainability has no hard and fast rules, but works on logic, and aims to create a balance and harmony between what us humans create, and the environment we live in.

In the area of green architecture, there are about 20 architects scattered throughout Israel who envision sustainable building, where for example, buildings could create more energy than they consume. Some architects like Joseph Cory of Geotectura in Haifa develop futuristic and conceptual projects, and others like Gil Peled in Jerusalem, work to “green” old buildings from the inside out.

One of the most experienced in the green architecture field in Israel is the 44-year-old Greek-Israeli architect and consultant Elias Messinas, a veteran to the field who divides his time between Israel and Greece. His philosophies and practices are impacting green construction everywhere. He believes that educating a community about eco-issues is just as important as creating a green habitat to live inside.

Specialized in ecological building and passive solar architecture, Messinas works in Greece, Israel and Cyprus. In Greece he is working on a 2,500-unit neighborhood that could become Europe’s greenest community.

His work is published widely, including radio and TV appearances on the BBC...
...continued http://www.greenprophet.com/2009/04/elias-messinas/

Elias Messinas is behind the Athens 2004 Park at Zur Moshe in Israel.

PARK ATHENS 2004
In 2004 Elias with his wife Yvette, the late David Fais of Zur Moshe (Israel), and a small group of dedicated people created park Athens 2004, as a symbolic gift to celebrate Athens hosting the Olympic Games 108 years after they were revived in modern Greece. The park was created thanks to the generous donations of private individuals in Greece, Israel and the US, the Greek State, and the Jewish Communities of Greece.

The park is located at Moshav Zur Moshe, a moshav established by Greek immigrants from Thessaloniki in the 1930s. The park covers an area of approx. 40,000 square meters, planted with over 200 trees. The park includes the donors' pillars and flag posts in the entry, the children playground donated by the Fais family, the promenade donated by Sabby Mionis, and the 'Righteous of Athens' park, where Greek officials are honored for their contribution in establishing bridges of peace, understanding, co-existence and tollerance in Greek society.

The park Athens 2004 was dedicated in July 2004 by the Ambassador of Greece Panagiotis Zografos, in a ceremony attended by Greek Consule in Haifa Kostas Zinovios and Greek Embassy officials.
http://www.yvelia.com/amarchitects/park_athens_2004.htm

The entry to the park Athens 2004 (named "Piazza of Greece")

[mistreynovel]

How about a love triangle? Greece Turkey Israel and add in Armenia for bonus points?

[skymantle]

News from Canada

Greek, Jewish communities talk cooperation

By Joel Goldenberg

Diplomats, politicians and members of the Greek and Jewish communities gathered Monday for a conference on emerging Hellenic-Israeli relations, held at the Hellenic Community Centre in Côte des Neiges.

The conference was organized by the Canadian chapter of the American Hellenic Progressive Association (AHEPA), the Canada-Israel Committee, Canadian Hellenic Congress and Quebec Jewish Congress.

“The essence of this conference is, first, the governments of Greece and Israel have renewed their diplomatic relationship and so we’re very happy to give some profile in Montreal to that renewed relationship, of which we are enormously supportive,” said Sara Saber-Freedman, executive vice-president of the Canada-Israel Committee. “Then, related to that is the relationship between the Jewish community of Montreal and the Greek community of Montreal, which have a very large number of shared issues of concern — both communities date from about the same period. We’ve been here awhile, we’re not new arrivals. We have similar sets of concern around any number of issues — social policy, multiculturalism, support for schools. “We want to find the basis for further work between the two communities.”

During the day, panelists Ken Matziorinis and Harold Waller of McGill University, and Andre Gerolymatos of Simon Fraser University and Amikam Nachmani of Bar-Ilan University in Israel, spoke about the Jewish community of Greece, the Greek-Israeli relationship, and Greek and Israeli national issues.

Conservative Senator Leo Housakos said the conference was “a unique moment in the histories of the Greek and Jewish communities of Quebec,” and was happening at the same time as the renewed diplomacy.

“Both countries are located in a tough neighbourhood which, as we speak, is undergoing a transformation,” he pointed out. “The ongoing upheavals in the Middle East underscore the significance of the Greek-Israeli alliance [in terms of security and the economy]… but the Greek-Israeli relationship reaches back for many centuries.”

During the morning session, chaired by Jack Jedwab of the Association for Canadian Studies, numerous speakers extolled the goals of the conference and renewed Greek-Israeli relations.

Eleftherios Anghelopoulos, the Greek ambassador to Canada, said an Israel-Greek joint ministry of cooperation “will be the next important step of our cooperation.

“Indeed, the economic cooperation is growing and giving tangible results that benefit both countries,” the ambassador said. “Many other factors of cooperation — tourism, environment, investment in renewable energy, new technologies and defence relations — have about two decades of history. Several agreements have been signed in the defence and security fields, and they relate to technical cooperation and support.

“The intensification of cooperation between Greece and Israel is not coincidental and not directed against any other state or people of the region. Instead, it has added value to regional security because it is resolutely focused on the values of peace, development and cooperation.”

Miriam Ziv, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, said the conference was “a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the evolving and lasting relationship between Israel and Greece.”

Ziv added that the renewed diplomacy and cooperation involves many factors of mutual interest, such as culture, matters of business and trade, shared values, educational and international issues, including human rights and democracy.

Conservative Senator Judith Seidman said that Jews generally gather for conferences on sad or worrying topics, such as the international campaign to demonize Israel, threats by the terrorist group Hamas and others.

“Today, we gather not to talk about our problems and our enemies, but to celebrate our friends,” she added.

Mount Royal MP Irwin Cotler remarked that “we can continue to enhance the relationship between the Hellenic and Jewish communities, and between Greece and Israel by referring back to a Biblical prophecy, which was told to me by my wife, a student of Greek culture. There is a statement, ‘God will give beauty to Greece and they will dwell together in the tent of the Jewish people.’”

Liberal Senator Pana Merchant, the first Greek-born woman appointed to the upper house, wondered whether intervention from outside has led to negative results in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, citing the now partially withdrawn accusations against Israel in the UN Goldstone report on the 2009 Gaza operation.

The conference also heard from Nick Aroutzidis, president of the Canadian Order of AHEPA; George Manolikakis, president of the Canadian Hellenic Congress; Marc Gold, immediate past president of Federation CJA and Greek Consul General Thanos Kafopoulos. Israeli Consul General Yoram Elron was unwell and not able to attend.

http://www.cjc.ca/2011/04/06/greek-j...k-cooperation/