By: Markos Papadatos, Senior Editor
On April 3rd, a Zoom virtual lecture event took place, which was hosted by Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos. It was titled: “Romaniote Greek-speaking Jews: Their History and their Story,” and rightfully so. HNA’s Markos Papadatos has the recap.
Professor Stella Tsirka of the Center for Hellenic Studies at Stony Brook University made the opening remarks and introduced Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, who is the Museum Director of Kehila Kedosha Janina in lower Manhattan, and she also serves as president of the Association of Friends of Greek Jewry.
The Center for Hellenic Studies at Stony Brooks University serves as the center of activities that pertain to Greek language, history, culture, as well as politics, economy and society. By studying Greece and Hellenism, the Center for Hellenic Studies hopes to educate and nurture students with the values and history of the Hellenic civilization.
In addition, the Center’s goal is to form strong bonds between the university and the Greek-American community in both Long Island and New York, in an effort to establish connections and interactions with educational and academic institutions in Greece.
This online Zoom presentation by Marcia featured visuals (in a Share Screen mode) and it raised awareness on the little-known part of the Jewish and Greek worlds. It displays the bridges that formed between these two civilizations and how they essentially interacted to form the modern western civilization.
Through this lecture, Marcia was able to take her virtual audience on a journey from the cobblestone streets of Ioannina to the sidewalks of New York City. She underscored the important of preserving history and traditions through artifacts, archival footage, and research. It was insightful, eye-opening, and food for thought.
Professor Doreen Schmitt of the Anthropology Department of Queens College, who was present at this online event, remarked, “This lecture was a fascinating glimpse into the Greek and Jewish diaspora communities; moreover, it was a compelling story of resiliency.”
