Michael P. Pappas 1942 - 2013

My cousin Michael Peter Pappas passed away last Friday in San Francisco.  Born in 1942, he had his 70th birthday last December.

It's very sad because he was ill for some time and suffered quite a lot. His devoted wife of 20 years, Virginia, has been very ill herself -- undergoing chemo even while Mike was in hospice care for some weeks at their home. At least she will now have some peace in her life to take better care of herself.

It's also sad because that generation of the Peter Pappas Family is gone.  Mike's only sibling Tony died in 2004 after a serious illness, and he was only 56.  Their parents Pete and Faith (Xanttopoulos) are also gone.  Mike was the oldest of us cousins. And we do have our memories...



Mike had 3 sons with 2 previous wives: Stephen & David (twins) and Andrew. They all live in Oregon. Hopefully we can keep in touch going forward.

Meanwhile, Mike's funeral service will take place tomorrow at 11 am at the Holy Trinity Church at 999 Brotherhood Way in San Francisco.  Then he will be buried in the Greek Orthodox Cemetery in Colma -- where he will join his grandfather Xanthoulis Xanthopoulos, a man none of us cousins ever met.

Zoi se mas.

--
Paula Xanthopoulou 

The Jews of Greece

Here I am enjoying lunch with new friends at Temple Menorah on Miami Beach...We had moussaka,spanokopita, horiatiki salata, baklava and, yes, ouzo for everyone -- opa!

We are here for a presentation by Dr. Rachel Lapidot (whose parents were from Salonika) on "The Jews of Greece" -- indeed her talk is about the Jews of Salonika, who have been there since the 2nd Century.

At one point, 70 percent of the population was Jewish, with about 60 synagogues representing Jews from Spain, Portugal and France and elsewhere who spoke mostly Ladino. On Shabbat, the stores and the port were closed. In 1920, in the exchange of populations with Turkey, a multitude of Greeks came to Salonika changing the balance forever. Then, of course, WWII and the Holocaust. Now just a handful of Jews remain comparatively.

I stood up to say that I had lived in Salonika for 10 years, when I knew Jews who were hidden and survived. And, I was proud to further say, knew Greeks who saved them from transport to Auschwitz. There is a Jewish museum in Athens. 

Silvia Lehrer, Matt & Zora Frances

A woman at my table has a brother who bought a house in Hydra around 1960. I also met Silvia Lehrer whose parents were from Kastoria, and who described her family as a minority within a minority because they were from the boonies; she's a food writer from New York, and we will exchange recipes. Last but not least, I met Matt Frances (and wife Zora) who was actually born in Larissa! 

What a nice day.

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New photos from Greece, please post any comments directly on the blog!

Finally have sorted and organized the many photos from my camera and have added some to recent posts, especially my dispatches from Greece -- hope you enjoy them! It would be great if you could comment on the blog instead of replying to the email. Just click on the link at the bottom of the email, and you will go to that current posting. At the bottom there is a box for you to submit your comment or, hopefully, additional information to share with all -- like I just did on the last entry. Click on 2012 in the Blog Archive to the right to access the Greek entries. Thank you!

My Great Uncle Nikos was a Naoussa Hero!

When I was in Athens in November, my Aunt Soula told me more about our Naoussa family history -- including the death of her father Nikos Theofilos at the hands of Communist guerrillas on 1-11-49. Indeed, I circulated at Xmas-time a framed photo of my father Steve and Aunt Faith as children in ethnic costumes in Naoussa circa 1928 that she gave me. Also in the photo:  their mother Paraskevi Xanthopoulou (as she would be known in Greece) at right, her sister Maria, and Maria's husband Nikos.

Naousa Family circa 1928

Subsequently, I received an envelope from my aunt Katherine Huntalas Skandale, who lives in La Canada, CA (down south). I had been bugging her for any photos she might have from Stockton. Along with some photos came a Time Magazine article dated 1-31-49 and entitled "Crucified" -- a report on a bloody 3-day attack/siege of Naoussa by 3,000 andartes (guerrillas):

"In the first daylight, young Mayor Theofilou was seized at home, dragged and kicked through the streets to Truman Square, backed up against a white marble monument. Said a rebel capitanos: 'You've got a lot of experience lately making speeches to your American friends. Why not make one for us?' Theophilou straightened and started to answer: 'I am the mayor of this town and --- ' A spatter of bullets from rebel Tommy guns cut him off. For three days his body stayed there, propped against the bloodstained marble."

Nikos Theofilos had days earlier welcomed American General James A. Van fleet to town, when during a special ceremony the mayor had thanked him for U.S. aid and the town square was renamed Truman Square. All-in-all 75 civilians were shot, clubbed or burned to the death; the town was plundered totally and 700 townspeople were taken captive. Thankfully, Soula, her mother, brother George, and sister Boula had been sent to Athens earlier.

While living in Greece (1968-78, including seven years under the infamous Junta), I became well-aware of the the trials and tribulations of the Greek people during WWII, the Civil War, and then the tough times that followed -- this in addition to the oft-brutal military dictatorship of that time. Perhaps, this is why I now feel the pain of the Greek people as they endure yet another terrible time in the 21st Century. And why it is so important to know your family's history in Greece, as well as in Stockton. Zoi se mas!

Happy New Year 3-Ways!

Best wishes to all for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2013!

But we must think also of our relatives and friends in Greece where the count of newly homeless and hungry in Athens is growing daily. Heating oil is now priced too high for many and electric bills will go up as much as 20 percent. Doctors Without Borders is reporting rising cases of TB, Aids and malaria. Things are rough, and will get worse before they get better. Help if you can by staying in touch with Greece and sending what you can when you can.

And, yes, my nephew Alex Xanttopoulos got married tonite to Elina Sorbi in Fairfax, VA -- a Persian-themed ceremony which followed last night's Greek soiree at the nearby Greek Taverna in McLean. Unfortunately, my parents Angeline and Steve did not live to see the day, but Yiayias Sorbi and Hage kept the fires burning. The party is still going on downstairs, but I know my limitations...

Alex and Elina Xanttopoulos

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