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Why Greek Families Opened Diners in America
From late-night coffee to college tuition, Greek-owned diners became a path from immigrant labor to family ownership across the Northeast and beyond.
Latest Stories
Maro Kontou, Star of Greek Cinema’s Golden Age, Passes Away at 92
The actress appeared in 61 films and more than 90 stage productions, becoming best known as Elenitsa Kokovikou in And the Wife Shall Revere Her Husband.
Hellenic Hearts Offers Up to Four $7,500 Filodoxia Scholarships, With Applications Due August 15
Hellenic Hearts is accepting applications for up to four $7,500 Filodoxia scholarships, which include mentorship and cultural opportunities.
Greece Plans to Extend Navagio Beach to Protect Its Shipwreck
Greece plans to add 45,000 cubic meters of material at Navagio Beach to protect the Panagiotis shipwreck, but environmental questions remain.
Hellenic-American Chamber Elects 2026–2027 Board in New York
The Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce elected its 2026–2027 board in New York, with Eftihia Pylarinou-Piper remaining president.
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In the Community
Greek American life, institutions, and people
AHEPA Calls on New York City to Recognize Greek Astoria After Immigrant Map Omission
A New York City map highlights 30 immigrant enclaves, including Little Egypt in Astoria, but leaves out the neighborhood’s longstanding Greek-American identity. AHEPA is asking City Hall to correct the omission.
How Chris Lazarides Brought Banking Closer to New York’s Greek-American Community
Chris Lazarides spent decades helping Greek-American businesses, younger bankers, and Cypriot-American institutions find firmer footing in New York.
Greek Name Days This Week: July 12 to July 18, 2026
Mid-July brings Greek name days for Veroniki, Paisios, Sara, Nikodimos, Vladimir, Marina, Aliki, Alexandra, Aimilia, and others, with Saint Paisios and Saint Marina among the week’s major commemorations.
Inheriting a House in Greece From Abroad: A Practical Guide for Diaspora Families
For Greeks abroad, inheriting a family house in Greece can involve more than memory. Wills, deadlines, tax filings, debts, title records, and old paperwork all come into play.
Greek Citizenship by Descent: What Documents Do Greek Americans Need?
For Greek Americans tracing citizenship through a parent, grandparent, or older ancestor, the process begins with family history but depends on official records.
From Greece & Cyprus
Politics, society, and current affairs
Cyprus Brings Halloumi and Commandaria to New York Fancy Food Show
Cyprus presented halloumi, Commandaria, and other food and beverage products at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2026 in New York, through the Cyprus Trade Center New York.
Greek Defense Minister Dendias Questions U.S. Interest in F-35 Sale to Turkey Without NATO Safeguards
Nikos Dendias said Greece would not welcome Turkey receiving F-35 fighter jets and questioned whether a sale without safeguards protecting NATO allies would serve U.S. interests.
Greece Looks Wealthier on Paper, but UBS Data Shows Pressure on Typical Households
UBS data places Greece in the global top 30 for average wealth per adult, but the median figure tells a more familiar story: property wealth has risen while many households remain short on cash.
European Parliament Recognizes Women and Girls Affected by Crimes During the 1974 Invasion of Cyprus
The European Parliament adopted a resolution recognizing women and girls affected by crimes during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Congressional Pushback Builds as Trump Weighs Turkey’s Return to F-35 Program
Lawmakers from both parties are warning against any F-35 path for Turkey while Ankara retains the Russian S-400 system, even as Trump says sanctions will be lifted.
Cultural Life
Heritage, language, and the arts
Medieval Cypriot Medical Text Reveals How Everyday Medicine Was Made
A late 13th-century Cypriot medical handbook reveals how plants, minerals, shells, fire, wine, and vinegar shaped everyday healing in the Byzantine world.
AI Helps Read Herculaneum Scroll Closed Since Antiquity
Researchers used AI, X-ray imaging, and virtual unwrapping to read a closed Herculaneum scroll, recovering ancient Greek philosophical text without physically opening the fragile papyrus.
1453 Was Not Inevitable: Anthony Kaldellis Reopens the Fall of Constantinople
Anthony Kaldellis’s 1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople revisits the fall of the city not as an inevitable collapse, but as a human crisis shaped by strategy, delay, fear, resistance, and loss.
Philadelphia’s Lost Greek Coffeehouse at 1018 Locust Street
A 1917 photograph, a Greek sign, a tobacco factory, two census names, and a musician’s memory open a window onto Philadelphia’s first Greek quarter.
Greek Wedding Rice Campaign Wins Greece’s First Cannes Lions Grand Prix
A Greek wedding custom became an award-winning sustainability idea as “The Wedding Rice” won Greece’s first Cannes Lions Grand Prix.
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Obituaries & Memorials
Remembering members of our community
Aphrodite “Afro” Nazirides
Aphrodite “Afro” Nazirides, 94, of Swarthmore, passed away peacefully on July 14, 2026. Born in Serres, Greece, she devoted her life to her family, church, and community.
Konstantinos Mavridis
Konstantinos Mavridis, a tailor from Xanthi, Greece, built a life with his wife and daughters in Upper Darby after immigrating to the United States.
Panayiotis Spartiatis
Panayiotis “Peter” Spartiatis, 72, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, passed away on July 6, 2026. Born in Poulithra, Greece, he built his life in the United States with his wife, Janice, and their family.
Angela Balis
Angeliki “Angela” I. Balis, a devoted mother, grandmother, and longtime member of the Greek-American community in South Jersey, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026.
Ronald Brown
Ronald B. Brown, 83, of Egg Harbor Township, passed away on July 1, 2026, after a life closely tied to Atlantic City, the shore, and the water.
Nicholas Argyropoulos
Nicolaos “Nicholas” Argyropoulos, a Thessaloniki-born cobbler who built a life in America through hard work, warmth, and devotion to his family, passed peacefully on July 4, 2026. He was 95.