With great solemnity and strong participation from the Greek-American community, commemorative events marking the 90th anniversary of the passing of Eleftherios Venizelos began across the United States. The events were held in the presence of the Ambassador of Greece to the United Nations, Mrs. Agi Balta, and the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the United States, Mr. Antonis Alexandridis.
The Venizelos Foundation USA, in cooperation with the Pancretan Association of America and the World Council of Cretans, organized the annual memorial service for the Ethnarch on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in three major cities of the United States, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, honoring the historic figure who shaped the course of modern Greece.
In New York, the memorial service was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Manhattan and was officiated by His Grace Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia (Papazafeiropoulos). Among those in attendance were the Ambassador of Greece to the United Nations Mrs. Agi Balta, the Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus in New York Mr. Kyriakos Bogiatzis, Professor at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Southeast European Studies Centre Dr. Othon Anastasakis, the President of the Venizelos Foundation USA and President of the World Council of Cretans Mr. Nickos Kastrinakis, the President of the Greek American Lawyers Association Mr. George Zapantis, and the Secretary of the of the Venizelos Foundation USA Mrs. Maria Stratoudaki. The event was also honored by the presence of presidents and members of the regional societies of the Pancretan Association of America in the greater New York area, as well as representatives of many other Greek-American cultural organizations.
In San Francisco, the memorial service was held at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in the presence of the President of the Pancretan Association of America, Mrs. Diane Kounalakis. The event was organized by Mr. George Panos, President of the Cretan Society “Epimenidis–Ariadni” of San Francisco, while the co-presidents of the Cretan Chapter “Crete” of San Francisco, Mrs. Vasiliki Roussaki and Mr. Nikos Flokas, were also present. Numerous members and friends of both societies, along with representatives of the local Greek community, attended the event to pay tribute to the memory of the great Cretan statesman.
In Chicago, the memorial service took place at Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in the presence of the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the United States Mr. Antonis Alexandridis and the Consul General of Greece in Chicago Mr. Emmanuel Koubarakis. Also attending were the Vice President of the American Branch of the Venizelos Foundation Mr. Yiannis Bertakis, the Treasurer of the World Council of Cretans Mrs. Bianca Nikoleta Pigounaki, and the President of the local Pancretan Association society “Amalthea,” Mrs. Georgia Beladaki, who also coordinated the organization of the event. A large number of Cretans and Greek Americans from the greater Chicago area were present to honor the memory of the Ethnarch.
The anniversary events were inaugurated by a special lecture delivered by the distinguished Professor of the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Southeast European Studies Centre, Dr. Othon Anastasakis, titled:
“The Legacy of Eleftherios Venizelos: Leadership, Reform, and the Power of Political Vision.”
The lecture took place on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center in Astoria, New York. The event was co-organized by the Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Center of Queens College (CUNY) as part of the “Themis C. Brown Memorial Lecture” series, the American Branch of the Venizelos Foundation, and the Hellenic American Project of Queens College, with the support of the World Council of Cretans, the Pancretan Association of America, and the Famagusta Council.
Opening remarks were delivered by the Director of the Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Center at Queens College, Dr. Fevronia Soumakis, who also coordinated the event, the Provost of Queens College Mrs. Maria DeLongoria, the Consul of Greece in New York Mr. Petros Dorizas, the President of the World Council of Cretans Mr. Nickos Kastrinakis, the Director of the Hellenic American Project Dr. Nikos Alexiou, and Mr. Kostas Evangelatos, member of the Center’s Advisory Board. The lecture was attended by many students of Queens College as well as numerous members of the Greek-American community, who had the opportunity to participate in a particularly engaging and meaningful discussion with the speaker. The event concluded with a small reception sponsored by the Cretan Women’s Society “Pasiphae” and the Cretan Society “Minos” of New York.
