Greek American and Jewish American Community Leaders Come Closer

 

AHI President Nick Larigakis (far left) gathers with participants of the roundtable discussions at the conclusion of the event.

American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Nick Larigakis participated at a meeting between Greek American and Jewish American community leaders held at the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations in New York City on December 12, 2012.

“I would like to thank the organizers of this very important initiative to foster dialogue between our two communities,” said President Larigakis, who shared his experiences with the group based upon his travels within the Greek American community, as well as to Greece, Cyprus and Israel. “I believe the meeting was quite productive and informative. On behalf of AHI, I look forward to participating at future meetings aimed to build upon this dialogue and the ideas raised by the leaders of both communities.”

Also participating at the meeting from the Greek American community were representatives from AHEPA, led by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Nicholas Karacostas, and PSEKA President Philip Christopher. In addition, several representatives from the diplomatic corps addressed the participants, including: Ambassador Aryeh Mekel, ambassador of Israel to Greece, who welcomed the group by telephone from Athens; Ambassador Pavlos Anastasiades, ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the U.S.; Consul General of Greece in New York Georgios Iliopoulos, and Consul General of Israel in New York Ido Aharoni.