NHS Boston Chapter was pleased to have members & friends meet the amazing team of the Benaki Museum at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  The Benaki Museum was donated to the Greek nation in 1930 and was inaugurated in April 1931. Over the years it has emerged as one of the most innovative cultural foundations in Europe and has stood as a beacon for the Greek diaspora, to which its founder, Antonis Benakis, belonged. The Museum's extensive collections of Greek and world art are constantly enriched and since the 1990s they are being re-housed in a network of ten buildings around Athens and beyond. The Benaki Museum team will deploy the range of activities and collections offered to the public, will explain how the Museum braved the Greek crisis through rational management and visionary approaches and will present the major 2021 exhibition organized to celebrate the Greek Revolution bicentenary.  Guests at the event enjoyed learning about the history of the Benaki Museum and a reception following the event.  Visit nationalhellenicsociety.org to find out about benefits the Benaki Museum has generously offered NHS members!

On Saturday, March 16th, the NHS DC Chapter hosted a complementary screening of members Marianne & Dean Metropoulos’ film, Cliffs of Freedom. Our guest speaker Ambassador Patrick Theros  gave a brief background of the War of Greek Independence before the film began. The film received the round of applause and the audience was thrilled by the movie’s caliber, story-line and poignancy!  The event finished off with lunch at a nearby restaurant.

On Monday, March 18th, following The White House’s Greek Independence Day celebration, the National Hellenic Society’s Washington, DC Chapter hosted a reception at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel.  Co-chairs Mike Manatos & Louis Courembis welcomed attendees to the annual celebration of heritage and culture as well as introduced some of the night’s honored guests to give their remarks.  Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH), Foreign Minister George Koumoutsakos, AHEPA Past Supreme President Carl R. Hollister, New York State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, NHS Chairman Drake Behrakis, and NHS Executive Director Art Dimopoulos were among those who spoke during the evening.  The event also promoted the “Cliffs of Freedom” film produced and written by NHS Members Dean and Marianne Metropoulos, as well as the National Hellenic Society’s Heritage Greece program.  

Marianne Metropoulos' screenplay and beautiful story set within the prism of the Greek War of Independence in 1821 is now a star-studded feature film playing at AMC Theaters nationwide  (see list below). The film is produced by NHS members, the Metropoulos family.  NHS urges our members, their respective families and friends to see & share the film especially with the next generation.   The Greek spirit and quest for freedom is captured within the context of the impressive feature film that will teach and inspire all.

The story is simple: a young Greek village girl falls in love with a handsome Turkish officer.  The couple is besieged by conflicts posed within the context of the Greek War of Independence following four centuries of Ottoman Rule.  We taken for granted the herculean efforts and sacrifices of our forebears.  Share the story and film especially with the next generation.  Their story is our story--one that we celebrate every March 25th that resonates with all free people. 

America's eloquent statesman and orator, Daniel Webster (Webster's Dictionary) was so moved by the Greek War of Independence he issued an epic addresses on the floor of the House of Representatives applauding the Greeks and their quest for freedom.  The NHS echo's Daniel Webster's sentiments and urges our members to see Cliff's of Freedom!  Znto Ellas & Kudos to Marianne, Dean, Evan & Daren!