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Chicago Tribune
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Greek fest at St. Haralambos puts culture, fare and community on display in Niles: ‘Its's a great way to try the food'
St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church hosted its annual Greek festival over the weekend, bringing together food, games, music and culture for three days on the church grounds in Niles. For Father Tilemahos Alikakos, the annual tradition holds a special place. He grew up in the church community and as a boy, he both attended the festival and volunteered there as a boy – working in the admissions tent. Alikakos worked it with a girl who would later become his wife. 'My favorite part of the weekend is welcoming people,' he said. 'There are a lot of memories here. A lot of good memories.' This year, the festival took place from Friday to Sunday. Vendors were posted inside the church, and there were also carnival-style games families could play. At cultural festivals like this, the food is usually the star. At the St. Haralambos event, all the food was made by hand, by a small army of volunteers who work for months to prepare for the big weekend. Two people, Angela Margaris and Panagiotis Zervas, worked a broad charcoal grill, turning chickens. Over the course of the weekend, Margaris estimated about 2,000 birds would be grilled. That's in addition to the souvlaki skewers and lamb. 'Greek people like to eat, we like our food,' said Margaris. Zervas said he and the other cooks don't mind the work. For them, they've been watching it happen since they were kids and eating the food their entire lives. Since they were old enough, they've been at the grills or in the kitchens, working – then eating. They know their stuff, Zervas said. 'This is second nature to us,' he said about preparing fare. 'At every family event, it's food, food, food. You know exactly what it should look like and this is how it works.' And the food brings the crowds. Emily Komitas, of Lombard, attended with her son, who announced he is 4-and-a-half years old and was having a good time – lemonade in hand. 'He loves gyros and lemonade,' his mother said. She said Greek fests are a common weekend visit for them, so Kosta can get his fill. 'Then we go play games,' she said. 'And this is beautiful weather.' The food is one of the big draws for the weekend, which is an event Alikakos said draws about 20,000 people to the church on Caldwell Avenue. Not only is the weekend event a chance to eat with friends, but also an opportunity to show off the church, which he said he loves to do. 'At least half of the guests aren't orthodox, so it's their first time visiting an actual church if not the festivities,' he said. Vaea Kakureotis, a member of the church and an event volunteer, said she loves welcoming people. For her, she said, it's the most important role for her church: Bringing people in, helping them feel loved, wanted and part of a community. That sense of community, even more than the food – which she also praised – is said to be at the heart of the Greek Orthodox Church. 'The orthodox church is for anyone who is hurting or is unhappy,' she said. 'Anyone we welcome. Anyone can come. We welcome anyone to come and learn about us and to pray with us. I think people are looking for connection.' If not, though, the food is still good. 'It's a great way to try the food,' Kakureotis said. 'We have octopus. We have frappes. We have lamb, lukumades, souvlaki, gyros, moussaka and pastitsio, which is like a Greek lasagna with a bechamel sauce and phyllo dough.'
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Attack on West Bank church was ‘act of terror,' says US envoy
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Saturday for the perpetrators of an attack on a Palestinian church in the occupied West Bank blamed on Israeli settlers to be prosecuted, calling it an 'act of terror.' Huckabee said he had visited the Christian town of Taybeh, where clerics said Israeli settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church on July 8. 'It is an act of terror, and it is a crime,' Huckabee said in a statement, 'Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh — or anywhere — (should) be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that's not enough.' Israel's government has not commented on the incident, but has previously denounced such acts. On Tuesday, Huckabee said he had asked Israel to 'aggressively investigate' the killing of a Palestinian American beaten by settlers in the West Bank, similarly describing it as a 'criminal and terrorist act.' Huckabee is a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements and his comments are a rare and pointed public intervention by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Mike Huckabee, right, is received by Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in Taybeh, upon his arrival in the West Bank town of Taybeh. AP In early July, the village of Taybeh was hit by an arson attack in the area of the ruins of the Byzantine-era Church of Saint George, which dates back to the fifth century. Residents blamed settlers for the assault, which comes as violence soars in the West Bank and last week saw an American-Palestinian man killed near Ramallah. Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and staunch advocate for Israel, said his trip to Taybeh aimed to 'express solidarity with the people who just want to live their lives in peace, to be able to go to their own land, to be able to go to their place of worship.' 'It doesn't matter whether it's a mosque, a church, a synagogue,' he told journalists. 'It's unacceptable to commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship.' 'We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh or anywhere be found, be prosecuted, not just reprimanded. That's not enough,' he said. 'People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs not just to other people, but that which belongs to God.' Trump in January rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Agencies
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Christian leaders make rare visit to Gaza following deadly Israeli church attack
CNN — Leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church visited Gaza's only Catholic church on Friday, where a day earlier three people were killed in an Israeli strike. The visit is highly unusual given Israel's tight control over access in and out of the territory. Israel says it 'deeply regrets' the incident, blaming stray ammunition for the strike. An investigation is underway. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the enclave to show their support for Gaza's Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The two expressed 'the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,' the Patriarchate – which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza – said. They brought in food aid and medical supplies to the territory, which is facing a humanitarian crisis. The Patriarchate also said the leaders ensured those injured in the Israeli attack would be evacuated outside Gaza for treatment. The church in Gaza has become a shelter for the enclave's tiny Christian community and others during the conflict. Some 600 people, most of them children, were given refuge in the church before it was struck, the Patriarchate said in a statement Thursday. Pope Leo received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, in which the pontiff expressed the importance of protecting places of worship, the Vatican said. During the call, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza. Pope Leo 'again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,' according to the statement. Netanyahu's office confirmed the call, saying that the Israeli leader 'expressed Israel's regret for the tragic incident' and that he offered his 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the victims of the strike. There has been international condemnation of the attack, including from key Israeli ally the US, which comes at a time when there has been no let up in the offensive in Gaza. Nearly 59,000 people have died during the conflict, the Palestinian health ministry says, and ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. Dr. Fadl Naim, Director of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, asked why those injured in the attack were able to leave when others are barred. 'Is it an attempt to polish the image of the occupation, or a discriminatory act — treating the wounded differently based on religion?' he asked on X. 'What about the tens of thousands of injured Palestinians who are denied their basic right to travel for treatment?' This story has been updated with additional developments.
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israel says it ‘deeply regrets' strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, pledges investigation
CNN — Israel said Thursday that it 'deeply regrets' a deadly strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, which killed three people. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza, said the Holy Family Church was struck by Israel on Thursday morning. The church has become a shelter for the enclave's tiny Christian community amid the 20-month war. The office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that 'Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.' 'Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,' the office added in a statement. Pope Leo received a phone call from Netanyahu on Friday, following the strike, the Vatican said, in which the patriarch expressed the importance of protecting places of worship. During the phone call, which Netanyahu's office is yet to comment on, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza, a statement said. Pope Leo 'again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,' according to the statement. Leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church visited the church on Thursday, in a highly unusual trip given Israel's tight control over access in and out of the territory. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the enclave to show their support for Gaza's Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The two expressed 'the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,' according to a statement from the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church visited the church on Thursday, in a highly unusual trip. Omar Al-Qatta/AFP via Getty Images Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump in a phone call that the church incident was a 'mistake,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing Thursday. Asked about Trump's view on the strike, Leavitt described it as 'not a positive reaction.' The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged it hit the church 'mistakenly.' 'An initial inquiry into reports regarding injured individuals in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, suggests that fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly,' the IDF said in a statement on Thursday. 'The cause of the incident is under review.' Church 'directly' hit Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that the church was hit 'directly' by a tank Thursday morning. The parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was injured in the attack, the patriarchate said, alongside a number of others. Romanelli is an Argentine who has ministered in Gaza for close to 30 years. It named the three killed as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad and Najwa Abu Dawood. Several others were also injured. Images verified by CNN showed the church was damaged in the attack, but the crucifix on top of the church's roof appeared intact. The church has come under attack once before amid Israel's war in Gaza. In December 2023, an Israeli military sniper shot and killed two women who were sheltering inside, according to the patriarchate. The church is known internationally for its close connection with the late Pope Francis, who would call the parish almost daily as the war raged on. Only around 1,000 Christians are thought to have lived in Gaza before the October 7 attacks, which is overwhelmingly a Muslim territory. Meanwhile ceasefire talks to end the war in Gaza, which Palestinian officials say has killed over 58,000 people, are continuing. Israel may show flexibility on a key sticking point in the talks, sources have told CNN, as negotiators attempt to close the gaps preventing the first pause in months of fighting. Specifically, there could be some flexibility from Israel on the potential withdrawal of its troops from the Morag Corridor – a key Israeli security zone in the southern Gaza strip – a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Thursday. The corridor was established by Israeli forces in April with the stated intention of dividing up Gaza and exerting greater pressure on Hamas. Its name refers to the Jewish settlement of Morag that once lay between the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in the south of the territory. The US had talked up the prospects of a quick agreement in the talks, which had gained momentum after a deal ended the brief Israel-Iran conflict last month. But days of talks yielded no breakthrough. This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
NBC News
5 days ago
- NBC News
In the birthplace of Christianity, churches and communities are coming under attack from Jewish settlers
Girgis Awad, a chicken farmer in Taybeh, said Monday that heavily armed settlers recently attempted to carjack him as he returned home from work at night. 'We are often constantly exposed to situations that make difficult our movement and our daily life,' Awad said. He added that settlers were stopping him and others from traveling to their farms to transfer chicks or food. Christianity is a constant presence in Taybeh, which is home to Greek Orthodox, Latin and Melkite Greek Catholic churches. Small shrines and steeples loom over its streets, which straddle a hilltop overlooking a pastoral expanse of olive orchards. It's also home to the Taybeh Brewing Company, one of very few beer companies in the Muslim-majority West Bank. The Christian minority here is more endangered than perhaps any other Palestinian community. Since Israel's founding in 1948, the number of Christian Palestinians in what was once Mandatory Palestine has shrunk from around 10% of the population to less than 1%, with many emigrating to the West. But the settlers aren't targeting Taybeh for its religious identity, priests here say. They want to cleanse the West Bank of its non-Jewish population, regardless of their faith. 'They don't differ between Muslims or Christians,' said the Rev. David Khoury, the leader of Taybeh's Greek Orthodox Church, who said he was born and raised in the town. 'The settlers, they are dealing with us the same.
