General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
RAMAT GAN, Israel — An Israeli soccer referee has come out as transgender and is living — and enforcing the rules of the game — as a woman.
Sapir Berman announced Tuesday she has received the support of her family, the local referees' union and Israeli and international soccer officials. She said even players and fans have begun to address her as a woman, even if they don't always like her calls on the field.
"I always saw myself as a woman, from a young age," Berman, whose birth name was "Sagi," told reporters.
"I realized society will not accept me, will not be on my side, so I continued like this for nearly 26 years," she said. Six months ago, "I decided to come out and to show who I am, first of all to myself, for my soul," she said with a smile. Berman began living as a woman visually about three months ago.
Berman's decision comes at a time when gay and transgender people are achieving higher profiles and acceptance in some parts of the world.
Last week, Caitlyn Jenner — an Olympic hero, reality TV personality and transgender rights activist — joined a growing list of candidates seeking to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom from office.
Berman is not the world's first transgender soccer referee. In 2018, a British referee named Nick Clark reportedly came out as Lucy Clark, hoping to become a "game-changer."
Israel has a reputation for having tolerant attitudes toward gays. Tel Aviv is host to one of the world's largest gay pride parades each year. But some of Israel's soccer powerhouses are located in communities where attitudes are more conservative.
Berman has been a referee in Israeli soccer for a decade and is now a judge in the country's most elite division, the Israeli Premier League.
Berman said there are already players who address her as a woman, and at a recent youth match an angry parent used Hebrew's feminine gender when complaining about a call.
"It shows me there's change in society," she said.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
ALBANY – New York State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, Senator Andrew Gounardes, and Senator James Skoufis honored Greek Independence at the State Capitol on March 26, welcoming His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, who offered an invocation before the Senate.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S.
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture presents a captivating evening with acclaimed singer-songwriter Alkinoos Ioannidis, who will perform at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall on Saturday, April 27, 7:30 PM, in a solo concert.
ATHENS - The "OLYMPOS - Global Spiritual Center" Association presents on Saturday, April 6, at 6:00 pm, at the "Antonis Tritsis" Amphitheatre of the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens, 50, Acadimias Street, the truly ingenious funding proposal for the construction of Heptapolis in the wider area of Delphi, entitled "World Green Taxation Fund".