NEW YORK – The American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece (AFJMG) shared an update on their efforts and made a year-end appeal for support for the worthy cause. More information about AFJMG is available online: www.afjmg.org.

AFJMG President Solomon Asser’s statement, dated December 10, follows:

Dear Friend of the Jewish Museum of Greece,

For those of you who celebrated, I hope you had a meaningful and joyous Hanukah. Despite the ongoing global health crisis, the candles of Hanukah were lit at the Synagogue in Athens— a reminder that the members of the Jewish community of Greece are not giving up. And neither are we.

On January 25, 2022, we will sponsor the Annual Commemoration of the Holocaust, organized by the Consul General of Greece in New York, at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. For those unable to attend in person, we hope you will be able to join us via Zoom. Zoom link and details will be announced in due course. If you are not on the AFJMG E-Mail list, please subscribe to receive email notifications by emailing us at: [email protected].

Looking to the future, we at the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece (AFJMG) draw inspiration from recent developments at the Jewish Museum of Greece, which has multiplied its friends and visitors from all over the world. This gives us hope—just like the Hanukah candles that shed light during the darkest month of the calendar year do— that better days are ahead, once the pandemic goes and people feel the freedom to resume stalled plans and projects.

The Jewish Museum of Greece has helped bring back to life the legacy of the Greek Jews. Our duty as the AFJMG is to help the Jewish Museum of Greece overcome whatever challenges it faces, challenges that have been compounded by COVID-19. We have every intention to continue doing so.

Of course, our ability to continue serving this important mission is built on the years of hard work of our members that have come before us. In particular, I want to take this opportunity to thank Professor Dimitri Argyriades for his decades-long service as Secretary of the Board as he decides to step away from his active duties to spend more time with his family. Dimitri has been a generous donor and driving force behind the American Friends for years now; AFJMG would not be what it is today without his passion and commitment to our cause.

Leon Levy has accepted my invitation to become our new Board Secretary. Leon has served as a Board Member since 2018; he is a foreign affairs specialist who currently works at Goldman Sachs. We are lucky to have him.

With the secular New Year quickly approaching, let us rededicate ourselves to this remarkable institution for change that is the Jewish Museum of Greece. In its hour of need, let us all renew our pledge and offer the Museum and the communities it serves generously both our time and our resources. To you and to your families, please accept our very best wishes for the holidays and the upcoming secular New Year!

Sincerely,

Solomon Asser

President