Northattan

Pinball heavyweights from across the United States flocked to Washington Heights’ first pinball championship.

Volunteers replenished the platters of stuffed grape leaves and delicate filo dough pastries again and again at the annual Greek festival and bazaar in Washington Heights on Sunday.

Greeks and Greek-Americans line up to sample homemade food at the festival. Photo by Nadine Natour/Northattan.

Sponsored by the Ladies Philoptochos Society, a philanthropic branch of the Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, the festival draws hundreds of Greeks and Greek-Americans, who buy the homemade food and other goods to raise money for local charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Children’s Medical Fund.

But one cause is not on the charity list. Greece has been one of the high-profile casualties of the euro zone debt crisis, but few attending the festival expressed a desire to reroute the funds raised to help out the economically shattered country.

“I don’t think we have any obligations at all,” said John Callimanis, who recently returned from a trip to the Greek island of Ithaca. “Of course, we feel bad for what’s going on, but I don’t think it’s up to America to bail them out,” he added. Greeks should reform laws and curb spending rather than look to the outside world for assistance. It’s bad politics, bad people running the country. They spent like drunken sailors once they got in the euro.

Judging from those who attended the festival, it seems that like Callimanis, many New Yorkers of Greek descent are nostalgic for the old country but do not feel an obligation to bail it out.

“They have to change their government. They have to change their structure and they have to change their laws so Greece becomes a place where you can do business easily,” said John Demoleas, a third-generation Greek-American who stopped to eat at the festival after morning services at Saint Spyridon.

Greeks working abroad sent almost $1.5 billion in remittances in 2009, according to the European Commission. Relative to other countries, these remittances are not a significant part of the Greek economy.

Some Greek specialties served at the festival. Photo by Nadine Natour/Northattan.

Ann Coustosbinas sold books at the bazaar in between sneaking bites of pita bread and hummus. “A lot of them are helping in any way they can, but things are tight here,” she said when asked about supporting Greece. She said she knows neighbors and family members who have sent money to Greece, but her own relatives have remained silent despite the financial strains. “They don’t ask me because they know I don’t have it.”

And if the policy of the Ladies Philoptochos Society is any guide, contributing to solve the current economic chaos in America speaks more closely to the Greeks in New York than does the European crisis. “We try to make donations for a family that is here where we can be of some consistent presence,” said Elizabeth Katsivelos, the former president of the society. The group often provides food and support to needy cases that walk in to the church and ask for help. At Sunday’s festival, two homeless people wandered in and were given dinner, dessert and boxes of food for later by Lydia Vagelos, the current president of the society.

Vagelos grew up in Washington Heights, a haven for Greek-Americans in the early 20th century. “I left for a while, you know,” said Vagelos. “But there’s a draw, there’s a pull, something pulls you back,” she said, echoing the sentiments of other Greek-Americans who come back, if not to live, then to celebrate their heritage at the annual festival.

As for the old country, Greek-American Vicky Adams, another native of Washington Heights, said she wished good luck to new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos as he wrestles with Greece’s economic turmoil. “I give that man a lot of credit for taking the job,” said Adams. “Maybe a whole new outlook and a fresh eye will help things if those wacky Greeks will give the guy a chance.”

At the corner of a bustling hub of Hamilton Heights, one square block beckons schoolchildren and passersby with green lawns and shady trees. The problem is you can’t get in. Two advocates want to make it a place where people can stay instead of just walk through.

Protestors have taken over Wall Street. Photo by Mayeta Clark/Northattan.

For three weeks now, protesters have filled the area around Wall Street, voicing their anger at the state of the U.S. economy. One theater troupe from Inwood and Washington Heights traveled to Wall Street to add their voices to the mix. But protest wasn’t the only thing on their minds: Their aim was to add some drama to proceedings. Nadine Natour reports

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