My Palestinian Story

Exploring the Palestinian side of my family

Tag: Greek community

Demetris and Erifeely with some of their children in the garden of their house in Upper Baq’a Photographed by M Savvides (Jenny Gaitanopoulou photo collection)
Demetris and Erifeely with some of their children in the garden of their house in Upper Baq’a Photographed by M Savvides (Jenny Gaitanopoulou photo collection)

The Gaitanopoulos of Jerusalem

8 Sep 2022 / / 10 Comments

~ In Memoriam: John Thorogood (1933-2022) ~

*Note: Since its initial publication, this post has been edited at the request of a family member who wishes to remain private.

On a hot summer afternoon in London I made my way to the Thorogoods. A few months earlier, their eldest daughter, Cathie, who lives in Australia, had discovered this blog and my connection to her grandmother’s family—the Gaitanopoulos—and suggested I visit her parents next time I passed through town. I dropped them a line when I was planning a stopover and they invited me over without hesitation. 

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Anna Kassotou outside her home in Katamon, Jerusalem - Aug 1986
'... my mum with a bunch of basil in her hand, grown by a stranger in her own garden.'

Encounters with the Past—Part 2.2

12 Apr 2021 / / 15 Comments

Continued from Part 2.1: Touring Israel – Aug 1986

Part 2.2: Jerusalem—Aug 1986

Thursday Evening

Back in Jerusalem by early evening, I rushed to the Hilton (today’s Crown Plaza) to meet my mother. She had flown in to Tel Aviv airport and had been transported to the hotel as part of her package tour. It was too late to do anything so we spent the evening in the hotel. Her room was in a top floor, so while it was still light outside we stood on the balcony to survey the area. She was eager to take a look at her hometown but the hotel was at the edge of modern-day Jerusalem so nothing looked familiar. In her days, this part of the city was probably not even developed. 

We then went downstairs for dinner. After nearly a week of subsisting on falafel and shawarma, I was glad to be treated to a nice, juicy steak (those were still my carnivorous days). I’d had an exciting time full of fascinating experiences and adventures, and I couldn’t wait to tell Mum all about it. 

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Vassos Triantafyllidis RIP

15 Sep 2016 / / 4 Comments

On Wed 14 September 2016 the Greek Community of Jerusalem lost one of its oldest members, Vassos Triantafyllidis.

I didn’t know Vassos well nor do I know much of his story. I met him for the first time during my July 2014 visit to the Greek Club. A gentle man with a cane who upon hearing I was Anna Kassotou’s daughter was thrilled, in his soft, understated way, and told me he was her classmate. Which, I suppose, puts him at about age 87, give or take.

With Vassos Triantafyllidis at the Greek Club – Jul 2014
With Vassos Triantafyllidis at the Greek Club – Jul 2014
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