Dear Friends:
On behalf of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) and the Cyprus Federation of America (CFA) and the Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, we would like to inform you of our cooperation on a project that is of great importance to our community and one that we are very excited about!
Two good friends of our community, Profs. Gary Gumpert and Sue Drucker have been working on a project entitled "Memories in Cypriot Soil: A Documentary Film about the British Detention of Jews on Cyprus (1946-49): Paths to Cypriot & Israeli Statehood".
The history of the British detention of the Jews has been documented in Israel, but is relatively forgotten in Cyprus. There are some who remember the 1960 film "Exodus” staring Paul Newman, because it tells the story of a ship of Holocaust survivors turned back from Palestine by the British Royal Navy. The population of those in Cyprus who had direct interaction with the camps is quickly dwindling.
The professors' collaboration, a true labor of love, is a two-part tribute to Cyprus. Gumpert and Drucker have been researching and writing about media and politics in Cyprus for 15 years and are writing a book on the Communication Division of Cyprus. They have fallen in love with the island and its people.
The second initiative examines the interwoven lives of Jews in the detention camps seeking a homeland and Cypriots struggling for freedom, both from British rule, reveal tales of escape, survival and politics. The role of AKEL and the trade union movement in the struggle of Cypriot self determination and the establishment of a Jewish state has never been documented. Coincidentally, one month ago, the British finally declassified secret papers about this time period.
Gary and Sue have traveled to Cyprus and conducted numerous interviews including with Hon. Andreas Pouyouros, Past Mayor of Famagusta, Lellos Demetriades, former mayor of Nicosia, Prodromos Papavassiliou and his son Christakis, Nicos Katsourides, Parliamentary Spokesman of AKEL. They need to continue in order to complete their research and interviews this year in Cyprus and Israel. We are hopeful that several Jewish Detention Camp survivors and their Cypriot counterparts will be brought to next year's PSEKA Conference in Washington to share their memories.
On February 10, 1949 the last Jews were freed from the confines of the camps — 267 days after the establishment of the state of Israel and the evacuation of the British on May 14, 1948 from Palestine. As celebrations are planned throughout the world, the 60th anniversary of the closing of the last detention camp on Cyprus is also approaching and would be of strategic value in our work for the Cyprus issue to gain closer cooperation with American Jewish interests.
We invite you to join us and support us in this very exciting new project. The target goal for this completion of the documentary is the end of 2009 with a budget of only $100,000. Please take a moment to look over the brochure and sponsorship form. Our good friend and champion of Cyprus Dr. Takey Crist has already pledged $5,000. To support this project please make checks payable to: Hofstra University Cypriot Community Research Fund and mail to PSEKA, 23-15 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105.
Thank you again for your support, and have a wonderful summer!
Andrew A. Athens, Chairman, United Hellenic American Congress
Philip Christopher, President, International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus
Andrew E. Manatos, President, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes
Nikos Mouyiaris, Executive Vice President, Pancyprian Association of America
Peter Papanicolaou, President, Cyprus Federation of America
