Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

Vatra’s Scholarship Recipients for 2013-2014

by

By Mithat Gashi/

Vatra’s Educational Foundation awarded scholarships to five outstanding Albanian American students. Each of the recipients was given a scholarship of $1,150.

The purpose of Vatra’s educational foundation is to provide financial aid in the form of scholarships to deserving students of Albanian lineage. Vatra has awarded scholarships for over fifty years to Albanian American college students.

In order to provide more scholarships to promising students, we call upon members of the Albanian American Community -and individuals who have benefited from Vatra’s scholarship in the past- to support Vatra’s Educational Foundation by making a donation today to:

Vatra’s Educational Foundation

2437 Southern Boulevard

Bronx, NY 10458.

We congratulate this year’s recipients for their academic accomplishments and for service to their community.

This year’s scholarship recipients are:

Crystal Albrecht/

Crystal Albrecht, a freshman at the Florida State College at Jacksonville, Florida, is pursuing a Nursing Degree.  She is the daughter of Kenneth Albrecht, a member of Vatra’s Jacksonville branch.  Crystal’s grandparents were from Korca.  In her application for the Vatra Scholarship, Crystal wrote, “We are constantly setting goals for ourselves and I have a goal for which I am passionate about.” Her goal is become a nurse. Through her dedication and passion to provide care to others, Crystal hopes that as a nurse she will make patients smile and feel better. After she builds strong foundations in the field of Nursing, Crystal’s goal is to become a physician assistant, a healthcare professional who is licensed to practice medicine as part of a team with physicians.

“Crystal is viewed as a leader to all around her, both students and adults, and I have confidence she will continue to exhibit these traits throughout her entire life. Wherever Crystal sees imperfection, she seeks to strive to improve it; failure is not in her vocabulary and it never will be.”

–Ms. Valerie Hardman.

“Crystal has nearly all the characteristics of what I personally hope to see in a leader: Strong morals, selflessness, motivational, inspiring, passionate, creative, productive, understanding, and trustworthy…. “

-Ms. Laura Ann Harrington

 

Andrin Hereni/

Andrin Hereni, a sophomore, is studying Finance at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. Andrin’s family came to the United States from Albania when he was a child.  After he finished 8th grade, he was admitted to the Bergen County Technical High School, a prestigious school in New Jersey. Andrin finds his undergraduate experience at Fordham University both challenging and rewarding. Andrin believes that the rigorous courses he is taking provide him with opportunities to build research and problem solving skills, both necessary for a successful career.  Andrin has set a clear goal for himself.  He plans to utilize Fordham University’s connections with the business world to land an internship with one of the top investment banking firms.  He said, “After I graduate from college, my dream is to secure a career in the field of investment banking at one of the top firms such as Goldman Sachs or J.P. Morgan Chase. Anyone can dream of landing a job of that category but putting in the work and effort to acquire that job is what separates me from the rest. To me the only way people can be satisfied with their future is if they achieve the level of success that they see fit for themselves. I have my mind set on striving for this career and I won’t stop until I get it. “

“Andrin studies in the School of Business, which is known for its rigorous integrated curriculum. As a student, Andrin exemplifies all of the characteristics necessary for success. Andrin has the communication skills that will allow him to easily interact with others. He has consistently demonstrated that he is a responsible, mature person who has a positive attitude and the ability to attain his goals.”

-Prof. John A. Fortunanto

 

Suzanne Gashi, a sophomore at Dominican College in New York, is pursuing her studies in Nursing. Her inspiration for choosing Nursing as a field of her study came from an internship she did at The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups, a non-profit public health initiative and national policy and resource center devoted to increasing youth access to regular mental health checkups. The center is an affiliate of Columbia University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. During her internship, Suzanne worked closely with the President of the Center. She screened teens dealing with numerous mental illnesses, summarized findings of studies on topics related to mental illness, prepared presentations, and assisted in conducting research. Suzanne has also worked part time at Dominican College.  In addition to her school work, Suzanne spent a summer in Kosova where she helped elementary school children learn English.  She finds time to volunteer at her local hospital and at a nursing home.  “With the resilient work ethic and willpower I hold,” Suzanne said, “I will achieve all the goals I have set for myself.”

“Suzanne exhibits good written and oral skills, inter-personal skills and emotional maturity.” –Prof. R. Novak

“Suzanne is at the top of her class. She is highly self-motivated and possesses a natural aptitude for learning and an unshakable determination to succeed.” –Prof. G. Grawec

Krisela Karaja/

 

Krisela Karaja will be graduating from the University of Connecticut (UConn) in May 2014 with a B.A. in English (honors) and Spanish Literature, a Minor in International Studies, and a Concentration in Creative Writing. Krisela is active in many areas.  She currently serves as President of the Albanian Student Association; she is the Director of Student Divisions for the Eastern European Cultural Association; she is the Editor-in-Chief of the Long River Review, which is a literary journal. Among other things, she is also a part of the Leadership Legacy Experience, a cohort for student leadership development at UConn. The University of Connecticut has recognized Krisela’s academic and extracurricular efforts by nominating her as one of its 2013 candidates for the national Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell Scholarship competitions. UConn also awarded her a 2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund grant in order to travel to Albania to conduct literary research towards her Honors thesis.  While in Albania, Krisela met with many scholars and authors. In her effort to better understand contemporary Albanian poetry, when she went to Albania, Krisela interviewed two poets, Luljeta Lushanaku and Agron Tufa. Krisela stated that Ms. Leshanaku gave her the rights to publish two of her poems in The Susquehanna Review that Krisela translated in English. Leshanaku, whose family was persecuted by the communist regime of Albania, also introduced Krisela to the Director of the Institute of the Studies of Communist Crimes.

Krisela said that, “The visit to Albania inspired me to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship.”  If she gets awarded the Fulbright Scholarship, Krisela will be spending more time in Albania next year.

After graduation, Krisela plans to work for a few years and ultimately complete a master’s degree and enroll in a Ph.D. Program in English Literature with a focus on American immigrant / ethnic literature. One day she wants to become a university professor. Krisela wants to integrate her love of languages—both Albanian and Spanish—into her future studies. She also wishes to write and publish her own works of multilingual poetry and prose.

“…Krisela is not like most students: she has earned the right to be recognized for her academic excellence. I would place her in the top 1% of the students I have taught in the past twenty-five years. And I would like to stress that I am quite certain Krisela would be in the top 1% of the students on any campus, whether that was at Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth (my own alma mater) or Stanford.  In an increasingly rare gesture, I have wholly encouraged her in her desire to become a scholar and university professor–she’s absolutely a perfect candidate for the classroom as well as the library—and that’s precisely why these fellowships are an excellent option for her.

– Prof. Regina Barreca

 

Tea Memeti/

Tea Memeti, a sophomore at the University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus, is studying Accounting. Tea has received many merit and community service awards. She was on the dean’s list. She received the University of Connecticut Stamford Scholarship, and the Connecticut Information Technology Scholarship.  In addition to her studies, Tea serves as SGA Senator at the University of Connecticut. As Senator, her responsibilities are to manage and allocate budgets for student organizations, raise funds, write checks, and sign vouchers. Tea has also served as a Net Generation of Youth Ambassador (NGY GCE), where she promoted international cultural understanding, using social networking tools to address global awareness. This experience allowed her to use her leadership skills and to interact with people of diverse backgrounds. In addition, Tea is also able to maintain a part time job.

“Tea clearly stands out as both an exceptional student and an exceptional person. She consistently enriches the classroom experience by asking insightful questions that promote thoughtful discussion; her work is always exemplary. As an Accounting student, tea has distinguished herself during her academic career by receiving Achievements in Accounting 1 & 2. As an Albanian-American student, Tea is culturally responsible and strives to promote understanding between cultures.”- Prof. Halina K. Hollyway.(Photo: Suzana Gashi)

 

 

ME 26 PRILL DO TË MBLIDHET KUVENDI I VATRËS

by

 Të dielën me 2 Shkurt 2014 u mblodh Këshilli i Vatrës, i cili vendosi që me 26 prill 2014 të mblidhet Kuvendi i punës i Federatës Panshqiptare të Amerikës”VATRA”./

Të dielën me 2 shkurt u mblodh në mjediset e Shtëpisë së Vatrës Këshilli i Vatrës nën drejtimin e dy nëkryetarëve , z. Agim Rexhaj dhe Asllan Bushati.

Takimin e ka hapur zv/Kryetari Agim Rexhaj, i cili e njoftoi Këshillin me rendin e ditës dhe informoi për zhvillimet në viset shqiptare, gjendjen në Shqipëri, mosmarrja e statusit, gjendja në Maqedoni- shqetësimi i bashkadhetarëve për devijimin e lumit Radika, problemet në Kosovë, bisedimet Kosovë-Serbi, që nuk i kaën dhënë asgjë Kosovës, ndërsa Serbisë-statusin e kandidatit për në BE, ndërkohë që Shqipërisë i refuzohet, ndërsa Evropa hesht për mohimin e të drejtave të shqiptarëve në Luginën e Preshevës, nga ana tjetër shqiptarët në Mal të Zi, vazhdojnë të prezantojnë mosmarrëveshje mes forcave politike, duke shtuar në zinxhirin e humbjeve edhe humbjen e mazhorancës në Ulqin, -ai prezantoi edhe problemet e pazgjidhura të komunitetit cam etj.

Zv/kryetari i Vatrës, z. Asllan Bushati informoi Këshillin për protestën kundër Peshkopit grek të Shqipërisë të udhëhequr nga “Rrënjët Shqiptare” dhe e mbështetur fuqisshëm nga Vatra dhe organizatat e tjera të komunitetit. Ai tregoi për të gjitha takimet që u zhvilluan para protestës, duke u ndalur vecanërisht në takimin që u zhvillua mbrëmjen e 27 Janarin në zyrën e ansambleistit Mark Gjonaj, i cili ishte moderator i takimit. Z. Bushati solli detaje nga qëndrimi i përfaqësuesëve të Vatrës në këtë takim si dhe përcjelljen e mesazhit të Kryetarit të Vatrës, dr. Gjon Bucaj, për  bishop Nikon.

Më pas z. Bushati informoi për protestën që u zhvillua në mbrëmjen e 28 Janarit në hyrje të Universitetit të  Fordhamit, ku përfaqësimi i vatrës ishte i kënaqshëm.

Në këtë pikë të rendit të ditës informoi edhe anëtari i Këshillit të Vatrës, Zef Balaj, i cili ishte i pranishëm në të dy takimet, si në atë që u zhvillua në datën 25 janar në Shtëpinë e Vatrës ashtu edhe në takimin e dytë të zhvilluar në zyrën e z. Mark Gjonaj.

Në këtë pikë diskutuan edhe Kris Kirka, Dalip Greca, Uk Gjonbalaj, dr. Skënder Murtezani,  e të tjerë.

Një informacion të zgjeruar solli zv/kryetari Bushati edhe rreth veprimtarisë përkujtimore kushtuar Gjeneral Abaz Kupi, ku pati përfaqësimine  vet edhe Vatra, vizitës që bëri në Vatër z. Eduard Ndreu etj.

Një informacion të detajuar për gjendjen financiare të Vatrës dha arkëtari Marjan Cubi. Edhe rreth kësaj pike pati diskutime.

U shoqërua me duartrokitje dhurimi i 1000 dollarëve nga vatrani Mustafë Elezaj.

Editori i gazetës, Dalip Greca paraqiti një raport me shkrim për gazetën Dielli, gjendjen e saj, problematikat e trajtuara, bashkëpunimet, etj. Ai kërkoi më shumë bashkëpunim nga degët e Vatrës, më shumë kontribute në shkrime nga Kryesia e Vatrës, nga Këshilli, më shumë mbështetje financiare nga biznesmenët vatranë etj. Po ashtu ai kërkoi që Dielli duhet me domosdo të ketë edhe editorin e anglishtes me qëllim që gazeta të ketë më shumë efekte në insitucionet amerikane. Gazeta , tha ai, shkon në Departamentin e shtetit, në Librarinë e Kongresit, në Librari të shumta, Universitete dhe institucione amerikane, dhe duhet të ketë më shumë shkrime në anglisht. Një arsye tjetër për të forcuar këtë seksion është edhe shtimi i interesimit të berzit të ri të lindur në ShBA. Që ta marrin gazetën ata duhet të gjejnë veten.

Gjatë mbledhjes së Këshillit u diskutua edhe për komisionin që po punon me Kanunoren duke i bërë shtesa në përshtatje me kohën e sotme. Ky komision i kryesuar nga juristi Bashkim Musabelliu, ka në përbërje të vet edhe juristë të tjerë si: Adrian Neritani, Vedat Gashi, Adrian Gjoka, Ylli Cakami, Nazo Veliu. Në këtë komision kontribuojnë edh kryetari i Vatrës dr. Gjon Bucaj,editori i Diellit Dalip Greca, Kris Kirka, Zef Balaj , Zef Përndocaj etj.

Ky komision do të cojë më tej punën e nisur që nga Kuvendi i shkuar për të sjellë përmiërsimet e diktuara nga koha Kanunores.

U bënë diskutime edhe rreth Kuvendit të Vatrës dhe u ra në një mendje që ai të mblidhet me 26 prill 2014. Ai do të jetë një kuvend pune.

U diskutua edhe për masat përgatitore për festimin e 6 vjetorit të pavarësisë së Kosovës me 16 Shkurt 2014 në Maestro’s Restorant.

U diskutuan  edhe probleme të tjera të parashikuara në rendin e ditës.(Korresp i Diellit)

In Memoriam-Gregory Lima 1925-2014

by

Të nderuar bashkëatdhetarë!

Me keqardhje ju njohtojmë se miku i madh I shqiptarëve  z. Gregory Lima ndërroi jetë.Diaspora shqiptaro-amerikane, Televizioni AAvision dhe Akademia e shkencave të shqiptarëve të Amerikës do të mbajnë një Akademi përkujtimore për veprimtarin e madh dhe hulumtuesin e palodhur për zgjidhjen e çështjes shqiptare z. Gregory Lima.

Ai padyshim është figura më faqendritur që mori pjesë dhe ishte suportues i luftës së drejtë të UÇK-së prej fronti të luftë, në Rambuje dhe deri në Pavarësinë e Kosovës, hulumtues i denjë i çështjes shqiptare nën Maqedoni, nën Mal të Zi, Preshevë Medvegjë e Bujanoc si dhe një suportues i drejtë i çështjes çame.

Takimi mbahet në:

09- shkurt- 2014  prej 1-30 pm deri në 3pm

Bronx house 990 Pelham Pkwy S, Bronx, NY

Në pritje për të nderuar mikun e madh të shqiptarëve

z. Gregory Lima

 ***

Obituary: Gregory Lima, 88, Journalist and Author

A New Yorker, Gregory Lima went to Tehran, Iran, in 1958 to start Kayhan International, which became, in its heyday, the leading English-language newspaper in the Middle East. He remained with Kayhan, first as editor, then as special correspondent and critic, through its demise in the revolution of 1978–79.

He was born in 1925 on his mother’s kitchen table in Brooklyn, the first of six children. His mother was a seamstress and a shop steward for the ILGWU. His father owned a fruit-and-vegetable store. They were immigrants from Sicily.

Though he lived his life in three continents, he came of age as a child of Depression-era New York.

His first job, delivering groceries for his father, “meant exploring all the cellars in the neighborhood, for deliveries were made from the cellar through a dumbwaiter system,” he wrote in his memoir, a work in progress. In those cellars he found the tenants’ abandoned books and began to build his eclectic library.

An early poem, “Ferry to Hoboken,” now lost, caught the eye of teachers and administrators at Edward Stitt Junior High School, and he was made editor of the school’s literary magazine, Laurel Leaf.

He went on to DeWitt Clinton High School, where he shared a circle with the poet Emile Capouya and the writer James Baldwin. He dropped out during his senior year to enlist in the U.S. Army.

From basic training in North Carolina and Cape Cod, to waiting for action in England, to the “seasick landing at Utah Beach in the Normandy invasion,” and as a soldier laying out telephone wire in France, Belgium, and Germany, his war was a time of exploration and discovery. Officers read soldiers’ outgoing mail to make sure they weren’t divulging sensitive information. Gregory was bemused to find that his letters to his mother – and to girls he met in Europe – were serving to improve the prose of those officers’ own correspondence.

After the war, he set out for college on the GI Bill, graduating with honors from Syracuse University and going on to do graduate work at the New School for Social Research. He continued his studies – and his adventures – at the University of Toulouse and in Heidelberg and Würzburg in Germany. In his little Volkswagen he explored the postwar continent.

Noticing that GIs returning home in droves would need civilian clothes, he started American Designs, and made good money selling suits and outsourcing the work to Asia. Hee kept writing, however, and soon he was called to Iran by the forward-looking publisher of one of the Persian-language dailies, Kayhan. The invitation came with a nice check, and he went.

The new daily, Kayhan International, was a success, read by Western-educated Iranians and the growing community of expatriates. Gregory said there were 70,000 Americans in Iran in the 1970s; in a series of articles about Iran’s minorities, he included one titled “The Yankees.”

He married a member of another minority, the Armenians, in 1962. An insatiable reader, he was knowledgeable about Armenian history and culture by the time he met her family. Karina Arzooian’s family embraced him as one of their own, and he treated her younger brother Razmik as his own son. Gregory and Karina soon had two sons of their own, Vincent and Eric.

He started a firm, International Communicators, that helped a range of companies establish their businesses in Iran.

He wrote The Revolutionizing of Iran (1973), a volume about the shah’s reforms, the so-called revolution from above. As part of those reforms, in lieu of mandatory military service, young Iranian men with an education could join the Literacy Corps, a campaign to spread literacy in Iranian villages. An article Gregory wrote about healthcare delivery in an Armenian village cluster in central Iran inspired the establishment of a parallel Medical Corps.

His second book, The Costumes of Armenian Women (1974), richly illustrated by the photographer Peter Carapetian, was sold out instantly.

Though he now spent less time at the paper, his feature stories remained a fixture of Kayhan International’s weekend edition. In them, he took readers along with him on his voyages of discovery – on an archeological dig in the Caspian region, to an arts festival in the city of Shiraz, and well beyond Iran’s borders to Japan, Australia, South Africa, and across the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.

He stayed in Iran through the revolution of 1978–79 but left soon after the raid on the U.S. Embassy. Back in the country of his birth, he might have capitalized on his deep knowledge of Iran. Instead he returned to the New School to earn a master’s degree in international relations and to help him gain perspective on the upheaval he had witnessed. Years later, on his eightieth birthday, a friend from Iran gave him a glass sculpture on which he had etched the apt encomium, “The beautiful American.”

Now established in Patterson, New York, in the summer home his father had bought when his fruit-and-vegetable business was thriving, he started exploring the Hudson Valley. He described his findings in long letters to his elder son, who, with Gregory’s reluctantly granted permission, had chosen to stay behind in Iran for a few years.

Before long, though, Gregory’s mind was back in Europe and he was traveling to Albania – home of his good friend Nua Shala – and to Kosovo, Montenegro, and beyond. In 2012, he published two books on the Balkans: The Amerikani and Journey to Macedonia. The latter volume reproduced an influential report he had written after a 1998 trip, where he interviewed the Albanian political elite and members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

He made his first trip to Armenia in 2005. For some years after that, he lived a few months a year in Yerevan, the capital, where he was able to spend time with his granddaughters Noor and Arev – and contributed feature stories on Armenian art and artists to his son’s newspaper, The Armenian Reporter.

Less than a month before his death, over Christmas, he spent a few happy days gathered with his wife, children, and grandchildren. They looked back on a joyful year, during which his son Eric became the proud father of a son, Milo, established a successful Invention Factory at the Cooper Union, and earned tenure as a professor of mechanical engineering there.

He said he was enjoying his life: Karina’s inspired cooking, their garden, their grandchildren, as well as his projects and works in progress.

Gregory died peacefully – a day after experiencing a massive stroke – in Danbury, Conn., in the company of his wife of 52 years, his sons, and his daughter-in-law. At the time, he was working on the sixth chapter of his memoir, The Way it Was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albanian Protesters Descend On Fordham To Oppose Award

by

Caption: Endri Merxhushi was among the protestors gathered outside Fordham on Tuesday. (Joshua Kim/The Ram)

By LAURA SANICOLA/
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR/

Dozens of protesters stood outside Fordham’s main gates Tuesday evening, braving the 10-degree weather and proudly displaying signs that stated, “Religion Free of Foreign Influence” and “Albanians Deserve an Independent Albanian Church.”

At the same time, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania was receiving an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters during the Orthodoxy in America Lecture at the Fordham University Church on the Rose Hill campus. The protesters who crowded Fordham’s gate chanted in opposition of the decision of Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, to honor the archbishop, argued that the Greek archbishop is alienating the Albanian community and Hellenizing Albania.

Albanian Roots Inc., an organization co-founded by Marko Kepi, organized the protest and Fordham University students, alumni and individuals of Albanian descent from across the city attended.

Members of the Balkan Student Association of Fordham University were also in attendance. The crowd cheered for speeches that various activists gave, who shared a common message: “We are Albanians, not Greeks.”

Members of the Fordham community have felt the impact of this change in leadership in Albania and are not keeping quiet. The Balkan Student Association (BSA) wrote to McShane in a letter dated Jan. 23, 2014, decrying his position to honor the archbishop.

“We, Fordham students and alumni of Albanian descent, express our opposition to Fordham University’s conferral of an honorary doctorate of humane letters on the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios Yannoulato,” the letter begins. The BSA writes, “Archbishop Anastasios does not embody Albania’s most precious values: interfaith harmony and friendly relations with neighbors.” The letter goes on to describe how the current archbishop is turning the Albanian Orthodox Church into an annex of the Greek Orthodox Church and is threatening religious diversity for Greek nationalistic purposes.

“If Fordham wants to honor religious tolerance in Albania, we suggest that the university awards an honorary doctorate to Bishop Fan Noli, posthumously, or to the current Bishop of the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America, His Grace Archbishop Nikon (Nicholas Liolin), Bishop of Boston, New England and the Albanian Archdiocese,” the letter states. The Dielli news website later published the letter online.

Anastasios was elected as the Head of the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania in 1992. Greek-Albanian tensions have wavered for the past few decades, as the two nations have technically been in a state of war since World War II. However, the conflict between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox Church has been a source of recent contention.

Endri Merxhushi, a member of the Albanian-American Organization, said: “What the Archbishop is trying to say is that all Orthodox Albanians are rather Greek than Albanian. By doing that you are saying that there is 25 percent of Greek Orthodox in Albania and that Greece should seek for expansion of territory.”

He continued: “We are rallying because [the Archbishop] is here in the United States. We do not think he should be getting this award. We believe he should have left his position a long time ago. Now he wants to die as a Greek Orthodox in Albania. What can you make of that?”

Dhurata Osmani, FCLC ‘14, is a member of the Balkan Student Association, and was more than willing to share her experience and opinions with Fordham

“The Archbishop is pushing Greek ideologies on Albania,” she said. “We are protesting having a Greek archbishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church. There should be a separation between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox Church.”

“Albania is a country of many faiths, including Christian Orthodox and Muslim,” said Venona Vilajeti, FCLC ‘14, and a member of the BSA as well. “We ask the archbishop to respect the Albanian Orthodox Church and keep it separate from Greece, and to keep our services in Albanian and not Greek language.”

Protesters spilled from the sidewalk corner and into the streets. Despite the presence of the NYPD and campus security, Ram Vans experienced difficulty both entering and exiting the campus. A security guard at the gate said this was the first rally of its kind this year at Fordham.

McShane’s office did not return a request for comment.

 

Universiteti Jezuit Fordham nderon kryepeshkopin Anastas Janullatos

by

Universiteti Jezuit Fordham nderon kryepeshkopin e Tiranës, Durrësit dhe gjithë Shqipërisë, Anastasios me Doktoraturën e Letrave Njerëzore honoris causa/

Përgatiti per DIELLIN: Aida Bode/

Universiteti i Fordhamit është një universitet jezuit nga më të vjetrit në Shtetet e Bashkuara të Amerikës. I themeluar në vitin 1841 universiteti qëndron me një mision të patundshëm: të zbulojë urtësinë dhe të transmetojë mësimdhënien nëpërmjet studimit dhe arritjeve më të larta mësimore. I udhëhequr nga tradita katolike dhe jezuite, ky universitet mbështet zhvillimin intelektual, moral dhe fetar të studentëve dhe i përgatit të udhëheqin një shoqëri globale. Ky universitet nderoi të martë në datën 28 Janar, 2014 Kryepeshkopin e Tiranës, Durrësit dhe gjithë Shqipërisë me Doktoraturën e Letrave Njerëzore Honoris Causa (në latinisht “për hir të nderit”). Ceremonia u zhvillua në kishën e Universitetit në kampin Rose Hill (kodrina e trëndafilit).

Ndonëse një natë e ftohtë me temperatura të pazakonta dhe shumë të ulëta, kisha ishte e mbushur plot me studentë, përfaqsues të ndryshëm të feve, shumë prej të cilëve kishin udhëtuar nga larg për të marrë pjesë në këtë ceremoni nderi, siç ishte, At Aleksandri, një prift katolik, që kishte udhëtuar nga Pensilvania (rreth 250 km) për të nderuar kryepeshkopin e Shqipërisë. Veç të ardhurve dhe studentëve kishte gjithashtu përfaqsues të bordit të universitetit, drejtues dhe profesorë që bashkarisht kishin vendosur në dhënien e këtij nderi të lartë.

Ceremonia u hap nga provosti Stivën Fridman, i cili ndërsa bëri fjalën e hapjes ftoi vetë presidentin e universitetit z. Josif M. MkKshejn të paraqiste në detaj veprën shumë vjeçare të kryepeshkopit. “Sot Fordhami është krenar të nderojë Hirësinë e tij, Anastasios, Kryepeshkop i Tiranës, Durrësit dhe gjithë Shqipërisë, një udhëheqës frymëzues i cili gjithmonë bindet të shkojë aty ku e thërret Perëndia, qoftë në Lindje, në Afrikë apo në Shqipëri – ku triumfoi të ringjallte Kishën Ortodokse pas tiranisë komuniste.”

Presidenti e vazhdoi fjalën e tij me një përmbledhje të shkurtër të biografisë të kryepeshkopit dhe më tej theksoi veprën e tij në Afrikë, arritjet e mëdha aty që përfshinin themelimin e Seminarit të Patriarkanës ku u urdhëruan 62 priftërinj afrikanë dhe u bekuan 42 vepra leximi nga tetë fise afrikane. Më pas ai foli për sfidën e madhe kur Patriarkana Ekumenike e caktoi Kryepeshkop të Kishes Ortodokse Shqiptare në 1992. Z. MkKshejn foli për arritjet e Kishës gjatë këtyre viteve duke bërë të dallojnë sidomos rindërtimi i katedrales Ringjallja në Tiranë, një nga më të mëdhatë në botë,  ndërtimi i akademisë fetare në Durrës ku u urdhëruan 145 klerikë të rinj, themelimi i një shtëpie fëmijësh, shkolla të ndryshme dhe universiteti Fjala. Presidenti veçoi punën bamirëse të Kishës jo vetëm për besimtarët, por për të gjithë Shqiptarët, përfshi këtu riparimin i rrugëve, urave, klinikave, si dhe mbledhjen e donacioneve për riparimin e një xhamie. Nën udhëheqjen e kryepeshkopit kisha shpërndau qindra ton ushqimesh dhe furnizimesh për refugjatët e gjithë besimeve dhe kombësive sidomos gjatë krizës në Kosovë. Në mënyrë të palodhur kryepeshkopi ka dhënë kontributin e tij për të lehtësuar tensionet në Ballkan dhe për këtë në vitin 2000 ai u zgjodh kandidat për Çmimin Nobel për Paqen. Fjala e presidentit vuri gjitashtu në dukje arritjet e kryepeshkopit në fushën akademike. Hirësia e Tij ka studiuar fetë e botës: Krishtërimin, Hinduizmin, Budizmin, Taoizmin, Konfushianizmin, Islamin dhe fetë afrikane – në vende të ndryshme. Përkushtimi i tij në dialogun ndërkristian i ka dhënë atij njohje ndërkombëtare. Ai flet katër gjuhë dhe lexon pesë. Është autor profilik i një shumice botimesh, duke përfshirë këtu dhe një studim të Islamit në vitin 1975, i pari i botuar në Greqi dhe i pari nga një i teolog i krishterë ortodoks. Në mbyllje të fjalës së tij, presidenti i dhuroi nderin e lartë, Doktoraturën e Letrave Njerëzore honoris causa kryepeshkopit Anastasios i cili më pas vazhdoi me leksionin e tij.

Fjala e Hirësisë e titulluar “Ndarja e Lajmit të mirë në një vend shumë-fetar si dhe reflektime teologjike mbi fetë e tjera” ishte e ndarë në tre pjesë. Ai filloi me paraqitjen e punës së tij në Afrikë dhe më pas tregoi me hollësi momentet e para të vizitës së tij të parë në Tiranë në vitin 1991 ku u takua me një grup të vogël besimtarësh të cilët e çuan në ndërtesën që kishte qënë kishë, por që sistemi diktatorial e kishte shndërruar në palestër. Aty kryepeshkopi zbuloi se fjalët e tij të para në shqip ishin “Krishti u ngjall” të cilat i mësoi nga shoqëruesit e tij dhe me të cilët ndezën qirinj dhe kantuan deri në përlotje këto fjalë të shenjta. Pjesa e dytë ishte mbi botëkuptimin teologjik të feve të tjera, dhe pjesa e tretë mbi tre konstantet ekumenike të cilat i hapin horizontin mendimit: fjala, dashuria dhe drita. Fjala – vetë ky term perfshin nje hapësirë të madhe dhe të pasur të mendimit njerëzor. Kështu fjala (logos) përdorej gjerë nga filozofët grekë ne periudhen e parakrishterë. Kryepeshkopi tregoi se fjala e Perëndisë udhëheq mendjen duke vepruar tek të gjithë dhe për të gjithë, pavarësisht fesë së dikujt. Dashuria e cila është shpalosur aq e plotë në vetë jetën e Krishtit dhe Drita e cila ndonëse e bardhë në dukje, është e përbërë nga një mori ngjyrash dhe gjithë besimtarët janë pikërisht drita e Perëndisë pasi sjellin tek ai gjithë larmishmërinë e shpirtit dhe veprës së tyre.

Ndonëse pjesa në vazhdim e fjalimit të Hirësisë së Tij ishte në fillim të lekturës së tij, po e paraqis në fund të këtij artikulli pasi është thelbi i gjithë këtij takimi kaq të rëndësishëm jo për nga vlerësimi që iu bë një udhëheqësi të përkushtuar, por siç pohoi Kryepeshkopi, vetë Kishës Ortodokse Shqiptare.

“Lajmi i mirë është se Biri i Perëndisë, fjala u bë njeri dhe u ringjall dhe është gjithmonë me ne. Besimi i krishterë thekson se mishërimi i Perëndisë është dashuri dhe në të njëjtën kohë ofron hir hyjnor. Padyshim çdokush është i lirë t’i pranojë ose t’i kundërshtojë këto mësime, por marrdhëniet e krishtera vazhdojnë të shpallin me dashuri se liria për të dashur nuk është e kufizuar nga feja e të tjerëve. Kështu i tha Krishti dhe Shën JoanitË “Lum ti që je i aftë t’i duash të gjithë njësoj” Kemi kuptuar se për të ruajtur një dialog mirëkuptimi midis komuniteteve të ndryshme fetare kanë shumë rëndësi këto vlera: mbrojtja e mjedisit natyror, kundërshtimi i dhunës kudo, pajtimi, zhvillimi, drejtësia botërore dhe paqja në nivel lokal dhe ndërkombëtar.“

Takimi u mbyll me një darkë shoqërore në sallën Tognino të Duane Library; sallë në një nga bibliotekat e Universitetit.