Montebello Over 600 California Armenian School Students Commemorate Genocide

March 24, 2015 By administrator

Montebello Mayor Jack Hadjinian speaks to Armenian school students

MONTEBELLO, Calif.—Over 600 Armenian school students from across Southern California gathered at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello, California, to honor the memories of their ancestors and commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

Students, parents, faculty, and administration were present from the following California Armenian schools: Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School, Armenian General Benevolent Union Manoogian-Demirdjian School, Armenian Mesrobian School, Armenian Sisters Academy, Charlotte and Elise Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School, and Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School.

Welcoming everyone on behalf of all the Armenian school principals in his opening remarks was David Ghoogasian, Principal of Armenian Mesrobian School, which hosted the event.
Mayor of City of Montebello Jack Hadjinian was in attendance and spoke alongside Montebello Councilmember Vivian Romero and Montebello City Manager Francesca Tucker-Schuyler who both expressed their solidarity with the Armenian people’s call for truth and justice for the Armenian genocide.

All students sang “Soorperoo Achkeruh”, followed by a performance of “I Remember” by Paola Kassabian along with Ferrahian school students Sose Hovannisian and Shaunt Ghazourian.

“Each of you is a living monument, each of you will continue the Armenian people’s fight for justice,” said Gevorg Iskajyan, Executive Director of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee, in his remarks to the students.

Armenian Sisters Academy students sang “The Martyrs of April” (Abrilian Nahadagner) as students ascended to the monument to take part in the requiem service (‘Hokehankist’ – Repose of Souls) for the victims of the Armenian Genocide and victims of crimes against humanity. Every school presented wreaths that were placed at the monument.

The prayer was led by the Armenian Apostolic Church Western Prelacy’s Father Nareg Pehlivanian, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church’s Father Sarkis Petoyan, the Armenian Catholic Church’s Father Thomas Garabedian, and the Armenian Evangelical Church’s Reverend Hendrik Shahnazarian.

People left the event feeling moved and inspired by the commemoration and the show of unity between the local Armenian schools and communities.

Armenian, Assyrian and formally recognizes the Pontic genocide

March 23, 2015 By administrator

National Assembly of Armenia,

National Assembly of Armenia, recognized as genocide massacre of Assyrians and Pontic experienced in the Ottoman Empire between 1915-1923 year decision taken today.

Republican Party of Armenia genocide bill, which was approved by parliament to present National Assembly of Armenia.

Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said in a statement after the decision to Armenpress “Armenian parliament will not accept a new law every day. The adoption of this draft terms of Pontus and Assyrian brothers before our means conviction of all genocides in Armenia before parliament, “he said.

4th digital exhibit ‘Iconic Images of Armenian Genocide’ launched

March 23, 2015 By administrator

The Armenian National Institute (ANI), Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA), and Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) announced the launch of a fourth digital exhibit entitled ‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide’ that brings together as a single collection key images recording the brutal mistreatment of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire and the utter destruction of their historic communities.

The exhibit is designed to serve as an easily accessible educational tool that can be displayed in the classroom in digital or print format.

As more and more photographs of the Armenian Genocide are uncovered, and as the ‘Iconic Images’ exhibit illustrates, the general outline of the main events that defined the genocide can now be illustrated with compelling and dramatic images that survive from that era. Many of the images were taken in the teeth of a strictly enforced ban on photography by the Ottoman authorities. Other photographs capture the aftermath of the atrocities as witnessed by third parties.

Many invaluable pictures were destroyed during the war years and what remain are today scattered across continents. In view of how much was lost, these photographs are also survivors, many waiting for the time when they would be identified and reconnected to the events to which they attest.

These scattered images are now gathered and organized into a narrative exhibit that reconstructs many episodes of the Armenian Genocide. Together they recreate a sense of the terror exercised by the Young Turk regime and reveal the extent of the dispossession and decimation of the Armenian people in their historic homeland.

The photographs were collected from numerous repositories, sources and individuals, including the US National Archives, Library of Congress, Near East Foundation, Oberlin College Archives, University of Minnesota Library, California State University Fresno Armenian Studies Program, Republic of Armenia National Archives, Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, AGBU Nubarian Library, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Institute collections, Maurice Kelechian, and National Geographic photographer Alexandra Avakian.

“The exhibit creates a panoramic view of the entire duration of the Armenian Genocide,” stated ANI Director Dr. Rouben Adalian. “All facets of the genocide that the photographic record allows, ranging from the deportations, executions, massacres, murders, starvation, extermination and destruction, are reconstructed panel by panel.”

“The exhibit also documents the immediate aftermath of the atrocities, attesting to the catastrophic ruination of Armenian society in the Ottoman Turkish Empire,” added Dr. Adalian. “With panels displaying photographs of survivors, rescued women, homeless children and refugees, the scale and depth of the uprooting of the Armenian people is revealed.”

Among the iconic images are also the rare pictures of concentration camps where deportation and extermination became synonymous. The postwar refugee camps where survivors gathered are hauntingly reminiscent in appearance of these concentration camps. In the refugee camps, however, located beyond the borders of modern-day Turkey, a generation of Armenians scarred by the atrocities began life anew in exile, making their locations the beginning points of the Armenian Diaspora.

The exhibit recalls as well the humanitarian activities of American philanthropists who organized critically needed relief, especially on behalf of the tens of thousands of orphans who were gathered, housed, fed, and educated in orphanages operated by the Congressionally-chartered Near East Relief organization.

The principal perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, the Young Turk triumvirate of Enver, Talaat, and Jemal, are also included, and their infamy contrasted with the moral voice of those who condemned the massacres, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Morgenthau, and James Bryce.

The exhibit concludes with prominent memorials to the Armenian Genocide as a reflection of the commitment of the Armenian people the world over to remember and honor the victims of genocide. Concluding the exhibit are pictures of the memorial chapel of Deir ez-Zor, in present-day Syria, before and after its destruction, as a reminder that the legacy of the Armenian Genocide remains unresolved and continues to be violently challenged.

“With a symbolic 100 images in all, across 20 panels, and a map, ‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide’ illustrates the scale of the Young Turk program to eradicate the Armenian people from its homeland, while reconstructing the multiple facets and lasting consequences of the deportation, massacre, and exile of the Armenians,” continued Dr. Adalian.

“By gathering and organizing these key photographs a comprehensive picture of the Armenian Genocide has been reconstructed,” said Adalian, “that will serve educators as an instructional guide for teaching about human rights and the consequences of their violation as applied to an entire people in the form of genocide.”

“The exhibit,” stated ANI Chairman Van Z. Krikorian, “was created to honor the exemplary figures in the United States diplomatic service whose conscientious reporting remains a permanent testament to the horrors of the Armenian Genocide, among them Jesse B. Jackson, U.S. Consul in Aleppo; Leslie A. Davis, U.S. Consul in Harput; Oscar Heizer, U.S. Consul in Trebizond; George Horton, Consul-General in Smyrna; and in Constantinople, Gabriel Bie Ravndal, Consul-General; Hoffman Philip, Chargé d’Affaires; Abraham I. Elkus, Ambassador; and Henry Morgenthau, Ambassador.”

“The response to the prior exhibits has been greatly encouraging, and their widespread use is exactly what we intended by making these materials accessible for free,” Krikorian said. “We are pleased to add this latest installment to the series. I especially commend the staff of the Armenian National Institute and the Armenian Assembly of America, in particular Dr. Adalian, Joseph Piatt, and Aline Maksoudian,” concluded Krikorian.

‘Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide,’ is the fourth in a series of online exhibits released jointly by ANI, AGMA, and the Assembly and issued for worldwide distribution free of charge.

Our Wounds Are Still Open 1915-2015 T-shirts with inscriptions

March 22, 2015 By administrator

By Anna Ghazaryan

YEREVAN. – T-shirts with inscriptions “Our Wounds Are Still Open 1915” have become popular among Armenians for several years.A group of American Armenians, among them rapper R-Mean, decided to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide. In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am R-Mean told about their plans for 2015 and the recent incident over banning T-shirts at Americana at Brand shopping center.

Your shirts “Our Wounds Are Still Open 1915” have become very popular in U.S., Armenia and all over the world. What new project have you prepared for 2015?

Yes, the shirts were part of our “Open Wounds 1915” campaign we launched together with my new music video for the song “ Open Wounds” in 2013 to use hip hop, fashion, and social media to spread awareness about our cause, and overall injustice in the world, specifically targeting the youth teaching them about injustice and getting them involved.

I always felt like the youth nowadays is very fashionable and appreciates a positive message, so instead of just making a T-Shirt that people wear on April 24th to march our goal was to make something that people (including non-Armenians) would like to wear year-round. And at the same time make it a conversation piece so people would ask what the shirt is about. Word of mouth is still the best form of promotion. For 2015 we made a variation of the same shirt, but with a more positive perspective. Instead of it saying “Our Wounds Are Still Open 1915”, the new shirt says “We Are Still Here 2015”. I think it’s important to change our attitude to a more positive and strong one because after all, we are survivors and Turkey failed. We are still here.

Americana at Brand has recently banned the display of new T-shirts. Later the shopping center issued an apology. Are these T-shirts sold in the shopping center now? What do you think was the reason for the decision of a shopping center?

Yes the T-shirts are currently being sold. The Americana informed us of some “complaints” they received and attempted to ban the sale of all “genocide-related” merchandise after they initially approved it. They would not tell us who complained or what exactly the complaints entailed. We explained how ridiculous that was and eventually we were told we could still sell the merchandise but not display it. Once the word got out to social media the whole community was outraged. We personally have yet to receive an apology to this day. We are still not displaying the shirts but we are selling them. In 2015 the injustice still continues. Their conduct has added salt to the open wounds of the Armenian people and that’s why we filed a lawsuit to prove that the Armenian people are still here, will not give up, and will advocate for what is just and true.

Last year you performed a song dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in Times Square in New York. What shows do you plan for this April?

The song that I performed on Times Square last year is called “Open Wounds”. This song is the reason we started creating the “Our Wounds Are Still Open” shirts since it is a literal quote from a lyric in the song. The song is the whole foundation of our campaign. I have performed it at countless schools and events all around the world. This year I will be going on the official “Open Wounds 1915” tour which will include a big Hip Hop concert in LA as well as me performing at the annual “Silence The Lies, Rock The Truth“ show on April 24th in LA with artists like Sebu from Capital Cities and K’noup from Viza. I will also be performing in Sacramento, New Jersey, and New York the week of April 24th and then in Washington DC, Toronto, and Detroit in May. Finally, I will be having concerts in Lebanon and Armenia in the summer time.

Alex Christie-Miller, is utterly disgusting, Erdogan changing the date of Gallipoli

March 21, 2015 By administrator

The change in date of this year’s commemorations has been widely perceived as a crude attempt to distract attention from Armenian commemorations of the 1915 massacres and forced deportations which decimated the Ottoman Armenian population, which Armenians — who consider the events of 1915 to constitute genocide — commemorate on April 24. “The game TR gov’t is playing with Gallipoli – politicising it to compete with Armenian Genocide commemorations – is utterly disgusting, IMO [in my opinion],” Alex Christie-Miller, an İstanbul-based journalist working for The Times, Newsweek Europe and the Christian Science Monitor, posted on his Twitter account on March 19.

Joost Lagendijk, a former Green Party deputy in the European Parliament who also served as the co-chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, also criticized Turkey’s move to commemorate the Gallipoli Campaign on the same day as the Armenian commemorations, calling it a “shameless and all-too-transparent effort” to try and distract attention from the Armenian “Genocide” in his Today’s Zaman column on March 17. Lagendijk said that shifting the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign to the same day “won’t work and it will unnecessarily discredit Turkey.”

Turkey’s move also offended Turkish citizens of Armenian descent. Speaking to Agos – a Turkish-Armenian weekly formerly edited by murder victim Hrant Dink — after Erdoğan’s invitation, many Turkish citizens of Armenian descent reacted strongly to Erdoğan’s invitation to Sarksyan, calling it a “joke” and an “ill-mannered” act, and further criticizing it as a “political maneuver.”

The game TR gov’t is playing with Gallipoli – politicising it to compete with Armenian Genocide commemorations – is utterly disgusting, IMO.

— Alex Christie-Miller (@AChristieMiller) March 19, 2015

Armenia President slams Turkey over genocide centennial absence (Video)

March 21, 2015 By administrator

By Marc PERELMAN

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to change this year’s Gallipoli commemoration to coincide with Armenia’s marking of the 100th anniversary of the genocide was a “cynical act”.

On April 24, Armenia is set to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian genocide, which saw the deportation and deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians during World War I.

“Our intention was to commemorate the centennial together with the Turkish people,” explained Sargsyan, noting that it was the reason his government invited the Turkish leader to attend the commemorations.

Instead, Erdogan chose the same day to invite his Armenian counterpart to the centennial of the Gallipoli campaign, which marked a major World War I victory for the Ottoman forces against Allied troops, mostly from Australian and New Zealand. The date of their landing — known as “Anzac Day” — is marked on April 25 every year.

Turkey has long denied the mass deportation and killings of Armenian subjects of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide, claiming instead that they were the consequences of inter-ethnic violence inflamed during wartime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V90rsdI5fM0

Erdogan’s decision to change the date of the Gallipoli ceremonies to coincide with the Armenian centennial commemoration has drawn a sharp rebuke from Sargsyan.

“Unfortunately, once again we find ourselves facing a negationist approach and I’m sorry to use this expression, but it is a particularly cynical act. The Battle of Gallipoli did not start of April 24 [1915], nor did it end on April 24, it’s self-evident. This is a way of injuring, of wounding the Armenian people and at the same time, it is intended to set obstacles on the path to centennial commemorations [of the Armenian genocide],” said Sargsyan.

The April 24 ceremonies will be attended by a number of world leaders, including French President François Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pınar Selek Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide

March 21, 2015 By administrator

By: Hambersom Aghbashian

Pınar Selek, Recognized The Armenian Genocide

Pinar Selek is one of the Turkish intellectuals who always tackles the Armenian genocide subject , and according to Cem Sey, who writes for the liberal newspaper Taraf, “the Turkish judiciary often cracks down on artists and writers who tackle taboo subjects like Kurdish rights and the Armenian genocide.” (3)

According to “www.france24.com”, January 24, 2013, ” Pinar Selek, cleared three times of complicity in a 1998 explosion in Istanbul, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Turkish court. She told France 24 that ” the authorities want to silence her research on Armenian and Kurdish issues.” Pinar Selek, lives in self- imposed exile in France.(4)

Pinar Selek, a political refugee in France, who is currently carrying out research into the transformation of the militant Turkish sphere and its influence on movements of the Armenian Diaspora, lunched her new book ” Parce qu’ils sont arméniens” (Because They’re Armenians). On this occasion, “www.lianalevi.fr” wrote on February 5, 2015, ” April 2015 will mark the centenary of the Armenian genocide—a dark chapter in Turkish history, still controversial, still taboo. What might a Turk born in the 70s make of this community and this period of history? Pinar Selek responds with this personal and engaged account woven from memories, observations, and encounters. We learn along with her, from the inside, what it means to be formed by reciting slogans at school proclaiming national superiority, studying from misleading textbooks surrounded by fearful and silent classmates, wandering through a city where Armenian names have been expunged from public signs, campaigning in extreme-left movements having accepted this denial. The sensitive and controversial testimony of a woman of conviction whose personality and writing continues to be influenced by the Armenian question.”(5)

Pınar Selek (born October 8, 1971) is a Turkish sociologist, feminist, and author. She attended the French-language high school Notre Dame de Sion Fransız Lisesi in Istanbul and completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in the sociology department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in political science at the University of Strasbourg. Pınar Selek is known for her work on the rights of vulnerable communities in Turkey, including women, the poor, street children, sexual minorities, and Kurdish communities. She is the author of several books published in Turkish, German, and French, and is one of the founding editors of Amargi, a Turkish feminist journal. She currently resides in France. Selek has been prosecuted over a 15-year period in Turkey in connection to an explosion that occurred at the Spice Bazaar*, Istanbul in 1998. Tried and acquitted of all charges on three occasions (in 2006, 2008, and 2011), her most recent acquittal was amended in November 2012 by the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 12, which sentenced her to life in prison on January 24, 2013. Selek’s lawyers have appealed the verdict and announced plans to bring her case before the European Court of Human Rights.(1)

In December 2008, two hundred prominent Turkish intellectuals released an apology for the “great catastrophe of 1915”. This was a clear reference to the Armenian Genocide, a term still too sensitive to use so openly. The signatories also announced a website related to this apology, and called on others to visit the site and sign the apology as well. The brief text of the apology is: ” My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers and sisters. I apologize to them.” Pınar Selek was one of the signatories.(2)

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*The Spice Bazaar (Turkish: Mısır Çarşısı, meaning Egyptian Bazaar) in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.

1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%B1nar_Selek

2- http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=200_prominent_Turks_apologize_for_great_

3- http://www.dw.de/turkish-human-rights-activist-pinar-selek-faces-third-trial/a-14809844

4- http://www.france24.com/en/20130124-pinar-selek-turkey-france-pkk-kurds-armenian-genocide-justice/

5- http://www.lianalevi.fr/f/index.php?sp=liv&livre_id=517

Moscow symphony to commemorate Armenian Genocide

March 21, 2015 By administrator

As part of the cultural events to commemorate the Armenian Genocide centenary, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra is organizing a concert dedicated tot the tragic anniversary.

According to a press release by the Armenian State Youth Orchestra, the concert will take place on April 18 at the he Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. The conductor will be Pavel Kogan, the music director and chief conductor Pavel Kogan the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

The Orchestra will perform jointly with the choir of the V.S. Popov Choral Arts Academy and the soloist, Zandra McMaster (Great Britain).

Vatican archives shed light on tragedy of Armenian genocide

March 21, 2015 By administrator

By Andrea Gagliarducci

Vatican City, Mar 20, 2015 / 11:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Ahead of Pope Francis’ Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, newly released historic documents confirm the Holy See’s broad commitment to helping the Armenian people at a time when few others would.

The Italian Jesuit-run magazine La Civiltà Cattolica stressed that newly published documents “prove how the Holy See, always informed about events, had not remained passive, but was strongly committed to face the issue” of the Armenian Genocide. “Benedict XV was the only ruler or religious leader to voice out a protest against the ‘massive crime’.”The Armenian Genocide is considered to have begun April 24, 1915 with a massacre of Armenians in Istanbul. Over the next eight years, 1.5 million Armenians would be killed and millions more displaced.

However, such killings were perpetrated before, when much of the region was still under Ottoman rule.

For instance, a March 27, 1896 letter by the Franciscan Father Domenico Werson, who was serving as a missionary in Aleppo, recounted the massacre of Christians in Marasc and vicinities.

Most of the documents in the newly published series are from the archive of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. They have been published in a series of four books by the Jesuit priest Father Georges-Henry Ruyssen. In advance of the series’ March 21 release date, the latest edition of La Civiltà Cattolica has published a summary.

The documents on the “Armenian Question” date from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century.

The collection of documents includes letters from Popes and to Ottoman sultans; documents and dispatches by Vatican Secretaries of State and prefects or secretaries of other Vatican dicasteries; documents and reports by the Apostolic delegates; and letters by Armenian patriarchs and bishops with firsthand information.

There are also reports by eye witnesses that clearly describe what was going on.

The documents note the actions of Pope Benedict XV, who sent two personal letters to Sultan Muhammad V Reshad on Sep. 10, 1915 and March 12, 1918, respectively.

The Pope’s effort was the climax of several attempts at mediation carried forward by the Holy See to help Armenians. Pope Leo XIII tried a mediation beginning in 1859. The Holy See sought to be a mediator with Djemal Pashà, commander of the Turkish army in Syria, for the freedom of 60 Armenians sentenced to death in 1917. Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, the Vatican Secretary of State, mediated with Mustaphà Kemal Pashà in 1921 for the safeguard of the lives and the goods of surviving Christians in Turkey.

The Holy See did not only work in diplomacy, but also sought to assist surviving refugees.

The Holy See, La Civiltà Cattolica writes, “mobilized a continual flow of financial aid and supplies in an era when there were no other international humanitarian organizations beyond the Red Cross and the Near East relief.”

The Holy See especially assisted orphans, and founded “many orphanages” open to people of every religious confession. Young orphan Armenian girls were also hosted in the orphanage in the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

The documents record the reasons why countries did not take any stance on the genocide and did not defend the Armenian people when the first signs of genocide were visible.

La Civiltà Cattolica underscored that in the late 19th century, the question of the future of the Armenians “was forgotten step by step,” because the “gradual passivity of European diplomacy” worked to “preserve at every cost the integrity of the Ottoman empire.”

Archbishop Augusto Bonetti, the apostolic delegate to Constantinople from 1887-1904, summarized the international situation.

France and Russia both aimed to preserve “the integrity of Turkey.” France had made major capital investments in the region, while Russia wanted Turkish relations to be dormant so it could focus on the Far East.

In Archbishop Bonetti’s view, Germany had a material interest in the continuation of the war between the Greeks and the Turks, while England had “important political interests in Turkey.”

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the publication of these documents may shed light on the reasons why this genocide was perpetrated in the midst of a general political indifference.

As for Pope Francis, he will celebrate a Mass marking the centenary of the genocide in St. Peter Basilica on April 24.

Julius H. Schoeps Why Germany is facing its complicity in the Armenian Genocide

March 20, 2015 By administrator

Julius H. Schoeps

In a long article published in the German Jewish newspaper Allgemeine Jüdish, historian, political scientist, Julius H. Schoeps, director of the Moses Mendelssohn Center for European Jewish Studies at the University of Potsdam, explains the complicity made by Germany during extermination of the Armenian people in 1915, reviewing the history and similarities of atrocities that have come to suffer the Jews from Spain in the 15th century.

He said that Germany should contribute to reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, there is no doubt that this is a genocide that Bundstag to recognize. “A resolution to be adopted on Remembrance Day, April 24,” he said. Adding: “The members of the German Bundestag would be wise to wonder if they should not do it. Time is short. There is not much time. »
Friday, March 20, 2015,
Jean Eckian © armenews.com