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The monument commemorating the centennial of the genocide of Armenians in 1915 in Martigues was inaugurated by the Deputy Mayor Gaby Charroux Saturday, December 5th at 11 am 30, the Lapidary Garden Avenue Félix Ziem. The ceremony took place in presence of the Armenian community represented and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Marseilles.
By Ann Friedman
Growing up in Cairo, Las Vegas resident Mary Rose Simon was raised by her grandmother, a survivor of the Armenian genocide.
“She instilled in me the Armenian values,” said Simon, one of 12,000 Armenians who live in Clark County. “And she had no grudges at all.”
A monument was unveiled Saturday at Sunset Park to commemorate the about 1.5 million Armenians who were exterminated by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1923.
“When you grow up with a lady who had wounds and you heard about how they happened, it didn’t set in until just now looking at this monument,” she said. “This is a gift to the community and we’re putting Clark County on the map.”
The monument is a replica of the one that was dedicated in 1965 in Yerevan, Armenia, a small nation and former Soviet republic just east of Turkey. It’s made out of precast concrete and has 12 pillars, which represent the 12 provinces where Armenians were massacred, as well as a bench and dedication plaque on an adjacent boulder.
Members of the Armenian-American Cultural Society of Las Vegas and Adroushan Andy Armenian, honorary consul of the Republic of Armenia in Las Vegas, first approached Clark County Commissioner Marybeth Scow nearly 10 years ago with the idea for the monument.
Scow said she decided to put a policy in place before taking action to construct the monument in her district.
“I wanted to make sure we were doing this in a fair way so having a policy in place would help judge what rises to the level of doing something like this,” she said. “The purpose was to establish criteria for guidelines and consideration.”
Scow added that she ensured the monument, which is at the eastern part of the park along Sunset Road, was in a location that wouldn’t interfere with the recreation purpose of the park as well as that the Armenian organization would be responsible for upkeep and repairs.
“By having it in Sunset Park, a lot of people can see it and it will be a great tool for our community to remember what happened,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to having and appreciating it.”
The more than 200 attendees also had a moment of silence at the monument unveiling to pay tribute to the least 120 people who were killed by terrorists in Paris on Friday.
Friday’s attack also served as a reminder of why remembering senseless crimes is important, Simon said.
“The timing couldn’t have been better,” she said. “Terrorism is happening everywhere and while they’re working hard to destroy humanity, we’re here counteracting what they’re doing.”
John Dolmayan, a Las Vegas resident and drummer of the Armenian-American rock band, System of a Down, said the Paris attacks hit close to home.
“My friends the Deftones were supposed to play a show tonight at the venue where the attacks happened,” he said of Le Bataclan concert hall. “It was just a bunch of kids going to a rock show, what have they done?”
Dolmayan attended the monument unveiling to pay tribute to his heritage, which he said is the most important thing.
“Something like this is for Armenians and non-Armenians to enjoy because it will help people remember about the atrocities that were committed,” he said of the monument. “It will also help prevent it from happening again.”
Like Dolmayan, Gerard Costantian, an Armenian and Las Vegas resident, hopes the monument serves as an educational tool for years to come.
“I hope people walk through, see it and learn something about this event,” he said. “I’m hoping it will bring awareness to one of the most significant events in history.”
Contact Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Find her on Twitter: @AnnFriedmanRJ.
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
American Armenian Artist and designer Michael Aram recently unveiled a sculpture he created in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide for The Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.
The 13-meter steel sculpture, called Migrations, is a memorial to the events of 1915 and is a testimony of survival, strength and resilience, according to Aram, reported hfnmag.com.
The designer worked with historians to determine the shape of the map representing Armenian territories before lands were seized and people were eradicated and forced out,.
Three months after the unveiling of the Armenian Genocide monument at Fresno State, the structure has been vandalized, Fresno Bee reports.
“The souls of the victims are disturbed,” said Berj Apkarian, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno.
Someone yanked one of the panel from the monument last week, Apkarian said.
Fresno State said they’re investigating the tampering of the plaque. It was unbolted but not taken, and they said it will be re-installed this week.
“The panel had a lot of history,” Apkarian said. “It’s very heartbreaking and I’m so disappointed.”
“I am saddened by the recent vandalism attempt at our beautiful Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument,” said Joseph Castro, President of Fresno State. “I ask the campus and community to join together in protecting our historic monument.”
Apkarian plans to work with Castro and police to find out who vandalized the monument. The panel is made of Spanish steel, he said.
“This is a hate crime,” Apkarian said. “It must be taken very seriously, and it can’t be tolerated.”
The monument was unveiled in April to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.
“The monument has a symbolic and historic importance for the community,” Apkarian said. “The community must take steps to not tolerate such acts.”
A monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims was unveiled in the city of Örebro, Sweden, on May 29, the press service of Armenian Foreign Ministry reports.
This is the first Armenian Genocide monument in Sweden. It was opened by the municipal authorities on the initiative of the commission on the coordination of Armenian Genocide centenary events. The words “We will never forget” are inscribed on the monument in Armenian, Aramaic, Greek and Swedish.
Representatives of state and municipal authorities, diplomats, journalists, and members of Armenian and Assyrian communities were present at the ceremony.
Armenian Ambassador to Sweden Artak Apitonyan in his remarks stressed the significance of opening such monuments and expressed hope that the process of recognition that has started in the Turkish society will become stronger and it is not far away when Turkey’s representative will make a speech during an event commemorating the first genocide of the 20th century.
Source: Panorama.a
Armenian Genocide monument under construction
Fresno—Thursday April 23 will mark a historic occasion for Central San Joaquin Valley Armenians when a monument dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide will be unveiled at Fresno State. The program begins at 7:30pm in the Maple Mall, located just south of the university’s Satellite Student Union.
The monument has been made possible by the generosity of numerous patrons as well as the cooperation of Fresno State President Dr. Joseph Castro, whose public initiative and commitment to diversity paved the way for constructing the memorial on the university campus. The unveiling ceremony is organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial—Fresno Committee, an association of local organizations that is undertaking and promoting a series of events and activities in the Central Valley.
“We are fortunate as a generation to witness the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. It is our responsibility to pass the torch to the future generation to never forget man’s inhumanity to man.” said Berj K. Apkarian, Chairman of the Monument Committee of AGC—Fresno and Fresno’s Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia
Designed by Fresno architect Paul Halajian, the monument will embody symbols of cultural meaning to the Armenian people. Its principal components, a series of pillars, will be arranged in a circular pattern and angled inwards, reminiscent of the Armenian Martyrs Monument (Tzitzernagapert) in Armenia. Built from béton brut and Tufa stones, the nine pillars represent the six provinces of historic Western Armenia—Van, Bitlis, Dikranagerd, Kharpert, Sepastia, and Erzerum—Cilicia, the Diaspora, and the Republic of Armenia. They will gradually descend in height around the circle, with the first measuring 19 feet high and the last 15 feet to underscore the significance of the year 1915. An incomplete halo will be set above on top of the pillars, symbolizing both the fracture left by the Genocide and the unity of the Armenian people.
“The monument will serve not only as a symbol of the terrible tragedy of the Armenian Genocide, but also as a tool to educate future generations of Fresno and California residents, regardless of ethnic background,” said Dr. Sergio La Porta, President of the AGC—Fresno and Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State. “The lessons of the Armenian Genocide strike at the heart of who we are as a species; they alert us to the perils of modernity which we often ignore, confident in our scientific and technological progress; and they remind us of the importance of being human, first and foremost.”
Along with the monument, the AGC—Fresno has organized and promoted numerous centennial events, including 1915-2015: Tradition/Legacy/Culture, a commemorative art exhibit at the Fresno Art Museum and a Town Hall Meeting at Saroyan Theater discussing topics related to the Armenian Genocide as well as numerous educational lectures and programs.
Free parking will be available for the unveiling ceremony in Lots P5 and P6 near the Peters Business Building. Handicapped parking is available as well in the same lots. Free overflow parking will also be available in the Save Mart Center parking lot.
The AGC—Fresno comprises representatives from various social, educational, and political organizations of the Central Valley that are working together to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. For more information about centennial events, visit the AGC—Fresno website at www.agcfresno.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/agcfresno.
cordially invites you to attend the
Dedication and Opening of the Armenian Genocide Monument at Fresno State
Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 7:30PM
Maple Mall, Fresno State (near the East End of the Rose Garden)
The Public is welcome. Free admission.
Free parking in Lots P5 and P6
(near the Peter Business Building).
Free overflow parking is available in the
Save Mart Center parking lot.
100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
1915-2015
agcfresno.org or facebook.com/agcfresno
Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor among 19
The Armenian church in Deir ez-Zor that was destroyed by the Islamic state has been included in CNN-formed list of 19 greatest monuments lost in conflict.
The Armenian complex that includes a church and a museum was a memorial site to 1.5 million killed between 1915 and 1923. Deir ez-Zor became a destination for pilgrims from around the world, the article says.
The list also includes the ancient city of Palmyra, Nimrud in Iraq, Citadel of Aleppo, Great Mosque of Samarra, the Great Mosque of Aleppo and other sites.
The Armenian Church in Deir Zor was built in 1989-1990, and consecrated a year later. A genocide memorial and a museum housing remains of the victims of the genocide was subsequently constructed in the church compound.
Carson Mayore scraps plan for monument to Ataturk
Carson Mayor Jim Dear, who favored erecting a statue in the city of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of the Turkish Republic, bowed to public pressure and voted against the tribute to the leader connected to the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Dear received a $3,000 campaign contribution from the Turkish Coalition of California. (File photo by Robert Casillas/Daily Breeze)
Hundreds of protesters crowded Carson City Hall late Tuesday, calling Mayor Jim Dear’s plan to install a Civic Center monument to a man they hold responsible for the massacre of more than 1 million Armenians an affront to human rights.
Dear hatched the proposal with members of the Turkish community, who had already commissioned designs for the statue of the first president of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The mayor wanted to add the piece to the city’s International Sculpture Garden.
Dear, who accepted a $3,000 campaign contribution from the Turkish community last month, said he intended the garden on the grounds of Carson City Hall to be an artistic nod to world peace and democracy. City officials have sought sculpture donations of world leaders, and the Los Angeles Turkish American Association was excited to participate.
But before the City Council could give the project its blessing Tuesday night, furious protesters said it would be akin to erecting a statue of Adolf Hitler.
Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan told council members he was shocked they would even consider such an offensive idea.
“Approximately half of Glendale residents are Armenian-American and survivors of the Armenian genocide,” Sinanyan said. “My namesake was born 80 kilometers outside of Constantinople and subjected to the horrible genocide of 1915 but managed to survive. That’s the only reason I’m here tonight.
“Don’t accept this gift.”
Extra Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies attended the meeting to maintain peace between the two groups, which alternately erupted in angry outbursts throughout the discussion. Dear and Councilman Albert Robles, who had supported the plans, backpedaled during the meeting and the idea ultimately was scrapped on a unanimous vote.
“I think the International Sculpture Garden, which was your idea Mayor Dear, is a great idea,” Robles said. “But the purpose of the garden was to bring positive and noteworthy coverage to the city of Carson. Not the type of coverage we’re receiving today, which is controversial and not positive.”
Representatives of the Turkish community argued passionately in favor of the monument, which was to consist of a series of nine plaques on pedestals lauding Ataturk, a man they likened to George Washington, as the founder of modern Turkey. It was to be the second installment in the International Sculpture Garden. Dear proposed the garden in 2010, and it currently has one statue — donated by the Republic of the Philippines — of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, a Filipino national hero.
Jack Hadjinian, the mayor of Montebello, told the council that Ataturk was responsible for killing several of his family members.
“How could you entertain the idea of erecting a monument of a man responsible for the decimation of my family?” Hadjinian asked. “It’s an insult to propose this in the city of Carson. I’m the great-grandchild of a genocide victim and the grandson of a genocide survivor.”
The government of Turkey denies that the systematic extermination of Armenians took place beginning in 1915, though leading historians call it one of the world’s first modern genocides.
At points during Tuesday’s meeting, Dear stopped to lecture the rowdy audience.
“If you have to heckle the speaker because you can’t resist it, then go outside and look at the monitor and heckle the monitor,” Dear told vocal audience members. “You will be ejected from this room if you argue with me.”
Raife Gulru Gezer, the consul general of Turkey in Los Angeles, pleaded with council members to accept the statue of Ataturk, whom she called “a great man, the father of modern Turkey.” She quoted Presidents Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy praising the leader.
A representative of the Los Angeles Turkish American Association, which helped fund the statue, told council members that Ataturk changed the course of the country from one of oppression to a democratic republic.
Under the Ottoman Empire “I could have been in hijab with no power, the fourth wife of a man, but the republic’s reforms gave me a life where I could be successful,” said the woman, who did not spell her name. “Should we hold (Ataturk) responsible for everything that went wrong in the world? He was on the cover of Time magazine three or four times.
“When you start with the ashes of an empire, you don’t become great in one day. The reforms he made set the foundation for a great society that I grew up in and that I’m totally indebted with, and that’s why I’m working on this project day and night and putting my money where my mouth is.”
Dear, who accepted the campaign donation from the Turkish Coalition of California political action committee, ultimately bowed to the pressure and joined his colleagues in rejecting the statue.
But the mayor, who will be leaving office soon to become city clerk, the position he captured in Tuesday’s election, said he would instead try to win support for a statue showing Armenian and Turkish figures shaking or holding hands.
“My dream is that future generations will be able to put their differences behind them,” Dear said, arguing for such a monument. “We have people in ISIS chopping off people’s heads. That’s the way of an uncivilized Middle Ages mentality. We have to move forward in life and teach our children that they have to get along.”
A steel rebar form took shape at Fresno State Tuesday for a memorial that will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Concrete is to be poured starting Wednesday for the memorial. It will be completed in time to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the genocide, which is April 24. During the genocide, as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed from 1915 to 1923 by Ottoman Turks.
Work on the Armenian Genocide Monument at Fresno State progresses. The monument is on the Maple Mall, just south of the Satellite Student Union. Video by John Walker/The Fresno Bee THEFRESNOBEE
Clerics offer a prayer during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial monument at Memorial Park in Pasadena on Sunday. The memorial is scheduled to be completed on April 18, just ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24. Staff photo by Brian Day
PASADENA >> Pasadena’s Armenian Genocide Memorial took a major step on the road from concept to reality Sunday when officials gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony at the construction site at Memorial Park.
Designer and recent Art Center College of Design graduate Catherine Menard, Pasadena Armenian Genocide Committee board members, city officials, and representatives from area Armenian churches and schools took part in the ceremony.
“It’s been such a journey,” Menard said, adding that she was excited to see her design beginning to take shape. Menard unveiled her design in April 2013 after it was selected by the memorial committee over 16 other entries. Menard, who was a student at Art Center College of Design at the time, has since graduated with a degree in Environment Design.
The completed monument, which will take the form of a 16-foot-tall tripod surrounded by a 26-foot wide ring of stonework with water drops dripping into a basin to represent each of the 1.5 million lives cut short by the Ottoman Turks in the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923, Menard explained. The droplets, which will be illuminated, will fall every 21 seconds, so that 1.5 million drops will fall annually.
The tripod represents similarly-shaped structures which Armenian leaders were hanged from during the Armenian Genocide, Menard said.
Surrounding the tripod and stonework will be 12 pomegranate trees, representing each of the 12 “lost provinces” of Armenia.
Menard said she was grateful to all the people who have donated their time and efforts to bring the project this far.
“We have a team that’s unified, with so many people giving their time and so much love,” she said. “That’s what this project is about: love, forgiveness, truth.”
A dedication ceremony is planned at 3 p.m. April 18, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, Pasadena Armenian Genocide Committee Board Member Levon Filian said.
The project was unanimously approved by the Pasadena City Council in September of 2013.
Clerics, including Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, prayed over the sight before officials symbolically shoveled dirt to mark the beginning of the monument’s construction.
“It’s phenomenal to see this,” said Art Center College of Design Professor James Meraz, who oversaw Menard’s project while she was a student at the school. “I’m so proud of her.”
PAGMC board members and former state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino of La Cañada Flintridge, who joined in the ceremony along with Pasadena city officials and other dignitaries, said he was pleased with the progress.
“The community deserves an outstanding memorial,” he said. “This is a special day.”