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The Vatican has released colorful stamp series celebrating Pope’s trips in 2016, among them visits to Mexico, Poland, Greece, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Sweden.
The stamp dedicated to Armenia shows Pope against the background of Tsitsernakaberd – the memorial complex honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The official website of the Vatican noted that the author of the stamp is Daniela Longo.
Aznavour Family (Source: ArmRadio)
NEW YORK (ArmRadio)—In a recent meeting held in New York with the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF), representatives Mordecai Paldiel and Zvika Kichel, Charles Aznavour confirmed the riveting story of courage in which his late parents, Knar and Mischa, as well as his sister Aida and himself, had played a key role during the dark days of the Nazi occupation in France.
With a great sense of humbleness, Aznavour told how his parents gave shelter at their own home to Jews, Armenians and others who were persecuted by the Nazis. By so doing, the Aznavours had given the gift of life to other, while risking their own.
The IRWF has resolved to set-up a special research team to further investigate the feats of the Aznavour family and at the same time, all the Board Members of the NGO have unanimously decided to pay tribute to the Aznavours.
In a personal letter signed by the Chairman of the IRWF, Eduardo Eurnekian and by its Founder, Baruch Tenembaum, Aznavour was greeted on his 92th birthday and informed about two initiatives. The first one is to commission a special commemorative stamp to be issued by the Israel Postal Authority with the semblance of Mischa and Knar Aznavour, Charles’s late parents. The second one is to award the Raoul Wallenberg Medal to both siblings, Aida and Charles Aznavour, who as young people helped their parents in their life-saving mission.
Eurnekian said “The Aznavour family is an example of humble and decent people who did not stand idly by when faced with evil. His mother, Knar, nee Baghdasarian, was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and she understood the plight of the Jewish people and all those who were brutally persecuted by Nazism. It is our duty to recognize the heroism of the Aznavour family and instill their spirit of civic courage in the hearts and minds of the young generations.”
Dear Mr. Aznavour,
Let us start this letter by congratulating you on 92th birthday! We wish you good health and many more years of productiveness in your artistic, diplomatic and humanitarian activities!
We would like to thank you once again for having agreed to meet our Dr. Mordecai Paldiel and Mr. Zvika Kichel in New York. We watched the video of this meeting and were deeply moved by your humble approach and the courageous deeds undertaken by your dear late parents, your sister Aida and yourself, during the dark days of Holocaust. We also thank your son, Nicolas, for having arranged this gathering in such an efficient way.
As a result of this preliminary audience, we have instructed our research team to try and secure more information about the feats of your family during WWII and of course, we shall keep you duly posted.
At the same time, in a special meeting held by our Board, it has been unanimously resolved to pay tribute to your late parents, Mischa and Knar, as well as both you and Aida, as a token of recognition to your spirit of solidarity. The fact that you have given shelter and protection at your own home, to people from all faiths who were persecuted by the Nazis, is something that has to be remembered and recognized. We have therefore resolved to ask the Israeli Postal Authorities to make a special and limited stamp issue dedicated to your late parents. Should this be agreeable, our team in Israel will contact Nicolas with some administrative information (we would need some good photos of your parents as well as a written authorization from you to approach the Israel Postal Authorities).
Furthermore, it was decided to bestow upon you and your sister Aida, a special award, the Raoul Wallenberg Medal, in recognition of the role you played during the Shoah and for your staunch and consistent support of humanitarian causes.
As soon as we receive the acceptance from you and your sister, we shall coordinate with you the details and logistics of the award ceremony.
Thanking you in advance, we remain at your disposal should you require any further information on our end.”
Charles Aznavour (Source: ArmRadio)
NEW YORK (ArmRadio)—In a recent meeting held in New York with the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF), representatives Mordecai Paldiel and Zvika Kichel, Charles Aznavour confirmed the riveting story of courage in which his late parents, Knar and Mischa, as well as his sister Aida and himself, had played a key role during the dark days of the Nazi occupation in France.
With a great sense of humbleness, Aznavour told how his parents gave shelter at their own home to Jews, Armenians and others who were persecuted by the Nazis. By so doing, the Aznavours had given the gift of life to other, while risking their own.
The IRWF has resolved to set-up a special research team to further investigate the feats of the Aznavour family and at the same time, all the Board Members of the NGO have unanimously decided to pay tribute to the Aznavours.
In a personal letter signed by the Chairman of the IRWF, Eduardo Eurnekian and by its Founder, Baruch Tenembaum, Aznavour was greeted on his 92th birthday and informed about two initiatives. The first one is to commission a special commemorative stamp to be issued by the Israel Postal Authority with the semblance of Mischa and Knar Aznavour, Charles’s late parents. The second one is to award the Raoul Wallenberg Medal to both siblings, Aida and Charles Aznavour, who as young people helped their parents in their life-saving mission.
Eurnekian said “The Aznavour family is an example of humble and decent people who did not stand idly by when faced with evil. His mother, Knar, nee Baghdasarian, was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and she understood the plight of the Jewish people and all those who were brutally persecuted by Nazism. It is our duty to recognize the heroism of the Aznavour family and instill their spirit of civic courage in the hearts and minds of the young generations.”
The letter reads:
Dear Mr. Aznavour,
Let us start this letter by congratulating you on 92th birthday! We wish you good health and many more years of productiveness in your artistic, diplomatic and humanitarian activities!
We would like to thank you once again for having agreed to meet our Dr. Mordecai Paldiel and Mr. Zvika Kichel in New York. We watched the video of this meeting and were deeply moved by your humble approach and the courageous deeds undertaken by your dear late parents, your sister Aida and yourself, during the dark days of Holocaust. We also thank your son, Nicolas, for having arranged this gathering in such an efficient way.
As a result of this preliminary audience, we have instructed our research team to try and secure more information about the feats of your family during WWII and of course, we shall keep you duly posted.
At the same time, in a special meeting held by our Board, it has been unanimously resolved to pay tribute to your late parents, Mischa and Knar, as well as both you and Aida, as a token of recognition to your spirit of solidarity. The fact that you have given shelter and protection at your own home, to people from all faiths who were persecuted by the Nazis, is something that has to be remembered and recognized. We have therefore resolved to ask the Israeli Postal Authorities to make a special and limited stamp issue dedicated to your late parents. Should this be agreeable, our team in Israel will contact Nicolas with some administrative information (we would need some good photos of your parents as well as a written authorization from you to approach the Israel Postal Authorities).
Furthermore, it was decided to bestow upon you and your sister Aida, a special award, the Raoul Wallenberg Medal, in recognition of the role you played during the Shoah and for your staunch and consistent support of humanitarian causes.
As soon as we receive the acceptance from you and your sister, we shall coordinate with you the details and logistics of the award ceremony.
Thanking you in advance, we remain at your disposal should you require any further information on our end.”
The Vatican Post honors this year two illustrious representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan and mystical Krikor Naregatsi (Gregory of Narek). In 2001, John Paul II beatified Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Mardin (Turkey). This year is the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of Ignatius Maloyan one of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Before his death in agony, Ignace Maloyan had affirmed his faith. Pope Francis said raised on April 12 last St. Gregory of Narek (Surp Krikor Naregatsi, or Gregory of Nareg), Armenian mystic of the tenth century, as Doctor of the Church. At a ceremony during which the pontiff had also recognized the Armenian genocide. A recognition that made the headlines, erasing somewhat the event of rising to the rank of Doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Narek. Today the Vatican pays tribute to these two famous Armenians.
Krikor Amirzayan
On May 6 in the US Library of Congress in Washington was initiated by the Armenian Computer “Haypost” envelope first-day stamp 300 drams representative Herny Morgenthau (1856-1946), the American ambassador stationed in the Empire Ottoman Armenians during the genocide. He also who had denounced many times the crimes organized by the Young Turks against the Armenian population. The issuance of this stamp is the 100th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenians.
“Haypost” also launched the postage block 480 drams representing tabeau a genocide survivor with her child in the back. The show carries the inscription “Near East Relief” with the phrases “we thank you America” (America, thank you) and “Lest They Perish” (do not let them disappear). This stamp was created with the support of Hayk Demoyan Director of Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan. Present at the launch ceremony of the two Armenian stamps, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, Vicken Sargsyan the head of the presidential staff of the Armenian government and responsible for cooridination the commemoration of the centenary of the genocide, Dikran Sarkisian, the former Prime Minister and current Ambassador of Armenia in Washington and Narine Seferian the responsible development of “Haypost”.
Krikor Amirzayan
A joint Cyprus-Armenia stamp commemorating 100 years since the Armenian genocide is to be launched next week as part of a series of events to mark the anniversary, the Cyprus Mail reported.
The representative of the Armenian Community in the Cypriot House of Representatives, Vartkes Mahdessian, has organized an event for next week presenting the stamp in both countries simultaneously.
The event in Cyprus will also be attended by Armenian National Assembly President Galust Sahakyan, who is due to visit Cyprus.
The stamp will depict the well-known but closed Armenian educational institute, the Melkonian in Nicosia. The school originally functioned as an orphanage for children who survived the genocide and managed to make it to Cyprus.
The Armenian Genocide centenary will be marked in Cyprus, too.
Mahdessian told the Cyprus News Agency that the goal was remembrance for the 1.5 million Armenians who died at the hands of Turkey during the 1915 genocide, and to push for recognition of the genocide by Turkey.
“At the same time it is an appeal to humanity to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” he said.
The commemoration events will include art exhibitions, theatre, lectures, documentaries, and cultural performances.
In addition, a book is published in Greek and English that includes articles on the Armenian Genocide, and which appeared in the Greek Cypriot press between 1914 and 1923.