NEW YORK—On Wed., Dec. 4, the Armenian Center at Columbia University hosted a symposium on survivor meaning featuring reputable leaders in the field of study, including Peter Balakian, Jay Lifton, and Marianne Hirsch. Titled “Survivor Meaning: After the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and Hiroshima,” the panel delved into the experience of survivors as they searched for an understanding of their tragic experiences.

Peter Balakian recounting the story of his grandmother’s escape during the Armenian Genocide

Acclaimed poet and prize-winning author, Balakian was introduced by Marianne Hirsch, the William Peterfield Trent Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, who served as the moderator of the panel and who has written several important books on trauma and memory and the Holocaust.

Balakian presented a personal and inherited familial narrative—the case of his grandmother Nafina, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide—as a “way of engaging conversation in survivor experience.”

A resident of Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd during the genocide, her family’s homes  and properties were looted and confiscated, and she was witness to the massacre of her family and community. Nafina survived a forced march, in which everyone in her family was killed.

Having arrived in Aleppo in the fall of 1915, she began to compile affidavits for what would be a human rights suit against the Turkish government for all the losses endured by her family. Balakian read his grandmother’s insurance claim from his New York Times bestselling memoir, Black Dog of Fate. He said the claim, which she filed when she arrived in the United States, “contributed to the understanding of a survivor in the immediate aftermath of an enormous encounter with mass killing, rape, starvation, famine, and death.”

“She was witness to the truth,” said Balakian, who is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University and the Ordjanian Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies at Columbia University.

Scholar, psychiatrist, and historian Robert Jay Lifton, who has written more than 20 books on trauma, survival, and violence, defined a survivor as someone who has in some way encountered death, witnessed it, and at the same time remained alive.

“There’s a triumph in surviving because one stays alive,” said Lifton, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at CUNY/Graduate Center and John Jay College for Criminal Justice. “It’s necessary to give meaning to that catastrophe if one is to find meaning in the rest of one’s life.”

He said survivors of the bombing in Hiroshima, Japan, after World War II experienced a lifetime of “death-haunted imagery” from both the encounter itself and the effects of the tragedy that carried over to the next generation.

“From survivor meaning comes a survivor mission which one carries out in order to assert that meaning,” said Lifton, who concluded his presentation by returning to Nefina’s story. “There was a heroic struggle by this woman who sought to oppose the forces of destruction in her life. I don’t think there could be a better moral principle in which to base our world.”

Following Balakian and Lifton’s presentations, Hirsch posed follow-up questions, including why Nafina “chose a legal claim, not to seek repair but to voice the wrong and to commemorate the dead.”

“It’s a stay against being expunged or annihilated,” said Balakian, who remarked that nothing came of the claim and that the document remained in a dresser drawer for 60 years until he found it. “In cases of mass killings and genocides, the survivors end up taking the ethical role, and family is essential. This claim has a graveyard dimension to it.”

Nafina experienced the catastrophe and retold the story through the means of her legal claim, Lifton said. “What is unsuccessful in a legal sense starts legal ramifications of the witness, and there’s something moving about that.”

He noted that calamities like the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and the Armenian Genocide annihilate meaning along with human beings and structures.

“As human beings, we are meaning-hungry creatures,” said Lifton. “That’s why the struggle for meaning is so difficult and poignant and painful. But it always goes on because that’s how we function mentally. We must recreate all that we perceive.”

By Khajag Zeitlian

NEW YORK—The annual Musical Armenia concert will take place this year on Fri., March 28, at 8 p.m., in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. Presented by the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and the Prelacy Ladies’ Guild, the concert will feature clarinetist Narek Arutyunian, accompanied by pianist Yunqing Zhou and violinist Hahnsol Kim. Arutyunian and Zhou are members of the Young Concert Artists organization, and all three talented musicians have performed on American and international stages.

Arutyunian

Born in 1992 in Gyumri, Armenia, Narek Arutyunian’s family moved to Moscow when he was three. He graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory where he trained with Evgeny Petrov. By the age of 16, he had already won first prizes in the International Young Musicians Competition in Prague and the Musical Youth of the Planet Competition in Moscow.

Arutyunian has performed extensively in the United States, Australia, Asia, and Europe, where he has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kaliningrad Philharmonic, Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. Arutyunian’s festival appearances include the 2013 Young Concert Artists Festivals in Tokyo, Japan, and Beijing, China.

He has also appeared with the Meridian Symphony, Albany Symphony, and Longwood Symphony. As a winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Arutyunian was presented in YCA’s Rhoda Walker Teagle New York debut concert at Merkin Hall and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to rave reviews. His clarinet is a personal gift from the conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov. He receives general support for his career from the Guzik Foundation in California.

Kim

Yunqing Zhou began his piano studies at the age of seven. He came to the U.S. at 19 to study at the Curtis Institute of Music with Robert McDonald and Gary Graffman. A native of Shenyang, China, the 24-year-old pianist (whose first name means “pure melodic sound”) was a winner of the 2013 Young Concert Artists Auditions. He will make his New York recital debut next season at Merkin Hall, and his Washington, D.C. debut at the Kennedy Center. He won first prize in the 2013 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, which brought him a full scholarship and an appearance on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase with Robert Sherman. Zhou has also won top prizes in the Gulangyu Piano Competition in Xiamen and at the China International Piano Competition, the Cleveland Piano Competition, and the Busoni Piano Competition in Italy. Zhou was awarded YCA’s Slomovic Prize, which provides support for his Kennedy Center debut next season, the John Browning Memorial Prize, and the Ruth Laredo Memorial Award. He has also received seven performance prizes.

Born in New York in 1992, violinist Hahnsol Kim began his studies at the age of five. He graduated from Yewon School in Korea in 2008 and from Seoul Arts High School in 2011. Kim won first prize at the Osaka International Music Competition in 2007, sixth prize at the International Violin Competition Sion Valais in 2009, and third prize at Dong-A Music Competition in 2010. He has performed all over the world, including Germany and the U.S. In December 2013, Kim won the DreamArts Showcase, a young artist competition. He is currently a student at the Juilliard School with Hyo Kang, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music.

Zhou

As winners of so many prestigious awards and accolades, these three musicians are expected to thrill the audience at Weill Recital Hall with their talent and mastery of a program that includes selections by Weinberg, Saint-Saëns, Arutiunian, and Khachaturian. Tickets for the concert are $25 and may be purchased at the Carnegie Hall Box Office or by calling the Prelacy at (212) 689-7810.

By Arevig Caprielian

Sos Sargsyan was one of the most beloved and appreciated stars of stage and screen both within and outside of Armenia. It was, therefore, most appropriate for the New York Chapter of Hamazkayin to organize a program in his memory, and to pay tribute to the extraordinary Armenian that he was. On Fri., Jan. 31, fellow Armenians gathered at the Armenian Center in Woodside to attend the program, dedicated to this prominent artist, great patriot, and civic leader.

On Fri., Jan. 31, fellow Armenians gathered at the Armenian Center in Woodside to attend the program, dedicated Sos Sargsyan.

Asdghig Sevag, the vice-chairperson of the chapter, gave opening remarks and invited Dr. Ara Caprielian to introduce the keynote speaker, Karine Kocharian, an actress and the executive producer of Voice of Armenians TV (www.voiceofarmenians.com).

The presentation began with the screening of an informative video prepared by Kocharian. The excellent montage of various interviews with Sos Sargsyan revealed his views, beliefs, raison d’être, and philosophical perceptions of life. It also highlighted his notable artistic career and, most importantly, gave the audience an opportunity to see and hear the beloved actor impart his stand on significant national issues.

The video was followed by Kocharian’s oral presentation, consisting of four parts: Sargsyan as an actor; as a person; as a patriot; and as a political activist. Having shared the stage with Sargsyan at the Sundukian Theater, Kocharian had a panoply of personal memories and first-hand experiences to share with the audience. Sargsyan’s multifaceted persona as an artist, concerned Armenian, loyal and honest friend, and dedicated member of the ARF emerged through the oral and video presentations.

It was interesting to hear Sargsyan’s commentary on the shortcomings in contemporary Armenia, his dismay at the less than stellar quality of television programs currently offered to the public, as well as his sharp criticism of the sub-standard colloquial language. Most of all, it was instructional and gratifying to see how Sargsyan endeavored to instill in the young generation patriotism and loving respect for our language. The presentation elicited a strong round of applause.

After the closing remarks, Sevag thanked Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, for his unwavering support of Hamazkayin’s activities. She also acknowledged the presence of Dr. Dikran Kazanjian, chairman of the Regional Executive of Hamazkayin, who made the visit from Washington, D.C.

All those present lingered long after the program ended, enjoying one another’s company, and the scrumptious desserts.

High school and college students are invited to participate in an essay contest to actively support the the Armenian Genocide commemoration that will be held on Sun., April 27 in Times Square (46^th St./Broadway), from 2-4 p.m. Co-sponsors of the contest include the Knights & Daughters of Vartan, an international Armenian fraternal organization with headquarters in the U.S., and Facing History and Ourselves, an international educational and professional development organization.

One winner and two runner-ups will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges. The first place winner will receive $300; second place runner-up will receive $200; and third place runner-up will receive $100. The winners will be recognized at the Times Square commemoration on April 27 and, depending on time constraints, may read their essays.

The question to answer in this year’s essay is: “On the threshold of the 100^th anniversary, how should the world recognize the Armenian Genocide?”

The essay should be 800 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point Arial type, and must include the student’s full name and age, teacher’s full name and subject area, name of high school or college, year in school, hometown and state, phone number, and email address at the top of each page of the essay. The deadline to submit essays is Mon., March 31, 2014, to Taleen Babayan via e-mail at april24nyc@gmail.com.

The three winners will be contacted directly and announced to the mainstream and Armenian media during the week of April 8.

About the Times Square commemoration

Founded in 1985 by the late Sam Azadian, a former Brooklyn, N.Y. resident who lost four siblings during the genocide, the Armenian Genocide Commemoration at Times Square has honored the 1.5 million Armenian lives lost during the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire. This annual event draws thousands of Armenian and non-Armenian participants to commemorate the solemn occasion. The event features speeches and tributes delivered by prominent political figures and civic leaders, officials of the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, representatives of major Armenian-American organizations, distinguished scholars and educators, as well as high-ranking Armenian and non-Armenian clergy.

NEW YORK (A.W.)—The ARS Youth Connect Program (YCP), featuring a powerful lineup of speakers and dynamic discussions, be held at NYU on March 1.

The full-day program for university students 18-25 years old, includes discussion sessions on Armenian-American experiences, the social and economic challenges facing Armenia, and Islamized Armenians.

The ARS Youth Connect Program will be held at NYU on March 1.

The morning panel on Armenian-American experiences features novelist Nancy Kricorian, filmmaker Talin Avakian, and journalist Raffi Khatchadourian (The New Yorker).

The afternoon panel tackling challenges facing Armenia features three speakers with extensive experience and involvement in Armenia: Armenian Weekly columnist and organization development advisor to the Center for Victims of Torture Kristi Rendahl, Counterpoint International vice president of programs Alex Sardar, and ARF Eastern US Central Committee member and Tufenkian Foundation executive director Antranig Kasbarian.

The program also features a discussion on Islamized Armenians and identity with Khatchig Mouradian, this year’s ARS Youth Connect Program director.

The program will be held on Saturday, March 1, from 10a.m.-5p.m. at New York University’s Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, Room 461. A dinner will follow the program.

Registration is required. A $25 registration fee includes meals and the evening dinner. Overnight accommodation will be offered for out of town students. To register, click here.

For more information, contact the ARS of Eastern USA office at (617) 926-3801, e-mail arseastus@gmail.com, or go to the program’s Facebook event page.

Talin Avakian is an award-winning young filmmaker who has produced, shot, and directed several of her own films. Her most recent film, Demi Pointe, won the Indie Soul Best Picture Award at the 2013 Boston International Film Festival (BIFF). Avakian holds a bachelor’s degree in Film and Video from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She resides in Worcester County, and works full time as a Videographer and Editor at an Advertising Agency.

Antranig Kasbarian works professionally as Executive Director for the New York-based Tufenkian Foundation. His work focuses on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh, involving small business development, social and economic recovery, and the resettlement of strategic border areas. He holds a PhD in Geography from Rutgers University, where his doctoral dissertation dealt with the geography of nationalism during the 1988-1994 war in Karabagh. He is a former editor of The Armenian Weekly, and currently serves on the Central Committee of the ARF Eastern United States.

Raffi Khatchadourian became a staff writer at The New Yorker in 2008. His first piece for the magazine, a Profile of Adam Gadahn, an American who joined Al Qaeda, was published the year before, under the title “Azzam the American,” and was later nominated for a National Magazine Award in profile writing. Khatchadourian has also written for the Village Voice, The Nation, and the New York Times, among other publications. In 2005, he was a journalism fellow at the International Reporting Project, which is based at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, in Washington, D.C.

Nancy Kricorian is a writer, essayist, and activist who lives in New York City. She is the author of three novels: Zabelle (1997), Dreams of Bread and Fire (2003) and, most recently, All the Light There Was (2013).

Khatchig Mouradian is the Editor of the Armenian Weekly and the Coordinator of the Armenian Genocide Program at the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights at Rutgers University. He teaches history and political science at Rutgers University and Worcester State University as adjunct professor. Mouradian is a PhD Candidate in Genocide Studies at Clark University, where he is currently writing his dissertation on the second phase of the Armenian Genocide.

Originally from a family farm in North Dakota, Kristi Rendahl lived and worked in Armenia from 1997-2002 and visits the country regularly. She works with the Center for Victims of Torture as the organizational development advisor to 10 torture treatment centers around the world, and is pursuing a doctorate in public administration. Rendahl writes a monthly column for The Armenian Weekly.

Alex Sardar is an ardent advocate for the voice of citizen activists and leaders as they collaborate to find real solutions for real challenges across the globe. As Vice President of Programs at Counterpart International he currently leads the organization’s $60 million programs portfolio in more than 20 countries, partnering with 3,400 organizations to deliver services to 1.8 million people. Alex spent more than a decade living and working in Armenia on citizen engagement and civil society support initiatives. He’s done similar work in Central Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

NEWARK, N.J.—A new course examining the “Sociology and History of Concentration Camps” is being offered at Rutgers University this spring by Armenian Weekly Editor and Ph.D. candidate Khatchig Mouradian.

The course traces the evolution of the concentration camp from a counter-insurgency strategy in wartime to a weapon of mass murder. Cases being studied include the Spanish-Cuban War, the Second Anglo-Boer War, the Philippines-American War, the Armenian Genocide, and the Holocaust.

“The course provides an overview of the history of the concentration camp as a means to control, suppress, and destroy populations,” explained Mouradian. “We look at the historical context, the decision-making process, and the interaction between central and local authorities, yet we focus on the agency of the victims and survival in the camps, with particular attention to power dynamics, race, gender, and class.”

The course, as well as a series of lectures and events, are being sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Program of the university’s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights (CGHR) in collaboration with the Genocide Education Project–Higher Education Division (GenEd-HigherEd).

CGHR promotes research and scholarship on issues including genocide, conflict resolution, sustainability, justice, global health, and human rights. In the few years since its inception, CGHR has already sponsored numerous courses, lectures, conferences, and cultural activities directed at its mission “to enhance our understanding of and find solutions to the most pressing 21^st-century challenges related to peace and conflict.”

CGHR has also hosted several programs through its Armenian Genocide Program. Mouradian has been the coordinator since 2011 and also teaches a course in conflict resolution at Worcester State University as adjunct professor. His Ph.D. dissertation at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University examines the second phase of the Armenian Genocide.

The Genocide Education Project is a non-profit organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources, and organizing educational workshops. It seeks to broaden the general understanding of the Armenian Genocide in the context of the history of World War I and as a predecessor of the pattern of genocides that followed. GenEd-HigherEd is focused on facilitating courses and other programming at colleges and universities.

James Sahagian, the director of GenEd-HigherEd, has worked closely with the Rutgers CGHR to establish the course on concentration camps. “We are pleased to offer students a course that introduces key aspects of the Armenian Genocide in relation to other genocides and historical conflicts. We look forward to increasing our collaboration with CGHR in the future.”

For more information on this course and the Armenian Genocide Program at Rutgers, call (201) 739-0901, e-mail highered@GenocideEducation.org, or visit www.GenocideEducation.org.

NEW YORK—The Rated “SR” Socially Relevant Film Festival New York, a new non-profit film festival that will run March 14-20 at New York’s Quad Cinema, will feature a total of six films and documentaries that revolve around Armenian-themed issues. Founded by award-winning actor, filmmaker, and curator Nora Armani, the festival will showcase films with human interest stories and socially relevant themes as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling.

From ‘If Only Everyone’

Feature films include “If Only Everyone,” a narrative by Natalia Belyauskene that focuses on a young woman’s search for her the grave of her father, who perished in the Karabagh War, and “Orphans of the Genocide,” a documentary by Bared Maronian that takes the viewer on an emotional visual journey through never-before-seen archival footage and memoirs of orphans.

The hour-long documentary by Lucine Sahakyan, “Hamshen Community at the Crossroads of Past and Present,” traces the past and present lives of today’s Hamshen Armenians. The short “Bavakan” by Adrineh Gregorian, which reports on sex-selective abortions in Armenia, will also be screened. Two other Armenian-centric films include “Armenian Activists Now!” by Robert Davidian, a documentary about the current socio-political climate in Armenia, and “Later than Usual,” a narrative short by David Hovan. Each of these films sheds light on significant historical events in Armenia’s past or controversial issues the country faces today.

‘Orphans of the Genocide’

“‘Orphans of the Genocide’ deals with a tragic Armenian experience, but in many ways these experiences were of universal proportions,” says Maronian, whose inspiration for the film came from an article by Robert Fisk titled “Living Proof of the Armenian Genocide.” He adds, “After all, children of all genocides went through the same horrific experiences that scarred them for life. Orphans of the Rwandan Genocide, orphans of the Holocaust, and orphans of the Armenian Genocide were left parentless and were subjected to all imaginable human indignities.”

Director Lusine Sahakyan’s research on the Hamshen Armenians, who were forcibly Islamicized over centuries, took her to Hamshenian territories where she filmed their way of life, and recorded events and conversations. “Both sorrowful and inspiring feelings accompanied me incessantly when I walked in the almost inaccessible pastures and villages, hidden in the dense woodlands of Rize, Ardvin, and Erzrum provinces,” says Sahakyan, whose film won the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award at the ARPA International Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2012. “It is painful to see people, estranged from their roots, their history, and national identity.” Sahakyan notes, however, that today’s Hamshenians have been able to retain their local ethnographic identity within a Turkish atmosphere.

The tragedies resulting from the Karabagh War will also be felt through Belyauskene’s “If Only Everyone,” which was produced by Michael Pogosian, who also starred in the film. “War, on either side, has suffering and death, and my main aim was to capture the fact that people anywhere experience the same feelings when it happens,” says Belyauskene. “If Only Everyone tells the story of a young woman who goes to Armenia to plant a shrub where her father was killed in combat. “We wanted our movie to make the beautiful land of Karabagh a more peaceful place after all the years since this terrible conflict.”

Over 40 narrative and documentary films will screen, including 10 feature films that will compete for the Grand Prize—a week-long theatrical engagement at the Quad Cinema, courtesy of the QuadFlix Select Program—and 8 documentaries that will compete for the documentary prize. The winner will receive a VOD DVD distribution deal courtesy of Cinema Libre Studio, a leader in the distribution of social issue documentaries and independent feature films.

“I am delighted that my film, ‘Orphans of the Genocide,’ is a part of the official selection of the Rated SR film festival,” says Maronian. “I believe that Rated SR is that crucial missing link needed to complete the circle of the many film festivals fulfilling their missions. Rated SR, however, has the most noble mission of all, which is promoting socially relevant films.”

Packages and discounted ticket options, including weekend and week passes, are now on sale at www.ratedsrfilms.org. Individual tickets can be purchased through the Quad Cinema by visiting www.quadcinema.com or by calling (212) 255-2243.

For more information, visit www.ratedsrfilms.org.

Protesters Call for Justice for Gurgen Margaryan and All Victims of Azerbaijani Aggression

WASHINGTON—Braving sub-freezing temperatures, Greater Washington area Armenian-Americans honored the memory of the victims of Azerbaijani aggression and pledged ongoing solidarity with the freedom-loving people of Artsakh, at a February 28th protest held in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy.

AYF and Greater Washington Armenian Community Protest Sumgait / Baku Pogroms

The demonstration, organized by the Washington Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Ani Chapter and St. Mary’s Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO), coincided with the 26th anniversary of the Azerbaijani pogroms against the Armenian population of Sumgait, which set the stage for attacks in Baku in 1990 and a cycle of anti-Armenian violence that continues to this day.

The demonstrators called special attention to the brutal axe-murder of Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, as the nation marks the 10th anniversary of his slaying by convicted Azerbaijani soldier Lt. Ramil Safarov. In a move that stunned the international community, Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev pardoned, promoted and praised Safarov upon extradition to his homeland in 2012. The AYF global social media awareness campaign last week, #Justice4Margaryan, called attention to this travesty, attracting the participation of thousands, including U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

“Today, we gather at the Azerbaijani Embassy to remember those who perished in the Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku massacres between 1988-1990,” explained AYF Ani Chapter Chairman Hagop Simonian. “If we do not remember and spread awareness of these atrocities, events such as the axe-murder of Lt. Gurgen Margaryan and the recent killing of Jr. Sergeant Armen Hovhannisyan will continue to occur again and again. Sadly, the dictatorial Aliyev regime celebrates the deaths of these Armenian deaths, and rewards their murderers. We, as Armenian-Americans, must use our first amendment right to educate the world of these crimes.”

AYF and Greater Washington Armenian Community Protest Pogroms

A small group of Azerbaijani counter-protesters jeered as St. Mary’s Armenian Church pastor, Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan led Armenian community members in prayer in memory of those who perished in the Azerbaijani pogroms. Police were forced to escort one Azerbaijani provocateur, after he approached Armenian protesters and struck one with a sign. Many of the Azerbaijani protesters were making the iconic “Grey Wolf” sign, signaling solidarity with the Turkish ultra-nationalist and neo-fascist youth organization accused of political killings.

Photos from the protest can be viewed on the AYF Ani Chapter Facebook page.

By Arevig Caprielian

For once, I really don’t mind the passage of time. How delightful it is that already two years have passed since the day the inaugural readings by contemporary Armenian authors took place at the Armenian Center in Queens, N.Y. At the time, there were trepidations and hope that the event would earn the respectable annual title. There was much pride as well for the idea and the fact that four writers—all women to boot—read their works with admirable generosity toward the audience. No covert glances at their watches, no acceleration of the speed of reading… Just a marvelous disposition and honest sharing of their works, that is to say their thoughts and feelings with the audience. Here is an opportunity to thank again, Nora Armani, Lucine Kasbarian, Lola Koundakjian, and especially Aida Zilelian-Silak, who offered her invaluable assistance in the subsequent literary events.

The Third Annual Readings, organized by the New York chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, took place on Feb. 22 at the cafe Waltz in Astoria, N.Y.

Two now evidently short years later, the Third Annual Readings, organized by the New York chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, took place on Feb. 22 at the cafe Waltz in Astoria, N.Y. The participants were Maryam Dilakian, Aaron Poochigian, Meline Toumani, and Aida Zilelian-Silak. Almost nothing ever goes as planned, and because “life happened” to multitalented Arto Vaun, he could not be with us, as it was planned. We are sorry about his absence, yet are looking forward to enjoying his presence next year.

The opening remarks on behalf of Hamazkayin of New York were made by Dr. Ara Caprielian, one of the founding members of the New York chapter. In his brief outline of Hamazkayin’s origin and history, he stated: “The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society is a major organization of the Armenian Diaspora, with a presence in every significant Armenian community worldwide. In addition to organizing cultural events, the Hamazkayin runs schools, publishes books through its printing press, maintains bookstores, publishes a literary magazine, ‘Pakine,’ and organizes the Hamazkayin Forum in Armenia. It was founded on May 28, 1928, in Cairo, Egypt by a group of nine Armenian intellectuals, including the writer and educator Levon Shant; historian, critic, and the first Minister of Education of Armenia, Nigol Aghbalian; former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Dr. Hamo Ohanjanian; and stage director and art critic Kaspar Ipekian.”

Caprielian evoked Hamazkayin’s mission statement: “To nurture and safeguard the Armenian language, ethnic identity, traditions and intellectual legacy. To promote cultural values and share them with other communities in the United States and throughout the world.” He added that acknowledging Armenian writers who happen to write in English and introducing them to the Armenian community at large is very much within the sphere of responsibilities of Hamazkayin. He then introduced the master of ceremonies and one of the organizers of the evening, Zilelian-Silak.

Zilelian is a New York writer whose stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, such as Wilderness House Literary Review, The Writer’s Block, Ararat Magazine, and Theurgy (UK). She is the curator of the Boundless Tales reading series in Astoria. In 2011, her first novel, The Hollowing Moon, was one of four semi-finalists of the Anderbo Novel Contest. The sequel, The Legacy of Lost Things, was recently accepted for publication and is slotted for release in July 2014 (Bleeding Hearts Publication).

The first reader was poet Aaron Poochigian, whose pensive and soulful poems captured the audience. Poochigian earned a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Minnesota in 2006 and now writes poetry full-time “in a state of non-romantic poverty,” in his own words. His book of translations from Sappho, Stung with Love, was published by Penguin Classics in 2009 (with a preface by UK Poet laureate Carol Anne Duffy). Penguin will publish his translation of the Greek epic Jason and the Argonauts later this year. For his work in translation he was awarded a 2010-11 Grant in Translation by the National Endowment for the Arts. His first book of original poetry, The Cosmic Purr (Able Muse Press), was published in March 2012, and several of the poems in it collectively won the New England Poetry Club’s Daniel Varoujan Prize. His work has appeared in the Financial Times, Poems Out Loud and Poetry periodicals.

The second reader was Yerevan-born Maryam Dilakian. She received a master of international affairs degree at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, focusing on international security policy and the domestic and foreign policies of post-Soviet states. She worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She helped shape democratic development programs for Armenia, and worked with civic advocacy and election-monitoring organizations in Central Asia, the Balkans, and Africa. True to her upbringing in a humanitarian family and her natural inclinations, Dilakian left the international political arena and joined the New York City Teaching Fellows program. She holds a master of science in education degree from the City College of New York, and is now in her seventh year as an English teacher for immigrant students. Her prose is gripping, emotionally charged, and often autobiographical. Her next book, Meet Me in 412: Diaries of a New York City Teacher, will be completed by the end of this year.

After a short intermission, Meline Toumani took the stage. Toumani’s name and writing are familiar to those Armenians who follow her reportage. She has written on diverse topics, including foreign affairs, books, and music, for the New York Times Sunday Magazine and Culture pages, the Nation, n+1, Salon.com, the Boston Globe, GlobalPost, the National, and Travel & Leisure. Between 2003 and 2009, she spent much of her time working abroad, reporting from Armenia, Turkey, Russia, and Georgia, and was a journalism fellow in residence at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna in 2007. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with high honors in English and public policy, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Cultural Reporting and Criticism Program at New York University. Her first book, There Was and There Was Not: Turkey, the Armenians, and the Story of a Never-Ending History, will be published by Metropolitan Books in November 2014. Toumani’s style is professional, yet does not have that heartless-colorless and nowadays tiresomely common “journalistic” sterility. She tells the story in her own steady voice, and yet her “heartbeat” is also audible.

The fourth reader, Aida Zilelian-Silak is no stranger to the reading public. She has established herself as a serious writer, dedicated to her work. She is certainly a “raconteur” who can easily take you to the place she depicts, and make you walk with her willingly. Her astute observations and her subtle humor make her prose all the more enjoyable. For those who are not yet in the loop, her published works can be found at www.aidazilelian.com.

Members of the current executive committee, Asdghig Sevag (vice-chair), Berjouhie Yessayan, Hovhannes Yessayan, as well as Arevig Caprielian, a member of the New York chapter and the Eastern Regional Executive Committee of Hamazkayin, were in the audience.

The receptive audience and the forthcoming disposition of the readers created an uncommonly warm atmosphere, and everyone lingered long after the program, despite the cafe manager’s stern looks.

Get ready for next year’s reading, fellow Armenian Writer, because Hamazkayin of New York is determined to continue those annual events for as long as there are talented authors. Since there is multi-millennial evidence that Armenians never suffered from a lack of brilliant writers, this annual event might go on indefinitely.

NEW YORK—The Armenian Bar Association will hold its 25^th Annual Meeting in New York City from May 30 to June 1. The meeting will feature a variety of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) panels and a special Friday evening reception and Saturday luncheon. The annual meeting of the Armenian Bar Association, which includes lawyers of Armenian origin throughout the United States, Canada, and worldwide, will bring together practitioners from a variety of backgrounds to discuss issues of mutual interest and to select leadership for the upcoming year.

“We are excited to feature a top-notch lineup of speakers for this historic assembly of the Armenian Bar Association, celebrating our 25 years as an organization dedicated to promoting the interests of the Armenian legal community,” said Garo Ghazarian, chairman of the Board of Governors. “We invite Armenian lawyers to make the time to attend this meeting and deepen their involvement with the important work of our Association.”

The meeting will include three CLE panels on Sat., May 31, including ethics in social media, to be presented by Stacy K. Marcus, a partner in the international law firm of Reed Smith. The session will review current developments in the law and regulations that apply to advertising and marketing and focus on the new world of digital technology, social media, and mobile marketing. Of the two anticipated CLE credits, one will be for ethics.
A second session will feature Mark L. Movsesian, Frederick A. Whitney Professor of Law and Director, Center for Law and Religion, St. John’s University School of Law, on the topic of “Human Rights Concerns of Mideast Christians.” Movsesian will discuss the human rights crisis for Mideast Christians today and relate it to the crisis faced by Armenian Christians in the 19^th century, when attempts at legal reform in the Ottoman Empire led to an anti-Christian backlash.

The third CLE session, “Ongoing Legal Efforts and Challenges to Preserve Armenian Antiquities and Cultural Property,” will be moderated by Mark A. Momjian, a prominent family lawyer and partner of Momjian Anderer, LLC, and include panelists Claire S. Kedeshian, assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of New York; Anahid M. Ugurlayan, senior staff attorney, National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus; and Yelena Ambartsumian, law clerk, Shaub, Ahumty, Citrin & Spratt LLP. The panel will cover international law conventions relating to the protection of cultural property, as well as federal and state laws and relevant case law on the recovery of antiquities.

The meeting will kick off with a cocktail reception on Fri., May 30, at the Tufenkian Artisan Carpet New York Showroom. The Board will hold its annual business meeting at the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations. The Saturday keynote luncheon, to be held at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, will feature Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, a leading global human rights research and advocacy group, to describe human rights issues of interest to the Armenian legal community.

The New York City Armenian Bar Association organizing committee is also organizing a tour of the Court of International Trade and a visit to downtown Manhattan to be held earlier on Friday.

“We promise to deliver a meeting with just the right balance of information, ideas, education and networking,” said Gary T. Moomjian, a New York based Board member of the Armenian Bar Association. “This event will be well worth the time of the many lawyers that we expect will be attending.”

Accommodations for the annual meeting will be at the Roosevelt Hotel, where the organization has negotiated a special rate of $249 per night for bookings by May 15, with reference to the Armenian Bar Conference special rate. To reserve, call (888) 833-3969 or visit https://www.reservations-page.com/C00268/H01416/be.ashx?pc=CAR.

Special for the Armenian Weekly

The Armenian Relief Society’s (ARS) 2014 Youth Connect Program at New York University took place in front of a packed room on Sat., March 1. Divided into a morning and afternoon panel, with a keynote speaker in between, the program drew roughly 60 college students of Armenian descent, some traveling from as far as Michigan to attend.

A group photo of some of the participants and speakers. (Photo by Knar Bedian)

After an introduction from Silva Bedian of the ARS Eastern USA Board, the program was handed over to its director, Khatchig Mouradian, editor of the Armenian Weekly.

The morning panel was comprised of Talin Avakian, Raffi Khatchadourian, and Nancy Kricorian. Avakian, the first presenter, is a young filmmaker in the Boston area and a recent graduate of MassArt, who currently works as a videographer and editor at an ad agency. She screened an excerpt from her short film, “Demi Pointe,” which won the 2013 Boston International Film Festival’s “Indie Soul Best Picture Award.”

Following the screening, Avakian’s presentation centered on her experience growing up multiracial. She acknowledged the complications of growing up with a complex Armenian, African-American, and Native-American identity, but described it as “a great blessing.” She has maintained her ties to all three communities throughout her life, stating, “It’s no coincidence that I was born into three groups of oppressed people.” All aspects of her heritage influence her art, and her goal is to help all three groups through her passion for art and storytelling. Avakian’s stories focus particularly on themes of adolescence and youth psychology, and “Demi Pointe” is filmed from the point of view of a young girl. She explained how the “honest, vulnerable, curious” outlook of children informs their sense of reality and provides storylines and perspectives otherwise inaccessible to adults; her work aims to reconnect people with this side of themselves.

Nancy Kricorian during her presentation (Photo by Knar Bedian)

Raffi Khatchadourian, a journalist at The New Yorker, also began his career fascinated by art. A native of New York, he received a Watson Fellowship to study manuscript painting in Armenia as part of his art studies. Along the way, his interest in journalism grew, and he started at the New Yorker as a fact checker 10 years ago. In 2007, he published his first article, a profile of Adam Gadahn, an American who joined al Qaeda. The piece was later nominated for a National Magazine Award in profile writing. “Journalism is ultimately about dealing with unanswered questions,” Khatchadourian explained, and this has led him on many quests for answers, including living with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for two weeks in Iceland.

Journalism, Khatchadourian said, requires commitment, dedication, and a strong sense of right and wrong, as well as the confidence to challenge and test one’s convictions. While journalism suffers today from financial constraints and uncertainties about what form its future may take, Khatchadourian notes that it remains meritocratic, and offers many opportunities in its new forms.

The final presenter in the morning panel was novelist Nancy Kricorian, author of Zabelle, Dreams of Bread and Fire, and All the Light There Was. Having grown up in Watertown, Mass., as the granddaughter of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, Kricorian’s works focus on a central question: How do people maintain their humanity in brutal conflicts? A life-long activist (ever since she joined an anti-vivisection society in the third grade) she has dedicated much of her time to peace activism with CODEPINK Women for Peace, and has also campaigned vigorously against Israel’s violations of international law. Most of the boycotts Kricorian has orchestrated have focused on Israeli companies such as SodaStream and Ahava, which source and produce their goods on occupied Palestinian territory. One of her recent campaigns focused on Scarlett Johansson’s choice to sever her ties with international charity Oxfam in order to remain a brand ambassador for SodaStream, whose factories are located in settlements that are considered in violation of international law. Kricorian’s work with such controversial issues sometimes has had unexpected results, such as when she briefly ended up on a Maryland list of “known terrorists” by mistake, through a misguided and discontinued intelligence-gathering program that was found to have been infiltrating peaceful organizations and arbitrarily designating their members as terrorists.

The afternoon panel (Photo by Knar Bedian)

After the morning panel, Mouradian delivered a keynote presentation about Islamized Armenians. A demographic whose existence has long been unacknowledged, Islamized Armenians were usually women and children who were forcibly converted to Islam when they were taken into Turkish, Kurdish, and Bedouin families during the Armenian Genocide. Forced to abandon their culture, language, and religion, many kept their Armenian identities a secret for decades, even generations, but this is beginning to change, especially in the wake of high-profile cases such as that of Sabiha Gokcen. The adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Gokcen was an orphan of the Armenian Genocide. Long revered as Turkey’s first female fighter pilot, Hrant Dink’s 2004 article in the newspaper Agos publicized her Armenian heritage and caused massive uproar in Turkish society. In the wake of Dink’s assassination, many people, including his attorney, Fethiye Cetin, began to examine their family histories and discovered that members of their own families had been “hidden Armenians.”

“Our understanding of ‘survivor’ is limited to our own grandparents,” said Mouradian, “[but] the only difference in [Islamized Armenians’] case is just chance.” Many of these Islamized Armenians were told that no other Armenians had survived the genocide in an effort to cement their isolation. Many live today in the very same villages in which their entire communities were massacred.”

The afternoon panel consisted of Alex Sardar, Kristi Rendahl, and Antranig Kasbarian. Sardar, the vice president of programs at Counterpart International, spoke first, focusing on his experiences living in Armenia for more than a decade and working on issues of citizen engagement. In Armenia, he said, “We don’t know who should be doing what, or how…we lack institutions.” The country’s lack of any collective or institutional memory of self-governance has made the establishment of such institutions very challenging. The government is personality driven, and leaders stay in power by convincing constituents that only they can protect them—what Sardar terms the “under siege mentality,” that allows leaders to create a sense of legitimacy through crisis. Compounding the problem is an impotent media sector and a disengaged citizenry that does not feel secure in their own nation. At the same time, he said, Armenia faces the “most dangerous” kind of emigration: the emerging middle class leaving the country in droves for a more secure future elsewhere.

The second afternoon panelist was Kristi Rendahl, an expert in the non-profit sector who worked in Armenia from 1997-2002. She currently works with the Center for Victims of Torture as an organizational development advisor, and is a monthly columnist for the Armenian Weekly. Rendahl, who was raised on a farm in North Dakota, originally visited Armenia with the Peace Corps, but stayed on for several years and founded the Armenian chapter of Habitat for Humanity. One of the biggest challenges facing Armenian society, according to Rendahl, is the lack of a functioning civil society. The very concept of non-profit work, she explained, is foreign to many Armenians. The Soviet legacy of mandatory volunteerism has clouded many Armenians’ understanding of what voluntary engagement looks like, and has diminished their sense of ownership of their communities and depleted social capital. Rendahl also cautions against bringing American assumptions to work in Armenia; one has to be ready to view issues through a new lens, and to know when to speak and when to listen. And ultimately, she advises, one must be accepting of incremental change.

The morning panel

The final presenter of the program was Antranig Kasbarian, the executive director of the Tufenkian Foundation, whose work focuses on issues of social and economic development in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh. A former editor of the Armenian Weekly, Kasbarian also serves on the Central Committee of the ARF Eastern USA. Growing up in what he termed the “bubble” of the diaspora, involvement in Armenian affairs was divided into three spheres: cultural preservation, genocide recognition, and the push for an independent Armenia. Now that an independent Armenia does exist, a whole new set of challenges has presented itself, but these challenges have also vastly broadened the ways in which one can become involved with the country, and its culture and society. The important part, he stressed, is finding meaningful and sustainable forms of engagement.

This engagement forces many in the diaspora to shed the misconceptions they grew up with, such as the ideal of the “perfect Armenians,” or the myth of eventual total repatriation. What is important today, he said, is to progress beyond the Soviet-era expectation of top-down change, to grassroots movements that begin with citizens. This, he noted, is already beginning to emerge. One of its accompanying challenges is to learn how to resist co-opted nationalism, the leadership’s favorite stick with which to beat dissenting elements in Armenian society. Activists, Kasbarian advised, must trump the nationalist credentials of their fasco-nationalist detractors. One is no less Armenian for advocating for change, engagement, accountability, or human rights.

The student audience had a chance to interact with the panelists in the discussion sessions that followed the presentations and during the breaks. After the day’s closing remarks, the students and organizers attended dinner together for further discussion.

By Arpi Arukian, ‘92

BAYSIDE, N.Y.—For the tight-knit Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School (HMADS) community, 2014 marks a historic year. Its fundraising pillar, the Friends of HMADS committee, proudly celebrates 20 years of benevolent service to the school. Established in 1994, the all-volunteer group of HMADS supporters, led by former school board chairman Nurhan Adarian, set out to ensure the financial stability of their beloved institution. Little did they realize what an impact their ambition would have in the many years to follow.

The Friends of HMADS at the Gala Dinner Dance 2013

For those who are unfamiliar with Friends of HMADS, it is chaired by current school board treasurer Hovannes Malikyan and comprised of a dedicated group of supporters, including board members, current and former parents, and alumni. The committee’s mission is to raise funds, consequently contributing to the economic growth of the school. Thanks to the efforts of Friends, the Day School is able to maintain an affordable tuition, making it possible for Armenian families to take advantage of this superior learning institution. Year after year, the committee provides HMADS with a balanced budget and financial dependability. The committee meets twice a month at the school to create, discuss, and plan social and cultural events that will also benefit the Armenian community as a whole.

Throughout its 20-year history, Friends of HMADS has proudly promoted Armenian performing arts groups, including Sayat Nova Music School from Yerevan and Navasart Dance Ensemble from France, as part of its fundraising efforts for the school. This past November, through the efforts of Malikyan and his wife, Ellza, the committee introduced the HMADS community to the art of Flamenco song and dance from southern Spain. Headed by world-renowned guitarist Pedro Cortes, an extremely talented Flamenco group mesmerized the packed church auditorium with their passionate performance.

Every fall, Friends of HMADS sponsors the Annual Telethon, one of its major fundraising events. Last year, Berj Haroutunian of Vital Transportation again offered use of his company office and equipment to telethon volunteers. Over the course of two evenings, the volunteers telephoned hundreds of local Armenian households to seek pledges to sustain their cherished school.

The spring season brings with it the most exciting Friends event of the school year, the annual Gala Dinner Dance, which this year will be commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the Friends committee. The event will take place on Sat., May 3, at Woodbury Country Club in Woodbury, Long Island. The evening’s festivities will commence at 7:30 p.m. with a lavish buffet and open bar, followed by a delicious multi-course dinner served at 9 p.m. Throughout the evening, musical entertainment will be provided by popular international singer Elie Berberian and his band.

Guests’ Gala Dinner Dance contribution of $130 will greatly support the efforts of the Friends committee and HMADS, and help future generations of Armenians preserve their rich culture and heritage. For more information about this highly anticipated event, or to find out how to become a part of the Friends of HMADS, call the school office at (718) 225-4826, Negdar Arukian at (718) 423-4813, Siragan Varolian at (718) 631-7131, or Arek Nisanyan at (718) 224-4736.

Five authors will be honored at the Anahid Literary Awards celebration on Friday evening, April 4, 2014 at Columbia University.

Hosted by the Armenian Center at Columbia University, recipients Arthur Nercessian, (Chinese Take-Out); Patricia Saraffian Ward, (The Bullet Collection), Michael Zadoorian, (Second Hand), Aris Janigian, (Blood-Vine), and Lydia Peele (Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing) will be honored for their significant contributions to Armenian culture and American literature.

Lydia Peelle

“The Anahid Award has been an occasion for the Armenian community to be self-aware, to take note of the works of literature that are being written now, to celebrate those works, and to affirm the horizons they open up for each writer and for the broader Armenian community and culture,” said Dr. Peter Balakian, who will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies.

The Anahid Award was founded in 1988 by an anonymous donor who wanted to honor emerging Armenian-American writers. The prize is given by the Armenian Center at Columbia University and comes with an award of $5,000. Since its founding, there have been more than a dozen winners in poetry, fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting, including Leslie Ayvasian, Peter Balakian, Eric Bogosian, Diana Der Hovanessian, Atom Egoyan, and Nancy Kricorian.

The celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Faculty House, Presidential Rooms 2 and 3, located at 64 Morningside Drive (at 116^th Street) on Columbia University’s campus. A reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres will follow the program. This event is free and open to the public.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In February, the Knights of Vartan Ani Lodge #21 and Daughters of Vartan Dikranouhi Otyag held two special events to mark the annual Vartanantz Day celebration. On Sun., Feb. 9, the Hamasdegh School at Soorp Khatch Armenian Church hosted the Knights and Daughters of Vartan for the first performance of a play on the historic Battle of Avarayr. The following Sunday, Feb. 16, the Shnorhali School at St. Mary Armenian Church hosted the second performance of the play. The Dikranouhi Otyag hosted the receptions at both churches and provided gifts for the school children.

The cast (top row, L-R): Richard Vann, Ara Avedisian, Jake Bournazian; (bottom row, L-R): David Bournazian, Seda Gelenian, Taniel Koushakjian.

“I was touched and delighted,” said St. Mary Parish Council member Sintia Petrosian-Gusmao. “I grew up watching the performances in the same St. Mary’s hall 25 years ago where I met my lifelong Armenian friends. Having the tradition continue and presented with elaborate detail was wonderful for our younger generation, and watching their eyes light up, knowing they learned an important part of Armenia’s history, is priceless. Hats off to all the performers for making it possible!”

The play featured Richard Vann as Persian King Hazgert II; Ani Lodge Commander Jake Bournazian as Prince Vassag of Syunik; Taniel Koushakjian as Armenian Army General Vartan Mamigonian; Ara Avedisian as Ghevont Yeretz; and Seda Gelenian as Shushanik Mamigonian, the Narrator. Around 200 people attended the performances, including the school children, who were excited to see one of their Armenian history book stories come to life.

Armenians frequently come to the public eye as victims: of genocide, an earthquake, and most recently, as refugees from Syria. Making a character like Vartan Mamigonian come alive on stage teaches people, especially the youth, that Armenians are not passive victims and that they have an enduring faith and culture. As Mamigonian says in the play, “Our religion is not like a garment that we might change according to the circumstances; it is part and parcel of our bones, our blood, and personality.”

Much of the dialogue was taken directly from historical chronicles from the 5^th and 6^th centuries. The narration was complemented with the projection of slides depicting historical scenes and locations. The story focuses on two feudal Armenian princes, Vartan and Vassag. In the first scene, they meet with King Hazgert II of Persia, who demands that Armenians renounce their faith and worship his fire god. Vartan heroically refuses, but Vassag urges cooperation with Persia. Later, we see Vassag turn traitor and join forces with the Persian King in his attack on Armenia. At the Battle of Avarayr—famous in Armenian history—the Armenian army, outnumbered three to one, was led into battle by Vartan. The night before the battle, he gives an encouraging speech to his men, and the soldiers are blessed by Ghevont Yerets. The battle is depicted in the play as a swordfight, and Vartan was enthusiastically cheered on by the school children at both performances. The play ends with a tableau of St. Vartan, the Yerets, and the traitor Vassag in chains, while the narrator explains the significance of the battle.

“The Knights of Vartan have a special role in educating each generation of Armenians about the courage and sacrifice of Christian Armenians who fought and died against overwhelming odds in the Battle of Avarayr so that today Armenians can worship and live as a free and independent people,” said Bournazian.

The performances were so successful that the Ani Lodge continues to enhance the production and dialogue and present it every year in celebration of Vartanantz Day, this being the second annual performance.

Umit Kurt

Ümit Kurt, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Clark University, will present a lecture entitled “The Emergence of the New Wealthy Class, 1915-1922: The Seizure of Armenian Property by Local Elites in Aintab,” on Thursday, April 10, 2014, at 7:45 p.m. at the St. Leon Armenian Church, Abajian Hall, 12-61 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, N.J. The lecture is jointly sponsored by AGBU Ararat, Armenian Network of America- Greater NY, Hye Doon: Armenian-American Support & Education Center, Knights of Vartan Bakradouny Lodge of NJ, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), NY Armenian Students Association, St. Leon Armenian Church, Tekeyan Cultural Association- Greater NY Chapter, and Tibrevank Alumni. A reception will follow the lecture.

The genocide and deportation of Aintab’s Armenians were carried out by local notables and provincial elites. These local actors prospered and became a new wealthy social class through the appropriation of Armenian property and wealth. By examining the carefully planned confiscation of Armenian property as an integral part of the genocide, Ümit Kurt sheds light on how the property of massacred and deported Armenians changed hands.

Ümit Kurt will also discuss the Abandoned Properties Laws that dealt with the administration of property “left behind” by Armenians. He argues that these laws are not only a structural element of the genocide in 1915, but today’s legal system in Turkey. As such, they could continue, to this very day, to preserve the rights of Armenians to their properties.

Ümit Kurt, a native of Aintab, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle East Technical University in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master’s from Sabancı University in the department of European Studies. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at Clark University and an instructor at Sabancı University. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including most recently Kanunların Ruhu: Emval-i Metruke Kanunlarında Soykırımın İzlerini Aramak (The Spirit of Laws: Seeking for the Traces of Armenian Genocide in the Laws of Abandoned Property, 2012), with Taner Akçam, an English-language translation of which is forthcoming. His main area of interest is confiscation of the Armenian properties and the role of local elites/notables in Aintab during the Armenian genocide.

For more information contact St. Leon Armenian Church at 201-791-2862.

NEW YORK—On April 19, Armenian pianist Kariné Poghosyan will perform “Firedance,” a solo program of works by Scarlatti, Liszt, Debussy, Albeniz, de Falla, Lecuona, and Ginastera.

Kariné Poghosyan (Photo: Jeffrey Langford)

Poghosyan made her orchestral debut at 14 playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1, and her solo Carnegie Hall debut at 23, and has since gone on to win numerous awards as well as perform in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

An avid musician who has been described as “extraordinary” and “larger than life,” Kariné Poghosyan has performed in recitals at Carnegie’s Well Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Steinway Hall, the Trinity Church Concerts at One series, the Beverly Hills Sundays at Two series, the Valley Committee for the LA Philharmonic, the Young Artists International Peninsula Festival, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival.

The event poster

Ms. Poghosyan has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras including the New West Symphony, Park Avenue Chamber Symphony Orchestra, Musica Bella Symphony Orchestra, the CSUN Symphony, and the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, whose music director Dr. Choe described her as “an audience magnet” and “a born performer.”

Ms. Poghosyan is the winner of the New West Symphony Discovery Artists Competition, the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, CSUN Symphony Concerto Competition, Artists International Auditions and was a top prize winner in the Los Angeles International Liszt Piano Competition, Five Towns Music and Arts Competition, and the Arno Babajanian Piano Competition.

The program will be held at Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95^th Street, New York, NY 10025 at 7:30p.m.

The post Pianist Kariné Poghosyan to Perform at Symphony Space appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

BETHESDA, Md.—On March 29, the Washington Satenig ARS Chapter hosted the annual ARS Eastern USA Regional Education Seminar at the Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church in Bethesda.

The participants in the seminar

The seminar, open to ARS members and friends of the ARS, began with welcoming remarks by Ani Attar, chairwoman of the ARS Eastern USA. Ungerouhi Ani recognized the recent attacks on Kessab and noted that immediately upon hearing the news, the ARS Eastern USA donated $10,000 in funds to the ARS chapter in Latakia to aid the refugees who fled there from Kessab.

Opening Prayers were then offered by Der Sarkis Aktavoukian of the Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church.

The first speaker, Elizabeth Chouldjian, communication director of the ANCA, spoke on the importance of public relations and the distribution of information regarding the humanitarian, fundraising and social service activities that the ARS Eastern USA is involved in. She requested that the ungerouhis take a moment to write down a list of activities that their chapter had carried out in the past 6 months. Elizabeth noted 22 citations in her recent review of publications on the ARS in the Armenian American press. Yet, the chapter representatives provided over 100 different activities.

She stressed that ARS publicity should not be limited to just the Armenian American press, stating that no newspaper, TV station, or radio station is too small to promote ARS activities and create good will in their communities.

The next speaker, Dan Stepanian-Bennett, shared how he had attended the ARS sponsored Summer Studies Program and how it had “opened his heart” to becoming more involved in the Armenian community.  Dan is a Digital Producer at MXM and Social Engagement strategist at New Media Strategies. During his talk, he encouraged the ARS as a brand, to include social media as a communication tool and described social media as a collection of virtual communities where groups and individual create share and exchange information and ideas.

An afternoon panel on effective leadership nationally and internationally was moderated by Sarig Armenian and included ungerouhi Valentine Berberian, ARS UN chair; ARS Eastern USA Regional Board member and Kate Nahapetian, government affairs director, ANCA.

Kate spoke about the ANCA’s reaction to the attack on Kessab from the Turkish border, and its sharing with the Obama Administration eyewitness accounts and geographic evidence.

She noted that the State Department went on to condemn the attack on Kessab, however, refused to address any possible association with Turkey.  She encouraged the ARS members present to contact their state representatives asking them to request that the State Department revise its statement on the attack on Kessab and Turkey’s involvement.

ungerouhi Valentine began by reading the ARS Mission Statement and followed by a definition of mission drift and expansion.  She encouraged ARS Chapters to be familiar with the mission statement and warned of the possible risks of drifting too far from it and used the ARS becoming and active NGO at the UN as a positive example of mission expansion.

Moderator Sarig Armenian asked the panelists to share some of their personal and professional challenges. Ungerouhi Valentine shared her personal experiences at the UN, particularly with issues on women and children and how she dealt with non-friendly countries during the reclassification of the ARS at the UN.

Kate commented on the challenge that both women and men experience attempting to balance work, home life and volunteering for a cause.

The program concluded with a question and answer session.

The post ARS Eastern USA Seminar: Effective Leadership Through Communication appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

WASHINGTON, DC—On March 25, 2014, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Satenig” chapter and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) “Sebouh” Gomideh hosted a town hall meeting with ARS Central Executive Board member Zepure Reisian from Aleppo, Syria, to update the community on the dire circumstances faced by the Armenians throughout Syria and to appeal to the Washington DC community for their continued support of the relief efforts.  The chairman of the Sebouh Gomideh, Alex Der Alexanian, welcomed the community and introduced Sevan Kolejian, vice president of the Eastern Region ARS to introduce the speaker, ARS Central Executive member, Zepure Reisian.

Ungerouhi Zepure E. Reisian and members of the ARS “Satenig” Chapter

Reisian spoke extensively about the Armenian community of Aleppo, and the conditions on the ground through the last three years. The community has endured extremely difficult circumstances including, scarce resources like water, food, medicine, gas, and electricity; skyrocketing prices of any goods available; and an overall sense of instability.  Schools have consolidated and are operating in tight quarters, hospitals closed and most doctors have left the country, and worst of all, the constant barrage of mortar attacks.

A scene from the event

Reisian talked about ARS’s long standing efforts to provide aid for the community. The ARS in the United States and Canada have stepped up and helped their brethren in Syria and continue to do so. Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, all Armenian organizations in Aleppo have come together to form the  Syrian Armenian Emergency Relief and Recovery Committee to collect and distribute aid to those in need within the community.  “Despite all the terrible things the people went through, the community survived. The help from the Diaspora was crucial for their survival,” she said.  Aleppo is an important diasporan community.  It received the Armenians directly after the Genocide and has been a center of Armenian culture and community.”

After Reisian concluded her remarks, the Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) Kate Nahapetian spoke about the political efforts being undertaken by the ANCA and urged everyone to sign up on the ANCA email list and take immediate action to petition President Barak Obama to stop Turkey’s aggression on the Armenian people of Kessab.  She also encouraged the community to give generously to the relief efforts, and invited community members to contact her in order to facilitate meetings with local members of Congress to voice their concerns.

After a brief question and answer session, the event came to a close with many Washington DC area community members having pledged their continued support to the efforts to help our Syrian Armenian brothers and sisters. Audience members opened their hearts and made generous contributions toward Syrian relief efforts.  The ARF and ARS of Washington DC would like to convey their gratitude to all community members who made generous pledges of support as well as to Aline Barsoumian for translating Reisian’s speech to English. If you would like to make a contribution, please visit the ARS website www.arseastusa.org and donate to the Fund for Syrian Relief.

The post Washington DC ARS and ARF Host Town Hall Meeting on Syrian Armenians with Guest Speaker Zepure Reisian appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

On a recent warm spring afternoon, Azniv Guiragossian sat quietly in a wheelchair between her daughter Arpi and son Shahen in the living room of the New York Armenian Home in Flushing, Queens. Dressed in a patterned blouse and a long black skirt, her tinsel-colored hair tied back in a braid, Azniv turned to her son and graced his cheek with her red painted nails as she whispered, “How lucky you are that you were raised by your mother.”

Azniv Guiragossian with her children Arpi Nardone and Shahen Guiragossian at the New York Armenian Home

Although the words, spoken in Armenian, were made as an impromptu remark from a mother to a son, that simple phrase portrayed the she still ache feels as a genocide survivor, a pain that has lasted almost a century.

Only one years old when she lost both of her parents, her father’s death resulting from the shock of a death sentence and her mother’s demise on the marches through Der Zor, Azniv was kidnapped by a Turkish family until her relatives were able to find her. Unable to care for her, however, they placed her and her sister in an orphanage in Aleppo, Syria.

“She never had her mother’s love,” said Arpi. “She was starving for her love.”

“She would always say how hungry and cold she was,” added Shahen.

Through an arranged marriage, Azniv married an Armenian choral director and teacher who later became a priest. Following a move to Beirut, the family of six settled in New York City in 1950.

“My life was very bad,” said Azniv, 99, who was born in Urfa. “I was on the streets. But I stayed strong.”

Perouz Kalousdian is another Armenian Genocide survivor who was robbed of a childhood. She saw the destruction of her family at a young age when Turkish soldiers tied the males in her family two by two and threw them into the Euphrates River.

“They took my family,” said Perouz, born in 1909 in Harput. “They separated us and took them away. I never saw them again.”

Perouz, six years old at the time, recalls being carried on her mother’s back during the death marches. Surviving the deportations, she and her mother reached Aleppo, where they stayed before leaving for the United States. There they reunited with her father, who had fled the genocide.

A third survivor who resides at the Armenian Home is Arsalos Dadir, who was born in 1913 in Shabin Karahisar. Her father and uncle were killed by the Young Turks, along with others in their village who were tied up and shot. She remembers seeing hundreds of bodies piled on top of one another. Her family lost all of their wealth and land, but was able to settle in Constantinople where Arsalos married and raised two children, moving to the U.S. later in life.

Armenian Genocide survivors Perouz Kalousdian and Azniv Guiragossian, holding copies of ‘The National Geographic Magazine on Armenia and Armenians 1915-1919,’ and Hasan Cemal’s book ‘1915: Armenian Genocide.’

The New York Armenian Home, founded by Sarah Sanossian in 1948, has long served as a residence for survivors of the Armenian Genocide. An Armenian-only, private, non-funded home for the elderly, led by Executive Director Aggie Ellian, it provides around-the-clock care for residents in a culturally rich setting. The Armenian Home is the annual setting for the Armenian Genocide Media Day, organized by the Knights of Vartan, where local Armenian and non-Armenian media interview and record survivors accounts and testimonies from the genocide.

The 99th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, will be held in Times Square (43rd St. and Broadway) on Sun., April 27, from 2-4 p.m.

The post Only a Handful of Survivors Left as 100th Anniversary Approaches appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

By Arpi Arukian

BAYSIDE, N.Y.—The Friends of HMADS Gala Dinner Dance Committee, under the leadership of Chairpersons Maro Jamgotchian and Arek Nisanyan, has been hard at work preparing for this year’s 20^th anniversary celebration. To ensure it will be the most successful gala to date, the event will feature the vocal styling of acclaimed Armenian artist Elie Berberian and his band. The Dinner Dance, which will be held on Sat., May 3, will introduce this exciting young artist to many in the community, while delighting his legion of already devoted fans.

Elie Berberian

Born in Lebanon, Elie Berberian began his vocal training in the Conservatoire National du Liban with Nona Manoyan. He continued his musical studies at McGill University in Montreal under the renowned Maestro Tenor Stefano Algieri, and earned a master’s degree in music and performance. Berberian made his professional stage debut in 2009 as Ruggero in “La Rondine” with Opera McGill. A year later, he captured the hearts of the Puccini-loving audience in his role as Rodolfo in “La Boheme.” Since his arrival in Canada, Berberian has worked with experienced such coaches as Stephano Algieri, Michael McMahon, Patrick Hansen, François Racine, Louise Pelletier, Julian Wachner, and Dana Nigrim.

Berberian’s singing repertoire includes songs and opera arias in English, German, French, and Italian languages. Aside from his success in the operatic field, he is also an accomplished Armenian artist. Advocating the richness of Armenian musical heritage has always been Berberian’s pride and joy. Over the years, he has performed in various countries, including Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, France, Australia, the United States, and throughout Canada, where he is now settled.

The Friends Committee invites the public to experience Elie Berberian’s vocal talents first-hand at the Woodbury Country Club, where the Dinner Dance will be held. This magnificent 18-acre estate, once owned by U.S. Treasurer Ogden Mills, offers a remarkable, secluded landscape with fountains and lakeside gazebos. It offers the perfect setting for a cocktail reception with sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, followed by a full-course dinner and dancing in the club’s elegant ballroom.

For more information call the school office at (718) 225-4826; Negdar Arukian at (718) 423-4813; Siragan Varolian at (718) 631-7131; or Siran Saroyan at (718) 224-0121.

The post HMADS Gala Dinner Dance: An Elegant Evening of Celebration appeared first on Armenian Weekly.