In 1924, Lousaper and Anna Kussajikian were reunited after years of painful separation through a photograph. The Kussajikian sisters were born in Marash in the Ottoman Empire and survived massacres that claimed the rest of their family members. Lousaper joined the Near East Relief as a young refugee and worked as a nurse midwife at several facilities in Syria. When she sent a photo of herself to a friend in Cyprus, the photo ended up reaching her sister Anna at a Near East Relief orphanage in Greece. Lousaper arranged for Anna to be brought to Beirut, where they lived until they immigrated to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1929. 

The incredible story of the Kussajikian family is one of many in a collection of photographs preserved by Project SAVE. Project SAVE’s archives include photos of Lousaper in orphanages with other young refugees, in clinics with members of the medical staff and seated alongside her sister and friends. These are just a few photographs of the nearly 45-thousand amassed by Project SAVE in the past 40 years.  

The idea for Project SAVE was born 50 years after Lousaper and Anna Kussajikian’s story, in the 1970s in the United States back when Ruth Thomasian was a costume designer in New York City. She was asked to work on a theatrical play set in 1890s historic Armenia. When she couldn’t find photographs for visual research, she went straight to the source. 

She spoke with with senior Armenians, many of them survivors of the Armenian Genocide, visited their homes, looked through their old photo albums and listened to their stories. She was struck by how enthusiastic people were to share their photographs that otherwise might be lost, forgotten or destroyed. “I can always be a costume designer, but I can’t always have these people, eager and willing and able, to talk with me,” Thomasian stated in a recent interview with the Weekly. So she left the theater and founded Project SAVE with the goal of salvaging Armenian photographs from the dustbins of history, a project that would occupy her for the rest of her life. “I followed my instincts, which means you follow what your soul tells you to do,” she asserted. 

Project SAVE has since flourished into a historical resource for Armenians to connect with the hidden stories of their ancestors in a new and tangible way. This week, 45 years after its founding, Project SAVE launched an online collections database, where people worldwide can search among hundreds of photographs and access rare images. This is the first time the public will be able to view and interact with these historical photographs and learn about their origins, who is pictured and what they were doing at the time. “Our mission is to preserve these photographs and the people and the culture so that they can be seen and shared,” explained Project SAVE executive director Tsoleen Sarian. 

The Project SAVE collection captures a cultural heritage by composing a visual catalogue of Armenian practices and customs across time. The database is far more in-depth than posed portraits paid for by wealthy families. They also offer glimpses of quotidian routines: people meeting in the streets, children attending school, trading at the marketplace. They depict average people outside the purview of history working, eating, celebrating and moving through life together. Project SAVE is committed to celebrating the positive aspects of Armenian culture and allowing for the continuation of life through the preservation of photos in order to “help us see, literally see, who we are as Armenians and the contributions we’ve made to society globally,” as stated by Sarian. 

This undertaking is perhaps best reflected by the Missionary collection, the first photo gallery to be digitized and released alongside the online collections database. The Missionary collection, consisting of 500 photographs captured between 1900 to the 1920s, includes photos taken by Christian missionaries deployed in the Middle East and Near East Relief workers. It is unique in that it offers an intimate perspective into the lives of missionaries and Armenians during a time frame from which images are difficult to come across. While photography was banned during the Armenian Genocide, missionaries from the United States were equipped with personal cameras and took the opportunity to document their experiences and observations.

The Missionary collection provides an expansive look into a complicated period of history. The photographs document the encounter of East and West, like the differences between the missionaries’ and locals’ styles of dress. They also exhibit interactions between different communities, including Armenians, Greeks, Turks and Kurds, in shared communal spaces, like a marketplace. They expose images of resilience and altruism, depicting people at refugee camps and the volunteer physicians who tended to them. 

These photographs constitute relics of a distant past, yet they are also in conversation with the present moment. This collection not only illustrates a dynamic and rich image of a particular place and time 100  years ago, but it also has a broad impact in shedding light on imminent questions that concern people around the globe. 

The photographs include representations of refugees in the Middle East, an issue that is eminently relevant as the number of displaced persons around the world continues to rise. They demonstrate inspiring service on behalf of missionaries who uprooted their lives in the West to travel to sites of atrocities in unfamiliar lands to offer their humanitarian assistance. 

In contemplating the collection, Sarian reflected on the Armenian government’s commitment to provide aid to Lebanon in light of the recent explosion in Beirut. This pledge is rooted in a history of receiving and offering help in times of suffering, encapsulated by the exchange between missionaries and survivors of the Armenian Genocide and other massacres revealed in the photo collection. “I think about what we had to go through as a people and how we did and how we continued to contribute and thrive,” Sarian remarked. “It’s inspiring to see how people helped us and how we continue to help.”

The photographs also complexify modern readings of history by providing diverse and unexpected portrayals of everyday life. 

“In this picture, I don’t know who’s Armenian, who’s Turk, who’s Kurd,” Sarian stated, referring to one of the marketplace photographs. “They’re just people. No one’s running away. No one’s being hurt. It’s just people at the market.”

This diversity is further rendered in other photographs documented by Project SAVE outside of the Missionary gallery. Photographs collected from throughout the twentieth century across continents reflect a myriad of Armenian histories. The cultural heritage they preserve resists homogenizing notions of a single Armenian experience. They push back on the idea, for example, that the Armenian community just includes wealthy elites, by representing working class Armenians from all sectors of society. 

The photographs simultaneously testify to the threads that unite an incredibly heterogeneous global community. Photos from Armenia and throughout the vast diaspora reveal continuities in cultural elements such as dance, food, music celebration and other traditions across space and time into the present day, as exhibited in a previous digital gallery Our Armenian Spirit. The result is a photographic heritage that attests to an expansive and ever-evolving understanding of Armenian identity. 

Such photos can connect with people living in cities as different as Buenos Aires, Argentina and Glendale, California with large Armenian populations, as well as with those living in areas with little access to other Armenians. They establish links between Armenians residing in countries like Syria or Iran today and 100 years ago. They might resonate with Islamized or hidden Armenians, Armenians who don’t speak the language or practice Christianity and Armenians who identify as mixed race. They do so by unearthing photographs and stories that reveal similar cultural practices at the heart of Armenian identity that transcend facile or constructed distinctions.  

“The more images people have of what it means to be Armenian, the broader [and] more cosmopolitan we can make that definition,” Sarian asserted. “That’s why it is important to be able to have an archive, a place where these photographs are collected so they can be shared.”

This viewpoint speaks to the importance of the new online collections database. In forming the digitized archive, which will grow and develop over time, photographs are not only preserved, but also held, catalogued, documented and shared widely. 

History does not exist in the past. It is internally contested and in continuous dialogue with the present. The formation of a living, thriving archive of photographs opens up newfound possibilities for studying history by allowing the public to directly interact with its records and reflect upon their bearing on the current moment. 

It also personalizes the discipline by setting forth multitudinous narratives of the hidden individuals who comprise history, whose names traditionally cannot be found in history textbooks. 

Thomasian studied history as an undergraduate student, but says she  was dissatisfied with the way the discipline was presented to her. With Project SAVE, she is pursuing her preferred type of historical narrative: people history. “People history is really about having conversations with people. It didn’t start academically, because academics don’t really talk with people to gather their information. They stay in their ivory buildings and don’t get out among the people,” she explained. Through Project SAVE, Thomasian and the organization’s other team members have the opportunity to create a new mode of studying history by redeeming the memories of regular individuals and recognizing the importance and value of their distinct stories for future generations. 

“The idea of these images, a lot of them are unknown. Unknown places, unknown people. But their image is still important. Somehow, I think of it as helping them come back to life almost,” Sarian claimed. 

This hope extends into Project SAVE’s endeavors to make the photographs widely available and usable. Project SAVE collaborates with organizations like the Shoah Foundation to create curriculum about the Armenian Genocide. The database will be available for teachers and researchers to search for primary source material on topics ranging from immigration to fashion. Finally, Project SAVE shares images from the database on social media platforms such as Instagram to bring them to new audiences. These initiatives all reflect the aim to amplify these historic photographs within the Armenian community and beyond. 

The title of the organization stands for Project “Salute Armenian’s Valiant Existence.” Thomasian chose the word “save” before creating an acronym, because she was keenly aware that she was saving people’s stories by providing detailed attention and care to documenting photographs that are too often overlooked and thrown away. The acronym was born as an ode to the Armenian Genocide survivors whom she first interviewed for the project and their undeniable courage.  

Yet the meaning of the name extends beyond this group of people. The project honors Armenian ancestry by placing individuals whose narratives have been neglected or threatened with erasure at the center of history. It saves Armenians today by connecting them with their past and extolling the diversity and wealth of their heritage. 

“These people are not lost and forgotten,” Sarian upheld. “Like you and me, they had families, they had jobs, they had parents, they had children, they studied, they worked, and they left a mark on this earth, and their image survives.”

Author information

Lillian Avedian

Lillian Avedian is a journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She has written for the Daily Californian, Hetq and the Armenian Weekly, covering topics ranging from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Armenia to the Armenian feminist movement on Instagram. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Armenian Studies, and applies her human rights expertise to uncover silenced narratives. When she is not on the hunt for a story, Lillian enjoys writing poetry and attending quarantine "Zoom-ba" classes.

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In this week’s empowerment series, we learn about three Armenian women who dedicated their lives to science in the 1900s. Paris Pishmish, Alenoush Terian and Anna Kazanjian Longobardo were scientists at a time when being a woman in the field did not come easily.

Nonetheless, they blazed trails and took on leadership roles in a field where few women existed. In their careers, at a time in which few women filled these roles, they not only held the titles as firsts, but their work impacted the work of future generations. 

Paris Pishmish de Recillas

As a Mexican Armenian woman, Paris Pishmish, known as one of the preeminent female astronomers not only worked hard in her own career, but she also carved out time to mentor other women who wanted to become astronomers as well.

Pishmish, born Mari Soukiassian in Constantinople on January 30, 1911, was the daughter of Soukias Soukiassian, the great-grandson of Mikayel Amira Pishmish who was a member of a powerful class of Armenian commercial and professional elites titled amiras. Filomen, her mother, was Mateos Izmirlian’s niece who was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1894 to 1908 and Catholicos of All Armenians until 1910.

Pishmish attended an Armenian elementary school and later became the first woman to graduate from Istanbul University with a degree in mathematics and classical astronomy in 1933. She then graduated from Harvard University with her Doctor of Science in mathematics in 1937; in 1939, she became an associate researcher at Harvard College Observatory. An expert herself, she drew great inspiration from the likes of astronomers such as Harlow Shapley, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Bart Bok, Donald Menzel and Fred Whipple, to name a few.

During her time at Harvard College Observatory, she met a Mexican mathematics student named Felix Recillas, started tutoring him in German, and ended up marrying him in 1941. Their two children, Elsa, an astrophysicist and Sevin, a mathematician, helped transform the field of astronomy in Mexico. Pishmish stayed in Mexico and taught at the National Autonomous University connected to the Tacubaya Observatory as an astronomer for over 50 years. Women in the early 1900s were not encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences despite their talents or desires. At the start of her career, Pishmish worked as a translator as well as a support scientist at Erwin Finley-Freundlich before she went on to work on her own projects.

Her work was unique as she focused more on the kinematics of the galaxy, as well as the photometry of nebulae and the determination of radial velocities. She developed the first-ever photometric investigation of stellar clusters – revealing three globular clusters as well 20 open stellar clusters and worked on figuring out the effects of interstellar absorption on stellar distribution while relying on various stellar populations to explain the origin of the spiral structure of the galaxy.

Translation – she was incredibly smart! 

She shared her work with the world, publishing more than 135 scientific articles in well-known journals including the Astronomical Journal, Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics; she also presented at conferences, including one at the Byurakan Observatory in Armenia at the invitation of Viktor Hambardzumyan.

Her accomplishments were beyond extraordinary. She introduced the field of applied astronomy to her students in Mexico, and many of her students later became very well-known astronomers—Arcadio Poveda, Eugenio Mendoza, Enrique Chavira, Debora Dultzin, Alfonso Serrano, Alejandro Ruelas, Marco Moreno.

She was awarded a Science Teaching Prize by UNAM for her diligent work as a teacher and mentor as she advised her students and coworkers, setting a prominent example of devotion to science.

As a strong, passionate woman in the astronomical field, Pishmish was involved in a variety of organizations such as American Astronomical Society, Royal Astronomical Society of Great Britain, Academy of Sciences of Mexico, Mexican Physical Society and International Astronomical Union (IAU) where she was a member of several commissions. 

Pishmish penned a memoir titled Reminiscences in the Life of Paris Pişmiş: A Woman Astronomer along with her grandson Gabriel Cruz González, where she described her visits to Armenia and her love of the language and culture. Fluent in Armenian, Turkish, French, English, German, Italian and Spanish, Pishmish was able to share her research and learn from her colleagues around the world. 

She died on August 1, 1999, but her work and legacy live on through her students and her contributions to the field of astronomy.

Alenoush Terian

Alenoush Terian, regarded as the ‘Mother of Modern Iranian Astronomy,’ was an astronomer and physicist, born and raised in an Armenian family in Tehran, Iran. The first Iranian woman to become a physics teacher, Terian was the founder of the first solar telescopic observatory in Iran. 

Born to a French mother and Armenian father in 1921, she was fluent in French, Persian and Armenian, and understood Turkish and English.

After graduating from the University of Tehran in 1947, she worked in physics laboratories and quickly became head of operations. She aspired to continue her studies in France and worked tirelessly to convince her professor, Mahmoud Hesabi, to help her get a scholarship. He, however, refused to help her simply because she was a woman.

But Terian stood firm. She didn’t let his unwillingness to help discourage her from pursuing her dreams. She persevered and went to Paris with the help of her father and studied at the Faculty of Atmospheric Physics of the Sorbonne, eventually earning her master’s degree in 1956. She was offered a teaching job there but respectfully declined because she wanted to go back to Iran. Confident in her trajectory, she became an assistant professor of Thermodynamics in the Department of Physics at Tehran University.

She was the first female professor of physics in Iran in 1964. Two years later, she became a member of the Geophysics Committee of Tehran University and in 1969 was selected as the chairwoman of the study group of solar physics at the Geophysics Institute at the university. She then went on to work at the solar observatory which she founded and eventually retired in 1979. 

She never married or had any children of her own, but she dedicated her entire life to her students and the classroom. One of her students stated, “She always said she had a daughter called moon and a son called sun.” In her will, she left her home to the Armenian community of Nor Jugha and to students who did not have a suitable place to live.

On her 90th birthday, the Iranian Parliament honored her during a ceremony. She passed away in 2011 leaving behind an indelible mark on history, astronomy, physics and the Iranian-Armenian community.

Anna Kazanjian Longobardo

Finally, we meet Anna Kazanjian Longobardo – the first woman to receive a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. One of the founders of the Society of Women Engineers, she was elected as a fellow and became the first woman to receive the Egleston Medal for her engineering achievements. She was later listed as one of New York’s “100 Women of Influence.”

Although she was born in New York City in 1928, she was born into a family of Armenian immigrants. Her father was an Armenian immigrant from Aleppo, Syria, and her mother was an immigrant from Constantinople, Turkey. Anna’s mother’s maiden name was Yazejian; her family survived the Armenian Genocide during WWI and was able to move to the United States. Additionally, her uncle Haig Khojassarian, also referred to as Hojassarian, was a well-known educator and leader.

Kazanjian exhibited a passion for science at an early age. She was devoted to her work but also spent ample time motivating other women. “We, the women, should work on our self-esteem and not allow failures,” she said. “I try to do it with my own children and my grandchildren… to make them feel that they’re capable – within their capability that they should try hard, because the world is their oyster. And I think that made a big difference,” she said in one of her interviews. Kazanjian spread her positivity and confidence to all women.

In addition to her accomplishments, she was one of the first women in the United States to work on board Navy submarines, destroyers and other vessels. She designed a submarine-towed buoy, which was used to calibrate sonar and her design helped raise navigational accuracy for submarines – the ones that operate below periscope depth.

In 1956, she worked on analog and digital programs including the development of navigational systems and the creation of the “Saturn” missile and the “Viking” space system as well as the “Avangard” project.

She began to work on calculating the flight of “Atlas” type ballistic systems designed for the Pentagon and designed specific guidelines that allowed her to hit the target at 10,000 miles. Her work was included in an extremely confidential collection, which only the country’s top officials were given access to and two years later, NASA used these calculations in order to launch satellites.

Anna Kazanjian Longobardo is currently retired and serves on various boards such as Woodward Clyde and Woodward Clyde Federal Services. The former vice chair of the Engineering Foundation Board as well as vice chair of the Bronxville Planning Board, she is still involved with the Barnard Science Advisory Council and Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board and currently lives in Bronxville, New York.

The lives and work of Paris Pishmish, Alenoush Terian and Anna Kazanjian Longobardo are truly inspiring. These three Armenian women persevered even in the face of adversity. When they weren’t heard, they spoke louder. They didn’t acquiesce to societal norms. They not only worked to advance their own careers, but they spent time to mentor, guide and inspire their students, colleagues and communities.

Together, they represent what it means to be powerful, intelligent leaders empowering women to fight for their dreams. 

Author information

Tvene Baronian

Tvene Baronian is a rising sophomore attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She plans to graduate with a double major in Environmental Studies and English. On campus, Tvene is a member of the Environmental Club, Campus Green Club, Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), Outdoor Recreation Adventure Program (ORAP), Sustainability Club, Koshare Dance Collective, and the Lacrosse Club. In addition to her involvement on campus, her passion for her Armenian heritage drives her participation in various volunteer organizations including Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), Hamazkayin Nayiri Dance Ensemble, HMEM Scouts and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). During her free time, she loves to sing, dance, write and draw. She has a passion for music and has performed at Carnegie Hall, where she showcased her love of Armenian opera.

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WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.– Representatives from the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Michigan had a virtual meeting with Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) late last week to discuss the legislative priorities of the Armenian American community of Michigan.

ANC of MI chair Dzovinar Hamakorzian and member Lori Pilibosian were joined by Silva Sagherian, a constituent of Rep. Lawrence, as well as ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Tamar Gregorian and ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan to discuss US aid for Artsakh, the US-Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution (H.Res.190), and the request to the Library of Congress to change the subject heading of “Armenian massacres” to “Armenian Genocide.”

“We had a very constructive meeting with Representative Lawrence. I appreciate her dedication and support of issues that concern the Armenian community living in the 14^th Congressional district in Michigan. I want to thank the Congresswoman for her time and attention to the issues at hand, especially Artsakh’s safety. It was such an honor to meet with the Congresswoman. I look forward to working with her in the future,” said Hamakorzian.

“It was an honor to speak with Rep. Lawrence and hear her speak in support of the Armenian issues,” said Pilibosian. “It was interesting to listen to her questions and genuine interest in learning about Artsakh. As an active voter in her district, I am confident that she will continue to represent the Armenian community well.”

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On February 19, 2020, I received an email from writer and scholar David Calonne, whose review of my 2017 novel The Naked & the Nude was published in the Armenian Weekly last summer. Calonne was invited to guest lecture about William Saroyan at the University of Chicago. He asked if I could share any influence of Saroyan on my writing. The following brief memoir is my response to his request and is being published in the Weekly in honor of the famed writer’s 112th birth anniversary. 

I started writing stories when I turned 14, and it was in that same year that I read in an anthology of short fiction what was really a kind of prose poem by William Saroyan called The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze, which was like a piece of music that moved me so deeply I wanted to sing like it for the rest of my life.

I was born in 1940, and by 1954 Saroyan’s little poesy was already 20 years old and had moved many other writers, including as you may know Jack Kerouac, who was born in 1922 and must have also been about 14 when he read it with the same kind of thrill. 

But it would take a while for me to read more of his work, since the work of Hemingway was having an even greater effect on me, and yet sensitive to the music of writing I was already aware of how their voices were related. 

Then turning 19 I had to leave college, and I moved to Greenwich Village where I found in the local library near my room a copy of The Saroyan Special that was a selection of almost 100 of his short works that he had written in his twenties, and they all had that special music that was related not only to Hemingway’s but in all the other writers I loved.

Some of the selections were as special as The Daring Young Man, and while others were repetitive and excessive they were all readable, and he would remain one of my heroes until here now in this humble tribute when I just finished re-reading one of his masterpieces, The Human Comedy, that he wrote around the time my father was crippled by a stroke after I had just turned three. 

My father’s stroke was one of the most important events in my psychodrama that would lead to my first book, which was published in 1971, and my publisher Pantheon mailed the galley proofs to Saroyan for a blurb, and though his reply arrived too late, Pantheon mailed it to me.

It was handwritten on a little sheet of note paper from a notepad, and I was deeply upset when I lost it. I was very troubled at the time due to the end of a painful relationship, and living in emotional turmoil I had let friends of friends crash in my pad; so when I found the note was gone I suspected someone had stolen it, which caused me a terrible grief since I treasured that little note as if it were from a father, and unable now to remember it verbatim it blurs in my memory like the memory of my father before the stroke.

It said he got the galleys as he was boarding his plane from New York to Paris where he was living at the time, and he read them on the plane, but I never learned anything more and I lost touch with Pantheon soon after.

Yet I remember it said something about my book being written with the passion of youth that grabbed the reader immediately, and I do remember verbatim the last line that touched me very deeply: It lingers in the mind. 

And this line would forever linger in my mind until now remembering the only time I would meet him in person when he was living in Fresno a year or so before he died, which was in 1981. 

I don’t know why he moved from Paris to Fresno, but I went to visit him as soon as I found his address. My mother had moved there by then, and I would drive from Berkeley to visit her on the weekends. It was on one of those weekends I drove from where she lived near Herndon and Cedar Streets to the other side of town where he had bought a little home like hers, and he was gruff when he opened the door as if I might be a door to door salesman or whatever, until I told him my name and that I had come to thank him for what he wrote about my book years earlier.

Oh yes, he said in his strong voice that I had never heard before, though it was exactly like how I had imagined it from his plays that I had seen over the years; and his personality was the same as in his narrators and personas, which was the opposite of mine and was actually a lot like my mother’s with the same kind of warmth and openness, and when he saw I was shy he immediately went into a monologue that was non-stop.

The hallway and the rooms were stuffed with books and stacks of newspapers and magazines and who knew what else while a record was playing on a little phonograph and a television was on with the sound off while he was writing, as if he needed constant stimulation like in a Paris apartment in a busy street, and the walls too were covered with pictures as if a blank space was an enemy that had to be filled, and among them were little paintings that were painted in watercolor as if by a child.

Were they by his grandchild, I asked timidly, and instead of feeling insulted he merely said no, he painted them himself, and he returned to his monologue as if he were spontaneously composing one of his plays or stories from a bric-a-brac of memories, until seeing I was going to stay reticent he didn’t have anything more to say, and I left feeling so sad and angry with myself and my damn shyness. 

He had been my father figure since I was a boy, and there was so much I wanted to ask him like I wanted to ask my father who couldn’t talk to me, and he had no clue as to how deep he was in my psyche as if I were just another fan, and he died a year or so later.

Later that same month, I decided to email Aram Saroyan, commending him on the 1984 publication of Last Rites—a profound essay written through his tortured lens about the last few weeks of his father’s life. 

Dear Aram,

I just finished reading your book about your father, Last Rites, and it is the most moving book about a father and son that I have ever read, and it makes me feel embarrassed that I was so naïve in writing my little memoir about him a couple of weeks ago when I was so ignorant of how abusive and selfish he could be with you and your sister, particularly your sister whose own death was so sad, which reminds me not only of the dark side of other writers but so many of us who were wounded in childhood and never fully recovered, of Tolstoi and his illegitimate children and Hemingway and his transsexual son to whom he never spoke again in the last 10 years of his life and Frost whose son killed himself. “Beware of this, O ambitious youth,” wrote Melville, “all mortal greatness is but disease.”

On one hand I regret not knowing of your book these past 40 years since it was published, and on the other I think I was not ready for it until the years would pass to our old age before I would finally meet you and email you my little memoir and ask if you had written about your father and then find your book in the Berkeley Library, and I am now hoping I can find on line the one about your mother. Your childhood family had such a sad story, and yet I love sad stories when they end like yours with heartbreak and tears that make us see what the Buddha meant by what he called Old Age, Sickness, and Death, in his First Noble Truth.

Aram’s reply to Pete

Peter, Thanks so much for your generous response to Last Rites—I’m gratified and touched. At the same time, I urge you not to mar your own touching cameo about Bill and you before you read my memoir. In my opinion it’s irrelevant to the piece which should and does stand as a valid portrait of the two of you, a moment all its own which the reader will and should appreciate for itself. Warmly, Aram

Author information

Peter Najarian

Peter Najarian was born in 1940 in Union City, NJ. He grew up in the Holy Cross Apostolic Church community and attended Rutgers University. He would eventually move to California and live in an old cottage for 40 years before recently moving to a bungalow apartment nearby. He also taught a writing class at UC Berkeley in the 90s. Most of his books were inspired by his parents' stories of surviving the massacre, including Voyages, Daughters of Memory, The Artist and His Mother and The Paintings of Art Pinajian. Najarian is also a painter, following in the footsteps of his cousin Art.

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The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange) is holding its September Virtual Lunch & Learn on the subject of “Internment and Destruction: Concentration Camps during the Armenian Genocide.”

The Zoom event will be held on September 16, 2020, at 11:30 am Eastern Time. 

Led by Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, this lecture situates the deportation and destruction of Armenians in Ottoman Syria within the global history of concentration camps. Providing an overview of the structure, administration and life in concentration camps based on Armenian accounts, Ottoman archives and western diplomatic records, Mouradian argues that this glaring manifestation of total war – one directed toward the empire’s very own Armenian subjects – constitutes an important moment of transition in the use internment as a weapon of annihilation.

The event kicks off a series of Virtual Lunch & Learns led by scholars and activists deeply connected to the topics explored.

One hour of professional development provided.

Pre-registration is required. Admission is free for Chhange members and Brookdale CC Students and Staff. Suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

Your donation supports our continued efforts to connect our communities with experts and activists in the fields of Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Studies.

Dr. Khatchig Mouradian is a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University, where he also heads the Armenian studies program. Mouradian also served as the Armenian Lead scholar for Chhange’s exhibit Journeys Beyond Genocide: The Human Experience. Mouradian’s book, The Resistance Network: The Armenian Genocide and Humanitarianism in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1918, is forthcoming in 2020. Mouradian is the co-editor of a forthcoming book on late-Ottoman history; and the editor of the peer-reviewed journal The Armenian Review. He has published on genocide, mass violence, unarmed resistance, and approaches to teaching history. In 2020, Mouradian was awarded a Humanities War & Peace Initiative Grant from Columbia University.

Author information

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles written and submitted by members of the community, which make up our community bulletin board.

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WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America is praising both the Pentagon and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for rapidly delivering over $18 million in food and medical assistance to Lebanon in the wake of the tragic August 4, 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. The ANCA is also encouraged that the Us Department of State’s Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale has announced that the Trump administration is working with Congress to provide on an “urgent, interim basis” $30 million worth of grain that will be delivered through the World Food Program.

“The ANCA has been in direct contact with senior officials at the US Department of State to encourage a robust U.S. humanitarian response to the explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon just over two weeks ago,” shared ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “We are pleased that Under Secretary Hale – at the direction of Secretary Pompeo and in cooperation with Defense Secretary Esper – are working to get relief supplies worth over $48 million on the ground in Lebanon without delay,” Hamparian added.

Within hours of the explosion that killed and injured hundreds of people in Lebanon – including many Armenians – the ANCA worked with thousands of its grassroots supporters to urge Congress and the Trump administration to provide a rapid assistance package for all of Lebanon’s citizens. In an August 5, 2020, letter to Secretary Pompeo, Hamparian praised the Administration’s immediate statements of solidarity with the people of Lebanon and encouraged that them to work with “USAID, the United Nations and Armenian charitable groups to ensure that US and international assistance reaches all vulnerable groups.” In addition, the ANCA – in close cooperation with the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) – held meetings with the US Department of State to ensure that the humanitarian efforts of the United States reach all at-risk communities in Lebanon – including the Armenian community – which has been devastated by the explosion at the Port of Beirut. Community members can continue contacting their legislators.

On August 6, 2020, a US Air Force C-17 airplane delivered desperately needed food, water, and medical supplies to Lebanon. According to General Frank McKenzie of the US Central Command, “we [the United States] are closely coordinating with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and expect that we will continue to provide additional assistance throughout Lebanon’s recovery effort.” Subsequent to the delivery of this aid, Under Secretary Hale shared that America “is prepared to work with Congress to pledge up to $30 million in additional funds to enable the flow of grain through the Port of Beirut on an urgent, interim basis.”

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ANCA

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. To learn more, visit www.anca.org.

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Dr. Stefan Ihrig will give an online talk entitled “The Armenian Genocide and the 20^th Century” on Sunday, August 30, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. EST. The talk is co-sponsored by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS).

The Armenian Genocide has long been sidelined in the histories of Europe and the world. This poses a whole series of problems for how we understand the past. In this talk, Stefan Ihrig will show how and why the Armenian Genocide was a central event for 20th century world history.

Understanding the wider contexts and implications of the Armenian Genocide is key to understanding the dark 20th century. This talk will also underline why the much-needed re-evaluation of its role in and for history should not and cannot be a partisan issue. It will also discuss why recognition of the Genocide is simply not enough. Recognition is only the first step in reconstructing a new history of the last century.

Stefan Ihrig is a professor of history at the University of Haifa and director of the Haifa Center for German and European Studies. For his last book, Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler (Harvard Univ. Press, 2016), he received the 2017 Sonia Aronian Book Prize for Excellence in Armenian Studies from the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. He is also the author of Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination (Harvard Univ. Press, 2014).

This event will be held live on Zoom (registration required) and streamed on NAASR’s YouTube channel.

For more information contact NAASR at hq@naasr.org.

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NAASR

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research was launched in March 1955 with a vision to promote Armenian Studies by establishing endowed chairs at some of the foremost universities in the United States.

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In 2012, the Armenian Youth Federation, Western United States, initiated the With Our Soldiers (WOS) campaign. Its mission was to provide medical services and assistance to veterans of the Artsakh Liberation Movement. The initial phase of WOS was tremendously successful. Following the Four Day War initiated by Azerbaijan in April 2016, the WOS began a second phase and again raised over $150,000 in support of veterans and their families.

With the renewed aggression by Azerbaijan against the Armenians in the region of Tavush this year, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Eastern Region, is calling on our community to join the effort. Donations can be made directly here. We understand the many financial demands being placed on our community today, but it is our obligation to ease the burden on those making the ultimate sacrifice to protect Armenia. Please give generously today.

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ARF Eastern US Central Committee

The ARF Eastern Region Central Committee’s headquarters is the Hairenik Building in Watertown, Mass. The ARF Eastern Region’s media and bookstore are also housed in this building, as are various other important Armenian community organizations. The ARF Eastern Region holds a convention annually and calls various consultative meetings and conferences throughout the year.

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WATERTOWN, Mass. – In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) will host its 14th annual ANCA-ER Gala online this year on Thursday, October 15 at 8 pm EDT. Viewers are invited to join the ANCA-ER’s Havak for Hai Tahd to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and honor those who have worked tirelessly for the Armenian cause.

The virtual event will honor activists with the prestigious ANCA-ER Freedom Award and the ANCA-ER Vahan Cardashian Award, along with a new award this year—ANCA-ER One to Watch. The region’s summer interns and ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program interns will also be recognized.

“Mark your calendars for Havak for Hai Tahd: A Virtual Gala Gathering,” said ANCA-ER gala co-chair Steve Mesrobian. “We’re excited to be working with an outstanding virtual gala committee comprised of activists from Chicago, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC. We’ve got updates coming soon with regard to our deserving honorees, emcee and silent auction over the course of the next few weeks. We’re incredibly humbled by the support of our region’s activists and supporters and look forward to seeing you all at this year’s gala, virtually that is.”

For more information about this year’s gala, email ervirtual@anca.org

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ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Michigan had a virtual meeting with Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-12) on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, to discuss the legislative priorities of the Armenian American community of Michigan.

ANC of MI representatives, Dzovinar Hamakorzian, Georgi-Ann Oshagan, Hayg Oshagan and Greg Vartanian reconnected with Representative Dingell and discussed issues pertaining to the Armenian community in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District as well as ANCA policy priorities including the Pallone Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA-H.R. 6395), US Aid to Artsakh, H.Res 190 US- Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution, H. Res 452 that supports US-Armenia’s strategic partnership, and the change of the subject heading of the “Armenian massacres” label to “Armenian Genocide” at the Library of Congress. The activists also discussed the latest developments following the explosion in Beirut and the dire situation of the Lebanese-Armenian community. The Congresswoman assured the ANC of MI representatives that securing humanitarian aid to Lebanon is one of her priorities. At the end of the meeting, the Congresswoman affirmed her commitment to the Armenian community by agreeing to join the Congressional Armenian Caucus.

“The ANC of Michigan has been working with Rep. Dingell’s office for some months to encourage her membership in the Armenian Issues Caucus. We were very happy to have her confirm for us during our meeting that she would join. I am glad to be represented by a member of Congress who respects the issues that matter to me as an Armenian-American and is willing to vote and otherwise act accordingly,” said ANC of MI member Georgi-Ann Oshagan.

“It was an honor to speak with Rep. Dingell,” added ANC board member and MI-12 constituent Greg Vartanian, “The Armenian community in her district is in good hands. The Congresswoman assured ANC of MI that she will be supportive of issues and policies important to our community and I would like to thank her for her continuous support.” 

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Dzovinar Hatsakordzian

Dzovinar Hatsakordzian is a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and ANC of Michigan. She holds a master's degree in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) from American University of Armenia. She is a teacher and a mother of three.

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LONDON—The results of a major research on public opinion in Diaspora communities will be formally launched at an online event on September 5.   

The Armenian Diaspora Survey (ADS)—the first of a three-year study project—was held in four communities in 2019: Argentina, Lebanon, Canada (Montreal) and Romania. The fieldwork took place between September and December 2019. Three-thousand Armenians participated in the study.  

“The Armenian Diaspora Survey is an attempt to study the opinions of Armenians living in various communities around the world and aims to explore the ‘ingredients’ of being Armenian in the 21^st century,” said ADS director Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian of University of Oxford.  

The research provides a snapshot of the contemporary Diaspora by studying public opinions on identity, language and culture, community engagement, and relations with Armenia. 

ADS is funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and is carried out by a team of experts under the auspices of the Armenian Institute in London. 

“We are pleased that this multi-country systematic survey of the Diaspora has been done with extensive fieldwork and large participation,” said Dr. Razmik Panossian, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Armenian Communities Department. “I thank all the people who were involved with and supported this research project,” he added.  

The 175-page full results of the 2019 study will be available to download for free from the ADS website.  

The launch will be live streamed on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 15:00h London time (Beirut and Bucharest 21:00h; Yerevan 18:00h; Buenos Aires 10:00h; Montreal and New York 10:00h; Los Angeles 07:00h) on Facebook and YouTube.

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Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles written and submitted by members of the community, which make up our community bulletin board.

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Members of the ANC of Eastern Massachusetts recently joined a video meeting with Jesse Mermell, a candidate in the Democratic primary in the fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts. The meeting was sponsored by Rachel Kaprielian, former State Representative and Registrar of Motor Vehicles. It provided an opportunity to brief the candidate about issues of concern to the Armenian-American community.

Azerbaijan’s unprovoked attack on Armenian soil, its years of attacks on civilians in Artsakh and the need to restore military aid parity or to ban aid to Azerbaijan if it continues its bellicosity were among the issues discussed as well as the Trump administration’s inexplicable decision to cease funding demining efforts in Artsakh. 

Jesse Mermell was previously the Communications Director for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and a Brookline Select Board Member. She is one of eight candidates in the September 1st Democratic primary in the fourth district to replace Cong. Joe Kennedy III, who is running for Senate. The fourth district stretches from Brookline, Needham and Wellesley to Franklin, Taunton and Fall River.

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ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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In this presentation, Professor Akçam will introduce some newly unearthed documents from the Ottoman archives in Istanbul that indicate that the first decision to exterminate Armenians was taken on December 1, 1914, well before most scholars in the field ever suggested. In these documents, the Turkish term for extermination [imha] is openly used by local governors who were directly involved in the decision-making process to exterminate the Armenians. Akçam will also introduce a letter dated March 3, 1915, written by Bahaettin Şakir, the head of Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa (aka the Special Organization) and one of the main architects of the Armenian Genocide. This letter conveys that the Central Committee of Union and Progress had already decided to exterminate the Armenians, giving the government wide authority to implement this plan. The scholarly world has long ignored or declined to cite this letter due to allegations that it was fake. Drawing on newly available documents, Akçam will show the authenticity of this letter and argue that the question of the decision(s) for the extermination of Armenians and the role of governors should be revisited.

Taner Akçam is the Kaloosdian and Mugar Chair in Modern Armenian History and Genocide in the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University. Akçam is widely recognized as one of the first Turkish scholars to write extensively on the Ottoman-Turkish Genocide of the Armenians in the early twentieth century. His latest book is Killing Orders: Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and the Armenian Genocide (Palgrave 2018). He is also the founder of the Krikor Guerguerian Online Archive.

A. Dirk Moses is the Frank Porter Graham Distinguished Professor of Global Human Rights History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, arriving in July 2020. Raised in Brisbane, Australia, he was educated at the Universities of Queensland (B.A. 1987), St. Andrews (M.Phil. 1990), Notre Dame (M.A. 1994), and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 2000). His first book, German Intellectuals and the Nazi Past (2007), was awarded the H-Sozu-Kult ‘’Historical Book of the Year’’ prize for contemporary history. Moses has also written extensively about genocide, memory and global history. Prof. Moses’s latest book, The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression is in press with Cambridge University Press.

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Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles written and submitted by members of the community, which make up our community bulletin board.

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OLD TAPPAN, NJ – Representatives from the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of New Jersey and activists met with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) virtually during August recess to discuss the legislative priorities of the Armenian American community of New Jersey.

ANC of New Jersey co-chairs Karine Shnorhokian and Aram Tramblian, ANC NJ activists Ani Tchaghlasian, James Sahagian, John L. Shahdanian II and Joseph Ariyan as well as ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan and ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Tamar Gregorian participated in the online discussion. Together with Senator Booker, they discussed US-Armenia relations, security and stability for Artsakh and key legislative issues that the Senate will be voting on in the near future including the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

“As a friend of Senator Booker since childhood, I was keenly aware of his many strong Armenian relationships,” said Shahdanian. “It was my great pleasure, on behalf of the ANC NJ, to help facilitate this wonderful discussion of Armenian issues ranging from aid to Armenia, de-mining of Artsakh, all the way to ensuring that the Library of Congress appropriately change the classification from ‘Armenian Massacres’ to ‘Armenian Genocide.’ Senator Booker was engaged and informed on the issues, and I look forward to his continuing support and friendship towards the Armenian community in the years to come.”

Senator Booker, who is up for re-election in November, re-affirmed his support on key legislative issues, including requesting foreign aid for continued demining efforts in Artsakh – a program that has saved numerous lives. Constituents also informed the Senator on the ANCA’s leadership in requesting that the Library of Congress change its subject heading from “Armenian Massacres” to “Armenian Genocide” following the U.S. House and Senate’s passage of H.Res.296 and S.Res.150 reaffirming the Armenian Genocide.

An advocate for the Armenian American community, Senator Booker joined Senator Menendez in a joint statement on July 17 condemning Azerbaijan’s attacks on sovereign Armenia.

“We are honored that the Senator took the time to personally meet with the ANC of New Jersey, and thanked him for his support on issues that are important to the Armenian American community in New Jersey. We look forward to a continued partnership with Senator Booker,” said Tramblian.

Author information

ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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LOWELL, Mass. – Representatives from the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Merrimack Valley (Massachusetts) met virtually via Zoom with Representative Lori Trahan (3rd-MA) and staff member Jose Villalvazo on August 25, 2020, to discuss the legislative priorities of concern for the Armenian-American community. Participating in the meeting were Merrimack Valley ANC members Ara Jeknavorian, Armen Jeknavorian, Mimi Parseghian and Joe Dagdigian; Middlesex County West “Musa Ler” AYF Chapter member Zaven Kouchakdjian along with ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Tamar Gregorian and ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan.

The virtual meeting covered a number of areas including an update on Azerbaijani aggression in Armenia, next year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the importance of establishing communication between the US and Artsakh with co-sponsorship of the US-Artsakh Travel and Communication Act (H.Res. 190) and the request to change the Library of Congress’ subject heading from “Armenian Massacres” to “Armenian Genocide,” following the bicameral passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

“Congresswoman Trahan was very attentive to the concerns expressed by our committee members and highly valued hearing directly from our committee members,” commented Merrimack Valley ANCA Chair Ara Jeknavorian. “Participation by Tamar and Tereza really helped to efficiently present key legislative issues,” he continued.

The group thanked Representative Trahan for her outstanding support during her freshman year in Congress. She has become a member of the Armenian Caucus, co-sponsored numerous US House resolutions concerning Armenia, Artsakh and recently aid to Beirut, has addressed Congress on the US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and graciously presented the ANC Freedom Award to Congressman Jim McGovern at the 2019 ANCA Eastern Region Banquet.

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ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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WATERTOWN, Mass.—Panelists Vicken Sonentz Papazian, Esq., Steve Dadaian, Esq. and Armen K. Hovannisian, Esq. participated in the August 20 Facebook live discussion “Treaty of Sèvres: Unfinished Business” marking the 100th anniversary of the Treaty. The online event was produced by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Eastern Region, in partnership with the ANCA, the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Canada, ANCA Western Region, the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Armenian Bar Association. 

Broadcast live on a broad range of Facebook channels reaching hundreds of thousands, including the ANCA, Asbarez, Armenian Weekly and Armenian Bar Association, among others, the panel provided viewers with an overview of the Treaty of Sèvres including a discussion of its legality and relevance today. 

August 10, 2020 marked 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres, an international document endorsed by both Turkey and the Republic of Armenia in 1920 that recognizes that Turkey is responsible for its war crimes and demands that Turkey take steps to facilitate the process of punishing those directly involved in the crime.

“The Treaty of Sèvres must not only be viewed as a historic legal document, but also as the international community’s acknowledgment and confirmation of Armenia’s legitimate territorial claims,” said Papazian, a Los Angeles-based attorney and former executive director of the ANCA. “The international community’s failure to enforce the terms of the Treaty continues to adversely impact the region to this very day, demonstrating that the terms of the Treaty are as relevant, and the enforcement of the Treaty as necessary today as they were 100 years ago,” he continued in his introduction as moderator. 

Dadaian, a trial attorney in California and member of the ANCA National Board, provided viewers with the in-depth historical context of the Treaty of Sèvres, including the relevant events during World War I, the Armenian Genocide, the territorial provisions and Allied Powers’ zones of influence. He also described the specific history related to the Treaty of Sèvres and the granting of the Armenian Homeland—a Homeland that was initially intended to be a prosperous and defensible territory—a territory in which Armenians would not be a minority. “The self-executing 89th and 90th clauses of the Treaty of Sèvres are valid and enforceable under international law irrespective of the rest of the Treaty and allowed for legal title to the Van, Erzurum, Bitlis and part of Trebizond vilayets to be lawfully and irrevocably transferred to the Republic of Armenia on November 22, 1920,” said Dadaian.  

Dadaian was emphatic that “no other legally enforceable agreement since Sèvres and the Wilson Arbitral Award of November 1920 has referenced the delineation of the Armenian Turkish frontier. It remains the last word on that frontier. Ironically perhaps it is only the Republic of Turkey that truly recognizes this reality as evidenced by their thinly veiled attempt to make the affirmation of the invalid Treaty of Kars as their most important clause in the unratified Turkish Armenian Protocols of 2009. Those clauses of the Treaty of Sèvres serve as Kryptonite to Turkey’s claim of territorial rights to those vilayets.”

Dadaian concluded, “As to the oft-repeated myth that the Treaty of Lausanne somehow replaced the unratified Sèvres Treaty vis-à-vis the Armenian frontier, one need only look to the missing presence of Armenia as a signatory to Lausanne and, in fact, neither the word Armenia nor the eastern frontier were ever even mentioned in that treaty. All that remains is the political will to enforce that which the law is clear on.”

Hovannisian, also a practicing attorney in the State of California who chairs the Armenian Bar Association’s Armenian Genocide Reparations Committee and serves on its Board of Governors, furthered the conversation with the legal implications of the Treaty of Sèvres, specifically focusing on Articles 89 and 90, which include the creation of the Armenian state and President Woodrow Wilson’s arbitration. “There is an old saying among lawyers that if you have the facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have the law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither on your side, pound the table,” explained Hovannisian. “With the facts and the law of Sèvres on our side, we are in a position to drill down deeply into both, leaving the table-thumping to others.”

The Treaty of Sèvres demands that Turkey repeal the 1915 Abandoned Property laws and the supplementary provisions thereof, compelling it to return all confiscated properties to individual or community owners. Finally, the Treaty of Sèvres provides a legal basis for the arbitration appeal to US President Woodrow Wilson to determine the Armenia-Turkey border.

The panel underscored the foundation of the argument—the notion that Articles 89 and 90 granted the territory to Armenia upon resolution of the Arbitration and that based on that the Armenian nation has a valid, legal claim to the territory. Hence, these make the Treaty of Sevres, even 100 years later, unfinished business.

A follow-up panel is planned to answer viewer questions and will be announced soon.

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ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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BOSTON, Mass. — Five best friends from St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School Class of 2008 recently launched a nonprofit venture called EyeSupport to contribute to the Armenian Relief Society’s (ARS) global humanitarian missions. The young women’s aim is to cultivate global social impact through creative expression. Since their launch on Instagram late last month, the team has sold more than 400 bracelets and donated $6,000 in proceeds from their handmade evil eye and black lava bead bracelets to Lebanon’s relief efforts. EyeSupport will be developing new creative projects for other important international causes throughout the year. The group also launched a Facebook page announcing their new cause: Syrian Armenian Relief Aid.

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Kristina Ayanian

Kristina Ayanian is a recent graduate of Bentley University with a double major in finance and global studies and a minor in corporate communications. She was a reporter for ABC's Teen Kids News, whose episode interviewing Prince Edward of England was nominated for the 2014 Emmy's. She enjoys performing and has been invited to sing and play piano at Carnegie Hall. In February 2020, Kristina was crowned Miss Boston 2020.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) is collecting the signatures of her US House colleagues on a letter asking the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, to correct the outdated and inaccurate Armenian Massacres subject heading to Armenian Genocide in the wake of last year’s near-unanimous passage of the Congressional Armenian Genocide resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In the letter, legislators share with Dr. Hayden that they are writing “to ask that the Library of Congress, an agency of the legislative branch and the research arm of the U.S. Congress, use the historically accurate term ‘Armenian Genocide’ in its subject heading for books and other materials regarding the Ottoman Empire’s intentional, systematic, and deliberate mass murder, deportation, and exile of more than one and a half million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.”

The letter spearheaded by Rep. Titus comes in the face of a June 19, 2020 Library of Congress correspondence informing the ANCA that it would not make this change, even in light of Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide, because it deferred to the White House and State Department. The Titus letter notes that “while we understand the Library of Congress has said it defers to the president and State Department on terminology, we do not believe that determinations of fact by an agency of the legislative branch should be made for political reasons or under pressure from foreign governments.”

The letter makes the case that: “the current subject heading, ‘Armenian Massacres,’ is outdated, having been created before Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide and prior to the 1948 adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” It goes on to argue that “the existing heading is also inconsistent with the broad, near-universal academic consensus recognizing the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide as reflected in numerous resolutions, letters, and statements by the International Association of Genocide Scholars.”

“We share the view expressed by Congresswoman Titus and her colleagues from both sides of the aisle that the phrase ‘Armenian Massacres’ – in modern usage – conceals more than it reveals,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s time for the Library of Congress to get this right.”

The full text of the Titus letter is provided below. Proponents of the Library of Congress changing the Armenian Massacres subject heading to Armenian Genocide can urge their US Representative to cosign the Titus letter by taking action at anca.org/library.

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Text of Congressional Letter Led by Rep. Dina Titus Calling on the Library of Congress to Properly Categorize the Armenian Genocide

September xx, 2020

Dr. Carla D. Hayden
Librarian of Congress
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20540

Dear Dr. Hayden,

We write to ask that the Library of Congress, an agency of the legislative branch and the research arm of the U.S. Congress, use the historically accurate term “Armenian Genocide” in its subject heading for books and other materials regarding the Ottoman Empire’s intentional, systematic, and deliberate mass murder, deportation, and exile of more than one and a half million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. We also ask that all libraries, offices, services, and other entities within the Library of Congress use the accurate term “Armenian Genocide” in relevant displays, exhibitions, reports, presentations, conferences, lectures, websites, brochures, and other official events and publications.

The current subject heading, “Armenian Massacres,” is outdated, having been created before Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide and prior to the 1948 adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Lemkin himself cited the massacres of Armenians as a definitive case of genocide. In 1951, the United States, in a written statement submitted to the International Court of Justice, affirmed that the destruction of Armenians met the U.N. definition of genocide.

The existing heading is also inconsistent with the broad, near-universal academic consensus recognizing the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide as reflected in numerous resolutions, letters, and statements by the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Additionally, it is contrary to the U.S. record, including President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 Proclamation; resolutions adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1975 (H.J.Res.148) and 1984 (H.J.Res.247); and, most notably, near-unanimous resolutions passed by the House (H.Res.296) and Senate (S.Res.150) in 2019 that state the sense of Congress that it is the policy of the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to reject any denial of this crime.

Although originally created to serve legitimate academic and research purposes, the term “Armenian Massacres” has evolved into a euphemistic phrase often deployed to diminish the full historical, moral, legal, and contemporary meaning of the Armenian Genocide. In its modern usage, the outdated phrase conceals these horrific crimes.

While we understand the Library of Congress has said it defers to the president and State Department on terminology, we do not believe that determinations of fact by an agency of the legislative branch should be made for political reasons or under pressure from foreign governments. The use of the term “Armenian Genocide” by the Library of Congress would help paint an accurate picture of history and rightly honor the victims of this atrocity. Thank you for your attention to this request.

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ANCA

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. To learn more, visit www.anca.org.

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In this week’s empowerment series, we introduce three incredible Armenian feminist writers: Srpouhi Vahanian Dussap, Mary Beyleryan and Shushanik Popojlian Kurghinian. At a time Armenian women were muted and their opinions unpronounced, these three leaders projected their strength, courage and fearlessness through their words, essays, journals and books empowering women with the voices they never knew they had.

Srpouhi Vahanian Dussap

Born in 1842, Srpouhi Vahanian Dussap was an Armenian feminist and the first Armenian female novelist. Her work focused on women’s rights, as she worked tirelessly for the freedom of women and against male oppression. The sister of well-known Ottoman Armenian politician Hovhannes Vahanian who was Minister of Justice from 1876 to 1877, Dussap was born into a wealthy Armenian Catholic family in Constantinople. Both were very young when their father passed away, leaving their mother Nazli Arzoumanian as their only caregiver.

Arzoumanian was a staunch proponent of education for women and as such was the driving force in making sure her daughter received an education. Dussap attended a local French school until the age of 10 and was then homeschooled by her brother. During the 19th-century girls’ schools in Constantinople were predictably non-existent past the primary level. Her brother taught her French, Greek, Italian, classical literature, science and history. He also introduced her to contemporary European writers, specifically the Romantic writers – Victor Hugo, Lord Byron and George Sand – who would ultimately influence Dussap’s own work.

A highly educated young woman, Dussap became interested in learning Armenian after meeting the famous poet Meguerdich Beshigtashlian. She began working on her first-ever literary piece in Armenian soon thereafter.

Her husband was Paul Dussap, a French musician who supported her in all of her literary goals including a dedicated space for her discussions about literary and social issues with other French and Armenian intellectuals. As an Armenian, Dussap devoted her time to helping her Armenian community in Constantinople. She was even given the title of head of the Philomathic Armenian Women’s Association (PAWA) in 1879, an organization built to train Armenian women to become successful teachers in Armenian girls’ schools in Western Armenia. After this experience, she decided to start her own series of articles focused on women’s rights, including education, social autonomy and employment. She also advocated for the Armenian Women’s School Society (AWSS), securing funds from local banks and theater performances to name a few.

In addition to her many accomplishments, Dussap wrote her first fiction novel in the form of an epistolary titled Mayda in 1878. This novel sold hundreds of copies in only a few weeks, contributing to women’s rights in Armenian literature. To further her ideologies, she then wrote Siranoush in 1884 and Araxi in 1888.

When she fell ill in 1888, she was forced to quit writing altogether; however, she continued to help the Armenian community with her charitable and educational work. After returning to Constantinople from her two-year long visit to France, her youngest daughter died of tuberculosis. Following this tragedy, Dussap tried to communicate with her late daughter’s spirit through religious mysticism during which she got rid of a majority of her archives.

When Dussap passed away in 1901, her name and archives were mostly forgotten in Armenian literature. However, they lived on in the minds of young women and writers such as Zabel Yesayan and Zabel Assadour who continued Dussap’s work.

Mary Beyleryan

Born in 1877 in Constantinople, Mary Beyleryan attended Esayan School and later became a teacher. She also continued her education in the Pera district in Constantinople. While she was a student, she began working for a newspaper known as Arevelk as a young writer.

Beyleryan became involved in the Armenian liberation movement through the Hunchakian Party at a young age. A media correspondent turned leader, in 1895 she helped organize the peaceful Bab Ali demonstrations in Constantinople to fight against the Turkish government which led to the execution of the May reforms. Furthermore, the Turkish government ordered her death sentence in absentia and she fled to Egypt.

As a writer, feminist and public figure, Beyleryan is one of the lesser known intellectuals from Western Armenia. A survivor of the Armenian Genocide, Beyleryan was an educator as well as a role model for thousands of Armenian women around the world. She began producing a women’s magazine Ardemis in 1904. The first women’s periodical in the Armenian world, Ardemis shared topics on Armenian women’s liberation. Before the periodical was published, Beyleryan’s husband, Avo Nakashian visited Etchmiadzin to ask for support from Catholicos Mgrditch Khrimian. Following the meeting, Khrimian Hayrig was fully supportive of a women’s periodical and agreed to help Beyleryan with her new project. He contributed some of his writings as well and offered to donate the profit from the publication to the newspaper.

The publication’s main focus was to raise awareness for women’s rights and education. Ardemis also promoted philanthropic activities. Beyleryan, who was the chief editor of the magazine, amazed readers then as she does today with her feminist writing and progressive ideas.

Ardemis offered women the opportunity to express themselves in ways they hadn’t been afforded before its creation. They finally had a powerful way of reaching a variety of social classes, giving everyone a chance to openly discuss topics about women’s issues. The magazine broke down borders and boundaries bringing together women from Tbilisi, Moscow, Kars, Nor Jugha, New York and Paris. Coupled with the collaboration of famous writers such as Vahan Tekeyan, Yeghia Demirjibashian, Zaruhi Kalemkarian and American journalist Alice Stone Blackwell, Ardemis delivered powerful poignant messages.    

In addition to her works about women’s rights, one of Beyleryan’s beliefs was that feminism in the West did not match the Armenian reality. She argued that Armenian women needed “natural rights,” meaning the right to voice their own opinions, as well as question their role in the country’s socio-political discourse. Beyleryan shared her thoughts about the challenges of the average Armenian woman’s daily life in her editorial “A Glance Into the Past of the Armenian Woman,” where she criticized the relationship of husband/wife as well as a woman’s role in the family unit.

“Family life was hell for the Armenian in the past. She was forced to be a shadow, nothing more. It was considered shameful for a young man to speak openly, friendly and lovingly to his wife. If he dared to, those around him would call him effeminate. He would be reproached and insulted by them. If he had something important to say to his wife, he did so without looking at her face,” wrote Beyleryan.

When writer Victoria Rowe (2009), published her book “A History of Armenian Women’s Writing 1880-1992,” she recognized four main topics covered in Ardemis: women’s rights, education, motherhood and employment. She identified them as the most important issues Armenian women faced for centuries, some of which are still relevant in 21st century Armenia.

After the Young Turk revolt in 1908, which aided in restoring the Ottoman Constitution, Beyleryan returned to the Ottoman Empire to teach at an Armenian school in Smyrna (Izmir). She also worked on her own collection of writing known as Depi Ver, meaning “upward,” which was later published. She worked on this collection until her tragic death on April 24, 1915 at the age of 38. She, along with writer Zabel Yesayan, was among the women arrested alongside 200 other Armenian leaders and intellectuals at the onset of the Armenian Genocide.

Shushanik Popojlian Kurghinian 

Shushanik Popojlian Kurghinian was born in 1876 in Alexandrapol, Armenia (Gyumri) and grew up in a poor family. During that time Armenia was split between two foreign powers; Western Armenia was under Turkish rule while Eastern Armenia was controlled by the Russian Empire. This compelled Kurghinian to get involved in the fight for Armenian liberation. In 1893, she joined the Armenian Social-Democratic Hunchakian Party to fight against the Turks and the Tsarists.

As an Armenian writer, Kurghinian became a catalyst in the development of socialist feminist poetry. She is well-known and praised for “giving a voice to the voiceless.” Born Popoljiants, Kurghinian was an Armenian poet and activist. She was known for her commitment to art and politics and used that to fight against oppression as an Armenian woman and member of the working class.

At the age of 21, she married Arshak Kurghinian at her family’s request; together they had two children. In 1903, she ended up in Rostov-on-Don and joined the revolutionary movements in Russia. These movements led to the creation of the Soviet Union. In 1921, she moved to Sovietized Armenia to help rebuild her country.

Kurghinian was a fighter for Armenian women. In 1907, she wrote a powerful poem called “I Want to Live,” highlighting the struggle against the male population. She believed standing in opposition of men would aid in the liberation of her people. The poem reads:

“I want to fight–first as your rival,
standing against you with an old vengeance,
since absurdly and without mercy you
turned me into a vassal through love and force.
Then after clearing these disputes of my gender,
I want to fight against the agonies of life,
courageously like you–hand in hand,
facing this struggle to be or not.”

Kurghinian is one of the most formidable Armenian female figures. Her strong commitment and passion for equal rights remain an indelible part of her legacy, as evidenced by this excerpt from her 1907 poem “Let’s Unite.”

“Enough of carrying the burden of this empty world’s grief and sorrow on our shoulders!
Enough of incessant weeping that dulls the spark in our eyes!
Enough of sacrificing our blooming youthful days to these cruel laws, neglected, defenseless between four walls, enough of letting them close the open doors!
Come, dear sister, let us hail the world and summon all our comrades.
Let’s find a solution, clear a new path unlike this low dark oppressive life.
Come, dear sister, let’s unite, let us partake in this great holy fight.
Paralyzed by imprisonment, enough of our enslaved existence with numbed minds!
Let them, our lucky men, not be so insolent in dashing forward; without us, trust me, sister, they won’t achieve any goal, they’ll fall apart!
Let’s go, dear sister, fearless, hand in hand, sacrificing all for our righteous cause, everyone is equal and worthy of the fight for the liberation’s blessed light!”

Although her famous poems were written decades ago, her timeless words continue to inspire women today. Kurghinian died in Yerevan in 1927 at the age of 51 due to poor health. She is buried in Komitas Pantheon Park.

Dussap, Beyleryan and Kurghinian together were a voice for the voiceless at a time when Armenian women did not feel empowered enough to express themselves. These brave women rejected the notion of silence and submission and projected their voices to advance their noble missions. We must not forget their names. We must carry their spirit and instill their teachings into the next generation of young Armenian men and women.

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Tvene Baronian

Tvene Baronian is a rising sophomore attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She plans to graduate with a double major in Environmental Studies and English. On campus, Tvene is a member of the Environmental Club, Campus Green Club, Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), Outdoor Recreation Adventure Program (ORAP), Sustainability Club, Koshare Dance Collective, and the Lacrosse Club. In addition to her involvement on campus, her passion for her Armenian heritage drives her participation in various volunteer organizations including Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), Hamazkayin Nayiri Dance Ensemble, HMEM Scouts and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). During her free time, she loves to sing, dance, write and draw. She has a passion for music and has performed at Carnegie Hall, where she showcased her love of Armenian opera.

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Keeping people connected and coming together virtually during these unusual times have been the focus of the Friends of Armenian Heritage Park Planning Team, an extraordinary group of committed individuals providing key leadership in developing and implementing public programs.

These programs are inspired by Armenian Heritage Park on The Greenway, Boston and its key design features—“public art that feels alive… gem of the Greenway…,” states The Boston Globe’s Joanna Weiss.

Armenian Heritage Park reflects the values and importance of public art to “engage public interaction, prompt awareness and reflect how our lives are interconnected.” These are key points highlighted in a report of the Americans for the Arts, a national non-profit comprised of a network of organizations and individuals who support the arts in America. “Public art is a reflection of how we see the world…the artists’ response to our time and place combined with our own sense of who we are,” the report continues. “Activities need to be planned and the space needs to be well-cared for and maintained.” Both goals are being achieved at the Park.

“Public Art is the way we express ourselves as a community. It’s the way we tell our story,” comments Karin Goodfellow, Director of Public Art, City of Boston.

Jane Whitehead writes in Forget Me Not in ArchitectureBoston, the publication of the Boston Society of Architects, “Luckily, the project had a designer, Don Tellalian, AIA…who was sensitive to the imperatives of civic space…the design uses abstract, geometric forms…it evokes the broader historic struggles of all immigrants…offers multivalent possibilities for interpretation shaped by visitors’ own histories…”

“Public Art employs a unique position within the art world…adds meaning to our cities…reflects who we are…the Abstract Sculpture and all its surrounding elements are a perfect example…,” shares Lucas Cowan, Public Art Curator, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy on the occasion of Celebrate Public Art! during ArtWeek at the Park.

For many, walking the Park’s Labyrinth, symbolic of life’s journey, has become a respite, especially during these unusual times. Many are enjoying a quiet moment on one of the Park’s benches that surround the Labyrinth and the Abstract Sculpture. Some visit the Park each day, a place of comfort. Passersby, they share, often pause to read the Inscription on the Reflecting Pool, upon which the Abstract Sculpture sits, that states its dedication to “lives lost in the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 and all genocides that followed.”

Many pause to read the words – Art. Service. Science. Commerce. – etched around the Labyrinth’s Circle in tribute to contributions made to American life and culture.

All on-site programs have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic including the Annual Reconfiguration of the Abstract Sculpture, a split rhomboid dodecahedron. The annual reconfiguration is symbolic of all who pulled away, or were forced to pull away, from their country of origin and came to these Massachusetts shores, establishing themselves in new and different ways. In early spring, a crane lifts and pulls apart the two halves of the split rhomboid dodecahedron, made of stainless steel and aluminum, to create a new sculptural shape.

The annual reconfiguration takes place under the direction of A&A Industries and founders Anahid and Aurelian Mardiros, who fabricated the Abstract Sculpture, their very generous gift in kind. They are joined by William Martin who oversees the Park’s ongoing care and maintenance, and Don Tellalian, AIA. The annual reconfiguration is funded by the Park’s Charles and Doreen Bilezikian Endowed Fund.

On April 24 this year, the Genocide Remembrance was held virtually, a fitting tribute planned by the Massachusetts Armenian Genocide Committee.

Several programs are being adapted to be offered virtually to keep people connected, coming together while expanding reach and building collaborations.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is the newest collaborator to join the festive Welcome Reception for New Citizens at the Park following their Naturalization Ceremony at Faneuil Hall annually held in September. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Welcome Reception will not take place. Next year, the BSO will be joining the Armenian Museum of America, The Bostonian Society, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, The Greenway Conservancy and Museum of Fine Arts at the Welcome Reception offering gifts to our newest citizens. The Welcome Reception is funded by the Park’s Anna and Noubar Afeyan Endowed Fund for Public Programs.

Geometry as Public Art: Telling A Story, the innovative curriculum inspired by the Park’s design and geometric features has been developed in partnership with and piloted at The Eliot K-8 Innovation School, Boston Public School in the North End.

Now, adapted for remote learning, the curriculum sparks awareness of geometric shapes in our everyday lives and their creative expression of ideas and thoughts, and engages students in sharing their own, their families’ or ancestors’ immigrant experience and in doing so, celebrating what unites and connects us.

“This curriculum is an exciting and engaging way for students to learn more about their family heritage and reflect on the American immigration experience…and a wonderful way for teachers to learn about and better understand their students and for the students to learn about one another,” comments Brianna Greene, a fourth grade teacher at The Eliot K-8 Innovation School. An impressive team of educators from the Friends of Heritage Park and The Eliot School has developed this curriculum now available to all schools in Boston and beyond.

The Celebrating What Unites Us series has also been adapted virtually. The two-part program was launched three years ago to build community and cross-cultural understanding while promoting healthy and active living. Each month highlighted the ethnic heritage of many living in the City of Boston and beyond. For two years, all first met at the Park where a community leader shared his/her immigrant experience. Many walked the labyrinth. Then all walked to The KITCHEN (now permanently closed) at the Boston Public Market where a guest chef shared a signature dish for all to enjoy for lunch and conversation. The series was offered in collaboration with City of Boston Age-Friendly and The KITCHEN and funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Planning is underway to continue the series once all are again out and about.

Celebrating What Unites Us is now a virtual cooking series with each program featuring a guest chef demonstrating signature ethnic dishes. The series is offered in collaboration with City of Boston Age-Friendly and OLDWAYS, a “food and nutrition non-profit helping people live healthier, happier lives”.

Labyrinth Walking Wellness series was initially planned to be held at the Park to introduce the benefits of walking the labyrinth, as part of the 2020 Greenway Fitness program. Now, the three-part introductory virtual series is offered in collaboration with the City of Boston Age-Friendly, Boston Public Health Commission, The Greenway Conservancy and YMCA of Greater Boston.

Friends of Armenian Heritage Park Programs Planning Team, the exceptional team of volunteers providing the key leadership and professional expertise to develop and implement these programs include Kristin Asadourian, Jason Behrens, Andrea Burns, Susan Deranian, Tom Dow, Manneh Ghazarians, Martha Mensoian, Catherine Minassian, Dr. Armineh Mirzabegian, Katrina Piehler, Tsoleen Sarian, Barbara Tellalian, Arlette Yegumians, Chiara Megighian Zenati and Zareh Zurabyan.

Friends of Armenian Heritage Park is an initiative of Armenian Heritage Foundation. The Foundation Board, comprised of representatives from parishes and organizations within the Armenian-American community of Massachusetts, is responsible for proper governance and fiduciary oversight, as well as for the Park’s ongoing care and maintenance.

When all are once again out and about and when it’s safe to do so, let’s all come together at the Park. Benefactors, supporters, friends, collaborators and so many more to continue to celebrate together this extraordinary gift to the City of Boston and Commonwealth, and to our children and grandchildren, a gift in tribute to our parents, grandparents and ancestors so that we may come together, engaging all on common ground.

To stay connected and informed, join us on social media. To receive the Park’s e-news and announcements, please email hello@ArmenianHeritagePark.org

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Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles written and submitted by members of the community, which make up our community bulletin board.

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