California Courier Online, March 31, 2005

1 – Commentary
Turks Are Biggest Boosters of
90th Anniversary Commemoration
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
2 – Jews in Armenia Asks Worldwide
Jewry to Recognize 1915 Genocide
3 – Amirian is Among
30 Semi-Finalists
In L.A. County
4 – Dr. Kalayjian’s Team Returns
From Treating Tsunami Victims
5 – Sacramento Ceremony Honors
AFI Chair Maria Mehranian
6 – UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program,
AGBU Co-host April 9 Genocide Symposium

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1 – Commentary

Turks Are Biggest Boosters of
90th Anniversary Commemoration
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Several months ago, when Armenians started planning commemorative
activities for the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, little did
they know that the biggest boost for their efforts would come from the
Turks themselves!
Long before the upcoming observances on April 24, Turkish journalists
started publishing articles with ominous headlines such as, “The
Approaching Armenian Tsunami” or “The Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Would Be a Big Nightmare for Turkey.” Knowing full well the extent of their
guilt and the fact that no amount of denial had succeeded in covering up
the crimes committed in 1915, the Turkish leaders thought it wise to make a
pre-emptive strike in order to undermine the planned Armenian commemorative
activities.
The Turks did not realize that their actions were effectively helping to
publicize the Armenian Genocide to millions of their own citizens, many of
whom know little or nothing about these crimes, and to millions of other
people around the world.
The Turkish government enthusiastically embarked on forming so-called
“expert committees” and allocated huge sums of money for their revisionist
activities. As a result, before the Armenians organized a single
commemorative event, the Turks had already made the entire world aware that
this year was the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Here are a few examples of recent Turkish contributions to the
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide:
* Prof. Justin McCarthy of the University of Louisville was invited
toTurkey last week to deliver a series of lectures on the Armenian Genocide
and meet with the local media. Zaman newspaper reported that he spoke about
“The Reality of the Armenian Genocide,” at a conference held in the Turkish
Parliament. Prof. McCarthy, a revisionist historian who is well known to
his Turkish masters and unknown to everyone else, told the Turks that his
recent book on this issue “should be thrown from the air by plane.” When
the Turks
realize that they have been wasting their money on this charlatan, they may
decide to dump him along with his book.
* The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), with the assistance
of the handsomely compensated Livingston Group lobbying firm, organized a
“Capitol Forum” on the Armenian Genocide, at the Rayburn Building of the
House of Representatives, on March 22. The guest speaker was Prof. Turkkaya
Ataov, another charlatan whom I confronted at the United Nations in Geneva
some 20 years ago. The Turkish Forum was trying to imitate the Armenian
Genocide commemorations organized by Armenians in April of every year in
the same congressional building. The logical outcome of this Turkish event
was the propagation of the Armenian Genocide in Washington without any
effort or expense from Armenians.
* Prof. Yusuf Halajoglu, the President of the Turkish Historical Society,
suggested during a university lecture that Turkey demand the re-trial of
Soghomon Tehlirian who was set free by a German court in 1921, after
assassinating Talaat Pasha, the mastermind of the Armenian Genocide.
General Kilinc Tuncer, the Secretary of Turkey’s powerful National Security
Council, who was present at the lecture, put an immediate stop to this
counter-productive idea by pointing out that during the original trial, the
Ottoman government’s crimes came under scrutiny, rather than Tehlirian’s
act. He cautioned that re-opening the court case would end up putting
Turkey
on trial!
* After the world-renowned Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk told a foreign
journalist that Turks had killed one million Armenians in 1915, scenes
reminiscent of the Nazi era were repeated on Turkish streets last Sunday.
Pamuk’s books were collected and burned in a public ceremony, attended by
Turkish parliamentarians. No wonder Hitler’s book is a best-seller in
Turkey these days. Such Nazi tactics, reported by the Turkish Daily News,
helped further publicize the fact that a prominent Turkish writer had
acknowledged
the Armenian Genocide. It is ironic that while the Turks are trying to
convince the Europeans that they are ready to join the EU, they are
shooting themselves in the foot, by threatening a prominent writer and
burning his
books!
It is expected that in the coming weeks, the Turks would continue doing
their share in publicizing the Armenian Genocide. Hurriyet reported about
Turkish plans to hold a protest in front of the White House on April 24.
Armenians should not only welcome such an initiative, but also do
everything possible to assist the Turks to ensure such a gathering takes
place. Just imagine the worldwide media coverage generated by the
confrontation between Turks and Armenians in front of the White House on
April 24.
Armenians should be grateful for all the Turkish endeavors in the
globalization of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
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2 – Jews in Armenia Asks Worldwide
Jewry to Recognize 1915 Genocide
YEREVAN (Armenpress) – The Jewish community of Armenia called Tuesday on
all Jewish organizations worldwide urging them to recognize the Armenian
genocide.
A statement by the community says the government of the Ottoman Turkey
committed a horrible crime by exterminating 1.5 million of Armenians who
were its citizens. It says this fact was silenced for decades and was not
condemned by the international community.
The Holocaust would have never taken place had the peoples of the world
condemned the Armenian genocide at that time, as they have now risen to
fight the terrorism,” the statement says.
It also says governments should put aside their political or economic
interests and condemn the Armenian genocide. It says the recognition of the
Armenian genocide will not be aimed against the Turkish people and quite
the contrary, it will do it a credit in the eyes of the civilized humanity,
as was the case with Germany, when its government recognized the fact of
elimination of 6 million Jews during World War II.
“On the eve of the 90th anniversary of this horrible crime we call on those
who emphasize the acknowledgment of the historical truth and ask them to
pay tribute to the memory of the innocent
victims,” the statement says.
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3 – Amirian is Among
30 Semi-Finalists
In L.A. County
LOS ANGELES – Dro Amirian, 17, of La Crescenta, Calif., was named one of
the 30 semi-finalists in the 2005 Spotlight Awards Visual Arts Competition
of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. The 30 semi-finalists were
selected from nearly 5,000 high school student artists in photography and
two-dimensional design.
Amirian is a student at Clark Magnet High School in the Glendale Unified
School District. He participated in the 2-Dimensional Design category.
All the semifinalists will have their works of art displayed at the Bobbie
Greefield Gallery in Bergamot Station in Santa Monia.
As part of the Spotlight Award program, semifinalists attend master classes
with nationally and internationally recognized artists and attend private
museum tours in the Southland.
The submissions were reviewed by leading artists and arts professionals. In
making their selections, the judges considered the technical expertise
involved in each work including its craft and visual quality.
The winners will receive their trophies during a sold-out evening at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on April 16.
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4 – Dr. Kalayjian’s Team Returns
From Treating Tsunami Victims
BATTICALOA, SRI LANKA – Mental Health Outreach Project (MHOP), a disaster
relief organization of Association for Disaster & Mass Trauma Studies,
headed by Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, Dr. Anie
Kalayjian, organized teams of professional volunteers to go to Sri Lanka to
deliver psychological first aid, training, and counseling to the thousands
impacted by the tsunami.
The first team has just returned from its mission after working with
hundreds of survivors in camps, refugee settlements, schools, and colleges.
Hosted by the UNITED SIKHS, a worldwide humanitarian organization, MHOP has
collaborated with the local Sri Lankan authorities and psychosocial workers
to provide ongoing psychological support to the thousands of people
affected by the disaster.
Members of the clinical team were Dr. Kalayjian, team coordinator &
Director, Dr. Kuriansky of Columbia University, Nancy Moore, Fordham
University, and Hishara Godanka, University of Texas. Other team members
were Drs. Christina Hoven and Donald Mendall, Columbia University and
Lousine Shamamian, a documentarian.
The second team of the MHOP met with the first team in Colombo, before
their departure to Batticaloa. They received training, orientation, and
assignment from Dr. Kalayjian. Team three left on March 8.
Those interested in sending funding or getting involved as a volunteer may
contact Dr. Kalayjian at Kalayjiana@aol.com, WWWMeaningfulworld.com, or
(201)941-2266.
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5 – Sacramento Ceremony Honors
AFI Chair Maria Mehranian
GLENDALE – Maria Mehranian, Chair of Armenia Fund Inc., was named the Woman
of the Year for the 44th California State District by Assemblymember Carol
Liu (D-Pasadena) during a special ceremony at the State Assembly chambers
in Sacramento.
Chosen by the Legislative Women’s Caucus, Mehranian was one of 80 women
honored for making significant contributions to their respective
communities. “Maria is a role-model for all women, both for her business
leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the Armenian and La
Cañada Flintridge communities,” Liu said in a prepared statement.
Partnering with the California Museum for History, Women and Arts,
California’s First Lady, Maria Shriver, and the State Assembly unveiled an
exhibit entitled Serving California: 2005 Woman of the Year Honorees.
“Every one of these women and everything they do makes our state a better
place to live,” said Shriver in a prepared statement. The exhibit, on
display through April 30, features pictures and biographies of the women
honored by the Legislature.
Mehranian is managing partner at Cordoba Corporation, an international
planning and development company based in Los Angeles. In addition to
Armenia Fund, Mehranian’s community involvement includes chairing the La
Cañada Flintridge Planning Commission. In 2004 Armenia Fund, Inc., with its
affiliates around the world, raised over $11.5 million for infrastructure
development and humanitarian aid projects in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
For more information on Armenia Fund, Inc., visit or
call 818.243.6222.
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6 – UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program,
AGBU Co-host April 9 Genocide Symposium
SAN FRANCISCO – On April 9, from 2 pm to 6 p.m., five renowned scholars
from around the United States will participate in a panel on the Armenian
Genocide at the UC Berkeley at 125 Dwinelle
Hall. Co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program and AGBU
Silicon Valley, the Symposium will focus on “The Past as Present:
Representations and Consequences of the Armenian Genocide” and will feature
Professor Margaret Anderson (UC Berkeley), Professor Stephan Astourian (UC
Berkeley), Professor Levon Marashlian (Glendale Community College),
Professor Marc Nichanian (Wesleyan University), and Jack Weinstein
(Director, Facing History and Ourselves).
The workshop will focus on the contemporary issues stemming from the
genocide rather than the genocide itself, as summed up by its title,
“Representations and Consequences of the Armenian Genocide.” The speakers
will discuss the memoirs dealing with the catastrophe and provide an
assessment of the historiography of that event. They will talk about what
can be learned from Holocaust studies and the denial of the genocide, and
how the Armenian diaspora has formed and evolved as a result of its
occurrence. Finally, the workshop will talk about the necessity of genocide
education in modern-day societies.
Established in 1995 by the William Saroyan and Krouzian Endowments, the
Armenian Studies Program initially supported a visiting professorship in
Contemporary Armenian Studies. In 2002, Dr. Astourian was appointed as
Executive Director of the ASP and Assistant Adjunct Professor in History at
UC Berkeley. Currently, a $2M fundraising campaign is underway to raise the
endowment to $3M, enabling Dr. Astourian to increase the number of courses
offered and expand the scope of the ASP within the Slavic-Eurasian
institute at UC Berkeley.
At the completion of the campaign, the Armenian Studies Program at Berkeley
will offer three-level language courses, one one-semester course with
visiting professor in such fields as anthropology and art history, and
conferences and lectures throughout the year. In reaching this $3-million
goal, the ASP aims to become the leading Contemporary Armenian Studies
Program in the United States, producing strong professional and academic
leaders in the community and bringing to the forefront the significance of
modern Armenian history and politics.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress