Troy Record, NY
April 24 2005
Armenians mark painful anniverary
By: Steven S. Couse, The Record04/24/2005
TROY – Today, Armenians around the world will commemorate Armenian
Martyrs Day to remember the 1½ million Armenians put to death by the
Ottoman Turkish government from 1915 to 1923.
On April 24, 1915, 90 years ago, 200 Armenian dignitaries, clergymen
and intellectuals were rounded up and killed. This date is considered
the official start of the Armenian Genocide.
The killings had begun earlier and would continue until 1923,
according to Rafi Topalian, of the Capital District Armenian Genocide
Committee.
The CDAGC was founded in 2000 to increase awareness of the genocide
and remember the Armenians whose lives were cut short.
Today, members will be heading for Times Square in New York for a
Milestone Commemoration. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham
Clinton will be among the speakers.
After a Mass at St. Vartan Cathedral in Manhattan, more than 5,000
people are expected to gather at noon in Times Square for the
commemoration. A memorial service will follow at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral. Many religious and political leaders are participating.
For many Armenians, it is very important to educate the world about
the genocide because they feel the present-day Turkish government is
trying to rewrite history in their favor.
“How can we talk about this if they dispute us?” Topalian said.
He calls the Armenian Genocide the “template” for other genocides in
the 20th Century and suggests that if the world had had a better
understanding of what happened to them, other genocides might have
been prevented.
He said the Jewish Holocaust during World War II is more familiar to
people because many of the perpetrators were brought to justice at
the Nuremburg Trials and because news gathering – especially movie
footage – was more sophisticated later in the century.
According to Topalian, Armenia “has been around for over 3,000
years.” In 301 AD Armenians adopted Christianity as a nation, a
decade before the Roman Empire.
In 404 AD the Armenians developed an alphabet so the Bible could be
read by more people.
Throughout the centuries, he said, Armenians fought off invaders. “We
fought hard to maintain our Christian faith.
“Armenians advanced in intellect and commerce, and others around were
jealous,” he said.
>From 1894 to 1896, 300,000 Armenians were massacred under the order
of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Hamid’s reign ended in 1908, when a coalition known as the Young
Turks came to power. By 1914, a triumvirate of Young Turk dictators
set out to rid the country of minorities, beginning with Armenians.
Between 1915 and 1923, 1½ million Armenians perished and more than
500,000 were exiled.
>From 1918 to 1920, Armenia enjoyed a brief period of self-rule before
becoming part of the Soviet Union. Armenia declared independence on
Sept. 21, 1991.
Members of the CDAGC meet once a month or every other month and give
lectures at high schools and colleges. They work with other groups to
get the word out.
One of the major goals of the group, and others like it around the
world, is to get the present-day Turkish government to acknowledge
the genocide.
The committee will host an event at the state Assembly on May 16,
when lawmakers will formally recognize the genocide with a resolution
and proclaimation.
New York is one of only 30 states to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
The U.S. government does not.
According to Topalian, there are 2,500 Armenians in the Capital
District. There are three local churches, St. Peter Armenian
Apostolic Church in Watervliet, Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church
in Troy, and United Armenian Calvary Congregational Church, also in
Troy.
One of those Armenians is Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian. He learned
about the genocide from his grandmother and other family members and
traveled to Armenia in 1997 with a select group of young Armenian
professionals.
He met the president and other dignitaries, and saw monuments to the
genocide.
Tutunjian pointed out that in 1899, Troy established the second
Armenian parish in the country after Worcester, Mass.
That parish, St. Peter, moved to Watervliet in 1970.
