California Courier Online, August 31, 2006
1 – Commentary
Exploiting Israel’s Attack on Lebanon
Turks Unleash Anti-Semitic Statements
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – AUA to Mark 15th Anniversary
With Nov. 12 Banquet in L.A.
3 – Shahnazarian is Inducted into RV Hall of Fame
4 – Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches
Meeting Plans Joint Educational Programs
5- AMAA Acquires New Headquarters in Yerevan
6 – Area Residents Oppose AGBU High School
7 – USC Armenian Institute Hosts
Eye-Opening Judges’ Forum
8 – Sept. 12 Discussion in Glendale
Focuses on Armenia’s Economy
9 – Luna Playhouse to Open in Glendale
With Lilly Thomassian’s New Play
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1 – Commentary
Exploiting Israel’s Attack on Lebanon
Turks Unleash Anti-Semitic Statements
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Israel’s month-long attack on Lebanon has justifiably angered most people
around the globe. There has been an almost universal condemnation of Israel’s
massive and often indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Lebanon.
In some countries, however, anti-Semites have exploited this human tragedy to
vent their fury, not just at Israel, but Jews in general. In Turkey, for
example, where there has been widespread and long-lasting anti-Semitism among
large segments of the population, Turkish leaders and commentators not only
criticized the Israeli attacks, but went further, comparing Israel’s actions to that
of Hitler and even questioned the veracity of the Holocaust.
The Turkophile British magazine, The Economist, in its August 5 issue,
reported the upsurge of anti-Semitism in Turkey. The article quoted the finding by
the Pew Global Attitudes Survey that "only 15% of Turks look kindly upon Jews,"
which reflects the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism, not limited to the views
of a few Turkish crackpots and racists.
According to The Economist, an increasing number of Jews say "they no longer
feel secure in Turkey, and recently, some community leaders have received
death threats. Fears began growing after Turkish suicide bombers with links to
al-Qaeda blew up two synagogues in Istanbul in 2003. Anti-Semitic literature,
including Hitler’s Mein Kampf, has recently appeared in many bookstores across
Turkey.
Here are a few quotations from the thousands of such anti-Semitic statements
published in the Turkish press in recent weeks:
— Israel is carrying out state terror and genocide, turning Palestine into a
concentration camp, and doing what Hitler did to the." (Sami Hocaoglu in Yeni
Shafak, July 14);
— Calling Jews "animals would be an insult to animals — they are creatures
lower than the animals." (Hasan Karakaya in Vakit, Aug. 1);
— "This racist, selfish, greedy, crazed, pervert state [Israel] is a tragic
bad luck for the world. There is no sin that they have not committed, no
massacre that they haven’t carried out, no evil that they haven’t done, no piece of
earth that they haven’t sown seeds of mischief."(Ibrahim Karagul in Yeni
Shafak, Aug. 1);
— "The terrorist Israeli state, the whore of the USA in the Middle East,
displays scenes of atrocity. Will you bring democracy to the Middle East with the
Israeli Terror Organization which in fact is the bastard of Hitler?" (Mehmet
Ocaktan in Yeni Shafak, Aug. 2);
— The Israelis "have turned into a fascist, racist and Nazi executioner,
while once they themselves were the victims." (Umur Talu in Sabah, Aug. 3);
— "Even Adolf Hitler did not conduct the monstrous acts displayed by Israel.
If an anti-Semitic wave rises in the world, it will be the Zionist Jewish
monsters and their overseas boss responsible for it." (Selahaddin Cakirgil in
Vakit, Aug. 3);
— "It is Jewish propaganda that Hitler killed 6 million Jews. It is a lie by
Zionist Jews. If Hitler were resurrected he would say: ‘It was a lie that I
killed innocent Jews. You look at what they are doing now. Wouldn’tt it have
been better if I totally exterminated the ancestors of these monsters?" (Ali
Eren in Vakit, Aug. 3);
— "The cruelty and inhuman acts of Israel in the Middle East has outdone the
cruelty of Hitler." (Huseyin Tanriverdi, Parliament member representing Prime
Minister Erdogan’s ruling party, in Yeni Shafak, Aug. 3);
— "Israel is taking the revenge of the Holocaust by Hitler from the innocent
people in the region." (Mehmet Elkatmis, representing the ruling party and
Chairman of the Parliament’s Human Rights Commission, in Hurriyet, Aksam, and
Zaman, Aug. 4);
— Jews are carrying out "more atrocities on poor Palestinians than Hitler
did on Jews. Israel is a small, but malign tumor spreading to all humanity by
metastasis." (Huseyin Uzmez in Vakit, Aug. 8).
The above statements clearly expose the Turkish government’s lie that Turkey
is a friend of Israel. As the Pew survey showed, 85% of the Turkish public
harbors hostile feelings towards Jews. By feigning friendship with Israel,
Turkish leaders have succeeded in getting some Jews to lobby for Turkey’s interests
in the U.S. Congress.
Israeli officials and American-Jewish leaders have long been aware of the
prevalence of anti-Semitism in Turkey and have even criticized it both publicly
and privately from time to time. However, instead of taking strict measures to
condemn and counter Turkish anti-Semitism, these Jewish leaders have
shamelessly continued to do the bidding of the Turkish government in lobbying on behalf
of Turkey in Washington.
Amazingly, Barry Rubin, a former lobbyist for the Israeli government and
editor of the Turkish Studies journal, as recently as two weeks ago, wrote: "One
of the greatest achievements of the Israel lobby, on an issue which often does
not get high-profile attention, is to push for a pro-Turkish policy in the
United States."
If, after all of the above racist Turkish statements, Israeli and American
Jewish officials continue to brag about their lobbying efforts on behalf of
Turkey, then they are just as guilty in the propagation of anti-Semitism as the
Turkish anti-Semites themselves!
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2 – AUA Will Celebrate Anniversary
With Nov. 12 Banquet in L.A.
LOS ANGELES – The American University of Armenia will celebrate its 15th
anniversary with a Gala Banquet Nov. 12 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los
Angeles.
Former California Governor George Deukmejian will be honorary chair for an
eventful day of celebration.
The Gala honors Jerry and Pat Turpanjian, and Vartkes and Jean Barsam. The
program chairman is AUA Trustee Sinan Sinanian.
The weekend commences on Saturday morning with a Board of Trustees meeting,
gaveled by Dr. Rory Hume, new Senior Vice President and Provost of the
University of California and incoming AUA Board of Trustees Chairman.
The AUA is sponsored through the generosity of the AGBU and by private
contributions from concerned individuals around the world, who understand the
importance of western education to the future of Armenia.
Fifteenth Anniversary sponsorship opportunities, which will be acknowledged
in program announcements and booklets, are available by contacting Maggie Mead
at 510-987-9125.
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3 – Shahnazarian is Inducted into RV Hall of Fame
By Marilyn Odendahl
The Truth
ELKHART, IN – Leon Shahnasarian introduced modern refrigerators to the
recreational vehicle industry at a time when most manufacturers were still
installing heavy insulated boxes that were cooled with large blocks of ice. Showing
trailer and motorhome makers the new appliance as well as how to properly install
it, he brought a technological advancement to the industry that, in turn,
attracted more families to the RV lifestyle.
His contribution should have earned him induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame
in the 1980s but somehow he was never nominated and many in the new
generation now running the RV industry are not familiar with the work of the lanky
Armenian.
But Shahnasarian is not angry. These days he and Mary, his wife of 53 years,
live in a quiet neighborhood in a house filled with treasures they’ve picked
up from their travels around the world. Hearing a rap of knuckles on the front
door, the couple will warmly welcome any visitor into their home for an
afternoon of conversation, games and music.
"That’s what my life was, enjoying as much as we can," Shahnasarian said.
Shahnasarian will receive the long overdue recognition when he is formally
inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame. He is among the 12 members in the Class of
2006.
"He did great things," said Al Hasselbart, historian at the Recreational
Vehicle/Manufactured Housing Museum and Hall of Fame. "He is a deserving giant
from Elkhart."
Shahnasarian was a young immigrant in his late 20s when he founded the
company Instamatic and started traveling around his new homeland peddling a
wall-mounted water heater. It was a device he had become familiar with while living in
Germany and when he and his family settled into a coldwater flat in
Providence, R.I., in 1950, he saw a potential market for the water heaters.
His salesman duties brought him to Zolinger Camping Trailers in Elkhart,
where the owner of the company told him the recreational vehicle industry needed
better refrigerators than the iceboxes that were being used.
The young man enlisted the help of his father, George, and the two began
searching for gas and gas-electric refrigerators that could be used in RVs. They
soon signed a 10-year contract with the Electrolux Co., which extended the
father and son business team three months of credit.
The Swedish company named the refrigerator Dometic and from 1957 to 1967, the
Instamatic-Dometic company served the RV industry. Selling the product was
not enough. Shahnasarian noted he sent employees all over the country to teach
the manufacturers how to place the unit inside the RV so it was level and the
air circulated properly.
Shahnasarian noted he sent employees all over the country to teach the
manufacturers how to place the unit inside the RV so it was level and the air
circulated properly.
Shahnasarian attributed his company’s ability to build a customer base in
part to the three-month credit agreement. The unusual beginning to the business
relationship came about because of the "excellent reputation" his father had
earned among European companies.
Recalling his father and his family’s "escapes" from Stalin’s and Hitler’s
armies still takes Shahnasarian to the brink of tears. After the Shahnasarian
family fled its home near the Black Sea to the Baltic region following the 1917
Russian Revolution, George Shahnasarian joined his brother-in-law’s automobile
distributorship and became general manager of the operation.
The family had to flee again in the mid-1940s when the Soviet appeared poised
to invade the Baltic States.This time they landed in Germany and a couple of
years later they sailed to America.
When the 10-year contract with Electrolux came due, Shahnasarian sought to
renew but the firm wanted the new American market all to itself.
With a payroll of over 100 employees in Elkhart, Shahnasarian dropped the
Dometic name, reinstated Instamatic and, with his cousin, the late Edward
Shahnasarian, built refrigerators along with roof-mounted air conditioners, gas
heaters and wall-mounted water heaters for RVs.
"We had customers; we had commitments so I decided to start producing
myself," Shahnasarian said.
Eventually, he sold Instamatic to Magnavox.
At 82 years old, Shahnasarian now spends his days with his wife and family
and friends. He also keeps a small digital camera close at hand so he is always
prepared to snap a photo of a moment he does not want to forget.
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4 – Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches
Meeting Plans Joint Educational Programs
LOS ANGELES – The Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches of the Western United
States held their regular meeting at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in
Eagle Rock on Aug. 14.
Participating in the meeting were Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Orthodox
Church, Archbishop Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and
members of the clergy order. Also present was Bishop Nareg Alemezian,
Ecumenical Officer of the Holy See of Cilicia, who was in Los Angeles for a brief
visit to the Western Prelacy.
Among the items on the agenda was the possibility of future joint ventures.
It was decided that a one-day spiritual gathering for Sunday School students
would take place under the auspices of the Oriental Orthodox Council Bishops.
The gathering is to be held on Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Archangel
Michael Coptic Orthodox Church.
Students ages 8-15 will participate in the gathering, where there will be a
joint morning services, and an educational program, among other activities.
In the past, the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches has organized joint
Holy Mass, seminars, and the Sunday School Bible competition that took place on
May 13, hosted by Archbishop Mardirossian at St. Mary’s Armenian Church in
Glendale.
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5 – AMAA Acquires New Headquarters in Yerevan
YEREVAN – A major transaction was consummated recently when the Armenian
Missionary Association of America (AMAA) purchased the former U.S. Embassy
building in Armenia from the U.S. State Department.
Plans are already underway to convert the existing buildings into the AMAA
central headquarters for all of Armenia, Karabagh, Georgia, and Russia.
Negotiations had been in progress for more than a year and a half when AMAA
Executive Director Andrew Torigian made a special trip to Armenia to seal the
purchase agreement.
The embassy complex occupies almost an acre of prime land on Baghramian
Street. Known also as Embassy Row, Baghramian Street is Yerevan’s equivalent of
Fifth Avenue.
The office of the Armenian President is but a few blocks away.
Transforming the embassy buildings to AMAA’s needs will require considerable
effort and cost. For example, an existing auditorium will be redesigned to
serve as an Armenian Evangelical church, as well as for secular events.
In the meantime, however, it will be the site of a major celebration marking
the 160th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church.
In addition to offices, the complex will house the AMAA Evangelical
Theological Academy and the Nerses and Arpine Aynilian Medical Center, serving all
needy Armenians without charge. Further, the AMAA will administer all of its
orphan and needy child support programs, currently serving more than 2,800
children throughout Armenia, plus its milk program which helps nourish over 1,000
infants.
Ample space will be designated for Christian education programs, Bible study,
and the coordination of AMAA’s several humanitarian projects for Armenia and
Karabagh.
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6 – Area Residents Oppose AGBU High School
By Cortney Fielding
Pasadena Star-News
PASADENA – Negative reaction to a new Armenian high school in Pasadena has
organizers asking "What’s so bad about a school?"
Residents in the Victory Park area have mobilized against the Armenian
General Benevolent Union High School, which they say will bring significant noise,
traffic and other disruptions to their neighborhood.
Members of the Mountain Park Villa Condominiums Homeowners Association
contend the AGBU kept them in the dark about plans to open Sept. 12. They are now
questioning the organization’s right to operate on a site originally approved as
a church elementary school.
"Teenagers are not little kids – they can cause a lot of noise and mischief,"
said former association board member Loraine Bernstein. "I’m very hesitant."
Fifty students in grades nine through 11 are already registered for the
private college preparatory school’s inaugural year, school officials said.
Administrators say they anticipate adding a 12th grade and expanding to 100 students
in upcoming years. The school’s permit allows for up to 200 students.
The AGBU, a national social and educational organization that promotes
Armenian heritage, has owned the land at 2495 E. Mountain St. for more than 10
years, but has rented much of the space to the Living Waters Christian Fellowship,
which operates an elementary school. They’ve thus far used the building for
social gatherings and group functions.
At a meeting with residents Monday night, AGBU Chairman Vahe Imasdounian said
he wanted to build excitement for the private school, which he said will add
to the quality and value of the neighborhood.
In addition to cleaning out and remodeling the building, Imasdounian said the
school will also see extensive landscaping, in addition to being gated.
"Whatever it takes," he said. "We want to make this neighborhood better and
better."
But tensions mounted when neighbors peppered him and other AGBU members with
questions about where cars would park, where parents would drop and pick up
students, and how they would control teenagers from walking through their
property and causing disruption.
Residents also cited a decade-old incident that occurred on-site during an
AGBU party, when a fight resulted in reported gunfire, and a security guard had
to be hospitalized.
The incident, Imasdounian said, occurred "so long ago, and a lot has changed
since then."
He vowed to ensure the school, which will eventually cost $12,000 in annual
tuition, runs smoothly and causes no disruptions.
"Discipline comes first at our school," he said.
After the meeting, AGBU director Haig Messerlian asked homeowners association
president Karen Lindsey what was wrong about starting a school in a
neighborhood.
"The residents don’t want a high school here," she replied.
But Lindsey also said the meeting was a positive step toward opening
communication, and she would continue to work with the group. "It’s a start,
definitely," she said.
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7 – USC Armenian Institute Hosts
Eye-Opening Judges’ Forum
LOS ANGELES – Over 150 guests were present on Aug. 13 at the USC campus
where, hosted by the USC Institute of Armenian Studies and the Armenian Bar
Association, an Armenian-American Federal Judges’ Forum was presented by a panel of
six Armenian-American District Court and Superior Court Judges.
Senior Federal District Court Judge Dickran Tevrizian moderated the panel
that included Federal Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan, of the US District Court,
Illinoism US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian, Central District of California;
L.A. Superior Court judges Zaven V. Sinanian, Alice E. Altoon, and Ronald M.
Sohigian.
Present in the audience were members of the Armenian Bar Association,
Armenian-American attorneys, undergraduate and law students, and members of the
Armenian community.
Welcoming the attendees were Charles Ghailian, Chair of the Institute of
Armenian Studies Leadership Council, and Frank Zerunyan, Chair of Armenian Bar
Association’s Board of Governors.
At the end of the proceedings, USC College Dean Peter Starr and his wife,
Judge Alice Hill, were introduced by USC Institute of Armenian Studies Director,
Professor R. Hrair Dekmejian. Dean Starr acknowledged the impressive
accomplishments of the Institute in a very short time and expressed his full commitment
to its future endeavors.
Issues addressed during the presentations included some of the major concerns
of the Armenian community, including immigration, gangs, elder abuse, ethnic
assimilation and careers in the legal profession.
Among the notable topics were Judge Sinanian’s discussion regarding
misperceptions about incarcerated Armenians and the need for empirical evidence; Judge
Altoon’s recommendation to provide mentoring to younger gang members of
Armenian descent; and Judge Chooljian’s comments about elder abuse and the need for
counseling programs. Judge Sohigian’s suggestion that the Institute determine
an appropriate public position with regard to ethnic generalizations was very
relevant as the next generation assimilates into the American culture. Judge
Der-Yeghiayan’s comments about the importance of Armenian leadership and
student involvement could not have been stated to a more receptive audience.
The Judges’ Forum concluded with a reception.
The USC Institute is committed to providing future venues of research on the
matters discussed at the Forum in order to confront problems facing the
Armenian community.
The Institute’s next major event will be AGBU – In its Second Century – A
Centennial Symposium, to be presented by the AGBU Southern California District
Committee in cooperation with the USC Institute, on October 28, at the USC Town
and Gown.
For more information on all Institute’s events, contact 213-821-3943 or
[email protected]
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8 – Sept. 12 Discussion in Glendale
Focuses on Armenia’s Economy
LOS ANGELES -The Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America, ARPA
Institute, Armenian Professional Society, and Friends of Armenia will host a Sept. 12
discussion on advancing Armenia’s economy through science and technology
development, at the Glendale Central Library in Glendale, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The event will feature presenters from the National Foundation of Science
and Advanced Technologies (NFSAT) of Armenian and the U.S. Civilian Research &
Development Foundation (CRDF).
Featured speakers include: Dr. Harut Karapetyan, Chairman, NFSAT. As the
only independent institution working on science & technology issues in Armenia,
NFSAT has distributed more than $3 million via merit-based grant competitions
since 1997 to strengthen the science and technology sector in Armenia and to
reform how research and development is supported; John Modzelewski, Program
Director, CRDF. A congressionally-authorized nonprofit organization based in
Arlington, VA, CRDF has worked to promote Armenia’s science and technology
development-the centerpiece of which has been nearly a decade of cooperation with
NFSAT.
Contact Areg Gharabegian for more information about this event at (626)
440-6047, [email protected]
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9- Luna Playhouse to Open in Glendale
With Lilly Thomassian’s New Play
GLENDALE – Having overcome all difficulties – including the necessity of
building four toilets for a 40-seat theatre – the directors of Glendale’s newest
theatre are about to open the doors of Luna Playhouse on San Fernando Road
(corner of Brand Blvd.)
This theatre will serve as a progressive and vibrant center for performing
arts in Glendale. It will cater for all of the population of the area around it
by producing plays in English, Armenian, Spanish, Farsi, Russian, and any
other language in which actors perform plays. There will also be a company
attached to the playhouse specializing in Irish drama.
There will also be poetry readings, book events, music, singing and dance.
The first play, to open in early September, is "THIRST" by Lilly Thomassian.
It is a drama set in a mythical land, that deals with the subject of war- the
reasons why it happens and the effects it has even on its most committed
supporters.
The play is designed and directed by the second of Luna Playhouse directors
Maro Parian.
The next play in the program is the political satire "In the Name of the
People and the Fatherland" by Gevork Sarkissian. It is adapted and directed by
Aramazd Stepanian. The Armenian version will open in late September and the
English version by October, 2006.
For additional information on Luna Playhouse, contact: Lilly Thomassian (818)
261-7127.
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