California Courier Online, November 30, 2006
1 – Commentary
1 – US Government’s "Sensitive" Study
Of Armenian-Americans Made Public
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – Armenians in the Ottoman Photograph Collection
Of the Getty Museum is Topic of Dec. 3 Lecture
3 – ‘Case of Misak Torlakian’
Book Published by CAR
4 – Book Unearths New Incriminating Evidence
About Long-Censored Fraud and Mass Murder
5- ‘My Son Shall Be Armenian’
Film Now Available on DVD
6 – Developing Western Armenia
After Recognition of Genocide
Is Topic of Dec. 3 Lecture
7 – Dilijan Chamber
Holiday Concert
Features Children
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1 – Commentary
US Government’s "Sensitive" Study
Of Armenian-Americans Made Public
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The U.S. government recently made public a fascinating internal study on the
Armenian-American community. The study, prepared in June of 2004 by the
American Embassy in Yerevan, carries the following classification: "Sensitive –
Please Treat Accordingly." It is titled, "Deciphering the Armenian-American
Diaspora," and was recently released by the Department of State at the request of
the Armenian National Committee of America, under the Freedom of Information Act.
While the study relates commonly known facts about the Armenian-American
community, it reveals for the first time the views of the U.S. government on the
Armenian community, its assessment of major Armenian-American organizations
and their impact on U.S. – Armenia relations. As the study contains some
inaccurate facts and misjudgments about some segments of the Armenian American
community, I would urge the groups concerned to send a letter to the editorand set
the record straight.
According to this study, around 1.5-2 million Armenians, out of an estimated
8-10 million Diaspora Armenians, live in the United States. This is the
second largest Diaspora Armenian community after Russia which reportedly has 2-2.5
million Armenians. The study lists "some of the largest Armenian Diaspora
populations" as living in France, Lebanon, Syria, Argentina and Turkey. Thelarge
Armenian community of Iran is not mentioned at all.
The study contends: "The Armenian-American Diaspora continues to wield
considerable influence upon the foreign and domestic policies of the Government of
Armenia [GOAM]. The influence ranges from the obvious connection of U.S.-born
and/or trained GOAM officials, the influence of private and public U.S.
assistance funding and the more nuanced impact of person-to-person relations between
the GOAM and the Diaspora."
The study specifically mentions "a number of current and former high-level
GOAM policymakers [who] were born, raised or trained in the United States with
long-term connections to the Diaspora community in the U.S. Current examples
of this connection include Armenia’s Foreign Minister, both Deputy Foreign
Ministers, various Presidential Advisors, including the Chief Advisor on Economic
Issues, the Minister of Trade and Economic Development and a number of deputy
ministers in other ministries."
According to the study, while it is not certain whether Russian-Armenians or
American-Armenians wield greater influence in Armenia, "it is impossible to
underestimate the impact of the Armenian-American community on the GOAM." Its
influence is measured in terms of being the wealthiest community of the
Armenian Diaspora, the most diverse, providing the largest amount of assistance to
Armenia, and the most organized. The study asserts incorrectly: "Roughly fifty
Armenian-American organizations claim nationwide membership somewhere in the
thousands."
The unknown authors of the study have grouped the Armenian-American
community into the following seven "clusters" or "broad categories that involve
intersecting political and religious affiliations and historical considerations":
1) "The AGBU, Ramkavars, Diocese"
2) "Dashnaks (ARF), ANCA, Prelacy"
3) "Organizations close to the ‘Hnchaks’ "
4) "The Armenian Protestant Community"
5) "Armenian-American Catholic Organizations"
6) "Professional and Cultural Organizations on the Rise"
7) "Humanitarian Groups and Private Foundations"
1) "The AGBU, Ramkavars, Diocese"
The study states: "This grouping captures roughly 30% of those active in the
Armenian-American community. While often less politically active than the two
largest advocacy organizations in the Diaspora (the AAA and the ANCA), the
AGBU and its affiliated organizations exercise considerable influence upon
grassroots thinking about Armenia-related issues."
The study describes the AGBU as "the largest worldwide charitable
organization in the Armenian Diaspora and constitutes one of the three largest groups of
Armenians in the United States today. While the AGBU claims a non-political
agenda and concentrates its programming on educational or humanitarian pursuits
worldwide, it also touts itself as the ‘mainstay of Armenian liberalism’
among Armenian-Americans."
It describes the ADL or the Ramkavar Party as "the second largest political
party" in the Armenian-American community with "considerable connections with
the AGBU. Historically, the majority of AGBU donors and board members were
members of or sympathized with the Ramkavar Party to some degree. The Ramkavars
represent one of the most politically conservative elements of the
Armenian-American community=80¦. While generally less nationalistic than some of their ANCA
counterparts in the U.S., the ADL’s political agenda includes a major push for
worldwide recognition of the events of 1915 as a ‘genocide.’ "
The Knights and Daughters of Vartan, which the study describes as "a service
organization whose recent activities are based loosely upon models such as
the rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, is one of the most active Armenian-American
fraternal associations based in the U.S. This organization claims membership in the
tens of thousands and sponsors humanitarian activities in the Republic of
Armenia including the renovation of schools and health facilities in rural
communities."
Stating that the AGBU and affiliated organizations such as the ADL and
Knights/Daughters of Vartan are generally linked with the Diocese of the Armenian
Church, the study describes the Diocese as "the largest branch of the Armenian
Church=80¦. Diocese congregations make up the majority of Armenian religious
groups in the United States. While it would be inappropriate to state that all
AGBU or ADL members worship as part of a Diocese congregation, there is a
tendency for these groups to align with one another on political issues. The
humanitarian arm of the Diocese, the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), raisesand
distributes millions of dollars in humanitarian relief aid to the Republic of
Armenia each year." FAR also carries out humanitarian projects in Artsakh, the study
states.
(Next week: The Armenian Assembly and the six other organizational clusters)
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2 – Armenians in the Ottoman Photograph Collection
Of the Getty Museum is Topic of Dec. 3 Lecture
MISSION HILLS, CA – The illustrated lecture "A World in Transition: Armenians
in the Ottoman Photographs Collection of the Getty Museum" by Van Aroian will
take place at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum on December 3, at 3:30 pm.
Co-sponsored with the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
the lecture will look at photographs from the Getty Research Institute’s
invaluable collection from the Ottoman period. The program will be followed by a
reception.
The program will provide a visual presentation and sampling of these Ottoman
photographs, with a focus on its Armenian flavor and contributions. On a
fundamental level this collection provides investigators with a rare opportunity
actually to see aspects of Ottoman life and culture – a presentation of a world
in transition captured for succeeding generations. Through the social and
historical commentary provided by these photographs, audience members will walk
down memory lane and share a unique experience exploring their history and
identity.
This collection is an invaluable resource for Ottoman scholars,
ethnographers, historians of Ottoman photography, and students of Armenian Ottoman life.
Furthermore, this collection provides a valuable resource for an investigator
interested in developing the significant contribution of Armenian photographers
to the early development of photography throughout the Ottoman Empire.
Van Aroian spent some six weeks in 1999-2001 looking through the Getty’s
Ottoman photograph collection. He first presented the results of his
investigations into the Getty’s collection in an article in NAASR’s Journalof Armenian
Studies (vol. 7, no.1, Fall-Winter 2002-2003) entitled "Ottoman Photographsat
the J. Paul Getty Research Institute: Armenian Themes and Contributions."
There he offered an overview of the collection and provided detailed analyses of
several photographs of direct or indirect relevance to the Armenians.
Aroian earned a B.A. at Boston University and M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies
at Harvard University. He was a fellow in Urban Geography at Clark University
and an Urban Planner and Deputy Director of the Worcester Redevelopment
Authority. He later joined his brother-in-law Kevork and wife Mary Balekdjian
Aroian in importing and retailing Oriental carpets. He is currently a member of
the NAASR Board of Directors.
The Ararat-Eskijian Museum was founded in 1993 by Armenian Genocide survivor,
philanthropist, and art collector, Luther Eskijian, to preserve Armenian
history and heritage for future generations. It is located on the grounds of the
Ararat Home of Los Angeles at 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA
91345. For information call AEM (818) 838-4862 or visit
Free admission and parking
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3 – ‘Case of Misak Torlakian’
Book Published by CAR
LOS ANGELES – "The Case of Misak Torlakian", a new book by Attorney Vartkes
Yeghiayan and Ara Arabyan, for the first time brings to the reader the
fascinating and revealing trial transcript of Misak Torlakian, an Armenian Ottoman
subject, who was tried by the British Military Court, on the charge of murdering
Bihbud Khan Jivanshir, the Ex-Minister of interior of Azerbaijan, outside the
Pera Palace Hotel in Constantinople (Istanbul) on July 18, 1921.
It is often forgotten that before a single drop of oil had been discovered
in the Middle East, Armenians were already extracting and exporting oil from
Baku on an industrial scale. Thus this book, this primary source, in its simple
trial-transcript format, reveals new insights into the rivalries between
Armenians, Azeris, Turks, Brits, and Bolsheviks for control of the liquid black
gold.
"The Case of Misak Torlakian" is the twin of the book "The Case of Soghomon
Tehlirian."
Both trials involved the murder of a tyrant, and both of the perpetrators
were found not guilty.
During both trials, history, theology, philosophy, physiology, psychology,
and politics were invoked by both sides to sway the Military Judge in the case
of Torlakian, and the Jury of Peers in the case of Tehlirian. Thus in addition
to being landmark legal cases, these two trials clearly reveal the prevailing
mindsets and political strategies of the key participants in the Great War,
namely: Germany, England, France, Turkey, Armenia, the Azeris, and the
Bolsheviks.
Both books have been brought to the public by Attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan,
who is in the news again this week because checks went out to heirs of Armenian
genocide victims as part of the $20 million dollar settlement reached between
New York Life Insurance Company and the heirs of genocide victims. Not all of
the money was claimed by surviving heirs. The extra money, according to
Vartkes Yeghiayan, will go to Armenian charitable organizations.
Yeghiayan also has personal motives for bringing out "The Case of Misak
Torlakian."
"When I was a student at the University of California," he said, "I had the
chance to meet Misak Torlakian. Overall he was a very unassuming, inconspicuous
and modest man, who, despite his trauma, was a man who motivated others with
his humility and service to his people and his country. He was imbued with a
devotion that is difficult to find elsewhere. He inspired people with his open
minded liberalism, and others were keen to emulate him. When asked whether it
was worth it? He always answered with an unequivocal: ‘It was.’"
Turkish and British sources, were used to put together "The Case of Misak
Torlakian". The summations came from British sources, while the witness
testimonies came both from the British sources and a Turkish source.
"The Case of Misak Torlakian" is one of over a dozen primary documents
related to the Armenian Genocide that a cadre of writers, translators,
researchers, and technicians are putting together in book form, under the overall title
of "The Armenian Genocide and the Armenian Case." The next book in the series,
"The Case of Soghomon Tehlirian," will come out in December of 2006, to be
followed by "Vahan Cardashian: Advocate Extraordinaire of the Armenian Cause" and
"British Policy and the Armenian-Greek Section," to come out in January and
February of 2007.
The series is published by the Center for Armenian Remembrance. Books may be
ordered by mail, phone or email.
Send your order request to: Center for Armenian Remembrance (CAR) P.O. Box
250322 , Glendale, CA 91205-0322
[email protected]
The retail price is $20 US and $24 in Canada.
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4 – Book Unearths New Incriminating Evidence
About Long-Censored Fraud and Mass Murder
LOS ANGELES – In addition to eliminating the Christian minority Armenians in
1915, the Ottoman Turks also tried to profit from their slaughter by cashing
in on the life insurance policies of the dead Armenians – something the Nazis
would do to the Jews only 20 years later.
In a rallying cry for Justice, Dr. Hrayr S. Karaguezian – research scientist
at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA professor of medicine – has released
"Genocide and Life Insurance: The Armenian Case" to unearth the unpleasant
truth about the long covered-up Armenian Genocide of 1915.
"My book is entirely document-based; drawing pertinent information from
never-before-processed documents pulled from the US National Archives. It was
inspired by the discovery of a highly informative letter that was declassified only
in the 1980s and which proved instrumental for both the defendant and
plaintiffs in the 2004-2005 class action settlements in Los Angeles," Dr.
Karagueuzian says. "This letter-document exposes the cunning, yet spectacular, deceit on
behalf of both the insurers and the perpetrators and is the first account of
life insurance policy claims in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. It
traces the efforts of insurance beneficiaries, beginning with the heirs of the
victims over 90 years ago and ending with the symbolic recognition of the
victims’ rights and partial compensation granted to the descendants of someof the
insured victims only in 2004-2005 in a Los Angeles court system."
Dr. Karagueuzian "spent the past twenty years investigating the history of
just one of the large catalogues of losses: the unclaimed life insurance
policies owned by Armenian victims of the Genocide," writes Dickran Kouymjian,
Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno, in a foreword to the book.
"Since only a few of the actual policies issued have survived, it is hard to
imagine that tens of thousands of them were bought by Armenians living in the
Ottoman Empire. Since the purchasers were the heads of households, responsible
for large extended families, a considerable portion of the Armenian population
was affected."
Dr. Karagueuzian’s study "provides the essential background for understanding
the recent class action settlements of Armenian insurance claims that date
back to the tragedy of the last century., Dr. Kouymjian concludes in his
forward. "It is powerfully suggestive of all the work, the scholarship and
litigation, perhaps political activism, facing those who believe that justice can still
be done for the memory of the victims of the Genocide and the nation they
represented."
According to Karagueuzian, the book with its rich documentation is "aimed at
Universities (Departments of: History, Law School, Political Science, Ethnic
Studies, Sociology, Victimology and Libraries); genocide scholars, politicians,
insurance companies and insurance Commissioners, various worldwide Armenian
and Jewish charitable and benevolent associations and
organizations."
Published by the University of La Verne Press, La Verne Calif., the book
(paperback) is available by sending $20 check payable to: Health Risk Prevention
, P.O Box 4810, Glendale, CA 91222-0810
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5 – ‘My Son Shall Be Armenian’
Film Now Available on DVD
MONTREAL – Hagop Goudzouzian’s documentary film," My Son Shall be Armenian,"
is now available in DVD format for purchase in time for holiday giving, the
producers announced last week.
Exploring the question of Armenian identity, "My Son Shall Be Armenian"
follows the initial voyage of filmmaker Goudsouzian, who, accompanied by five
Montreal men and women of Armenian origin, returned to the land of his ancestors in
search of survivors of the genocide of 1915.
Through the moving testimony of those centenarians and the funny and touching
accounts of his fellow travelers from the New World, Goudsouzian has crafted
a dignified and poignant film on the need to make peace with the past in order
to turn toward the future.
Produced by Yves Bisaillon and written by Hagop Goudzouzian and Georgette
Duchaine in 2004, the 80-minute film is in French with English subtitles.
For more information, call toll-free, NFB Customer Services : In Canada:
1-800-267-7710; in the Montreal area: (514) 283-9000; in the US: 1-800-542-2164.
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6 – Developing Western Armenia
After Recognition of Genocide
Is Topic of Dec. 3 Lecture
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Shant Student
Association (ARF Shant) will host a pioneering panel discussion by experts on Dec.
3 at the Karapetian Hall, discussing the re-integration and re-development of
Western Armenia upon recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
By hosting such a unique event, the ARF Shant’s goal is to take the Armenian
Cause to the next level and begin planning for what comes after Turkey has
been forced to recognize the Armenian Genocide and provide restitution and
reparations.
The panel discussion will concentrate on the political, constitutional,
economic, and infrastructural challenges that the
Armenian nation faces in the implementation of a free, independent, and
united Armenia.
Experts who will be making presentations and participating in the panel
discussion are historian and political scientist Dr. Garo Moumdjian, economist Dr.
Ara Khanjian, and Civil Engineer Aram Kaloustian. The panelists will also
field questions from the audience.
The lecture, open to the community will be held at Karapetian Hall, 1614 N.
Alexandria Ave in Hollywood,.
For more details, please visit or call (818) 462-3006.
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7 – Dilijan Chamber
Holiday Concert
Features Children
LOS ANGELES – A new work for violin and piano by 11-year-old Orange County
resident Vartan Simonyan will be performed by the Glendale-based Lark
Conservatory students at the Dilijan Chamber Music Series’ Holiday Concerton December
17, 2006 at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
The program will also feature Roland Kato’s arrangement of Prokofiev’s Music
for Children, a storytelling act from bass virtuoso Richard Hartshorne
("Dobbs"), and Schubert’s "Trout" Quintet. Performers include pianist Norman
Krieger, violist Paul Coletti, cellist Timothy Landauer, bassoonist Rose Corrigan,
and violinist Movses Pogossian, Artistic Director of the series.
Highlights of the 2006/07 season include three world premieres commissioned
by the Dilijan Series, and appearances by distinguished musicians such as Ani
Kavafian, Allan Vogel, Ida Levin, Michele Zukovsky and Antonio Lysy, among
others. In January, Gaudeamus International Competition winner and Grammy nominee,
soprano Tony Arnold, presents György Kurtág’s monumental Kafka Fragments
(1985) for voice and violin, with Movses Pogossian on the violin.
The March program welcomes the Apple Hill Chamber Players, known throughout
the globe for their high quality music-making, as well as their heralded
"Playing for Peace" initiative.
The final concert of the season, in commemoration of the 92nd anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, features world-renowned violist Kim Kashkashian in a
program of music by Tigran Mansurian.
Founded by members of the Glendale, California-based Lark Musical Society,
the Dilijan Chamber Series is dedicated to showcasing masterpieces of Western
classical music, as well as promoting Armenian chamber music.
Tickets are available by calling (818) 572-5438, or at the door. Inquiries
can be addressed to [email protected], or
[email protected].
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