Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
E-mail: ancawr@anca.org
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
May 16, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Joins Jewish World Watch for First Annual iWitness Awards

Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region, welcomed yet another opportunity to work with Jewish World Watch, a
Los Angeles based humanitarian organization, in spreading awareness on the
Armenian Genocide.

The ANCA-WR, along with its local ANC affiliates from across southern
California, joined JWW on the occasion of the first annual iWitness awards,
which honored genocide scholars for their contributions to genocide studies
and raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide.

Chief Rabbi Jeff Bernhard of Adat Ari El and Rabbis Harold Schulweis,
founder and chair of the JWW Board of Directors, were joined by City Council
President Eric Garcetti and Armenian Church Western US Prelate Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian in opening the evening’s commemoration. JWW President
Janice Kamenir-Reznik was joined by ANCA-WR Board Member Souzi
Zerounian-Khanzadian, who spoke on behalf of the Armenian American advocacy
community in closing the event.

JWW presented the first annual iWitness awards to Drs. Richard Hovanissian
and J. Michael Hagopian at a ceremony in at the Adat Ari El synagogue in the
San Fernando Valley.

Last month, JWW hosted two events in an effort to raise greater awareness in
the San Fernando Valley community regarding the Armenian Genocide. JWW
hosted a screening of Hagopian’s "Voices from the Lake" documentary about
the Armenian Genocide and, on April 27th, the organization hosted an
inter-faith Shabbat dinner in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide along
with local Armenian Church leaders.

"This event and the events of the last few weeks mark an important page in
the collaboration of the Armenian American and Jewish American communities.
Our shared past as victims and survivors of genocide obligates us to serve
the world in educating and spreading awareness about this terrible crime and
prevent it from recurring," said
Zerounian-Khanzadian in her remarks at the award ceremony.

In a letter written to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early February
Jewish World Watch implored her to bring the Armenian Genocide resolution,
H.Res.106 to a prompt vote in the US House of Representatives.

Later that month, the ANCA-WR and JWW joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in
hosting a press conference on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall to announce
the city’s Sudan divestment initiative as well as a letter from Mayor
Villaraigosa to Speaker Pelosi urging her support for the quick adoption of
H.Res.106.

In March, JWW organized a screening of the anti-genocide documentary movie
Screamers in which the ANCA-WR and San Fernando Valley ANC participated. The
movie features System of a Down and its work with the ANCA and world-wide
community to push for Armenian Genocide
recognition and justice. The screening was hosted at Temple Valley Beth
Shalom.

Working with JWW during the evening’s award ceremony, the ANCA-WR provided
audience members a petition letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging
her to lead the US House in speedily adopting the resolution and passed out
postcards from its "Click for Justice" campaign on the same issue.

"With organizations like Jewish World Watch, the ANC leads the charge to
ensure that the works of these two distinguished scholars is used to educate
our leaders, our peers, and our youth so that the Armenian Genocide as well
as those that followed may be addressed with some measure of justice."
Zerounian Khanzadian.

The award ceremony is the first of JWW’s annual iWitness Awards. JWW is a
project of a coalition of synagogues working together to mobilize
synagogues, their schools, their members and the community to combat
genocide and other egregious violations of human rights around the world. It
does so through educational programs aimed at mobilizing the
public to generate a response from the United Nations and US policy makers.
It also seeks to provide assistance to the survivors and victims of genocide
and other human rights violations.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political 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.