PROVIDENCE CHURCH MOURNS 1915 ARMENIAN DEATHS
Barbara Polichetti
Providence Journal
April 25 2010
PROVIDENCE — Starting with prayers and hymns, hundreds of people
gathered Sunday to commemorate the roughly 1.5 million Armenian
victims who perished under Turkey’s Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s.
In keeping with tradition, leaders of social and religious
organizations in Rhode Island joined together in holding a special
remembrance ceremony which drew more than 250 people to Egavian
Cultural Center, adjacent to Saints Sahag & Mesrob Armenian Church,
on Jefferson Street.
The large genocide monument in the city’s North Burial Ground was
supposed to be the backdrop for the service, but threatening skies
caused the Armenian Martyr’s Memorial Committee to move the event
indoors.
Priests from different Armenian parishes in the city led the opening
processional with a large gilded Armenian Cross held aloft and the
slow swinging of incense burners dangling from brass chains strung
with bells.
The tone turned more secular as guest speakers — including Senators
Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse — stressed the need for Turkey and
the International community to recognize that the systematic killing
of Armenians in 1915 constituted genocide.
They noted that this spring the U.S. House of Representatives’
Foreign Affairs Committee approved a resolution condemning the events
as a genocide, but that many politicians, both foreign and domestic,
still shy away from that word.
"Each year we gather to recall this bitter reality," Reed said,
standing in front of a row of wreaths adorned with fresh flowers
in red, orange and blue — the colors of the Armenian flag. "It is
important that all the world recognize this as a genocide," he said.
"Not as recrimination … but merely to establish the facts so that
history is not repeated."
Reed and others praised contributions that Rhode Island’s Armenian
community has made to the quality of life in the state. Referring
to the recent rains and floods that decimated portions of the state,
most speakers singled out Warwick’s Mayor Scott Avedisian and Warwick
Mall managing co-partner Aram Garabedian for applause.
Although state dignitaries often attend the annual ceremony, the fact
that there was a large number of elected officials seeking higher
offices in the fall was a clear signal that this is an election year.
The keynote address was given by Dikran Kaligian, a historian and
managing editor of the Armenian Review.
He did not mince words, calling on world leaders, including President
Obama, to recognize the deaths as a genocide and for Turkey to be
held accountable to the victims.
"It’s only justice if the Armenian people receive more than words," he
said. "It’s only justice if they receive back the land, the properties,
the farms, the businesses … that were taken from them."
Avedisian, who estimated that he’s been attending genocide memorial
services for about 25 years, said he will continue to honor his
heritage by remembering.
"It’s important for us as a community to remember the 1.5 million
who died," he said. "And at the same time it’s also important the we
celebrate the resilience of our people and celebrate the contributions
that so many people of Armenian descent have made to the state of
Rhode Island."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
