Cleveland author honors memory of Armenian Genocide with new novel

Processions of refugees wander the desert of Syria – defeated and lost, desperate for some safe passage under a beating sun as pitiless as the world around them.

It is a familiar scene, one we have come to witness on a daily basis. But this particular scene is not from the Syrian civil war, 2015.

It is 1915, a year that brought the Armenian Genocide. Historians estimate that 1.5 million were systematically killed by Ottoman Turks. It began one evening with the rounding up and killing of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople and included the forced death march of hundreds of thousands into the Syrian desert.

The Armenian Genocide led to the creation of a vast diaspora, with vibrant immigrant communities taking root in America. It is also the invisible character that shapes and haunts “The Ash Tree.”

Beachwood resident Daniel Melnick’s latest novel spans decades and generations to chronicle an Armenian-American family. While the book opens in 1972, in California, it quickly reaches back to 1915, to the crumbling Ottoman Empire.

Or, more precisely, the memory of 1915 – since memories of traumatic events are as vital to the events themselves in “The Ash Tree.”

“Memory is a very crucial thing to me, and the status of memory is central where there is this huge trauma,” says Melnick, who will do a reading at Mac’s Backs in Cleveland Heights at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. “It impinges on each of the characters and directly on the consciousness of Armen.”

That would be Armen Ararat, the central figure in “The Ash Tree.” His life spans the entirety of the novel, beginning as a youth when he witnesses the corpses of 20 Armenian men hanging from the gallows under the supervision of Turkish gendarmes and soldiers.

We are quickly pulled forward 10 years to Berkley, California – where Armen is a student living with an Armenian landlady, Madame Hagopian, whose husband was one of the 20 men who perished that night.

“There’s hardship, even starvation, I know, but there is hope,” she says, exuding a world-weary yet stubborn belief that the endangered must somehow stick together to survive.

It’s an ongoing theme – one that comes with great tension in “The Ash Tree.”

You see, this is a story not about the Armenian-American per se. Rather, it is an exploration of the hyphen in between “Armenian” and “American” – the struggle, the road, that existential purgatory that lies between the Old World and the “American Dream.”

“So much of our culture is focused on identity politics, but what is often overlooked is the struggle to find identity,” says Melnick, a Jewish-American and a retired Cleveland State University literature professor who continues to teach at Case Western Reserve University.

“It is a genuine ongoing tension in not just the Armenian-American but also in other communities,” he adds, “where you have people that want to retain a connection and some that want to wash their hands of it.”

Melnick, 71, based “The Ash Tree” on his family and the community he encountered through his wife, Jeannette Melnick (nee Arax). Her painting, depicting a family on a fraying tapestry, is on the cover of the book.

“The Armenians have the fragile status of a dispersed people, and you suddenly had hundreds of people settling in places – some you wouldn’t imagine, like Fresno,” he says, referring to the his wife’s hometown. “And yet Fresno had a lot of same qualities of the lands they left behind.”

The central California city became a magnet for Armenian farmers in part because of its Mediterranean-like soil and weather.

“You could plant anything in Fresno and it could grow, just like back home,” says Melnick. “And the other thing is about Fresno is that it was this farmland, this city in the desert on the edge of the civilized world. It was the Wild West, with different people settling there from Mexico to farm and harvest – a collision of cultures, with a wildness and anarchy that wasn’t that different from home.”

So close, yet so far away – 7,000 miles, that is.

As Armen, who pens poetry before assuming the life of a farmer and businessman in Fresno, writes: “In exile, I cannot forget.”

America might be his place of exile, but it is home to his eventual wife, Artemis. And as a girl, the Connecticut-born Armenian-American dreamed of marrying an American-born man. She wanted to be free from the specter of 1915.

Negotiating the push and pull of the Old and New worlds is common in immigrant families, even generations later. But it is particularly acute in the Armenian-American community, says Melnick.

Not just because of the genocide, but also because of the ongoing struggle to have it recognized.

While France, Russia, Canada and Brazil and 40 other countries around the world have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, United States still has not, due to pressure and threats from Turkey, which denies that the genocide took place.

“Armenians feel that it’s a terrible mistake and injustice that the American government allows Turkish denials to continue,” says Melnick.

The grievance has been a uniting  cultural force within the Armenian community, though it has also led to political divisions — which are explored in “The Ash Tree.”

“Armen is a lefty – and there were many in the Armenian community that saw the Soviet Union as a protector of Armenia,” say Melnick, referring to Armenia’s absorption into the U.S.S.R., in 1922. “On the right, there were those opposed to Stalin, so you have a very complicated feelings and complex situations.”

Divisions surrounding big events resonate throughout “The Ash Tree,” even as it culminates in the turbulent 1970s, when militant and clandestine groups dominated American and European politics.

That’s not to say that “The Ash Tree” is a historical or a political novel.

“While there are historical markers and political threads throughout the story, I’m more interested in how people cope with big events,” says Melnick.

George Santayana is famous for saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yet it is a half-truth – for we are often overtaken by the past even if we remember it all too well.

“When I started thinking about this story, I wanted this to be a monument to the Armenians,” says Melnick. “But the idea of the hyphenated person resonates with so many different people that connect it with their lives and experiences and how they have dealt with memory and history.”

Melnick released the book for the centennial of the Armenian Genocide to underscore both the memory and the history.

“The irony is that it correlates with the massive exodus of Syrians,” he says. “One hundred years later… it is haunting.”

Additional visa appointments available at U.S. Embassy in Armenia on Sunday, November 1

To accommodate the high demand for travel to the United States by Armenians during the winter holiday season, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan will be open on Sunday, November 1, in order to provide additional visa interviews for Armenian citizens.

Armenian business, tourist, and student visa applicants should visit the Embassy’s  website — http://armenia.usembassy.gov/visas.html – today to take advantage of these additional appointments which have been made available outside of normal working hours.

Hillary Clinton says she ‘would not rule out’ Kanye West becoming her Vice President

Hillary Clinton has discussed Kanye West’s aspiration of becoming US President in 2020, suggesting that he “might want to wait” as she would be looking to run for reelection if she succeeds in 2016, according to .

The rapper while accepting a prize at this year’s MTV VMAs. West insists he is serious about the bid and that he has been considering it since 2010.

Speaking on an episode of Buzzfeed‘s Another Round podcast, Clinton said: “I’ve told Kanye that I think he might want to wait. Cause I’ll be running for reelection.”

The Democratic candidate also said she’d be open to giving West a political role: “I might want to give him some additional experience so he’s got, on all the other things he’s done on his resume, he’s got some kind of envoy role or something he could point to… I would not rule out anybody for Vice President”.

Newly appointed UK Ambassador presents credentials to Armenian President

Judith Farnworth, the newly-appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom (UK) to the Republic of Armenia, handed over today her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan.

The president congratulated the ambassador on her appointment and wished her success, stressing that there are all the prerequisites to strengthen interstate ties and broaden cooperation with the United Kingdom, as well as to elevate bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the newly-appointed ambassador will make every effort to push forward the Armenian-British interstate agenda and enrich it with new initiatives.

During the meeting, the parties attached importance to inter-parliamentary cooperation in which, they were certain, the two countries’ parliamentary friendship groups have played a major role. President Serzh Sargsyan expressed the hope that the parliamentarians will continue their close contacts and the dynamics of holding regular consultations on issues of mutual concern after the establishment of a new friendship group in the UK parliament. Armenia’s president stressed the key role of Baroness Caroline Cox in the development of inter-parliamentary and Armenian-British ties on the whole, adding that she has also created a good tradition of Nagorno Karabakh visits.

The RA president and the UK ambassador also spoke highly of the level of Armenian-British cooperation in the defense sphere and in that regard, emphasized the discussions held in Yerevan in September 2014 and the conclusion of the Defense Cooperation Plan.

Serzh Sargsyan and Ambassador Farnworth placed great importance on cooperation in the trade and economic sphere and within the frames of international organizations, e.g. the UN, OSCE etc.

Judith Farnworth underscored that Great Britain closely follows the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities and seeks to support the given peace process format by all possible means.

The president thanked Great Britain for its impartial position on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as on other issues which are of vital importance to Armenia.

The UK ambassador noted that her country is ready to take a leading role in the issue pertaining to the development of a new legal framework regulating the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union which, she was sure, could become a driving force to promote and enhance cooperation between Armenia and Great Britain both in bilateral and multilateral formats.

Pope Francis sends Gold Medal to Armenian President

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the delegation headed by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The meeting was also joined by His Beatitude Gregory Petros XX Gabroyan, the newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church.

Armenia’s president welcomed the guests and expressed satisfaction with the fact that more than a 20-year history of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Vatican City has always been characterized by high-level political dialogue. The president stated that Cardinal Sandri’s visit is a striking illustration of the fact that Armenian-Vaticanian relations has always been the center of mutual care and continue to strengthen.

Serzh Sargsyan greatly appreciated Cardinal Leonardo Sandri’s own major contribution to the reinforcement of bilateral interstate relations, noting that he is aware of the cardinal’s attention and care for the issues of great concern to the Armenian people.

At the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan awarded Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Order of Friendship for the protection of spiritual values, making a significant contribution to the strengthening of bilateral ties between Armenia and the Holy See, as well as for his active pro-Armenian activities.

“We are grateful for your personal devotion and great support. Please accept, Your Excellency, this honor, as a symbol of our deep gratitude. The Armenian people highly esteem the names that have showed concern for their problems across history, that have ever been involved in dealing with them,” said the RA president.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that it is hard to overestimate Vatican City’s role not only in the consolidation of the Christian world, but also in the protection of human rights, maintenance of tolerance, mutual understanding and peace. He stated that it is vividly illustrated by the fact of Vatican City’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide which was a step aimed at restoring the historical justice and was a tribute to those Armenian Christians who fell prey to the terrific crimes committed in Ottoman Turkey. Armenia’s president said that the impressions of the prayer offered by the Pope in April in memory of the Armenian Genocide victims will remain in the Armenian people’s memory for many years to come.

Serzh Sargsyan mentioned that the Armenian people are very proud of the fact that throughout the 2000-year history of the Catholic Church, Saint Gregory of Narek, a son of the Armenian people and a genius of Medieval thought, joined the 36 greatest thinkers who received the title “Doctor of the Church.”

At the meeting, the parties attached great importance to the promotion of cultural cooperation between Armenia and Vatican City. They welcomed the steps taken in this direction, expressing satisfaction with the fact that the cooperation between the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Holy See has always remained at a high level.

Cardinal Sandri expressed his gratitude for the honor accorded to him and for the warm welcome, noting that he accepted such gesture in the spirit of profound esteem and friendship, which linked him to the sons and daughters of Armenia’s noble land. “Over the years, both in my service as Substitute of the Secretary of State and now as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Studies, I have had occasion to participate in events which exemplify the friendship and collaboration between your Country and the Holy See: the commemoration of 1700 years of the Baptism of Armenia, with the memorable voyage of Saint John Paul II; the placing of a statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in a niche of the Vatican Basilica; the naming in his honor of a courtyard of the same Basilica; various visits to the Pontiffs, such as those of the Catholicos, His Holiness Karekin II; and also the prayer, led by Pope Francis and witnessed by the entire world, at the Altar of the Confession of Saint Peter last 12 April, on the occasion of the commemoration of the victims of Metz Yeghern.

We can truly call this a profound friendship, and I welcome this honor which is accorded me today as a sign of this close bond between the Republic of Armenia and the Supreme Pontiff and the Apostolic See.

I recognize that it is bestowed not so much on my person, but even more on His Holiness Pope Francis. Indeed, it is an honor for all those who love Armenia, a Country so proud of its Christian identity and also magnanimous in its openness to peoples and cultures, respectful of man and his rights in the concert of Nations,” said Cardinal Sandri at the meeting with the RA president.

Cardinal Sandri handed over the Gold Medal of Pope Francis to the RA President.

Game of Thrones breaks Emmy record with 12 wins

Game of Thrones picked up a record-breaking 12 awards, including best drama series at this year’s Emmys in Los Angeles, the BBC reports.

Viola Davis also made history by becoming the first black woman to win the best lead actress prize for her role in How To Get Away With Murder.

Jon Hamm finally won a best actor award for Mad Men in the show’s last year. He had been nominated seven times before.

Political comedy Veep was the winner in the best comedy series category.

And Inside Amy Schumer was named best variety sketch series.

Here is a list of the key winners of this year’s Emmy awards, which were held in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Game of Thrones were the night’s big winners, with 12 awards in total.

Outstanding comedy series

  • Louie
  • Modern Family
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Silicon Valley
  • Transparent
  • Unbreakable
  • Veep (winner)

Outstanding drama series

  • Better Call Saul
  • Downton Abbey
  • Game of Thrones (winner)
  • Homeland
  • House of Cards
  • Mad Men
  • Orange is the New Black

Outstanding limited series

  • American Crime
  • American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Olive Kitteridge (winner)
  • The Honourable Woman
  • Wolf Hall

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

  • Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
  • Louis CK – Louie
  • Don Cheadle – House of Lies
  • Will Forte – The Last Man on Earth
  • Matt LeBlanc – Episodes
  • William H Macy – Shameless
  • Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent (winner)

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

  • Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie
  • Lisa Kudrow – The Comeback
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep (winner)
  • Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
  • Amy Schumer – Inside Amy Schumer
  • Lily Tomlin – Grace and Frankie

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

  • Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
  • Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • Ty Burrell – Modern Family
  • Adam Driver – Girls
  • Tony Hale – Veep (winner)
  • Keegan-Michael Key – Key & Peele

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

  • Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory
  • Julie Bowen – Modern Family
  • Anna Chlumsky – Veep
  • Gaby Hoffmann – Transparent
  • Allison Janney – Mom (winner)
  • Jane Krakowski – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
  • Niecy Nash – Getting On

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

  • Kyle Chandler – Bloodline
  • Jeff Daniels – The Newsroom
  • Jon Hamm – Mad Men (winner)
  • Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
  • Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan
  • Kevin Spacey – House of Cards

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

  • Claire Danes – Homeland
  • Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder (winner)
  • Taraji P Henson – Empire
  • Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black
  • Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men
  • Robin Wright – House of Cards

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

  • Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul
  • Jim Carter – Downton Abbey
  • Alan Cumming – The Good Wife
  • Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (winner)
  • Michael Kelly – House of Cards
  • Ben Mendelsohn – Bloodline

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

  • Uzo Aduba – Orange is the New Black (winner)
  • Christine Baranski – The Good Wife
  • Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones
  • Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey
  • Lena Headey – Game of Thrones
  • Christina Hendricks – Mad Men

Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie

  • Adrien Brody – Houdini
  • Ricky Gervais – Derek
  • Timothy Hutton – American Crime
  • Richard Jenkins – Olive Kitteridge (winner)
  • David Oyelowo – Nightingale
  • Mark Rylance – Wolf Hall

Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie

  • Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Honourab
    le Woman
  • Felicity Huffman – American Crime
  • Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Queen Latifah – Bessie
  • Frances McDormand – Olive Kitteridge (winner)
  • Emma Thompson – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie

  • Richard Cabral – American Crime
  • Damian Lewis – Wolf Hall
  • Bill Murray – Olive Kitteridge (winner)
  • Denis O’Hare – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Michael Kenneth Williams – Bessie
  • Finn Wittrock – American Horror Story: Freak Show

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie

  • Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Kathy Bates – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Zoe Kazan – Olive Kitteridge
  • Regina King – American Crime (winner)
  • Mo’Nique – Bessie
  • Sarah Paulson – American Horror Story: Freak Show

OSCE organizes discussion on access to justice on environmental matters in Yerevan

Guarantees of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention related to the access to justice in environmental matters in the context of modern international developments were discussed at the OSCE-supported workshop on 11 September 2015 in Yerevan.

The workshop was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan together with the Centre of Economic-Legal Analyses in co-operation with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

The event aimed at bringing together high-level professionals in the field to share experiences, identify challenges and explore possible ways to enhance the implementation of the “Access to Justice” pillar of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention).

Participants were introduced to the experts’ view on the protection of environmental rights and the basic directions of its improvement.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has been promoting implementation of the Aarhus Convention through the establishment of a network of 15 regional Aarhus Centres in Armenia, which provide information and advice, organize discussions on environmental issues.

Armenia 5 places up in FIFA World Ranking

Armenia has climbed 5 places and is currently ranked 83rd in the September edition of the FIFA World Ranking.

Armenia’s rivals in Euro-2016 qualification round are placed as follows: Portugal – 6th, Denmark – 22nd, Serbia – 66rd and Albania – 25th.

There is no change at the top of the ranking, with Argentina continuing to lead the way ahead of Belgium (2nd, unchanged) and Germany (3rd, unchanged).

Juventus switch focus to Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Juventus have reportedly switched their focus to Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according

Massimiliano Allegri is looking to add the Armenian international to his squad in a bid to bolster the Bianconeri’s central area. Mkhitaryan is a versatile player who can play anywhere in midfield, be it in the middle or out wide and is a sharp passer.

“He would definitely suit Juve and should be playing in a top 10 club. He could bring something extra to the Serie A, but I don’t know whether Serie A can afford him,” agent Mino Raiola told Sport Mediaset.

The cause for concern though would be the Turin outfit’s strict wage structure which might be a stumbling block in any deal as it is unclear how much it would require to lure the Dortmund player away from Germany.

Mkhitaryan made 20 appearences for his club and scored two goals in the 2014-2015 Bundesliga campaign.

Armenian Genocide: A story of survival

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi

Armenian Genocide survivor Harutyun Masumyan is 101, but healthy and vigorous. He has one dream – to see Erzrum, his homeland.

Speaking to , Masumyan told the story of his survival.

Harutyun Masumyan was just one-year-old, when he was sent to death together with his father. Aware of what could happen, the father left him in the bushes.

“Turks killed my father. A relative of mine found me and returned to my mother,” he tells, while leafing through the family album.

Harutyun’s mother Satenik manages to survive on the grueling path of exile thanks to a few pieces of gold she had hidden under her youngest daughter’s dress.

“My mother was a heroic woman. It took her a year to pass the road of exile and reach Aleppo with her son and four daughters,” he says and shows the mother’s photo.

In Aleppo Satenik keeps Harutyun and the youngest daughter and takes the three other children to an orphanage.

“We spent five years in Aleppo. Then the refugees were given the freedom to leave. My mother chose Krasnodar, as she had relatives there, who had left Erzrum before 1915.

Harutyun then settled in Tbilisi. He participated in the World War Second and received a number of awards and medals.

He has been living in Russia for the past ten years, but has decided to move to Georgia again.

Speaking about the secret of his longevity, Harutyun, who says has never been ill, advises everyone not to smoke.

The 101-year-old survivor has one dream – to see Erzrum one day.