Category: 2019

BY FLORENCE AVAKIAN

WALTHAM,Massachusetts—The 100th Anniversary of any gathering is a magical event. The Armenian Missionary Association of America’s 100th Annual Meeting Banquet was especially noteworthy, as it celebrated the Armenian Evangelical Church and the 173rd Anniversary of its founding. The celebratory banquet was held from October 18 to 20 in Boston.

The significance of the AMAA’s 100th anniversary was marked by the presence of hundreds of members, friends, and faithful who came from as far away as Australia, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Greece, France, and the East and West Coasts of the United States.

The highlight of the extraordinary weekend was the grand banquet on the night of Saturday, October 19, which began with a cocktail reception, followed by a delicious dinner in the elegantly decorated ballroom.

The more than 300 guests present were warmly welcomed by banquet co-chair Michèle Simourian both in English and Armenian. Skillfully running the program was Master of Ceremonies and Banquet Co-Chair John Simourian, who, with the right touches, introduced the prominent individuals present, including Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Varuzhan Nersesyan, and Rev. Antranig Baljian, representing the Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian.

Following the singing of the National anthems, and the invocation delivered by Rev. Dr. Avedis Boynerian, Pastor of the Armenian Memorial Church in Worcester, MA, Ambassador Nersesyan was introduced.

The Armenian diplomat recalled the founding of the AMAA in Worcester 101 years ago following the Armenian Genocide when “hundreds of thousands of Armenian men, women and children were still roaming in the deserts in Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East, suffering from hunger, poverty and the lack of any minimal conditions of life.”

He pointed out the enormous contributions of the AMAA in the last 100 years, including during the devastating 1988 earthquake, during and after the birth of the independent Armenian Republic, the time of Artsakh’s fight for liberation, and its creation for a better future providing shelter, food, and education in 24 countries.

“And during the recent tragic war in Syria, the AMAA has been ready to support any Armenians willing to settle in Armenia in the aftermath of Turkey’s recent attack on the north of Syria,” the Ambassador explained.

All of these activities demonstrate that the AMAA is a “unique and deeply national Armenian institution,” the Armenian diplomat stated. “With such a great heritage, and rigorous determination, the AMAA will continue confidently in its mission in the 21st century,” he stated to thunderous applause.

AMAA President Dr. Nazareth Darakjian who emotionally relayed coming to the U.S. 43 years ago following “the horrors of the Lebanese civil war,” spoke about the AMAA’s powerful history, which today serves the Armenian Community in 24 countries with a yearly budget of more than 10 million dollars.

This generation has capabilities that far exceed those in 1918, he stated. “Our work is not done as long as there is hunger for God’s work, as long as there are children who are thirsty for education, and as long as there are families or individuals for whom finding daily bread is a daily challenge. May God make us worthy of this mission.”

A video of the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian High School in Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebastia district was shown. The school is entirely funded by the AMAA and has been tuition-free for more than 580 students.

Lucine Mnatsakanyan, a graduate of the Avedisian High School, was invited, by Dr. Darakjian, to come forward and accept the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate and the glass plaque for the Avedisian High School in honor of the Avedisians who were not present. The school is the first building in the Republic of Armenia to achieve such an award and was also awarded the LEED Earth Designation – given only to the very first building project in each developing country to satisfy the USGBC LEED criteria.

Mnatsakanyan who is now a student at the American University of Armenia, paid tribute to the great attributes of the Avedisian High School, saying, “We are raised to be true Christians and citizens, and have been exposed to all the studies of an exemplary education.”

Delighting the audience, two acclaimed world class musicians, tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan, and mezzo soprano Victoria Avetisyan, who had started the banquet program with the American and Armenian anthems, sang several Armenian and international favorites, including the soul stirring “Pari Arakil,” “Habanera,” “Solo Mio,” and “Hayastan.”

Manucharyan, who has sung at the renowned Metropolitan Opera in New York, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and other concert halls in the U.S., Italy and Ireland, brought the house down with his rendition of “Pari Arakil,” dedicated to Armenia’s symbolic beloved bird (the crane). The couple’s dramatic singing of “Hayastan” was another crowd pleaser.

AMAA Vice President Dr. Michael Voskian paid tribute to the history of the Armenian Evangelical Church, which he revealed has grown and consists of 124 churches and five unions in Armenia, North America, the Near East, France, and Eurasia.

Representing the Armenian Evangelical Churches around the globe is the Armenian Evangelical World Council, with its President Rev. Joël Mikaélian who was asked to come forward by Dr. Voskian.

Also honored were Rev. Dr. Avedis Boynerian, host of the Armenian Memorial Church, as well as Rev. Stephen Carlyle of the first Armenian Evangelical Church in North America established on January 1, 1892 – the Armenian Church of the Martyrs in Worcester, MA. All were presented with special plaques.

During the joyous evening, a female guest suddenly passed out, and was immediately attended to by attending doctors until the ambulance came. As this was happening, several small groups of badvelis (pastors) spontaneously rose making small circles with their arms on each other’s shoulders, bending their heads, and silently praying for the ill woman.

For this journalist who had never witnessed such a powerful action, it was both inspiring and, for many, an action of true faith.

Expressing deep appreciation to the “ingenious and hard-working” banquet committee, the AMAA staff and all involved individuals for the successful weekend and banquet, AMAA Executive Director and CEO Zaven Khanjian asked Stephen Papazian, the Moderator of the Armenian Church of the Martyrs of Worcester, to come forward to receive a “Sugar Sculpture” donated by Linda Khachadurian.

Revealing the main challenge of his position, Zaven Khanjian stated “a challenge that I struggle with is the difficulty in conveying a well-deserved gratitude to righteous men and women who fly on the wings of goodness in life, and who instead, faithfully direct it to God.”

The AMAA Executive Director also announced that a symposium will soon take place in Armenia on the Post Genocide endeavor to save the remnants of the survivors. It is being organized by the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Foundation, and sponsored by the Armenian Missionary Association of America.

“It will honor and bring to light the many heroes who miraculously embraced the orphaned Armenian children and widowed mothers with shelter, healing, food, education, and lovingly shielded them from the killing fields of Der El-Zor.”

He remembered that, today, anguished civilians in the towns and villages in Syria, deportation is once again taking place, leaving behind all they possess. “But the clear victims are the Syrian people, including the progeny of the Genocide survivors.

“The AMAA has faced the spiritual and humanitarian challenges of our people, and we have collectively and positively answered the call, and through your righteous giving will continue to make it happen,” he said in conclusion to a standing ovation.

The closing prayer and Benediction by Rev. Joël Mikaélian, and the singing of “God Bless America” brought an extraordinary and inspiring Banquet and weekend to a glorious close.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Hamazkayin San Francisco Nigol Aghpalian Chapter and its Art Committee are collaborating on a unique exhibit featuring a digital overview of two centuries of Armenian artists. This one-of-a-kind digital exposition will immerse viewers in a visually stimulating journey from Neo-classicism through Post-modernism, focusing on twenty influential artists from these periods.

It was impossible to include all of the artists who were active from 1800 to 2000. For this reason, the committee decided to present a broad overview of many different styles, movements, and periods. This enables viewers to gain a general understanding of Armenian art made during this long period.

An opening night gala will take place on Saturday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m., and a daytime exhibit will follow on Sunday, November 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Khachaturian Armenian Community Center-Saroyan Hall, 825 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco.

Hamazkayin’s primary mission is the preservation and development of Armenian culture and all its components: Armenian language and literature, arts, and traditions. The “Journey Through Armenian Paintings, 1800 – 2000″ stresses the importance of the artistic heritage left by well-known Armenian artists. For more information about this event, please visit our website and watch the three original videos in the Events section.

The Significance and Next Steps in Pursuing Truth and Justice for the Armenian Genocide in the United States

Q: What does the passage of this resolution mean?

A: The U.S. House of Representatives voted almost unanimously in a strong bipartisan vote of 405 to 11 (a) to officially recognize and commemorate the Armenian Genocide, (b) to reject Turkish efforts to associate the U.S. with Turkey’s denialist campaign, and (c) to encourage education about the Armenian Genocide and the U.S. humanitarian Near East Relief effort to rescue survivors․

From a grass roots political advocacy model, it was abundantly clear that passage wouldn’t be possible without the leadership initiative and tireless advocacy of the Armenian American community through the ANCA. For decades, the ANCA has steadily increased the effectiveness of our community’s advocacy, garnering support from our political allies, and seizing the opportunity to push the resolution at a time when U.S.-Turkey relations are at an all-time low. As the Administration stood silent on the issue, our strong allies and friends in Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressmembers Adam Schiff, Gus Bilirakis, Anna Eshoo, Jackie Speier, Brad Sherman, Eliot Engel, James McGovern, Frank Pallone, Steny Hoyer, and Chris Smith took the lead in getting the resolution to the floor and the votes secured from both sides of the aisle. We greatly appreciate their unwavering support and leadership in accomplishing this goal.

Q: Who else assisted with the passage of H.Res.296?

A: Coalition building has always been a priority for ANCA and ANCA-WR. A number of influential groups came out to voice their public support for the resolution, including the American Jewish Committee; Anti-Defamation League; Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN); Hellenic American Leadership Council; American Hellenic Council; In Defense of Christians; A Demand For Action; and many others. We are grateful for their support and will continue building bridges and establish working relations with a diverse group of organizations that share our commitment to promoting human rights, historic truth and justice, genocide education, and standing strong against any form of denial.

Q: How does this help us pursue justice?

A: This is a vital step towards affirming the universal truth of the Genocide as we continue our march for justice. We now have an official policy position expressed by the U.S. House of Representatives as we move forward with our Divest Turkey initiative and strategies for reparations. This resolution unequivocally sets policy for the U.S. House of Representatives and is binding upon that body. Next steps will include working with the Senate and the Executive and Judicial branches to make sure every segment of our government is in lockstep with the Congress and the 49 U.S. States which have already recognized the Armenian Genocide. Even without those additional steps, however, the United States has finally joined the list of 30+ countries which have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Q: Does the Resolution now go to the U.S. Senate?

A: No. This is a stand-alone resolution adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate version of the resolution is S.Res.150, and its passage will be our next priority. Both resolutions establish the official policy of each chamber of Congress and set the tone and tenor of the U.S. Legislative branch of government. Neither resolution can be vetoed by the President as they do not require his signature in the first place.

Q: How supportive are Republicans and Democrats?

A: The Armenian Cause was never and can never be a partisan issue. It is above partisan politics, as witnessed by the overwhelming 405 “Yay” votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and bipartisan leadership in getting it done. The ANCA-WR is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States, and works with elected officials from all parties to advance the Armenian Cause.

Q: How can I help?

A: Continue spreading the word to raise awareness about this important issue by following us on social media and sharing our posts. Call and email your U.S. Senators encouraging them to co-sponsor S.Res.150 and vote in favor when brought to the floor. To make this process even easier, sign up as an ANCA Rapid Responder.

Q: What’s different about this resolution than the previous House bills that were passed?

A: Two different Armenian Genocide resolutions have passed in Congress, one in 1975 and another in 1984, but they were “Joint Resolutions” which required passage in both chambers to be fully ratified. Neither resolution made it to the Senate floor, and thus they were void. The current resolution was drafted as a stand-alone or “Simple” piece of legislation, which means it does not require either the signature of the President or passage in Senate to be considered as policy. This is the first time that there has been an unequivocal policy-level affirmation by the U.S. Government of the Armenian Genocide and is made even stronger by the additional provisions rejecting Turkish denialism and promoting Genocide education.

Q: Was the resolution attached to the Turkey Sanctions bill?

A: The resolution was considered parallel to the sanctions bill, with many of the same supporters championing both measures since Turkey’s current actions in northern Syria mirror the ethnic cleansing that culminated with the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Between the passage of the resolution and the bill on sanctions punishing Turkey for its recent human rights abuses in northern Syria, the U.S. Congress is sending a clear message to Turkey that the United States will no longer be complicit in its escape of accountability for its crimes against humanity.

Q: What’s next?

A: Continue pursuing re-affirmation and education of the Armenian Genocide in all educational institutions. Promote the Divest Turkey initiative to divest public pension funds from investments in Turkish government bonds and entities. We are adding additional dimensions to our advocacy work to include punishment and restitution for this crime against humanity. As U.S. citizens, we must demand that Turkey be sanctioned for its historical and continued atrocities and face consequences for a century of denial and obstruction of justice.

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

The U.S. House of representatives passed “House Resolution 296” recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This has been all the rage in Armenian circles with everyone congratulating everyone, especially the ANCA, for the success.

It has been 35 years since this last happened under very different circumstances, so the cynic in me is not too excited. But the political animal in me is jazzed.

During those 35 years, Turkey has done much in U.S. political circles to cast doubt on the veracity of the Armenian Genocide or, at least, to bury passage of any resolutions/legislation that are inimical to its interests on this matter. Inaction by Congress, repeatedly, has also muddied the waters and caused the judiciary of the country to make decisions based on the absence of proper, unadultered, unequivocal recognition by the political branches of government (legislature and executive).

The text of the resolution is excellent in that it wraps-in previous instances of U.S. recognition to state the kind of unambiguous, permanent (not episodic or commemorative e.g. “recognizes/declares April 24, 20?? a day of remembrance of…” etc.) recognition needed to go forward.

Nevertheless, in some sense we’re still I a “back to the future” state of affairs since the last resolution to pass was in 1984, giving negativists among us ammunition to whine about the alleged “unimportance” of this type of legislative activity. Plus, what we need is comprehensive recognition by the legislature, so passage of the same resolution (named S. Res. 150) by the U.S. Senate is the next important step.

Here, our compatriots and friends in Kentucky and Idaho have an important roll to play over the coming days and weeks. Kentucky is the home of Mitch McConnell, the current leader of the Senate who has the power, usually unchallenged, to schedule votes on matters pending before that body. But before that, Sen. James Risch, as chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has analogous power in that committee, which must hear, discuss, and pass S. Res. 150 before it is addressed by the full Senate. That’s where residents of these two states come in. elected officials pay the most attention to their own constituents. No amount of lobbying in D.C. or petitioning country-wide can compare to letters and requests received by these two senators from people in their states.

Equivalent, definitive, recognition by the Executive branch would be the step that follow, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.

As often happens, Turks and Turkey have helped us in achieving this success. The invasion of Syria and its bloody results, particularly regarding the Kurds, have angered most members of Congress, creating the current environment which enabled the overwhelming passage (405 votes out of a possible 435) of the House resolution. The Senate is a bit more challenging, but now is the time to strike. I suspect that Turkey’s being a source of opium/heroin in the 1970s may have contributed to the House’s passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in 1975. Let’s use the moment to our advantage to pass the current Senate resolution which has the same, unambiguous and permanent text as the one just passed by the House.

And, in another example of Turks helping, Simon Maghakyan, perhaps best known for his work on Baku’s destruction of Armenian monuments in Nakhichevan, posted this in Facebook: “Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson’s chief of staff Murat Gokcigdem told me her boss will vote NO on HRes 296 since he is a Turk. I told him to follow in the footsteps of the kind Turkish woman who saved my great-grandmother during the Armenian Genocide. He called her a traitor.” All I can say is “WOW!” Even as a citizen of the U.S. more than a century after the fact, a Turk is proud of committing the Genocide against Armenians. Johnson should fire this guy immediately, whether or not she changes her mind regarding the resolution. He’s making her look VERY bad.

And, since Baku has entered the discussion, it’s interesting to note that Asbarez reported, just one day after passage of the House resolution, that the frequency of Azerbaijan’s shooting across the front into the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh had increased. I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t Aliyev’s way of trying to assuage Erdoğan’s rage over passage of the resolution. You know, he’s saying “Here, Recep, I killed a few Armenians for you.” Erdogan, reliable as always to further exacerbate situations with his arrogance, stated, “We do not recognize this step, this decision you have taken… [you] have no right to give lessons to Turkey.”

Another interesting aspect of this whole situation is an article in “The Nation” titled “This Is Not How You Show Solidarity” addressing Rep. Ilhan Omar’s voting “present” instead of “yes” on the resolution. I will not address the merits of her vote, itself. Rather, what’s more important to observe is the way in which her vote created discussion that further wove the Genocide into the fabric of American society and consciousness. The same goes even for those who voted against, or commented about the resolution in any way or in any setting. This kind of atmosphere is, in some ways, even more important than passage of the resolution itself. It makes the Genocide part of everyone’s every-day reality, severely blunting, if not obliterating, Turkey’s denial campaign.

Let’s savor the moment then get back to work recruiting the support of the 78 remaining senators who have not yet cosponsored S. Res. 150. What a great Christmas present passage of that resolution would be!