Category: 2019

PASADENA—On January 10, the Pasadena Chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America held its annual holiday reception at the Pasadena Hovhannes and Hripsime Jivalagian Youth Center. The reception was attended in full capacity with the presence of local and state elected officials, community leaders, members, and supporters of the regional Armenian-American community.

California State Senator Anthony Portantino and Pasadena City Mayor Terry Tornek delivered remarks about the partnership of the ANCA – Pasadena Chapter and ongoing efforts to work with the ANCA and the Armenian-American community of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation District Manager and former Los Angeles County Special Assistant, Assessor David Gevorkyan, served as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. As a former ANCA – Pasadena Chapter treasurer and board member, David Gevorkyan reminded guests of the challenging work carried out by ANCA’s local chapters and encouraged attendees to continue supporting the service of ANCA’s volunteers and activists.

As an annual tradition, the Pasadena Chapter’s annual report was delivered by its 2018-2019 former Pasadena Recreation and Parks Commissioner and current ANCA – Pasadena Chapter Chairperson, Donig Donabedian. Mr. Donabedian itemized the accomplishments of the Board mentioning the newly formed partnership between the ANCA – Pasadena Chapter and the County of Los Angeles with the establishment of the “Vote Center Placement Project”, fundraising for the 210 Freeway “Armenian Genocide Memorial” freeway signs, being part of and contributing to the Pasadena Police Chief Recruitment Panel and strengthening relationships with local and state government officials.

The event was highlighted with a special presentation in honor of retiring Pasadena Police Sergeant Gregory Afsharian’s thirty years of service in law enforcement and for the honorable representation of the Armenian-American community. Sergeant Afsharian was presented with a certificate of appreciation with the participation of Mayor Terry Tornek, City Manager Steve Mermell, and City Treasurer Vic Erganian.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Color Dots Printing, Sipan Bakery, Vrej Pastry, Remedy Liquor, Patille Dance Studio, and Marshall Fundamental High School Jazz Band for their contributions, sponsorship, and ongoing support. The ANCA – Pasadena Chapter Board of Directors extends its gratitude to event coordinators Shoghig Yepremian and Rita Abajian and David George Gevorkyan for his tireless service to the ANCA – Pasadena Chapter and the Pasadena community.

Guests included U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff’s District Representative Mary Hovagimian; California State Senator Anthony Portantino; California State Senator Anthony Portantino’s District Representative Arda Tchakian; California State Assembly Member Chris Holden’s Director of Communications Garo Manjikian; Assistant Field Representative to 5th district Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger Christian Daly; City of Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek; District 2 Councilmember Margaret McAustin; District 4 Councilmember Gene Masuda; City of Sierra Madre Councilmember John Harabedian; La Crescenta Town Council President Harry Leon; Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education Member Dr. Roy Boulghourjian; Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell; Pasadena City Treasurer Vic Erganian; Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) District Director David Gevorkyan; Pasadena Police Sergeant Greg Afsharian (Ret.); Pasadena City Fire Chief Bertral T. Washington; Pasadena City Senior Executive Assistant to the Fire Chief Mariam Movsesian; Pasadena City Human Relations Commissioner Dr. Emma Oshagan; Pasadena City Human Relations Commissioner Nat Nehdar; Marshall Fundamental High School Principal Dr. Mark Anderson; Pasadena NAACP Chairperson Alan Edson; Pasadena NAACP Secretary Juanita Tillman; ANCA-Western Region Board Member Raffi Kassabian; ANCA-Western Region Communications Director Dickran Khodanian; Pasadena Armenian Cultural Foundation Chairperson Arman Baghdoyan; Saint Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church Reverend Fr. Boghos Baltayan; Levon & Hasmig Tavlian Preschool Director Garine Joukadarian; Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial (PAGMC) Chairperson Shoghig Yepremian; Pasadena City College (P.C.C.) Board of Trustees Vice President James A. Osterling; P.C.C. Professors Kevork Halladjian and Hrayr Andreasyan; Glendale Community College (G.C.C) Professor Sona Donoyan Arabian; Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Student and Family Services Coordinator Eric Alvarez; PUSD Families In Transition Senior Community Advocate Socorro Naranjo-Rocha; and PUSD Families in Transition Community Advocate, Martha Jimenez.

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

I heard so much caterwauling about my “Bad News Beginning” piece a couple of weeks ago that I went out of my way for a feel-good piece this week. I hope all sensitive readers will find their nerves soothed by this, especially those who thought I was being too hard on Nikol Pashinyan.

To my mind, the best news was that Yerevan is to have new 20 hectare (almost 50 acres) forest-park. After the early 1990s denuding of the city when trees were chopped down for fuel, this is a great step forward, both for its human, recreational, and environmental values. If the new government keeps doing things like this, it’ll become a true hero in people’s eyes. The only caution is that this kind of project takes time to come to fruition and people have short memories when it comes to elections.

The most inspiring item came out of Bolis. The outfit publishing the “Looys” (light, in Armenian) newspaper has announced that within a month, the first ever Armenian TV channel in Turkey will start broadcasting bilingually (Armenian and Turkish). This speaks to the tremendous heart our compatriots living under the Turkish yoke have.

I’m not much of a churchy sort. But, learning that the first modern church (Syriac in this case) to be built in Bolis has finally gotten its permits, after being delayed since 2013, can only be greeted with joy. Could this and the previous item be tiny indicators that things are starting to go in a better direction in Erdoğan-land after some five years of going backwards on the road to becoming a decent member of the international family?

And while we’re on a thread of justice-related good news, we should also celebrate Donald Trump’s signing of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act into law. This should also calm down readers who seem to think I am unfoundedly opposed to Trump. I’ll always give credit where credit is due. This legislation codifies a lot of pre-existing policies and was recognized by the ANCA as a “landmark bipartisan genocide prevention measure” which I hope will clear the way for better behavior by both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government when it comes to Armenian Genocide recognition.

When Erdoğan asserts that Bolton made a ‘serious mistake,’ and Ankara won’t ‘swallow’ his comments on Syria’s Kurds, I can only grin. Erdoğan’s arrogance manifesting itself will help keep Turkey-U.S. relations tense, creating opportunities for Armenian-issues related progress in Washington. Bolton had stated that any military action launched by Turkey in Syria must safeguard Kurdish lives.

Turning our attention back to Yerevan, it’s heartening to learn that the government has allocated nearly 4,000,000,000 trams/drams for more than 200 priority projects in provinces. This is important in two ways. First, it enables people to remain in their homes, dwelling throughout the country, thus making it more resistant to Turkic attacks from the east and west. Second, it helps ameliorate decades of Soviet era neglect when the focus of development was Yerevan. Our homeland must be developed and firm throughout, not just in the capital.

Finally, just as I had a drop of good news in my bad news piece, so is it necessary to not be Pollyannaish. Two news items out of Yerevan I noticed are potential problems. One is that the justice ministry seeks criminal liability for defamation of on-duty lawyers. The other was about Pashinyan griping that the media is out to damage the government through constant criticism because most outlets are owned by supporters of the previous, oligarchic, regime. While both of these items seem to have some merit, they also point in a direction that is rife with the risk of limiting, if not squelching, dissent or even simply differing opinions on policy. This must not be allowed to progress lest our homeland becomes more like Turkey, the largest jailer of journalists in the world.

Enjoy the good, but be alert and respond to the bad.

EAGLE ROCK, Calif.—The Armenian Parents’ Support Group of the Lanterman Regional Center held its third annual Christmas celebration on Tuesday, December 18 at the Homenetmen Western Region’s Headquarters. Among the attendees was California State Senator Anthony Portantino, parents of the support group, a few special needs children, Lanterman Service Coordinators and members of the Armenian American community at large.

The purpose of this support group, which meets every third Tuesday of the month at the Library Connection in Glendale located at 1100 E. Chevy Chase Drive, is to bring together parents of special needs children, organize lectures on various subjects pertaining to the special needs community presented by various professionals such as attorneys, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, psychologists etc…

The meetings enable parents to become better advocates for the rights of their children by becoming better informed. The group also holds open topic discussions which in the past have included the following: “The stigma of raising a child with stigma with special needs in the Armenian American community”. “What will happen to my special needs child when I am no longer here? ”The impact of raising a child with special needs on marriages and siblings.” These open discussions enable parents to express their thoughts freely and in a non-judgmental environment.

Nanor Kabakian, facilitator of the support group welcomed the attendees, gave an overview of what the support group accomplished in 2018 and shared the plans for the upcoming year.

Kabakian also gave an overview of the Homenetmen Hrashq Program since its inception to the present time and encouraged all attendees to participate in it as it gives children the opportunity to practice social skills, communication skills as well as improve their overall physical well-being.

Representing the 25th State Senate District, Senator Anthony Portantino joined the support group meeting along with representatives of the Homenetmen Western Region Executive Committee to meet the parents in attendance, most of whom had enrolled their children in the Homenetmen Hrashq Program. Ms. Kabakian thanked Senator Portantino for his support of Homenetmen Hrashq, citing that he was there cheering on the 20 Hrashq athletes as they made their entrance into Birmingham High School’s stadium during the Navasartian Games’ closing ceremonies last July.

The senator shared some of his personal life experiences with the special needs community and praised the Homenetmen Hrashq Program for providing an invaluable service to the community, not least of which, the parents, for their utter dedication to their children.

Kabakian and Homenetmen Western Region Executive Chairperson, Hagop Tufenkjian, presented Senator Portantino with a Homenetmen Hrashq Jersey to thank him for his support of Homenetmen Hrashq on behalf of all the special needs parents in the Armenian American Community whose children participate in this program.

ISTANBUL—Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) urged the Turkish parliament to take up the case of the Armenian editor Hrant Dink, who on January 19, 2007 was gunned down in front of the offices of the Agos newspaper, which he founded.

“After being murdered, Hrant Dink became a symbol of equality, pluralism, democracy and justice in Turkey. Twelve years have passed since his murder, but this case is still not resolved,” Paylan said in remarks in Parliament.

Presenting the details of Dink’s murder, the lawmaker said the state has also its share of guilt.

“Hrank Dink has been targeted by nationalists after publishing an article in 2004 about Ataturk’s daughter and first female fighter pilot Sabiha Gokcen, which revealed that Gokcen had an Armenian origin. At that time the Turkish General Staff issued a statement on this article, Dink also received warning from the Istanbul Governor’s Office,” Paylan explained.

He also emphasized that Turkish officials and media also contributed to the intensification of nationalist moods against Dink.

The Turkish parliament, however, rejected Paylan’s demand and proposal to investigate and contribute to disclosing the case.

Letters to Barbra,
By Paul Chaderjian
Meshag Publishing, 2018. pp. 524.

BY RUBINA PEROOMIAN, Ph. D.

As a reader who had the chance to read the manuscript before publication, I thank Paul Chaderjian for letting me into the world of “Adam Terzian,” a world in which the past, the present, and the future co-exist in conflict, never in harmony, a world that is marked with the trauma our parents and grandparents lived and unwillingly transmitted to us to shape our identity that we have to live with tragically, in conformity; and if we object, if we turn away, we are doomed; we cannot find peace. The sense of belonging is displaced, it becomes meaningless, only a source of pain and compunction, an anxiety.

If you are looking for a leisurely, easy read, a narrative that takes you on a smooth ride of chronologically recorded episodes, this book is not for you. It needs your full commitment and concentration. It is not a text you just read and forget, but something you live with. Here, the reader becomes the subject, the teller of his/her own life story. And this is because the author offers an exceptional style and language that grabs, that pulls the reader deep into the world he describes.

Letters to Barbra is profound. The torrent of ideas, the thoughts flying back and forth in time, the anachronistic sequence of events make the text difficult to digest. It does not read smoothly like a novel or an ordinary autobiography. So, I do not see it to gain popularity immediately after its release. One is to expect more than that. Chaderjian writes, “I wrote because I had to write.” So, I would add, you read because you have to read and see the mirror image of your life, a part of yourself in the complexity of your identity, an Armenian caught in the web of intricate relationships defying time and space.

Chaderjian had the courage to be honest with the character he created. As an eleven-year old boy, this character, named Adam, witnessed the Beirut bombing, the fears and tears during that senseless civil war. But that experience did not remain in the past. It comes forth like an episode recurring throughout Adam’s life, thus showing the persisting impact of the trauma. And although, the purpose of writing letters to Barbra—Barbra Streisand, a Hollywood idol of the time—comes to light only towards the end of the text, it is obvious that this “game” Adam played so faithfully was a catharsis he sought, a need that did not subside over the years. The burden of the past and its impact on his/our everyday life is there, resonating, as Adam experiences, in debilitating downfalls, unsatisfying successes, the real life and not the imagined or coveted, or the ideal in multicultural, multireligious Los Angeles, the transgenerational pain, the unfulfilled parents’ expectations. And in addition to all that, the true face of the Diaspora and the “homeland” and its people with a huge gap between them. Chaderjian/Adam felt that gap. He recognized the truth before many of us did.

Letters to Barbra is an artistic chronicling of generational struggle for self-realization and quest for identity. Now that it is published and available, let it run its own life. May that be a long one.