In a Letter to His Brother Krikor
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The Armenian Weekly APRIL 2016 101 1_cover.indd 1 8/27/16 11:14 AM Editorial and sponsors_Layout 1 5/16/16 7:45 PM Page 3 The Armenian Weekly APRIL 2016 NOTES BOOK REVIEW 5 Contributors 35 The Armenian Genocide in the American Humanitarian 7 Editor’s Desk Imagination: A Review of “Bread from Stones: The Middle RESEARCH East and the Making of Modern Humanitarianism’ —By Elyse Semerdjian 8 China as Refuge for Armenian Genocide Survivors —By Khatchig Mouradian COMMENTARY 13 Imperial Russia’s Response to the Armenian Genocide and the Refugee Crisis on the Caucasus Battlefront of World 37 Artsakh Is Our Nation’s 21st Century Sardarabad War I —By Asya Darbinyan —By Michael G. Mensoian 19 A Glimpse into the Life of the Armenian DPs in Europe 40 Bearing Witness in the Aftermath of the Armenian —By Knarik O. Meneshian Genocide—By Armen T. Marsoobian 25 Rescuing Armenian Women and Children After the 45 Dispatch from Istanbul: Nine Years in the Courtrooms: Genocide: The Story of Ruben Heryan The Murder Cases of Dink, Balikci, and Kucuk —By Anna Aleksanyan —By Sayat Tekir 30 ‘Memories of a Turkish Statesman—1913–19’: A Reflection on Cemal Pasha’s Memoirs —By Varak Ketsemanian ON THE COVER: Lake Van through the crumbling wall of the ancient Armenian Monastery of St. Thomas, built in the 10th–11th centuries (Photo: Nanore Barsoumian) The Armenian Weekly The Armenian Weekly ENGLISH SECTION THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY The opinions expressed in this April 2016 Editor: Nanore Barsoumian (ISSN 0004-2374) newspaper, other than in the editorial column, do not Proofreader: Nayiri Arzoumanian is published weekly by the Hairenik Association, Inc., necessarily reflect the views of Art Director: Gina Poirier 80 Bigelow Ave, THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY. Watertown, MA 02472. ARMENIAN SECTION Manager: Armen Khachatourian Sales Manager: Zovig Kojanian USPS identification statement Editor: Zaven Torikian Periodical postage paid in 546-180 TEL: 617-926-3974 Proofreader: Garbis Zerdelian Boston, MA and additional FAX: 617-926-1750 Armenian mailing offices. Designer: Vanig Torikian, E-MAIL: Revolutionary 3rd Eye Communications This special publication has a [email protected] Federation WEB: Eastern Region print run of 10,000 copies. www.armenianweekly.com USA www.armenianweekly.com APRIL 2016 | THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY | 3 6_AYF_Layout 1 5/16/16 6:07 PM Page 4 Editorial and sponsors_Layout 1 5/16/16 7:59 PM Page 5 Contributors Anna Aleksanyan is currently a Ph.D. student at Representation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. He is a descendant of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide the Dildilian family and has organized exhibitions in Turkey, Studies at Clark University. She is working on her Armenia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. based upon his fam- thesis “Experiences of Armenian Women and ily’s Ottoman-era photography collection. Children during the Years of Genocide.” She holds her BA and M.A. degrees in history. Alek- Knarik O. Meneshian was born in Austria. She sanyan worked at the Armenian Genocide received her degree in literature and secondary Museum-Institute in Yerevan as a scientific researcher for seven years. education in Chicago, Ill. In 1988, she served on the Selection Committee of the McDougal, Nanore Barsoumian is the editor of the Littell “Young Writers” Collection—Grades 1–8, Armenian Weekly. From 2010 to 2014, she an anthology of exemplary writing by students served as assistant editor of the Armenian across the country.” She is married and lives in Weekly. Her writings focus on human rights, Glenview, Ill., with her family. In 1991, Knarik taught English in the politics, poverty, and environmental and gen- earthquake devastated village of Jrashen (Spitak Region), Armenia. der issues. She has reported from Armenia, In 2002–2003, she and her husband lived and worked as volunteers Nagorno-Karabagh, Javakhk, and Turkey. She in Armenia for a year teaching English and computer courses in earned her B.A. degree in political science and English from the Gyumri and Tsaghgadzor. Meneshian’s works have been published University of Massachusetts (Boston), where she is currently pur- in Teachers As Writers, American Poetry Anthology and other suing her M.A. American publications. She has authored a book of poems titled Reflections, and translated from Armenian to English Reverend D. Asya Darbinyan is a Ph.D. Candidate from Antreassian’s book titled The Banishment of Zeitoun and Suedia’s Clark University’s Strassler Center for Revolt. She regularly contributes to the Armenian Weekly. Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Her disserta- tion, directed by Professor Taner Akçam, Michael Mensoian, J.D./Ph.D, is professor explores the Russian response to the Armenian emeritus in Middle East and political geogra- Genocide. With the support of recently phy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, obtained Calouste Gulbenkian Short Grant for and is a retired major in the U.S. army. He Armenian Studies, the grant from Friends of Armenian Chair at writes regularly for the Armenian Weekly. Clark University and the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) grant, Darbinyan explores Russian as well as Armenian and Georgian archival sources focusing on the condition and the treatment of the Armenian refugees in imperial Khatchig Mouradian is a visiting assistant Russia during the Great War. professor at the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers University and the coordinator of the Varak Ketsemanian received his B.A. in philos- Armenian Genocide Program at the univer- ophy from the American University of Beirut. sity’s Center for the Study of Genocide and He is currently pursuing his M.A. at the Center Human Rights (CGHR). He teaches courses for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of on imperialism, mass violence, and concen- Chicago. His articles have appeared in the tration camps in the History and Sociology departments at Lebanese Armenian Aztag Daily, AUB’s Rutgers. Mouradian is also adjunct professor at the Philosophy Outlook, and the Armenian Weekly. and Urban Studies departments at Worcester State University, where he teaches courses on urban space and conflict in the Dr. Armen T. Marsoobian is Professor and Middle East, genocide, collective memory, and human rights. Chair of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut Mouradian holds a Ph.D. in history from the Strassler Center for State University and is editor of the journal Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University and a grad- Metaphilosophy. He has lectured and published uate certificate in Conflict Resolution from UMass Boston. He on topics in philosophy, aesthetics and geno- was the editor of the Armenian Weekly from 2007–2014. cide studies. He has edited many books, including Genocide’s Aftermath: Responsibility Elyse Semerdjian is Associate Professor of and Repair and The Blackwell Guide to American Philosophy. He is Islamic World/Middle Eastern History at Whit- the author of the highly praised, Fragments of a Lost Homeland: man College. A specialist in the history of the Remembering Armenia and a recently published companion book Ottoman Empire and Syria, she authored “Off Dildilian Brother—Memories of a Lost Armenian Home: Photography the Straight Path”: Illicit Sex, Law, and Commu- and the Story of an Armenian Family in Anatolia, 1888–1923. He is nity in Ottoman Aleppo (Syracuse University editing a forthcoming volume entitled, Genocide, Memory and Press, 2008) as well as several articles on gender, www.armenianweekly.com APRIL 2016 | THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY | 5 Editorial and sponsors_Layout 1 5/16/16 6:25 PM Page 6 We would like to thank the following for their generous support Anonymous $5,000 Ani Zargarian (Mass.) $250 Mary Papazian (N.J.) $500 Dikran Meguerditchian (Mass.) $250 Ara Chalian $500 Avedis & Houri Boyamian (Mass.) $250 ARF Detroit “Azadamard” Gomideh $500 Alan Jelalian $250 Avig & Haigouhi Diermenjian (Mass.) Alice Movsesian (N.J.) $200 $300 In memory of Movses & Shamera Movsesian, Sepastia W. Armenia Sandra & Mesrob Odian (N.J.) $250 ARF Providence “Kristapor” Jean Adjemian (N.J.) $250 Gomideh (R.I.) $200 In memory of Setrak & Arpi & Christopher Davis (Mass.) $200 Haiganouch Adjemian Bedros & Stella Bandazian Family (Va.) Vram Jingirian (N.J.) $250 $200 Karnig Mikaelian (Calif.) $250 Union of Marash Armenians Watertown Aram Tchobanian (Fla.) $250 Chapter (Mass.) $200 Nareg Aghjayan $250 Gosdan Bozajian Endowment Fund Vicky & Nurhan Becidyan (N.J.) $250 Karakin & Vergine Serounian Abraham Saghdejian (Calif.) $250 Endowment Fund Aroxie & Ned Apigian (Mich.) $250 Gourgen & Margaret Asaturian In memory of the Holy Martyrs of the Endowment Fund 1915 Armenian Genocide Albert & Queenie Begian Harout & Mayda Gigian (Mass.) $250 Endowment Fund ThankYou Editorial and sponsors_Layout 1 5/16/16 7:59 PM Page 7 CONTRIBUTORS non-Muslims, and law in the Ottoman Empire. She received her Sayat Tekir is a Turkey-based human rights M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan- activist and member of Istanbul’s Nor Zartonk Ann Arbor and her Ph.D. in History from Georgetown University. movement. Born in Istanbul in 1984, Tekir Semerdjian is a two-time Fulbright awardee to Syria. She currently received his primary and secondary education serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Middle East at Essayan Armenian School. He majored in Women’s Studies and as a book review editor for the International Sociology at Istanbul’s Minar Sinan Guzel Journal of Middle East Studies. In the Spring of 2013, she was the Sanatlar University, and is presently working on Dumanian Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies in The Depart- his Masters. His thesis focuses on the Turkish-Armenian Border. He ment of Near Eastern Cultures and Languages at the University of has worked as a reporter and editor for Agos, Birgun, CNN Turk, Chicago. She was awarded a Cornell University Society for the and Voice of America. He served as project director for the Hrant Humanities Fellowship for the 2016—2017 academic year to sup- Dink Foundation.