JUNE 27, 2020 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXX, NO. 49, Issue 4642 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 IN BRIEF Mirror-Spectator NASA’s Sarah Hovsepian Brings Out-of-This- Annual Summer Break WATERTOWN — The Armenian Mirror-Spectator World Ideas to Help COVID-19 Patients will close for two weeks for its annual summer break at the end of June. The last issue before the By Alin K. Gregorian IRVINE, Calif. — Talking She recently made news break will be that of June 27. The first issue back Mirror-Spectator Staff with Sarah Hovsepian can because her division came up will be that of July 18. give one whiplash — in the with blueprints for ventilators Our offices have been closed due to the COVID- best possible sense of the word. After all, here is a woman whose that could be built quickly 19 pandemic; our staff has been working from their ideas and scientific learning weave together space design, origami, and inexpensively for COVID- homes and will continue to do so. ants and ventilators. 19 patients.Titled Project Emails and messages will be checked regularly. Hovsepian is a project manager at the National Aerospace and Vital, Hovsepian and her team Science Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. built the prototype in 37 days, all while work- UN Human Rights ing from home. According to Council Adopts the KRQE Armenia-Sponsored story, the prototype is made of about 80 parts and was designed to deliver more oxygen at higher pressure, Resolution on Genocide something doctors say is needed for many COVID-19 patients. Testing at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York Prevention has so far proven the project a success. NEW YORK (Arka) — The United Nations Human In the past month since the group made the news, Rights Council adopted by consensus a Resolution Hovsepian said that her group’s two designs got the on Prevention of Genocide, sponsored by Armenia, approval of the Food and Drug Administration, one the press office of the Armenian foreign ministry at the end of April and another more recently. reported on Monday, June 22. The document, which The next step, she said, is manufacturing them. is traditionally presented by Armenia, is based on Hovsepian said that more than 330 companies had the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment Hovsepian and colleagues with a prototype of their ventilator reached out, of which 24 were handpicked to receive of the Crime of Genocide and confirms its position see HOVSEPIAN, page 10 that genocide has caused great losses to humanity at all times. The resolution draws the attention of the world Instagram Memes community to the threat of genocide and to the idea How Has COVID-19 Changed of eliminating the recurrence of this crime in the Find the Funny Side modern world, emphasizing the need for joint efforts by states to eliminate this terrible crime. The Non-Profit Landscape? The resolution, introduced in 2020 by Armenia, Of Being Armenian reaffirms the idea that the justification of past geno- BOSTON — Diasporan-Armenian By Anaïs DerSimonian cides or their denial can lead to new violence. organizations — like their counter- By Serena Hajjar Special to the Mirror-Spectator The updated text of the document includes many parts the world over during the Special to the Mirror-Spectator new provisions: it emphasizes that the threat of COVID-19 era — have been forced to radically alter their practices to meet genocide looms in countries where fundamental social distancing guidelines and travel restrictions. To continue operating BOSTON — “See if the race will human rights and freedoms are massively violated, at a limited capacity over the last few months, Armenian organizations not live again when two of them including ethnic, racial, national or religious minori- have moved the majority of their in-person meet in a beer ties. In this context, attention is drawn to early events and meetings to online Zoom video parlor, twenty signs of genocide, such as the spread of the word of calls, and due to funding cuts in most years after, and hatred by politicians towards these groups and the cases, have been forced to reevaluate laugh, and speak distortion of their real image. The importance of which programs are worth pursuing. in their tongue.” preserving the spiritual heritage and historical mon- see NON-PROFIT, page 11 When William Saroyan penned uments of national, religious and ethnic minorities these famous was also noted. Birthright participant Ani Bournazian words in 1936, he The resolution confirms that the main elements working on her internship online was writing for an of the prevention of genocide are the study of past analog world, one genocides and respect for the memory of victims. unaware of the The need for preserving evidence and archival evi- massive techno- dence related to past genocides is also indicated. logical revolution Armenia is an elected member of the UN Human which would tran- Rights Council for 2020–2022 and, as a member of spire over the the Council, noted among its priorities that it will course of the next contribute to international efforts to prevent geno- century. Yet, the cides and other mass crimes by strengthening advent of the internet and the explosion of social national and international mechanisms. media have done nothing if not reinforce his mes- sage and proven its endurance. Nestled within the infinite universe of these ubiq- uitous online platforms is a budding Armenian com- munity, one whose membership transcends bor- INSIDE ders, dialects and politics. see INSTAGRAM, page 7 Beirut’s Vahan Tekeyan Sarkissian School Faces a Crisis Interview Page 3 TCA of US and Canada Allocates $60,000 WATERTOWN — The one-time flourishing Lebanese- Armenian community today faces a serious crisis of sur- INDEX vival. Our communities are duty-bound to help the Armenia ...... 2-4 Lebanese-Armenians, based on the principle of mutual Arts and Living ...... 12 assistance of Armenian diasporan communities, espe- Community News...... 6 cially since the latter for decades provided intellectual Editorial ...... 18 and educational sustenance and leadership to the com- International ...... 5 munities of the West facing assimilation. see SCHOOL, page 11 Vahan Tekeyan School’s new building to which students moved in 1965 2 S ATURDAY J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Court Rejects Arrest Warrant Request

PM Tours Streets of For Armenian Opposition Leader

Yerevan, Distributes Face YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — A court in Masks Yerevan on Sunday, June 21, refused to allow law-enforcement authorities YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Prime Minister Nikol to arrest Gagik Tsarukyan, a wealthy Pashinyan toured the streets of Yerevan on June 18 businessman leading the main opposi- and thanked to the citizens for wearing face masks tion Prosperous Armenia Party to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (BHK), on charges strongly denied by (COVID-19). him. The PM also distributed face masks to the citizens The National Security Service for free. (NSS) charged Tsarukyan with vote During the tour the PM visited the Armenian buying and moved to arrest him after state institute of physical culture to see how the the Armenian parliament lifted his anti-coronavirus rules are maintained in the edu- immunity from prosecution on June cational facility. 16. Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and The NSS says that Tsarukyan “cre- Translating by Aneta ated and led an organized group” that “We have 665 new cases of coronavirus. We con- bought more than 17,000 votes for tinue not wearing face masks in a massive way. What the BHK during parliamentary elec- do we do wrong that our dear compatriots treat tions held in 2017. It claims to have themselves and the health of the others with such an collected documents and testimony ignorance? Should our government, which was showing that the vote bribes were formed through a dialogue with the citizen, talk to handed out to residents of the its citizen in the language of enforcement for increas- Gegharkunik province. ing his own responsibility to keep his health?” the Tsarukyan and his political allies PM said. reject the accusations as politically On June 12 Armenia extended the coronavirus- motivated. They say that Prime related state of emergency for another month, until Minister Nikol Pashinyan ordered the July 13. criminal proceedings in response to the BHK leader’s recent calls for the Armenian government’s resignation. Pashinyan flatly denied that and Gagik Tsarukyan New Group of French any other political motives when he Doctors Arrive spoke in the parliament controlled by his My Step bloc on June 17. “We YEREVAN (Armenpress) — A second group of don’t need to turn criminal cases into day hearings that ended on Friday. It ting in his car. French doctors arrived in Armenia on June 24 subjects of political horse-trading so did not immediately publicize its rea- “I am happy that the court proved together with the representatives of the Armenian that they make fewer [anti-govern- sons for the decision. strong enough to stay away from polit- Diaspora, Head of the French medical team ment] statements or watch their lan- Tsarukyan refused to talk to jour- ical processes,” said one of the Alexandre Mignon said at an online briefing in guage,” he said. nalists when he came out of the court lawyers, Yerem Sargsyan. He suggest- Yerevan. The district court in the Armenian building in Yerevan moments after ed that during the hearings the court “It was a great honor to be hosted in Armenia and capital rejected the arrest warrant the announcement of the decision. found his and his colleagues’ argu- be able to assist Armenia in the context of the coro- request for Tsarukyan following three- “Ask my lawyers,” he said before get- ments against Tsarukyan’s arrest con- navirus pandemic. We managed to assist as much as vincing. possible, help and share our knowledge, and to what The defense lawyers said earlier extent it was appropriate, we are very satisfied for that the NSS failed to come up with that. Moreover, in my delegation, which consisted of any compelling evidence of 10 people, no one was Armenian, but I think that all Tsarukyan’s involvement in the approached the issue in an Armenian way. The next alleged distribution of vote bribes. mission will arrive in Yerevan on Wednesday. This They also accused the investigators of time the mission will include representatives from serious procedural violations of the the Diaspora who were very happy for coming to due process. Armenia to provide support,” the he said. Armenian prosecutors condemned The first group of French doctors arrived in the court’s refusal to sanction Armenia via a special flight on June 15 to help the Tsarukyan’s pre-trial arrest as “base- healthcare system to battle the novel coronavirus less and illegal” and said they will (COVID-19). The French doctors conduct their mis- appeal against the ruling. sion in the St. Gregory the Illuminator hospital, the A spokesman for Prosecutor- Scientific Center for Traumatology and Orthopedics General Artur Davtian said that the and the infection department of the St. Mary medical court “ignored” legitimate justifica- center. tions of the arrest presented by the investigators. The official, Gor Abrahamyan, said that Tsarukyan Marukyan Says Discussions with could obstruct the investigation and Defense Minister to Go exert “illegal influence” on other sus- Prosperous Armenia Underway to pects in the case if he is not placed To Russia for WWII under arrest. Commemorations Challenge Constitutional Amendments The BHK has the second largest group in the Armenian parliament, YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Armenia will partici- YEREVAN (Panorama.am) — Edmon Marukyan, a lawmaker from having finished second in the last gen- pate in the military parade dedicated to the 75th the opposition Bright Armenia Party, says his party has started eral elections held in December 2018. anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War joint debates with the Prosperous Armenia Party, the largest oppo- Tsarukyan’s party had joined in Moscow headed by Defense Minister Davit sition group in the Armenian parliament, to challenge the constitu- Pashinyan’s first cabinet formed fol- Tonoyan. tional amendments approved by the parliamentary majority to the lowing “Velvet Revolution” of April- Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a Constitutional Court. May 2018. Pashinyan fired his BHK- letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin informing “We are holding discussions; there are several appeals that may affiliated ministers in October, accus- that he cannot take part in the celebrations in be lodged,” the PM told reporters in the National Assembly on ing Tsarukyan of secretly collaborat- Moscow dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the vic- Tuesday, June 23, adding after the debates are over they will pro- ing with the country’s former leader- tory in the Great Patriotic War. vide the necessary information to the public. ship toppled in the revolution. “I regret to inform you that I will not be able to Marukyan refrained from making further comments, explaining Addressing senior BHK members participate in the celebrations dedicated to the only the “first round” of discussions has been held between the on June 5, Tsarukyan accused the gov- 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great opposition forces. ernment of mishandling Armenia’s Patriotic War. As you know, I accepted your invita- Touching upon the controversial constitutional changes allowing coronavirus crisis and failing to miti- tion to attend the ceremonies with pleasure. for the immediate replacement of three Constitutional Court judges gate its socioeconomic consequences. However, as later was revealed, the current coron- and its chairman, the lawmaker said they have already given their Pashinyan and his loyalists reacted avirus-related situation doesn’t allow me to carry out evaluation on the matter both during the parliamentary debates on angrily to that speech. that trip. Based on this I decided to refrain from my a constitutional referendum earlier in 2020 and Monday’s briefing Tsarukyan again linked the criminal visit to Moscow, which, as you know, has been dis- in the parliament. case against him to the speech when cussed in detail and agreed upon between our admin- Marukyan stressed instead of dealing with the coronavirus crisis he spoke to reporters on Friday. “If I istrations,” Pashinyan wrote to Putin. in the country the authorities "are busy with such things.” am to blame for this situation in the “If they are generating a political agenda, it cannot go unan- country, the spread of the [coron- swered; it will definitely have a counteraction,” he stated. avirus] epidemic, this poverty and eco- nomic decline, I am ready to go [to jail,]” he said. S ATURDAY J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 3 ARMENIA President Sarkissian Hopes to Bridge Armenia And Diaspora, Advance Post-COVID Armenia

SPECIAL TO THE MIRROR-SPECTATOR, diaspora is an important resource with 4-5 times Sèvres and next year of the Treaties of Moscow BAIKAR AND AZG more population than the homeland. and Kars. The president commented that if the Sarkissian said, “I think that in order to most former gave the possibility to Armenia of estab- YEREVAN — President Armen Sarkissian of productively use the potential of the diasporan lishing a viable state with natural boundaries, Armenia gave a wide-ranging Armenian-language Armenians, especially their knowledge and expe- the latter two treaties ignored the interests of interview jointly to the Armenian Mirror- rience, it is indispensable to have an institutional the Armenian people to the maximum and Spectator, Baikar and Azg newspapers on June approach, by combining legislative and practical turned the country vulnerable. He said, 17, which here is presented in edited translation. measures, which will be directed at broadening “Therefore Armenia with its current problems is Sarkissian expressed his deep concern about their participation in social [and] political life the direct result of the Armenian Genocide and the spread of COVID-19 and the loss of lives in and, especially, in the scientific, cultural and eco- the treaties which followed it.” Armenia. “I tell everyone to be extremely pru- nomic progress of the country. Unfortunately, The complex geopolitical situation in the dent. The coronavirus will continue to be with President Armen Sarkissian due to different objective and subjective reasons, region was established by these treaties, and this us.” As to why there were so many cases in we have not succeeded yet in finding the neces- came to the fore after the collapse of the Soviet Armenia compared to its neighbors, he merely sary contemporary model for the establishment Union. Sarkissian said that as a consequence, responded that each country uses different meth- behavior and decisions of the authorities and of systematic long-term strategic relations with Turkey carries out a denialist policy concerning ods of combatting the virus and so the results opposition.” the diaspora.” the Armenian Genocide, while it stands by are different. He called upon political forces to be extremely He did have a model in mind, and explained Azerbaijan concerning Artsakh and therefore Meanwhile, Armenia must deal with the poten- responsible under such circumstances in their that 24 years ago, while he was prime minister, keeps its border with Armenia closed. This, he tial negative economic consequences of COVID-19 own conduct, speech and work, in order not to he foresaw creating a National Affairs Agency said, is a matter of security for Armenia and the on tourism, international trade and the economy. permit the domestic situation to become composed of competent specialists from both Armenian people. Last year, Sarkissian requested that the United extremely tense and to leave room for dialogue. Armenia and the diaspora, either in the place of Nations Conference on Trade and Development He declined to comment on the trials of for- or parallel to a ministry of the diaspora which is (UNCTAD) prepare an “Investment Policy mer high-level Armenian officials concerning the a state body only representing one side. An inde- Review” on Armenia, which was published in events of March 1-2, 2008, stating that it would pendent agency would permit formulating a joint Bolton Says Trump Proposal to November 2019 be improper to intervene in the jurisdiction of agenda with priorities and could turn into a Intervene in SDNY Investigation (https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/di other government institutions, but that he was bridge or mediator between state and diasporan aepcb2019d3_en.pdf). The study identified sev- certain justice would prevail. structures and individuals, particularly the latter, Of Turkish Bank Felt 'Like eral export and efficiency-seeking industries He was asked about his treatment in the since 80-90 percent are not part of the tradition- Obstruction of Justice to Me' which could obtain billions of dollars of invest- Armenian press, with the opposition media criti- al structures of the diaspora. Creating a global ments in the next 10-20 years and presented cal and dissatisfied and the pro-government or network model for the Armenian nation through ways to remove the fundamental obstacles to official media somewhat “cold” toward him, and a strong state aside from helping achieve nation- these investments. The staff of the president’s in response turned the question to what he saw al goals could also give much to the world at By Justine Coleman office and UNCTAD, based on this report, as the fundamental role of the press in contem- large, he noted. Sarkissian said, have made proposals utilizing porary democratic society. He said, “The experi- A major issue for all Armenians is the Nagorno WASHINGTON (The Hill) — Former national investment tools which can help neutralize cer- ence of the last three decades has shown that the Karabakh conflict. Sarkissian said that the prime security adviser John Bolton said in an inter- tain threats posed by the COVID-19 crisis to press by itself cannot fully exist solely on the minister and minister of foreign affairs deal with view on Sunday that President Trump proposed Armenia, assuaging its effect on the flow of basis of ‘free market’ rules. The state, political its settlement through negotiations led by the intervening in the Southern District of New investments into Armenia and on its economy. forces, businesses and society itself must be inter- Organization for Security and Cooperation in York's (SDNY) investigation of a state-owned For this purpose, he said, they suggested the ested in having a truly free and independent Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. Therefore he did Turkish bank. creation of a body provisionally called the press. How? That is the topic of a long discus- not wish to discuss this except to note that Bolton told ABC’s Martha Raddatz last week Investor Quick Response Working Group (QIRT), sion.” though it had peaceful intentions, Armenia was that Trump's suggestion of getting involved in which would complement the actions of the gov- What is initially important, he continued, is ready to defend the rights of the people of the investigation felt like “obstruction of justice ernment to assist businesses. This body would the state formulating the issue and being aware Artsakh and its security in the case of the use of to me.” The December 2018 episode is detailed also help make Armenia better known through- of its necessity. He said, “I consider the estab- military force by Azerbaijan, which would be in Bolton’s forthcoming book entitled The out the world. lishment of a professional, impartial press a mat- unacceptable and must be severely condemned Room Where It Happened. Sarkissian said the advance of technology will ter of national security both from an internal and by the international community. The SDNY had been examining the Turkish have a huge influence on everything, including external point of view.” “As far as the provocative statements by bank Halkbank for allegedly violating U.S. sanc- basic social behavior, values and human behav- He concluded on the topic, “As far as I am Azerbaijan concerning Armenia,” he said, “I tions against Iran. Bolton asserted that Trump ior. Everything from tourism, agriculture, and concerned, I work within the bounds of the pres- think that they must not be left unanswered.” and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan banking to contemporary technology must ident’s constitutional powers, and I do not pre- He pointed out that in addition to the direct set- had discussed the investigation several times, advance in Armenia, he said, through a clear pare to violate them in order to please any indi- tlement of the conflict, it was just as important to with the Turkish president wanting a settlement vision which must be consonant with the world’s vidual or group in domestic political life.” develop the Artsakh Republic in all ways, first of for Halkbank. progress. Sarkissian said his mission, is “first of all, to all economically and demographically, through "And the president said to Erdogan at one For example, he said, after the end of the coro- take steps to establish and strengthen the situa- urgent and practical steps. Pan-Armenian invest- point, 'Look, those prosecutors in New York are navirus crisis, it will be necessary to work indus- tion of the presidency, which after crossing to a ments, both of finances and intellect, were neces- Obama people. Wait till I get my people in, and triously in the spheres of electronic government parliamentary governmental system, in fact must sary. Sarkissian said he often visits Artsakh, and then we'll take care of this,’” Bolton said. (eGovernment), electronic health (eH) and elec- be rebuilt in such a way that, independent of indi- each time with wonder mixed with pain observes "And I thought to myself — and I'm a tronic education (EdTech). viduals, is able to assure the stability of the state that we leave the Artsakh Armenians alone with Department of Justice alumnus myself,” he Furthermore, after the coronavirus crisis ends, and internal equilibrium — our people’s unity.” their daily cares and issues. added. "I've never heard any president say any- the president said that he intended to return to He asked that we imagine how much revenue thing like that. Ever." his ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) presidential ini- Diasporan and Foreign Relations internal tourism, i.e. from Armenia, could alone The former national security adviser pointed tiative on technology and science development in Sarkissian said he envisaged an important role bring Artsakh. Similarly, he said, seasonal work out that if a U.S. bank had violated the sanc- Armenia, which has the goal of bringing inter- for the presidency in maintaining relations with could be offered to Armenia’s able-bodied village tions against Iran “we would have toasted them national organizations to Armenia and establish- the Armenian diaspora and the world, in which population in Artsakh. Economic calculations, and quite properly so.” He said Attorney ing laboratories for the development of artificial his own background could be helpful. He said: and various tax, credit and financial arrange- General William Barr allowed for the appropri- intelligence. “We are a survivor people and as a developing ments would be necessary for all this, so the gov- ate prosecution of the bank after Turkey would- As president, Sarkissian summarized, “I would country with a strategic location and a global ernments of Armenia and Artsakh must prepare n’t agree to a “reasonable settlement.” like to see Armenia as one of the advanced coun- nation, we have something to say to the world. In an appropriate plan together, he said. Raddatz asked Bolton if he thought the inci- tries, in the ranks of those developing systems, that sense, I see myself as an intermediary, as an Developing the Artsakh economy will not only dent qualified as “criminal” or “high crimes and and being investment leaders, based on the appli- ambassador between Armenia and the world. My raise the standard of living there, but also misdemeanors,” which is required to impeach cation of [the principles of] biology, health, and life has turned out so that I have had the possi- strengthen the position of the Republic of the president. artificial intelligence. This path, in my opinion, bility of seeing Armenia from both the outside Artsakh during negotiations, the president said. "I don't think I know enough about all the cir- will allow Armenia to find its new place in the and the inside. The same [is true] for the diaspo- There have always been possibilities in Artsakh cumstances, but I tell ya, it did feel like obstruc- world and prove that a small country can be ‘suc- ra. I am the child of immigrants. My ancestors and around it, but, he underlined, “The matter is tion of justice to me," Bolton said. cessful’. The presidential initiatives are aimed immigrated from Erzerum, Bitlis and Alashgerd to see and correctly take advantage of them.” The White House did not immediately precisely at that.” to Russia, from there to Persia, and my father On a more general topic, the president respond to a request for comment. and mother in 1946 repatriated to Armenia. I stressed the importance of Russian-Armenian Bolton’s interview was recorded before Domestic Politics and the Role of the was born and raised, educated, and formed in relations, declaring: “Russia is Armenia’s strate- Trump fired former SDNY U.S. Attorney Geoff President the homeland. Thereupon I lived for many years gic partner and ally. We are connected by shared Berman on Saturday, raising questions about Sarkissian noted that classical political behav- abroad due to work, and I can say that I know experiences and successes fortified by many cen- the president’s involvement in the Justice ior has changed throughout the world, including equally well our country and the diaspora and its turies of relations, as well as by the natural desire Department. the logic and form of the battle between regimes people. Being conscious of all this and the chal- to help one another in complicated situations. The Justice Department initially announced and their opposition. He said, “Polarization is lenges standing before Armenia and the For this very reason, these relations today have Berman would be “stepping down” from his the result also of the influence of the virtual Armenian people, I attempt and will attempt in turned into an inviolable friendship.” position on Friday, but the attorney refuted say- world on people’s minds and behavior. Today, the consultation with the capable forces of Armenia He said that that bilateral relations could also ing he would not resign without a Senate virtual world, social networks, are flooded with and the diaspora to compose a pan-national turn into an important factor in the two coun- approved replacement. On Saturday, Barr asked hate, curses, [and] calls to violence, and there is agenda through a systematic approach.” tries’ multilateral ties, stating: “Armenia can Trump to officially fire him. no law or norm which can keep them in check. He said that Armenia as a state must take the serve as a bridge between different integration Berman’s office has been investigating The virtual world is becoming more real than the initiative in relations with the diaspora, as the projects and regions, such as the Eurasian Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and had real world. It is not only with us but everywhere challenges to the Armenian people and state Economic Union and the European Union.” prosecuted his former lawyer Michael Cohen, that it shapes public opinion and influences the require uniting all national resources, and the This year is the centennial of the Treaty of among other associates. 4 S ATURDAY J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA Armenian Parliament Votes to Replace Constitutional Court Judges

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Amid strong opposi- tion objections, the Armenian parliament approved on Monday, June 22, constitutional changes calling for the immediate dismissal of three of the nine members of the country’s Constitutional Court. The amendments drafted by the ruling My Step bloc would also require the court to elect a new chairman. Hrayr Tovmasyan, the current chairman who has been at loggerheads with the Armenian government for the past year, would not have to resign from the court altogether. Tovmasyan and six other judges have been under strong government pressure to step down, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accusing them of maintaining close ties to the country’s former government and impeding judicial reforms. Tovmasyan and opposition fig- ures have dismissed these claims, saying that Pashinyan is simply seeking to gain control over the Constitutional Court. With all seven judges refusing to quit, the rul- ing political team decided in February to hold a referendum on its bid to oust them. The refer- endum slated for April 5 was subsequently post- poned and then cancelled altogether because of the coronavirus pandemic. In May, Pashinyan’s administration opted for a less radical solution to the “constitutional cri- Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan reads out a court ruling, Yerevan, March 17, 2020. sis” which would bar all high court judges from serving for more than 12 years. Such term limits were already set by amend- Venice Commission largely backed the pro- both the first and second readings. Constitutional Court judges affected by the ments to the Armenian constitution which took posed formula. Still, it also called for a “transi- They said that the Strasbourg-based body amendments. effect in April 2018. However, the country’s for- tional period which would allow for a gradual agreed with the main thrust of the constitu- Hovakimyan likewise claimed that the court mer leadership made sure that they do not change in the composition of the Court in order tional changes planned by the Armenian cannot objectively determine the amendments’ apply to those judges who were installed prior to avoid any abrupt and immediate change authorities. One of those lawmakers, Vahagn conformity with other articles of the constitu- to that. A clause in the amended constitution endangering the independence of this institu- Hovakimyan, insisted that the changes will tion for that reason. allowed them to retain their positions until tion.” eventually result in a Constitutional Court The two opposition parties represented in reaching retirement age. The commission said the Armenian authori- “enjoying the public’s trust.” the parliament boycotted the votes and short The changes approved by the government- ties should also not rush to have Tovmasyan The amendments were backed by 89 mem- debates that preceded them. One of them, the controlled parliament would eliminate this replaced by another court chairman. bers of the 132-seat National Assembly. Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), condemned clause. This would lead to the immediate resig- The draft constitutional amendments Virtually all of those deputies are affiliated with the amendments as unconstitutional. It said nation of three judges who had taken the bench unveiled by Pashinian’s bloc on Friday do not My Step. that the parliamentary majority’s decision to in the mid-1990s. Two other Constitutional envisage any transitional periods. The Venice The Venice Commission also noted that bypass the Constitutional Court is also illegal. Court members would have to resign in 2022. Commission said it “regrets” this fact and under Armenian law the court has to review Accordingly, the BHK said it will try to chal- Tovmasyan would have to quit as court chair- believes that it is “not in line with the recom- and validate constitutional changes before they lenge the amendments in the Constitutional man but would remain one of the nine justices. mendations in this Opinion.” are passed in the second and final reading. Court before they can take effect. It urged the Also in May, the government asked the Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan and senior Backed by the government, the parliament’s other parliamentary opposition party, Bright Venice Commission for an advisory opinion on pro-government lawmakers downplayed the pro-government majority decided not to seek Armenia (LHK), to join it in appealing to the this solution. commission’s objections as the National such judgment. “I think there is a conflict of court and thus “preventing the overthrow of In its opinion publicized on Monday, the Assembly swiftly passed the amendments in interest,” Badasyan said, referring to the the constitutional order.”

Aurora to Honor International Humanitarians and COVID-19 Heroes in October

YEREVAN — The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is date, it has supported 28 projects in 16 countries, ben- cheon in New York City visit [email protected]. glad to announced this week that on October 19, 2020, efitting almost a million vulnerable people. As we cele- *** a special Gratitude in Action luncheon will be organized brate this fifth anniversary, I urge everyone to join and About the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative in New York City to celebrate Aurora’s fifth anniversary empower this movement in these trying times when we Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian by honoring the five Aurora Prize Laureates and paying need more heroes,” said Lord Ara Darzi, director of the Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora tribute to New York City COVID-19 heroes. Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College Humanitarian Initiative seeks to empower modern-day A hundred years ago, $200 million (over $2 billion in London and Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection saviors to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of the modern world) was raised to help the survivors of Committee. basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and thus the Armenian Genocide and other persecuted communi- Today, when the world deals with the grave challenges of continue the cycle of giving internationally. The Aurora ties. New Yorkers were among the most ardent support- COVID-19, refugees and other vulnerable communities sup- Humanitarian Initiative is Gratitude in Action. It is an ers whose benevolence helped to save a generation of the ported by Aurora continue to suffer and grow in numbers eight-year commitment (2015 to 2023, in remembrance oppressed. It was also in New York City that the Aurora under the added pressures caused by the pandemic. The of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915- Humanitarian Initiative was launched in 2015. It is Aurora movement encourages those fortunate enough to 1923) to support people and promote global projects therefore symbolic that the Gratitude in Action lun- have been rescued and given a new chance on life to express that tackle the needs of the most helpless and destitute cheon marking Aurora’s fifth anniversary will be held in their own gratitude by becoming the next generation of sav- and do so at great risk. This is achieved through the the same city. This fundraising event will bring the iors, continuing the cycle of giving. Initiative’s various programs: The Aurora Prize for Aurora community together in solidarity and allow the “Aurora stands for Gratitude in Action. It provides a Awakening Humanity, the Aurora Dialogues, the Aurora Initiative to continue its efforts. universal message and concept that resonates with peo- Humanitarian Index, the Gratitude Projects and the 100 The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, founded on ples around the world. Its message and platform evoke LIVES Initiative. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in human solidarity. Today, when humanity confronts the the vision of philanthropists Vartan Gregorian, Noubar gratitude to their saviors, seeks to empower modern-day scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all seek human Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan who have been joined by heroes who offer humanitarian assistance to those who solidarity, cooperation, and inspiration to bring us thousands of supporters and partners. Our Chair, Dr. urgently need it. Aurora’s five-year mission has been to together, to allow us to transcend our differences and Tom Catena, draws on his experience is a surgeon, vet- spotlight global humanitarians through the Aurora Prize provide us with a common platform for action. During eran, humanitarian and the 2017 Aurora Prize laureate of Awakening Humanity and support people in need the past four years, Aurora has provided us with such an to spread the message of Gratitude in Action to a global through educational, health, and skills development pro- international platform that embodies solidarity, hope audience. The Initiative welcomes all who embrace a grams promoted by the Laureates. The Prize Laureate and action. We are proud to celebrate our 5th anniver- commitment to our shared humanity. receives a US $1,000,000 award which gives the sary in New York where we began. We are honored to be The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is represented by Laureate a unique opportunity to continue the cycle of in New York where hundreds of new heroes have three organizations – Aurora Humanitarian Initiative giving and support the organizations that have inspired emerged during this pandemic bearing witness to Foundation, Inc. (New York, USA), the 100 Lives the humanitarian action. courage, self-sacrifice, integrity and human solidarity,” Foundation (Geneva, Switzerland) and the IDeA “For the last five years, the Aurora Humanitarian said Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia). Initiative has been reminding us of our common human- Corporation of New York and Co-Founder of the Aurora ity, uniting people, and transforming the way we deliver Humanitarian Initiative. Further information is available at humanitarian aid to those in need across the globe. To To make a contribution or purchase tickets to the lun- www.auroraprize.com S ATURDAY J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 5 INTERNATIONAL More Foreign Doctors Arrive International News In Coronavirus-Hit Armenia Turkey Planning Agency To Promote Armenian YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Teams of another French medical team later this funded healthcare system. Health Genocide Denial Russian and Lithuanian medics have week. Minister Arsen Torosyan warned last arrived in Armenia to help their Armenia is one of the worst hit coun- week that Armenian hospitals are strug- ISTANBUL (PanArmenian.net) — Turkey is plan- Armenian colleagues increasingly strug- tries in the region, having registered gling to keep up with the continuing ning to set up an independent civilian agency to pro- gling to cope with the coronavirus cri- 20,588 coronavirus cases as of Monday spread of the disease. mote the denial of the Armenian Genocide, during sis. morning. The authorities in the country Torosyan argued that the number of which the Ottoman empire killed more than 1.5 mil- The Armenian Ministry of Health lion Armenians between 1915 and 1923. released on Monday, June 22, pho- The decision to establish such a body was made at tographs of the “first group of Russian the High Advisory Board meeting at the Presidential doctors” who arrived in Yerevan on Complex last week, according to Turkish media Sunday. reports. It said that they are among about 50 The new approach to address the Genocide had healthcare workers in Russia who have been on the Turkish government’s agenda since the expressed readiness to treat COVID-19 U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing the patients kept in Armenian hospitals. Armenian Genocide, Daily Sabah reports. “The arrival of the next group is expect- ed in early July,” the ministry added in a statement. Australian Lawmaker About a dozen other medics arrived With Ties to Grey Wolves in Armenia from Lithuania on Friday night. The Lithuanian Embassy in Fired from Posts Yerevan said their two-week mission is financed by the European Union and CANBERRA, Australia (PanArmenian.net) Sweden’s government. The Lithuanian — Member of Parliament Adem Somyurek has been medics were deployed to two Yerevan- fired from the Victoria Ministry in Australia and based hospitals that were reconfigured expelled from the Australian Labor Party — includ- in April to treat only people infected Members of a Russian medical team that arrived in Armenia to help their Armenian ing from its National Executive. The Armenian with the coronavirus. colleagues fighting COVID-19, June 21, 2020 National Committee of Australia welcomed the move, The Russian and Lithuanian teams especially given his connection and support to ultra- also brought with them medical equip- nationalist Turkish organization “Ulku Ocaklari” – ment and supplies donated to the of about 3 million have reported the new coronavirus infections is growing better known as the Grey Wolves. Armenian health authorities. deaths of 477 people infected with faster than that of new hospital beds A “60 Minutes” report last Sunday exposed Seven other, French doctors travelled COVID-19. They say that 117 of those made available for COVID-19 patients. Somyurek’s industrial-level branch-stacking of to Armenia on June 14 on a similar 10- deaths were primarily caused by other, In particular, he said, although the total Australian Labor Party branches in Victoria. Videos day mission supported by the U.S. pre-existing diseases. number of intensive-care beds has risen and recordings during a year-long investigation Agency for International Development. The COVID-19 pandemic is putting a by over 30 percent in the last two weeks unveiled Somyurek allegedly signing up ethnic com- They are expected to be replaced by growing strain on Armenia’s under- virtually all of them are occupied now. munity representatives to branches, paying their membership fees, requesting the forging of signa- tures, using misogynistic and homophobic com- ments, among other offences currently being investi- gated. What the report did not reveal is Somyurek’s sup- port for the Australian branch of the Turkish ultra- Turkey Continues Airstrikes in Kurdistan nationalist political organization, the Grey Wolves, who espouse the same pan-Turkism ideology of their Shilame. They have taken shelter in acted to remove PKK insurgents from Ottoman Young Turk forebears. By Zhelwan Z. Wali the house of their relatives in Batifa the area. In June 2014, Izmir-born Somyurek inaugurated center and other surrounding vil- On Monday, a high-level Iraqi mili- the Grey Wolves’ offices in Melbourne, as revealed in lages,” he added. tary delegation visited the site of the a report by Greek-Australian newspaper Neos ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Rudaw) — Darkare and Batifa are small sub-dis- Turkish bombings in Duhok province Kosmos. Turkish aircraft have resumed tricts located in the Sinat-Haftanin to investigate the aftermath of the The Grey Wolves rose to international prominence airstrikes on the Kurdistan Region's area, which lay along the Qandil moun- week-long Turkish military operations following the attempted assassination of Pope John Duhok province earlier on Tuesday, tains near the Turkish border. The in the area. Paul II in 1981 by one its members, Mehmet Ali June 23, against suspected Kurdistan PKK, an armed group that has fought The delegation, which is working in Agca. Workers Party (PKK) targets, forcing a decades-long battle with Ankara for coordination with the KRG's interior Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews expelled locals from two villages to flee their greater political rights for Kurds in ministry, is to provide Iraqi premier Somyurek from his Cabinet, where he served as homes. Turkey, is currently based in the moun- Mustafa al-Kadhimi with a report Minister for Local Government and the Minister for “Since 5 am in the morning, Turkey tain range that spans across the detailing its findings. Small Business. has been bombing Mount Khamter Turkey-Kurdistan Region-Iran border. Details of “all the losses and impact Later, the Australian Labor Party’s National and its surrounding areas [in Darkare] Ankara regularly carries out airstrikes of the Turkish operation's bombings Executive accepted Somyurek’s resignation from the with their artillery and airstrikes,” and ground operations against sus- on locals will be handed over to the party. Zervan Musa, mayor of Darkare, told pected PKK positions inside the delegation,” Botan Muhsin, Mayor of Rudaw Tuesday afternoon, adding that Kurdistan Region. Zakho in northern Duhok province Parliamentarians “23 missiles and mortars have landed The residents of a total of ten vil- told Rudaw on Monday. in the region.” lages in Zakho have now fled the Prevent Inclusion of “The roaring and hovering of war- Turkish military operation over the planes and mortars have terrified the past eight days. Anti-Armenian Rhetoric people of the region,” Musa added. The PKK's acting leader since Serbia Sends STRASBOURG (Armenpress) — The members of The Kurdistan Region's border areas Ocalan's arrest, Murat Karayilan, a the Armenian delegation to the Euronest have come under fire from both Turkish member of the group's executive body, Humanitarian Parliamentary Assembly prevented the inclusion of and Iranian strikes over the past eight told the party-affiliated Sterk TV on anti-Armenian formulations in the statement of the days, as part of a military offensive with Monday, that the armed group will not Supplies PA’s Bureau, MP Gayane Abrahamyan said on the stated aim of targeting suspected be withdrawing from Haftanin. Facebook this week. PKK positions in the region. Turkey's “The enemy has its techniques and YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Serbia “After difficult and tense negotiations we had a Operation Claw-Eagle aerial assault may possibly capture certain locations has sent humanitarian aid to Armenia balanced document – the statement of the Euronest began on June 15, while an accompany- in Haftanin, but they cannot control by a special flight of Air Serbia carry- Parliamentary Assembly’s Bureau. We managed not ing ground campaign, Operation Claw- everywhere. Wherever they capture, ing medical supplies and equipment. only to remove the formulations from the prelimi- Tiger, began on June 17. they must pay the price and they must The second airplane will arrive on June nary text of the statement which greatly were dam- Civilians have borne the brunt of the die with it. We will show resistance in 19. aging the interests of Armenia and Artsakh, but also massive Turkish offensive. Since June any place they go to... We will show Days before President of Armenia prevented the Azerbaijani delegation’s attempts to 15, five locals have been killed by the them a historical resistance and our Armen Sarkissian had a telephone con- include unilateral formulations over the NK con- Turkish airstrikes, including four civil- comrades have vowed for that end,” versation with the President of Serbia flict”, the lawmaker said. ians in Shiladze and Kani Masi towns said Karayilin. Aleksandar Vucic, during which the She added the first provision of that document in Duhok and one in Erbil province's Batifa mayor Abdulsatar added that agreement on the humanitarian aid reaffirms the Eastern Partnership countries’ com- Sidakan region, bordering Iran. locals from a third village, Banka, are was reached. mitment to the values the initiative is based on and Dilsher Abdulsatar, mayor of Batifa believed to have fled as well, fearing Serbia provides Armenia with 10 also highlights the right to self-determination in sub-district, said Tuesday's bombings the constant bombings. artificial respiration devices, 10 moni- addition to others. have resulted in locals from the two vil- Turkey has defended its past opera- tors monitoring the patient’s condition, lages of Kashane and Shilame fleeing tions in the Kurdistan Region and 500 thousand surgical 100 thousand out of fear for their lives. northern Iraq, saying neither the Iraqi breathing masks, 25,000 glasses, “There are 15 families from government nor the Kurdistan 25,000 pieces of medical protective Kashane, and nine families from Regional Government (KRG) have clothing and other necessary items. 6 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR Community News

SOAR Commits Month of Western Armenian June to Fundraise to Save Renaissance during Life of Baby Ada Keshishyants Pandemic PHILADELPHIA — In rapid response to the family’s appeal, the Society for Orphaned By Shahen Araboghlian Armenian Relief (SOAR) is devoting the month of June to fundraise to help save the life of My colleague put it perfectly on the fourth eight-month old Ada Keshishyants. episode of the “Meet the Revolution” podcast. From Kislovodsk, Russia, Ada is suffering from "When it comes to language, the Armenian lan- Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, a rare, guage, there's been some sort of online virtual life-threatening genetic disease. Children with renaissance, almost like a virtual zartonk Type 1 SMA die slowly, rarely reaching age 2. (renaissance) of Western Armenian, since this SMA attacks the nervous system, causes muscle pandemic hit,” said Rupen Janbazian, the editor atrophy, and as a result, the spine curves causing of h-pem.com. And he’s right. severe restrictions with breathing. Ada is cur- Back in February, the Armenian rently in intensive care and as the disease pro- Communities Department of the Gulbenkian gresses, her health is quickly declining. Antoine Terjanian, right, with Arto Foundation announced the “Creative Culture Novartis, the manufacturer of Zolgensma Manoukian, above, in one of the Program” for Lebanese youth to create in the which would help treat if not cure Ada, has Tekeyan Cultural Association video Western Armenian language. It was the small interviews step that launched a discussion on language revival using innovative methods. What came next was a global pandemic and a boom in Western Armenian content that is creative, vocal, and witty in nature, incentivized by the TCA’s Ongoing Armenian starving need for daily familial and familiar con- versations, online. Not in a textbook, not with- in the four walls of a classroom, but finally like Language Video Series any other thriving language, alive. Aghvor Paner/ “Nice Things”, inspired by poet Zahrad’s words, “when nice things happen, Available on YouTube [consequently], nice things happen”) artsy pages have been sprouting left and right on my Ada Keshishyants MONTREAL – While it has not been possible for the chapters of the Tekeyan Instagram timeline lately, be it either old pages Cultural Association of the United States and Canada (TCA) to hold physical dusting off their creative selves or new ones events over the last few months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, they refused to reduce the exorbitant $2 million taking flight into the great Western Armenian have begun to shift their activities to the virtual realm. Some chapters, like that price tag on the gene therapy drug despite the virtual unknown, from advocating for feminism, of Metro Los Angeles, have been organizing lectures via Zoom. TCA Central pleas of the family. Russian government health MayDay, and #BlackLivesMatter to making Board member Arto Manoukian has been busy preparing a series of video pod- organizations have also rejected the family’s crafty alternatives of dialogue slang and calls to casts, all in the Armenian language, of interviews with various interesting requests for financial assistance. self-isolate. Armenians. The family has raised over $1.1 million for Ada, Western Armenian podcasts are now a thing, The initial and still growing list of podcasts are listed below by name of each however a $1 million gap still exists to deliver the mostly thanks to our better-than-ever culturally- guest speaker. They may be viewed on YouTube treatment she desperately needs. Setting an thriving Armenian community of Istanbul. (https://www.youtube.com/user/artomanouk) or on the Facebook page of ambitious goal of $1 million to close the gap, Heard of Asbantag? What about Anoon, Hatz, TCA Montreal (https://www.facebook.com/Tekeyan-Cultural-Association- SOAR has launched an emergency, global Kaghak (“Name dish city”)? What about h- Montreal-303091173093256/). fundraising campaign to rally its donor base and pem’s audiobook of William Saroyan’s short 1. Gerald Papasian: This is the story of how and why Papasian chose the all Armenian supporters to help this child. stories? Or the radio-theater of Yervant Odian field of theatrical acting and producing as his career, as well as his activities in Continuing its good work of supporting and Hagop Baronian humor pieces on YouTube Armenia. Armenian children with severe disabilities, by Yeghia Akgun? 2. Gerald Papasian in his second video talks further about theater in Armenia SOAR will earmark any surplus donations to Old short films such as Ara Madzounian’s in this period of COVID-19 pandemic and his career. establish the Ada Keshishyants Fund to benefit award-winning “The Pink Elephant”, Tony 3. Raffi Elliott is interviewed about his life in Armenia and the latest coron- special needs children housed in Armenia's Partamian’s Sunderland-awardee “Hrametsek,” avirus situation in the country. orphanages. and Vatche Boulghourjian’s Cannes-awardee 4. Antoine Terjanian: This video is with Armenian patriot from Ottawa To help Ada by making a life-saving donation “Fifth Column” have resurfaced and are being Antoine Stépan Terjanian. a consultant working internationally in the fields of to SOAR at soar-us.org and raising awareness celebrated by a younger generation; sustainable economic and social development, information systems, statistics about SOAR’s campaign for Ada. Direct all Hamazkayin Lebanon’s Kaspar Ipegian Theater and geomatics/GIS. He has been working with the Atken Armenian inquiries to SOAR Executive Chairman, George Troupe has started uploading its taped theatri- Foundation, a Canadian Registered Charity for more than 10 years. Terjanian S. Yacoubian Jr. at [email protected]. cal performances on YouTube. has supported the implementation of a number of development projects in the Sebu Simonian giving us a virtual tour of the Vayots Dzor region. In the past, he has worked as a Director of Business Dino Hall at the Natural History Museum of LA Planning and Development, (DMR Quebec), Manager of Business Development County in Western Armenian? Yes, please! A Glendale City Council (Geomatics Canada) and Senior Regional Program Officer at the International bolsahye telling me how to bake my Easter Development Research Centre, Cairo and Dakar. Terjanian has a bachelor’s cheureg on his YouTube channel? Of course! Member Kassakhian Joins degree in Agriculture, and a master’s degree in Rural Economics from the Vahe Berberian and his weekly virtual talk International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies Paris, show (which I always manage to tune into)? Metropolitan Water Board France. Also available! 5. Gerald Papasian this time talks about some of his onstage comical experi- Western Armenian haikus are a thing now, GLENDALE — Glendale City Councilmember ences. Ardy Kassakhian joined the board of directors of thanks to Garin Bedian, who’s also part of a 6. Azad Temisjian talks about the Ararat Homes (Résidences Ararat) of new community on Twitter, sworn to tweet only the Metropolitan Water District of Southern Montreal, as its founder, chief executive officer and co-director during these dif- California on June 9 as the city’s representative. in Western Armenian, no matter the topic. As ficult days of pandemic. He talks about their past history, the present situation an excited member of this community, I texted Kassakhian, who took his seat as and the effect of the pandemic. Metropolitan’s board continues meeting online my long-time friend Sevan Gharibian and new 7. Aram Arkun, executive director of TCA, based in Boston, speaks about friend Sarin Akbas to found the first and only amid the COVID-19 pandemic, succeeds Vartan Tekeyan’s mission and achievements. Gharpetian, who was appointed to the Western Armenian Telegram channel, which 8. Nora Armani, a talented actor, producer, voice artist and curator of the already has an approximate 300 subscribers Metropolitan board in October 2019. Socially Relevant Film Festival joins Arto Manoukian of Tekeyan for the first of A Glendale resident since 1986, Kassakhian and serves to send custom-made fun-to-use a series of interviews. The followers of this podcast will get to know Ms Armani stickers, tiny quizzes, literary pieces and cre- served as elected city clerk for 15 years before his and her great achievements in the film and theater international field. successful city council bid in March. He also is ative works. Not too far back, Hamazkayin’s 9. Gerald Papasian recites Vahan Tekeyan’s poetry. You will hear sample of “Kantsaran” launched an Armenian hashtag vice chair of the Glendale Housing Authority and poems in Armenian and one special poem in English. This is an exceptional lit- the city’s representative to the California which translated into Let’s stay home and cre- erary podcast. ate online contest to encourage young Contract Cities Association. 10. Baydzig Kalaydjian, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party leader, educator The Metropolitan Water District of Southern Armenians to write poetry about the pandemic. and activist of Beirut, speaks about the Lebanon Armenian community and its The Tekeyan Cultural Association started a new California is a state-established cooperative that, current hardships. along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, pro- video podcast series and the Aztag Daily news- 11. Actress, filmmaker and festival organizer Nora Armani speaks about her paper started a Zoom lecture series. The new vide water for 19 million people in six counties. film festival, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival 2020, this year online, which The district imports water from the Colorado Gulbenkian “Be Heard” Prize has sparked addi- includes a selection of films on the impact of climate change and violence on tional dialogue on how, and why, to discuss River and Northern California to supplement women. local supplies, and helps its members to develop non-Armenian topics in Armenian and the increased water conservation, recycling, storage importance of it all, pushing my community and and other resource-management programs. see LANGUAGE, page 8 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 7 COMMUNITY NEWS Instagram Memes Find the Funny Side of Being Armenian

INSTAGRAM, from page 1 moods.pokhe This new virtual community has constructed itself around a If you’ve recently heard anyone emphatically exclaim “Yev handful of Instagram accounts and subsists on a steady diet of bang” or “Pari yegadzek sireliner,” [Welcome my dears] you can memes, jokes and funny videos. Though this form of sustenance thank Haig Injejikian. Hailing from Syria and currently based in may appear trivial — even frivolous — to older generations, the Australia, Injejikian is the founder of Western Armenian com- international communion which these pages have engendered is mentary videos on Instagram, which he posts under his a testament to their remarkable consequence. moods.pokhe (translation: change my mood) account. These hys- terical, sidesplitting videos are best described by example. This lavashlife was the first one to go viral (even appearing in the WhatsApp Boasting nearly 38,000 followers, lavashlife was originally con- group chats of my own social media-less father). ceived to supplement a homonymous blog documenting Aris’ Injejikian’s intentions for the page are modest and self-evident, experiences with Birthright Armenia. The name was inspired by as the name indicates. When I responded that I indeed turn to a pre-departure conversation with his sister in which she his page for a morale boost, he replied with a pleased, “Moodut remarked on the lavish life he would be living, indulging in the guh pokhvi gor? [Your mood changes?] That’s it! That’s why, I hit rich food and culture of the motherland. Naturally, this lavish life the nail on the head with the name!” soon became a lavashlife. The majority of the interview with Injejikian proceeded in his Upon returning to the United States, Aris tried to resume blog- native Armenian, wherein I was privy to his naturally lightheart- ging, though this proved difficult given the change in location. ed and humorous way of speaking, consistent with the witty dia- Plagued with a drought of inspiration, he diverged from his typ- logue in his commentary videos. In fact, he originally created his ical Armenian scenery and decided to post a meme on Instagram. account in November of last year with the intention of simply “I always really enjoyed memes, and I noticed that there were posting amusing videos for his own friends. no active meme pages online that were relatable to the Diaspora “Ever since I was a teenager, I used to do commentary like this as a whole,” he said. “So, I wanted to make something that every- and everyone would encourage me,” he said. “So, I figured I one could relate to, because we’re all so spread out. You know, would make a page, you know, just for my friends, since they we have so many things we could be sad about, but there are so always wanted me to make such videos. Everyone liked it, and many more things we can laugh about and enjoy. We have such somehow more people started following it! I wasn’t intending for a rich culture in which we can all share.” this to become an international page, but somehow it happened, The meme was well-received, encouraging him to revive his and I’m thankful for that because people are happy as a result of page along this comedic vein. His subsequent activity in the it.” spring of 2019 garnered widespread attention, especially consid- Injejikian revealed that he spends a minimal amount of time ering the lack of competition — a word which he avoids out of maintaining moods.pokhe, which he views purely as a hobby to appreciation and respect for the assortment of other Armenian lift people’s spirits and divert their attentions from their con- accounts which have since surfaced. On average, he adds about cerns. 100 followers per day. “An episode of Pari Yegadzek Sireliner – it’s literally 5 minutes “It just goes to show that people want this stuff, they enjoy of work,” he explained. “What I do is when I see a video on seeing it,” he said. “I think it’s a great medium for Armenians to YouTube or social media that I think is funny and that I want to “Many people will send me a video and a recording of them- share the great things about the culture, to spread awareness, to comment on, I save it and I think of things I want to say. Later, selves saying ‘Pari yegadzek sireliner, as you can see here, there have conversations about harder topics. Humor is the best way I play it, I speak, and I post it straightaway. I don’t think about is a man…’” he said. to do that.” it; I just post it, because if you go over it, you don’t want to post The humorist, who cites Vahe Berberian as his ultimate inspi- Indeed, lavashlife has fostered meaningful connections with ration and teacher, has even begun enjoying a mild level of local Armenians worldwide, many of whom are eager to correspond celebrity. with Aris via direct message on the Instagram app. One of his “The last time I was in a shopping center, someone yelled, most memorable exchanges was with an Armenian follower ‘Moods pokhe!’ from behind me, and I turned around to see who based in Italy who wished to communicate a romantic message it was, but I didn’t know them,” he recounted. “It happened to her boyfriend in Armenian. often, and I would feel bad because I didn’t know them.” “She reached out to me because she didn’t know any other Despite the unexpected popularity of his account, Injejikian Armenians to ask, and she wanted to tell her boyfriend ‘I love repeatedly emphasized the importance of remaining grounded you’ in Armenian,” Aris recounted. “So, we started sending each and candid in his content. other voice messages. So back and forth, back and forth, we “I discovered that the more genuine someone is, the more hon- were telling each other ‘I love you.’ It was so funny.” est someone is, the more success he will find in life, because if These interactions are not purely limited to Armenians, how- you’re genuine, then you can correctly convey your root message ever. “What I always find interesting is the Americans who fol- to your audience,” he said. “Especially in comedy, you have to be low me saying, ‘Oh I love Armenian culture!’” he remarked. honest.” “There are so many Americans with Armenian friends who have This perspective has allowed Injejikian to avoid turning told them about the page, so each of those Armenians becomes moods.pokhe into a chore. like an ambassador. The American friends will send their “If it was difficult, I wouldn’t work on it,” he said. “It’s some- Armenian friends a meme and ask for an explanation, then thing that comes from within; it’s something that comes natu- they’ll talk about it. It’s a beautiful process of sharing our cul- rally to someone. It happens automatically, unconsciously.” ture. That’s really made me happy, hearing about some of those Echoing comments made by Aris, Injejikian believes that experiences. I also have a couple of people who have reached out moods.pokhe, along with other Armenian meme accounts, have saying that their partner is Armenian, and they follow the page enabled Armenians to connect through new online platforms. to learn more about them. I think that’s really cute.” “It’s through these pages that people are coming closer Perhaps most poignant are the conversations he has had with together: they mention each other in comments, they send the Turkish followers in Turkey. posts to each other, which is good because it’s Armenian con- “The vast majority of them are very nice,” Aris said. “They tent, it’s something which helps us keep our culture and tradi- strictly want to learn more about Armenian culture. I have a few tions,” he said. that have reached out and said, ‘Your page has taught us stuff about the Armenian Genocide that we didn’t learn in school. We armo_tweets came here to follow your page because it related to our culture.’ London-native Sipan Petrosyan originally created his In a way, to some people who maybe didn’t like us before, it’s armo_tweets Instagram account as part of a challenge in shown them Armenians’ humanity and humor.” November of last year. Representing all Armenians in their various iterations, and “My friend started a meme page himself, and I’m really, really thereby building an inclusive community is paramount to Aris, competitive, so I told him ‘I’m going to make a page, too, and which is why he strives to maintain a low profile. it anymore. You start thinking, ‘Oh, why did I say this? Why did let’s see who can get 2,000 followers first.’” “I use ‘we’ a lot when I’m responding to people and com- I say that?’ So, what I do is just post the video, because I have a Thanks to a shout-out from lavashlife just three days into this menting, because I feel like I can’t take credit for what this page message.” contest, armo_tweets gained a whopping one thousand followers has become, since probably 50 percent of the content that I post Indeed, devoted fans and acute observers may have noticed overnight, with a steady increase over the ensuing weeks. The belongs to other people,” he explained. “It’s not fair for me to that animals make a frequent appearance in the videos featured swift popularity Petrosyan’s page has enjoyed is only fitting con- make it about myself.” on his page. sidering his childhood affection for the online Armenian comedy By remaining relatively incognito, especially with regards to “Since I arrived in Australia, I became a vegetarian,” he said. scene. his family background, Aris aims to avoid falling into the all-too- “I love animals, so I want to impart a message to people to care “I literally grew up watching Armenian internet content, espe- common trap of embodying the voice of only one specific sub- for animals. The message of the Pari Yegadzek Sireliner videos cially Antic, AndyK comedy, and Armo_Memes, who was really group of Armenians: everyone from barsgahyes to amerigahyes is ‘Why are the people always bothering the animals? Why are popular back in the day,” he said. “I just love the old-school Vine can find something relatable on lavashlife. they treating the animals like this?’ Using humor, I can deliver a comedians as well. Growing up watching Moot.com along with “I want to represent all Armenians, that’s the goal, and I don’t message to these people, so that they stop treating animals My Big Fat Armenian Family — there was so much content, and want to pigeonhole myself to only representing the type of badly. That’s the best part!” I found them so hilarious. I always thought it would be cool if I Armenian that I am,” he said. “I think that the more people The page has received widespread support, including that of could contribute something to that as well.” know about me, on a personal level, the less they will be able to his own twin brother, Hagop, who occasionally joins Haig for Petrosyan’s account procures content from Twitter — which is relate to the content. The page is all about breaking down bor- skits. With a now international following, Injejikian has suc- similarly home to a budding “Armo Twitter” community — and ders and finding things on which people can connect.” ceeded in popularizing his two pet phrases. spotlights it on his armo_tweets page. He added, “When I was a kid, I’d wonder, ‘Why are there so “I have a friend in Lebanon who called me and said, ‘Haig, “I wanted to create an Instagram page specifically for people many Armenian camps? Why do my family members go to that what’s going on? Everyone is saying, ‘Yev bang, yev bang!’” he to know that if they post something and it gets attention on one and I go to this one?’” Aris recalled. “It makes me really laughed. Twitter, they will also have a voice on a bigger platform, on happy to see Armenians coming together and finding things we Through moods.pokhe, Injejikian has inadvertently sparked Instagram. It’s a more visible way to put that content out there,” can connect on rather than things that can divide us. Humor is memes of his own, as his followers are inspired to mimic his con- he explained. “I really would encourage more young people to a great way to accomplish that.” tent. see FUNNY SIDE, page 8 8 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR COMMUNITY NEWS The Funny Side of Being Armenian

FUNNY SIDE from page 7 topics which are trending in Armenia, to trend get on Twitter and just try putting content out, within the diaspora as well.” because it’s such an impartial platform. The Noting the lack of engagement with Armenian Armenian community on Twitter is nowhere news organizations on social media, Petrosyan near as big as it is on Instagram.” strives to compensate for this deficit by weaving The name is in large part an homage to the the news into his humorous content. comedians Petrosyan admired in his youth. “I think people are more likely to follow a “For me, I associated the word ‘Armo’ with comedy page,” he remarked. “I’m surprised that the younger Armenian diaspora and the people the meme pages hit these big numbers within who grew up watching Armenian internet con- several months. It dawned on me that many tent,” he said. people don’t really care to follow the news; they armo_tweets has quickly garnered support just want something that’s funny, quick, and from not only Petrosyan’s Armenian friends and short. But we can capitalize on that to promote family, but also his non-Armenian friends. This Armenian issues in this format as well. So, in broad audience inspired Petrosyan to start the future, if people want to find ways to help adding English translations to his posts, which Armenia, they can draw upon issues they’ve frequently feature content in transliterated seen within these meme pages and see what Armenian. they can do.” “I initially started that because one of my Petrosyan also spoke enthusiastically and friends messaged me saying, ‘Sipan, I don’t hopefully about the prospects of taking this understand anything you’re saying in these budding virtual community offline. tweets. I don’t get it,’” he recalled. “I realized “I don’t want to just have a meme page, and that for a lot of Armenians who don’t under- that’s it,” he said. “I think we can use this foun- stand the memes or don’t really speak as well, dation to do so much. A lot of our content is it could help them slowly start learning some about going back to Armenia, returning to Armenian words, too.” Armenia, missing Armenia. I think it encour- Throughout the eight months that ages the younger generation to visit Armenia. If Petrosyan’s account has been active, it has I go back to Armenia next year, I’m going to try caught the attention of certain popular my best to organize events there for the dias- Armenian figures, from 2016 Armenian pora and use the profits to give back to the Olympic gymnast Houry Gebeshian to Super community.” Sako, who started following armo_tweets after The spirit of giving back is ingrained in Petrosyan tagged the singer in a meme. Petrosyan’s outlook regarding the monetization However, this attention is not something of his account. Petrosyan takes lightly. “It was important for me to consider that if I “Knowing that I have direct access to some of am putting out sponsored content, it’s some- these more famous and influential Armenians, I thing that I believe in, something that also feel some sort of responsibility to make sure I abides by the good of the general community, post content which they can also use and put out and it’s not one person advertising something wees expressed, unprompted, resounding Petrosyan agreed, adding, “We are aligned, in their communities and create awareness and which is completely random and unrelated to respect and admiration for each other. we all have a similar mindset and intention for discussion,” he said. “While I’ve got the oppor- the community,” he said. “I’m currently in the “I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with the the Armenian community.” tunity, while I’ve got the platform, I might as well process of making a deal with a company. Once admins of a lot of the other Armo meme pages,” For Injejikian, his counterparts have provided maximize it and use it to the best of my ability.” it’s complete, we’re going to donate 50 percent explained Aris. “We try not to tread on each inspiration for his own content, just as he Petrosyan has acted on this sense of obliga- to charity and do five different giveaways, giving other’s space, and I think everyone’s doing real- inspires theirs. He closed with a call for each tion by leveraging his page to raise awareness the money back to people who’ve contributed ly well with that. I love the growing Armenian individual to similarly contribute their talents to about issues affecting contemporary Armenian to the page. I think that’s also a good incentive memes community and being able to connect the Armenian community. society both domestically and internationally. for people to level up the content, which will get with all of them on that level as we try to “If every single one of us finds some avenue Earlier this month, both armo_tweets and more engagement in the community as well.” achieve this goal of enriching Armenian culture, through which to contribute to the Armenian lavashlife promoted fundraisers for Armenian While armo_tweets has encouraged its fol- together. It’s cool to see. Everyone’s really sup- culture, I’m sure it will bring our people to a businesses damaged during riots in the United lowers to become more engaged with Armenian portive of each other.” great place.” States. culture, Petrosyan himself has learned just as On the domestic Armenian front, Petrosyan much from his followers and fellow meme hopes to spark conversation among Diasporan accounts. Armenians about how to resolve ongoing ques- “In London, we don’t have a lot of manti, so tions facing Armenia. I had never tried it before — I was so ignorant!” D ENNIS M. D EVENEY & S ONS “I think a lot of people associate Armenia he laughed. with the Armenia of 20 or 30 years ago, and a In line with the camaraderie and Armenian Cemetery Monuments lot of people think Armenia is still like that solidarity championed by their respective now,” he noted. “I want current issues, current Instagram accounts, all three of my intervie- Specializing in Armenian Designs and Lettering 701 Moody St. Waltham, MA 02543 Western Armenian Renaissance (781) 891-9876 www.NEMonuments.com During Pandemic

LANGUAGE, from page 6 dialect; the list goes on… Soon, Nayiri.com will above to create in a language that is too-famil- release a smartphone autocorrect and a group iar but only used to discuss the same few limit- of international youngsters will publish fiction- ed topics in an everlasting loop. al novels. I’m confident I missed out on so F UNERAL H OME The education sector is also digitally thriv- many more online content I might’ve come Giragosian James “Jack” Giragosian, CPC ing. Alik Arzoumanian from Watertown, Mass., across. A few valid concerns brought to my Mark J. Giragosian narrated a Dr. Seuss classic for her students attention by friends are worth noting, though. Funeral Counselors which soon became a YouTube sensation and My friend Kourken Papazian pointed out how 576 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472, TEL: 617-924—0606 opened a whole new world for teachers in the all this is “still a drop in the ocean of needed www.giragosianfuneralhome.com diaspora to make the much-needed virtual reforms”, and Kayane Madzounian was wor- move. From elementary math to anything and ried about how the abstract online presence of everything, these creators were extra encour- content would be treated once lockdown mea- aged by initiatives like Gulbenkian’s “Prizes for sures were lifted and physical presence of such Teaching in Armenian Online”. content is nonexistent. Telephone (617) 924-7400 From Hamazkayin Canada’s children’s story- Maybe UNESCO was wrong all along and time Facebook live sessions, to Parev Arev’s we’re simply too lazy to keep the language now frequently-uploaded quirky rhymes; ani- alive, and that’s on us. Aram Bedrosian mated classic fairy tales by Pokrig; Lala and Ara Maybe we’re on the right track, and maybe encouraging kids to create and posting them we’re too hesitant to use the wrong words, Funeral Home, Inc. for everyone to see; AGBU starting a free-of- verbs, spelling, or grammar, but enough. My charge Learning Zone initiative on their generation is often credited for impressing Continuous Service By The Bedrosian Family Since 1945 Armenian Virtual College; quality-dubbed the older ones when given the appropriate MARION BEDROSIAN Treasure Island; TUMO’s recent comic; my time, space, and resources. So, give us exact- 558 MOUNT AUBURN STREET PAUL BEDROSIAN friend Sarin’s independent YouTube grammar ly that, the benefit of the doubt, and we WATERTOWN, MA 02472 classes; even storytelling in the Hamshen might prove UNESCO wrong. LARRY BEDROSIAN S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 9 COMMUNITY NEWS

DONATIONS TO THE Mirror-SpectatorARMENIAN

TO FACE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS

The management of the received the following state by state donations as of June 22, 2020, from Armenian Mirror-Spectator subscribers, friends and supporters to maintain the publication of the first English language Armenian weekly in the US. We sincerely appreciate all the contributors. Acknowledgment letters will follow. The fundraising continues.

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HOVSEPIAN, from page 1 licenses to produce and later sell them. One, Yea Engineering, happens to be based in Yerevan. The California Institute of Technology, which is home to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will be the license holder for the ventilators. They are selling the license for free. Asked just how she and her team came up with the design, she replied, “I really do love a chal- lenge. I trained as an architect. I never trained in the field of apace, but my philosophy is always to ask questions. When you ask questions in different disciplines, you come up with more inter- esting solutions.” Many different people and disciplines were involved in the creation of the design for the new ventilator. Deflecting credit, Hovsepian praised that everyone working on the team had interesting back- grounds. She said, “The data analyst was from JPL who gathered and presented COVID-19 data/cases from all over the world, which helped us understand just how urgent the situation was. It was a perfect storm and all came together,” she said, adding, “It was a really fun project.” ”Hovsepian said while it has been very hard not to see her colleagues and friends, she has been fascinated by “how much as humans we are able to adapt.” She said she was grateful that she was in a situation that could help those sick with COVID-19 with ventilators and expressed her hope that a vaccine could be developed. “Everyone deserves to be living in a dignified space. I am just thankful to support in my little way this vital project. It makes any of the difficulties of challenges feel like nothing,” she added. The timetable for production is specific to each company based on their supply chain, Hovsepian said. “It should not take more than a couple of months. We purposely picked components that Sarah Hovsepian are not” hard to reproduce or find. The Shape of Things A great adjective to describe Hovsepian is “interesting.” After all, her NASA design aesthetic has cidence, turned out to be owned by been influenced by fashion, high-heeled shoes, ants and origami. an Armenian man. “I told him what I And the two-pronged principles guiding her are “helping the community” and “looking at things was doing and asked him if I could from a different perspective.” come to his shop twice a week and For Hovsepian, nature serves as a great teacher for structures and patterns. help” in return for pointers. She recalled that as a child, she had been sitting out and looking at “a whole trail of ants” walk- He agreed and that is just what ing to and from their colony, “like a dual-carriage highway. Some were going into the ground and they did for a few months. “He would the others were coming out. I was fascinated by that.” help me and I would help him,” she In 2009, she worked at the Ant Lab in the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, studying self- recalled. organization and self-replication in ant colonies as well as ant tunnel structures underground. While she learned the basics of “I though it was interesting to study at the University of Bristol to see how they create struc- tures below and above ground,” she said. She found that much like environmentally sophisticat- ed architecture, many ant colonies feature a design which keeps them cool in the summer and rel- atively warm in the winter. Another art form, which one may not connect with NASA, is origami, one she hopes to help with the deployment of a robot for exploring the moon and Mars. At NASA, Hovsepian is tasked with running technology demos in the robotics field. As she Footwear designed by explained, someone comes up with an idea and they want to pitch it to NASA. Hovsepian at MIT, with a 3-D “I lead a lot of tech demos, mentor students and interns,” she added. printed heel and the electron- One of the projects she has worked on is designing a swarm of small robots, the size of a typi- ics and pressure sensors cal shoe box. “We work together in a group and help each other and lean on each other.” designed to be worn inside the She is also involved with NASA’s Artemis program, initiated in 2017, which seeks to land “the shoe first woman and the next man” on the Moon, specifically at the lunar south pole region, by 2024. The goal is to deploy a robot or robots from the lander, which will explore and photograph the moon and help draw up a map of the moon. Then, the robot will share that information with footwear construction, she other reports so they can create a map of the surface they explored. taught him to use a three- She noted, “It’s a lot faster than 1 robot trying to map the same area.” dimensional printer to pro- The origami inspiration will be used for designing the robot so that it will hold folding solar pan- duce parts for his clients’ els that can pop up. shoes, such as custom heels. “It is an interesting field. I have always been very, very interested in pop-up structures,” she “He had never used any of said. Among the potential benefits of using the structures is to create domiciles that “mitigate them and so we were feeding homelessness or if there is a natural disaster.” off each other,” she said. In her professional field, she is going to try to apply it to a small robot that will “eventually go As for the Media Lab, she to the moon.” said, “It was so exciting. I Hovsepian takes delight in her job. “I always feel about whatever job I have that as long as I am compared it to going to contributing and am helping, that is where I thrive. I like posing hard questions and finding solu- Disney Land when I was a tions to those questions,” she added. kid. It was an incredibly cre- “I am interested in the future of space architecture. We are looking at habitats for human sur- ative involvement with ultra vival on the moon or Mars,” she said. creative people coming Another field fascinating her is our disposable culture. “Everything we create, we throw away,” together to solve problems. It after it’s use is done. “There is so much that you can’t recycle. We are looking at the future of the is really an incredible place lifecycle of product recycling so that we don’t produce so much waste,” she said. to be. A lot of people are trying to come up with helpful solutions and innovations for the MIT Shoes sake of itself,” Hovsepian said. Those solutions, however, “must have a significant impact to Hovsepian has both a bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s in architecture and is currently better people’s lives. I was humbled by the opportunity to be there.” working on getting her architecture license. California Girl In 2010, Hovsepian received her bachelor’s degree in architecture in a five-year program at Hovsepian was born and raised in California to Armenian parents. She attended the St. Gregory California Polytechnic University of Pomona. During those years, she studied at the University of Alfred & Marguerite Hovsepian School in Pasadena in grades K-4 and the Armenian Mesrobian Applied Sciences, in Biberach, Germany and worked at several architecture firms, including Frank School in Pico Rivera grades 4-8. Gehry’s office as project consultant at Gehry Technologies, and KTGY Inc. “I was very, very involved in the Armenian community and still have a lot of friends in the com- Next, Hovsepian obtained her master’s degree in 2012, in the Design and Computation Group, munity. We keep in touch,” she said. Department of Architecture, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, she worked “Without the education and opportunities and the values, I don’t think I would be the same on projects at the university’s fabled Media Lab, and also at the Center for Bits & Atoms (CBA) person,” Hovsepian said of her Armenian education. “It was a very important part.” under Neil Gershenfeld. At CBA, she worked on a lightweight, high strength composite aircraft She has two young half sisters (10 and 15), with whom she is very close. wing structure, using advanced manufacturing technologies for reconfigurable, repairable com- Her Armenia-born mother, Soseek Der Tavityan, she noted, is her greatest inspiration. “She is posite assemblies derived from lattice foam structures found in nature. responsible for why I went to Armenian school. And she said the sky is the limit. I attribute all By her admission, she has always been fascinated by footwear. this [creativity and courage] to her,” she said. One of the courses she was taking at MIT was called “How to Make (Almost) Anything,” and Hovsepian said she wants to inspire people to help others, to ask questions, to always look at being a fan of footwear, she decided to focus on making a pair of 14-inch-high shoes that light up problems from various perspectives and empathize. “There can be no greater joy than to help your and take pictures and give the user feed back on the environment. fellow humans,” she added. “At MIT, everyday after school, to blow off steam, I would walk over to a street near Harvard Asked what message she has for readers, after a second’s thought, she said, “Truly nothing is Square,” she recalled. By a happy coincidence she saw a shoe repair place, which by another coin- impossible. Really dream big.” S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 11 COMMUNITY NEWS Beirut’s Vahan Tekeyan School Faces a Crisis

SCHOOL, from page 1 America also contributed its significant assistance in the heart and soul of their early education and to rush to help The Lebanese Armenians experienced extraordinary preservation of the school, which educated successive extend the school’s existence and carry out its mission for crises in recent decades which accelerated emigration and generations for the Armenians of the diaspora. as long as is feasible. debilitated their community. As a consequence of these Now, the coronavirus pandemic, combined with the This appeal is equally aimed at all institutions and bene- crises, their educational system suffered greatly. A number political and economic turmoil in Lebanon, has crippled factors who value education, and asks that they stand of schools were closed, while the Armenian General completely the Armenian community there. Under these behind this educational establishment which has served as Benevolent Union merged its five schools into a single serious conditions, the TCA Founders Body has issued an a pillar of the Lebanese Armenian community for 70 one. The same fate befell the Prelacy schools. urgent plea for help to the Central Board of the TCA of years. The Vahan Tekeyan School of Beirut, which for 70 years the United States and Canada, and to all Armenians, to All contributions, tax-free, may be sent to the Tekeyan has operated in the heavily Armenian-populated Bourj save the school from inevitable closure. Cultural Association at the following address: 755 Mt. Hammoud area, in its turn suffered greatly as a result of In response, the TCA Central Board is immediately allo- Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472. For more informa- the decline in its student population. However, thanks to cating a sum of $50,000 (US) and had already sent tion, use this contact information: [email protected] or 1- the heroic efforts of parents and its board of trustees, as $10,000 earlier this year to the school. Further assistance 617-924-4455. well as the sponsorship of the Tekeyan Cultural is also under consideration as conditions evolve. All donations will be transmitted in full to the Vahan Association (TCA) Founders Body in Lebanon, it managed This is the time to also call upon the former students Tekeyan School of Beirut along with future allocations to maintain its existence. The TCA family in North and alumni of the Beirut Tekeyan School to remember the provided by the Central Board itself.

How Has COVID-19 Changed the Non-Profit Landscape?

NON-PROFIT, from page 1 nations. This initiative has since been put on Janjigian Trifiro. lion) and Direct Relief ($741,000).” hold. “The [Georgian] group came here, our Populations who live in places where the Economic Impact Shifting to Online group went to Georgia, and now we’re all stuck internet connection may not be as stable, such Armenia’s economy, like that of many other “When the state of emergency was declared online, which is very difficult,” says Shahinian. as those in rural regions, are amongst the most small countries, is heavily tourism-based (The in Armenia due to COVID-19, we had over 70 Planned events, seminars and gatherings that vulnerable. With the pandemic limiting travel, French magazine, Le Quotidien, mentioned participants in-country,” says Nelly Poliakov, would have been near-impossible to bring the humanitarian non-profit presence in these Armenia as the most trending destination of the marketing creative director of Birthright online in their entirety have been postponed or regions have been dramatically reduced. 2020). The travel restrictions — though cru- Armenia, an organization focused on bringing canceled. Organizations like Armenia Artsakh Fund cial to upholding public health — will diaspora youth to Armenia to gain professional “We had a conference planned for later this (AAF) have attempted to fill that void using air inevitably cause Armenia economic hardship experience. month in Armenia, and we made a decision shipments. According to a press release, in the months if not years to come. “This will mean more competition between NGOs,” laments Shahinian. “I don’t think donors will cover the expenses of people com- ing to Yerevan from the rural communities for seminars and training because everyone has gotten used to the online discussions. But it’s a question of how effective these online discussions are.” An observation that Shahinian made was: “The amount of organization and community engagement from the youth hasn’t been as widespread since the [1989] earthquake.” It seems that when tragedy strikes in Armenia, the youth have historically been the ones to pick up the pieces and demand change — a clear testament to the nation’s fortified resilience over the years. Though much of the new COVID-era pro- gramming is still being developed, the hope is that these initiatives might provide a brighter future for populations whose vulnerability was not previously exposed to this extent before the pandemic. Janjigian Trifiro said of her new online workshops: “When there is this need, it opens the door to creativity. If Democracy Today meeting held over Zoom you can take the fear out of the equation, cre- ativity all of a sudden becomes boundless.” It seems that though there might be tough days “While we couldn't host new arrivals we had pretty quickly to postpone that, which was “During the first five months of 2020, AAF also to come for Armenia, the organizations and to quickly adjust to upholding their safety. extremely hard after all the work and effort put delivered $6 million of humanitarian assistance youth that make the nation great will not During these times, as during all times, the well- into it,” says Armenian International Women’s to Armenia and Artsakh. Of this amount, the cease in uplifting vulnerable communities being of our participants was our highest pri- Association (AIWA) Board Member Sara AAF collected $5.8 million of medicines and and moving the country forward; without ority. Our transition to online platforms was Janjigian Trifiro. other supplies donated by Americares ($5 mil- hesitation and without fear. done within a week — volunteers continued to New Initiatives work remotely with their job sites, our language In addition to shifting most practices online, learning and lecture series also moved online.” many organizations have readjusted their long- As most professionals have learned during term plans to make space for initiatives that COVID-19, making the shift to working online is have suddenly become more imperative during rarely convenient. For international human COVID-19, namely, projects that directly impact rights organizations that rely on face-to-face vulnerable populations, like migrant workers meetings, the shift to online has proved addi- from Russia, women-run households and the tionally challenging. elderly. “It’s all online. We have to reschedule all the Democracy Today has decided to focus on meetings. We have to do much more to keep uncovering the truth about how effectively the processes going,” says Gulnara Shahinian of Armenian government is assisting rural com- Democracy Today (DT), a Yerevan-based NGO munities during COVID-19, using volunteers focused on human rights, democratic processes who are residents in the rural regions to collect and civil society, as well as supporting women data for analysis. AIWA is developing online pro- in Armenia’s rural regions since the fall of the grams to assist women with challenges they Soviet Union through micro-lending and may be facing during this time, such as manag- empowerment workshops. ing elders and dealing with domestic violence. Though some of this work can be seamlessly “We were working on a platform to connect transferred online, other aspects – especially women from all over the world in need of men- projects in which travel is essential – are more torship and connection — that is needed more difficult. One of DT’s initiatives involves groups than ever! We had to re-pool the priorities so of Armenian and Georgian youth interested in that they were more focused on this new political science traveling to each other's coun- dynamic. And it took a long time to figure that Armenian lessons over Zoom for Birthright participants try to discuss relations between their two dynamic out — what works, what doesn’t,” adds 12 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR Arts & Living Journal of Society ‘Agn Is in For Armenian Studies to Be Ruins, The Published by Brill Nightingale FRESNO — The Society for Armenian Studies and Brill have joined forces with regard to the Journal of the Society for Doesn’t Sing’ Armenian Studies, which will be published by Brill from 2020 onwards. The Journal also has Songs of Pain of a new editor-in-chief: Dr. Tamar M. Boyadjian (Michigan State University). Genocide in Turkey The first volume of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies was published in 1984 under the editorship of Prof. Avedis K. By Harry A. Kezelian III Sanjian (1921-1995). Since that time, it has served as the foremost journal for scholarship Special to the Mirror-Spectator in the field of Armenian studies in the Western Hemisphere. The purpose of the Journal, DETROIT — “That generation…”Stephan according to the inaugural editor, was “the dis- Karougian, the 80-something-year-old male semination of the best original scholarship in soloist of St. John’s Armenian Church Komitas Armenian studies and closely related fields, Choir in Detroit, was telling me about his par- without any chronological limitations.” ents, as I sat in his living room, interviewing The current editorship and board of the him about his life in Armenian music. He JSAS remain committed to that central princi- shook his head and sighed. He didn’t really ple and continues to publish articles in the expound upon those two words, but his tone of fields of History, Archaeology, Religion, voice was enough to tell the story. Philology, Literature, Art History, Genocide, Karougian’s father had been born in and Diaspora Studies. Pingyan, a village in the Province of Sivas in The first issue of 2020 is expected to be pub- Ottoman Turkey, very close to the large town lished in September, the second issue will fol- of Agn in Harput province (the Ottoman bor- low soon after. ders divided up the Armenian villages of that Prof. Bedross Der Matossian said, “The Rita Kevorkian at Fayoum's Caricature Museum in Egypt region, which also included Armdan and Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) is thrilled Divrig). He told me that when his father would about this new partnership with Brill. There is gather with friends, they would sing a song in no doubt that the Journal of the Society for Turkish beginning with the words “Egin de Armenian Studies (JSAS) will become a leading veran olmush” (“Agn is in ruins”). It was a very journal in the field of Armenian Studies with a Armenian-Egyptian sad song about their region. But when new editor, advisory and editorial boards as Karougian first told me about this song, he did- well as book review editors. We look forward to n’t say that it was a song about the Genocide; a fruitful collaboration with Brill with the aim Artist Rita Kevorkian he simply told me that they sang it. of transforming the Journal into a global hub I recognized the words as a variation of the of disseminating knowledge about Armenian lyrics of Egin Havasi, a well-known Anatolian Studies.” Truly A Rising Talent song which has been performed in both “I am both honored and excited to be Armenian and Turkish. I played for Karougian appointed the new editor-in-chief of the my copy of the 1917 New York recording of Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies. I CAIRO — Her father and grandfather were born in Egypt. Her great-grandfather this song by violinist-singer Kemani Minas am also equally excited to be working with the fled to Egypt, escaping the Genocide. She is the fourth generation of her [kemani is a title in Turkish given to a violin prestigious publisher Brill at Leiden in the Armenian family. Meet Rita Kevorkian, the Armenian-Egyptian artist whose paint- player, as udi is to an oud player]. It was inde- Netherlands. As editor, one of my goals is to ings depict the richness of both countries scribably sad. Karougian listened silently and promote global, transnational, and cross-cul- at their finest. began again to tell me about his family story, tural scholarship in the field of Armenian By Maydaa Nadar “Armenia represents my roots. At the his life story. Studies. Working with Brill, the journal will same time, Egypt is my home country, The older Mr. Karougian had been a volun- now be able to have rolling submissions, along- where I was born and raised, and the place teer soldier who fought under General side planned thematic volumes, helping to fos- where I live and where I wish to spend the rest of my life,” articulated Rita in this Antranig in his campaigns against the Turks in ter new directions in the field of Armenian regard. the Caucasus, briefly gaining control of Studies that align with cutting-edge scholarly At the age of 8, Rita started painting. Her family and school noticed, and more- Western Armenia just as the Armenians of research,” said Boyadjian. over, praised her talent. They have been continuously motivating her to develop. those regions were being decimated. They did- “Brill is delighted to be the new publisher Her paintings relate vividly world events and the topics that affect society. n’t get as far as Pingyan. After the retreat and of the well-established Journal of the Society “My artwork focuses on what serves humanity, what improves society, and on the Sovietization of Armenia, Mr. Karougian for Armenian Studies. The field of Armenian showing the beauty in everything God created. I try my best to spread optimism left for America, sailing first into Istanbul, Studies is burgeoning and Brill is very happy and hope and to convert negativity to positivity,” says Rita. She recently composed which at the time was under the post-War to be part of this vibrant community of schol- more than 20 paintings that revolve around the COVID-19 topic, for instance. Allied occupation. He couldn’t bring himself to ars,” said Maurits van den Boogert. see TALENT, page 17 go any further. “He didn’t want to leave the The JSAS is the foremost peer-reviewed peri- land where his fathers were buried,” said odical of Armenology in the Western Stepan. Let it never be said that the Bolsahyes Hemisphere. The Journal publishes scholarly are not patriotic Armenians. articles on diverse topics of Armenian Studies Karougian settled in Bolis, married and without any chronological limitations. The raised a family. He had to be careful though, as Journal also accepts contributions on related he had sustained bullet wounds to the chest in fields addressing the history and culture of the battle. He scrupulously avoided allowing his Middle East across all periods. In particular, chest to be exposed in the sight of a Turkish JSAS’s aim is to promote scholarship that fore- official, as it might be revealed he had served grounds the significance of Armenian studies in combat against Turkey. Of course, in questioning dominant historical and social Karougian was not the only Armenian in narratives—both narrowly within the field and Istanbul who had to be careful in his comings in more broader global and comparative con- and goings. They all did. Mention of what the texts. JSAS accepts submissions in English, Armenian people had been through during the Armenian, French, Italian, and German. It does First World War was not possible in public. Yet not publish opinion or policy papers. the Armenians found ways in which to remem- ber their past, one of which was through Editor-in-Chief: Tamar M. Boyadjian, music, and perhaps surprisingly to some, in Michigan State University folk songs sung in Turkish. Advisory Board: Bedross Der Matossian, Armenians singing folk songs in Turkish was University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Barlow Der Remarkable artist Martiros Saryan depicted by Rita Kevorkian nothing new, as many with roots in Anatolia Mugrdechian, California State University, can attest. Musicologist, folklorist, and student of Gomidas’ music, Mihran Toumajan, refers to see JOURNAL, page 16 see SONGS, page 14 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 13 ARTS & LIVING

talent and powers and who must defeat a dark lord is a uni- Armenian language from living for about a year with the versally powerful story trope that pulls at all our heartstrings. Armenian community in Beirut, Lebanon. Everyone can secretly relate and want to live in such an Beirut? How so? Vera enchanting world and have these adventures with friends. The I honestly don't remember — I was a little girl, and my par- power of Harry Potter is fundamentally based on love over- ents have now passed away. I remember being in many coming evil. Armenian churches, seeing many people. We lived near Nar In my life I have had a mystical experience only once. Have street in a small alley, called something like Nor Hadjin, in an you had mystical experiences? old stone house. Two weeks after we arrived in Beirut, the civil Nazarian My grandmother used to tell me a story that that when my war started, so we lived under siege for some time. We were grandfather was lowered into his grave, all the windows in our all refugees too, and the local Armenian organization sent my Moscow apartment flew open. I think that in subtle ways family and many other families to Greece to escape the war, magic is all around us and most people never notice. Whether then we came to America. ‘My Armenian Side it’s a bunch of tiny, seemingly insignificant coincidences that Do you know any Armenian writers? make things come together in certain amazing, positive ways, Besides William Saroyan and Hovhannes Tumanyan, unfor- Emerges in My Fiction!’ or what some of us call “luck,” there is always something that tunately not as many as I would like; I have not kept up. But I helps us succeed in life. Belief in wonder, truth, and good, have corresponded with American bestselling author Chris YEREVAN/VERMONT — Vera Nazarian is a two-time helps us keep going and pursuing our goals and dreams even Bohjalian who also lives here in Vermont. There is never Nebula Award Finalist, a Dragon Award 2018 Finalist, and a when life is difficult and obstacles pile around us. Confidence enough time! member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. is part of it. But a great deal of the mystery is the courage to Are you in touch with Armenians in the US and have you She was born in discover that which is hidden. Be brave and take chances and ever traveled to your father’s homeland? 1966, in Moscow, mystical things will happen to lend color to your life. I have not been back to Armenia since we immigrated. One of By Artsvi Bakhchinyan immigrated to the We know that Chuck Norris recommended your book. these days I will go back and visit. It’s definitely a dream of mine. Special to the Mirror-Spectator US as a kid, sold How did it happen? Do you keep in touch her first story at with him? 17, and has been I am very pleased and honored that published in numerous anthologies and magazines, honorably Chuck Norris and his wife have enjoyed mentioned in several volumes, and translated into eight lan- my work, but I have had no personal inter- guages. action with him and would not want to Vera made her debut with the critically acclaimed Dreams of impose. My guess is, he simply found my the Compass Rose, followed by Lords of Rainbow. Her novella book and enjoyed it. Such is the fun of The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass made the being a writer — you never know who 2005 Locus Recommended Reading List. Her debut collection might be reading your books and stories! Salt of the Air contains the 2007 Nebula Award-nominated I’ve been fortunate to have been quoted “The Story of Love.” Recent work includes the 2008 Nebula by other famous celebrities such as Sir Finalist novella The Duke in His Castle, science fiction collec- Richard Branson, Charlamagne Tha God, tion After the Sundial (2010), The Perpetual Calendar of and others. Inspiration (2010), three Jane Austen parodies, Mansfield Park Music is also a wonderland; please tell and Mummies (2009), Northanger Abbey and Angels and us about your musical involvements. Dragons (2010), and Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy’s Dreadful I am a singer, play a number of instru- Secret (2012), all part of her Supernatural Jane Austen Series, ments which I taught myself, adore music a parody of self-help and supernatural relationships advice, of all kinds, especially Classical Baroque Vampires are from Venus, Werewolves are from Mars: A and vocal madrigal and medieval a capel- Comprehensive Guide to Attracting Supernatural Love (2012), la and opera. Music plays a huge part in Cobweb Bride Trilogy (2013), and the four books in the best- many of my stories. Music, tones, and selling international cross-genre phenomenon series The sound-based technology is the science fic- Atlantis Grail, now optioned for development as a feature film tional basis of The Atlantis Grail series. and/or TV series, Qualify (2014), Compete (2015), Win (2017), I’ve created characters who wield “power and Survive (2020). voices” with the most powerful called the After many years in Los Angeles, Vera now lives in a small Logos Voice — the Voice of Creation. town in Vermont. How did the change of literary lan- In addition to being a writer, philosopher, and award-win- guage from Russian to English happen? ning artist, she is also the publisher of Norilana Books. I am a Russian native speaker and speak basic Armenian (but not well). I also Dear Vera, fantasy writers can be compared to illusionists. studied Spanish, German, and Mandarin Do you agree? Chinese. I started learning English in Yes, absolutely. All writers in general create a world out of Moscow as a little girl in school (2nd grade), but of course it What was/is the most fantastic thing in your life? nothing, bringing the literary universe into being from a com- was only when we immigrated, that I started to write in it. The Probably the act of writing and creating art and music — the bination of their life experience and a fertile imagination. passion to write and tell stories was so great that I had to act of creativity in all its forms. You make something out of Fantasy writers take it a step further and create multiple improve my English skills rapidly so that I could express nothing. You bring new things into the world. Permit me to worlds, each with their own unique rules, different laws of myself. As a result, I worked very hard, and wrote and wrote quote my own words from several years ago, from my book nature, and different wonderful realities that do not resemble and wrote (the secret to being a writer is simply writing), and The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration: our own ordinary physical world. And yet, every fantasy world eventually published my first professional fantasy story in One of the strangest things is the act of creation. has to feel real and possible, a place the reader can visit and English when I was 17 years old, in Los Angeles. The story was You are faced with a blank slate — a page, a canvas, a block experience the magic. Science fiction is a subset of fantasy, so “Wound in the Moon” in the anthology Sword and Sorceress of stone or wood, a silent musical instrument. the worlds we create have to be scientifically plausible in addi- II (DAW Books, 1985), edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. You then look inside yourself. You pull and tug and squeeze tion to everything else. Would you say your Armenian-Russian background has and fish around for slippery raw shapeless things that swim So does it mean that a science fiction writer should follow been reflected in your literature? like fish made of cloud vapor and fill you with living clamor. the progress of science? Oh yes, immensely. I was born in Moscow, to an Armenian You latch onto something. And you bring it forth out of your When writing science fiction, you have to do research to father and Russian mother, and most of my Armenian relatives head like Zeus giving birth to Athena. avoid stupid mistakes and to make your scientific elements feel come from Tbilisi, Georgia. I’ve been to Yerevan, Armenia for And as it comes out, it takes shape and tangible form. It true to reality even if they are fabricated constructs proposed only a few days, before we left the USSR. Since I started writ- drips on the canvas, and slides through your pen, it springs by the writer. Science is the logical stepping stone from which ing, I’ve written a number of Armenian and Armenia-flavored forth and resonates into the musical strings, and slips along you build your imaginary worlds. When I research my science fantasy characters, including several in my first novel Dreams the edge of the sculptor’s tool onto the surface of the wood or — such as the intensive research on black holes I did for The of the Compass Rose that resembles the ancient story cycle marble. Atlantis Grail series — I try to consult with experts. I was for- The One Thousand and One Nights. I like to say that I have You have given it cohesion. You have brought forth some- tunate to have two NASA experts help me with the astro- inherited an unusual personality combination — an Armenian thing ordered and beautiful out of nothing. physical elements of the story. Science fiction writers have an sense of humor and a Russian sense of suffering. And there are You have glimpsed the divine.” unusual responsibility to the readers and the coming genera- many specific, subtle (and not-so-subtle) elements in all of my It is a really fine, high-class literary definition Vera. And tions — they often predict the future and inspire future tech- work. In my “collage” novel Dreams of the Compass Rose, the how do you spend this quarantine period? Is this something nologies, so their science must be as accurate as possible. story of Seert and Ahiroon (Heart and Blood) in the story- that a fantasy writer would ever have imagined? What inspires you as a fantasy writer? chapter “Shimmering Scythe” is one such example. And, of Believe it or not, technically very little has changed for me Inspiration is the spark that makes any story come alive and course, there is my character Hasmik Tigranian in The Atlantis with the quarantine. A writer is a natural hermit, and I already burn inside you. What inspires me is a sense of wonder found Grail who plays a very important, heroic part in the science fic- work at home, so the only difference is the psychological level in history, languages, traditions and ancient world cultures, as tion series. I also use many Armenian-based terms and words of anxiety and the constant need to wash hands and every- well as the wonders of nature. I am proud to have included in my fantasy such as ter, taqavor, and taquoui, etc. I am a thing else. However, on the fine scale of human interaction, it Armenian sensibility and a piece of my Armenian soul in my proud Armenian and that’s unavoidable that my Armenian is subtle and profound. works, and will always continue to do so, in addition to my side emerges in my fiction. The outside world has become the enemy, the potentially Russian half. My characters are usually inspired in some way, Please tell our readers about the Armenian side of your hostile unknown. A fantasy writer's imagination already covers they lead others by inspiration. family. every possibility and visits every contingency, so if you think My children, as many in the world, are just obsessed with My father was born in Tiflis (Tbilisi) in 1917 and they lived you've imagined the worst, trust me, I have already been there Harry Potter. It will be interesting to know your opinion on there and in Tskneti, a small mountain village. There is a story and back in a blink, imagined even more, and screamed an this novel — how you explain such excitement around this in my family that we are related to the great Armenian marine existential scream in the cavernous recesses of my mind. novel? painter Aivazovsky (Aivazian), and also the famous Soviet film I must say that I have the utmost respect and profound grat- Like most people, I love Harry Potter. No one can deny that director Eldar Ryazanov. We lived in Moscow where I was itude for all the brave souls who must continue to work the J.K. Rowling has created a cultural phenomenon for all ages. I born, and spoke mostly Russian, but when the Armenian fam- essential jobs, such as the heroic medical professionals, deliv- firmly believe that the rich details and world-building of the ily gathered, cousins and uncles, they spoke Armenian and ery people, food service and transportation workers. They Harry Potter universe and the many wonderful mysteries Georgian too. I learned only a few Armenian words and phras- inspire me to write a book about a very different kind of super- based on the elements of magic are at the heart of the appeal. es then, but I enjoyed my Armenian grandmother’s cooking. hero. Good thing I am a writer However, the story of a poor orphan boy who has a magical And more learning came later when I started to pick up the 14 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARTS & LIVING Songs of Pain of Genocide in Turkey

SONGS, from page 12 neither Udi Hrant’s, nor Kemani Minas’ record- additional meaning to the song. tains the popular Turkish language songs of ing actually used the words “Agn is in ruins.” Ethnomusicologist Melissa Bilal, originally of May others not burn, my mother burns for Anatolia. “These are those songs, which have Everything about this song was vague. Istanbul, concurs with the opinion that the my pain been utilized equally by all peoples living in I had been hearing about other songs like while the origin of the song may be as yet Turkey… composed in a simple popular style, this for some time, though. Deacon Charles unclear, Armenians certainly sang it with the Beyond this mountain, choice mint grows easy to understand, probably by ashoughs [min- Hardy (Kherdian) of Racine, Wis. and currently intention of expressing their feelings about My tobacco smoldered without my fire being strels], of which the number of Armenian of the St. James parish in Evanston, Ill., shared 1915. She shared with me that she had an aunt lit [a proverb meaning I didn’t have a chance ashoughs (as is clear from history) has been suf- with me that his wife, who grew up in Beirut, who was fond of the song and claimed it was to enjoy my youth] ficiently large.” (Hayreni Yerk oo Pan, 1972). was the daughter of a survivor from Gesaria written by an Armenian. Bilal further pointed A fate happened to me, worse than my death 19th century Eastern Armenian writer, folk- (Kayseri, Turkey). Her father used to sing a to the line “there is death, and there is cruelty Don’t send me, mother, beyond those moun- lorist, and children’s author Ghazaros Aghayan Turkish song called Gesi Baghlari (Vineyards of in this world” as referring to the Armenian tains also chimed in on this subject: “It is necessary Gesi) while working or cleaning his store in experience. Yet it is clear that this song pre- May others not burn, my mother burns for to consider as national-popular [azkayin Beirut. According to Hardy, the song was really dates the Genocide. I have a recording of it from my pain zhoghovrtagan] those songs and song-mixed about the Armenian Genocide. I had heard of 1917, that belonged to my great-grandfather tales which although they are not in the this song before; it was popular among the Hovhannes Vartoogian, himself a survivor from While these lyrics are incredibly vague, and Armenian language, but are the compositions Armenians of Gesaria and can be seen refer- Fenesse (one of the villages of Gesaria), which could have come from the pre-Genocide version of Armenian ashoughs or which are typical of enced in survivor memoirs. I didn’t know it was was well worn-out and must have been listened of the song (Turkish sources claim the song was them and are spread among the people…we about the Genocide. On the surface it’s a sad to many times. The recording was made at the about a young bride in an unhappy arranged commit a great error, when we collect and print love song with references to the Kayseri region same session as Kemani Minas’ version of Egin marriage who was sent to a village beyond the the Armenian-language ballads of an ashough, — Gesi is a nearby small village whose vineyards Havasi, by a different singer, a Gesaratsi vocalist mountains to her husband’s family), the words but we neglect the Turkish-language songs.” were apparently a sort of vacation spot. It has named Garabed Merjanian. Merjanian’s lyrics Merjanian chose to sing in 1917 were certainly (Daraz, 1893). been recorded by many modern Turkish per- are incredibly hard to make out, but he seems suggestive of war, forcible conscription of the Kef Time Music formers and a glance at the lyrics doesn’t really to be singing the following: Armenian men from the villages, and other Not only did the Armenians sing “kef time” reveal any direct or indirect references to the The vineyards of Gesi are a field with roses aspects of the Genocide. The line “a fate hap- songs in the Turkish language, but they also Genocide. On the surface it is about the vine- Mother I am going, and you protect your pened to me worse than my death” alone is cer- sang of pain of the Armenian Genocide. The yards of Gesi and about lost love. While both head tainly suggestive of something more than just once-well-known Der Zor Cheollerinde (In the Armenians and Turks consider it a sort of The mother-in-law is faithless and the son-in- an unfortunate arranged marriage. In the end, Deserts of Der Zor) describes the suffering that regional anthem, some Armenians, at least, in law is an infidel (gavur) the story of this song reminds one of two very took place during the death marches, and was addition to Hardy’s father-in-law, attached an Don’t send me, mother, beyond those moun- CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE created and sung by the women and children during their deportation to the Syrian desert. In the 1920s, more than one Armenian record- ing artist in America made a phonograph disc of this song. But it is obvious that that song was created by Armenians. And of course, such a song could not openly be sung in Republican Turkey. The words are much too explicit, discussing the fact that Armenians were being deported, the cruel- ty of the Turkish and Circassian soldiers, the suffering in the desert, and the fact that Armenians had been sent away or were dying (depending on the version of the lyrics) “on account of their religion” and “on account of the nation.” Yet the Armenians in Bolis, and also else- where, had other songs that they would sing, songs whose origin was somewhat mysterious, and ought to be the subject of investigation by folklorists and musicologists. Songs whose meaning was not completely obvious, and which perhaps weren’t originally about the Genocide at all, but which were interpreted by Armenians in 20th-century Istanbul, as well as in many parts of the Diaspora, as expressions of their historic pain. One of those songs seemed to be Egin Havasi, the song Karougian was speaking about. The famed Udi Hrant, for example, had recorded this song in both Turkish and Armenian, and the version recorded in 1917 by the mysterious vaghamerig (one who died young) Kemani Minas, apparently an immigrant from Malatya, was a best-seller in the Armenian-

Udi Hrant

American community for some 15 years. (I would be remiss if I didn’t relay the information given to me by oudist Richard Hagopian that while Minas sang the vocals on that recording, the deeply moving violin was actually played by the master musician Harry Hasekian of Marash, who lived most of his life in Watertown.) But S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 15 ARTS & LIVING

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE French-Armenian writer Vazken Shoushanian also recalled well known Armenian songs Groong and Dle Yaman, both of singing this verse as an orphan survivor in Aintab during which are today often sung in conjunction with Genocide memo- the French occupation, when the “deep and centuries- rials or similar events, but actually long predate the Genocide; old Oriental city suddenly belonged to us,” and “Like Groong dates back to the 17th century. But since Groong is little street heroes we broke through it, chewing about the sadness of being away from one’s homeland, and Dle and ruminating on some Turkish song, enjoy- Yaman is a sad love song with references to the landscape of the ing a sweet freedom, which similarly would Van region, where Armenians no longer live due to 1915, both come from death: have been turned into Genocide anthems. It seems that in an ‘In Chanakkale they shot me / and unofficial way, this is also what has happened with Gesi Baghlari they put me in the grave before I was in the minds of some Armenians. In fact, the combination of the dead / Alas, my youth!’ “ sad love theme with references to now-lost homeland geography Finally, I asked renowned oud player, is extremely similar to Dle Yaman. singer, and expert of Armenian and The song Chanakkale Ichinde (Çanakkale Içinde, or “In the Turkish music, Richard Hagopian of Dardanelles”) has lyrics that are much less vague, yet I kept com- California, about the Chanakkale ing across strange hints about this tune. While on the surface, song. Hagopian would not confirm and according to Turkish sources, it is a Turkish patriotic song that it was about the Genocide, but about the Battle of Gallipoli, with the narrator a soldier who is told me a fascinating story. When marching off to almost certain death in battle, there seems to be Hagopian was young, Soghomon more than meets the eye. First of all, it is the only Turkish patri- Tehlirian, the man who assassinated otic song that is continually played by Armenian folk musicians Talaat Pasha, retired and moved to who sing in Turkish. This is bit weird in and of itself — Armenians Fresno, where he is now buried. A ban- in America might play a lot of Turkish “kef time” songs, but you quet was held in Tehlirian’s honor, at don’t see them going around singing the Turkish national which young Hagopian was present. Some anthem. Yet, this song had a degree of popularity in the past, and people approached him and said “You know, is still known by many. For one thing, New York oudist Charles Baron Soghomon plays the oud a little, and he “Chick” Ganimian used to play and sing it in his live perfor- likes oud music. Why don’t you get up and play mances as a wild, heavy kef tune, memorably in a live recording something for him.” Hagopian got up and took his A captured on tape in the late 1970s which was later re-released on oud. “He had a face like an angel,” he now says of photo of the Eghin a CD by Armenian music producer and kanun player Ara Tehlirian. “You would have never thought he had killed a Avasi record label Topouzian of Michigan. One might think that Chick simply heard man.” Hagopian, nervous, began to play a bit of a taksim (impro- this song on an old Turkish record, didn’t know or care what it visation) but didn’t know what to play for Tehlirian. “I mean, was about, liked it, and performed it. Those who accuse here is this man, who killed the top Turk.” Since a lot of the American-Armenians of cultural illiteracy probably assumed that music Hagopian played was Turkish, or considered by some to throws the word “mayrig” (Armenian: mother) into an otherwise this was the case. be in a Turkish style, the young musician was nervous and Turkish song, and — if I’ve correctly identified him as the violin However, in a paper written in 2010 by oudist Antranig unsure of what piece to perform. Then Tehlirian looked at him player Minas Chaghatzbanian of Malatya, who died in Fresno a Kzririan (of Philadelphia, now of Los Angeles), an interesting tid- and said “Dughas, ‘Chanakkale’ kides” (My son, do you know year later — if we realize that he came to America in 1913 and bit was mentioned in his interview with fellow Philadelphia oud “Chanakkale”) “Anshooshd Baron Soghomon, payts dajgeren left his wife Varter behind, and he’s now recording this song in player David Hoplamazian: eh” (Of course Mr. Soghomon, but it’s Turkish). Tehlirian told 1917, as the Genocide is ongoing, it all starts to add up. “There were certain songs that they always sang and played — him, “It doesn’t matter, I told you to play it, so play it.” It is unquestionable that the melody and many of the various some were Genocide remembrance songs. These were songs Back to Egin Havasi lyrics of Egin Havasi existed before the 1895 massacres. Hovsep sung in the Turkish language that reminded Armenians of pre- To return to the beginning of our article, and the song Egin Janigian’s Antiquities of Agn, published in 1895, includes the Genocide times. One of Chick Ganimian’s songs was about the Havasi. Now that we seem to have established the fact that first mention of this song. Janigian, a 19th century folklorist who killing and death that occurred during the Genocide. I remem- Armenians used Turkish songs with more than one meaning, collected the history, folklore, songs, wedding traditions, and ber how they would argue on stage about whether it would be even if the same songs were sung by the Turks themselves, Egin dialect of Agn in his book, claimed that the original song was appropriate to play the song on one particular occasion. This Havasi seems much more obviously, if not blatantly, a reference related to the bantoukhd (migrant worker) movement among kind of thing was over my head at the time as I was a youngster. to the Genocide though more specifically, the massacres of Armenians, who would travel to Istanbul or some other far-off I was just happy to meet Chick who was one of the top oud play- 1895-1896. urban center to make money for their family who were left ers that my family always talked about.” (Hoplamazian, quoted in Avedis Messouments, noted Armenian composer and collector behind in the village. The well-known song Groong has the same Kzirian, The Oud: Armenian Music as a Means of Identity of Armenian ethnographic folk songs, who was born in Arabkir theme. Janigian claimed that what we call Egin Havasi (referred Preservation, Construction and Formation in Armenian and spent most of his life in France after the war, brought atten- to by him as Ale Geozlu, Turkish for “Weeping Eyes”) was writ- American Diaspora Communities of the Eastern United States, tion to the verses, sung in Turkish, “Agn is in ruins / the nightin- ten by an Armenian woman in the 1840s or 1850s, whose hus- 2010) gale doesn’t sing / My husband is in a far place / my eyes don’t band had gone as a bantoukhd to Egypt. Janigian mentions that When I asked Hoplamazian personally what song he was talk- see him.” Messouments continues: the song also has Turkish lyrics, but he didn’t write them down, ing about, he couldn’t recall. But based on what I know of “Therefore, Agn is a ruin … of course, the Armenian didn’t instead giving several verses of lyrics in Armenian. The lyrics are Ganimian’s repertoire, the only song he could possibly have been destroy it, but rather the Turk, and it is not the Turk who would almost identical to what Udi Hrant sings in his Armenian-lan- talking about — certainly the only song that has these type of ref- weave a song about his destroying. And who is the primary emi- guage rendition. Most likely, Hrant learned these from his erences, which is that popular, and which Ganimian was known grant, if not the Armenian? But the Armenian sang in the singing teacher, the well known Istanbul “oriental” singer for playing on stage, was Chanakkale Ichinde. Turkish language; first, from fear of being punished for the Yeghiazar Garabedian (known to the Turks as Agyazar Efendi), The “Turkish nationalist” credentials of the song come into Armenian language, and then, so that the Turk would also hear who was born in Agn, and seems to have left as a child due to even further question when we realize that the first ever record- it, learn it, and sing it. And that is what happened.” the devastation of the city in 1896. The folklorist Mihran ed version was made by Greek-American singer Marika Papagika These were the same lyrics that Stephan Karougian told me Toumajan also collected several Armenian-language verses to the in 1924, just after the armistice between the Allies and Mustafa about. Another Armenian writer who remembered his elders song in his “Hayreni Yerk oo Pan” (volume 2). In a footnote, he Kemal at Mudanya. Though the song is typically considered a ref- singing those lines was Nigoghos Sarafian of Paris, who grew up tells the reader that he had also heard a Turkish version of the erence to the Battle of Gallipoli that took place in 1915, the lead- in Bulgaria. Incidentally, the line “Agn is in ruins” is not in Udi song when he was a child in Sepastia, from a youthful blind min- up to the 1923 armistice was similarly called the “Chanak Crisis” Hrant’s published recorded version, though he in the second strel at the Soorp Nshan Monastery. The minstrel’s Turkish-lan- and was stand-off between Turkish, Greek, and British troops verse Hrant sings guage Egin Havasi, Toumajan tells us, was “about the events of that took place in the same area. The fact that Marika was a well the quite sugges- 1895.” It turns out that while the city was spared the initial mas- known Greek nationalist with many patriotic songs to her cred- tive verses: “Green sacres of 1895 by bribing the government (Agn was a wealthy it, and that her version has the narrating soldier in the song frogs croak in the town, whose compatriots living in Istanbul were mostly mon- departing “from Edirne” (instead of Istanbul) where the Greek ponds / My arms eylenders that at one time controlled the Ottoman financial sec- army was stationed at the time, lends a vague pro-Greek mean- were destroyed, I tor), it was later devastated in 1896 in retaliation for the Bank ing to the song. was left in the Ottoman incident, whose leader, Papken Suni, was a native of The Armenian element to the song becomes much more obvi- desert / Without a Agn. Evidently, while the song was written by an Armenian, sung ous when we consider the recording made by vocalist Boghos mother, without a in both Armenian and Turkish, and discussed separation and Kirechjian, also known as Udi Boghos, brother-in-law to the well father, in foreign loss, the lyrics specifically referring to the 1895-96 massacres known Udi Hrant. In a special recording session that took place lands…” were added later. However, this soon became the most popular in Istanbul in 1951, Boghos made his recording of this song, The ethnogra- version of the song, as evidenced by Messouments, Sarafian, and along with several Armenian-language songs that were sung by pher Verjine others who claimed that the first line of the song was “Agn is in both himself and Hrant, who performed on the oud. The rest of Svazlian, who ruins.” the band was composed of Turkish gypsies. These recordings wrote a whole As for Stepan Karougian, I finally asked him directly what the were made by the US-based ethnic record company, Balkan, book in Armenia song was about. “Egin de veran olmush,” he told me, “Agn kan- which was owned by Ajdin Asllan, an Albanian from New York. about Turkish-lan- tuvadz eh.” (Agn has been destroyed). I pressed him “what do They were made for distribution in this country, and not in guage songs of the you mean, destroyed?” “You know, the Genocide…” he respond- Turkey. One would assume that releasing Armenian-language Genocide survivors Nigoghos Sarafian ed. Then I asked him, “Didn’t you tell me Udi Hrant used to sing songs on disc in Turkey was politically impossible in the early (mostly discussing this song in the gazino [Turkish cabaret]” “Of course, how many 1950s. Similarly, the public would not accept an Armenian the Der Zor song) times did I go and hear him singing there!” “Well,” I asked, singing a tune that was widely perceived as a Turkish patriotic quotes these lines but beginning with “May I be a sacrifice to the “what did the Turks think when he got on stage and started song. But how did Boghos himself perceive it? We don’t really bygone days” rather than the line about the frogs. The same singing about “Egin veran olmush”??” know, but we do know that Chanakkale was the last major bat- lines turned up in a performance of the Der Zor song which I “I guess, they didn’t know what he was singing about,” replied tle where Armenian soldiers serving in the Ottoman Army were found on YouTube, where an individual named Gabriel Assad Karougian. But Richard Hagopian had a different response to armed and allowed to fight in combat alongside their Turkish fel- changes to Egin Havasi halfway through singing Der Zor. this. “They know all of it,” he told me. Searching my record col- low citizens. After that time, Armenians were sent out of the reg- Kemani Minas, who recorded the song in New York in 1917, as lection as well as YouTube, the only example I could find of a ular units and formed into labor battalions, where they were discussed earlier, didn’t mention any of these things directly. But recording where the singer actually says “Egin veran olmush” used to build roads, and finally dig their own graves, which they the fact that he chose to record it in fall 1917 at the same time (Agn is in ruins), was by a Turkish singer, who from what I could were then shot and buried in by their Turkish overseers. In and place (New York) that Garabed Merjanian recorded Gesi tell, was a known nationalist and active politically. There is a lot Boghos’ version of the song — and Chick Ganimian’s — we find Baghlari, Zabelle Panossian recorded her famous version of of talk about cultural appropriation in our day and age, but that the line: Groong and Armenag Shah-Mouradian recorded Gomidas’ mas- takes the cake. Perhaps it is the most correct to say, as with the “In Chanakkale they shot me / and they put me in the grave terpiece Andouni, all with similar themes, points to a trend. The Genocide in general: they know, but they won’t admit it. before I was dead / Alas, my youth!” fact that he sounds like he’s crying when he sings it, randomly 16 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARTS & LIVING Globe’s Elbakyan Wins Gorky’s Works on Sale at Virtual Art Basel Two Emmy Awards

sizes in her spiraling psychodrama, “The artist’s pinwheel. It seems to me that the pinwheel à la BOSTON — Boston Globe’s Anush By Pellegrino D’Acierno courage prevails. A surrealist and a founding Miró is not just a modernist gesture, but a carry Elbakyan has won two Emmy awards for the father of abstract-expressionism, he created over from Gorky’s early days in Boston shortly documentary “Everything Is Changing: groundbreaking art. He continuously turned to after his arrival in America. There he was a Climate Change On Cape Cod.” She has now NEW YORK — “When all the world is a virus memorializing his martyred mother as in his parishioner of the Park Street Church where a received five Emmy awards. tumble and the podcasts rumble all around, the series, ‘The Portrait of the Artist and his Mother.’ member was an Armenian, Tegran Samour “Beyond excited to win two Emmy Awards work of the 20th century Armenian-American He also turned to themes of the eternal garden (Samourkashian), who had a toy store near by last night for the video documentary on cli- artist Arshile Gorky rises above. Amidst the stemming from his Ararat homeland and flying. and who is credited with the manufacturing of mate change in Cape Cod,” she said on Armenian Genocide virus of inhumanity and Fortuitously, his early commissions in America’s the traditional whirligig toy known as the pin- Facebook. today’s pandemic, his art and life story bring pre-World War II 1930’s era of NYC Mayor wheel. Through wonder and progressive Elbakyan is the senior video editor and the meaning to seeking rainbows.” So says compos- Fiorello LaGuardia and President Roosevelt were thought, Gorky would go on to describe his video director for the Boston Globe. She er Michelle Ekizian of the protagonist of her assigned to capture the aviation industry in pub- vision in his aviation proposals as soaring oversees the production and distribution of forthcoming “Gorky’s Dream Garden,” an opera lic murals. First, they were for airfields in New through space yet with the immobility of sus- the Globe’s original video content, while also of love, courage and modern art inspired by York from which his ‘Nighttime,’ ‘Enigma’ and pension.” managing video business operations and Arshile Gorky (b. 1904, Van, Turkey; d, 1948, ‘Nostalgia’ pieces derive. These then led to The Hauser and Wirth on-line exhibit illumi- leading the digital video strategy. Sherman, CT). murals for New Jersey’s Newark Airport. nates how the late contemporary African- Elbakyan manages a team of video pro- His art is featured in this year’s Art Basel Fair. Subsequently, he was invited to create the murals American artist Jack Whitten was touched by ducers and coordinates the daily video news The fair is now on-line until June 26. Hauser and for the Aviation Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Gorky. Ekizian finds synchronicity: “From the operation. She launched and served as exec- Wirth’s display features a miniature landscape Fair.” start of my conceiving ‘Gorky’s Dream Garden,’ utive producer for the political digital video from hia seminal “Garden in Sochi” series of the Last season a reading of a chamber version of I expanded upon Gorky’s infatuation with series “Ground Game,” “Live Political Happy early 1940s. There are, as well, two works of the “Gorky’s Dream Garden” was presented at the Chekhov’s short story ‘The Black Monk’ that is Hour” and the food series “Smart Cooks.” artist’s “Nighttime,” “Enigma” and “Nostalgia” Newark Museum of Art which houses the two sole supposedly the title and basis of his last paint- mural series dating from the early 1930’s, pas- surviving panels of Gorky’s Newark Airport Murals. ing which he created in 1948 on the eve of his torals and drawings of the mid 1940’s. Ekizian sees a connection between at least suicide. Although Chekhov’s Russian portrayal A child survivor of the Armenian Genocide, two of the sale works. She views them as embrac- did not literally encompass a character of color, Gorky witnessed his mother’s death by starvation ing the flying motif amidst connotations of the I felt the urge to cast in developmental pro- in his arms during the aftermath of the Genocide Armenian heritage: “The airplane propeller is grams the opera’s cameo but definitive role of in Russian occupied Yerevan. His devastations distinctively shown in both the upcoming sale Gorky’s avatar for the outreaching soulful and continued upon his coming to America, ultimate- works of the Sochi miniature and one of the world-wise voice of my friend, the late leg- ly leading to suicide. However, as Ekizian empha- Nighttime studies through Gorky’s details of the endary “Woodstock” folksinger Richie Havens.

Recipe Anush Elbakyan Journal of Society for Corner Armenian Studies to Be Published by Brill

JOURNAL, from page 12 by Christine Vartanian Fresno; Rachel Goshgarian, Lafayette College; Sharon Kinoshita, University of California, Santa Cruz; Jyotsna Singh, Michigan State University; Alison Vacca, Aunt Roza’s Tas Kebab University of Tennessee, Knoxville Editorial Board: Sebouh Aslanian, Victoria Kabakian, food writer, recipe developer, travel journalist, and University of California, Los Angeles; founder of the Mission: Food blog since 2009, has been blogging for Stephan Astourian, University of California, over eleven years. A Rhode Island native, she has a particular weak- Berkeley; Marie-Aude Baronian, Universiteit ness when it comes to good food and cookbooks; not only does she van Amsterdam; Houri Berberian, University collect cookbooks (she owns more than 200), buts she loves review- of California, Irvine; Talar Chahinian, ing new cookbook releases, testing new recipes, and commenting on University of California, Irvine; Myrna their appeal and practicality. Douzjian, University of California, Berkeley; Victoria’s beloved Aunt Roza passed away in September 2018. She Shushan Karapetian, University of Southern was known for her famous rice pilaf, Armenian Baked Macaroni and California; David Kazanjian, University of Cheese, buttery baklava, and her delicious tas kebab recipe that our Pennsylvania; Lilit Keshishyan, University of entire family enjoyed for many years.” Southern California; Tsolin Nalbantian, “Tas kebab is a simple spiced stewed beef with Armenian, Persian, and Turkish origins,” Victoria says. Photos and recipe are courtesy of Mission: Food.

INGREDIENTS: 3 pounds beef chuck, cubed into 2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 tablespoon allspice berries 2 bay leaves 1/4 cup tomato paste 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Rice pilaf for serving

PREPARATION: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Set aside. Rinse the beef with cold water. Drain and add to a large pot. Cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat, skimming impurities off the surface. When the water starts to boil, remove from the heat, drain into a colander and rinse the beef with cold water. Wrap the peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves in a piece of cheesecloth, and tie it with kitchen string. Wipe the pot clean, add the beef back along with 6 cups of boiled water, the butter, tomato paste, salt, cinnamon, and the spice bundle. Return to high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer covered for about 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is easily cut with the Universiteit Leiden; Christina Maranci, Tufts side of a spoon (Victoria’s aunt would cook the meat until it was actually falling apart, so aim for significantly longer than fork tender). University; Sergio La Porta, California State This recipe is best when made a day or more ahead of time and reheated prior to serving, as this allows the flavors to develop. Remove University, Fresno; Hratch Tchilingirian, spice bundle, squeeze out excess juices, and discard before serving. Serve tas kebab spooned over rice pilaf in wide serving bowls or University of Oxford; Heghnar Watenpaugh, plates. University of California, Davis Serves 6-8. Book Review Editors: Michael Pifer, University of Michigan (Spring 2020 vol- For this recipe, go to: https://mission-food.com/rozas-tas-kebab/ ume); Nora Lessersohn, University College London; Erin Piñon, Princeton University. S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 17 ARTS & LIVING Artist Rita Kevorkian Truly A Rising Talent

TALENT, from page 12 “I believe that art is a magical weapon, an effective one that is able to battle plenty of dilemmas. It is the soft power of all time,” she said. Some of the young artist's paintings address violence against women. In addition, many of her paintings attest to her passionate attachment to her origins. A vivid example is her desire to depict Armenian musicians, such as Aram Khachaturian, Charles Aznavour, Komitas and Makar Yekmalyan. “I tend more towards Komitas, taking into consideration that he discovered, collected and registered Armenian folk music,” she adds. Speaking about artists, her role model is Michelangelo, who was “so good at painting icons on the walls of the church and his works remained among the best artworks for years.” Her Armenian shining examples are the remarkable Martiros Saryan and Armenian-Egyptian cartoonist and caricaturist Alexander Saroukhan. Rita said she is very influenced by Saroukhan (1898-1977), one of the most distinguished caricaturists in the Arab world.

Rita Kevorkian celebrated International Women's Day

The young artist tackles violence against women

trayed Ramadan's ambiance as well as influential figures of read about the church's history and Saint Gregory's life.” Egypt, such as the Muslim scholar and jurist Muhammad Music serves as a positive inspiration for Rita while she Metwalli Al-Shaarawi and the musician Sayed Mekawy. “I feel paints. “A habit of mine is listening to classical music before and delighted to be one of the artists who capture the beauty of the Egyptian heritage,” comments Rita. Her works of art adorn many of the celebrations of the Armenian community in Egypt. Last year for example, Rita took part with ten acrylic paint- ings in celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Cairo. Her artworks included representations of the church itself, the Holy Family's journey to Egypt, and important figures of the Armenian Church. The young artist also magnificently revived old iconography. “I was very happy with the trust the church and the Armenian community put in me, as they allowed me to play a role in this great event.” Not only did she compete at international con- Alexander Saroukhan portrayed by Rita Kevorkian tests, but she was actively present as well. A case in point was her winning the first prize at the Tolerance Competition organized by the United His works were published in Arabic and international newspa- Arab Emirates (UAE). “I took part because the pers and magazines. “How I wish I had met him, so I would contest's theme grabbed my attention, I liked it a have been able to express how much I admire his intelligence, lot. I also was eager to do so out of my love for thoughts, the beauty of his artworks, and his foresight with Prince Mohamed bin Rashid as a person and for Rita Kevorkian regard to political events,” exclaims Rita, adding that “His fam- the UAE.” ily were always generous in providing me with the information Singing is Rita's second hobby and she decided that helped me know him closely.” to invest her beautiful voice in joining the church's and the during painting. It inspires me and creates a happy and serene She is keen on participating in Ramadaniat, an annual exhi- school's choirs. “God granted me a sweet voice, a one with atmosphere.” bition that takes place to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. which I can serve my church, the place where my love for Saint “I avoid working on meaningless topics,” Rita concludes. All In this respect, it is worth noting that she magnificently por- Gregory the Illuminator commenced. There I also started to the best, and better is yet to come for Rita Kevorkian! 18 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR COMMENTARY

EDITORIAL Mirror Armenia: A House Divided

immunity last week. Spectator By Edmond Y. Azadian The focus on Tsarukyan’s misdeeds just surfaced recently. He had been a friend of the revolution and joined Pashinyan and entered the parliament with 25 members of his Prosperous Armenia attained its independence some three decades ago, Armenia Party. After his recent fallout with the prime minister, and it has yet to find a way to successfully use that indepen- he called for the resignation of the government. He is crying dence to further its goals. wolf and accusing the government of a political vendetta. EstablishedEstablishe d1932 1932 Crisis after crisis have upset the country, hindering its eco- Tsarukyan may have trampled some laws during the previous AnA nADL AD LPublication Publication nomic recovery and forcing mass emigration. regime in terms of election fraud and tax evasion, but he The country is located in a very unstable region, requiring the employs thousands of people in an economy had pressed for utmost prudence to navigate through the extant political dan- investments. Prosecuting Tsarukyan will discourage other gers. Additionally, two hostile neighbors are posing existential investors and entrepreneurs. But the people who have mobilized to devour the old talanchis (looters) as they are called, are blind- EDITOR threats. Therefore, external dangers would have been enough to Alin K. Gregorian keep Armenians alert and ready to fight for their survival, but ed to the damage they cause to the country and its economy. unfortunately, internal turmoil has come to exacerbate the situ- Overlooking all the problems facing Armenia, the government ASSISTANT EDITOR ation. Currently there is extreme political polarization, in addi- was mobilizing all its resources to hold a referendum on a new Aram Arkun tion to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic; the constitution on April 5, in order to get rid of Tovmasyan. The pandemic put an end to the referendum and they needed to ART DIRECTOR two have brought the country to its knees. Marc Mgrditchian The Velvet Revolution, which took place two years ago, come up with another route. promised to end injustice and corruption in the country and to On June 22, the parliament voted to change the constitution help it develop along modern democratic ideals. My Step, the after seeking advice from the Venice Commission of the Council party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which came to power of Europe. But that will prove to be a Pyrrhic victory, because with the support of 70 percent of voters, SENIOR EDITORIAL COLUMNIST: still enjoys an unchallenged popularity. Edmond Y. Azadian Pashinyan himself promised to enforce “no vendetta” toward the previous regime. CONTRIBUTORS: Yet, the momentum of the popular move- Florence Avakian, Dr. Haroutiun ment that he mobilized and rode to the Arzoumanian, Philippe Raffi Kalfayan, country’s highest office, seems to have Philip Ketchian, Kevork Keushkerian, overwhelmed him. Harut Sassounian, Hagop Vartivarian, Naomi Zeytoonian In order to motivate his supporters in the current economic downturn, he has CORRESPONDENTS: had to demonize the old regime and its Armenia - Hagop Avedikian leaders. Boston - Nancy Kalajian After assuming power, he could no Los Angeles - Taleen Babayan longer act as the rabble-rouser politician. Berlin - Muriel Mirak-Weissbach To run a government apparatus, he was Contributing Photographers: required to demonstrate statesmanship. Jirair Hovsepian Similarly, to deal with foreign powers, his journalistic style and populist activism had to be tamed. Therefore, he began to make adjustments in his behavior and The Armenian Mirror-Spectator is published policies, but the masses that followed him, weekly, except two weeks in July and the first week of the year, by: continued to seek blood. For the majority of those people, the Baikar Association, Inc. former leaders have to be exterminated at 755 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02472-1509 any cost and they began showing impa- Telephone: 617-924-4420 tience when their leader was not using all FAX: 617-924-2887 the tools at his disposal to publicly execute them. A segment of the move will go half way, leaving Tovmasyan still on the bench, www.mirrorspectator.com the masses was disappointed and began asking how long the vel- only as a judge, not as its president. Indeed, three out of nine E-Mail: [email protected] vet part of the revolution would last. members who had served for more than 12 years will resign and For advertising: [email protected] On the other hand, the members of the ousted regime felt be replaced by this new regime. New appointees will certainly threatened and reacted. refrain from electing Tovmasyan, who is slated to serve out the The growing discontent contributed to the polarization of the balance of his 12-year-term as president. country. Animosities were personalized and that personalization Tovmasyan held a pre-emptive special session of the was further aggravated by the rise of new parties that had no Constitutional Court on June 22 to discuss the constitutionality specific ideologies or political agendas; at best, they had the per- of the charges Kocharyan faces. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: sonal agendas of their founders. Therefore, what the country The tone of the rhetoric in the news media and the vulgar needed to do in order to recover was overlooked for the sake of exchanges hurled on social media are beyond comprehension. seeking personal retribution. Polished discourse at this time can be only described as a con- U.S.A. $80 a year A convenient target of the ire was the second president, versation among people who have stuck their fingers in their Robert Kocharyan. Kocharyan was certainly no angel, but it is a ears. Canada $125 a year fallacy is that his punishment would help improve the plight of The issue of a truth and reconciliation committee has been Other Countries $190 a year the people one iota. raised in this column more than once. Following the collapse of Another demonized individual has been Hrayr Tovmasyan, the apartheid system in South Africa, national reconciliation the president of the Constitutional Court. The Pashinyan gov- was achieved through that process. At this time, the divide in ernment did not leave any legal stone unturned to oust him from Armenia is so deep and the rhetoric so incendiary that there © 2014 The Armenian Mirror-Spectator office. Again, was that a matter of bread and butter for the aver- seems to be no room for dialogue. Periodical Class Postage Paid at Boston, MA age citizen? Certainly not, but animosities went beyond the For the government party, unless you express unadulterated and additional mailing offices. national good, just to hurt those who symbolized the old regime. adulation for the chief, you are a traitor. And vice versa. ISSN 0004-234X Robert Kocharyan’s continued pre-trial incarceration on All disenfranchised groups are banding together, without any charges of overthrowing the constitutional order of Armenia ideology, to fight the government when Armenia can least afford was beginning to have foreign policy reverberations. President that kind of instability and partisanship. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, 755 Mount Auburn Vladimir Putin of Russia signaled more than once that he want- Pashinyan himself is trying to steer the country toward the St., Watertown, MA 02472 ed to see his old friend released from jail. middle of the road, but to no avail. He just recently replaced the Other than the editorial, views and opinions With the upcoming World War II 75th anniversary victory cel- police chiefs, heads of security and the army, because there was expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily ebration in Moscow on the horizon, Mr. Pashinyan felt that fur- a rumor of a planned uprising. He has to balance domestic reflect the policies of the publisher. ther tensions with Moscow would be more than what he could forces and realign the country’s foreign policy. handle. Indeed, one by one, the heads of the former Soviet The members of the new government have been trying to republics were excusing themselves from participating in the cel- push Armenia away from Russia, with no alternative in place. ebrations. Pashinyan also canceled his trip to Moscow. Armenia is in a crisis and no peaceful end is in sight. Although No matter how much the administration denies that it does President Armen Sarkissian only has a ceremonial role, his pres- not exert any pressure on the courts, only this month the courts ence during the transition of the regime helped to prevent clash- Copying for other than personal use or internal reference is prohibited without agreed to set bail for Kocharyan and the latter’s wealthy friends es between the two camps. That role today is needed more than express permission of the copyright posted it and thus he was released. Also, the denial of an arrest ever. It is time for him to emerge as a conciliator. owner. Address requests for reprints or warrant for opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan signaled to The country can use some wisdom from President Abraham back issues to: Moscow that Yerevan will not pile up the cases that anger Lincoln who admonished that “a house divided against itself Russia. cannot stand.” Members of Tsarukyan’s party made a visit to the Russian Baikar Association, Inc. embassy in Yerevan after he was stripped of his parliamentary 755 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02472-1509 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR 19 COMMENTARY

to tell the truth than to continue its useless strategy of dis- Last month in a TV speech, Pres. Erdogan, showing his exas- torting a well-established historical fact. It is in Turkey’s best peration at the multiple problems of his government, once interest to come to terms with the Armenian government and again lashed out at the “Armenian lobby,” among others. He its Diaspora and negotiate a proper compensation and restitu- vowed: “We will not give up before the forces of evil, either tion for the damages caused to the Armenian people during FETO, the PKK, the Armenian and Greek lobbies, or centers of My Turn the Genocide. Once Turkey acknowledges the historical facts hostility in the Persian Gulf.” and makes amends, it will no longer have to worry about the The Armenian government quickly reacted to Pres. By Harut Sassounian world’s reaction to the Armenian Genocide. On the contrary, Erdogan’s lies about the Armenian Genocide. This is a welcome the Turkish leader will receive accolades from the internation- development, as previous Armenian governments ignored all al community for facing the facts and dealing honestly with its such Turkish outbursts. The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s After 105 Years, the Turkish past crimes. spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan responded: “The statements President Still Planning to Cover In the meantime, the Turkish government is foolishly con- made by the Turkish President on justifying the Armenian tinuing its hopeless campaign of denial of the Armenian Genocide and insulting its victims are not a novelty and are Up the Genocide Genocide. After last week’s five-hour High Advisory Board manifestations of hate speech, which have an impact on main- meeting behind closed doors, President Erdogan’s taining and strengthening the atmosphere of xenophobia The High Advisory Board of the Turkish Presidency met Communications Director Fahrettin Altun relayed the against Armenians in that country…. Denialism has no future, last Tuesday for five hours to discuss how to respond “to President’s following statement: “hostility seeds that were tried no matter who and how frames it. Despite the efforts of the groundless and anti-Turkey allegations” regarding the to be sown through distorted historical events would not be authorities of Turkey to suppress the truth, the truth has been Armenian Genocide of 1915. The Advisory Board includes able to find the opportunity to flourish in the land of truth.” prevailing.” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Kahraman (former He accused the “Armenian lobby” of exploiting the “challeng- The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Chairman of Parliament), Bulent Arinch (former Deputy ing and painful era endured by all Ottoman citizens for the Democracy also issued a statement calling Erdogan’s latest Prime Minister), Cemil Chichek (former Chairman of sake of political calculations through lies and slanders that plans to deny the Armenian Genocide a “dangerous xenopho- Parliament), Koksal Toptan (former Chairman of Parliament), were invented by various power groups.” Furthermore, he said bic policy of the Turkish authorities, directed against the Mehmet Ali Shahin (former Chairman of Parliament), that during the meeting, “comprehensive steps” were discussed activists of the Armenian cause…. Unfortunately, the denial of Yildirim Akbulut (former Prime Minister), President’s Chief of to prevent the Armenian lobby from using the 1915 events to the Armenian Genocide and the incitement of hatred against Staff Metin Kiratli and Presidential Communications Director “defame Turkey and our nation and also the propaganda made Armenians are a state policy in Turkey.” Fahrettin Altun. by countries through unrealistic allegations that manipulate In addition, the Armenian National Committee of America It is very satisfactory to Armenians worldwide that the the issue with political calculations.” The Turkish Presidential Western Region along with Assyrian, Greek and Jewish orga- Turkish government, after lying about the occurrence of the meeting also deliberated on projects and activities set to “shed nizations issued a joint statement slamming the Turkish gov- Armenian Genocide for a century, going to extraordinary light” on the issues with historical and legal aspects, along with ernment’s latest announcement on countering the Armenian lengths to blackmail other countries economically and politi- “facts for the national and international public,” he added. Genocide: “Understanding that denial is the final stage of geno- cally, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on hiring lobby- This new Turkish Genocide denial plan may have been trig- cide, enforcing the erasure of a people’s history and suffering, ing firms and publishing denialist propaganda, is spending long gered by the resolutions acknowledging the Armenian we call on people of good conscience to bring awareness to the hours wondering how to counter “the Armenian lobby.” Genocide by the U.S. House of Representatives (405-11 votes) plight of the victims of genocide both past and present, to hold This means that all of the Turkish efforts for 105 years to and the unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate last fall. accountable those who seek to distort historical truth, and deny the Armenian Genocide have been in vain. Turkey has The question is why would Turkey’s leaders spent five hours ensure that never again will the world watch in silence while wasted a huge amount of resources and time to deny the unde- deliberating on genocide denial at a time when the coronavirus genocide is perpetrated.” niable! The Turkish government is welcome to try again to con- pandemic is raging in the country, its economy is in shambles, My advice to President Erdogan and his cronies is to aban- vince the world that no such genocide has taken place. the Turkish Lira has collapsed and Erdogan is losing the pub- don Turkey’s century-long failed efforts at denial of the facts of Eventually, the Turkish leaders will give up seeing that they lic’s support. According to some analysts, this is Erdogan’s tac- the Armenian Genocide, acknowledge the truth and embark on cannot persuade anyone to believe their lies. The day will come tic to deviate the Turkish public’s attention from his misrule a mutually agreed plan to compensate for the losses suffered when the Turkish government will admit that it is much easier and misadventures both within and outside the country. by the Armenian nation as a result of the Genocide. Syrian Kurds Say Turkish Charity Dwarfed by Stolen Produce

ticipating in a panoply of abuses, including sum- actor in Syria is offering to farmers. Therefore a new gate between Ras al-Ain and the Turkish By Amberin Zaman mary executions, abductions, looting, crop burn- there is a clear incentive to sell to Turkey." border town of Ceylanpinar. Abdullah Erin said ing and weaponizing water against the Kurds. But even as Turkey engages in such transac- the gate would be “for both Ras al-Ain and The Kurdish-led administration in northeast- tions, it continues to prevent any flow of human- Ceylanpinar,” much as the opening of a gate Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency ern Syria told the authors of the report that it itarian aid from its borders to the Kurdish-held from Turkey’s nearby border town of Akcakale reported that on Monday, June 22, two Turkish had left behind about 730,000 tons of wheat, bar- areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has not softened had been for Tell Abyad. The pro-government charities had sent six trucks carrying humani- ley, fertilizers, cotton and seed as it withdrew in Turkey’s stance while the collapse of the Syrian Daily Sabah reported, “Citizens frequently voice tarian aid to the rebel-held province of Idlib in the face of advancing Turkish forces. “This stock currency has compounded people’s misery that daily life is getting better as a result of the northwest Syria. is the strategic reserve for the next three years across the country. reconstruction of infrastructure” in Tell Abyad “Truckloads of supplies including flour, cloth- and constitutes 11% of the total stock of Raqqa Protests erupted today in Tell Abyad and the and in Ras al-Ain. Today’s protest paints a differ- ing and dry food [donated] by the Adana and Hasakah provinces,” said Salman Baroudo, town of Suluk, also under Turkish control, over ent picture. Dosteller and Eskisehir Gunisigi charities the co-chair of the commerce committee of the deteriorating living conditions and rising food (This commentary originally appeared on Al- entered Idlib through the Yayladagi border cross- autonomous administration. prices, especially that of bread. Monitor website https://www.al- ing in Turkey’s southern Hatay province. The aid A ton of wheat produces around 850 kilo- In Suluk, a crowed gathered outside the local monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/turkey- will be distributed among families living in tents grams of flour, and a ton of flour produces 1.2 Turkish-appointed council and called for its idlib-syrian-kurds-take.html) in Idlib,” Anadolu reported. tons of bread, explained an autonomous admin- removal, reported the Violation Documentation Turkey’s generosity to millions of displaced istration official to illustrate the scale of the loss. Centre in North Syria in a tweet. It said in a sep- Syrians inside Syria and Turkey alike has been The Syrian National Army denied that it was arate call for action yesterday that Turkish sol- well documented. But critics of Ankara’s Syria engaged in any looting from grain silos but offi- diers were targeting farmers on the Turkish- LETTERS policy charge that it's giving with one hand and cials from the Istanbul-based Syrian Interim Syrian border. Syrian Kurdish farmer stealing with the other. Government and employees of the local councils Muhayuddin Abdurazak died after allegedly Kudos to Antelias A report released today by Syrians for Truth claimed the opposite. being shot by a Turkish border guard on May 17. and Justice, a non-partisan nonprofit document- Syrians for Truth and Justice executive direc- Thomas McClure, a researcher at the Rojava Catholicosate ing human rights violations in Syria, lays out in tor Bassam al-Ahmad told Al-Monitor in a tele- Information Center, which publishes reports on exhaustive detail how the Turkish government phone interview that the looting “fits a broader the Kurdish-controlled region for international To the Editor: has facilitated commerce conducted by its Syrian pattern of abuses as were perpetrated in Turkish- audiences, told Al-Monitor that the area affected I agree with Edmond Azadian’s com- National Army allies in looting grain. The grain occupied Afrin. Turkey is buying looted wheat.” by Operation Peace Spring encompasses mentary regarding the relevancy and is from eight silos that were confiscated in Afrin is the Kurdish-majority enclave that was 440,000 hectares of arable land producing up to also to some extent his views on the October during Turkey’s Operation Peace occupied by Turkey in 2018. Crimes committed 763,000 tons of wheat. “Turkey’s instillation of two Catholicosates. Spring, which resulted in Turkey’s occupation of by Turkey’s Sunni rebel allies have been well doc- proxy militias ın this once productive region has I am an ordained deacon in the a large swath of territory between the towns of umented. They include rape, arbitrary detentions severely impacted the remainder of northeast Eastern Diocese. I was fortunate Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain formerly controlled by and industrial-scale extortion of local olive farm- Syria and those civilians who have remained in enough during this epidemic to listen the United States’ Syrian Kurdish allies. ers, with much of their oil finding its way to the zone of occupation. The loss of vital arable to the daily reflections from the Based on interviews with a range of actors Turkey and exported to foreign markets under land places further pressure on the remainder of Eastern Prelacy as well as some of the including National Army commanders as well as Turkish labels, Germany's Deutsche Welle the northeast, where per UN figures 1.94 million sermons from Antelias. employees at the grain silos, Syrians for Truth reported. people are in need of humanitarian aid,” he Generally speaking, I found the ser- and Justice unveiled a network of grain dealings The TMO insists that it only imports surplus noted. mons given by the clergy members conducted by a Turkish government company — barley but no wheat from Syria. But the trade is McClure backed up Syrians for Truth and belonging to the Cathlicosate of the Turkish Grain Board, known as TMO for driving up prices, noted Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Justice, saying, “Grain silos were rapidly looted, Antelias very uplifting and refreshing short — and “armed groups’ commanders who Syria expert and fellow at the Foreign Policy with tens of thousands of tons of wheat trans- and the dedication of Antelias to personally seized amounts of the grain storage” Research Institute in Philadelphia. She told Al- ferred to Turkey for sale or sold to local mer- preparing such fine clergies quite and “then sold them to either local or Turkish Monitor, “It's absolutely true that wheat and chants at extortionate prices. Bread, the local sta- encouraging. I am convinced that as merchants” and kept the proceeds for them- grain is being looted. I've confirmed it with the ple, doubled in price in the months following the long as Antelias provides such a quali- selves. The theft is documented by satellite factions. They are selling the wheat and barley invasion, while other local essentials like cooking ty of clergies, then I would definitely imagery showing transportation trucks taking that is cultivated in large swaths of land between gas are now five times as expensive as elsewhere support the mission of the the grain away from the silos. Ras al-Ain and Tell Abyad and selling it to in northeast Syria." Cathlicosate of Antelias. The allegations will further blot Turkey and Turkey." The governor of Turkey’s Sanliurfa province, Roupen Kiredjian the National Army’s image in northeast Syria. Tsurkov added that Turkey was offering more where the occupation is administered from, told Ankara is accused of overseeing or directly par- money for the commodities “than any other Anadolu last week that Turkey would be opening 20 S ATURDAY, J UNE 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR Tekeyan Cultural Association Metro LA Chapter Hosts Two Successful Educational Programs Online This Spring

Ottoman Turkish authorities when they and interesting recordings, engaging polls By Sevan Boghos-Deirbadrossian issued the deportation law, and how and quizzes throughout the presentation. The Armenian properties ought to be used, in participants were excited to get virtually order to settle in Muslim immigrants. involved. The main focus was on the differ- LOS ANGELES — In May and June, during in comparative studies in history and society Moreover, he followed up by providing the lay- ences between the traditional dialects and the challenging and unprecedented times of the from Koç University, Istanbul in 2009. ers of property transfers and the practice of variety of spoken standard Armenian: when COVID-19 pandemic and after cancelling After receiving his doctorate, he was award- dispossession, whether through official chan- did these dialects develop? In addition to a many events this past Spring, the Tekeyan ed a postdoctoral fellowship in Armenian nels, corruption, unofficial seizures by offi- tour of traditional dialects in present tense Cultural Association (TCA) Metro Los Angeles Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann cials themselves, pillage, destruction, or unof- formation, Dr. Vaux used Toumanian’s “The Chapter stepped up and took the decision to Arbor. His main research interests are state- ficial seizures by civilians. Liar '' and “The Lord’s Prayer” in presenting remain productive and influential in enrich- society relations, socioeconomic history, the Polatel emphasized that the Armenian a variety of dialects, some still alive and some ing Armenian society with its cultural events. Armenian Genocide, and the dispossession of Genocide was a complex event with multiple that are not. He mainly explored the signifi- On May 27, the group organized a Zoom Armenians. He has co-authored a book with manifestations of death, destruction and prop- cant lexical pronunciations and grammatical webinar titled “Confiscation and Destruction: Ugur Ü. Üngör titled Confiscation and erty confiscation. He also reminded participants differences of the large variety of the tradi- The Young Turks’ Seizure of Armenian Destruction: Young Turk Seizure of that new findings on the Genocide and its con- tional dialects in the Armenian world. Property,” delivered by Dr. Mehmet Polatel. Armenian Properties (Bloomsbury, 2011), sequences have been revealed by research con- Vaux said he believes that the value of pre- The presentation was co-sponsored by sev- ducted by contemporary scholars, and that serving a dialect is similar to preserving bio- eral Armenian organizations, which showed knowledge about various aspects of the geno- diversity. Every variant found in every differ- interest in unfolding the layers and processes cide continues to expand in academia. ent dialect reveals something about the poten- of not only the annihilation of a nation, but The presentation raised many questions by tial and the ability of the human mind and also the erasure of its roots, lands and prop- participants and interesting ideas which were what it can do. In his professional life, Vaux erties. Co-sponsors included the AGBU discussed for an extended period of time. tests theories that are made about how lan- Western District, Armenian Assembly of guages can work or not by using evidence America, Armenian Council of America, Dialects by Vaux from Armenian varieties. Very often things Armenian Rights Council of America, On June 17, the organization sponsored a that claim to be impossible in human lan- Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Nor program titled “An Introduction to Modern guages are found in Armenian. “Vive Le Serount Armenian Cultural Association, and Armenian Dialects” by Dr. Bert Vaux. Difference,” Dr. Vaux says. the Organization of Istanbul Armenians, all of The lecture was organized by the Tekeyan Humans can be different from each other; which teamed up to help promote the presen- Cultural Association Metro Los Angeles however, in the Armenian case, the range of tation via their respective social media plat- Prof. Polatel, left, Prof. Bert Vaux Chapter with the participation of Tekeyan the variety that you find is also an important forms and event calendars. Cultural Association chapters in North historical demonstration of where Armenians Mihran Toumajan, Western Region director America: Detroit, Greater Boston, Greater have lived. They may have changed the names of the Armenian Assembly of America, and and has published several articles and book New York, Los Angeles, Montreal and of the Armenian villages in Turkey, but you also an active member and ex-officio advisor chapters on the Hamidian massacres, the land Pasadena-Glendale. can still infer from the dialects spoken about of the TCA Metro Los Angeles Chapter, co- question, and the Armenian genocide. Vaux currently teaches phonology and mor- the Armenian communities that lived there. moderated the presentation with Sevan Polatel started his presentation by referenc- phology at the University of Cambridge. Linguistic variations are also historically and Boghos-Deirbadrossian. ing his early research, which focuses on the Previously, he taught for nine years at politically important. More than 150 spanning six continents and processes of property transfer and disposses- Harvard University and three years at the Vaux emphasized the importance of taking over 18 countriestook part in the Zoom webi- sion during the Armenian Genocide. He pro- University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He spe- advantage of internet resources to keep many nar. Many attendees of TCA’s first Zoom webi- vided examples of churches turned into auc- cializes in phonological theory, dialectology, dialects alive, to document and revitalize nar expressed enthusiasm and keen interest tion sites for the transfer of movable field methodology, and languages of the them: whether by performing virtual inter- in a serious matter involving the confiscation Armenian properties. Further, he touched on Caucasus. He was editor of the journal views and recording the last speakers of these and destruction of properties owned by his contemporary research about the relation- Annual of Armenian Linguistics from 2001 to dialects, or administer dialect surveys online Armenians prior to the 1915 genocide. The ship between the 1894-96 Hamidian 2006 and is co-editor of the book series where the speakers can answer questions presentation was also displayed in real time Massacres and the Genocide, in terms of local Oxford Surveys in Generative. directly or with the help of interpreters. The via the Facebook Live platform. perpetrations and mass violence, by examin- Vaux is primarily interested in phenomena aim is to increase awareness and generate The insightful lecture was conducted by ing the testimonies of Genocide survivors in that shed light on the structure and origins of interest to help preserve and document these Genocide studies scholar, Dr. Mehmet Polatel, the archives of the USC Shoah Foundation. the phonological component of grammar, he dialects before it is too late. who serves as a junior postdoctoral research Polatel detailed some of the testimonies in his also enjoys working with native speakers to During the question-and-answer session a fellow at the University of Southern California lecture. document endangered languages, especially variety of questions about many dialects were (USC) Shoah Foundation Center for He highlighted the fact that, in addition to dialects of Armenian, Abkhaz, and English. posed. The questions were very specific and Advanced Genocide Research. Of Turkish her- massive violence, genocides have multiple From the very beginning of the lecture, professional to the point that all agreed to itage. He received his PhD from Bogazici dimensions, and one such characteristic is the Vaux captivated the audience with interactive have another lecture in the near future. University in Istanbul with his dissertation forced transfer and dispossession of proper- focusing on the emergence and transforma- ties which unfold unique insights and means tion of the Armenian land question in the late of genocidal contexts. teenager Memo, tribal chief Ismail’s third son Ottoman Empire. He earned a BA in interna- Polatel also explained, in detail, about the saw him urinating. Memo sprang up and start- tional relations from the University of Middle Young Turks’ legal framework, and how prop- Abdullah the ed screaming while running to the village: East Technical University in 2007, and an MA erties were taken into consideration by the “Run, run, come and see Abdullah’s dick. It has Lizard a cover on it!” Abdullah’s darting run back into the crack of the rocks in the stable was just like a lizard. Soon the entire village people had By Raffi Bedrosyan gathered in front of the stable, young and old. This is a story told by Hrant Dink — undoubt- Stones started raining into the stable: edly, a true story. It can partially explain the “Come out, you infidel giavour. We know deep trauma of the Armenians who survived who you are, what you are. Come out!” the 1915 genocide but had nowhere to go and The shouts and insults grew louder, stayed in Turkey. It can partially explain the footsteps started coming closer, and the trauma of the hidden Armenians continuing to stable door was opened. Chief Ismail tried live in Turkey. And it can partially explain to protect Abdullah and stopped the mob Hrant’s state of mind in the last few months of at the entrance. He talked into the his life before he was shot dead — the constant darkness of the crack: “Abdullah, where persecutions, prosecutions and threats against are you? Come give me your hand. I will save him, his wife and his children. you.” Ismail’s hand touched Abdullah’s hand, The year was 1918, in a village at the foot of or what he thought was Abdullah’s hand, but Suphan Mountain (Sipan Ler in Armenian, on suddenly he was startled and jumped the north shore of Lake Van). An Armenian back. What he touched was a bloody piece youngster had barely escaped the events in of skin. He turned towards the mob and 1915 and had found refuge in this village said: “Leave him alone. He is one of us.” belonging to the tribal leader Ismail. He had Ever since that day, nobody bothered the mixed in with the other villagers, trying to eke newly “circumcised” Abdullah. out a living. He lived in a dark corner of a sta- Perhaps you have hunted lizards as a ble, in a crack between two rocks, just like a kid. Just when you think you have grabbed lizard that darts into the crack at the first sight it, it escapes, leaving only his tail in your and sound of danger. He would come out to hands. In the villages and cities of Turkey, help with the harvest or other errands, earn a there were thousands of orphans and piece of bread with his honest labour, then rush hidden Armenians who felt like lizard back into his refuge in the stable. Abdullah, on a daily basis. But they learnt His name was Abdullah among the villagers, how to survive despite the trau-ma, because meaning ‘sent by Allah (God)’, but in reality, they learnt how to be resilient. One hundred more like forgotten by God. He kept on living, years after the Armenian Genocide, their unnoticed, uneventful – until one day when grandchildren are now learning how to claim what is rightfully theirs — their identity, language, culture, and above all, truth and justice.