SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVIII, NO. 8, Issue 4502 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF New Armenian Mirror- Fund Established for Houston Armenians Spectator Website HOUSTON — The Category 4 Hurricane Launched Harvey, which made landfall on August 25, dumped more than 50 inches of rain in WATERTOWN — The Armenian Mirror-Spectator some spots of Houston and its suburbs, is proud to announce the launch of its new, putting large chunks of the city under revamped and interactive website, https://mirror- water or devastated. spectator.com/ The St. Kevork Armenian Church in While the address has not changed, the content Houston has not been spared in the devas- and functionality have. Readers will be able to tation. Rev. Martiros Hakobyan and Parish renew subscriptions online, as well as place ads. In Council Chair Areg Sahakian estimate that addition, we will have the ability to upload videos a quarter of the parishioners have been on the site. severely affected — with many Armenian Readers can leave comments on stories on the families displaced, their family homes unin- site, which will appear every week. habitable, their personal belongings lost. A new calendar function will also automatically In a directive this week, Diocesan be updated every week. Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian The new website was created by the team at called on all parishes to hold special collec- Pantoo Marketing and Advertising Agency in tions on each of the Sundays of September Newton (www.pantoo.com or https://www.face- — starting September 3, and continuing on book.com/PantooCreativeAgency). September 10, 17, and 24 — to help provide The storm submerged entire neighborhoods in and around Houston As various functions go live, we will update readers. relief to the affected people of St. Kevork Church. Putin Congratulates Checks should be made out to the type “St. Kevork Flood Relief” in the space check includes “St. Kevork Flood Relief” in Diocese of the Armenian Church of provided). the memo. The Diocese will send a tax- Russian and Syrian America (630 Second Avenue, New York, The Diocese encourages everyone to deductible letter. NY 10016), with the memo: St. Kevork help with the general relief effort. PayPal Giving Fund: Pay online by cred- Military on victory in Flood Relief. The Diocese will be transfer- Funds are starting to be collected across it card, provide your name and email or Deir ez-Zor ring funds to the Houston parish every few various areas to support the Houston remain anonymous. You will receive letters days, as proceeds from each week’s parish Armenian community. and tax deductible information from MOSCOW (Armenpress) — Russian President collections arrive. Armenian Church Eastern Diocese of PayPal Giving Fund and we may receive Vladimir Putin extended congratulations to the Donations can also be made on the America: Donate by check to our Diocese your name and email address if you choose. Russian and Syrian militaries for the largescale vic- Eastern Diocese’s secure server (please in New York, and they will wire the funds Funds will be received within 15-45 days. tory over terrorists in the city of Deir ez Zor and select “Other” in the drop-down menu, and to us at a regular interval. Ensure your see FLOOD, page 20 also sent a telegram to Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, Tass news agency reported on September 5. Knights and Daughters of Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, September 5, “Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin has con- Vartan Hold Grand gratulated the command of the Russian military Convocation in Cambridge group as well as the command of the Syrian state army on such a strategically important vic- CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Knights and tory over terrorists from the standpoint of Daughters of Vartan held their 77th Grand Syria’s liberation from the Islamic State (a ter- Convocation rorist organization outlawed in Russia).” August 8 to According to Peskov, “President Putin sent to By Aram Arkun 14 at the Syrian President (Bashar) Assad a telegram, in Mirror-Spectator Staff H y a t t which he highly evaluated this strategic victory and R e g e n c y congratulated the Syrian president with such an Hotel, hosted important step toward the liberation of Syria from by Ararat Lodge and Arpie Otyag (lodge). terrorism.” Peskov added that “terrorists put up a There was a full program of events and festivi- solid resistance and they still continue resisting, ties attended by member Knights and used suicide bombers and 50 of them were elimi- Daughters from around the country, culmi- nated, but the zone of the breakthrough keeps nating in the election of the 99th Grand growing and the battle moved to the streets of Deir Council. ez-Zor.” The events began Wednesday morning “This is a very important strategic victory,” with a bus tour of some of the Armenian Peskov added. cultural institutions in the Boston area, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said earlier that including the Armenian Cultural Deir ez-Zor was the main strategic point on the Foundation (ACF) in Arlington, the Euphrates. An end to its blockade would largely Armenian Museum of America (ALMA) in herald completion of the struggle against terrorists Watertown, the National Association for in Syria. A New Restaurant Brings Middle Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) in Belmont, and the Armenian Heritage Eastern Flavors to the South End Park in downtown Boston. The tour was led by former Commander Jack Medzorian BOSTON — The South End in the past couple of decades has become a desti- and historian Aram Arkun. Talks were INSIDE nation for fine dining. A new addition to the list of restaurants there will be Nina given by staff or leaders of each institution and Raffi Festekjian’s anoush’ella saj see KNIGHTS, page 11 kitchen, launched by this month. By Alin K. Gregorian The “fine casual” restaurant, the name Kurkjian Mirror-Spectator Staff of which literally means “may it be sweet,” is located at 53 West Newton St. and offers traditional Lebanese foods. Paintings The space is large and airy, with a long communal table as well as many other smaller tables and cozy nooks. The large table is covered with glass, under which Page 14 there are spaces filled with many of the Middle Eastern spices that will be used in the recipes, such as za’atar and cardamom, explained Nina Festekjian. Some of the food that will be welcomed by those from the Middle East or sim- ply fans of food from the region includes sabich, a sandwich with hardboiled eggs and grilled eggplants, as well as shakshukah, eggs in a rich garlicky tomato sauce. INDEX The centerpiece of the restaurant is the saj, a convex griddle for making Arts and Living . 13 Lebanese flat bread, manoush. That bread then is transformed into various Armenia . 2 yummy concoctions such as manaish (olive oil and za’atar) or lahme jun (meat Community News. 6 Editorial . 18 Outgoing Grand Commander Steven and tomato sauce). International . 3-5 see FOOD, page 9 Kradjian and outgoing Grand Matron Sona Manuelian 2 S ATURDAY, S EPTEMBER 9 , 2 0 1 7 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia President Attends Artsakh Republic Armenian Woman Independence Wounded in Egypt Celebrations Arrives Home for STEPANAKERT — President Serzh Sargsyan on September Treatment 2 participated in celebrations dedicated to the 26th anniver- YEREVAN (Arka) — An Armenian tourist, who was sary of the proclamation of wounded at the Red Sea Hurghada resort in Egypt, Artsakh Republic. returned home, Tigran Balayan, press secretary of Accompanied by President of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Twitter, on Artsakh Bako Sahakyan, the September 5. official delegation of the On July 14, two German women and a Czech A large Armenian flag is carried by residents of Stepanakert. Republic of Armenia and sever- woman were stabbed to death by an Egyptian man in al guests from abroad, Hurghada and three others, including an Armenian Sargsyan joined the solemn woman, were seriously wounded. march from Renaissance “The Armenian citizen wounded in Hurghada Square all the way through to returned safely home to continue treatment,” the Stepanakert Memorial to Balayan wrote. pay tribute to the memory of Earlier, Armenian Health Minister Levon Altunyan those heroes who perished for ordered to organize a consultation of specialists after Artsakh’s independence. transporting the woman to Armenia, to assess her Later today, President condition and report on the further process of her Sargsyan attended a festive treatment. reception in capital Stepanakert, followed by a gala Another Wildfire Rages concert dedicated to the procla- mation of Artsakh’s indepen- In Armenia dence held at Renaissance Square. YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Hundreds of firefighters, President Sargsyan, center, with Karabakh President Bako Sahakian in Stepanakert forestry workers and civilians battled a massive wild- fire in central Armenia for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, September 6. The fire raged in a partly wooded area near Byurakan, a village 35 kilometers northwest of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Announces Yerevan. It is located on the southern slope of Mount Aragats. Scholarship for Yezidi Students Residents of Byurakan and nearby communities as well as more than a hundred soldiers and a military YEREVAN — The Aurora dents that education can be a force for Scholarship Program, each of whom helicopter joined the firefighting efforts this week. Humanitarian Initiative has announced peace,” Vardanyan added. has been chosen for their academic As was the case during two previous major wildfires a new annual scholarship for Yazidi stu- “This scholarship is the opportunity potential and social engagement. that erupted in other parts of the country last dents, established in partnership with of a lifetime for young people from my Together, the 11 students come from month, the rocky terrain made it practically impossi- renowned Yazidi human rights activist community.