tells the story of Armenia - Armenian Reporter

An 

interview 

with Roger 

Strauch 

“Fabric of a 

Culture” to 

unfold at 

ALMA 

Hoy Lari releases 

new DVD for 

children 

See story on page 3 m See story on page 4 m See story on page 13 m 

800 AMD 

Armenia Edition 

Number 137 

November 7, 2009 

the armenian 

reporter 

The center panel of Grigor Khanjyan’s mural/triptych at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan. 

Grigor Khanjyan’s mural “tells 

the story of Armenia” 

Restored work to be unveiled at the Grand Opening 

of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts on November 8 

Visit us at reporter.am 

See story on page 10 m

The Armenian Reporter | November 7, 2009

Number 137 


History in the making 

This meeting of the Diocesan Representative 

Assembly was indeed 

historic. “Anytime a major organithe 

armenian 

reporter 

National 

Venture capitalist Roger Strauch discusses his 

investments in Armenia in an interview 

Roger Strauch, who launched Ask 

Jeeves (now Ask.com) years ago, and 

now invests in high-tech companies, 

had the vision to create inexpensive, 

reliable, and fast broadband Internet 

access in Yerevan, “with the 

idea that if it we were successful, 

we could create the business model 

for providing this type of service to 

Armenia 

other developing countries or areas.” 

With Adam Kablanian he launched 

iCON Communications, which uses 

cutting-edge WiMax technology. 

We spoke to Mr. Strauch about his 

connection to Armenia, which goes 

back to 1970. 

See story on page 3m 

Michael Kimmelman to speak at the Grand 

Opening of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts 

Community 

Michael Kimmelman, the lead art 

critic of the New York Times, will 

take part in a series of special 

events marking the grand opening 

of the Cafesjian Center for the 

Arts on November 8. An influential 

force in contemporary art, Mr. 

Kimmelman will deliver a lecture 

on his Pulitzer Prize–nominated 

book, The Accidental Masterpiece: 

On the Art of Life and Vice Versa. 


Services in conjunction with the third Diocesan Representative Assembly at Etchmiadzin. Photo: Mother See. 

Mother See adopts model 

bylaws for Church governance 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian, left, with Berge and Vera Setrakian at a gala on 

October 17. Photo: Melik Baghdasaryan/Photolure. 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian donate $11 million 

to AGBU Pasadena Center and High School 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian 

donated $11 million to the AGBU 

Pasadena High School and Center 

in Southern California. The gift 

was announced by AGBU president 

Berge Setrakian during a gala held 

Mannequins will turn into muses 

at the Armenian Library and Museum 

of America when “Fabric of 

a Culture: Traditional Armenian 

Costumes” opens in the museum’s 

The much anticipated Art in Fall exhibition 

of the works of prominent 

artists Hakob Hakobyan and three 

generations of Elibekians was held 

A conference at Antelias, Lebanon, 

focused on the 100th anniversary 

of the massacres at 

Adana, while another conference 

Community 

“Fabric of a Culture” to unfold at ALMA 

Community 

Community 

by the AGBU Southern California 

District Committee (SCDC) on October 

17 at the Sheraton Universal 

in Studio City, California. 


See editorial on page 18m 

John Simourian Family Gallery 

(mezzanine level) on Thursday, November 

14. 

100th anniversary of Adana massacres 

remembered in Antelias 


Hovnanian School Complex holds “Art in Fall” 

at the Hovnanian School Complex 

on Saturday, October 17. 


on the topic was set to begin in 

Istanbul, Turkey. 

See stories on page 16m 

See book review on page 18m 

Subject to NEA 

approval in 2011 

by Armenian Reporter staff 

YEREVAN – The International 

Monetary Fund disbursed a fresh 

$60 million installment of an $830 

million emergency loan to Armenia 

designed to help the country 

cope with the economic crisis. A total 

of about $479 million has been 

disbursed so far under the loan, or 

“stand-by arrangement,” which was 

approved in March and expanded 

in June. 

“The authorities have fully implemented 

their economic program, 

which calls for the continuation of 

fiscal and monetary easing and a 

flexible exchange rate,” Takatoshi 

Kato, the IMF’s deputy managing 

director, said in a statement. 

“The short-term outlook remains 

challenging. As external conditions 

improve, growth is expected to resume 

gradually in 2010, although 

risks remain, including a slower recovery 

of the global economy. Continued 

reforms, particularly in the 

areas of tax policy and tax reform 

administration, the financial sector, 

and the business environment 

will be necessary to boost the medium-term 

growth potential of the 

economy,” Mr. Kato added. 

Meanwhile, the Asian Development 

Bank undertook to release a 

first, $60 million tranche of a $500 

million loan for the restoration 

of the Yerevan-Batumi highway, 

Armenia’s Ministry of Transportation 

announced on November 

VAGHARSHAPAT, Armenia – The 

third Diocesan Representative Assembly 

of the Armenian Church 

was held in the Mother See of Holy 

Etchmiadzin from October 31 to 

November 4 to review, discuss, and 

approve the guidelines on Diocesan 

Bylaws and Parish Policies. 

Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, 

presided over the meetings, 

with the participation of representatives 

from the Armenian 

Patriarchates of Jerusalem and 

Constantinople; Diocesan Primates 

from Armenia and the diaspora; 

high-ranking clergy; members of 

the Supreme Spiritual Council; and 

representatives of the laity. 

Taking part in the opening ceremonies 

were President Bako Sahakian 

of Nagorno-Karabakh and 

Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran 

Sarkisian. 

In his remarks, the Catholicos reflected 

on the development of general 

guidelines for the Armenian 

Church in recent history, affirming 

that the mission of the Church is 

aided by uniform administration. 

4. The loan, to be disbursed over 

seven years, had been approved on 

September 29. 

The first tranche is for the restoration 

of an 18 km section of the 

Yerevan-Ashtarak road and for improving 

the safety of the Yerevan- 

Ararat road. The Armenian government 

will contribute $10 million to 

the project in co-financing. 

The ADB credit will be provided 

for 32 years, the grace period being 

the first 8 years. The interest rate 

over the grace period will be 1% p.a., 

afterwards will grow to 1.5% p.a. 

“The establishment of guidelines 

for the Diocesan Bylaws will create 

stable circumstances for administering 

Diocesan life. The adoption 

of this document will be a substantial 

step in the process of the establishment 

of the Armenian Church 

Constitution, and will reinforce the 

historical-canonical character of 

the Armenian Church,” stated the 

pontiff. 

Continued on page m 

IMF and Asian Bank approve fresh 

loan tranches for Armenia 

Nienke Oomes, 

the IMF Resident 

Director in 

Armenia. 

Photo: Tigran 

Tadevosyan/ 

Photolure. 

In an interview with RFE/RL, 

the resident director of the IMF 

in Armenia, Nienke Oomes, said 

“More competition is needed in a 

lot of sectors. A lot of sectors are 

dominated by one or two large 

companies that have a monopoly 

or oligopoly.” Referring to advice 

offered two weeks earlier by the 

managing director of the World 

Bank, Ms. Oones added, “We fully 

agree with the World Bank that 

this is something that should deserve 

the highest attention of the 

government.” 

f

The Armenian Reporter | November 7, 2009 

National 

Washington briefing 

by Emil Sanamyan 

Emil Sanamyan filed this report from 

Karabakh. 

Governance, business 

climate, technology in 

focus of U.S.-Armenia 

talks 

The United States and Armenia drew 

up a new action plan focusing on 

“good governance, addressing regional 

issues, and enhancing the business 

climate in Armenia,” the U.S. State 

Department reported on November 

4. The two countries also signed a 

memorandum of understanding on 

science and technology cooperation. 

The agreements were reached 

in the U.S.-Armenia Task Force 

(USATF) meetings in Washington 

that were co-chaired by Economics 

Minister Nerses Yeritsian and the 

Nerses Yeritsian. Photo: Photolure. 

State Department’s coordinator for 

assistance to Europe and Eurasia 

Dan Rosenblum. 

USATAF has met on biannual basis 

since 2000 to discuss U.S. assistance 

to Armenia and other 

economic and political issues of 

mutual concern. Mr. Yeritsian’s 

delegations met with officials from 

Departments of State, Treasury 

and Commerce, as well as Office of 

U.S. Trade Representative and the 

National Science Foundation. 

Following the Washington 

meetings, Mr. Yeritsian’s delegation 

was expected to join Prime 

Minister Tigran Sarkisian and 

other officials and business leaders 

for the ArmTech 2009 conference 

held in San Jose, California 

from November 5 to 8. 

Sen. Harry Reid 

(D-Nev.) 

Report: U.S. warns 

Azerbaijan over 

Karabakh war threats 

The State Department has denied 

reports that it warned Azerbaijan 

that the United States might move 

to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s 

independence if Azerbaijan were 

to launch a new aggression against 

the Armenian region. The claim was 

published by an opposition Azerbaijani 

newspaper, Yeni Musavat, and 

publicized by other Azerbaijani and 

Russian media on November 3. 

The Azerbaijani newspaper 

claimed that the warning came 

from Tina Kaidanow, the U.S. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 

in charge of Caucasus policy, who 

visited Azerbaijan early last week. 

The U.S. Embassy in Baku dismissed 

the report as “manufactured.” 

Ms. Kaidanow “said nothing like that. 

Tina Kaidanow did speak at length 

about U.S. support for a peaceful 

resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh 

conflict,” the embassy stated. 

U.S. officials, particularly the 

Bush Administration’s Assistant 

Secretary of State for Eurasia Dan 

Fried, have long cautioned Azerbaijan 

over its recurring threats to 

use military force, arguing that it 

would be unable to prevail in a new 

war against Armenians and risked 

fresh setbacks. 

Senate Democratic 

leader raises concerns 

over Armenia-Turkey 

protocols 

In a letter to Secretary of State 

Hillary Clinton, Sen. Harry 

Reid (D.-Nev.) communicated his 

constituents’ concerns over Armenia-Turkey 

agreements signed last 

month. Mr. Reid leads the majority 

Democratic Party in the Senate. 

Tina Kaidanow. 

Photo: Mkhitar 

Khachatryan/ 

Photolure. 

Writing on October 20, ten days 

after Secretary Clinton helped secure 

signing of the Armenian-Turkish 

deal in Zurich, Switzerland, Sen. 

Reid noted that he “received many 

letters from Nevadans who do not 

support the creation of an international 

commission to examine the 

historical record on the genocide 

and who believe that the agreements 

are unfair to Armenia.” 

The Armenia-Turkey agreements, 

in addition to establishment of 

diplomatic relations and opening 

of the border, envision creation of 

a bilateral panel on “historical dimension” 

of relations, a measure 

that the Turkish government hopes 

would help it fight resolutions condemning 

Armenian Genocide. 

Sen. Reid’s letter, made public by 

the Armenian National Committee 

of America (ANCA) on October 

Richard Armitage. 

30, also encouraged the secretary 

of state to meet with Armenian- 

American groups to discuss their 

concerns. In its press release, ANCA 

noted that both Secretary Clinton 

and President Barack Obama 

have repeatedly declined its offers 

to meet to discuss Armenia policy. 

A strong supporter of Armenian- 

American concerns, Sen. Reid is expected 

to face a tough Republican 

Party challenge in the 2010 elections. 

Armenian American businessperson 

Danny Tarkanian is 

among leading candidates for the 

GOP nomination in that election. 

Turkish lobby group 

picks ex-State Dept. No. 

2 as chair 

Former Deputy Secretary of State 

Richard Armitage will replace former 

National Security Advisor Brent 

Scowcroft as chair of the board of 

directors of the American-Turkish 

Council (ATC), the group reported 

on October 29. The appointment will 

take effect at the start of 2010. 

ATC is an umbrella group for the 

Turkish lobby funded primarily by 

large American arms and energy 

companies with interests in Turkey, 

as well as large Turkish companies. 

Admiral Scowcroft, who has led 

the ATC since 2000, will remain a 

board member. He was national 

security advisor under President 

Bush Sr. in 1989-93. 

Mr. Armitage was the second 

most senior official at the State 

Department from 2001 to 2005; he 

has since established a consulting 

group and has sat on various corporate 

and professional boards. 

From November 16 to 20, the 

outgoing and incoming chairs will 

travel to Turkey “for senior-level 

discussions with its government, 

military and business leadership,” 

ATC reported. 

f 

Michael Kimmelman to speak at Cafesjian Center for the Arts opening 

YEREVAN – Michael Kimmelman, 

the lead art critic of the New York 

Times, will take part in a series of 

special events marking the grand 

opening of the Cafesjian Center 

for the Arts on November 8. An 

influential force in contemporary 

art, Mr. Kimmelman will deliver a 

lecture on his Pulitzer Prize–nominated 

book, The Accidental Masterpiece: 

On the Art of Life and Vice 

Versa. 

A book signing will follow the 

lecture, providing a unique opportunity 

for the public to meet the 

author. 

“Good art is generous,” Mr. Kimmelman 

said. “It’s about encouraging 

people to look more closely at 

what’s around them.” Mr. Kimmelman 

tells of his approach with great 

color in his book, placing both art 

and art viewers into a cultural context 

and in communication with 

each other. 

In the introduction to The Accidental 

Masterpiece, Mr. Kimmerlman 

writes that his goal was to 

explore how “art provides us with 

clues about how to live our own 

life more fully. Put differently, this 

book is, in part, about how creating, 

collecting, and even just appreciating 

art can make living a daily masterpiece.” 

The book includes discussions 

on artists as wide-ranging 

as Bonnard, Vermeer, de Kooning, 

and Duchamp, but it also includes 

a chapter about Dr. Hugh Hicks, 

who runs a private museum from 

his basement showcasing his collection 

of over 75,000 light bulbs. 

Born and raised in Greenwich 

Village, New York, Mr. Kimmelman 

attended Yale and did his graduate 

work in art history at Harvard 

University. He is currently based 

in Berlin, writing the “Abroad” column 

for the Times on culture and 

society across Europe. 

Tickets to the event can be reserved 

by phone and purchased in 

the Visitor Center on the day of the 

event. The book can be purchased 

at the Museum Store. 

Yerevan’s Cascade has been completely 

transformed into one of the 

world’s outstanding contemporary 

art centers. The grand opening of 

the Cafesjian Center for the Arts 

was to begin on the evening of Saturday, 

November 7, with a spectacular 

fireworks display near the Cascade 

monument. On Sunday, November 

8, the public will be able to 

view all the renovations that have 

taken place inside the Cascade and 

to enjoy an outstanding schedule of 

exhibitions, visiting lecturers, book 

signings, concerts, and events. f 

connect: 

374-10-54 19 32 

info@cmf.am 

www.cmf.am 

Michael 

Kimmelman. 

Courtesy 

Impressions 

Advertising.


National 

 

Venture capitalist Roger Strauch discusses Armenia 

Roger Strauch is a first generation 

American who resides with his 

family in the Bay Area. He is a successful 

venture capitalist and chairperson 

of The Roda Group, which 

works primarily with cutting-edge 

high-tech firms. He has built and 

run several public companies and 

he has co-founded private companies 

that have been sold to industry 

leaders, including HP and Logitech. 

He is a well-known philanthropist 

who generously supports education 

and arts programs in the United 

States and Armenia. So, why does 

Mr. Strauch have a passion for 

things Armenian and why does he 

frequently travel to Armenia? 

The Armenian Reporter had an 

opportunity to interview Roger 

Strauch recently. 

AR: Roger, could you please tell 

our readers about your background 

and how you became a venture 

capitalist. 

RS: Growing up, my family lived 

in Massachusetts and I successfully 

launched my first company while in 

high school. My company employed 

a team of technicians that provided 

services to the R & D departments 

of high-tech Route 128 businesses. I 

attended Cornell University for my 

undergraduate degree in electrical 

engineering and Stanford University 

for my master’s degree in electrical 

engineering. I very much enjoy 

developing an idea into a successful 

business model, and with the 

technology in the world changing 

so rapidly, I focused on the highgrowth 

market of telecommunications. 

I co-founded a company that 

I ran for 14 years and when I retired 

from that venture, I wanted to do 

for others what my original investors 

did for me – create an environment 

that would attract and support 

the success of ambitious, hardworking 

entrepreneurs with clever 

ideas that could solve big problems 

in enormous markets. 

AR: As a venture capitalist, how 

do you work with a company and 

what have been some of your successes? 

RS: Generally speaking, we are 

a business-incubator type venture 

capitalist. We put up the initial 

funds to validate an idea in 

the form of a business. The Roda 

Group, a company that I formed 

with my college buddy, Dan Miller, 

not only invests financial resources 

into companies that we see as having 

a potential for growth, but also 

invests the human resources of 

management and mentorship. Dan 

and I currently sit on the boards 

of only 5 or 6 companies. In addition, 

we have successfully launched 

a few companies of our own, including 

PolyServe, which we recently 

sold to HP. The Roda Group 

launched Ask Jeeves, now Ask.com, 

which was sold to Barry Diller’s IAC 

and more recently, we were actively 

involved with SightSpeed, a voice 

and video IP conferencing on line 

service provider that we sold to 

Logitech late last year. 

AR: In February, you were in 

Armenia at the launch of iCON 

Communications (www.icon.am), 

a new internet service provider in 

Yerevan. Can you tell us about your 

involvement with iCON? 

RS: Several years ago, I was in 

Armenia with my good friend, 

Adam Kablanian. I told Adam 

of my vision to create inexpensive, 

reliable, and fast broadband Internet 

access in Yerevan, with the 

idea that if it we were successful, 

we could create the business model 

for providing this type of service 

to other developing countries or 

areas. Two years ago, we formed a 

small partnership and with Adam 

at the helm, launched iCON Communications. 

Our infrastructure is 

built upon a state-of-the-art network 

utilizing WiMax technology 

– which is more advanced than what 

is offered in the U.S. We successfully 

attracted additional investors 

from abroad, who enabled us to 

build the infrastructure in the Yerevan 

and then launch our service in 

Yerevan in February. Our customer 

base is growing rapidly. Customers 

can pay as little as 8,000 AMD or 

about $21 per month for unlimited, 

wireless Internet that is about five 

times faster than the dial up that is 

available on the market currently. 

Our wireless technology works well 

because it allows users with laptops 

to use the service in multiply 

locations using a small USB stick. 

We seem to have a prestige thing 

going at the moment with people 

demanding mobile, broadband 

Internet. We even have designed 

packages for visitors to Armenia to 

be able to purchase equipment and 

simply pay for the usage while they 

are in Armenia. 

AR: : So do you consider iCON a 

successful business? 

RS: Nope and Yup. We are not 

profitable yet. Our investors are investing 

in growth and in the future 

of the country’s need for more accessible 

and faster Internet access. 

And that is expensive – and let’s 

face it – a bit risky. However, we 

were able to enter the Armenian 

market as foreigners, work with 

the government to address a critical 

need that will help businesses, 

the government, and the population 

connect with the rest of the 

world. We have created are more 

than 50 professional jobs and have 

plans to increase that number to 80 

by year’s end. And finally, we were 

able to have a dream, launch a hightech 

company, and attract both foreign 

talent and foreign resources 

from well known industry leaders 

in the field of telecommunication 

to Armenia in only several years. 

AR: iCON sounds like a business 

that would work in many different 

cities around the world. So why 

did you pick Armenia as a launch 

point? What is your connection to 

Armenia? 

RS: My connection to Armenia 

started when I was 14 years old. My 

father, Karl Strauch, was the Chairman 

of the Physics Department at 

Harvard University and involved in 

collaborative scientific exchanges 

with the top laboratories in the 

Soviet Union. My father was working 

with Soviet scientists on accelerator 

technology and research in 

the late 60s and early 70s. In 1970, 

my father, at the invitation of the 

famous Armenian physists Artem 

and Alik Alikhanyan, brought our 

family to Armenia. As a teenager, 

I was impressed with the people 

with whom my father worked and 

became and remain friends with 

several of them, including, Tina 

Asatiani, a Georgian physicist and 

Academy member who spent the 

majority of her life working in Armenia 

and was one of the most 

honored female physists in the Soviet 

Union. 

When I was at Stanford working 

on my masters, I met and fell 

in love with Julie Kulhanjian, an 

Armenian-American girl from Detroit 

who was pre-med. She was 

impressed that I had been to Armenia! 

After Julie completed medical 

school in Michigan, we married. 

We have three teenage children, all 

of whom have been to Armenia 

multiple times and have worked on 

many Armenian-related projects. 

Our family is a member of St. Vartan’s 

Armenian Church in Oakland, 

Calif. In addition, we are active in 

the Armenian-American community 

in the Bay Area and nationally. 

AR: What are some of the organizations 

you and your family support 

through your philanthropy? 

RS: Julie and I believe it is important 

to set a strong example for 

not only our children, but for the 

community. We are involved with 

Cornell University and UC Berkeley, 

where I serve on engineering 

oversight committees, the Berkeley 

Repertory Theatre, where I have 

served as president, and we helped 

establish the UC Berkeley Armenian 

Studies Program. In addition, 

Julie and I supported and played an 

active role producing San Francisco 

Opera’s performance of the Arshak 

II, eight years ago. We are life members 

of the Armenian Assembly of 

America and support many smaller 

and impressive Armenian organizations. 

In 2006, our family created 

the Paros Foundation (www.parosfoundation.org) 

and we became its 

organizational sponsor. 

AR: What does the Paros Foundation 

do? 

RS: The Paros Foundation works 

with six organizations in Armenia 

involving the arts, children and 

people with disabilities. Our executive 

director, Peter Abajian, and I 

have identified organizations that 

we feel serve as leaders in their respective 

fields. Our support comes 

in the form of organizational operating 

funds, office space and 

operational resources and mentoring. 

Our goal is help these modest 

size projects manage their growth 

and attract more financial, human, 

and physical resources to their respective 

causes. Furthermore, we 

British officials engaged in genocide 

denial to appease Turkey’s 

concerns, according to government 

documents obtained by human 

rights lawyer who conducted 

an independent probe requested 

by the British-Armenian community, 

British and other media 

reported. 

Geoffrey Robertson, who had 

served as president of the U.N. war 

crimes court for Sierra Leone, issued 

a 44-page report titled “Was 

there an Armenian Genocide?” on 

October 9. 

Through Freedom of Information 

Act requests, Mr. Robertson 

obtained government opinions 

that urged British officials not to 

use the genocide term because 

“Turkey is neuralgic and defensive 

about the charge of genocide.” 

While acknowledging the ethical 

shortcomings of this position, 

the government also suggested in 

a 1999 briefing that “recognising 

the genocide would provide no 

have built a staff of travelling and 

in-country resources that other 

philanthropists or philanthropic 

institutions may choose to utilize 

to support their efforts to improve 

the quality of life and culture in Armenia. 

AR: What organizations does 

the Paros Foundation work with in 

Armenia and how can people learn 

more about getting involved? 

RS: We focus on improving the 

opportunities for at risk kids on 

the streets, economically disadvantaged 

kids, talented artists and 

disabled people to be effective contributors 

and to fully express themselves 

in a the country they all love 

so much. The programs we support 

The Strauch 

Kulhanjian 

Family during 

a visit to 

the historic 

Monastery 

Complex at Datev. 

Pictured left to 

right: Nairi, Paul, 

Alex, Roger and 

Julie. 

The Strauch family in 1970 during a visit to Armenia. Pictured at the table is 

Dr. Artem Alikhanian at the head. His wife Marina, my mother Maria, and two 

colleagues to his right. Roger Strauch (Age 14) and his brother Hans (Age 13) to 

his left. 

practical benefit to the UK,” while 

its denial helped relations with 

Turkey. 

Government reports also encouraged 

British officials to decline 

to pay respect to Armenian 

victims, while encouraging debate 

about validity of the genocide. 

Mr. Robertson argued that 

currently are the Paros Chamber 

Choir (www.paros.am), Unison 

NGO (www.unison.am), Manana 

Youth Center (www.mananayouth. 

org), Ghoghanj Children’s Center 

(www.childrenscenter.am), the 

Vanadzor Music School #3 (www. 

vanadzormusic.org) and the Vanadzor 

Museum of Fine Arts (www. 

vanart.org). 

People and organizations that 

are interested in implementing 

their projects via the Paros Foundation 

or donating can contact us 

through our website (www.parosfoundation.org) 

. 

AR: Thank you Roger. We wish 

you continued success in your 

many endeavors. 

f 

Report charges UK with denying Armenian genocide 

Geoffrey_ 

Robertson 

Britain’s policy sought “to evade 

truthful answers, because the 

truth would discomfort the Turkish 

government”. 

And also that “it is a matter of 

legal judgment, and not a matter 

for historians, as to whether 

past events amount to a crime of 

genocide.” 

f

4 The Armenian Reporter | November 7, 2009 

Community 

“Fabric of a Culture” to 

unfold at alma 

Traditional 

Armenian costumes 

on display Nov. 14 

WATERTOWN, Mass. – Mannequins 

will turn into muses at the 

Armenian Library and Museum of 

America (alma) when “Fabric of 

a Culture: Traditional Armenian 

Costumes” opens in the museum’s 

John Simourian Family Gallery 

(mezzanine level) on Thursday, November 

14. 

Colorful silks, angora wool, and 

goat hair dating from the late 19th 

century to 1915 are some of the 

extraordinary textiles featured in 

this exhibit by alma Curator Susan 

Lind-Sinanian. 

“This exhibit presents a rare opportunity 

to see original costumes 

from many regions of Armenia all 

in one location,” explains Ms. Lind- 

Sinanian. 

Located on a major crossroad between 

Europe and Asia, Armenia 

developed a wide-range of folk costumes 

and styles reflecting the culture 

of the different regions. Visitors 

can survey the rich heritage of 

the Armenians, ranging from the 

district of Kessaria in the West to 

the mountains of the Caucasus in 

the East, through the 18 costumes 

on view. 

The costumes on display are rare 

family heirlooms that have been 

donated to alma. A complete man’s 

costume from the town of Bitlis 

features a goat hair vest over silk 

and wool woven and embroidered 

pants and shirt with a turban-like 

hat. A woman’s blue two-piece silk 

Woman’s silk brocade jacket and skirt 

from Dikranagert, third quarter of 

19th century. Donated by Edward 

Stamboulian. 

jacket with hyper-long sleeves and 

skirt from Dikranagert reflects the 

silk weaving in the region. 

The museum houses the largest 

collection of traditional Armenian 

costumes outside of the Republic 

of Armenia. 

 

connect: 

almainc.org 

Art in Fall 

committee 

members. 

Hovnanian School holds “Art in Fall” 

featuring Hakob Hakobyan, others 

NEW MILFORD, N.J. – The 

much anticipated Art in Fall exhibition 

of the works of prominent 

artists Hakob Hakobyan and three 

generations of Elibekians was held 

at the Hovnanian School Complex 

on Saturday, October 17. The 

school’s cafeteria was converted 

into a warm gallery where over 80 

works of art were displayed and 

enjoyed by over 100 supporters of 

the school and the Armenian Radio 

Hour of New Jersey. 

“It was a major undertaking and 

the success was beyond expectation,” 

said Armenian Radio Hour 

board member Adi Abdo. “The 

committee is upbeat and eager to 

repeat similar programs.” 

The following restaurants and 

St. Gregory Church of Springfield/Indian 

Orchard celebrates 75th anniversary 

INDIAN ORCHARD, Mass. 

– The St. Gregory the Illuminator 

Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated 

its 75th anniversary at a 

lavish banquet on September 27th 

at the Country Club of Wilbraham 

in Wilbraham, Mass. 

The community had Archbishop 

Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, and 

Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, 

Vicar General, as their guests. 

More than 150 guests attended 

the sold-out event – many of whom 

came from all over New England 

and as far away as California – representing 

families and friends of 

the Church’s founding fathers. 

Following the Holy Liturgy, celebrated 

by Archbishop Choloyan, 

the banquet began with a cocktail 

reception, which was highlighted 

by a touching video depicting the 

history of the church through 

scenes of past generations of 

members partaking in events, activities, 

and dedicated community 

service. 

Sarkis Garibian, chairperson 

of the Board of Trustees, served as 

the master of ceremonies for the 

event. After the opening prayer, 

Sonia Merigian sang a beautiful 

rendition of the Star Spangled 

Banner followed by the St. Gregory 

Sunday school children, who sang 

Mer Hayrenik. 

The program continued with Ladies’ 

Guild member Sonia Arakelian, 

Armenian Relief Society member 

Mary Garibian, and Armenian 

National Committee member 

Gary Setian giving congratulatory 

remarks. 

The next important item on the 

banquet agenda was the honoring 

of the church’s founders and their 

wives. Salpie Cavros and Leo 

Vartanian exposed guests to the 

Church’s unique history and provided 

background information on 

the founders: Nazaret Atanian, 

Sam Aykanian, Arsen Derderian, 

Zadig Derderian, Krikor 

Derstepanian, Kevork Jamgochian, 

Mgrditch Janigian, Avedis 

John Jansizian, Toran Kalagian, 

Kapriel Kojian, Miran 

Margosian, Hachadoor Meldonian, 

Mardiros Meregian (aka 

Mike Melikian), Onnik Melikian, 

Antranig Piligian, Henry 

Piligian, Stepan Piligian, 

Hovsep Setian, Nishan Setian, 

Yeprem Setian, Nishan Tanelian, 

John Tarpinian, Oksan 

Tarpinian, Onnig Tarpinian, 

Negohos Vartanian and Nishan 

Vartanian. 

Program highlights included the 

St. Gregory School children who 

also performed. The younger boys 

beautifully recited “Hay em Yes” 

while the girls followed with “Masees.” 

The Sunday school children 

included Taline Brubach, Van 

Brubach, Vasken Fereshetian, 

Anna Garibian, Eddie-John 

Garibian and Sophie Pariseau. 

The children’s rousing spirits and 

excitement was certainly contagious. 

After the children’s performance, 

humorist Dottie Bengoian entertained 

the guests with her uniquely 

Armenian humor, which recalled 

the days of growing up in an Armenian 

family and community in 

America where Armenians could 

build their own Armenian church. 

Fr. Antranig Baljian, current 

pastor of St. Stephen’s church in 

Watertown, Mass., had a chance 

to give some thoughtful remarks 

to his former congregation. Der 

Antranig was St. Gregory’s pastor 

from 1976 to 1994. 

The event came to a close with 

Church pastor Rev. Bedros Shetilian 

who gave an address honoring 

the founding members and 

introduced Archbishop Choloyan 

who gave the keynote address and 

closing benediction followed by the 

singing of Giligia. 

St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian 

Apostolic Church, one of 

New England’s oldest Armenian 

churches, was built in 1934 by 26 

founding members who not only 

cleaned the bricks themselves but 

also helped dig the foundation of 

the church. The church survived a 

devastating fire in June 1966 when 

the original structure burnt to the 

ground. The Indian Orchard community 

rebounded and two years 

later the church was beautifully 

and artistically rebuilt. 

This event not only served as 

a celebration, but it also symbolized 

the strong community spirit 

and commitment the Indian Orchard 

Armenian community has 

to helping educate, preserve and 

promote Armenian traditions for 

the Armenian people living in the 

Diaspora. 

A video showing the founding 

and building of the church with 

beautiful Armenian background 

music was developed by Scott Brubach, 

Claudia Muradian-Brubach, 

Armen Tashjian, and Leo 

Vartanian. The videos are available 

at St. Gregory Church. 

prominent chefs of the metropolitan 

area donated their culinary 

talents: Suren Kilerjian of 

Cornetta’s Seafood, Nina Marie 

Bojekian of Oh La La Catering, 

Anahid Krichian of Krichian 

Catering, BNY Mellon Executive 

Chef Viken Mesropian, Rose 

Hajjarian of Rose’s Place, Executive 

Chef Arthur Toufayan, Private 

Chef Holly Guber, Keledjian 

of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon 

at Four Seasons Hotel, and 

Karoline and Karine Cakirdas 

of Keremo Designs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Khoren Nalbandian 

donated the wine, and Silva 

Setrakian donated the flower arrangement. 

The combination of 

food, drinks, art, and friends made 

the evening a memorable and jovial 

event. 

The committee members who 

worked over a year to prepare 

this exhibit were Karen Nargizian, 

Christine Casali, Melanie 

Toufayan, Ruby Gulian, Taline 

Aynilian, and Adi Abdo. 

An impressive number of paintings 

were sold in two hours. It 

was a win-win situation for the 

Armenian Radio Hour and Hovnanian 

School – the institutions that 

sponsored the evening – as well as 

for the artists whose works were 

purchased by art lovers. 

“We are encouraged by the response 

to art and may turn similar 

exhibitions into annual events,” 

said Adi Abdo. 

 

2010 agbu N.Y. Summer 

Intern Program 

applications now available 

NEW YORK – The agbu New 

York Summer Internship Program 

(nysip) has announced that applications 

for the 2010 program are 

available online. 

The deadline for the 2010 program 

will be Tuesday, December 

1, 2009. Now entering its 23rd 

season, nysip continues to attract 

the best and brightest college students 

of Armenian descent for 

eight action-packed weeks in New 

York City. 

The program brings together 

30-35 distinguished students of 

Armenian descent from around 

the world. In 2009, 32 students 

from 11 countries participated in 

the program. Participants gather 

in the world’s financial capital of 

New York with the common goals 

of gaining an edge in the pursuit 

of their future careers, establishing 

a deeper connection to their 

cultural heritage, and developing 

ties to other like-minded college 

students. The two-month experience 

continues to be a truly 

unique adventure, allowing students 

to form lasting memories 

and lifelong friendships. 

nysip participants are housed 

in a New York University residence 

hall and placed in fulltime 

internships based on each 

individual’s interests and career 

goals. 

Recent nysip alumni have 

been placed in top institutions 

such as Deutsche Bank, Merrill 

Lynch, Columbia University 

Medical Center, Eurasia Group, 

Rothschild, axa Advisors, Entertainment 

Weekly, Isaac Mizrahi, 

the National Hockey League, and 

scores of other prestigious companies 

and institutions. 

During evenings and weekends, 

students are involved in various 

educational, cultural, social, and 

professional networking events. 

Events include a visit to Saint 

Vartan Armenian Cathedral for a 

private tour and dinner with the 

Primate, a community service 

project at the Armenian Home for 

the Aged, various social outings 

and numerous talks by industry 

experts. 

Interns also benefit from an interactive 

Mentoring Program organized 

by the agbu Young Professionals 

of Greater New York, 

which works to increase one-onone 

interactions between local 

Armenian mentors and summer 

interns over an extended period 

of time. This mentoring program 

is an excellent opportunity for 

interns to be paired with a professional 

in their field of interest 

and meet several times throughout 

the summer to discuss various 

issues and seek general guidance. 

nysip has sister programs located 

in Paris and Yerevan. The 

agbu nysip staff has begun accepting 

applications for the 2010 

session. 

 

connect: 

agbu.org/nysip 

1-212-319-6383

The Armenian Reporter | November 7, 2009 5 

Community 

Calendar of Events 

cafesjian center 

for the arts 

Address: Cascade Complex, Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 541932 

Grand Opening Events Calendar 

NOVEMBER 7, 10:00 pm 

Fireworks Display at Cafesjian 

Sculpture Garden, Cascade 

NOVEMBER 8, 10:00 am 

Public Opening Ceremony 

10:00 am-10:00 pm 

First Public Admission Day, 

Cascade 

10:30 am 

Book Signing, Jaroslava Brychtová, 

Museum Store 

11:00 am 

Opening Reception, Libenský 

Brychtová: For Armenia, Sasuntsi 

Davit Hall 

1:00 pm 

Live Interview with Cynthia 

Lennon and Pattie Boyd, Special 

Events Auditorium 

Tickets required. General Public: 10,000 

amd, cca Members: 9,000 amd 

2:30 pm 

Book Signing, Cynthia Len- 

Weather forecast 

non: John, Special Events Auditorium 

2:30 pm 

Opening Reception, Book 

Signing, Pattie Boyd: Yesterday 

and Today, Sasuntsi Davit Garden 

Gallery 

7:00 pm 

Lecture, Michael Kimmelman, 

Lead Art Critic of the New York 

Times, Khanjyan Hall 

Tickets required. General Public: 2,000 

amd, cca Members: 1,800 amd 

a. spendiarian 

opera and ballet 

Address: 54 Tumanyan St., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 586311, 520241, 527992 

NOVEMBER 08 19:00 

“ Sukhishvili-R amishvili” 

Georgian National Ballet 


“Don Quijote” Ballet by L. Mincus. 

Conductor: A. Arakelyan 


“Aleko” Opera by S. Rakhmaninov. 

Conductor: K. 

Durganyan 

Artistic Director: E. Gabidov 

a. khachaturian 

concert hall 

Address: 46 Mashtots Ave., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 560645, 545742, 540746 


Anahit Sahakyan Recital. Participants: 

Arsen Grigoryan, 

Lusine Markosyan, “Barelamutyun” 

State Dance Ensemble 

and others 

NOVEMBER 12 18:30 Gousan 

Haykazun Recital 

g. sundukian 

academic theatre 

Address: 6 G. Lusavorich Str., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 527670, 521852, 589622 


“The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” 

by F. Werfel 


“A Streetcar Named Desire” 

by T. Williams 

mher mkrtchyan 

artistic theatre 

Address: 18 Khorenatsi Str., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 564227, 565709, 580199 


“Don’t Go Away Mad” by W. 

Saroyan. Artistic Director: Albert 

Mkrtchyan 

h. ghaplanyan 

drama theatre 

Address: 28 Issahakian Str., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 524723, 524733 


“Mamma Mia” by Ken Ludwig 

Artistic Director: A. Khandikyan 


“Silence Voice or the 6th Commandment” 

by V. Chaldranyan, 

G. Khanjyan. Artistic Director: 

Armen Khandikyan 


“Favourite Old Songs” /concert/. 

Participants: Andranik Papazyan, 

Eva. Program: I.Krutoy, 

I.Alegova, M. Dobrinin etc. 

state theatre of 

young spectator 

Address: 3 Moskovian Str., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 563040, 565061, 563127, 


“Ardaghion” State Pantomime 

Theatre. Artistic Director: Jirayr 

Dadasyan 

“Goy” experimental 

theatre 

Address: 6 G.Lusavorich Str., Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 525211 


“The Parallel” Choral Performance. 

“Hover” Chamber 

Choir. 

Conductor: Sona Hovhannisyan 

demirchyan sportconcert 

complex 

Address: Tsitsernakaberd Park, Yerevan 

Phone: (+374 10) 399803, 399913, 390001 


George Benson 

7 November 8 November 9 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 13 November 14 November 15 November 

Yerevan 

4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Shirak 

+2 

+13 

+2 

+14 

+5 

+15 

+4 

+13 

+4 

+7 

0 

+4 

-1 

+7 

0 

+9 

+2 

+7 

Kotayk 

+2 

+13 

+2 

+14 

+5 

+15 

+4 

+13 

+4 

+7 

0 

+4 

-1 

+7 

0 

+9 

+2 

+7 

Gegharkunik 

+2 

+13 

+2 

+14 

+5 

+15 

+4 

+13 

+4 

+7 

0 

+4 

-1 

+7 

0 

+9 

+2 

+7 

Lori 

+2 

+12 

+3 

+15 

+5 

+16 

+4 

+15 

+3 

+9 

+1 

+5 

0 

+8 

0 

+9 

+2 

+9 

Tavush 

+4 

+15 

+5 

+16 

+7 

+16 

+5 

+12 

+5 

+10 

+3 

+8 

+2 

+8 

+1 

+7 

+4 

+10 

Aragatsotn mount. 

+2 

+13 

+2 

+14 

+5 

+15 

+4 

+13 

+4 

+7 

0 

+4 

-1 

+7 

0 

+9 

+2 

+7 

Aragatsotn 

+4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Ararat 

+4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Armavir 

+4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Vayots Dzor mount. 

+2 

+13 

+2 

+14 

+5 

+15 

+4 

+13 

+4 

+7 

0 

+4 

-1 

+7 

0 

+9 

+2 

+7 

Vayots Dzor 

+4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Syunik valleys 

+4 

+16 

+5 

+18 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+19 

+10 

+14 

+5 

+10 

+4 

+12 

+5 

+14 

+8 

+18 

Syunik 

+5 

+15 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+14 

+10 

+12 

+3 

+8 

0 

+5 

+2 

+6 

+3 

+6 

+5 

+7 

Artsakh 

+4 

+15 

+7 

+17 

+9 

+14 

+10 

+12 

+3 

+8 

0 

+5 

+2 

+6 

+3 

+6 

+5 

+7 

LORI (05) 

SHIRAK (07) 

Ijevan 

Gyumri 

Vanadzor 

TAVUSH (10) 

Take advantage of the “Weather on 

Your Mobile” service. 

Hrazdan 

ARAGATSOTN (01) 

Ashtarak 

KOTAYK (06) 

Gavar 

Send the code of a region as a 

text message to the number 1009 

and get the weather forecast for 

tomorrow. 

Armavir 

ARMAVIR (03) 

YEREVAN (11) 

Artashat 

ARARAT (02) 

GEGHARKUNIK (04) 

VAYOTS DZOR (09) 

Yeghegnadzor 

ARTSAKH (12) 

Stepanakert 

120 AMD per message. 

SYUNIK (08) 

http://www.meteo-tv.am 

Kapan 

All rights reserved. 

Meteo-TV Company 

Monastery at Lake Sevan.


Community 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian donate $11 million to AGBU 

Pasadena Center and High School 

Honored at gala 

event 

PASADENA, Calif. – In a singular 

act of generosity, Vatche and 

Tamar Manoukian donated $11 

million to the AGBU Pasadena High 

School and Center in Southern California. 

The gift was announced by 

AGBU president Berge Setrakian 

during a gala held by the AGBU 

Southern California District Committee 

(SCDC) on October 17 at the 

Sheraton Universal in Studio City, 

California. 

Close to 500 people were present 

at the event, among them Rep. 

Adam Schiff (D.-Calif.), Ray Irani, 

the chairperson and CEO of Occidental 

Petroleum, AGBU Central 

Board members Carol Aslanian, 

Aris Atamian, Yervant Demirjian, 

Sam Simonian, Berge Papazian, 

Sinan Sinanian, Judge 

Dickran Tevrizian, and Yervant 

Zorian, SCDC chair Berge Shahbazian, 

and members of the SCDC 

board. 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian of 

London were the honorees of this 

year’s gala. They are longtime benefactors 

of AGBU and the global Armenian 

community, and the AGBU 

Center and High School in Pasadena 

will be renamed in their honor. 

The AGBU Pasadena Complex is 

the center of the organization’s activities 

in the region. In addition to 

the three-year-old AGBU High School 

in Pasadena, which has over 120 students, 

and athletic facilities that host 

hundreds of youths every weekend, 

the AGBU Pasadena Center is home 

to the organization’s many cultural 

and educational programs, including 

the Ardavazt Theater Company, 

Generation Next Mentorship Program, 

Hye Geen, Sardarabad Dance 

Ensemble, and the Young Professionals 

of Los Angeles. 

Vatche and Tamar Manoukian, left, with Berge and Vera Setrakian at the Saturday night gala. 

Meeting with local 

Armenians 

On Friday, October 16, members 

of the AGBU Central Board and of 

SCDC visited the AGBU Manoogian- 

Demirdjian School in Canoga Park, 

Calif., which offers K–12 instruction 

to over 800 students. During 

their visit, they toured classrooms 

and the new Artemis Nazarian 

Pre-School facilities, familiarized 

themselves with the high school’s 

cutting-edge robotics program, 

and joined the school’s Parent- 

Teacher Organization for a luncheon. 

In the evening, the group met 

with the chairs of AGBU chapters 

and committees in Southern 

California. A focus of the meeting 

was the Central Board’s statement 

of support for the protocols 

on the normalization of relations 

between Turkey and Armenia, 

signed in Zurich a few days earlier. 

A most generous gift 

Saturday night’s gala at Sheraton 

Universal featuring a cocktail reception 

followed by a formal dinner. 

The event featured remarks 

by Mr. Manoukian and words by 

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, 

Primate, who relayed the blessing 

of Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. 

Berge and Vera Setrakian, along with AGBU Board Members 

Aris Atamian, Carol Aslanian, and Sinan Sinanian, tour 

kindergarten classrooms at the AGBU Manoogian- 

Demirdjian School. 

Students of the newly constructed Artemis Nazarian Preschool 

greet AGBU President Berge Setrakian, his wife Vera 

Setrakian, AGBU Central Board and SCDC members during 

their tour of the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School. 

In a speech, Mr. Setrakian, the 

AGBU president, lauded the Manoukians 

for their strong dedication 

to the values that form the 

cornerstone of the Armenian 

community. “Vatche and Tamar, 

both of whom were born into 

families with strong Armenian 

values, have achieved a dream 

life with a warm family of their 

own, financial success, and unsparing 

philanthropy, all the 

while perpetuating and promoting 

the Armenian values which 

were inculcated in them by their 

parents.” 

In his message, Karekin II said, 

“Vatche and Tamar Manoukian’s 

names are cherished in the diaspora 

as well as in the hearts 

of all Armenians in the motherland. 

The lives of our future 

generations should be positively 

affected by the generosity of our 

benefactors, Vatche and Tamar 

Manoukian.” 

In honor of the Manoukians, the 

AGBU Pasadena Center will be renamed 

the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian 

Center and the AGBU High 

School Pasadena will also bear their 

names. 

In addition to the Manoukians’ 

donation, the SCDC Gala 

raised $400,000, including a gift 

of $160,000 from the Turpanjian 

Family Education Foundation of 

California. 

f 

AGBU Manoogian School celebrates 40th anniversary, unveils 

new high school building 

by Dickran Toumajan 

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.7 – On October 

10, 2009 the A.G.B.U. Alex and 

Marie Manoogian School in Southfield, 

Michigan, celebrated its 40th 

anniversary with a dinner-dance to 

the delight of nearly 500 graduates, 

community leaders, and supporters 

of the school, former and current 

school board members, principals, 

faculty, staff, and students. 

The school’s mission is to offer a 

high-quality education in a safe, secure, 

and family-oriented environment, 

and to preserve and promote 

the Armenian heritage through the 

teaching of language, literature, history, 

culture, music, and dance. In 

the mid-1990s, under the guidance 

of longtime principal Dr. Nadya 

Sarafian, the school experienced 

a smooth transition from a private 

to a charter institution. 

Dr. Hosep Torossian, the current 

principal of the Manoogian 

High School, and several key members, 

past and present, of the school 

board had a vision of seeing the 

school expanded into a modern twostory 

facility, equipped with state-ofthe-art 

science laboratories, expansive 

classrooms, and an auditorium. 

Their goal was realized thanks to the 

generosity and largesse of Richard 

Manoogian and Louise Manoogian 

Simone, who maintain the 

tradition and continue the legacy 

established by their unparalled parents, 

Alex and Marie Manoogian, 

the school’s original benefactors. 

Own your dream home in Armenia now 

The roses are in bloom,the blackcurrants ripe. 

So are the apples and succulent grapes. 

A comfortable house with a garden in the highly desirable 

Aygedzor neighborhood of Yerevan is for sale. 2 br, 2½ baths, 

lr, dr, kitchen, working fireplace, hardwood floors, elegant 

tiles, on 2 sunny stories (160 sq m total on a 220 sq m lot) 

newly upgraded. City gas. 24-hour water. 

On a quiet street steps away from Baghramian Ave., 

the location is peaceful yet accessible. Contact Martha at 

armenia.home@gmail.com for more information. 

The school has grown from 10 students 

and two teachers (both Keghanoush 

Keledjian and Yvonne 

Korkoian were in attendance) in 

1969 to a student body of over 400 

and a faculty and staff of 55. The 

school has been honored by the 

State of Michigan with two Golden 

Apple Awards for academic excellence. 

A high percentage of Manoogian 

graduates continue their 

education in institutions of higher 

learning, and several have distinguished 

themselves and brought 

credit to their families and alma 

mater as doctors, lawyers, teachers, 

and businesspersons. 

The festivities began with welcoming 

remarks from master of 

ceremonies Richard Dickran 

Kurjian, a 1979 graduate of the 

school and now treasurer of the 

school Board of Directors. He and 

his wife Mona (also a graduate 

and classmate) have two fine sons 

in the school. His parents were 

among those who emigrated from 

Istanbul along with many other 

Armenians in the 1960s, believed 

in the importance of an Armenian 

school in the metropolitan Detroit 

area, and became members of the 

Cultural Society of Armenians 

from Istanbul, constant supporters 

of the Manoogian School. 

Dr. Richard Marburger, the 

dynamic and energetic president 

of the Manoogian School Board 

High school 

students and 

teachers infront 

of the new 

building 

and president emeritus of Lawrence 

Technological University in 

Southfield, brought greetings and 

salutations from his hard-working 

colleagues on the board. He is 

married to an Armenian, considers 

himself an adopted Armenian, and 

has dedicated much of his time to 

the Detroit Armenian community. 

He mentioned how proud he was 

about the opportunity for select 

honors students to take an engineering 

course at Lawrence Tech. 

Dr. Torossian, the high-school 

principal, announced with pride 

that the class of 2010 has already 

garnered nearly $400,000 in schol- 

Continued on page m


Community 

 

Mother See adopts model bylaws for Church governance 

n Continued from page 

zational change takes place, it is a 

milestone,” Dr. Varoujan Altebarmakian, 

former chair of the Western 

Diocesan Council and current 

member of the Supreme Spiritual 

Council, told the Armenian Reporter. 

“This document created a governing 

structure, a new format, which is 

more consistent. The fact that delegates 

from all the dioceses took part 

in this session was very important.” 

The work involved in drafting a 

new constitution for the Armenian 

Church goes back to the election of 

Catholicos Karekin I in 1995. 

After the death of Catholicos 

Vazken I in 1994, a National Ecclesiastical 

Assembly (NEA) was convened 

for the first time since 1955 

to elect a new Catholicos. 

The Catholicos of the Great 

House of Cilicia was elected as the 

new Catholicos of All Armenians 

and became Karekin I. Because 

the NEA is the highest body in the 

Armenian Church, during the election 

in 1995 for a new Catholicos, it 

also discussed one of the Church’s 

most pressing issues – the creation 

of a constitution for the worldwide 

Armenian Church. 

Delegates voted to charge the 

newly elected Catholicos Karekin I 

with this task, which entailed convening 

another session of the NEA. 

This meeting would in essence, 

serve as a constitutional convention 

that was to be held in Holy 

Etchmiadzin sometime before the 

year 2000. 

Although a committee was appointed 

for this task, Karekin I fell 

ill only a few years after his election. 

According to Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian, 

the foreign press secretary of 

the Mother See, the task was too 

monumental and “the draft documents 

coming from the committee 

were lacking in scope, quality, 

depth, and understanding.” 

After the untimely death of 

Karekin I, another NEA was convened 

in October 1999 to elect a new 

Catholicos. Karekin II was elected 

as Catholicos. During the meeting, 

the 450 delegates from around the 

world again raised the issue of the 

constitution and charged the new 

Catholicos to form a more comprehensive 

committee of clergy and 

lay people to do the work. “This 

time they also voted to empower 

a smaller group of people to do the 

actual job of meeting every three 

to four years to review progress on 

the document and vote to accept it 

when it was finally ready,” Der Ktrij 

explained. 

The 450 delegates also agreed 

that it would be more effective to 

meet in smaller numbers for a constitutional 

convention. Therefore it 

was decided that each diocesan primate, 

each diocesan council chair or 

vice chair (non-clergy), members of 

the Supreme Spiritual Council, and 

other bishops (who may not have 

administrative responsibilities) 

would form a new body called the 

Diocesan Representative Assembly 

(DRA), which would be made up of 

approximately 100 people in total. 

This body, which would be easier to 

organize and more practical than 

gathering 450 people in Armenia, 

would meet every four years. 

A new constitution committee 

composed of clergy and lay people 

began their work and provided 

progress reports twice a year to 

the Supreme Spiritual Council and 

the Catholicos, and also an interim 

progress report to the full Diocesan 

Representative Assembly in 2003. 

The constitution committee decided 

to compartmentalize and 

tackle this task in phases. “They realized 

that over the past 100 years, 

each diocese in each country developed 

its own customs and traditions 

based upon local and regional 

needs,” explained Der Ktrij. “At 

times dioceses contradicted each 

other and sometimes they even 

contradicted centuries of Church 

canons and traditions.” 

With the blessing of the Catholicos 

and the Supreme Spiritual 

Council, the constitution committee 

decided that before proceeding 

they first needed to have uniformity 

in the over 40 dioceses throughout 

the world before they could 

actually have one comprehensive 

constitution for the Armenian 

Church. They began working on 

parish bylaws and diocesan bylaws, 

which eventually merged into a 

document called the Guidelines for 

Diocesan Bylaws for the Armenian 

Church. This document, consisting 

of 17 articles and approximately 95 

clauses, would need to be approved 

by all dioceses and incorporated 

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. Photo: Mother See. 

into their local dioceses and parishes. 

The Guidelines for Diocesan Bylaws 

for the Armenian Church was 

finally ready this year. It was presented 

to the Supreme Spiritual 

Council, which approved it for presentation 

to the Diocesan Representative 

Assembly. 

In the meantime, draft versions 

of the document were sent to the 

dioceses for review. “All the dioceses 

received multiple drafts over the 

years,” explained Dr. Altebarmakian 

and added that this process was 

one of the reasons that the meeting 

went as smoothly as it did. “It 

created a concensus, a flexibility. 

While it is not a perfect document 

yet, it is a great foundation.” 

A meeting of the DRA was finally 

convened to coincide with the 10th 

anniversary of the election and enthronement 

of Catholicos Karekin 

II. 

The meeting of the DRA this past 

week in Holy Etchmiadzin was extremely 

productive according to 

the foreign press secretary. “The 

meetings were lively, inclusive, and 

productive. All of the delegates, 

both clergy and lay took this task 

seriously and understood the importance 

of what they were doing. 

Each article and clause was discussed 

separately, each item in the 

document was voted on individually,” 

he explained. 

At the final session of the meeting, 

after each article and clause 

had been voted on individually 

and approved, the entire document 

was put to a vote. The document 

was ratified overwhelmingly and 

each diocese will now have to take 

the document back to their own 

communities and incorporate the 

Guidelines into their existing bylaws 

where applicable or write new 

bylaws where they don’t exist. 

“Concurrent to that work, now 

that the Guidelines for Diocesan 

Bylaws are approved, the constitutional 

committee will continue 

writing the actual Constitution for 

the Armenian Church and another 

Diocesan Representative Assembly 

has been tentatively scheduled for 

2011, where we expect to receive 

the final draft of the Constitution,” 

Der Ktrij said. 

At that time, the Diocesan Representative 

Assembly will have to 

make a number of decisions, including 

whether they want to approve 

the document themselves, 

or reconvene the entire National 

Ecclesiastical Assembly to have a 

constitutional convention and ratify 

the document. 

“This is not the end of the process. 

We will take this document back 

with us to our dioceses where it will 

undergo continuous modification,” 

Dr. Altebarmakian said. 

The general feeling among who 

took part in this process is that 

the headquarters of the Armenian 

Church, finally, after genocide and 

after seventy years of Soviet rule is 

in a position and has the resources 

to lead the process of improving 

and better administering church 

governance. 

f 

AGBU Manoogian School celebrates 40th anniversary, unveils new 

high school building 

n Continued from page 

arships to study in colleges and universities 

in Michigan and beyond. 

Brenda L. Lawrence, mayor of 

Southfield, spoke about her fondness 

for the Armenian community, 

which has been active in the development 

and growth of the economy 

in the area. 

Artoun Hamalian, New Yorkbased 

director of education for the 

AGBU, had visited the school earlier 

in the week and met with members 

of the Armenian faculty. He spoke 

of his favorable impressions of the 

school. 

James Goenner, executive director 

of the Center for Charter 

Schools at Central Michigan University, 

talked about the success 

of the Manoogian School and how 

it has served as a model for other 

schools in the state. 

Dyana Kezelian, principal of 

the Manoogian Pre-K, Elementary, 

and Middle School, was the 

next speaker. As a long-time 2ndgrade 

teacher, later head teacher, 

and now principal, Dyana has 

been the living embodiment of the 

school for the past 35 years. She 

has seen two generations of students 

grow, mature, and graduate. 

She remarked how heartwarming 

it was to see children of graduates 

now attending the school. 

Edmond Azadian, vice-chairperson 

of the School Board, was 

given a plaque honoring him for 40 

years of uninterrupted and dedicated 

service to the school. 

Mr. Manoogian, accompanied 

by his wife, Jane, thanked all 

those, past and present, associated 

with the well-being of the 

Ribbon cutting. 

school and reminisced how the 

students would brighten his father 

and mother’s day during their 

frequent visits. He quipped how 

proud they were when the school 

was mentioned in the media, even 

for snow-day announcements. 

Rev. Fr. Diran Papazian, former 

pastor of St. John Armenian 

Church and a fixture at the school 

for all special events, offered a 

prayer in closing. This was followed 

by the official cutting of the ribbon 

and formal unveiling of the Manoogian 

High School. Guests were 

given tours of the school by smiling 

high school students in uniform. 

Guests enjoyed a lavish mezze table 

prepared by a small but extraordinary 

group of teachers, parents, 

and grandparents. The dinner was 

catered by well-known chef Gary 

Reizian and his crew. 

Entertainment was provided by 

Arthur Apkarian and his band 

from Montreal. 

They mesmerized the audience 

late into the night with an inexhaustible 

repertoire of Armenian 

popular and patriotic songs. 

Kudos to the Dinner/Dance 

Committee comprised of Linda 

Darian Karibian, Ani Kasparian, 

Sonia Kalfayan, Dyana 

Kezelian, Mona Kurjian, Silva 

Sagherian, Sylvia Samarjian, 

Seran Tcholakian, and Shoghig 

Torossian. 

f

Record crowds attend arpa Film Festival 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Record 

crowds turned out at the legendary 

Egyptian Theatre for a 

weekend of film screenings and 

receptions and a star-studded 

closing-night awards gala as the 

Arpa International Film Festival 

marked its 12th consecutive 

year in the creative capital of 

the world. 

More than 20 nations including 

Armenia, Venezuela, Turkey, 

Brazil, France, Peru, Canada, 

Mexico, Malawi, Israel, Spain, 

China, Bhutan, India, and Iran, 

were represented among the 

feature films, shorts, documentaries, 

music videos, and animations 

that screened during 

the weekend of October 23. 

Such filmmakers as Alex 

Webb (director of Hove, starring 

Olympia Dukakis), 

Lucy Martens and Marjorie 

Wright (filmmakers of the 

2009 Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian 

Award recipient Voices 

from Inside: Israelis Speak) and 

Ghazaros Kerjilian (the subject 

of Mehmet Binay’s Talking 

Pictures, a companion piece 

to Whispering Memories) flew in 

from around the world to attend 

this year’s festivities. 

Awards were handed out at 

a star-studded closing night 

awards ceremony on Sunday, 

October 25. Attendees included 

actress Ann Magnuson (Chasing 

Tchaikovsky); caa agents 

Ara Keshishian and Stuart 

Manashil; Emmy- and Academy 

Award–nominated producer 

Stuart Sender; actor 

and television anchor Vachik 

Mangassarian; Maria Armoudian 

(kpfk 90.7 FM onair 

host); actor Marco Khan 

(Iron Man, 10,000 B.C.); awardwinning 

actress and human 

rights activist Mary Apick; 

award-winning filmmaker Eric 

Nazarian (The Blue Hour); 

voice-over actress Eliza Jane 

Schneider (Comedy Central’s 

“South Park” and MTV’s Popzilla); 

and screenwriter Peter 

Briggs (Hellboy). 

Venezzia premieres 

opening night 

On Friday, October 23, the 

festival premiered Haik Gazarian’s 

highly anticipated 

directorial debut, Venezzia, a 

Venezuelan production starring 

two of Latin America’s 

top film and television stars, 

Alfonso Herrera and Ruddy 

Rodriguez. Gazarian, along 

with star Ruddy Rodriguez and 

screenwriter Valentina Rendon, 

were in attendance for 

the red-carpet event attended 

by over 500 fans and hosted 

by reelzChannel’s Jill Simonian. 

Several dozen fans of 

Alfonso Hererra also attended 

the screening, hoping to get a 

glimpse of the star, who was 

unable to attend. 

Sold-out screenings 

Saturday’s highlights included 

two sold-old screenings. This 

year’s recipient of Arpa International 

Film Festival’s Armin 

T. Wegner Humanitarian Award, 

which is awarded annually to a 

motion picture that contributes 

to the fight for social conscience 

and human rights, was Voices 

from Inside: Israelis Speak. “This 

feature-length documentary 

film is based on the stories of 16 

12th annual arpa International Film 

Festival award recepients: 

Best Documentary: Return to 

Mexico City (USA/ Mexico) 

Best Short Film: The Tangent 

(La Tangente) (France) 

Best Animated Film: Dress 

Story (Armenia) 

Best Screenplay: Venezzia 

(Venezuela) 

Best Director: Sonbahar 

(Autumn) (Turkey) 

Best Film: Venezzia 

(Venezuela) 

Arpa Breakthrough Award 

2009: Greg Lalazarian for 

Chasing Tchaikovsky (USA) 

Arpa/AT&T Award for 

Environmental Conservation 

and Stewardship: Battle for 

the Xingu (Brazil/ USA) 

Arpa Foundation Award: 

presented to Armenian 

Educational Foundation 

(AEF) for the film, Because 

Education Matters directed 

by Sevag Vrej, produced by 

Christina Hacopian. 

Armin T. Wegner 

Humanitarian Award: 

presented to Lucy Martens 

and Marjorie Wright for the 

film Voices from Inside: Israelis 

Speak 

Members of 

the Armenian 

Educational 

Foundation, 

recipient of 

the 2009 Arpa 

Foundation 

Award. 

Jewish Israeli voices of conscience, 

each representing a different 

facet of the peace movement 

inside Israel,” said Zaven 

Khatchaturian, Arpa International 

Film Festival curator, who 

invited the filmmakers, producer/director 

Lucy Martens and 

producer Marjorie Wright, to 

the festival. The screening attracted 

a capacity audience and 

was followed by a discussion 

with the filmmakers. 

Saturday’s daylong screenings 

culminated with the premiere 

of Chasing Tchaikovsky, a hillarious 

comedy about marriage 

and moviemaking directed by 

Greg Lalazarian and starring 

veteran actress Ann Magnuson. 

Art Aroustamian, Boyd 

Banks, and Josie Davis also 

star in the film. The screening 

was attended by over 500 

guests, and included a red-carpet 

prereception party for the 

cast and crew. 

Documentary and short 

winners 

In the documentary lineup, 

this year’s official selection 

included the work of such acclaimed 

figures as Sting in the 

film Battle for the Xingu. The 

film was honored with the inaugural 

Arpa/AT&T Award for 

Environmental Conservation 

& Stewardship. AT&T’s Troup 

Coronado presented the 

award on behalf of AT&T Real 

Yellow Pages, the festival’s Presenting 

Sponsor this year. The 

current issue of the Glendale- 

Burbank Real Yellow Pages features 

Arpa International Film 

Festival on its cover. Battle for 

the Xingu tells the story of the 

Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon, 

which is home to 10,000 

indigenous people who rely on 

the river for survival. The Brazilian 

government is proposing 

what would be the world’s 

third-largest hydroelectric 

dam, threatening to destroy 

the bio diversity of the region 

and depriving these people of 

a sustainable future. 

The award for Best Documentary 

was given to Return 

to Mexico City, a documentary, 

narrated by “24” star Kiefer 

Sutherland, which includes 

interviews with President 

Barack Obama and Tom Brokaw. 

The film tells the story 

of Olympic medalists Tommie 

Smith and John Carlos 

who return to Mexico City 40 

years after stirring controversy 

by raising their fists in the air 

during their medal ceremony 

and, in the process, raising 

awareness of the struggle for 

civil rights in America and basic 

human rights throughout 

the world. 

The award for Best Short Film 

went to France’s La Tangente 

while Dress Story from Armenia 

received the award for Best Animated 

Film. 

Recipients 

The Armenian Educational Foundation 

(aef) received this year’s 

Arpa Foundation Award. Over 

its 60 year history, aef has been 

committed to youth and the pursuit 

of academic scholarship. The 

organization has built and supported 

the establishment of hundreds 

of day schools around the 

world. A short documentary film, 

produced by Christina Hacopian 

(Gossip Girl, Bride Wars, Dirty 

Dancing) and directed by Sevag 

Vrej (award-winning feature film 

director of N-4 and Serj Tankian’s 

mvpa-nominated “Feed Us” 

music video), documenting aef’s 

educational endeavors, screened 

during the closing-night awards 

ceremony. The award was presented 

by past Arpa Foundation 

Award recipient, actress and activist 

Mary Apick. The award was 

received by the filmmakers and 

board members of aef, including 

Alex Baghdassarian. 

Hollyscoop hosts apra 

gala and reception 

The illustrious Hollyscoop Girls – 

Diana Madison, Nora Gasparian, 

and Ani Esmailian served as 

this year’s Closing Night Awards 

Gala emcees. Hollyscoop host a 

new weekly half-hour entertainment 

and pop-culture television 

program that airs at midnight on 

the CW, ktla 5 in Los Angeles. 

connect: www.affma.org 

Arpa 

International 

Film Festival 

committee 

and volunteers 

attend the 

Closing Night 

Awards Gala. 

Photos: Arpa 

Film Festival. 

8 Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture | November 7, 2009

Elen Khougoyan, right, 15, knitting a Vaspourakan lace and wearing the typical Vaspourakan dress, and Meline Ghaletyan, 13, knitting an Aintab lace, wearing a typical Aintab dress. Photo: Araz Artinian. 

Araz Artinian explores the past 

Project Under 

Construction 

by Elaine Krikorian 

After an in-depth examination 

of her Armenian identity with 

the 2005 film The Genocide in 

Me, Araz Artinian was tired of 

exploring what she called “the 

Genocide issue.” 

“I didn’t want to hear the word 

‘Armenia’ or ‘Armenian,’” Artinian 

told the Armenian Reporter. 

“I was ready to give up my Armenian 

identity.... I had begun 

by fighting against my dad’s 

obsession with his nationalism, 

but I became worse.” 

She told herself, “If I stay 

in Armenia, I’ll do something 

with kids. I’ll do something 

about the future of Armenia 

and something that touches 

the art world.… I started doing 

research.” 

Artinian’s new project is to create 

an interactive website. Like 

“20 Voices,” a site she began after 

finishing The Genocide in Me, this 

website will include a map, in 

this case of Armenia today. 

Elaine Krikorian, a graduate of UC 

Berkeley, is interning with the Armenian 

Reporter in Yerevan through the Armenian 

Volunteer Corps. 

“The main reason I started 

[this project],” says Artinian, 

“was I thought that Armenian 

history was not that well taught 

in our school.... I said it will be 

interesting, even for me, to recreate 

scenes from the 22 past 

centuries of Armenia so kids 

can have something visual to 

base their knowledge on, and by 

remembering the photos they 

can remember the history.” 

In order to choose the themes 

for the 22 centuries of Armenia’s 

history, Artinian sought 

out 30 children, ages 10 to 17, 

from all 12 districts of Yerevan, 

each of whom practices an art 

form that is disappearing in Armenia. 

With these children she 

travelled as far as Karabakh to 

create the moments that represent 

each century. 

The website will have two 

components, fiction and documentary. 

Artinian began her 

project by visiting schools in 

Yerevan and photographing the 

students. “I looked for kids who 

were photogenic and talented. 

And I would ask the teacher, 

‘who would you suggest?’... I 

went mostly after the talent.” 

The 22 centuries of Armenia 

have themes ranging from musical 

instruments (duduk, zurna, 

and dhol in earlier centuries; 

kanun, oud, and kamancha after 

the 15 c.), and visual arts (ceramics, 

miniature painting, lace) 

to horseback riding and the acrobatic 

arts, as well as famous 

figures (e.g. Mesrop Mashtots, 

representing literature). 

For the documentary portion 

of her site, photographed 

by Karen Mirzoyan, Artinian 

interviewed and collected information 

on the lives of the 

children who learn and perform 

these arts. They are photographed 

in front of their homes 

Continued on page 14 

Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture | November 7, 2009 9

Grigor Khanjyan’s mural tells 

by Gregory Lima 

YEREVAN – Grigor Khanjyan 

spent a large part of the last eight 

years of his life on a scaffold with 

his color box and brushes in a 

broad hall allotted to him in Yerevan’s 

Cascade. Here he painted 

al fresco the vast triptych that is 

his final masterwork. 

His last days on the scaffold 

were in bitterly cold weather; 

old, sick, and eyesight failing, 

he seemed to know the end 

would soon come. On the day 

before his death, working on 

the final panel, the “Rebirth 

of Armenia,” he summoned 

his last reserves of strength, 

completing – one could say illuminating 

– in a single day the 

critical central area that had remained 

unfinished; on this day 

he painted the beautiful face of 

Mother Armenia and her child, 

the new Armenia. Only hours 

later, he passed away. 

The huge triptych, completed 

and in full restoration, graces 

the entire wall in its own designated, 

stately hall, open and 

free to the public, an integral 

part of the new Cafesjian Center 

for the Arts. 

In this environment I see it 

and feel it as a sacred space. I 

believe Grigor Khanjyan also 

thought of it that way. 

He created a mural of this 

ancient Christian land and 

its people, telling of struggles, 

early triumphs, tragedy, and rebirth 

in independence. He did it 

with heart and soul on a public 

wall for everyone who wishes 

to know what it means to be an 

Armenian. 

He would do it in a way that 

speaks to the generations into 

which he was born, inspiring 

and legible to the common man 

and woman. 

Who was Grigor Khanjyan? 

Born in Yerevan in 1924, he 

graduated from art schools in 

the city as World War II ended. 

His work spans the second 

half of the 20th century. He 

lived to see the end of Stalin, 

the resurgence of the Apostolic 

Church, and to take active 

part in the movement for the 

independence of Armenia. He 

passed away in the year 2000, 

with red, blue, and orange on 

his palette and under the skin 

of his hands. 

Khanjyan, was a man of prodigious 

talent, understanding 

of Armenian literature, and 

abiding religious faith. As an 

artist he possessed an uncanny 

ability to catch, and to express 

graphically, the decisive narrative 

moment. 

It led him to unfashionable 

clarity. By choice, because it 

suited his way of thinking, he 

was as modern as the vivid moment, 

capturing its mood, its 

light, its musical movement. 

He recomposed for dramatic 

effect, painting the world as 

he felt it before his eyes, but 

without painterly devices that 

might compromise lucidity at 

the popular level. 

Trained as a prodigy by his Armenian 

teachers, he learned how 

to get along within the system, 

the Soviet regime finding little 

to criticize besides too little of 

the rootless, mass modern man 

and too much specifically of Armenian 

national consciousness 

in his work. Under these circumstances, 

he turned to the masterpieces 

of Armenian literature 

as an effective shield, becoming 

its most successful graphic 

interpreter. As a consequence, 

with the strength of the literature, 

combined with the artistic 

strength and clarity of his illustrations, 

the highest exhibition 

prizes and honors in the Soviet 

Union began to heap up. 

In his earliest period his favorite 

writer was Hovhannes 

Toumanian. Khanjyan illustrating 

Toumanian’s beautiful 

“Anoush,” the story “Gikor,” and 

the poem “Sako from Lory,” for 

each of which he received great 

praise and prizes. He turned 

Grigor Khanjyan, 

right, with 

Catholicos 

Vazgen I. The 

two men had a 

strong friendship 

and a productive 

working 

relationship. 

to Khachatur Abovyan for The 

Wounds of Armenia, receiving an 

award of “The Best Book of the 

Year” in the Soviet Union. 

He was able to use this success 

as a passport to the world. 

He was first able to visit Albania. 

What he saw there, his exhibited 

works suggest, is a nation 

that had kept a vital connection 

to the genius of its traditional 

handicrafts – something he 

would come back to fight for in 


He also recognized the deep, 

emotional attachment on the 

popular level of the people 

of Albania to their own Vartan, 

their Scanderbeg, the 

abducted Christian Albanian 

who learned as a general in 

the Turkish Army how best he 

could destroy the oppressive 

Turks, leading greatly outnumbered 

but victorious Christian 

Albanian armies against them. 

There was an affinity to Armenian 

struggles that Khanjyan 

would also not forget. 

Over the next few years he 

would go on to tour Poland, 

France, and Italy. In Rome he 

would visit and sketch a reverent 

scene in the Sistine Chapel. 

In a sense a part of him never 

left the scaffold that held Michelangelo 

aloft. 

He returned do some of his 

best work in the illustrations 

for Paruir Sevak’s “The Ever- 

Tolling Bell Tower,” dealing 

with the Genocide and the life 

and death of beloved Komitas. 

No work of art was more completely 

embraced by the Armenian 

public in its time. It would 

find a place here in virtually every 

Armenian household. 


Mural/Triptych at the Cafesjian 

Center for the Arts in Yerevan. First 

conceived by Khanjyan as a set of 

giant tapestries to be woven in France 

for the Catholicos’s residence at 

Etchmiadzin, the work was received 

with popular acclaim when the 

original tapestries were completed 

and hung in place in 1985. Khanjyan 

was determined, however, to bring 

his murals to a more accessible public 

forum. In his travels he had been 

profoundly influenced by visiting 

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and by 

the revolutionary murals in public 

spaces of the Mexican artists Rivera, 

Orozco, and Siqueiros – particularly 

Siqueiros. In the last years of his life, 

in failing health and with dimming 

eyesight, he climbed the scaffolding 

at the Cascade, painting alfresco a 

new version of his famous Vardanank 

(center panel), the battle in 451 where 

Prince Vardan Mamikonian fought 

the Zoroastrian Persians to retain 

Armenian Christianity. Khanjyan 

conceived of the struggle as ongoing 

to the present day. In the right panel, 

he incorporated the emergence of 

independent Armenia. 

The artist and his Vardan Mamikonian. 

the story of Armenia 

More success followed with 

further illustrations of Armenian 

literature and travel 

abroad. A critical journey was 

in 1974 to Mexico. He had earlier 

been to Spain, but it was 

in Mexico that he caught the 

spirit of Latin rhythms, the 

focus of the mind on what is 

personally most hallowed and 

important that distinguishes 

prayer, along with the momentary 

relief from oppression and 

the spiritual qualities that may 

be found in some of the popular 

arts. His canvases from this 

period done in Mexico and 

back in Armenia have an especial 

brilliance. 

In Mexico he studied the wall 

murals of Diego Rivera, Orozco, 

and Siqueiros, discussing 

al fresco painting and becoming 

a close friend of Siqueiros’. 

He would devote his moving 

“Where are you, Son of the 

Lord?” to Siqueiros. It was in 

this period that he also decided 

to openly reconnect with his 

church. 

In 1975, he painted “He Returned,” 

and accompanied Catholicos 

Vasken I to Jerusalem, 

developing a strong friendship 

and productive working relationship 

with the Catholicos 

that directly bears on the murals 

in the Cascade. 

While applying himself to 

plans to restore to brilliance the 

Holy See at Etchmiadzin, he illustrated 

Avetik Isahakyan’s 

“Fables” and a personal favorite, 

Gevorg Emin’s “The Dance of 

Sassoon,” which now hangs in 

Yerevan’s National Art Gallery, 

and he went on to complete the 

illustrations for “Western Armenian 

Poetry.” 

At Etchmiadzin the church 

was in disrepair. The adjacent 

residence of the Catholicos of 

All Armenians, the “Veharan,” 

used to house refugees from 

the Genocide, was in even more 

of a shambles, having soon afterward 

been commandeered 

by the army for use as a military 

headquarters, then as an 

army field hospital, finally as 

a grain storehouse. Khanjyan 

talked about doing painting on 

the walls. The Catholicos said 

he had a better idea. Create 

tapestries. At least they can be 

rolled up and saved. 

Khanjyan completed the design 

and details of what is called 

the “cartoon” of two tapestries: 

“The Armenian Alphabet” 

and “Vardanank” in 1982. The 

“cartoons,” later to be adapted 

as basic designs of the wall 

paintings in the Cascade, were 

shown in Yerevan, receiving 

critical acclaim. They were then 

sent to France, to Obussion, to 

be woven in the workshop of 

the Pantene Brothers. Upon 

completion, they were hung 

as treasures in the Veharan in 

Etchmiadzin. 

In 1983 the composition for 

“Vardanank” won the State Prize 

of Armenia. This generated a 

swell of interest in having a version 

of it done in a permanent 

place in Yerevan. With the construction 

underway of the Cascade, 

the place was decided. The 

design for the “Rebirth of Armenia” 

was started at this time. 

It can be said that Khanjyan 

worked on the great triptych in 

the final Cascade version for a 

period of 15 years, with most of 

the labor on the wall following 

the declaration of Armenian independence. 

In the year of Armenian independence, 

1991, Khanjyan’s 

beautiful “Madonna and Child” 

was consecrated and placed 

over the central altar in the cathedral 

of Etchmiadzin. 

“The Armenian Alphabet” was 

completed on the Cascade wall 

in 1994. “Vardanank” was completed 

in 1998; “Rebirth” had an 

unfinished area of the fresco at 

his death in 2000. 

Describing the difference 

between the frescos and the 

tapestries, Khanjyan is said to 

have replied, the difference is 

that the angels have been left 

in the church. 

In this illumination of the 

saga of Armenian history, 

Grigor Khanjyan, whose emphasis 

throughout his life as 

an artist was on the vitality 

and drama and what can be 

achieved in the present moment, 

gives us a history that 

remains as vital and alive as 

the present moment. He peoples 

the triptych with many 

recognizable faces. History, 

he appears to say, lives in the 

people, generations past, the 

people present today, and 

those to come – but it is most 

alive on this very day because, 

today as we live, we carry it in 

us in a vital way and can do 

something about it to further 

our freedom and dignity. 

The mural in the Cascade was Khanjyan’s labor of love. 

Thus, with history as continuity, 

is not surprising to see the 

very recognizable visage of Vazgen 

I near that of Saint Mesrop 

Mashtots, nor further in the 

triptych a whole pantheon of 

familiar faces of poets, musicians, 

dramatists, and artists, 

and as part of the anonymous 

populace, his own children. We 

can recognize the features of his 

son, Ara, and among the graces, 



Khanjyan’s mural tells the story of Armenia 

Continued from page 11 

his lovely daughter, Seda, who 

has greatly helped as a source 

in these paragraphs. 

This vital connection of past 

with the present is a theme 

that has been elaborated many 

times. Vazgen I, who commissioned 

“The Armenian Alphabet,” 

was to put it this way: “The 

Armenian language is our essence, 

our honor, our identity, 

the foundation of our culture. 

. . . We cannot live without our 

mother tongue.” Among the 

challenges of current Armenian 

history is to keep the mother 

tongue alive in the diaspora and 

to create further opportunities 

for all Armenians to express 

themselves in the common human 

language of the sciences 

and the arts. 

That is a part of the strength 

of the Vardanank. A small 

band of beleaguered people 

have heavenly help as standing 

among their dead they fend off 

an almost overwhelming army 

of foes surrounding them. But 

heavenly help or not, the dead 

and the dying are many, and 

while the Bible is held aloft and 

an armed prelate proclaims, it is 

the will of the people to struggle 

on that is holding the day. 

While Vartan is in the center, 

on his armored stallion with his 

sword and arm raised in a V for 

victory, in the composition, nowhere 

is the will of the people 

better seen than in the lower 

left hand corner. Here is a man 

with neither sword nor arrows. 

He joins the fight with his bare 

hands. And notice, standing beside 

him a woman steps beyond 

the shields to become forefront, 

a leader in struggle that will 

have no end. 

Before moving to the “Rebirth,” 

let’s review the characterization 

in the first two panels. 

In the center of the first 

Grigor Khanjyan (center) at the Cascade under construction. 

panel is St. Mesrop Mashtots 

holding the newly created Armenian 

alphabet in the 5th century. 

It is seen as the beginning 

of a new era. The bookstand 

beside him symbolizes the rise 

of a new literature and of learning. 

Indeed, the texts of more 

than one hundred poems will 

be attributed to Mashots himself 

in the flowering of written 

literature immediately after his 

creation of the alphabet. 

Pictured above Mashtots is 

King Vramshapuh, the queen on 

one side, Vahan Amatouni on 

the other, Mount Ararat above. 

The vault of heaven gains interest 

in the composition as the 

palpable spirituality of the moment 

has the fragrant hues of 

incense and lighted honey wax 

candles. 

The Vardananz tells the story 

of the war of 451, when Prince 

Vardan Mamikonian led Armenia 

to a decisive victory over 

the Persians, enabling Armenia 

to thereafter retain its separate 

identity and its devotion 

to Christianity as integral to 

this identity. Among the heroic 

figures peopling the canvas, 

connoisseurs with a deeper 

acquaintance with Khanjyan’s 

time will discover familiar faces. 

It also contains a self-portrait 

of Grigor Khanjyan in the tradition 

of earlier masters. You may 

also be able to find Komitas, 

Varuzhan, Charents, Paruir Sevak, 

and even William Saroyan. 

By popular demand, Khanjyan 

also painted in General Andranik 

among the soldiers. 

But it is the “Rebirth” that 

holds an even wider pantheon 

of distinguished Armenians 

of the modern era. If the visitor 

needs help in identifying a 

who’s who in the compositions, 

a useful key can be found in the 

major street names of Yerevan 

and in the faces of the most 

warmly chiseled statues holding 

court in all the parks. Identifying 

the figures may well be a 

game for the centuries. 

Can you find Aram Khatchaturian? 

He is shown with white 

hair. Easy should be Martiros 

Saryan; harder to his side is 

the actor Hrachia Nerssissyan 

in the flowing golden cape. The 

poet Hovhaness Shiraz is there, 

as well as might be expected, 

Hovhaness Toumanian. 

The suggestion was made that 

a key to all the major historic 

figures in the triptych be made, 

each numbered in the key, and 

the answers placed up-side 

down nearby. It would help this 

great masterwork to not only 

be more educational for the 

young, but also fun to score 

Grigor Khanjyan 

in his studio. 

and to study. One can wish this 

is followed through. 

To stand before this mural in 

this sacred place is a pleasure to 

the eyes, a celebration in being 

an Armenian, and a challenge 

to our efforts to sustain this 

history with good work of our 

own. 

 

The artist photographed in his studio, two years before his death in 2000. 


Richard H. Tashjian paintings capture the nature 

that surrounds him 

SANTA FE, N.M. – Armenian 

artist Richard Tashjian’s paintings 

were recently part of a 

group show titled, “Six from 

Santa Fe,” at the Art Exchange 

Gallery in Santa Fe, where he 

currently resides. 

For more than 80 years, 

Tashjian has been creating 

artwork, primarily landscape 

paintings. According to Jeff 

Tabor of Art Exchange Gallery, 

Tashjian painted Armenian 

scenes for years, “but now, living 

in Santa Fe, he has been 

able to capture the beauty of 

this diverse landscape. Art Exchange 

Gallery is fortunate to 

have the work of Richard H. 

Tashjian.” 

Born in Chelsea, Mass., in 

1926, Richard served in the U.S. 

Navy Reserve during World War 

II as a photographer and later 

graduated from the Museum 

School of Fine Arts in Boston. 

He studied design under Prof. 

Gyorgy Kepes at M.I.T. School 

of Visual Design Architectural 

Center in Cambridge, Mass. 

Richard’s talents resulted in a 

successful career in advertising 

art, where he worked as a commercial 

artist and art director 

South Rim, Grand Canyon. Oil on canvas, 24x40. 

for various distinguished ad 

agencies throughout the Boston 

area. For several years, he 

owned and operated an art studio 

and gallery in Watertown, 

Mass. 

The time since his relocation 

with his wife from Boston has 

been a fruitful period of painting 

the Southwest, which he 

has since grown to love. Tashjian’s 

inspiration portraying New 

Mexico’s nature and rock formations 

with their warm, rich 

colors has been his trademark. 

His views are not typical, as he 

often wanders off the beaten 

path to capture a new perspective 

of the Southwest. 

His palette is clean and crisp, 

Richard Tashjian. 

like the New Mexico air, and is 

clearly depicted in each of his 

works. He mentions that many 

artists have come there to paint, 

and he feels honored to be part 

of this wonderful experience. 

While he finds his inspiration 

in the natural and beautiful landscape 

of New Mexico, Tashjian 

grew up in the Pacific Northwest. 

“As a boy I while away a lot 

of school days secretly drawing 

pictures of airplanes, ships and 

tanks. During those days, I was 

a great fan of the cartoons that 

appeared in Mad Magazine,” recounts 

the painter. 

connect: 

www.aegallery.com 

Hoy Lari releases new dvd, gets ready for children’s concert 

Hoy Lari children’s music announced 

the release of its first 

musical dvd directed by Gor 

Kirakosian. The dvd promises 

to entertain and educate kids 

of all ages with upbeat and interactive 

songs. The dvd will be 

available at Hoy Lari’s upcoming 

concert in Los Angeles. Two performances 

will take place on Saturday, 

November 28, at El Portal 

Theatre in North Hollywood at 

11 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

Paola Kassabian and Janet 

Yetenekian together form the 

dynamic duo that is Hoy Lari, 

captivating children of all 

ages. The music is designed to 

encourage children to sing in 

Armenian and develop the Armenian 

language in their formative 

years, while stimulating 

imagination, cognition, and 

self-expression. 

Hoy Lari’s debut album Jamanagn 

eh received much praise 

from children and parents alike. 

Hoy Lari also released their 

second album titled Getseh 

Pokreegner. Hoy Lari takes children 

on imaginary adventures 

with amusing songs about an 

elephant, monkeys, astronauts, 

mixing colors, and healthy foods. 

The dvd will also be available at 

Armenian retailers. 

connect: 

www.hoylari.com 

www.itsmyseat.com 

Be prepared for a 

lively children’s 

concert by Hoy 

Lari. 


Program Grid 

9 – 15 November 

12:30 pm 

1:00 pm 

1:30 pm 

2:00 pm 

2:30 pm 

3:00 pm 

3:30 pm 

4:00 pm 

4:30 pm 

5:00 pm 

5:30 pm 

6:00 pm 

6:30 pm 

7:00 pm 

7:30 pm 

8:00 pm 

8:30 pm 

9:00 pm 

9:30 pm 

10:00 pm 

10:30 pm 

11:00 pm 

11:30 pm 

12:00 pm 

12:30 am 

01:00 am 

01:30 pm 

02:00 am 

02:30 am 

03:00 am 

03:30 am 

04:00 am 

04:30 am 

05:00 am 

05:30 am 

06:00 am 

06:30 pm 

07:00 am 

07:30 pm 

08:00 am 

08:30 am 

09:00 am 

09:30 am 

10:00 am 

10:30 am 

11:00 am 

11:30 am 

12:00 pm 

9 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 13 November 14 November 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 

Monday 

Immigrants 

28-32 

Kyanqi Gine 

Americayi Dzayn 

Immigrants 

28-32 

Kargin haghordum 

Yere1 

2 Yeres 

Repeat 6 

Barev, yes em -Sunday 

Sassounian Commentary 

Hamerg 

Fort Boyard-Hayer 

3 

Karmir te sev 

Immigrants 

31-32 

Bari Luys Hayer 

Americayi dzayn 

Khohanotz 

YO YO 

News 

2 Yeres 

1 original 

Mer Lezun, mer xosqe 

Blef 

Barev, yes em-Saturday 

News 

Unlucky Happiness 

Original 1 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine 

Original 1 

Immigrants 

33 

Irakanum 

Bari Gisher Hayer 

Tuesday 

Bari Gisher hayer 

Kyanqi gine-Repeat 1 

Immigrants 33 

News 

Unlucky Happiness-Repeat 

2 Yeres 

Repeat 

News 

Khohanotz 

Barev, yes em-Sunday 

Mer Lezun, mer xosqe 

News 


Mi Katil Meghr 

2 Yeres 

1 Repeat 


News 

Unlucky Happinessrepeat 

1 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine- 

Repeat 1 

Immigrants 

33 

Irakanum 


Karmir te sev 

YO YO 

News 

2 Yeres 

2 original 

MARIKA 

Yere1 

News 


2 Original 

Los Armenios 

Kyanqi Gine 

Original 2 

Immigrants 

34 

Irakanum 


Wednesday 


Kyanqi Gine-Repeat 2 

Immigrants 34 

News 


2 Yeres 

Repeat 

News 

Khohanotz 

Fort Boyard 

News 



2 Yeres 

2 Repeat 

Yere1 

News 

Unlucky Happiness- 

Repeat 2 

Los Armenios 

Kyanqi Gine- 

Repeat 2 

Immigrants 

34 

Irakanum 


Fort Boyard 

YO YO 

News 

2 Yeres 

3 original 

TITUS 

Los Armenios 

News 


3 Original 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine 

Original 3 

Immigrants 

35 

Irakanum 


Thursday 


Kyanqi Gine-Repeat 3 

Immigrants 35 

News 


2 Yeres 

Repeat 

News 

Khohanotz 


Kargin Haghordum 

News 



2 Yeres 

3 Repeat 

Los armenios 

News 


Repeat 3 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine- 

Repeat 3 

Immigrants 

35 

Irakanum 


MARIKA 

Aybenaran 

News 

2 Yeres 

4 original 

KIA 

TATOYAN 

Yere1 

News 

Unlucky Happinnes 

4 Original 


Kyanqi Gine 

Original 4 

Immigrants 

36 

Irakanum 


Friday 


Kyanqi Gine-Repeat4 

Immigrants 36 

News 


2 Yeres 

Repeat 

News 

Khohanotz 

Karmir te sev 

News 



2 Yeres 

4 Repeat 

Yere1 

News 

Unlucki Happiness- 

Repeat 4 


Kyanqi Gine- 

Repeat 4 

Immigrants 

36 

Irakanum 


Mer lezun, mer xosqe-Monday 

Khohanotz 

Aybenaran 

News 

2 Yeres 

5 original 

STEPAN 

RUBINA 


5 Original 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine 

Original 5 

Imigrants 

37 

Irakanum 


Saturday 

Bari Gisher, Hayer 

Kyanqi gine-Rep.5 

Immigrants 37 

News 


2 Yeres 

Repeat 

News 

HAYTNUTYUN 


News 

Fort Boyard-HAYER 

Mer lezun, mer xosqe 

2 Yeres 

5 Repeat 


News 


Repeat 5 

Yere1 

Kyanqi Gine- 

Repeat 5 

Immigrants 

37 

Irakanum 

RUBINA 

Arajnordaran 

Gor 

Vardanyan 


2 Yeres 

6 original 

Mi katil Meghr 

Yere1 

Los Armenios 


Blef 

Barev, yes em 



Hamerg 

Unlucky Happinnes 

15 November 

SUNDAY 

Sunday 





Mer Lezun, Mer Xosqe 

Yere1 

Sassounyan Commentary 

Los Armenios 


2 Yeres 

6 Repeat 

Yere1 


Blef 

Barev yes em 

Kargin haghordum 

Fort Boyard-Hayer 

Hamerg 

TITUS 

Mer Lezun, Mer Xosqe 

Arajnordaran 

Armenian Teletime 

Americayi Dzayn 

Los Armenios 

Hamerg 



Barev, yes em 


Karmir te sev 

Immigrants 



and their schools, and while 

performing their art forms. 

Beneath the photos are quotes 

from the parents and teachers, 

with information on how much 

the teachers are paid and what 

their lives are like. The site “is 

going to show the social life of 

Armenia, and how hard it is for 

parents to send their kids to 

these art schools.” 

One of the first schools Artinian 

visited was the Seven-Year 

Armenian Folk Instruments 

Music School in Shengavit, a 

district of Yerevan. At some 

point during her visit she went 

to use the restroom: “they 

brought me to this room (and 

it’s a big school) it was a hole in 

the floor; the toilets were maybe 

50 years old and they were broken…I 

freaked out.” Later, upon 

requesting funding for her current 

project and getting turned 

down, she received an offer of 

funding “only to be used in helping 

the schools [she’d] visited.” 

Before this, Artinian states, “I 

didn’t have an idea that I wanted 

to do humanitarian work 

… but I said ‘yeah, give me the 

funding and I’ll do it.’” 

With this start, and later 

funding, Artinian raised 

$250,000 dollars. The largest 

donor is MTS-Vivacell. She 

used the money to renovate the 

toilets in the schools in Yerevan. 

“I said if I’m gonna help 

Araz Artinian 

in Jrambar, 

Province of 

Aragatsotn. 

This is one of 

22 locations 

selected for the 

website project. 

In the back is 

the 6th-century 

Poghos-Petros 

Church, which 

is underwater 

half of the year. 

Photo: Ani 

Manukian. 

one school, I’m helping all the 

schools. I did a list of all the art 

and music schools in Yerevan; 

there’s about 50 of them. There 

are different schools, but I 

didn’t differentiate. I said ‘if I’m 

helping you, you have to give 

me the names of three other 

schools in your district because 

I’m helping everyone.’” 

The “fictional” photographs 

will be representations of the 

history of the century and the 

region. One photo, depicting 

“the art of wood,” shows a young 

boy holding a long fisher’s cane, 

elaborately decorated. He made 

the cane himself. He stands 

by the Argichi River across 

from the Kotavank church; he’s 

a fisher. “The business of fish 

was booming during the ninth 

century,” Artinian said. “Grigor 

Supan II who built this church, 

he betrayed the Armenian nation, 

and he was the son of the 

Princess Mariam who had built 

the churches on Sevan Island.” 

(Artinian visited “more than 

400 churches” while choosing 

locations for this project.) 

The costumes the young artists 

are wearing in the photos 

were made over a two-year period 

by Souzanna Baghdassarian 

under Artinian’s direction. 

Their designs are based on miniature 

paintings, researched by 

Artinian at the Matenadaran 

repository of ancient manuscripts 

to reflect the fashion of 

the periods they represent. 

“Except for this one,” Artinian 

mentions, “I couldn’t find 

a photo of a miniature painting 

of an astronomer. But I found 

something from the time with 

all of these symbols on it that related 

to the subject, so we made 

a costume with the symbols on 

it.” She is pointing to the photo 

depicting Ananya Shirakatsi. 

“This is Dvin, seventh century. 

Ananya Shirakatsi was invited 

to Dvin by the Catholicos.” The 

young boy in the photo, in an 

astronomer’s clothes, gesturing 

toward the sky is standing on a 

ruin. “This is the only thing left 

from Dvin where they had the 

meeting.” 

Not only helpful as history 

lessons, Artinian adds, these 

photos will provoke interest in 

the different sites she visited. “If 

they’re interested in coming to 

Armenia, [people will] where to 

go, but not your typical places.” 

Many of the historical characters 

depicted in these photographs 

stand in the midst of 

the very ruins of their age. For 

the 8th century photograph, 

Artinian comments, “I went 

through hell looking for the location. 

I had seen the photo of 

this khachkar [stone cross]; it 

was one of the first of Armenia 

but you have to walk two 

kilometers to find it in this village 

in Talin.” Or in the case of 

the 12 c. (“stone”), of St. Krikor 



Watch Armenia TV on Dish Network. To get a dish and subscribe, call 1-888-284-7116 toll free. 

Satellite Broadcast Program Grid 

9 – 15 November 

9 November 10 November 11 November 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 

12 November 13 November 14 November 15 November 

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 

19:30 The Hour (Armenian 

News Edition) 

20:00 “Unhappy Happiness”- 

Telenovela 

21:00 Yere1 

21:40 “Cost of life”- 

Telenovela 

22:30 “Immigrants”- Film 

23:15 In Reality 

23:30 Good 

Night,Armenians 


Telenovela 

1:15 “Immigrants”-Film 

2:00 The Hour(Armenian 

News Edition) 


Telenovela 

3:10 Telekitchen 

3:40 A Drop of Honey 


News Edition) 

5:00 Blef 

5:30 Our Language,Our 

Speech 


News Edition) 

6:30 Yere1 

7:00 “Celebrity”-Telenovela 



Telenovela 



Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:30 Good 

Morning,Armenians 


News Edition) 




Telenovela 


Telenovela 



News Edition) 

17:00 Fort Boyard 



19:00 Yere1 


News Edition) 


Telenovela 

21:00 Los-Armenios 


Telenovela 



23:30 Good 



Telenovela 



News Edition) 


Telenovela 




News Edition) 

4:30 Yere1 


5:30 Blef 


News Edition) 





Telenovela 



Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:30 Good 



News Edition) 




Telenovela 


Telenovela 



News Edition) 



19:00 Los-Armenios. 


News Edition) 


Telenovela 

21:00 Yere1 


Telenovela 



23:30 Good 



Telenovela 



News Edition) 


Telenovela 




News Edition) 




Speech 


News Edition) 

6:30 Yere1 




Telenovela 



Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:30 Good 



News Edition) 




Telenovela 


Telenovela 



News Edition) 


17:30 Hello, it’s me 


19:00 Yere1 


News Edition) 


Telenovela 

21:00 Cool Program 


Telenovela 



23:30 Good 



Telenovela 



News Edition) 


Telenovela 




News Edition) 

4:30 Yere1 



News Edition) 





Telenovela 



Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:30 Good 



News Edition) 




Telenovela 


Telenovela 



News Edition) 




19:00 Blef 


News Edition) 


Telenovela 

21:00 Yere1 


Telenovela 



23:30 Good 



Telenovela 



News Edition) 


Telenovela 




News Edition) 



Speech 


News Edition) 

6:30 Yere1 




Telenovela 



Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:20 The Armenian Film 


News Edition) 




Telenovela 


Telenovela 



News Edition) 




19:00 Yere1 


News Edition) 

20:00 Blef 




22:30 Concert 


Telenovela 


News Edition) 


Telenovela 


News Edition) 



News Edition) 

6:30 Yere1 




Speech 




13:20 Yere1 


15:20 Blef 



Telenovela 

17:00 voa(The Voice of 

America) 

17:30 Yo-Yo 

18:00 Concert 


News Edition) 




22:00 Red or Black 



Telenovela 

4:00 voa(The Voice of 

America) 

4:30 Yo-Yo 


Telenovela 


News Edition) 

10:30 Good 



News Edition) 




14:30 Red or Black 



News Edition) 


Speech 

17:30 Blef 



Araz Artinian 

explores the past 


Partsrakashi Church“ it was 

totally destroyed. You have to 

walk down a valley to get to it.” 

These remote locations are 

brought to our attention in the 

photographs, and the eroding 

historical sites, ruins, and monuments 

seem naturally to give 

rise to the ghosts positioned 

beside them in the photos. Or 

do the young artists and models 

in the pictures give rise to 

ghost ruins? In either case, the 

physical scene is repopulated by 

the living counterparts of the 

people of those times the current 

practitioners of these disappearing 

arts. The ruins stand 

in relief as testimony from the 

past, issuing a quiet threat concerning 

these art forms, about 

the disappearances that come 

with time and forgetting. 

Artinian is still looking for 

funding to help with the postproduction 

of the website. The 

website is set to be launched 

on International Children’s Day, 

June 1, 2010. 

 

Your news goes right here 

See an “ian” on the credits? 

Watch a Hye on your local 

news? Write the Reporter, and 

we’ll get crackin’ to profile 

the son or daughter of Hayk 

in an upcoming issue. 

Point and click an ‘e’ to 

arts@ reporter.am (dot am 

on the ‘net is for all things 

Armenian!). 

connect: 

arts@reporter.am 



International 

100th anniversary of Adana massacres remembered 

Catholicos Aram I, 

“If Victor Hugo had 

been here and had 

seen these pictures, 

he would have said 

that the Turks had 

passed through here.” 

by Tatul Hakobyan 

BEIRUT – Returning temporarily 

to Cilicia, Catholicos Sahak on November 

29, 1921, wrote poignantly 

about the Armenians who had lost 

their homes and were dispersed 

along the shores of the Mediterranean. 

He explained why it was 

important to find a safer place for 

the Armenians rescued from Cilicia 

and move them away from their 

homes. 

“My residence in Sis is a pile of 

destruction. I am in Adana temporarily 

to relocate to Syria, where 

my flock is just as numerous as it 

is in the province of Adana. My 

request is the supreme appeal of 

Cilicia – to rescue by all means, the 

beloved and wretched fragments of 

the Armenian people; to find a safe 

refuge; to secure their daily bread 

until a new possibility of a safe haven 

is secured,” wrote Catholicos 

Sahak. 

“If we, Cilicians are to die, then 

let us die far away, very far away so 

that we do not, through our blood 

and bones turn Cilicia into a hated 

place for our people,” Catholicos 

Sahak appealed to his flock. 

One hundred years ago, in April 

1909 by the shores of the Mediterranean, 

where in the Middle Ages 

for almost 300 years the Armenian 

kingdom of Cilicia was created and 

prospered (1080–1375), Armenian 

massacres took place in two stages, 

which in Armenian history is 

known as the tragedy of Cilicia or 

the massacres of Adana. 

It was on the occasion of the 

100th anniversary of these massacres 

that a string of events, organized 

by and under the auspices 

of Aram I, Catholicos of the Great 

House of Cilicia, took place in Lebanon. 

On October 28 in the mother cathedral 

of the Great House of Cilicia, 

the placement of stone-crosses 

and the opening of a photo exhibit 

dedicated to the Adana massacres 

took place with the participation 

and blessing of Aram I. 

“What took place a hundred years 

ago was not inadvertent, but the result 

of the Ottoman Empire’s policy 

of exterminating the Armenians. 

What took place at the hands of the 

Ottoman Empire was a premediated 

massacre,” Aram I said during 

the opening of the photo exhibit. 

More than 30,000 Armenians 

perished during those massacres, 

approximately 8,000 children 

were orphaned, more than 4,000 

women were widowed, and more 

than 30,000 Armenians became 

homeless. Thirty two churches, 19 

At the conference in Antelias on the 100th anniversary of the Cilicia tragedy. Photos: Tatul Hakobyan. 

Aram I: “We demand reparations from Turkey” 

During his closing remarks at the 

conference dedicated to the 100th 

anniversary of the Adana massacres, 

Catholicos Aram I said that 

these kinds of events are important 

to help “refresh our collective 

memory.” It is equally important 

that we are able to look at the past 

in order to make the right decisions 

about the future. 

Catholicos Aram I stressed that 

the struggle for the international 

recognition of the Armenian 

Genocide must not only continue, 

but the time has come for the Armenian 

people to raise the question 

of restitution for the Genocide. 

The following are excerpts 

from that speech. 

“We demand reparations from 

Turkey,” Aram I said. “The international 

community, the defender 

of justice and supporter of human 

rights must also remember that in 

1909 Armenians who were living 

peacefully and who were faithful 

citizens of the Ottoman Empire 

were subjected to, with the direct 

and indirect fault of that same 

state, massacres in Adana. The international 

community does not 

have the right to remain silent in 

the face of such crimes. History 

has shown that when massacres 

schools, close to 3,000 homes, 600 

stores, and other structures were 

burned, looted, and destroyed. 

“These are not imaginary numbers. 

These are the testimonials by 

witnesses of the day,” said Aram I. 

And the testimonials by the witnesses 

of the Adana massacres 

are devastating. An article in the 

April 19, 1909 issue of the New York 

Times reads: “The situation in Cilicia 

is obviously very difficult and 

the telegrams confirm the hopelessness 

of the situation. Large 

parts of the city have been burned, 

including the neighborhood where 

the Armenians live, who tried in 

Catholicos Aram I at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 

Adana massacres. Tatul Hakobyan/Armenian Reporter. 

and genocides are unpunished 

they encourage crimes such as 

genocide to be carried out against 

humanity. 

“Justice must remain above every 

kind of geopolitical interests.... 

Remembering the 100th anniversary 

of the Adana massacres for 

the Armenian people means that 

vain to resist while causing losses 

to the adversaries, until they were 

finally defeated. The city of Tarsus 

is burning. The Christians there are 

peaceful, but the Muslims are killing 

and looting.” 

A few days later, in the April 23, 

1909, issue, the same newspaper 

writes: “The entire population of 

Qerqkhan, which is found between 

Aleppo and Alexandretta have been 

slaughtered, even newborn babies 

were not spared…the massacres are 

accompanied by cruelty, even women 

and children are not spared.” 

Addressing those taking part in 

the commemoration ceremony on 

Aram I addressing the conference. 

not only the international community 

but also and especially 

present-day Turkey who is considered 

the continuation of the Ottoman 

Empire, must be reminded 

that a collective massacre was carried 

out against the Armenians in 

Adana and call them to account. 

“We repeat, the Adana massacres 

October 28 in the mother cathedral 

of Antelias, Aram I said that a hundred 

years have passed since the 

Adana massacres; however even 

a millennium later the tragedy of 

Cilicia and the Armenian Genocide 

will remain rooted in our people’s 

collective memory. 

“We will remind the international 

community that 100 years ago 

Ottoman Turkey carried out the 

Adana massacres and the grandchildren 

and great-grandchildren 

of the martyrs remember and demand 

justice and compensation,” 

added the Catholicos. 

Adana 1909 focus of international workshop in Istanbul 

were not accidental, they were 

planned with the encouragement 

of the Turkish state and in fact 

they were the first step toward 

the Armenian Genocide of 1915. 

Present-day Turkey is required to 

take on the responsibility of the 

planned and organized massacres 

carried out by their forefathers 

and to compensate the grandchildren 

of the victims, who as a result 

of Turkey’s massacres, oppression 

and exile are dispersed to the four 

corners of the world. 

“And now, the Catholicosate 

of the Great House of Cilicia, in 

the name of the children, grandchildren 

and great-grandchildren 

of the victims of those who were 

massacred in Adana and its surrounding 

cities, has the moral, 

spiritual, and legal responsibility 

according to international laws, to 

demand from the state of presentday 

Turkey restitution for human 

and property losses. 

“The Great House of Cilicia, as 

the legal successor of church properties 

in Adana and its surrounding 

cities and villages, has the 

right and responsibility to once 

again according to international 

laws, demand restitution from the 

state of Turkey.” 

f 

On October 29–30 a conference 

dedicated to the Adana massacres 

took place with the participation of 

historians, scholars, and specialists 

in Armenian studies from Armenia 

and the diaspora. 

Among them were Claude Mutafian, 

Vergine Svazlian, Zaven 

Yekavyan, Aramais Baloyan, 

Yervant Pambukian, Hayk Demoyan, 

and Houri Azezyan. 

During opening remarks, Aram 

I admonished the participants not 

only to discuss the tragic events of 

Adana but to find scientific answers 

to the question of why the tragedy 

of Cilicia took place. 

f 

LONDON – The Gomidas Institute 

is cosponsoring a workshop in Istanbul, 

“Adana 1909: History, Memory, 

and Identity from a Hundred-Year 

Perspective.” The workshop was to 

take place on November 6 and 7 on 

the premises of Sabanci University, 

with participants from Europe and 

North America. The other co-sponsors 

are Sabanci University, Istanbul 

Bilgi University History Department, 

the International Hrant Dink 

Foundation, and Bogazici University 

History Department. 

“The Gomidas Institute originally 

organized such a meeting in London. 

However, the London event 

was rescheduled for Istanbul, when 

Turkish colleagues expressed interest 

in hosting a bigger meeting in 

Turkey,” said Ara Sarafian, director 

of the Gomidas Institute. “In 

order to attract new scholars, especially 

from Turkey, a fresh call 

for papers was made in May 2009 

– in English, Turkish and Armenian 

languages. We had a good response. 

The workshop now has some excellent 

presentations, including papers 

by scholars using original Ottoman 

archival records.” 

Most of the papers had been distributed 

among the participants to 

promote fruitful discussion at the 

workshop. This meeting also promised 

to promote lasting bridges 

among scholars of different backgrounds 

who are interested in Ottoman 

history. 

The Gomidas Institute on October 

11 co-sponsored a multimedia 

event, “Remembering Adana,” in 

Glendale, California, with a monthlong 

photographic exhibition (from 

the Columbia University Rare Book 

and Manuscript Library) at the 

Glendale Public Library. f 

connect: 

info@gomidas.org



From Armenia, in brief 

EU to provide 16 

million euros for 

judicial reforms in 

Armenia for 2009-2011 

According to a report by Armenpress, 

the European Union is expected 

to provide 8 million euros 

this year for the implementation 

of judicial reforms in Armenia and 

another eight million in the coming 

two years. 

At a joint session of the National 

Assembly’s Standing Commission 

on State and Legal Affairs and the 

Standing Commission on Financial- 

Credit and Budget Affairs, Justice 

Minister Gevorg Daniyelyan said 

that a significant portion of those 

funds will be directed toward reconstruction 

of the country’s prison 

system underscoring the construction 

of new prison facility in Goris. 

The state budget had not released 

funds for this facility. 

Gevorg Daniyelyan. Photo: Mkhitar 

Khachatryan/Photolure. 

all border points on a 24-hour regime. 

“Cases have been registered in 

neighboring countries; we must 

be very cautious to prevent the entrance 

of the infection to our republic,” 

the minister said. 

Armenia has reserves of medication, 

which may help combat the 

disease if it occurs the minister assured 

reporters. 

Yerevan-based painters 

donated canvases 

to Yerevan History 

Museum 

Sixty-four distinguished painters 

from Yerevan each donated one of 

their paintings to the Yerevan History 

Museum within the framework 

of the Happy Birthday Yerevan 

initiative. The paintings were 

exhibited on November 3 at the 

museum. 

The president decorates the Catholicos. Photo: Press office of the President. 

Karen Aghamyan, the chair 

of the Armenian Artists’ Union 

told reporters that it is an honor 

for any painter to have his or her 

work on display in the gallery 

provided within the museum. “I 

think many painters will be honored 

to donate their best works 

to the Yerevan History Museum,” 

he said. 

as well as showcase products and 

services. 

The exhibition was sponsored by 

Orange says “hello” to Armenia. Photo: Tigran Tadevosyan/Photolure. 

Orange opens 

operations in Armenia 

On November 5, France Telecom’s 

affiliate company, Orange, began 

its operations in Armenia after receiving 

a 15-year license to provide 

mobile communication in November 

of 2008. CEO Didier Lombard, 

and Serge Smessow, the ambassador 

of France to Armenia, attended 

the grand opening of the head office 

on Northern Avenue in downtown 

Yerevan. 

Olaf Swantee, VP of France 

Telecom, stated in a press conference 

that around 65,000 numbers 

have already been reserved for the 

Orange Armenia network. Registration 

for the new operator has 

been available since mid-October 

at www.orangearmenia.am. Swantee 

also stated that 83 percent of 

Armenia’s population, in 500 areas, 

will be able to use the service. Orange 

has 13 service centers in Yerevan, 

and a total of 38 in Armenia. 

Half of Orange’s service centers 

have been franchised to private 

businesspeople. The company has 

pledged to provide its clients with 

the use of all forms of payment: 

on-line, via bank transfers, credit 

cards, and service at the company 

offices. Subscriber support is available 

24 hours. 

Armenian Writers’ 

Union gets new 

publishing house with 

the support of the AGBU 

The opening of a new publishing 

house for the Armenian Writers’ 

Union took place on November 3 

in Yerevan. The Armenian General 

Benevolent Union (AGBU) provided 

the funds for the publishing house, 

which is named after American-Armenian 

writer Levon Zaven Surmelian. 

The funds were extended from 

the AGBU Levon Z. Surmelian Fund 

for the purpose of acquiring the 

proper equipment for the publishing 

house. Taking part in the opening 

ceremonies was AGBU President 

Berge Setrakian and Armenian 

Writers’ Union Chair Levon 

Ananyan. The establishment of 

the publishing house will promote 

the extension of AWU publishing 

programs and publication of books 

by writers from Armenia and the 

diaspora. 

No cases of H1N1 

registered in Armenia 

According to Armenia’s Health 

Ministry no cases of H1N1 (swine 

flu) have been registered in Armenia. 

Health Minister Harutyun 

Kushkyan told reporters on 

November 4 that they have been 

closely monitoring all clinics and 

have been working to prevent the 

infection in the country through 

strict controls. 

The minister said that specialists 

from the Hygienic Anti-Epidemic 

Inspection Agency are working at 

Harutyun Kushkyan. Photo: Photolure. 

Berge Setrakian with Levon Ananyan. Photo: Hayk Badalyan/Photolure. 

The mayor of Yerevan Gagik 

Beglaryan said, “Today nearly 

88,000 samples are kept in the Yerevan 

History Museum, over 1,000 

of which are paintings. The donated 

canvases will be a great compliment 

to that collection.” 

Catholicos Karekin 

II awarded with St. 

Mesrop Mashtots Order 

Armenia’s President Serge Sargsyan, 

through an October 30 presidential 

decree, awarded Catholicos 

of All Armenians Karekin 

II with the St. Mesrop Mashtots 

Order for his contribution to the 

preservation and development of 

the spiritual life of the Armenian 

nation. 

A month earlier, President Serge 

Sargsyan had awarded the St. Mesrop 

Mashtots Order to famous Russian 

singer Alla Pugacheva. 

Tourism expo “Country 

of Talking Stones” 

opens 

Approximately 53 companies were 

to take part in the 9th annual international 

tourism exhibition, 

“Country of Talking Stones,” which 

was to take place in Yerevan, November 

6–7. The exhibition was organized 

by the Armenian Union of 

Tourist Agents. 

Lusine Stepanyan, coordinator 

of the exhibition, told Armenpress 

that besides Armenia and Nagorno- 

Karabakh, participants were to 

be from Belgium, Georgia, Israel, 

Greece, and Finland. The exhibition 

was to have 30 pavilions. Representatives 

of tourism agencies, airlines, 

tour-operators, hotels, and leading 

brandy producers were to take part 

in the event. 

Ms. Stepanyan said that the 

exhibition was an opportunity to 

exchange useful information and 

experiences, establish business ties, 

At the Yerevan 

History Museum. 

Photo: Hayk 

Badalyan/ 

Photolure. 

the Armenian Economy Ministry 

and funding by USAID’s CAPS. 

Armenia’s Foreign 

Minister receives 

special representative 

of NATO Secretary 

General 

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward 

Nalbandian received Robert 

Simmons, the special representative 

of NATO’s Secretary General 

to the Caucasus and Central 

Asia on November 5. 

According to the press office 

of the ministry, Mr. Nalbandian 

noted that Armenia places importance 

on the mutually beneficial 

cooperation established with 

NATO and hopes to consolidate 

that relationship through the 

implementation of the Armenia- 

NATO Individual Partnership Action 

Program. 

Mr. Nalbandian also pointed 

out that Armenia will continue 

its cooperation within the framework 

of NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Cooperation 

Council as well as its 

role in the peacekeeping process, 

the fight against terrorism, the 

elimination of the consequences 

of natural disasters and other areas. 

For his part, Mr. Simmons, 

highlighting the development of 

cooperation with Armenia, said 

that the North-Atlantic Alliance 

highlights partnership with Armenia 

and expressed hope that 

the 2009-2010 Individual Partnership 

Action Plan program will also 

be successfully implemented. The 

NATO representative highlighted 

Armenia’s contribution to the activity 

of international peacekeeping. 

During their discussion Mr. Simmons 

said he is pleased with the 

progress of normalization of Armenian-Turkish 

relations. f


Commentary 

Editorial 


reporter 

A big boost for Armenian day schools 

This week we report on two milestones 

in the Armenian day school movement 

in the United States. Vatche and Tamar 

Manoukian of London made a generous 

donation of $11 million to the AGBU Pasadena 

High School and Center in Southern 

California. And the AGBU Alex and Marie 

Manoogian School in Southfield, Michigan, 

unveiled a new, state-of-the-art high-school 

building, as it celebrated its 40th anniversary. 

The new building had the generous 

support of Richard Manoogian and Louise 

Manoogian Simone. 

Committed to continuing and developing 

the Armenian heritage in the United States, 

the Manoukian and Manoogian families, 

through their contributions to these institutions, 

have invested heavily in the future 

of our communities. In this worthy cause, 

they are joined by other donors and the 

AGBU, the principals, teachers, parents, and 

others involved. 

Armenian day schools have always elicited 

a range of reactions from parents. Practically 

everyone appreciates the noble mission 

of each of the schools, to perpetuate 

Armenian culture, to teach the children the 

Armenian language, along with Armenian 

literature, history, and culture. 

Quality, of course, is a primary concern. 

And many Armenian day schools have developed 

into centers of educational excellence 

and can proudly point to the accomplishments 

of their students and alumni 

– from high standardized-test scores for 

students, high college-acceptance rates for 

recent graduates, and career accomplishments 

for older alumni. These results are 

the direct result of the investments made 

by philanthropists as well as the efforts of 

the staff, parents, and volunteers. 

Some parents want to see their children 

in a more diverse environment, and consider 

the diversity of the student body in other 

schools to be an essential part of the quality 

of education. Others celebrate the fact 

that by attending an Armenian day school, 

their children interact primarily with other 

Armenian-American children, developing a 

strong circle of Armenian friends. The parents 

are, in some cases, surprised to find 

that a shared Armenian heritage is not 

enough to isolate their children from the 

social challenges that are commonplace in 

American schools. 

Parents often complain, too, that their 

children speak English with their classmates 

outside of formal Armenian-class 

settings. The pervasiveness of English is 

hard to overcome even where children are 

surrounded by peers who speak Armenian. 

The cost of tuition is always a concern, 

especially in parts of Southern California 

where some of the benefits of Armenian 

day schools can be derived in public schools 

as well. The Manoogian School in Michigan 

some years ago chose to become a charter 

school; it receives public funding and charges 

no tuition. 

A major challenge for Armenian day 

schools is the fact that students come 

from homes in which various forms of Armenian 

are spoken and written – if they 

are spoken and written at all. The parents 

of students from Western Armenian families 

might speak Western Armenian and 

write in the classical orthography. The 

parents of students from Iranian-Armenian 

families may use the same classical 

orthography, but speak Eastern Armenian. 

And the parents of students from 

Armenia may use reformed orthography 

and speak Eastern Armenian. Get six of 

each in a classroom and ask them what 

form of transportation they might use 

to fly. One may say “odanav,” one may 

say “inknatir,” another may say “samolyot” 

(the Russian term), and yet another may 

say, “airplane.” And if the class settles on, 

say, “odanav,” some will spell it with the 

letter “vev,” others with the letter “hiun” 

in the final position. No one said it would 

be easy! 

These are challenges we hope to air more 

fully in our pages in the coming weeks. We 

invite our readers to contribute to this discussion 

with their essays and letters. 

In the meantime, we thank Vatche and 

Tamar Manoukian and Richard Manoogian 

and Louise Manoogian Simone for their 

leadership in investing in the Armenian 

education of future generations. Vartzkernit 

gadar – or, should we say, vardzknerd 

katar? 

f 

New book on Cilicia, 1909, is a service to the generations 

by Varoujan Der Simonian 

FRESNO, Calif. – A new abridged English 

translation by Ara Stepan Melkonian and Ara 

Sarafian was just released by the Gomidas 

Institute under the title Cilicia 1909: The Massacre 

of Armenians. The book, by Hagop H. 

Terzian, was originally titled Giligio Aghede 

(The Cilician catastrophe). It was published 

in Istanbul in 1912, but confiscated by the Ottoman 

government. Terzian, a pharmacist by 

profession, documented his own and other 

eyewitnesses’ experiences during the 1909 

massacres in Adana province. Born in Hadjin 

in 1879 and educated in Constantinople, 

he barely escaped the horrific events. Ultimately, 

he was arrested on April 24, 1915, and 

killed alongside many of his colleagues. 

Mr. Sarafian introduced the new volume 

on October 12, as part of the Armenian Studies 

Program Lecture Series at California 

State University, Fresno, in observation of 

the 100th anniversary of the Adana massacres. 

The detailed descriptions that Terzian 

recorded in his diary are chilling, to say the 

least, but should be widely required reading. 

The suffering to which the Armenian population 

of Adana was subjected by mobs – in 

two stages – could be summarized as “going 

through hell and back,” if you survived. 

The slide presentation at the end of Mr. 

Sarafian’s talk brought me flashbacks. My 

grandparents were from Adana. I remembered 

sitting at my grandmother’s bedside as 

she described how she and her siblings had 

survived, having been next in line to be assassinated 

by a police squadron. Their corpses 

were to be dumped in the Sihoun River. I 

wonder now why she chose to hold back the 

descriptions of so many of the atrocities that 

Varoujan Der Simonian is the executive director of 

Armenian Technology Group, Inc., in Fresno, Calif. 

Terzian so painfully documented in his book 

– including raping young girls and wives in 

public, and the slaughter of Armenian men, 

women, and children of all ages, while amputating 

their arms and legs with axes. Was my 

grandmother hoping to protect her teenage 

grandson’s tender young feelings by holding 

back so much of the violent behavior? 

According to the book, over 21,000 Armenians 

were murdered during less than two 

weeks of massacres. As a result of lootings, 

in the Adana province the Armenians lost an 

estimated 5,400,000 gold liras in economic 

and personal property (in 1909 value). * 

As I read the unfolding events, an amazing 

pattern of behavior emerged. Over and over 

again, while the organized mob and looters 

were moving from one city, town, or village 

to the other, the same pattern emerged: deception 

and cunning. They characterized the 

nature of Turkish politics and re-emphasized 

the separate findings of a scholar: 

“In the more ghastly episodes of the Abdul 

Hamit era and 1909 Adana massacres, for example 

(barring few exceptions), the muftis 

in general played a decisive role by formally 

sanctioning the regional and local mass 

murders by declaring them permissible by 

the canons of Muslim law.” (See Vahakn N. 

Dadrian, Warrant for Genocide: Key Elements 

of Turko-Armenian Conflict. New Brunswick 

and London: Transaction Publishers, 1999.) 

Under review: Hagop H. 

Terzian, Cilicia 1909: The 

Massacre of Armenians, 

translated by Ara Stepan 

Melkonian and edited by Ara 

Sarafian (London: Gomidas 

Institute, 2009) 

And, also: 

“A closer scrutiny of the manner in which 

Sultan Abdul Hamit handled the matter is 

instructive of the covert designs and intentions 

of Ottoman authorities confronting 

the emerging Armenian Question. One becomes 

readily cognizant of the rudiments of 

the governmental tactic of publicly declaring 

a policy, which is then countermanded by secret 

orders.” (ibid.) 

Or, further: 

“Ethnic groups [i.e., Kurds, Circassians, 

Lazes] in appreciable numbers were co-opted 

by Ottoman-Turkish authorities to serve as 

allies and surrogates ... that is, killer bands in 

search of loot and spoils.” (ibid.) 

It is mindboggling to read, in the new 

translation of Terzian’s document, how the 

local Turkish governmental and religious 

leaders act very much the same way in over 

57 communities where they committed mass 

killings and destruction – even while assuring 

Armenians that they need not worry for 

nothing will happen to them. For example, 

in one incident (and the following is only 

my abbreviated version), when on Monday, 

April 19, the news of the Adana massacres 

was confirmed in Antioch, concerned Armenians 

closed their shops and took refuge 

in their homes. The Turkish kaymakam (regional 

governor) and his officers invited all 

the notable Armenians to a meeting at the 

Prelacy headquarters to calm the tense situation, 

assuring them that “there’s nothing 

happening; let everyone open his shop and 

carry on his business.” However, the minute 

the Turkish representatives departed 

the meeting, the mob, which was assembled 

outside, invaded the Prelacy, murdering everyone 

inside, including the Catholicos’ vicar 

and the monks at the monastery. The mob 

looted the church of its vessels and furniture, 

and in a few hours all the Armenians 

of Antioch (some 800 total, except 20) were 

killed. After the massacres, they burned the 

Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Evangelical 

Churches to the ground. 

The new publication is a must-read, also, 

for anyone hoping to better understand the 

impact that the Adana massacres had on 

Armenian literature and music. Poems like 

Siamanto’s “The Dance,” or “The Suffocated,” 

or “Red News from my Friend,” or Taniel 

Varoujan’s “The Red Soil” and other works, 

remain as vivid poetic expressions of the profound 

psychological effects left by the experiences 

documented in the Terzian book. The 

unnerving classical music composed by Prof. 

Continued on page 19 m 

Armenian Reporter (ISSN 0004-2358), an independent newspaper, 

is published weekly by Armenian Reporter llc. 

Copyright © 2009 by Armenian 

Reporter llc. All Rights Reserved 

Gerard L. Cafesjian, President and ceo 

The views expressed, except in the editorial, are 

not necessarily those of the publishers. 


Èñ³ïí³Ï³Ý ·áñÍáõÝ»áõÃÛáõÝ Çñ³Ï³Ý³óÝáÕ 

“²ñÙ»ÝÇ³Ý ðÇ÷áñÃÁñ” ö´À 

Ð³ëó»` ºñ¨³Ý, ºÕí³ñ¹Ç Ë×áõÕÇ 1 

ìÏ³Û³Ï³Ý 03²07552 ïñí³Í` 04.12.06Ã. 

Ð³Ù³ñÇ ÃáÕ³ñÏÙ³Ý å³ï³ëË³Ý³ïáõ` 

ìÇÝë»Ýï ÈÇÙ³ 

îå³ù³Ý³ÏÁ` 500 

Editor Vincent Lima 

Associate editor Maria Titizian 

Washington editor Emil Sanamyan 

Eastern U.S. editor Lou Ann Matossian 

Assistant to the Editor Seda Stepanyan 

Art director Grigor Hakobyan 

The Armenian Reporter is your newspaper. We urge you to send us your news and your 

views. 

News. Please send your news to . 

Letters. Please send your letters to Letters should be no more 

than 250 words long and may be edited for clarity. Please include your mailing address 

and daytime telephone number. 

Commentary. Please send your essays to Essays and articles 

normally should be no longer than 900 words. 

Photos and artwork. We require high-resolution originals. All photos and artwork 

must include a credit to the photographer and a signed statement granting us permission 

to publish. 

Advertising and subscriptions. Please direct questions to or 

call us. 

Our offices 

15 S 5th St Ste 900 

Minneapolis MN 55402 

1-612-436-2037 phone 

1-612-359-8994 fax 

1 Yeghvard Hwy Fl 5 

Yerevan 0054 Armenia 

374-10-367-195 phone 

374-10-367-194 fax


Commentary 

Living in 


The rise of the oligarch, the decline of the nation 

by Maria Titizian 

Only those people who have everything and 

don’t need to make money should be involved 

in politics. This is what Gagik Tsarukyan, one 

of Armenia’s most powerful businesspeople 

told reporters a few days ago in Yerevan. The 

leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, a 

member of the ruling coalition with four 

ministerial posts in Armenia’s government, 

stated, “The Armenian economy has not been 

effectively monopolized by a handful of oligarchs.” 

It seems that the fine line between business 

interests and politics in Armenia is invisible. 

Here business and politics go hand in hand. 

Businesspeople have made their fortunes and 

maintained direct involvement in the political 

life of the country. What the country has 

an abundance of, relative to its size, is oligarchs 

and monopolies. 

Countries of the former Soviet Union have 

much of their recent history in common. For 

most of the 20th century they lived in a centralized 

planned economy and a totalitarian 

political regime. These conditions left a deep 

imprint on the psychology, values, and political, 

social, and economic systems of these 

countries, and that can still be felt almost 

20 years after the collapse of the communist 

system, 

While most countries in Central and Eastern 

Europe have been relatively successful in 

confronting issues of social justice, freedom 

of speech, and protection of human rights, 

post-Soviet countries like Armenia are still 

tackling crippling problems such as a lack of 

democratic values and political and economic 

instability. 

With the global economic downturn, the 

lack of diversification of Armenia’s economy, 

and a reliance on transfers – which had 

reached $2 billion last year but have declined 

sharply as a result of the downturn – Armenians 

are struggling to survive in a lagging 

economy. One of the challenges that must be 

overcome is that lucrative business opportunities 

have been monopolized by a small 

number of families. 

The problem of oligarchs and monopolies 

is not unique to Armenia. They were not invented 

following the collapse of the Soviet 

Union, although the communist nomenclature 

did transform itself into present-day 

oligarchs in Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and 

elsewhere. In Armenia’s case, it could be 

argued that the present-day oligarchs have 

nothing to do with the nomenclature of Soviet 


Bulgaria is an interesting case in point. According 

to the Center for the Study of Democracy, 

the World Bank has found corruption in 

the Bulgarian tax administration to be higher 

than corruption levels in most of the Balkans 

and the former Soviet republics. 

The lessons of history 

Amassing great personal fortune while pursuing 

unfair business practices has a long history. 

The robber barons of the United States 

– the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, and others 

– were influential families that had amassed 

personal fortune while pursuing unfair business 

practices. 

In 1890 the U.S. Congress passed the 

Sherman Antitrust Act, which sought to 

curb cartels and monopolies in the country. 

The act was named after Senator John 

K. Kalfayan, “Requiem” – released in Paris 

in 1913 – still moves the listener to wonder 

about the emotional trauma the artist was 

undergoing while arranging his notes.... Only 

after reading Cilicia 1909 could one even begin 

to approximate, perhaps, the turmoil and 

suffering that produced such music. 

I had long been wondering why the Adana 

Massacres took place in the Ottoman Empire 

at that particular period in its history. After 

all, the city was one of the thriving centers 

of commerce in the empire. As I reached the 

half-way point of the book, one sentence 

– now highlighted – struck my mind. It exists 

in the following paragraph: 

Sherman, the chairperson of the Senate 

Finance Committee. This act and other antitrust 

acts in the future sought to oppose 

the combination or merging of entities that 

could possibly harm competition by creating 

monopolies or cartels, and placed the 

responsibility of investigating or pursuing 

trusts, companies, and organizations suspected 

of violating the act on the U.S. federal 

government. 

So, over a hundred years ago, the United 

States sought to reign in the growing power 

of a few influential businesspeople. 

The Sherman Act, while progressive, was a 

vague law. The meaning of “monopolize” and 

other terms were ambiguous at the time. Because 

the law didn’t have any teeth, it was 

mostly ignored, as was evident by the growing 

number of mergers at the end of the 19th 

century in the United States. 

The first famous implementation of the 

Sherman Act was in 1911 against Standard 

Oil, which was owned by John D. Rockefeller. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Standard 

Oil was in violation of the Sherman Act and it 

ordered the breakdown of the company into 

several smaller ones. At the time, Standard 

Oil was the largest oil refiner in the world 

and one of the first and biggest multinational 

corporations. 

Some argue that in order to appease voters 

while not antagonizing major corporations, 

the U.S. Congress knowingly adopted a vague 

law. However, while the act was weak, the 

role of the courts in the United States increased 

significantly. The courts in the early 

part of the 20th century needed a guideline 

to determine whether a company was acting 

like a monopolist; therefore they focused on 

the structure of the industry to determine 

whether there was a monopolist power in 

that industry. That is why the case against 

Standard Oil in 1911 is interesting. The company 

owned about 90 percent of the oil refineries 

and that information was enough 

for the Supreme Court to find the company 

guilty of violating the antitrust law. 

In the 1930s the Supreme Court changed 

its guideline and instead of focusing on the 

structure of the industry, they starting focusing 

on the conduct of the company to 

determine whether they were violating the 

antitrust law. This implies that a company 

could control 90 percent of the market, but 

if the company was not abusing its market 

power and was not artificially reducing the 

quantity available in the market and was not 

artificially raising the market price, then the 

company would not be guilty. 

One argument that those of a more conservative 

persuasion would use in order not 

to implement antitrust laws is that the market 

is no longer domestic, but global. In order 

for companies to compete in the world 

market, they must be large even if they are 

dominating the domestic market. 

Expanding into foreign 

markets? 

This argument could have some validity in 

the case of Armenia. Armenia’s domestic 

market is very small. In order for an Armenian 

company to compete in the world 

market, that company might be very large 

relative to Armenia’s market. In this case 

the focus of antitrust laws should be on the 

“conduct” of those monopolies that exist in 

the country. 

“The sad days and hours that made us 

tumble were impossible to forget, and of 

course our grandchildren and even their 

children will remember the terrible things 

we suffered. The great, rich and proud Cilician 

City of Adana that had never deigned 

to request assistance or beg for help was 

forced, after terrible calamity, to open its 

hand to the public and ask for aid and beg 

for assistance. One month before the massacre, 

the city of Adana, which had collected 

thousands of liras for the needy of Armenia, 

was reduced to the same needy state itself. It 

was as if the destiny of the Armenians was 

to be massacred, looted, and burned, and 

to always seek help and assistance from humanity.” 

(emphasis added) 

A good first question would be whether the 

company is even trying to compete in foreign 

markets. 

The Armenian anti-trust laws and the Armenian 

courts should make sure that a company, 

even if it is controlling 90 percent of 

Armenia’s domestic market, is not abusing 

its market power and is not artificially reducing 

the quantity of the goods available and is 

not artificially raising the prices. 

Another case in point: if a company is primarily 

an exporter of goods manufactured 

in Armenia, that may justify a condition of a 

monopoly, according to some economists. In 

the case of importers, the opposite is true: if 

there is only one importer of sugar, gas, oil, 

flour, etc., then there should be regulations 

so the state, in Armenia’s case, could supervise 

the conduct of the importer. 

Today there is a new draft antitrust regulatory 

law waiting to be heard in the National 

Assembly. Among other things, it calls for the 

merging of the existing State Commission for 

the Protection of Economic Competition and 

the Public Services Regulatory Commission 

to create a single anti-trust commission. 

Unfortunately these commissions in the 

past have proven to be ineffective. Recently 

the president of the State Commission for 

the Protection of Economic Competition 

said, “I promise that the price of sugar will 

not go up.” When asked how he knew or how 

he could guarantee maintaining the price of 

sugar, he said that he had spoken with the 

importer of sugar to the country and the importer 

(who obviously has a monopoly on 

sugar imports) had promised he wouldn’t 

raise prices. That’s one form of regulating, I 

suppose. 

The State Revenue Committee this week 

said that budgetary expenditures had to be 

cut because it had failed to meet revenue 

targets. In the first 10 months of this year, 

there was a 16 percent decrease in tax and 

To further comprehend with the enormity 

of the crime committed in 1909 against humanity, 

world culture, and civilization, it is 

worth mentioning the series of scholarly papers 

presented at a UCLA conference in 2000 

and later released by Richard Hovannisian in 

the volume Armenian Cilicia. 

With their translation, Ara Stepan Melkonian 

and Ara Sarafian have done a great 

service, not only for historians but also for 

the illumination of our coming generations. 

Although the book encompasses many disturbing 

and graphic descriptions of eyewitness 

accounts, it is easy to read and should 

be read by every student of humanity. It provides 

a preview of what followed six years 

later, during the 1915 Armenian Genocide. 

duty revenues compared with last year. Part 

of that decline can be attributed to the fall 

in Armenia’s gross domestic product, which 

contracted by 18.3 percent in the same period. 

But tax evasion, too, is a problem in the 

country. One thing the owners of big businesses 

do is to take their money out of the 

country. Last month a Bulgarian company, 

Gorna Banya, which produces bottled spring 

water, was purchased for 25 million euros by 

an Armenian businessperson. 

The growing polarization between the 

rich and the poor, the drastic reduction of 

economic growth, rampant corruption, falling 

birth rates, monopolies, oligopolies. . . . 

These are challenges we have to confront if 

we want our country to prosper. Sure, we 

can talk about the great opportunities awaiting 

us if and when the border with Turkey 

is opened and we have whole new markets 

spread out before us. But an open border is 

not a panacea; we have to have something 

to export to these new markets, and that 

requires the kind of innovation and opportunities 

that come with a truly competitive 

playing field. 

When I think of that shining house on a 

hill, I think of the mansions and villas that 

the wealthy of Armenia have built on hills 

overlooking Yerevan. I think of the private 

chapels they have constructed on their properties. 

I think of the wild animals they keep 

in cages on their private grounds. 

When we think of Armenia’s security, perhaps 

we should not think only of external 

challenges and relations with neighbors. The 

country’s survival requires growth and opportunity 

for all. Sometimes the personal 

interests of businesspeople in politics are in 

tension with this need. But I want to believe 

that there are enough people in politics who 

put the common good first, so that Armenia 

may come out of the current crisis stronger 

than it was going in. 

f 

New book on Cilicia, 1909, is a service to the generations 

n Continued from page 18 

Many members of Armenia’s National Assembly lead major business interests. Hayk Badalyan/Photolure. 

Anyone who would like to educate younger 

people about atrocities that may be committed 

by humankind against humans, or provide 

help with interpreting unfolding current 

events, with the goal of preempting and 

preventing genocidal recurrences, should 

hand them a copy of Cilicia 1909. f 

*One Ottoman gold lira contains 6.62 grams of 

pure gold, which is equal to about 0.24 ounces. 

An ounce of gold is valued at $1,060 today. 

Hence, in today’s currency, 0.24 ounces of gold 

would be valued at $254, and 5,400,000.00 gold 

liras of 1909 would amount to $1.4 billion in 

principal alone. What could have been the potential 

return on investments of $1.4 billion over 

the past 100 years?


Armenia Fund USA 

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009 

State / Station Cable Channels Satellite Channels Time 

michiGan 

WMYD TV 20 

massachuseTTs 

WZMY-TV* 

* Or check your local guide for WZMY-TV (MyTV) 

neW YorK 

WMBC 63 

neW JerseY 

WMBC 63 

easTern PennsYlVania 

WMBC 63 

U . S . E A S T E R N R E G I O N : : C H A N N E L G U I D E 

Charter Communications Ch. 3, 6, 10 or 20 

Comcast Cable Ch. 3, 13 or 20 

Brighthouse Networks Ch. 6 

Wide Open West — Detroit Ch. 20 

Comcast Cable Ch. 18 

Charter Communications Ch. 26 

Verizon FiOS Ch. 6 

RCN Ch. 18 


RCN Ch. 19 

Cablevision Ch. 20 

Time Warner Cable Ch. 10, 18, 21 or 63 


Cablevision Ch. 20 

Comcast Cable Ch. 17, 19, 20, 24, 32, 63 

Time Warner Cable Ch. 21 or 63 

US Cable of Paramus Ch. 10 

Service Electric Ch. 18 

Blue Ridge Cable TV Ch. 18 

For more inFormaTion anD TeleThon conTribuTions: 

Armenia Fund USA 

Phone: 212-689-5307 

Fax: 212-689-5317 

80 Maiden Lane, Suite 301 

Web: www.ArmeniaFundUSA.org 

New York, NY 10038 

Email: info@armeniafundusa.org 

DirectTV Ch. 887/20 

Echo Star Ch. 8034 

DirectTV Ch. 50 

DISH Ch. 50 


EchoStar Ch. 63/8115 


EchoStar Ch. 63/8115 

12pm–6pm 

12pm–4pm 

12pm–6pm 

12pm–6pm 

12pm–6pm 

OR CALL TOLL-FREE: 

1 • 800 • 888 • 8897

The Armenian Reporter | November 7, 2009


arts 

culture 


& 

reporter 


See page 9 

Araz Artinian, who made the film, The Genocide in Me, is creating an interactive website celebrating Armenian history. It involves children and costumes in various parts of Armenia. Photo: Karen Mirzoyan.

tells the story of Armenia - Armenian Reporter

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?