National, International, Armenia, and Community News and Opinion

14 The Armenian Reporter | May 2, 2009CommunityJerusalem Armenian school turns 80, celebratesby Bedross DerMatossianJERUSALEM (April 28) – Sts.Tarkmanchatz School was built in1929 under the patronage of PatriarchYeghishe Tourian to satisfythe educational needs of the Armeniancommunity of Jerusalem. Theschool has played a dominant rolein the life of the Armenian communityof Jerusalem.The legacy of BishopKapigianOne of the most important figureswho brought the school intoits current shape was Bishop GureghKapigian (1921–2003), whoin 1952 was named principal ofthe school. He devoted most of histime and thought to developingand strengthening the school.After years of hard work, BishopKapigian succeeded in expandingthe institution to include a secondaryschool by adding a second floorto the building. This led immediatelyto a rise in the number of thestudents. Moreover, the school becamea self-sufficient charitable institution,supported by donations,chiefly from abroad.Thousands of Armenians graduatedfrom this Armenian educationalinstitution to become physicians,scientists, lawyers, politicians, engineers,architects, historians, andeducators. In the last two decadesof Bishop Kapigian’s leadership,the school became renowned in thedistrict of Jerusalem.The growth of the school’s renownowed much to the efforts of Prof.Roberta Ervine, a prominent armenologistwho is currently associateprofessor of Armenian studies atSt. Nersess Seminary. Lifelong educatorssuch as Yeghia Dickranianalso played an important role in developingthe curriculum of the school.With its five mandatory languages(Armenian, Arabic, English, Hebrew,and French) and 15 subjects, rangingfrom classical Armenian to physicsto Arabic literature, the history of Europe,and essential scientific subjects,the school attracted the attentionand admiration of the other schoolsin the district of Jerusalem.A celebrationOn April 20, the 80th anniversaryfor the establishment of the ArmenianSecondary School of Sts.Tarkmanchatz was celebrated inJerusalem with the attendance ofVery Rev. Fr. Norayr Kazazian, dean of Sts. Tarkmanchatz Secondary Schoolin Jerusalem, delivering the keynote speech at the school’s 80th anniversarycelebration. Photo: Vincent Sawalha.more than 300 alumni, communitymembers, guests, and pilgrims. Theevent took place in the courtyard ofthe Gulbenkian Library within theArmenian Cathedral of St. James.Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, Directorof Ecumenical and ForeignRelations of the Armenian Patriarchateof Jerusalem, presided overthe celebration. He was accompaniedby more than 14 clergy membersof the St. James Brotherhood.Tsolag Momjian, honorary consulof the Republic of Armenia, was alsopresent at the event. The mastersof the ceremonies were HaroutBaghamian and Angela Dikbikian,both directors of the cultural activitiesat Sts. Tarkmanchatz School.After singing the Armenian nationalanthem and the anthem ofthe school, Vork Zartaretsin, Mr.Baghamian and Mrs. Dikbikianmade the opening speech, in whichthey highlighted the historicalbackground, aims, and objectivesof establishing the school.After a rich program of musicalperformances and poetry recited bythe students of Sts. Tarkmanchatz,Nora Nakashian, English teacher,took the podium and discussed herexperiences of teaching at the Sts.Tarkmanchatz School.The Husseini giftVery Rev. Father Norayr Kazazian,the Dean of Sts. TarkmanchatzSecondary School, delivered thekeynote speech, in which he emphasizedthe important role thatSts. Tarkmanchatz had played andstill plays in the life of the Armeniancommunity of Jerusalem. Hespoke about the latest renovationsthat were undertaken in the schoolthanks to a generous donation fromthe Faisal Husseini Foundation. Thefoundation has been established inmemory of Faisal Husseini (1940–2001), who was Palestinian AuthorityMinister for Jerusalem Affairs.The foundation, which is run byAbdulqader Husseini (Faisal’sson) aims to serve Jerusalem, itsresidents, and its institutions andThe logo of the 80th anniversary of theSts. Tarkmanchatz Secondary Schoolin Jerusalem.ensure their continued survivaland prosperity. The foundation hasbeen instrumental in renovatingand building a laboratory, computerlab, and other facilities.In his speech Fr. Kazazian alsothanked Mr. Momjian for his kinddonations, which will be dedicatedto renovating the main hall of theschool. He also thanked him for hisannual scholarship given to one ofthe most qualified graduates of theschool to pursue an undergraduatedegree at the Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem. Fr. Kazazianalso thanked the head of Sts. TarkmanchatzAlumni Association, NahabedMelkonian, for initiatingthe idea of the commemoration, althoughfor personal reasons he wasnot able to attend the ceremony.Fundamental changesFr. Kazazian emphasized that theschool was undergoing fundamentalcurricular and structural changesand that it was high time thatcommunity members sent theirArchbiship ArisShirvanian,Armenia’shonorary consulTsolag Momjian,priests, andguests at acelebration of the80th anniversaryof Sts.TarkmanchatzSecondary Schoolin Jerusalem.Photo: VincentSawalha.children to the school. Fr. Kazazianalso thanked his predecessorsfor their dedication to the schoolin the past 80 years. He especiallyemphasized the dominant role thatBishop Kapigian had played.Archbishop Shirvanian madeconcluding remarks. He thankedall the patriarchs of Jerusalem,especially the current patriarch,Torkom Manoogian, for supportingthe school.At the end of the celebration theattendants moved to the Sts. TarkmanchatzSchool, where a khachkar,donated by Shahe Boyadjian, anarchitect and graduate of Tarkmanchatznow living in Los Angeles,was consecrated. In addition, beautifultile work was also revealed atthe site prepared by the famous Jerusalemartist Vicken Lepejian inmemory of his parents.Speaking about the future prospectsof the school, Fr.Kazaziantold the Armenian Reporter he wascautiously optimistic regarding thecurrent situation. He argued thatdespite the renovations, still morework needed to be done in theschool. “Currently our biggest challengeis the financial condition ofthe school. We need to have a goodbudget in order to transform theschool into a better academic institutionboth from the perspective ofbringing modern facilities and appointinga qualified teaching cadre.”Speaking about his vision for theschool, Fr. Kazazian emphasizedthat the school was undergoingfundamental curricular and structuralchanges: “My vision is thatwithin a couple of years, we will beable to raise the educational levelof the school and facilitate our students’entrance to the local institutionsof higher education.” Andrew Goldberg’s documentary on Jerusalem airs on pbs stationsNEW YORK – For over 40 centuries,untold numbers of Jews,Christians, and Muslims have goneto Jerusalem to look for God, whilebillions more have worshiped fromafar. Jerusalem: Center of the World,a two-hour epic event in hi-definitionby Emmy Award-winning producer/directorAndrew Goldberg(who in 2006 produced the documentary,The Armenian Genocide)and Oregon Public Television, presentsitself as the first documentaryof this scope to delve into the historicalfacts and religious beliefsthat have led so many thousandsto live and die for this city.Host Ray Suarez, senior correspondentwith pbs’ The NewsHourwith Jim Lehrer, together with anoutstanding roster of historians andscholars, explores the founding of thecity, and the birth and convergenceof the world’s three major monotheisticreligions. He lends voice to thekey events in the city’s history as describedin the Hebrew and ChristianBibles, the Talmud, the Hagaddah,the Koran, and the Hadith. And hetakes viewers through Jerusalem’sconstantly shifting role in Judaism,Christianity, and Islam.Jerusalem: Center of the World takesviewers far beyond the city’s exteriorsto follow the paths taken byAbraham, David, Jesus, and Mohammed,among countless others. Froma strikingly intimate perspective,Mr. Suarez travels deep into the city.He touches the walls of Hezekiah’sfamed underground water-filled tunnelsbuilt from solid rock over 2,500years ago; he faces the same wallthe biblical King David likely facedwhen conquering the city in the 10thcentury B.C.E. Mr. Suarez also visitsthe recently discovered Siloam poolwhere Jesus, it is said, cured a man’sblindness, and he takes viewers rightinto the Dome of the Rock, fromwhere Mohammed, Muslims believe,ascended to Heaven.With illustrations from over 300pieces of iconic artwork from everygenre and period, Jerusalem: Centerof the World brings one of the oldestcities in the world to life.Highlights include:Mount Moriah, the site ofthe First and Second Temples:At the center and beginning of itall, this 60 x 40 foot piece of rock,is where, according to the Bible,Abraham was instructed by Godto sacrifice his son. The rock waslater enshrined by David’s son,King Solomon, and became thesite of the First Temple. It was destroyedin 586 B.C.E., some fourcenturies after it was built, whenthe Babylonians attacked Jerusalem.A Second Temple was builton the same spot just 70 years afterward.The Church of the Holy Sepulcher:One of the holiest and mostvisually amazing churches in allof Christianity, it was built to enshrinethe collective sites of Jesus’crucifixion, burial, and (accordingto Christian teachings) ascensionto Heaven. The numerous structuresand buildings that make upthe church have been damaged andrebuilt many times, but all still existand operate to this day.The Dome of the Rock: Builtover the rock, this Islamic shrineis among the oldest extant Islamicbuildings in the world, and is consideredby many to be the most stunning.It is from here that Muslimsbelieve the Prophet Mohammedascended to Heaven. Completed inthe late 7th century, C.E., the domeis one of the holiest sites in Islam.The Western Wall: Roughly2,000 years ago, King Herod theGreat, ruler of Jerusalem, built vastretaining walls around Mount Moriah,where the Second Temple stood.Virtually all of it was destroyedwhen the Romans sacked Jerusalemin 70 C.E., but the wall remains, andis considered the holiest site in theworld for the Jewish people.Jerusalem: Center of the Worldcaptures the rich mosaic ofChristian, Jewish and Muslimcommunities that coexist – notalways peacefully – in the citytoday and offers a rare and unparalleledlook into the powerfulrole these communities have inthe lives of hundreds of millionsof people today.Two Cats Productions is theproducer of Anti-Semitism in the21st Century (2007, pbs NationalProgram Service), The ArmenianGenocide (2006, pbs NationalProgram Service), the EmmyAward–winning A Yiddish WorldRemembered (2002, pbs), andProud to Serve: The Men and Womenof the U.S. Army (AmericanPublic Television, 2003). AndrewGoldberg is executive producerand director.The dvd is available for purchasethrough the Two Cats website andamazon.com.connect:twocatstv.com