(L to R) Edgar Hagopian, Mitch Kehetian, Rev. Fr. Diran Papazian, and David Terzibashian

Over 70 people gathered in the exquisite downtown Birmingham showroom of Hagopian World of Rugs to fete and congratulate native Detroiter Kehetian as he took them on a verbal odyssey to Turkish-held Armenian lands in search of Aunt Parancim, his father’s sister, thought to be among those who had perished in Khoops, Keghi during the Armenian Genocide.

This is the genocide whose veracity is endorsed by scores of world recognized scholars but still denied by the present-day Turkish government and left as an unfilled pre-election promise by President Obama.

Aunt Parancim had survived and her nephew was determined to locate this long-lost relative, daring to trek, in 1969, the remote and possibly dangerous terrains of the lands that lay in the shadow of Mt. Ararat, the biblical location of Noah’s Ark. Through the help of the U.S. State Department and his friend, Detroit Congressman Lucien Nedzi, Kehetian’s search began accompanied by a Turkish guide, Nur Tanisik, and an armed Kurdish driver and body guard, Mehmet Unlu.

Kehetian’s wiles ingratiated himself to these unlikely traveling companions who themselves began to understand this survivor’s son’s reason for a trip to the wastelands of Turkey. To his historical credit, Kehetian always refers to this territory as “Turkish-held Armenian land.” This is only one way he has of expressing his disdain of those who attempted to purge this territory of its Armenian inhabitants, whom he credits as being the “giants of the earth.”

The author resembles his Urartian ancestors with his fair complexion and eyes of blue, as he captured the silent audience with his narration as if it were only yesterday that the 1969 trip took place.

Kehetian has expressly written this book—deftly entwined with early Armenian history—for the third-generation of Armenians so they will know not only what happened in 1915 but have knowledge of other turbulent times—when Armenia lay on the crossroads of the spice and silk route—and its survival to the modern age. Armenia’s 4,000-plus years of existence is a fact every Armenian should embrace with pride. Kehetian has made this a complete guidebook.

The book began 40 years ago as a historical preservation project for Kehetian’s daughters—Grace, Janet, and Karen—and his grandchildren. The memoir is dedicated to his dear cousin, the late Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian, who convinced him to complete the mission, but who unfortunately passed away before the book’s publication.

So many coincidences took place that led the seasoned newspaperman to believe that only the hand of God could have played it out so keenly. From an accidental meeting of old friend Hamayag Kachadoorian in Moscow’s Metropole Hotel elevator (whom Mitch’s parents had hosted in Detroit as a former Displaced Person), to the old woman with him, Arousig Mangoian (who was from Khoops, Mitch’s father’s village, and who said her brothers had seen Aunt Parancim alive in 1947). This was the startling news that began it all.

Aunt Parancim’s survival of the genocide was an unexpected and bittersweet discovery. Only the hand of a benevolent God could have led to this, and Kehetian pursued and made good on all the coincidences.

***

The man with the pure white moustache and long fringe of white hair was in this showroom surrounded by the ambience of magnificent oriental rugs reminiscent of the craft his Armenian ancestors had perfected. He concluded the book talk by saying, “High on a mountaintop overlooking the western tributary of the Biblical Euphrates River in Turkish-held Armenia, I found a crude, rocky gravesite…and the soul of my Armenian heritage. Out there in the desolate patch of earth called Kutluja I found Parancim.”

Through all the coincidences, fate was now to be unkind. Parancim had died only seven years before her nephew’s discovery of her gravesite.

The emotionally electrified audience stood to honor their Mitch Kehetian and Aunt Parancim, with those magnificent oriental rugs having no choice but to absorb the din and appreciation of this predominately Armenian audience.

In reality, every Armenian person here is in exile. In every person’s heart also lives the fear that some of their ancestors, too, were left behind and could only remain Armenian and Christian secretly in this wasteland.

An impressive kini-ahtzon ceremony followed was vigorously performed by Rev. Fr. Diran Papazian of St. John’s Armenian Apostolic Church. He sang a sharagan (an Armenian church hymn) and repeated prayers. He both blessed the author and poured red wine on the pages of the new book welcoming Kehetian into the pantheon of Armenian writers, following in the footsteps of the Great Translators from hundreds of years before. A true honor. He was assisted by David Terzibashian.

This kini-ahtzon ceremony is also a living testimony to the Armenians’ devotion to Christianity. Priests are involved in many aspects of Armenian life. That which the Turks attempted to destroy, lives on stronger than ever.

Welcoming members of the Metro -Detroit community were hosts Edgar Hagopian, daughter Suzanne Hagopian, and Hagopian’s administrative assistant Pam Coultis. Videotaping the evening was filmmaker Hrayr Toukhanian of “Assingment Berlin” film fame.

The most beautiful line in a beautifully written memoir? “Yes, I am proud to be an American by birth, but more so I am thankful to God to have been given life with the soul of an Armenian.” Pure Kehetian.

“Akh-Tamar.”

Giants of the Earth, published and available only through Publish America, sells for $24.95. For more information, visit www.publishamerica.net/product88361.html.

As you might guess, Iran gets lots of coverage, what with the whole “going nuclear” issue, the ongoing antipathy and tension between it and the U.S., its connections to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, its oil reserves, and the hot wars in abutting Afghanistan and Iraq. Whether this coverage is truly representative is an open question. Unsurprisingly, it betrays a U.S. establishment bias. It also lacks the Armenian component—that Iran serves as a lifeline for illegally blockaded Armenia and has played a balanced, if not Armenia-leaning role, in the latter’s conflict with Azerbaijan. Of course this wouldn’t do, because then readers might not buy the “extremist Islamist” narrative used when describing Iran in the U.S. However, despite these flaws, my sense is LATimes readers probably get the best overall picture of Iran— better than Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kurdistan, and Turkey—albeit quite accidently.

While it might be hard to believe, Azerbaijan fares even worse than Armenia in the LATimes. Most of the coverage consists of the “news in brief” type—about missile shield placement, alleged plots foiled, one of its countless bellicose threats against Armenia that was actually reported, and an op-ed piece, editorial, and longer news piece—all betray a generally positive tone. Imagine! The op-ed piece refers to Azerbaijan as a “secular” and “cautious” country. The oil/energy theme is present, as is the “tough” neighborhood this country finds itself in. The incompleteness of the coverage itself creates a bias that leaves Azerbaijan in a much more positive light than it deserves.

Georgia fares the worst. It might as well not exist. If the Russians hadn’t invaded it, and if its president wasn’t a megalomaniac, Georgia probably wouldn’t exist in the eyes of the LATimes’ editors. The war and protests are about all the coverage this misbegotten country elicits. While no one in their right mind would pity Georgia, it is important for people to understand how disruptive a course has been set by the leaders of this artificial construct of a state. Also lacking is coverage of the human and civil rights abuses heaped upon Armenians living in that part of “Georgia” that rightly belongs to the Republic of Armenia.

Where does all this leave us? Clearly, the LATimes coverage of matters important to Armenians is anemic and skewed. To counteract this, we must, as I mentioned earlier in this series of pieces, “lobby” the newspaper. We need a media policy and people implementing it who are competent to take on the righting of this poor coverage. In fairness, perhaps the relatively recent purchase of the paper by its new owner and the turmoil in the newspaper industry have made it difficult to continue on the positive track taken when the pro-Turkish editor was booted out and the term “genocide” started being used properly. We must remind the editors that they are here, at least in part, to serve the reading public of the LA basin/southern California, of which the Armenian community is a significant part. Perhaps a partnership should be entered, with our community supporting the newspaper more, but on condition of more, and more accurate, non-State Department biased coverage.

Ani Serebrakian being honored by the Armenian community in Vancouver

For athletes who want to participate in the Olympics, it is more than just a game, it is about national pride.

“My brother and I were born in the United States and were skiing for the U.S.,” explained Ani Serebrakian, “but we are Armenian, and so we made the decision, about two to three years ago, that we wanted to ski for Armenia. From there, we both switched—we had dual citizenship—so we started skiing for Armenia.”

Since turning in the red, white, and blue for Armenia’s red, orange, and blue, the 21-year-old University of San Francisco (USF) student competed in several alpine skiing events with the hope of qualifying for the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

“I was able to be here [Vancouver] because my qualifying points were low enough,” she said.

Though she was able to race, she always started with a high number, and was one of the last competitors to go down the hill.

“The reason for me always having a high number is because of my points—they are high. My last score in an event was two years ago in New Zealand. I haven’t competed because of injury… I am what is called a reckless skier. I crash a lot. I am very intense. When I finish a race, it is great, amazing, but unfortunately, when I don’t finish a race, the same can be said,” Serebrakian added.

Her two runs in Vancouver saw her pull out after hitting her hand on a gate and then being disqualified, due to equipment issues.

Ani Serebrakian in Vancouver

“On my first run, my arm just completely hooked the gate. Just out of pain, I pulled out. That has never happened to me before. I’ve never hooked the gate. It was due to the snow conditions, the fog. I’d never skied in fog before. Though I had the right lenses on, it was an accident, it happens,” she said.

What about the second run?

“I got disqualified due to my ski binding…”

The International Ski Federation’s rule book states that binding or equipment can have a lee-way of -1 c.m. or +1 c.m. “My binding was up, over the +1 c.m. Before, when my teammate and I went to get measured, it was fine. It wasn’t a lot, it was snug, so it passed. But unfortunately sometimes, when you push out of the gate hard, the binding goes up.”

“Binding is supposed to be tight. With me, maybe the screws were a bit loose. I don’t know, you can’t see that stuff, but it was a millimeter off, like a hair. Even with the +1 c.m. allowed, it was up. I was there when the measurement was taken and I tried to plead my case, but no. It wasn’t just me—another girl also [Irish Kirsten McGarry] had the same problem. I didn’t know what to say. It is not like I did on purpose, it just happened,” Serebrakian said.

“Again, these things happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re ranked high or not. Even Body Miller crashed. Even in the Utah Olympics he didn’t finish a race. The best racer in the world crashes and so does the worst skier. It is what makes skiing so fun to watch and do.”

One question that many newcomers to the sport have is why, after the first 30 skiers, do all the other skiers come 10-15 seconds behind.

“The skiers who go down in the top 30 are the best in the world,” Serebrakian explained. “Their ranking and points give them the ability to go down in the first group with fresh snow on the mountain. The reason for the huge disparity in time is basically snow conditions. As skiers go down the hill, they create ruts, they are pushing the snow up, the weather conditions change as time goes on—so many issues which have nothing to do with the skier.”

Ani Serebrakian being honored by the Armenian community in Vancouver

Serebrakian was one of only four athletes for Team Armenia. Did pressure also come into play?

“I don’t let the pressure get to me because I’ve always been on enjoying the race. What good will it do if I am about to race and I am scared? I am representing others, but I am doing it for myself as well. I don’t bother with what others will think or say about me because I know that everyone is proud of us just for making it this far to the Olympics,” she said.

One problem with being an Olympian is the pay. She doesn’t get paid, but she doesn’t see that as a deterring factor. “It never crossed my mind. I am only sponsored, so I get equipment to ski on. But, no, money was never the issue. Obviously, if I win, I can get paid with the medal, but other than that, I never asked for money because I wanted to ski and I wanted to ski for Armenia,” she added.

And what about the future? “This experience really juiced me up. I love skiing, but this really made me fall in love with it, all over again. The support, the fans, the whole process. I will go back to school at USF and finish my undergraduate in exercise and sports science. And then, I will ski. I want to focus on skiing and qualify for Sochi, Russia [the host city of the 2014 Olympics]. I want to not only finish the races that I am in, but I want to do…amazing,” she said, with a smile on her face.

The 2014 Winter Olympics will be only two years away once she graduates. But the qualification to get to Sochi is not something she is worried about.

“The qualification for 2014 will be the same as it was for Vancouver. Since Armenia doesn’t have many in the top 500 for my discipline (alpine), they can only take one girl. I just know that in two to three years from now, my points…they will be nowhere near where they are now. I’ll drop the points I have because of me not finishing races and I can go even lower with practice. If Armenia wants to send another girl, I will need to be in the top 500, but when I say I will be at Sochi, it is with confidence.”

As for what she needs to do to win a medal: “Easy, just work harder and stay focused,” was her quick answer.

(Photos by Antranig Dereyan)

Following the approval of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress, the Swedish Parliament also adopted a resolution that recognizes the Armenian Genocide.

These are real decisions, not feigned acts.

The Turkish government was furious. And immediately recalled its ambassadors in Washington and Stockholm. Visits to the U.S. and Sweden were cancelled.

Apparently this reaction targets those countries that have passed the resolution recently, because there is no reaction against countries that have passed similar resolutions in the past.

Visits to such countries are not being cancelled and the ambassadors to those countries are on duty.

Obviously, the top echelons of the state have decided to recall their ambassadors or visit countries that pass resolutions regarding the Armenian Genocide after 2010.

Because Enver Pasha may have been a putschist, may have finished the empire, may have condemned 90,000 youth to death by freezing, but he would not have commit genocide.

Amongst us, we can criticize the Unionists and their policies, but we are firm believers in the proverb “the arm may be broken but remains inside the sleeve.”

See, even TUSIAD (the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association) has become étatist.

Shame on you. Defend the most liberal policies and then surrender to a chauvinist policy.

Then you, too, are secret Unionists; after all, the role of the Uninonists in the formation of your capital was undeniable.

Had they not crushed and butchered the minorities, your grandparents would not have been able to usurp their goods and form their capital.

In short, you are owning up your history.

And anyway, the Americans killed the Indians, didn’t they? Well, they acknowledge this and teach it in their schools, but who cares?

Armenian babies were deported for having joined the Russians and declared war on the Ottomans. And their mothers were subjected to forced immigration because they procured arms for the babies.

The events of Sept. 6-7, 1955 were in fact concocted by the Greeks to humiliate Turkey in the eyes of the world.

The Ottoman Dynasty may have been traitors, they may have been in league with the enemy, but their administration would not have commited genocide.

I had written in the Sabah newspaper previously.

Had Hitler been Turkish, we would have denied the Holocaust, too. (Of course, there are some conservative newspapers that deny the Holocaust.)

Yes, we started off from Central Asia and marched into the midst of Europe by handing out sweets to babies, food to mothers, and jobs to husbands. And we had to return because we ran out of sweets and bread at the gates of Vienna. Otherwise our history is spick-and-span without a blemish.

We do concede that an army whose battle cry is “Allah, Allah” may have planned to bomb mosques, but we do not concede the truth of that same army annihilating its own citizens.

Dersim is a reality, but the Armenian Genocide is a lie.

Mr. prime minister, how about you also make public the verdicts of the deportations?

Although we cannot explain how the number of Armenians varied between 300,000 and 1.5 million, and how those had been living on these lands for over a thousand years decreased to the level of some tens of thousands, so be it.

In my opinion, everyone should prepare placards that read “We are all Enver, we are all Unionists” and take to the streets on April 24.

The previous editor-in-chief of the Hurriyet newspaper was very influential and successful in the “flag demonstrations.” He could successfully undertake “We are all Envers” demonstrations too.

They may even supply a placard for every five coupons.

Come on nationalists, to the streets…

I think there’s a tidal wave coming that’s going to engulf the Armenian community in the United States. But don’t worry, it’s not going to drown us, it’s going to lift all our boats. Danny Tarkanian (R) was in Watertown on Sunday evening, Dec. 13, for a fundraiser to support his campaign for the Nevada seat in the U.S. Senate now occupied by Harry Reid (D). Because of his track record and platform, I helped the sponsors.

I’ve heard a fair amount of political oratory over the years, very little of which was either inspirational, informative, entertaining, or impressive. On this night, I was happily impressed by the man and his message. I’m not going to report on anything that he said, because it’s not the point of this commentary. The point I want to make here is that he struck me as being authentic, sincere, and honest. The guy’s unusually bright, third in his class at law school, but frankly, I’m not looking for brains as a significant qualifier. I know lots of brainy guys who don’t know enough to come in out of the rain. So do you. I want my elected officials to be genuine, endowed with common sense, and I want character and integrity from him, not adherence to a party line that makes him a political hack. He has a rap. I identified with it. When he fielded questions from the audience, his responses were decisive and substantive. He knows his stuff and he speaks from the heart, and I believed everything he said. For sure, he isn’t teflon or plastic. He’s confident without being glib. He’s courteous and respectful, and it’s authentic. He’s clean but he’s not polished. We don’t need polished. That’ll come in time. He has an edge. I like that. No, I love that. It’s one of the characteristics that makes him a winner, and win he’ll do more often than not. I’ve told my kids throughout their lives that the single most important ingredient essential to having a happy, successful life is mental toughness. Danny has it in spades; it’s the source of that edge. Once he gets to Washington, no one’s going to push him around, freshman or not. He’s the kind of guy who’ll stand up for what he thinks is right, popular or not. He’s a credit to old-fashioned American values and to the Armenian community everywhere. I think he’s going places. But, what’s right for me may not be right for you. Put him under your own microscope.

You may wonder whether this is a paid endorsement. No, but it’s an endorsement. In fact, I paid to hear him. For the sake of my children and grandchildren, I’m concerned about moral decay in society and the trend of our formerly dominant country in the global power structure. Make no mistake, there’s a structural change in the direction in which we’re moving and it isn’t forward or up. The only way that’s going to change is by electing better representatives locally and nationally. If I’m wrong about Danny, I’ll have egg on my face and I’ll help you elect his replacement. Meanwhile, let’s support him and let him do his stuff. Incidentally, John and Michelle Simourian are having a fundraising reception for Danny at John’s home in Dover on Thurs., March 25 (hint, hint.) Contact John at (781) 449-8811, ext. 355.
 
Frank Nahigian
Belmont, Mass.

Those same representatives would never have dared suggest that the World War II Holocaust be erased from history, and I wonder why they don’t fathom the connecting relationship of those two genocides. 

Why did the Jewish Holocaust happen? Could it be that Adolf Hitler learned from the first genocide of the 20th century, an event Turkey denies was intended to exterminate its Armenian population? When Hitler was planning his annihilation of Poland in 1939, he knew Turkey had never been held accountable for what their Ottoman forefathers had perpetrated against its Armenian populace during World War I. Hitler said at the outset of World War II, “The destruction of Poland has priority. The victor will not be asked afterwards whether he told the truth or not. Who still talks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians?”

World War I started in 1914 and ended in 1918. Hitler was a decorated corporal in the German Army in Flanders, and like many Germans at the time, couldn’t believe Germany had lost the war. In addition to focusing on the war itself, the world media was also focused on the death marches of the Ottoman Armenians who were deported from their ancestral homes in Turkey to the barren deserts of Ottoman Syria. They were commonly written about as the “starving Armenians.” When the war ended in 1918, the United States displayed its greatest humanitarian effort by leading the world in funding and saving the lives of those Armenians who survived, mostly orphans. My mother was one of those orphans.

Then in 1921, the Turkish interior minister, Talat Pasha, who was the architect of the Armenian deportations, was assassinated in Berlin by an Armenian survivor. The survivor gained worldwide notoriety and his trial was the subject of worldwide attention, particularly when the survivor was acquitted by the German jury.

The trial, the Armenian deportations, and the relief effort for the Armenian survivors were subjects of conversation worldwide, as was the burning of Smyrna (now called Izmir) in 1922, when thousands of surviving Armenians and Greeks fled to safety in Greece. Less than 20 years passed as the memory of the Armenian Genocide faded into history and was forgotten by the world…but not by Hitler!  And so it goes…..

Kay Mouradian is a professor of health and physical education in the Los Angeles Community Colleges. She can be reached at cmouradian@earthlink.net. For more on Mouradian, visit www.AGiftInTheSunlight.com.

(L-R) Hirant Gulian, Hagop Baghdadlian, and Berge Abajian

Hirant Gulian, of Guliani Gems, LLC, Hagop Baghdadlian, of Hagop Baghdadlian LTD, and Berge Abajian of Bergio International Inc. each spoke about their rise in the jewelry industry and provided general information about the craft.

In the jewelry business since the age of 10, Hirant Gulian, who has a degree in accounting from Queens College, said Armenian jewelers have been active in the industry in many different ways.

“We have talent, knowledge, and creativity, and this is why we have survived,” said Gulian, who immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey when he was 18.  He also noted that the owner of the largest jewelry manufacturer in the world is an Armenian from Moscow by the name of Gagik Gevorkyan, the president of Estet Jewelry. Gevorkyan, who employs 1,000, close to half of which are Armenian, donated a pure gold croisier (pastoral staff) to His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, which is worth $1.5 million.

Gulian also said that jewelers have to expand on their knowledge of the industry. “You have to learn what’s around you and what the market is. It’s important to educate yourself within the industry so you can use your talent and advance.”

Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Hagop Baghdadlian moved to the U.S. in 1977 and started his own business as a diamond dealer. He was president of Cora International, which specializes in diamond manufacturing, from 2003-09. For the past seven years Baghdadlian has served as an executive board member of the International Armenian Jewelers Association and executive member in the Armenian Jewelers Association for the East Coast.

Baghdadlian talked about the four C’s of diamond quality: clarity, cut, color, and carat. He said that diamonds are a $140 billion industry and also discussed the origin of the rough diamond—a diamond which has not yet been cut—which comes mainly from Africa, Brazil, and Australia. In 2005, Baghdadlian and his partner Ara Arslanian purchased a 570 carat diamond and manufactured it, selling it for $36 million to Dr. Stanley Ho, who named it the “Star of Macau Diamond.” According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the 218 carat, “internally flawless” diamond is the largest of its kind in the world.

Berge Abajian, the founder, CEO, and designer for Bergio International, was born in Lebanon and immigrated to the U.S. in 1976.  An aspiring entrepreneur, he attended Fairleigh Dickinson University as a business administration major, receiving his bachelor of science degree in 1982.  Imbued with the spirit of adventure, he traveled to Brazil, where he became fascinated with the unusual stones that would ultimately become his specialty—yellow and pink colored (“fancy”) diamonds. He started his own company in 1995.

Abajian talked about his experiences in the jewelry industry. “I was always looking outside of the box and wanted to be in the business of jewelry.” In November 2009, he became the first Armenian jeweler to go public, when Bergio International became a publicly traded company under the symbol BRGO.

“I want Armenians in the jewelry business to get involved in the financial aspect of the jewelry industry,” said Abajian, who has served as president of the Armenian Jewelers Association. “My dream is to get Armenians to think out of the box and get off the bench because we are leaders in this industry.”

A question and answer session followed in which the topics of the future of Armenian jewelers was discussed. Paul Minoyan, the current president of the Armenian Jewelers Association, said it’s important to bring Armenian jewelers together on both a regional and international level. “The idea of the Armenian Jewelers Association is to help jewelers. We can be stronger and more powerful together,” said Minoyan, who is a pearl wholesaler.

A wine and cheese reception followed the event, during which attendants had the opportunity to talk to the speakers.

“It was inspiring to see such successful Armenian jewelers and how they have left their mark on the jewelry industry in the U.S. and also around the world,” said Levon Vrtanesyan, a student at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Another attendee, Karen Minasian, said, “The speakers’ inspiring stories really epitomized the tireless efforts, determined spirit, and resourcefulness which contributed to their rise and success as Armenian immigrants, and their encouraging words to the audience to strive for the same levels of accomplishment were particularly meaningful.”

Arguably, the Kurds have fared best among the peoples of Armenia’s neighbors. Certainly, they had more coverage (at least in terms of number of pieces) than anyone else, other than possibly Iran (I have not tracked the latter). But, those pieces overwhelmingly involved conflict. Whether it was Turkey attacking the PKK, the PKK responding, the ramifications of these in Iraq and southern Kurdistan, or the political growth pains of the federal structure in Iraq as it impacts the Kurds, coverage stemmed from blood or fierce politics. Even those stories not directly involving Iraq-Kurd and Turkey-PKK issues were conflictual, e.g. Kurdish protests or persecution in Turkey, Kurds denying responsibility for a bombing, and murders attributed to a “tribal vendetta” in Kurdish-inhabited parts of Turkey.

Plus, the one editorial regarding Turkish-PKK interactions favored Turkey. There is no coverage of Turkey’s abuses of the Kurds’ human rights, and no “picture” of daily life in Turkish-occupied Armenia and Kurdistan. There is the occasional piece about or reference to (in coverage not specifically about the Kurds) “the progress in northern Iraq”. Basically, the paper seems to be toeing the State Department’s line.  No one would call the LA Times pro-Kurdish.

These establishment-based and “if it bleeds, it leads” biases do a disservice to readers. For Armenians, it is, I suppose, better than nothing that some trickle of information about our “cousins” intrudes upon our awareness to supplement what the Armenian media provides. But this pathetic coverage of the largest stateless nation on the planet leads to perpetual uninformed-ness of Kurdish reality among U.S. citizens (as I have no doubt other major newspapers are similarly deficient), in turn leading to less than optimal Kurdish policy in the State Department.

The “Kurdish Question,” like the Armenian, is key to peace in the Middle East. Palestine-Israel may be the hottest issue, but its resolution will not usher in the hoped-for peace in the area. If anything, with that gone, the opportunities for mischief through the abuse of the Kurds’ and Armenians’ fundamental rights and manipulation by some powers of their liberation movements will expand.

It behooves us, as we develop and implement a media strategy, to include the Kurdish perspective on our shared homeland.

Speaking before 350 students at Wilmington High School Feb. 26, Mouradian told of a grandmother whose face would contort as she watched television footage of a Turkish official discrediting the very genocide she had experienced.

His message was loud and clear: educating the next generation is paramount.

The Armenian Genocide Education Committee of Merrimack Valley presented a panel discussion on genocide to students at Wilmington High School. (L-R) Claude Kaitare, Sayon Soeun, Janet Singer Applefield, and Khatchig Mouradian.

Mouradian was part of a panel discussion sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Education Committee of Merrimack Valley and the school’s National Honor Society.

He was joined on stage by Janet Singer Applefield, a Holocaust survivor; Claude Kaitare, who fled Rwanda in 1994 after his country was decimated; and Sayon Soeun, a Cambodian trained to be a child soldier.

Together, the four gave their personal accounts with deep emotion and understanding as educators, administrators, and outside guests also looked on. The event was fully covered in area papers under the banner headline, “Genocide survivors share their pain—horror stories in Wilmington.” (Note: for a report that appeared in the Lowell Sun and a video segment of Mouradian’s speech, visit http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_14483445.)

Mouradian is a journalist, writer, translator, and devout student-educator currently in pursuit of his doctorate in Holocaust and genocide studies at Clark University, Worcester, where he is attending on scholarship when not editing the Armenian Weekly.

“Having someone say that everything you experience about genocide is a lie remains an insult, not only to the individual but to humanity itself,” he brought out. “Genocide is a crime against humanity. Denial is the last phase. We’re waiting for closure.”

Mouradian spoke of the immigrants who came to this country under extreme hardship, providing for their families and creating a new life. He called for recognition on the part of Turkey and the United States.

Moderator Dro Kanayan presents a book on Armenian Genocide to educators Lisa Desberg (left) and Maura Tucker at Wilmington High School on behalf of the Armenian Genocide Education Committee of Merrimack Valley.

“It is our duty to tell their stories,” he informed the students. “A genocide forgotten is destined to repeat itself.”

Applefield was a four-year-old living in Poland when the Holocaust occurred. She changed her name three times to protect her identity. Had it not been for her blond hair, she might have become another statistic.

“My family was made to march and dig its own grave before being shot and killed,” she said. “My childhood was one escape and beating after another. For years, we were forbidden to talk about it.”

As an eight-year-old, Soeun was taught to hate and kill in Cambodia.

“My family was my enemy,” he admitted. “There was no such thing as love. My life was darkness. I was brainwashed. Professionally, I have adjusted very well. Personally and emotionally, I still have difficulty.”

Today, Soeun resides in Lowell and is a member of the State Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, along with numerous other community service projects.

Kaitare was 16 when turmoil raged throughout Rwanda. He recalls burying the dead and changing IVs in hospitals to help children like himself survive. He fled in 1994 and came to live with an aunt in Maine.

Educators Maura Tucker (left) and Lisa Desberg pose before a display on Armenia at Wilmington High School prior to a panel discussion on Armenian Genocide.

“People that were once my friendly neighbors were waving machetes at makeshift roadblocks,” he groaned. “These days I still have issues of psychological disorder. As for my country, it’s a new Rwanda from what I left. “

Instructors Lisa Desberg and Maura Tucker have designed a curriculum around “Facing History and Ourselves,” based in Brookline. This marks their third semester and the students are enamored by it.

“It’s all about creating awareness,” said Desberg. “The input we’ve received has been profound. I see social activism being promoted through all this.”

Tucker concurred. She feels obliged to help change the world through honest education and careful perception.

“In order to have leaders making positive changes, they need to be told today,” said Tucker. “I see instances of bullying, teasing, groups not getting along. It escalates. We see it in the world with places like Darfur. If we can get a spark going here, it could turn into an inferno.”

Among those whole-heartedly supporting genocide education is Principal Eric Tracy. When the idea of a genocide forum came up, he gave a quick endorsement to it.

“These forums give students an opportunity to hear first-hand information that can help them better understand the realities of the world,” he noted. “By getting involved and inspiring others their age, such an education becomes a powerful tool.”

The Merrimack Valley Education Committee has been making the rounds to various high schools throughout the area in an effort to inculcate genocide education, more notably the Armenians. Members have been met with approval upon each visit.

“Our mission is to prevent history from repeating itself,” said Dro Kanayan, chairman, who moderated the panel discussion. “Any ethnic group should not be exposed to it. We’re here not to resolve history but to discuss it.”

Swedish Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt

According to a statement issued by Erdogan’s office, Reinfeldt said, “The government is absolutely against the resolution, which was ratified as a result of domestic policy, and it will have no sanction or exercise power.” He added that Sweden will not allow the resolution to affect relations will Turkey.

Erdogan, in turn, demanded that Sweden “take steps to remedy this mistake.”

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Sweden for consultations following the recognition of the genocide by the Swedish Parliament. According to Ankara, the vote was “based upon major errors and without foundation.”

Also in reaction to the vote, Erdogan canceled his visit to Stockholm next week.