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  • California Courier Online, July 28, 2005

    California Courier Online, July 28, 2005

    1 - Commentary
    Switzerland Detains Turkish Politician
    For Denying the Armenian Genocide
    By Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier

    2 - Mesrobian School Will Mark
    40th Anniversary with Banquet
    3- DVD Review: 'Road to Redemption,
    Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide'
    4 - Cyprus Greeks Threaten
    To Retaliate Against Baku
    5 - AGBU Orange County Co-Sponsor
    First Pan-Armenian Festival in OC
    6 - Armenian Couple Gives CSUN Record $7.3 Million Donation
    7 - Winner Announced for the 2005 William
    Saroyan International Prize for Writing
    8 - Glendale Adventist
    Medical Center Hosts
    'Blessing of Grapes'
    ************************************************** ***********************
    1 - Commentary
    Switzerland Detains Turkish Politician
    For Denying the Armenian Genocide

    By Harut Sassounian
    Publisher, The California Courier

    In recent years, tensions have been steadily mounting between Switzerland
    and Turkey following the adoption of resolutions recognizing the Armenian
    Genocide by various Swiss cities, cantons (states) and the Federal
    Parliament. Visits by government ministers and parliamentary groups have
    been postponed or cancelled and economic/political relations have been
    adversely affected.
    A new dispute between the two countries flared up this past weekend when a
    large number of Turks from several European countries and Turkey arrived in
    Switzerland to celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne
    which marked the foundation of the Turkish Republic and reversed the ceding
    of lands to various nationalities, including the Armenians, as mandated
    three years earlier by the Treaty of Sevres.
    Among the dignitaries expected to travel to Switzerland on this occasion
    were Rauf Denktash, Former President of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus,
    Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu, Chairman of the Turkish History Foundation, Dogu
    Perincek, Chairman of the Workers' Party in Turkey, and several other
    well-known revisionists of the Armenian Genocide, including Gunduz Aktan,
    former member of the infamous Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission,
    Dr. Hikmet Ozdemir, Head of the Armenian Studies Department of the Turkish
    History Foundation, and Sukru Elekdag, former Turkish Ambassador to the
    United States.
    At the last minute, Dr. Halacoglu had second thoughts and decided not to
    travel to Switzerland. He told the Turkish media that he was concerned
    about "possible provocations" against him, as he had been summoned by a
    Swiss Court for having questioned the veracity of the Armenian Genocide in
    remarks made on May 4, 2004, in Winterthur, in violation of Swiss law which
    prohibits the denial, belittling or justifying of genocide. It is not known
    if Aktan, Elekdag and Ozdemir ended up going to Switzerland. They may have
    also changed their travel plans to avoid similar legal action against them.
    Dogu Perincek did go, however, only to get himself in legal trouble with
    the Swiss authorities. He had already made denialist statements on the
    Armenian Genocide during a previous visit to Lausanne and Bern on May 7,
    2005. The Swiss-Armenia Association alerted the Swiss authorities on July
    15, 2005 that he and other Turkish denialists were about to enter the
    country with the intent of breaking Swiss laws once again.
    Last Saturday, after Perincek told reporters in Winterthur that "the
    Armenian Genocide is an international lie," he was detained and questioned
    for several hours by the public prosecutor. Winterthur police spokesman
    Werner Benz was quoted as saying that Perincek was interrogated for denying
    the Armenian Genocide. A criminal probe was launched against him as he is
    suspected of violating Swiss anti-racism laws. During his questioning, he
    was accompanied by two Turkish lawyers and diplomats representing the
    Turkish Embassy in Bern.
    Following his conditional release, Perincek bragged about his confrontation
    with the Swiss prosecutor. He boldly repeated the same lies about the
    Armenian Genocide the next day in Lausanne, even though he was warned by
    the Winterthur public prosecutor not to make similar denialist statements
    in future public appearances in Switzerland. Following his remarks, the
    public prosecutor in Lausanne requested that Perincek appear in front of
    him to be interrogated at a later date.
    While Perincek was gloating over the fact that he had defended the honor of
    Turkey in Switzerland, little did he realize that he was inadvertently
    helping publicize the Armenian Genocide. Thanks to Perincek's misguided
    efforts, newspapers, wire services and TV stations around the world printed
    and aired hundreds of news items in dozens of languages. No amount of money
    spent by Armenians could have bought this kind of international publicity
    for the Armenian Genocide.
    To make matters worse for the Turks, the Foreign Minister of Turkey,
    Abdullah Gul, issued a statement condemning the Swiss authorities for
    detaining Perincek. He thereby helped generate even more publicity for the
    Armenian Genocide in the international media. As the official of an
    autocratic state, Gul put himself in the ridiculous position of lecturing
    the Swiss authorities on "respecting the principle of freedom." He
    threatened that Turkey would take necessary steps in light of further
    assessments of the situation. "We became involved the minute we heard that
    Perincek had been taken to the prosecutor's office for questioning. Our
    Consul in Zurich, Mehmet Emre, has been with Perincek every step along the
    way. Our Ambassador in Bern, Alev Kilic, has been keeping me up to date on
    all of the developments. And I have been keeping the Prime Minister up to
    date through the night. It is simply not possible for us to accept this
    being done to a Turkish leader of a political party," Gul said.
    After such around the clock monitoring of the situation, Armenians would
    hope that Gul would carry out his threats and take retaliatory steps
    against Switzerland, thereby further antagonizing the Swiss against Turkey.
    The additional political fireworks would result in even more media coverage
    of the Armenian Genocide.
    While pretending to defend the principles of freedom and coming to the
    rescue of a fellow Turk, Gul may not have paid sufficient attention to the
    fact that he was actually supporting one of most dubious characters in
    Turkish politics. A Turkish journalist, who was in Lausanne covering the
    event, was quoted by the Swiss "24 Heures" as saying that he deplored the
    "extremist" speeches delivered on that day. He said that Dogu Perincek had
    very few followers in Turkey. The Swiss paper also reported that even some
    Turks were keeping their distance from the events in Lausanne.
    Who actually is Dogu Perincek? He is the Chairman of a minor leftist party.
    The State Department reported that he "served 11 months in prison on a
    sentence for illegal possession of classified state documents, assisting a
    terrorist organization, and possession of unlicensed firearms." He was
    subsequently "acquitted on charges of assisting the PKK and possessing
    secret state documents."
    According to Mehmet Ali Birand, a prominent Turkish journalist, Perincek's
    party received less 1% of the votes in the last elections. Furthermore,
    Birand states that Perincek has written in his book on Kemalism that there
    were "fascistic practices during the Ataturk era." Perincek has referred to
    the Turkish Armed Forces "as a fascistic army," according to Birand. Does
    Gul share Perincek's views on Ataturk's fascistic rule and the fascistic
    army? Birand writes that "in many of his speeches Perincek likened
    Ataturk...to Milosevic and Saddam."
    Furthermore, Birand states that Perincek called Rauf Denktash, the former
    President of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, "a British collaborator."
    Perincek now hails Denktash as a national hero and ccompanied him "to
    celebrate the Turkish victory at Lausanne." According to the Kurdistan
    Observer, before becoming a Kemalist, Perincek was a Maoist.
    It is simply amazing that the likes of Perincek and Gul dare to open their
    mouths and give a country like Switzerland lessons in democracy and freedom
    of speech. Nevertheless, the more they talk, the more they disgrace
    themselves and the more they provide free publicity for the Armenian Cause.
    ************************************************** ************************
    2 - Mesrobian School Will Mark
    40th Anniversary with Banquet
    PICO RIVERA - Mesrobian Armenian School will reach a milestone when the
    2005-2006 academic year begins in September. The school will celebrate its
    40th anniversary at a Gala Banquet on Friday, October 21, 2005, at Holy
    Cross Cathedral's Bagramian Hall.
    The 40th Anniversary Committee is diligently working and planning all the
    details in order to ensure a memorable and successful event. Committee
    members include Principal Hilda Saliba, teachers, parents, alumni, and
    representatives from all the organizations and school-affiliated
    committees.
    Mesrobian School has been a source of pride and joy for the community
    during the last 40 years. Its graduates have received the highest academic
    preparation, along with an excellent education in Armenian language and
    history. Mesrobian students have been accepted to and graduated from some
    of the best universities throughout the country. A testament to Mesrobian's
    success is that the alumni have not only enrolled their children at
    Mesrobian School, but have returned to work as teachers and coaches.
    "This will be an excellent opportunity for the community to rally around
    Mesrobian School's achievements and to ensure continued progress for its
    student body," stated Finance Committee Chair Sarkis Nourian.
    Mesrobian School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools
    and Colleges (WASC).
    In addition to the Oct. 21 Banquet, the Committee is also putting together
    a special raffle with a 1st Prize of $5,000 cash. Raffle tickets, printed
    in a limited number, are priced at $100 each.
    For more information, contact the school office at 323-723-3181 or call
    Lydia Minasian at 323-726-7181, or Goharik Gabriel at 323-440-7297.
    ************************************************** ***************
    3 - DVD Review: 'Road to Redemption,
    Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide'
    By Jason Sohigian
    WATERTOWN, MA--The DVD film, "Road to Redemption, Memories of the 1915
    Armenian Genocide," is unusual in that it is a high-quality video of an
    Armenian Genocide commemoration.
    Such commemorations are usually attended by concerned Armenians and then
    relegated to memory, but the Genocide Archive Project has ensured that the
    historically rich multi-media program organized by a joint committee from
    the Greater Boston community to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the
    Genocide will have a much wider impact.
    The event, held at Boston University on April 21, 2005, and final DVD were
    carefully orchestrated for an audience with the goal of creating a
    broadcast-quality DVD on the Armenian Genocide that can be used as an
    educational tool at any time of the year.
    Another unusual aspect of the DVD is that it is not centered on any one
    individual, such as an academic, making it modular enough to have specific
    sections for use in educational settings. Each section is valuable on its
    own, but the entire DVD should be viewed to achieve the overall affect.
    One of the most ground-breaking sections is an original 13-minute
    documentary that is probably the first time-line based film of the
    political and social events leading to the Armenian Genocide and its
    aftermath, including a clear case for German complicity.
    The DVD combines the documentary, brief opening remarks by Boston
    University President Aram Chobanian, and three recently recorded eyewitness
    survivor videos, interspersed with four Armenians ranging in age from young
    teenagers to adults each describing their family's story of survival during
    and after the horrors of the Armenian Genocide.
    The survivors featured in the DVD are Armine Dedekian of Bandirma, Peter
    Bilezikian of Marash, and John Kasparian of Van. Most of the accounts are
    being told publicly for the first time.
    As the audience reached an emotional low after these chilling personal
    accounts, an upbeat section begins with Armenians from around the world
    proclaiming "I am an Armenian" from their respective country. The DVD ends
    with scenes from today's Armenia beginning at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian
    Genocide Monument, ending with a candle light march all to the music of
    "Sardarabad."
    Quotations from Samantha Power's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "A Problem
    from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" and New York Times columnist
    Nicholas Kristof provided contemporary transitions between sections.
    The executive producer of the event and DVD, David Davidian of the Genocide
    Archive Project, said that the biggest challenge in creating this event was
    preparing the documentary and survivor testimonies in time for the Boston
    University program. Davidian revealed that even though he was working with
    an experienced team of video experts and Genocide researchers, the original
    documentary was completed only hours before the event began.
    One of the biggest challenges in trying to illustrate the connections
    between Armenians from all over the Diaspora who were dispersed to many
    countries around the world as a result of the Genocide, was collecting the
    brief "I am an Armenian from..." clips used near the end of the program.
    "Leading up to April when everyone was planning their own commemorations of
    the 90th anniversary, it was tough to get these nameless clips," stated
    Davidian. "In some places where there is a poor Internet connection, for
    example, some of the clips were even taken with video cell phones since
    they wanted so much to be a part of this ground-breaking program!"
    This unique DVD is a must have in one's collection. Individual DVDs can be
    ordered for $19.99 plus shipping and handling via the Web site
    www.preciouscultures.org. For bulk orders, contact the Genocide Archive
    Project at [email protected].
    ************************************************** ************
    4 - Cyprus Greeks Threaten
    To Retaliate Against Baku
    YEREVAN - The Greek community of Cyprus threatened to retaliate against
    Azerbaijan for its plans to forge "tight relations" with the Turkish
    Republic of Northern Cyprus last week. A private Azeri airline, Imair
    announced earlier that it would begin regular flights to Turkish-occupied
    northern Cyprus, becoming the first non-Turkish carrier to fly directly to
    the internationally isolated enclave.
    In retaliation, the government of Cyprus said it would establish direct
    flight between Nicosia and the capital of Nagorno-Karabagh, Stepanakert,
    Mehmed Ali Talaat, the president of the unrecognized Northern Cyprus has
    told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, that the threat would not succeed.
    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said Azerbaijan's rapprochement with
    Northern Cyprus would help offset the international isolation of the
    Turkish Cyprus statelet.
    On the eve of his recent trip to Russia, Erdogan said that the latest steps
    of Baku represent Azerbaijan's factual recognition of the Turkish Republic
    of Northern Cyprus.
    Last month Azerbaijan became the second state, after Turkey, to recognize
    the Turkish Cypriot passport.
    ************************************************** ************************
    5 - AGBU Orange County Co-Sponsors
    First Pan-Armenian Festival in OC
    NEW YORK - In early June, the AGBU Chapter, AGBU Saturday School and AGBU
    Young Professionals Group of Orange County joined a number of other
    Armenian organizations to host the first local pan-Armenian festival in
    Laguna Hills, Calif. This was the first time Armenian organizations in
    Orange County, Calif., came together to collaborate on such an extensive
    joint event. The festival, aimed at raising awareness about the Armenian
    culture, attracted more than 3,000 Armenians and non-Armenians to the
    Laguna Hills Community Center, raising $5000 for orphanages in Armenia.
    The two-day festival included a vibrant entertainment program with music,
    dance, children's activities and a Saturday ribbon cutting ceremony with
    local political representatives. The Festival also received congratulatory
    messages from dignitaries, including Senator Poochigian, former California
    Governor Deukmejian, Congressman Christopher Cox, and a visit from Orange
    County Sheriff Michael Corona. Many expressed hope that the festival would
    evolve into an annual event.
    ABGU Orange County is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Armenian
    identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
    programs. For more information on AGBU Orange County, email
    [email protected].
    ************************************************** *************************
    6 - Armenian Couple Gives CSUN Record $7.3 Million Donation
    NORTHRIDGE, Calif., - A former San Fernando High School art teacher who
    graduated from Cal State Northridge and her husband have donated their
    entire $7.3 million estate as a bequest to the university for expanding
    student scholarships, marking the largest cash and alumni gift in the
    university's history.
    The endowment created by longtime San Fernando Valley residents Mary and
    Jack Bayramian?who passed away in November 2002 and January 2005,
    respectively?will fund two major new university scholarship programs,
    including a $2.3 million portion to launch student scholarships for the
    future Valley Performing Arts Center project on the campus.
    "This remarkable gift from Mary and Jack Bayramian will empower the
    university to support outstanding students," said Cal State Northridge
    President Jolene Koester. "The Bayramians, who were devoted to each other
    during more than 60 years of marriage, now have extended that caring to
    improve the lives of hundreds of our students."
    To honor the gift, the California State University Board of Trustees,
    meeting July 20 in Long Beach, approved renaming the university's Student
    Services Building as Bayramian Hall. President Koester called the
    dedication a fitting tribute, because the building houses the university's
    scholarship, financial aid and other student support services offices.
    "Because Aunt Mary graduated from Cal State Northridge, she had a great
    feeling for the university," said Don Barsumian, Mary Bayramian's nephew,
    who is the couple's trustee. "I think she had a real love for young people
    and for education. Mary believed in education and she wanted to help. This
    was her way of helping," Barsumian said.
    Mary and Jack Bayramian each had Armenian parents from Aintab, Turkey, who
    came to the United States to escape persecution. The two lived near each
    other as teenagers and graduated together from Hamilton High School in West
    Los Angeles in 1939, marrying in 1942. After Navy service during World War
    II, Jack had a 20-year career as a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.
    technician.
    After the war, the couple first lived in Reseda and later bought a
    Northridge house several blocks west of today's university campus. A
    homemaker who returned to college in her late 30s, Mary Bayramian attended
    from 1960 to 1963, earning a bachelor's degree in art and a teaching
    credential from San Fernando Valley State College, which later became Cal
    State Northridge.
    After graduating, Mary Bayramian went on to teach art at nearby San
    Fernando High School, where she was affectionately known as "Mrs. B," until
    the couple retired in 1971. At age 50, they moved to Laguna Beach in Orange
    County and lived there another 30 years, investing, improving and managing
    real estate, and settling in an ocean-front home.
    The Bayramians led an extraordinarily active life. Mary was an active cook
    and author of published cookbooks, designed and created her own jewelry,
    painted and played golf well into her 70s. Barsumian described Jack as the
    unofficial greeter of Laguna Beach and a "firecracker" who in his younger
    years was an avid handyman skilled in electrical, carpentry and concrete
    work.
    The couple's $7.3 million endowment will create the Bayramian Family
    Scholarship Fund at Cal State Northridge and support two major new
    programs. The earnings from $5 million of the endowment will fund the newly
    named Mary and Jack Bayramian Presidential Scholars and related
    scholarships within the university's premier Northridge Scholars Program.
    The Bayramian Presidential Scholar awards, the most prestigious granted by
    the university, will ultimately go each year to two dozen or more
    high-achieving upper-division students through a competitive process.
    Recipients will partner with faculty members on scholarly projects. The
    scholarships include a $5,000 award, bookstore discount, priority
    registration and other perks.
    Earnings from the other $2.3 million will fund Mary Bayramian Arts Scholars
    and become the largest gift yet toward Imagine the Arts, the fundraising
    campaign for the 1,600-seat Valley Performing Arts Center planned for the
    campus. These scholarships will support upper division and graduate
    students involved in the project through their courses, internships or
    related activities.
    "Mary Bayramian was an art student at Cal State Northridge, an arts teacher
    at San Fernando High School, and an artist herself," said Judy C. Knudson,
    CSUN's vice president for university advancement. "She was deeply engaged
    in the arts, and especially in opening the world of art to others, a goal
    that will be advanced by the Performing Arts Center project."
    CSUN earlier this month launched the campaign for private funds to match
    the state dollars that will build/operate the Valley Performing Arts
    Center, due to open within the next five years. Planned as a signature
    facility, the center will be the largest venue of its kind in the San
    Fernando Valley and open the region to high-caliber performances not
    currently able to perform there.
    The university learned only recently that the couple had given CSUN's
    largest-ever cash gift after the husband's passing in January 2005. The
    university's prior largest cash gift came from The Eisner Foundation in
    2002 when Disney CEO Michael D. Eisner and his wife Jane gave $7 million to
    create a new teacher-training program at the campus.
    Lili Vidal, the associate director of CSUN's Financial Aid and Scholarship
    Department, said the Bayramians' gift will provide a major boost to the
    university's scholarship programs, which last year aided about 1,600 CSUN
    students based on their talent and achievements. "To have this gift is
    really fabulous for our students," Vidal said. "We will help many students
    with it."
    ************************************************** ************************
    7 - Winner Announced for the 2005 William
    Saroyan International Prize for Writing
    PALO ALTO, Calif. - Stanford University Libraries, in partnership with the
    William Saroyan Foundation, announced the winners of the second biennial
    William Saroyan International Prize for Writing July 19, during a ceremony
    on the Stanford University campus.
    Established to encourage new and emerging writers, the Saroyan Writing
    Prize is awarded for newly published works in two categories; fiction
    (including novels, short stories or dramas ) and non-fiction (including
    works of biography, history or the environment).
    Entries were limited to books published in English and available for
    purchase by the general public.
    The 2005 Saroyan Writing Prize received 125 qualified entrants. One winner
    in each category was awarded the $12,500 prize, narrowed down from four
    fiction finalists and three non-fiction finalists. Winners were named The
    Laments by George Hagen (Fiction category); and The King of California by
    Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman in the non-fiction category.
    "As custodians of the Saroyan Archive, we consider the Saroyan Writing
    Prize to be an important and integral activity to fulfilling that role,"
    said Michael A. Keller, Stanford University Librarian. "As a research
    library, we go well beyond merely accumulating, preserving and providing
    access to archival collections. We are also called to promote the scholarly
    and intellectual resources that present themselves in those collections.
    The Saroyan Writing Prizes in Fiction and Verity are powerful and
    meaningful ways promote the creative output of emerging authors whose drive
    to express themselves through writing is
    every bit as intense as William Saroyan's."
    "It was Saroyan's desire to establish a writing prize to encourage and
    perpetuate the art he so loved," said Robert Setrakian, Chairman of the
    William Saroyan Foundation. The Foundation was officially founded by the
    author in 1966.
    Since then, distinguished professors, business executives and high-ranking
    government officials have accepted appointments to the Foundation's Board
    of Trustees. Commencing in 1990, the Trustees set a goal of bringing
    together into one single archive his entire literary estate. A decision was
    finally made by the Trustees to offer Stanford University the assembled
    Saroyan Literary Collection with provisions that would safeguard one of the
    rare treasure-troves in American literature in perpetuity, carrying on
    the legacy of Fresno, California's own Native Son, William Saroyan.
    For more information visit http://saroyanprize.stanford.edu or
    www.williamsaroyanfoundation.org.
    ************************************************** ************************
    8 - Glendale Adventist
    Medical Center Hosts
    'Blessing of Grapes'
    GLENDALE - The Glendale Adventist Medical Center will host its seventh
    annual community ceremony "Blessing of the Grapes" on Aug. 10 at 9:45 a.m.,
    in the hospital Chapel, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale.
    Rev. Vazken Atmajian, Pastor of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church will
    perform the ceremony, an Armenian harvest-time tradition that dates back
    1,700 years.
    The ceremony is designed to give the first yield of the vineyards as gifts
    to the Church as a way to ask for God's blessings.
    All patients in the hospital will receive a cup of grapes on their dinner
    trays and a card quoting a passage from the Bible.

    ************************************************** ************************

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