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The Armenian Weekly; April 5, 2008; AYF Section

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  • The Armenian Weekly; April 5, 2008; AYF Section

    The Armenian Weekly On-Line
    80 Bigelow Avenue
    Watertown MA 02472 USA
    (617) 926-3974
    [email protected]

    http://www.a rmenianweekly.com

    The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 13; April 5, 2008

    AYF Section:

    1. New York AYF Organizes Discussion on ANCA Gateway, Internship Programs

    2. An issue of international significance
    By Raffi Teperdjian

    ***

    1. New York AYF Organizes Discussion on ANCA Gateway, Internship Programs

    NEW YORK, NY-On March 27, ANCA Capital Gateway Program director Serouj
    Aprahamian lectured to a group of young Armenian-Americans about ANCA
    internship opportunities in Washington, DC. Organized by the New York
    "Hyortik" AYF chapter the event took place at St. Illuminator's Armenian
    Cathedral in Manhattan. In addition to numerous young professionals, AYF
    members from New York, New Jersey, and members from Hunter's Armenian Club
    were in attendance.

    During the lecture Aprahamian spoke about the Capital Gateway program while
    the audience listened with interest. "The ANCA offers many different
    internship opportunities to students and young Armenian professionals and
    has been doing so for more than two decades," said Aprahamian.

    A short movie was then screened showing alumni and current fellows talking
    about their program experience. In the film numerous young
    Armenian-Americans voiced their thanks to the ANCA for giving them
    opportunities that eventually led to their current career advancements. ANCA
    Executive Director Aram Hamparian spoke in the film about the importance of
    having Armenians not only as interns working at large firms and
    Congressional offices, but of one day becoming CEO's and Senators
    themselves. Copies of the DVD were also passed out to each attendee.

    After the lecture Aprahamian gave the floor to ANC Eastern Region director
    Karine Birazian who also addressed the audience, stressing the importance of
    having a strong ANC presence in New York City. She outlined local
    opportunities to help out at the ANC Eastern Region office in Manhattan.

    "This event was a good learning experience not only in respect to the ANCA
    Internship program but about ANCA's role in Washington. Talking to Serouj
    after the program, I think I'm definitely going to give Capital Gateway a
    try," said Hyortik member Maral Najjarian.
    --------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ------

    2. An issue of international significance
    By Raffi Teperdjian

    In the United States, the media is historically viewed as the public's ally
    against corruption and autocracy, internationally as well as within our
    borders. Americans like to think that they can stay up to date on current
    events, news, sports, and crises simply by staying glued to a television
    set. Today, people seem more concerned with watching in the
    highest-definition and having the most plasma oozing out of their system
    than with what is the content of what they are actually watching.
    Unfortunately, the magnitude of p's & i's does not affect the intellectual
    quality of the programs being seen. Often the media coverage of the most
    significant worldly issues is suppressed by crooked bureaucrats seeking
    personal gains or is overlooked altogether.

    Such is the case with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

    On April 24th, 1915, the Ottoman Turks led by the newly formed Young Turk
    party began a collectivized effort to ethnically cleanse all Armenians
    throughout the Ottoman Empire and beyond, beginning with the arrest,
    torture, and murder of 250 Armenian intellectuals within the Turkish
    capital. What followed before and throughout World War I was the first
    genocide of the 20th century where 1.5 million Armenians (in addition to
    other ethnic minorities in the empire) were deported, persecuted, robbed,
    starved, raped, burned, and ultimately slaughtered.

    Under the false pretext of "relocating" Armenians to other parts of the
    empire due to the ensuing war, Armenians were rounded up and marched out of
    their villages systematically and driven towards the deserts of Der Zor in a
    remote part of Syria where they were left to perish. Along the way, they
    were prey to bands of Kurds and robbers who pillaged, raped, and killed
    them. Instead of giving aid and protection, Turkish soldiers charged with
    marching Armenians allowed and often partook in executions and rape and in
    fact shot those who could not continue due to exhaustion and starvation.

    The enormity of the scale of atrocities did not go unnoticed and in fact was
    regularly reported in The New York Times. Westerners were outraged with the
    stories they heard, and diplomats such as Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the U.S.
    ambassador to Turkey at the time, regularly reported on events he witnessed
    and had heard from others. Millions of dollars in aid were sent to Armenians
    through the American Near East Relief Committee and similar organizations,
    but ultimately less then 100,000 Armenians remained as a result of the
    massacres.

    Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting this holocaust, Turkey and the
    United States have yet to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Politicians
    shudder at the thought of even referring to the events by their proper name;
    and to this day, Turkey threatens to halt support of U.S. operations in the
    Middle East should a resolution be passed acknowledging the historical
    facts. Among the 22 nations that have officially acknowledged the Armenian
    Genocide is France, which is one of many nations that today demands that
    Turkey accept its past truthfully before being allowed admittance to the
    European Union.

    Being an Armenian, this issue is personally paramount among unresolved
    conflicts in the world, and with public support for the war in Iraq
    dwindling is more relevant then ever. Governments cannot continue to dictate
    international policy to meet an agenda at the expense of an entire nation.
    If humans continue to cast a cold shoulder in reviewing and acknowledging
    authentic history, then we are doomed to repeat our mistakes.

    Prior to his invasion of Poland, Hitler was quoted saying, "Who, after all,
    speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" The most important issue
    to me internationally is the one where retribution is the longest overdue.

    Raffi Teperdjian is a member of the Washington "Ani" AYF chapter.
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