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The Armenian Weekly On-Line
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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 22; June 7, 2008
Features:
1. The Man Who Calls My Father's House in Turkey 'Your Ancestral Home' (Part
II)
By Apo Torosyan
2. An Armenian Treasure for 37 Years
Preservation Meets No Boundaries with ALMA
By Tom Vartabedian
3. Sandi Bedrosian Turns Jazz into Pizzazz
By Tom Vartabedian
***
1. The Man Who Calls My Father's House in Turkey 'Your Ancestral Home' (Part
II)
By Apo Torosyan
Part I of this story was published in last week's issue of the Weekly
(http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/fea053108 01.htm)
Recently, the government has changed this oppressive attitude a bit, with
the hope of being included in the European Union. But you still can go to
jail by speaking against the Turkish government or mentioning the Armenian
Genocide. Penal Code 301 condemns anyone who "insults Turkishness" by using
the words "Armenian Genocide."
Taner Akcam's book A Shameful Act states on p. 158: "The 1919 trials of the
Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) leaders (Ittihaki Terraki Partisi) and
regional trials in Yozgat and Trabzon further document the direct
involvement of special organization (Teskilat-Mahsusa) units. In the Yozgat
trial for example, Halil Recai and Hasahabettin, both Army officers, testify
that 'the slaughter' was carried out by the armed gangs and that they
themselves had received orders not to interfere. . With the assistance of
collaborating gendarmes, the units guarding the columns (of deportees) of
habitual criminals and degenerates drove the defenseless Armenians out of
towns, ostensibly for deportation. When they have been (sufficiently)
distanced from the towns, they were set upon by gangs of bandits.who after
looting what they had in their possession, had them killed."
>From Takvim-I Vekayi, No. 3616 (Aug. 6, 1919), from the verdict of the
Trabzon trial for the deportation and massacre, similar information is in
the verdict of the Yozgat trial, Takvim-I Vekayi No. 3617 (Aug. 7, 1919).
Much closer to that is in my own family as witnesses. You can find my uncle
Sarkis Hagopian's story in my essay "The Price to Pay for Being an
Armenian." He had to dig his own grave before he was shot, but survived to
tell his story to me.
The man who lived in my father's house continues: "The Turkish type had
changed over years, and instead of the Mongol type were transformed as a
race into the Anatolian race. That means mixed marriages had made the Turkic
race into more of an Anatolian race, that means tolerance had made these
mixed marriages available until the 1915 events."
Now the fact is that Anatolia is a mixed race. The Turkic race was mixed
with minority races, but it did not come about by tolerance; rather, it was
through the rape, abduction, and forced marriage practiced on helpless,
innocent Christian minorities. Even the Ottoman sultan's race is mixed with
minority blood. All of the queens were abducted Christian slaves in the
harem of the palace.
Today these stories are coming out of the woodwork. Oral history never
changes with the government's attitude. Turkey is still living in an
illusion and suffering from amnesia with an identity crisis. A large
percentage of the generations born in Turkey since 1915 have had Armenian,
Greek, or Assyrian DNA.
He continues: "These days, if an Armenian and a Turk get together the first
thing they talk about is the Armenian Genocide."
I don't think any Armenian in Turkey would dare talk about the Armenian
Genocide. The last one who spoke up was shot to death on Jan. 19, 2007. He
was shot from behind in front of his newspaper publishing building. His name
was Hrant Dink. And now his family is in danger.
He goes on: "What bothers me is that they are comparing the Jewish Holocaust
with the so-called Armenian Genocide! In reality we [Turks] all know that
there is proof of those two events not being similar, because what Hitler
did to the Jewish people was planned as a total annihilation of a nation!"
May I suggest to this man, and people like him, to read U.S. Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau's book about the Armenian Genocide. Ambassador Morgenthau
says in the book: "The Turk reverts to the ancestral type.in 1898, when all
the rest of Europe was ringing with Gladstone's (British) denunciations and
demanding intervention, Kaiser Wilhelm the Second had gone to
Constantinople, visited Abdul Hamid, pinned his finest decorations on that
bloody tyrant's breast, and kissed him on both cheeks. The same Kaiser who
had done this in 1898 was still sitting on the throne in 1915, and was now
Turkey's ally. Thus for the first time in two centuries the Turks, in 1915,
had their Christian populations utterly at their mercy. The time had finally
come to make Turkey exclusively the country of the Turks."
Morgenthau goes on to say: "And now for nearly thirty years Turkey gave the
world an illustration of government by massacre. We in Europe and America
heard of these events when they reached especially monstrous proportions, as
they did in 1895-96, when nearly 200,000 Armenians were most atrociously
done to death. But through all these years the existence of the Armenians
was one continuous nightmare. Their property was stolen, their men were
murdered, their women were ravished, their young girls were kidnapped and
forced to live in Turkish harems. Yet Abdul Hamid was not able to accomplish
his full purpose."
Harry Howard of the King-Crane Commission wrote to the U.S. Secretary of
State in October 1919: "There have been organized official massacres of the
Armenians ordered every five years, since Abdul Hamid ascended the throne."
Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide" then ratified in 1948 at the
Genocide Convention in Paris, wrote: "This convention is a matter of our
conscience, and is a test to our personal relation to evil. I know it is
very hot in July and August for work and planning, but without becoming
sentimental or trying to use colorful speech, let us not forget that the
heat of this month is less unbearable to us than the heat in ovens in
Auschwitz and Dachau, and more lenient than the murderous heat in the desert
of Aleppo, which burned to death the bodies of hundreds of thousands of
Christian Armenian victims of genocide in 1915."
Is the man who lived in my father's house aware that most German generals
were supporting the annihilation of the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrian
Christian citizens of the Ottoman Empire? These German generals later became
part of Hitler's administration: Franz von Papen, chief of staff who was
chancellor before Hitler; Konstantin von Neurath, embassy consular who
became foreign minister under Hitler; and General Bronsart, the chief of
staff who advised the Young Turks in a secret meeting.
Does this man know that it was the Germans who got the Ottoman Empire into
World War I? Does he know that the German cruisers, which later became
Turkish cruisers, attacked the Russian port of Crimea in the Black Sea? This
ended up with Russia getting into the war against the Ottoman Empire with
great powers.
Does he know the Pan-German, Pan-Aryan dream of the German Empire? To create
an empire that would reach the Mesopotamian oil fields and the railroad that
was being built as "The Baghdad Railroad?"
How about the Turkish dream? The land of Turan? Racist slogans stating
"Turkey for Turks only?"
Yes, I know about the Armenian terrorists. I know how they tried to blow up
Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1905, and others. Before that, Armenians were shoulder
to shoulder with the Young Turks to bring "liberté, fraternité, egalité" and
import humanitarian goals from Europe. Yes, there were a few opportunists
among the Armenians, a few terrorists, but the large majority just wanted
peace and freedom with equal rights under the Ottoman Empire. Who does not
want freedom? Why kill women and children? Why punish a whole nation?
Yes, we know about the Armenian freedom fighters. Yes, we know about Turkish
Armenian soldiers siding with the attacking Russian army. Yes, we know that
some Armenian volunteers sided with the enemy. Yes, we know about the
terrorist Armenians. But most of the aggressive attitude by Armenians was
after 1918. It was revenge for a genocide committed, which started long
before April 1915.
By the time of the retaliations, the merciless killings by Armenian
terrorists were committed by men who had lost their loved ones-their
mothers, fathers, wives, and children. Of course, two wrongs do not make a
right. But by that time, over one and a half million innocent Armenian
Ottoman citizens had been murdered, raped, burned, or forced to starvation,
including women and children.
The Turkish survivors of the Armenian massacres remember the voices of the
Armenian attackers saying something that sounded like "Vjjjjjj! Vjjjjjj!
Vjjjjjj!" That was the word "vrej" in Armenian, which means "vengeance."
I do not believe there is a just killing. Killing is killing! It was wrong!
But those killings committed by Armenians, which did not exceed 20,000
overall, were not the reason for the Armenian Genocide. The reason for the
Armenian Genocide was more than hate. It was a dream of creating a land with
Turks only. It was planned as the annihilation of a nation that had existed
in that land, Anatolia, for almost 4,000 years. But the Turkish historians
today call those vengeance killings "the Turkish Genocide committed by
Armenians."
My family from Edincik is a good example. They were harmless, ordinary,
law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working, innocent Ottoman citizens. What was
their fault? Being Armenian?
I would like to emphasize that this essay is not "bashing Turkishness." It
applies to all human history. Unfortunately, the human species has done
everything possible to oppress and suppress his fellow human being.
This man who lived in my father's house has forgotten to have empathy for
family loss. He has prejudged them for being Armenian. He has forgotten that
they were innocent human beings, condemned deliberately to death as part of
a very well-organized crime against humanity. The ironic part is that he
lives in London now. Does he know what Winston Churchill said in 1915: "This
is a crime against humanity which has not been named yet."
This is a man who has children. How would he feel if someone like him were
to tell him that his family deserved to be killed because they were Turks or
Muslims? Is human blood different between Muslims, Christians, Jews, or
others? Is there such a thing as a just killing? Poor soul lost in the
battlefield of politics!
And he goes on: "Just imagine, our country [the Ottoman Empire] surrounded
by all borders fighting for survival, all men are at the borders fighting
with the enemy. The only remaining population is women, children and
elderly. Where are the Armenian and Greek men at that time? Were they
running away for their lives from those 'murdering' Turkish women and
children? Or were they continuing piling up money, working on the back of
the Turkish people and getting rich? They [Armenians] were transported to
Armenian-populated Syria [which was still part of the Ottoman Empire] so the
Turks would not be shot in their backs by Armenians. Had those Armenian men
lost their fighting skills against the handful attacking Kurds and chettes
(brigands) to protect themselves?"
In reality, all young Armenians eligible for the military were gathered with
the pretence of joining a military labor force (amele taburu) and were
marched out of the village into a valley where shotguns could not be heard.
They were then forced to dig a ditch, were shot from behind in the head, and
expected to fall into the ditch. One of the survivors of these events was my
19-year-old uncle. He survived by acting dead for three days and three
nights, lying among the dead and dying ones. I met him 49 years later in
Sofia, Bulgaria. I saw the bullet hole in his ear. He kept telling me "Don't
go back [to Turkey] Apo, don't go back, they'll kill you."
So the Armenians who were left to march to Syria in reality were women,
children under 12 years old, and the elderly. And they were not only robbed
but raped, knifed, bayoneted, or burned alive. Others had their eyes gouged
out, horseshoes nailed to their feet, had their hands tied together and
thrown into the water from boats, or were crucified. The lucky ones were the
young ones, who were killed with a bullet!
All of these atrocities were done by Turkish gendarmes, military men,
government officials, Kurds with weapons provided to them, freed prisoners,
and most of all by the public itself. Yes, some Turkish people believed the
negative propaganda by the officials. They waited for the unsuspecting
convoys of women and children to come so they could attack like vultures. It
was called jihad. In reality it was just a cover-up, so that the Turkish
government could "Turkify" Turkey. As the slogan went, "Turkey for Turks
only." I remember when I was living in Turkey in the 1960's, the slogan was
"Hey citizen, speak Turkish!"
I ask those deniers, go east, travel to those towns and villages where
Armenians used to live, and ask the people if there had been such atrocities
and merciless killings. Look at what they all tell you. They will tell you
what I said in this paper. Oral history is the real history. What you read
on a piece of paper is written by someone (including my writing), but oral
history belongs to all, and you cannot lie to all. The truth has been seen
by those people.
I do not condemn all. Like my father used to say, "In every society there
are good ones and bad ones." The same sentence was said by the late
Yeghsabet Giragosian, a 107-year-old witness of the Armenian Genocide. She
had been saved by her Turkish neighbor. Her testimony is in my last
documentary "Voices." These elderly might not remember what they had for
breakfast, but they never forget "the big event" (in Armenian, the Medz
Yeghern).
Akcam writes: "The 'Alphabet Reform' of 1928, which changed Turkish script
from Arabic to Latin letters, 'served to compound the problem. With the
stroke of a pen, the Turkish people lost their connection to written
history. Turkey is a society that cannot read its own newspapers, letters or
diaries if they were written before 1928. It has no access to anything that
happened before that date. As a result, modern Turkey is totally dependent
on history as the State has defined and written it. It becomes clear why
Turkish society has consigned the Armenian Genocide to oblivion."
The man who lived in my father's house continues: "Do you think that
Ottomans had nothing to do but to annihilate these people? I am not saying
that killings and land loss did not happen, but it happened in all
societies. Those Greeks which we have been fighting for years, they don't
come up with a 'Genocide' term. They keep quiet. What would Armenians say if
they saw the photograph of Turks being buried alive? They exist in the
Turkish archives."
He continues: "The escape of the Turks from Middle Asia is well known. They
were escaping from the Mongols. Those who ran away survived. Those who could
not were enslaved or killed."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I'd like to mention how Turkish historical
books change over time. This gentleman is approximately 20 years younger
than me. Historical books in his time claim that the Turks ran away from the
Mongols. In my time studying this in school (20 years before his time,
approximately 1959-61) the Turkish history books had dozens of arrows from
Middle Asia pointing all over, including north Asia, east Asia, Europe,
Arabia, India, China, Africa, and of course Turkey. This was to show that
"everybody" had Turkish roots, and they had fled from Middle Asia because of
a drought. I believe the author of that Turkish history book was Metin
Oktay, if my memory serves.
My family had a good life in Edincik. Actually, they had a much better life
than the Muslim Turkish citizens. Because they were educated, and had
schools that taught almost everything that today's schools teach. They even
had a modern soccer team. My uncle Hovhannes writes in his memoirs: "When it
was the sultan's birthday, we used to get dressed properly, walk in order,
and sing marches on our way to the center of the town, where the Turkish
students would have worn-out clothing, no shoes, and couldn't sing. The only
schooling they had was memorizing the Koran in Arabic without knowing what
it meant. How could those children be productive in life?"
That is why young Turkish men ended up going into military service to get
paid. Minorities were not allowed to bear arms and go to military service,
but they had to pay cizye (poll tax). With hard work, the minorities would
succeed and be envied by the Turkish majority. Was this any different than
the Jews in Germany in the Nazi era? Were they different?
He continues: "In other words, what happened in the Jewish Holocaust was
wrong, but what happened in Anatolia was different!"
Before we go back to this man's so-called historical research, let us look
at it again with historical facts that are recognized by world history
scholars.
The Ottoman Empire was established by 1299. The Turks were under Seljuk
rule. By the time of Suleyman the Great in 1535, there were some
improvements for the minorities in the empire. As we mentioned earlier, very
strict restrictions were applied to the Christian minorities.
He continues: "So should we go back to Siberia?" According to my Turkish
history lessons Turks did not come from Siberia but Mongolia (north of
China). They were Turkmen tribes.
He writes: "So should we fight to take our ancestral land back? Your
ancestors living under the Ottoman Empire as law-abiding citizens got along
with their neighbors. They were good citizens, but the land they were living
on was Turkish. It was conquered with Turkish blood. As you being a U.S.
citizen and me being a British citizen, if someday Turkey and Britain went
to war, I would end up leaving Britain and my children would visit our home
in London 50 years later with nostalgia. They would never own their
ancestral home. You might have bad memories about your ancestors but that is
history."
He continues: "Nationalism is not a good thing. It is national selfishness.
We all think we are good and all others are bad."
So far this was the only wisdom I could find in his letter.
He writes: "I looked at your website. I liked your works from nature. As far
as your Bread Series goes, it was beyond my comprehension. Even so, I
thought you were kind of disrespectful to the bread. As you know, we kiss
the bread three times when it falls to the ground. I am just telling you how
I feel, not trying to be disrespectful. . According to you, you are using
the 'bread' as the deprivation of your ancestors. As I mentioned before, who
took that bread from your ancestors? Or for hundreds of years who gave that
bread to your ancestors? Your theme does not look peaceful. You should find
more peaceful themes. Unless you are doing it for Armenian nationalism."
His finishing sentence was: "Hoping to find the true path for the future."
He discontinued communication with me, having come to regard me as a
nationalist.
After all this, I could not communicate with this person. I just did my
share by translating his thoughts, which partially translate some of the
sentiments in today's Turkey, and reading them with pain and anger. But I
fight anger because I believe in "hope not hate."
-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -----
2. An Armenian Treasure for 37 Years
Preservation Meets No Boundaries with ALMA
By Tom Vartabedian
WATERTOWN, Mass.-Ever since she came abroad as executive director of the
Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) last year, Mariam Stepanyan
has worked overtime to bring this 37-year-old facility to another standard.
She's launched more social and cultural exhibits, including an eclectic
series of jazz nights; gotten more artists involved in a bigger demographic
area; attracted a non-Armenian crowd (40 percent of those attending jazz
concerts); and launched a newer and fresher website.
The 32-year-old Yerevan native isn't done yet, not by a far cry. She sees an
untapped market in children's activities and looks to share some of ALMA's
most vital exhibits, beginning in the fall with Armenian Legionnaires
(Gamavors).
A genocide exhibit has been on the road 12 years and gets updated
periodically. One of her pet peeves since being promoted in 2005 from office
manager is a distinct lack of exposure.
As prominent as this building has remained at 65 Main St., in the heart of
Watertown Square, it troubles her to hear talk of nonchalance and ignorance.
An Armenian teller at a nearby bank was shocked to learn of ALMA's proximity
and admitted she didn't know its identity, much less its whereabouts.
"I find that pretty discouraging," says Stepanyan. "I want to make sure the
secret is out and that people who come here appreciate what we do. I want to
boost those numbers."
About 7,000 visitors are apt to come through the door in a given year. In
January, a joint holocaust/genocide exhibit drew over 300. With an increase
in paid members (1,500), donors (2,500), and trustees (42), there's no
shortage of exposure.
Only Stepanyan wants more.
"We're the largest independent Armenian museum in the diaspora and care
about generations," she points out. "More programs for children should be
open and free to the public. The heritage and culture is in their hands."
Of particular consequence is a mammoth exhibit titled "Who Are the
Armenians?" which opened last fall and tells the epic story of our country's
trials and tribulations with a rich repository of artifacts.
As diverse as the culture itself, the showcase could be an archer's bronze
belt worn around 700 BC or a silver coin that was minted before the time of
Christ; a Bible printed in the 17th century or a "dog collar" that was worn
by a victim of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.
Some objects were part of an extensive collection donated by private
benefactors. But many items were cherished family heirlooms that were simply
collecting dust in people's closets and attics.
Much of ALMA's success over the years can be attributed to the husband-wife
duo of Gary and Susan Lind-Sinanian, who've been aboard over the past 22
years.
While Gary handles most all the hands-on responsibilities as "curator
personified," his wife serves as textile coordinator. For her, it's become a
release valve from her 37 years with the Perkins School for the Blind where
she teaches home and personal management to the disadvantaged.
"I consider ALMA to be the greatest treasure in the diaspora," says Gary.
"The collections are enormous and diverse. Sometimes we don't realize what
we have. That's my job. It's a constant learning experience."
A look at April's itinerary showed an exhibit on Armenian village people;
another on Armenian textile art; a classical concert and jazz night; a
public forum on Armenian genocide; Hymayil-The Armenian Prayer Scroll and
"Who Are the Armenians?"
Prominent poetess Diana Der-Hovanessian appeared in May to discuss her
translations of Ten Armenian Poems You Should Know.
A photographer showed up with 50 prints to be hung. Not knowing where he
should assist, Gary told him to go for a cup of coffee and he would handle
it. By the time he returned, the exhibit had been hung better than he could
have imagined.
Gary Lind-Sinanian started as a volunteer in 1986 and became acting director
five years later. Both he and his wife are also noted for their Armenian
dance performances, each well-rehearsed and authentic. Gary is Swedish/Irish
by descent-until he met Susan. Now he considers himself "an adopted
Armenian."
"I've approached Armenian history as an outsider," he admits. "Susan was at
ALMA as a staffer and I just tagged along. She admired the textiles and
nobody was taking care of them. Both of us have been part of ALMA ever
since."
Gary takes charge of all the exhibits-both the creative side and the
installation-and all artifacts, be it storage, cataloging, and acquisitions.
To say that he's become a catalyst is an understatement.
"Aside from our trustees, Gary is the most important asset to ALMA," says
Stepanyan. "He puts many hours into the job. It's remained his passion."
Gary and Susan traveled to Armenia in 2007. Because of their vast museum
experience, they were invited by the Tufenkjian Foundation to help establish
similar programs in Armenia under the most adverse conditions possible.
They went to Sushi as consultants to design a local museum for the community
in Nagorno-Karabagh. By the time the Lind-Sinanians were done, they created
a development plan for a museum/art center similar to ALMA.
A photo of the couple by the ruins of the Zvartnos Cathedral was provoking.
This was Susan's first trip to Hayastan. Gary had been there before.
By standards, Stepanyan is a relative newcomer to ALMA but wasted no time
getting acclimated. She came armed with three master's degrees in
environmental policy, public administration, and political science.
She is married with a 14-month-old son and lives in Watertown. Supervising a
staff of six paid employees can be challenging, not to mention 20 regular
volunteers and 50 others for special events and needs.
At any given time, you're apt to find Haig Der Manuelian pouring through the
archives. On paper, he's listed as board chairman. A more appropriate title
might be "devoted servant."
He's been part of the tapestry since 1975 when he donated his family
collection. Credit Der Maneulian's perception for the "Where Are the
Armenians?" exhibit.
The 3,200-square foot building remains an imposing site in Watertown Square,
long a mecca for Armenians throughout the world.
The first two floors house the museum. Contemporary art galleries and
offices comprise the third and fourth floors with Armenian non-profits like
Project SAVE, Armenian Tree Project, and the Mesrop Boyajian Library. The
basement is used as a textile conservation center.
A wish list for items needed are the enhancement of an electronic database
for archiving and storing the library catalogue ($2,500); climate
controlled, free-standing display case for religious artifacts ($6,000);
hard-board for the piano for acoustic purposes ($1,250); and a large 7x9
projector Da-Lite Screen ($700).
Museum hours are Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.; Fridays and Sundays, 1-5 p.m.; and
Saturdays, opening at 10 a.m.
"Both triumph and despair pervade Armenia's rich history," Stepanyan points
out. "We continue to breathe new life into a country that has struggled over
the years amid numerous obstacles. ALMA is not just an investment into
Armenia's past but America's future."
***
All about alma
ALMA Overview
. Founded in 1971 by various individuals from the Armenian community. ALMA's
mission was to protect Armenian publications and artifacts located in the
United States from further loss or dispersion; and to collect, preserve, and
present the culture, history, art, and contributions of the Armenian people.
. The museum averages 14 different exhibits annually and contains over
20,000 artifacts including prehistoric, Urartian, religious, ceramic,
medieval illuminations, and other objects; 5,000 ancient and medieval
Armenian coins; 3,000 textiles; 930 rare books; and 170 rugs, many of which
are inscribed in Armenian.
. ALMA is the only independent Armenian museum in the diaspora, funded
solely through individual contributions.
. An active board of trustees and volunteer base augments the six-member
staff, headed by Mariam Stepanyan.
. The library contains over 26,000 catalogued titles, dating back to the
Garabed Gospel in 1207 AD, along with a large collection of books on
oriental rugs and the Armenian Genocide.
. Textile collection is among the largest outside of Armenia. Curator Susan
Lind-Sinanian continues to act as consultant. They are housed in
climate-controlled space in the basement where they are photographed,
documented, and catalogued.
. ALMA's work in Armenia and Karabagh since the 1988 earthquake has remained
impeccable, particularly in its efforts to assist museums and make Armenia's
heritage and culture more accessible.
***
Chronology Through the Years
1971 ALMA organized initially as a charitable trust.
1972 Two rooms rented at First Armenian Church in Belmont for storage and
limited activity.
1974 Oral History Project launched resulting in over 600 hours of taped
interviews of genocide survivors
1975 Donation by Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Family Collection.
1976 First exhibit and open house at parish house. Display at Boston Museum
of Fine Arts.
1978 Commencement of intermittent cultural events.
1980 ALMA's collection passes 1,400 hours of recorded oral history.
1985 Leasing of 4,000 square feet in basement of First Armenian Church to
include library, exhibit gallery, conference room, and work space.
1986 Formal opening of library and museum with part-time staff; donation of
the Dr. H. Martin Deranian Heirloom Collection; exhibit of Moses Gulesian on
saving the USS Constitution.
1988 Purchase of former Coolidge Bank headquarters in Watertown Square at 65
Main St.
1990 Renovations completed and formal opening; Gary Lind-Sinanian hired as
full-time acting curator.
1991 Donation of Paul and Vicki Bedoukian Collection of Armenian artifacts;
exhibition of Walter and Laurel Karabian Collection of Kutahya Ceramics.
1992 Donation of Arthur T. Gregorian Collection of Armenian Inscribed Rugs;
acquisition of the Alice Odian Kasparian Collection.
1994 Gontag issued to ALMA by Catholicos Vasken I, dedicated to the memory
of Stephen Mugar and Marian Graves Mugar.
1995 First major genocide exhibit.
1996 Twenty-fifth anniversary banquet celebrating Armenian women and
honoring Michele Bagdasarian Simourian; ALMA participates in Ellis Island
Exhibit.
1997 Acquisition of the Shalian Collection.
1998 Genocide Exhibit in the Rhode Island Holocaust Center.
1999 Sergei Parajanov Exhibit from Armenia; benefit banquet honoring Haig
Der Manuelian; Jack Kevorkian Exhibit.
2000 ALMA website established; donation of Bedoukian Coin and Library
Collection.
2001 Helping launch the website of the Armenian National Genocide Memorial
Museum Institute of Yerevan.
2002 Armenian Music Exhibit funded by the Margosian Memorial Fund; Armenia
Tree Project relocates its Boston office in ALMA's Mugar Building; Genocide
Exhibit at Massachusetts State House.
2003 Donation of Georges & Eliza Bezdjian Jewelry Collection; completion of
ALMA's Library Book cataloging project.
2004 Relocation of the library to 4th floor; Mena Topjian Children's
Program; Armenian Bible Exhibit.
2005 Traveling Genocide Exhibit at Texas State House and Mogan Cultural
Center in Lowell; completion of Church Plaque Project in Armenia; Mariam
Stepanyan hired as office manager.
2006 Baptismal Dove loaned to be exhibited in Berlin, Germany.
2007 Stepanyan appointed executive director; six unique artifacts from
Bedoukian and Karabian Collections loaned to galleries in Marseille, France.
------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- -
3. Sandi Bedrosian Turns Jazz into Pizzazz
By Tom Vartabedian
ANDOVER, Mass.-Over the past quarter century, vocalist Sandi Bedrosian has
performed at dozens of venues from the posh Ritz Carlton Hotel to the
rollicking Spirit of Boston cruises.
She's starred in numerous musical productions like "Fiorello," "Carousel,"
and "Die Fledermaus," and opened for national acts like Barbara Mandrell,
Sheena Eastor, and Gary Charrone of Van Halen.
She credits her musical influences to Julie Andrews, Cecilia Bartoli, Andrea
Borcelli, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, the group Sting-and
her parents. Her logo reads: "Dedicated to Musical Excellence."
Whether performing solo or with her Sandi Bedrosian Trio, this 46-year-old
diva has conquered the world of music in a big way and her career knows no
bounds, whether it's jazz, classical, contemporary, or rhythm & blues.
Bedrosian owns a voice studio in Andover and works as a teacher and vocal
coach to new and professional artists when not singing herself. Check out
her website: sandibedrosian.com.
The woman behind the microphone talks about her role:
Q. What is your background?
A. I grew up with music in my home. My father sang and performed in Armenian
musicals and operettas. Mom had a voice, too. My older brother is a music
major and runs a piano school with his wife. My sister is also musical. She
teaches and dances as well. I earned my degree from UMass Lowell and give
private instruction at my voice studio in Andover and at Milton Academy.
Q. How would you compare teaching with performing?
A. Teaching is a wonderful way to continue the process of learning and if
you're lucky, it also keeps you humble. Performing keeps me in shape-and in
the loop. You've got to be in the running.
Q. What is your Armenian background? Which Armenian composer/singer
impresses you the most? What's your opinion of Armenian music?
A. My entire family was involved with the Armenian Church, Sunday School,
Parish Council, and choir. I had the opportunity to join the Yerevan Choral
Society conducted by Father Oshagan Minassian when I was just 16. That
exposed me to these brilliant Armenian works and singing in Armenian.
Q. What type of music do you prefer most?
A. I have always loved the music of the 30's and 40's. Perhaps I'm a
throwback. It seems to suit me-singing Gershwin, Berlin, and Ellington. The
music is timeless. However, I'm also very drawn to Motown and Mozart. How
contrary!
Q. Where does Armenian music rank?
A. It still flows through my veins as though I am cued the moment I hear the
minor keys and Middle Eastern rhythms. I've made a promise to myself that my
future performances and next CD will embrace my Armenian heritage. The music
is brilliant and quite profound. It can express the emotional journey and
resounding spirit of a people so driven to survive.
Q. How did you start singing and who inspired you?
A. I can't remember ever not singing-in the car, the shower, my room, the
backyard. But I sang very quietly. My mom would always says, "Can you please
sing a little louder so we can hear you, too?" She was lovely and truly
amazing. Dad encouraged me, too. "Now don't force your voice. Let it out
naturally," he used to say. His tenor voice was beautiful. But they were not
professional singers. They ran a small dry cleaning business.
Q. Where did you go from there?
A. No one really knew I could sing until I was in my late teens. Aside from
my parents, I was greatly influenced by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy
Garland, and Julie Andrews to name a few. I sang my first paying job at a
wedding ceremony as a church soloist when I was 17. Hmmm . maybe that's
where it all began?
Q. Tell us something about your Trio and the Baboian Quartet connection?
A. My Jazz Trio has been performing around New England for the past 12
years, keeping the music of the great American songbook alive. My musicians
are some of the best in Greater Boston and it's a joy for me to work with
them. I am grateful for their artistic talent and musical camaraderie. John
Baboian and I met on a gig about eight years ago and were both astonished
that our musical paths had never crossed. He's a brilliant musician whose
guitar skills are stellar. I love working with him.
Q. Some highlights to your 25-year career?
A. In the 1990's, I shared billing with some headline artists such as
Barbara Mandrell, Sheena Easton, and Gary Charrone. That was exciting! Their
level of talent, up close and personal, exceeds any notion you may have in
your mind.
Q. Any disappointments?
A. Being in the performing arts always brings some disappointments. You can't
please all of the people all of the time, as they say. So you continue to do
what you love and do the best you can.
Q. Why are you so passionate about music and what does it do for your life?
A. Sometimes I think music chose me. When I was very young, I spent a lot of
time doing very artistic thinks like drawing and singing and listening to
famous recording artists-trying to emulate them to unravel their artistic
qualities and what made them so amazing. Somehow, I found a wonderful
creative vehicle-a way to express myself through music and lyrics. A song
becomes my canvas.
Q. How do you prepare yourself for a gig? Your most challenging role?
A. There are many things a singer does to prepare, depending on the venue,
repertoire, and the singer. Generally, there are vocal warm-ups, hydrating
with lots of water, and finding some calming way to relax and compose
yourself, maybe say a little prayer. Personally, I do all of the above and
it actually helps.
Q. How demanding is opera say to jazz or Broadway?
A. I have sung a lot of light classical, liturgical, and some opera.
Preparing to sing a soprano aria with my mezzo soprano range was somewhat
challenging for the part of Rosalinda in "Die Fledermaus" when I was in my
20s. I am moved by Andrea Bocelli's voice because he does what I have always
said I would do, that is, transcending vocally from the classical realm to
contemporary or pop effortlessly and authentically. If I were asked to chose
one genre of music and sing only that repertoire, it would be sad. I thrive
on versatility.
Q. Your most meaningful encounter with a diva or some other recording star?
A. It would have to be Tom Sullivan. I sang in the late 1990's with a jazz
quintet that was hired to play at a wedding reception. The uncle of the
bride happened to be Tom Sullivan, a well-known vocalist/pianist from the
1970's. Mr. Sullivan was an idol of mine from the time I was a little girl.
His musicianship was unparalleled, soulful, and riveting. I screamed out his
name as he walked by with his seeing-eye dog. He seemed quite flattered.
Later, we sang together and he told me his next project was to take up
skydiving. I'm not kidding. The man was remarkable.
Q. Favorite piece of music?
A. It would have to be Gershwin or "Panis Angelicas" (Bread of the Angels)
or "How Great Thou Art." Or my absolute favorite Armenian song, "Ichoo
terrar yev heratzar" Oh, gosh! Is that even a title?
Q. What's ahead? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
A. No huge visions of grandeur, just to be the best I can be and successful
at it. As a young aspiring singer, I've always strived for perfection but I've
never been very competitive. However, I truly appreciate how supportive and
receptive people have been over the years and plan to finally finish my jazz
CD for release by year's end.
Q. Anything else you wish to add?
A. I really owe everything I am to my late parents. I am very grateful that
somehow, someway I have been able to do something I love. I thank God for
that.
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
[email protected]
http://www.a rmenianweekly.com
The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 22; June 7, 2008
Features:
1. The Man Who Calls My Father's House in Turkey 'Your Ancestral Home' (Part
II)
By Apo Torosyan
2. An Armenian Treasure for 37 Years
Preservation Meets No Boundaries with ALMA
By Tom Vartabedian
3. Sandi Bedrosian Turns Jazz into Pizzazz
By Tom Vartabedian
***
1. The Man Who Calls My Father's House in Turkey 'Your Ancestral Home' (Part
II)
By Apo Torosyan
Part I of this story was published in last week's issue of the Weekly
(http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/fea053108 01.htm)
Recently, the government has changed this oppressive attitude a bit, with
the hope of being included in the European Union. But you still can go to
jail by speaking against the Turkish government or mentioning the Armenian
Genocide. Penal Code 301 condemns anyone who "insults Turkishness" by using
the words "Armenian Genocide."
Taner Akcam's book A Shameful Act states on p. 158: "The 1919 trials of the
Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) leaders (Ittihaki Terraki Partisi) and
regional trials in Yozgat and Trabzon further document the direct
involvement of special organization (Teskilat-Mahsusa) units. In the Yozgat
trial for example, Halil Recai and Hasahabettin, both Army officers, testify
that 'the slaughter' was carried out by the armed gangs and that they
themselves had received orders not to interfere. . With the assistance of
collaborating gendarmes, the units guarding the columns (of deportees) of
habitual criminals and degenerates drove the defenseless Armenians out of
towns, ostensibly for deportation. When they have been (sufficiently)
distanced from the towns, they were set upon by gangs of bandits.who after
looting what they had in their possession, had them killed."
>From Takvim-I Vekayi, No. 3616 (Aug. 6, 1919), from the verdict of the
Trabzon trial for the deportation and massacre, similar information is in
the verdict of the Yozgat trial, Takvim-I Vekayi No. 3617 (Aug. 7, 1919).
Much closer to that is in my own family as witnesses. You can find my uncle
Sarkis Hagopian's story in my essay "The Price to Pay for Being an
Armenian." He had to dig his own grave before he was shot, but survived to
tell his story to me.
The man who lived in my father's house continues: "The Turkish type had
changed over years, and instead of the Mongol type were transformed as a
race into the Anatolian race. That means mixed marriages had made the Turkic
race into more of an Anatolian race, that means tolerance had made these
mixed marriages available until the 1915 events."
Now the fact is that Anatolia is a mixed race. The Turkic race was mixed
with minority races, but it did not come about by tolerance; rather, it was
through the rape, abduction, and forced marriage practiced on helpless,
innocent Christian minorities. Even the Ottoman sultan's race is mixed with
minority blood. All of the queens were abducted Christian slaves in the
harem of the palace.
Today these stories are coming out of the woodwork. Oral history never
changes with the government's attitude. Turkey is still living in an
illusion and suffering from amnesia with an identity crisis. A large
percentage of the generations born in Turkey since 1915 have had Armenian,
Greek, or Assyrian DNA.
He continues: "These days, if an Armenian and a Turk get together the first
thing they talk about is the Armenian Genocide."
I don't think any Armenian in Turkey would dare talk about the Armenian
Genocide. The last one who spoke up was shot to death on Jan. 19, 2007. He
was shot from behind in front of his newspaper publishing building. His name
was Hrant Dink. And now his family is in danger.
He goes on: "What bothers me is that they are comparing the Jewish Holocaust
with the so-called Armenian Genocide! In reality we [Turks] all know that
there is proof of those two events not being similar, because what Hitler
did to the Jewish people was planned as a total annihilation of a nation!"
May I suggest to this man, and people like him, to read U.S. Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau's book about the Armenian Genocide. Ambassador Morgenthau
says in the book: "The Turk reverts to the ancestral type.in 1898, when all
the rest of Europe was ringing with Gladstone's (British) denunciations and
demanding intervention, Kaiser Wilhelm the Second had gone to
Constantinople, visited Abdul Hamid, pinned his finest decorations on that
bloody tyrant's breast, and kissed him on both cheeks. The same Kaiser who
had done this in 1898 was still sitting on the throne in 1915, and was now
Turkey's ally. Thus for the first time in two centuries the Turks, in 1915,
had their Christian populations utterly at their mercy. The time had finally
come to make Turkey exclusively the country of the Turks."
Morgenthau goes on to say: "And now for nearly thirty years Turkey gave the
world an illustration of government by massacre. We in Europe and America
heard of these events when they reached especially monstrous proportions, as
they did in 1895-96, when nearly 200,000 Armenians were most atrociously
done to death. But through all these years the existence of the Armenians
was one continuous nightmare. Their property was stolen, their men were
murdered, their women were ravished, their young girls were kidnapped and
forced to live in Turkish harems. Yet Abdul Hamid was not able to accomplish
his full purpose."
Harry Howard of the King-Crane Commission wrote to the U.S. Secretary of
State in October 1919: "There have been organized official massacres of the
Armenians ordered every five years, since Abdul Hamid ascended the throne."
Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide" then ratified in 1948 at the
Genocide Convention in Paris, wrote: "This convention is a matter of our
conscience, and is a test to our personal relation to evil. I know it is
very hot in July and August for work and planning, but without becoming
sentimental or trying to use colorful speech, let us not forget that the
heat of this month is less unbearable to us than the heat in ovens in
Auschwitz and Dachau, and more lenient than the murderous heat in the desert
of Aleppo, which burned to death the bodies of hundreds of thousands of
Christian Armenian victims of genocide in 1915."
Is the man who lived in my father's house aware that most German generals
were supporting the annihilation of the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrian
Christian citizens of the Ottoman Empire? These German generals later became
part of Hitler's administration: Franz von Papen, chief of staff who was
chancellor before Hitler; Konstantin von Neurath, embassy consular who
became foreign minister under Hitler; and General Bronsart, the chief of
staff who advised the Young Turks in a secret meeting.
Does this man know that it was the Germans who got the Ottoman Empire into
World War I? Does he know that the German cruisers, which later became
Turkish cruisers, attacked the Russian port of Crimea in the Black Sea? This
ended up with Russia getting into the war against the Ottoman Empire with
great powers.
Does he know the Pan-German, Pan-Aryan dream of the German Empire? To create
an empire that would reach the Mesopotamian oil fields and the railroad that
was being built as "The Baghdad Railroad?"
How about the Turkish dream? The land of Turan? Racist slogans stating
"Turkey for Turks only?"
Yes, I know about the Armenian terrorists. I know how they tried to blow up
Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1905, and others. Before that, Armenians were shoulder
to shoulder with the Young Turks to bring "liberté, fraternité, egalité" and
import humanitarian goals from Europe. Yes, there were a few opportunists
among the Armenians, a few terrorists, but the large majority just wanted
peace and freedom with equal rights under the Ottoman Empire. Who does not
want freedom? Why kill women and children? Why punish a whole nation?
Yes, we know about the Armenian freedom fighters. Yes, we know about Turkish
Armenian soldiers siding with the attacking Russian army. Yes, we know that
some Armenian volunteers sided with the enemy. Yes, we know about the
terrorist Armenians. But most of the aggressive attitude by Armenians was
after 1918. It was revenge for a genocide committed, which started long
before April 1915.
By the time of the retaliations, the merciless killings by Armenian
terrorists were committed by men who had lost their loved ones-their
mothers, fathers, wives, and children. Of course, two wrongs do not make a
right. But by that time, over one and a half million innocent Armenian
Ottoman citizens had been murdered, raped, burned, or forced to starvation,
including women and children.
The Turkish survivors of the Armenian massacres remember the voices of the
Armenian attackers saying something that sounded like "Vjjjjjj! Vjjjjjj!
Vjjjjjj!" That was the word "vrej" in Armenian, which means "vengeance."
I do not believe there is a just killing. Killing is killing! It was wrong!
But those killings committed by Armenians, which did not exceed 20,000
overall, were not the reason for the Armenian Genocide. The reason for the
Armenian Genocide was more than hate. It was a dream of creating a land with
Turks only. It was planned as the annihilation of a nation that had existed
in that land, Anatolia, for almost 4,000 years. But the Turkish historians
today call those vengeance killings "the Turkish Genocide committed by
Armenians."
My family from Edincik is a good example. They were harmless, ordinary,
law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working, innocent Ottoman citizens. What was
their fault? Being Armenian?
I would like to emphasize that this essay is not "bashing Turkishness." It
applies to all human history. Unfortunately, the human species has done
everything possible to oppress and suppress his fellow human being.
This man who lived in my father's house has forgotten to have empathy for
family loss. He has prejudged them for being Armenian. He has forgotten that
they were innocent human beings, condemned deliberately to death as part of
a very well-organized crime against humanity. The ironic part is that he
lives in London now. Does he know what Winston Churchill said in 1915: "This
is a crime against humanity which has not been named yet."
This is a man who has children. How would he feel if someone like him were
to tell him that his family deserved to be killed because they were Turks or
Muslims? Is human blood different between Muslims, Christians, Jews, or
others? Is there such a thing as a just killing? Poor soul lost in the
battlefield of politics!
And he goes on: "Just imagine, our country [the Ottoman Empire] surrounded
by all borders fighting for survival, all men are at the borders fighting
with the enemy. The only remaining population is women, children and
elderly. Where are the Armenian and Greek men at that time? Were they
running away for their lives from those 'murdering' Turkish women and
children? Or were they continuing piling up money, working on the back of
the Turkish people and getting rich? They [Armenians] were transported to
Armenian-populated Syria [which was still part of the Ottoman Empire] so the
Turks would not be shot in their backs by Armenians. Had those Armenian men
lost their fighting skills against the handful attacking Kurds and chettes
(brigands) to protect themselves?"
In reality, all young Armenians eligible for the military were gathered with
the pretence of joining a military labor force (amele taburu) and were
marched out of the village into a valley where shotguns could not be heard.
They were then forced to dig a ditch, were shot from behind in the head, and
expected to fall into the ditch. One of the survivors of these events was my
19-year-old uncle. He survived by acting dead for three days and three
nights, lying among the dead and dying ones. I met him 49 years later in
Sofia, Bulgaria. I saw the bullet hole in his ear. He kept telling me "Don't
go back [to Turkey] Apo, don't go back, they'll kill you."
So the Armenians who were left to march to Syria in reality were women,
children under 12 years old, and the elderly. And they were not only robbed
but raped, knifed, bayoneted, or burned alive. Others had their eyes gouged
out, horseshoes nailed to their feet, had their hands tied together and
thrown into the water from boats, or were crucified. The lucky ones were the
young ones, who were killed with a bullet!
All of these atrocities were done by Turkish gendarmes, military men,
government officials, Kurds with weapons provided to them, freed prisoners,
and most of all by the public itself. Yes, some Turkish people believed the
negative propaganda by the officials. They waited for the unsuspecting
convoys of women and children to come so they could attack like vultures. It
was called jihad. In reality it was just a cover-up, so that the Turkish
government could "Turkify" Turkey. As the slogan went, "Turkey for Turks
only." I remember when I was living in Turkey in the 1960's, the slogan was
"Hey citizen, speak Turkish!"
I ask those deniers, go east, travel to those towns and villages where
Armenians used to live, and ask the people if there had been such atrocities
and merciless killings. Look at what they all tell you. They will tell you
what I said in this paper. Oral history is the real history. What you read
on a piece of paper is written by someone (including my writing), but oral
history belongs to all, and you cannot lie to all. The truth has been seen
by those people.
I do not condemn all. Like my father used to say, "In every society there
are good ones and bad ones." The same sentence was said by the late
Yeghsabet Giragosian, a 107-year-old witness of the Armenian Genocide. She
had been saved by her Turkish neighbor. Her testimony is in my last
documentary "Voices." These elderly might not remember what they had for
breakfast, but they never forget "the big event" (in Armenian, the Medz
Yeghern).
Akcam writes: "The 'Alphabet Reform' of 1928, which changed Turkish script
from Arabic to Latin letters, 'served to compound the problem. With the
stroke of a pen, the Turkish people lost their connection to written
history. Turkey is a society that cannot read its own newspapers, letters or
diaries if they were written before 1928. It has no access to anything that
happened before that date. As a result, modern Turkey is totally dependent
on history as the State has defined and written it. It becomes clear why
Turkish society has consigned the Armenian Genocide to oblivion."
The man who lived in my father's house continues: "Do you think that
Ottomans had nothing to do but to annihilate these people? I am not saying
that killings and land loss did not happen, but it happened in all
societies. Those Greeks which we have been fighting for years, they don't
come up with a 'Genocide' term. They keep quiet. What would Armenians say if
they saw the photograph of Turks being buried alive? They exist in the
Turkish archives."
He continues: "The escape of the Turks from Middle Asia is well known. They
were escaping from the Mongols. Those who ran away survived. Those who could
not were enslaved or killed."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I'd like to mention how Turkish historical
books change over time. This gentleman is approximately 20 years younger
than me. Historical books in his time claim that the Turks ran away from the
Mongols. In my time studying this in school (20 years before his time,
approximately 1959-61) the Turkish history books had dozens of arrows from
Middle Asia pointing all over, including north Asia, east Asia, Europe,
Arabia, India, China, Africa, and of course Turkey. This was to show that
"everybody" had Turkish roots, and they had fled from Middle Asia because of
a drought. I believe the author of that Turkish history book was Metin
Oktay, if my memory serves.
My family had a good life in Edincik. Actually, they had a much better life
than the Muslim Turkish citizens. Because they were educated, and had
schools that taught almost everything that today's schools teach. They even
had a modern soccer team. My uncle Hovhannes writes in his memoirs: "When it
was the sultan's birthday, we used to get dressed properly, walk in order,
and sing marches on our way to the center of the town, where the Turkish
students would have worn-out clothing, no shoes, and couldn't sing. The only
schooling they had was memorizing the Koran in Arabic without knowing what
it meant. How could those children be productive in life?"
That is why young Turkish men ended up going into military service to get
paid. Minorities were not allowed to bear arms and go to military service,
but they had to pay cizye (poll tax). With hard work, the minorities would
succeed and be envied by the Turkish majority. Was this any different than
the Jews in Germany in the Nazi era? Were they different?
He continues: "In other words, what happened in the Jewish Holocaust was
wrong, but what happened in Anatolia was different!"
Before we go back to this man's so-called historical research, let us look
at it again with historical facts that are recognized by world history
scholars.
The Ottoman Empire was established by 1299. The Turks were under Seljuk
rule. By the time of Suleyman the Great in 1535, there were some
improvements for the minorities in the empire. As we mentioned earlier, very
strict restrictions were applied to the Christian minorities.
He continues: "So should we go back to Siberia?" According to my Turkish
history lessons Turks did not come from Siberia but Mongolia (north of
China). They were Turkmen tribes.
He writes: "So should we fight to take our ancestral land back? Your
ancestors living under the Ottoman Empire as law-abiding citizens got along
with their neighbors. They were good citizens, but the land they were living
on was Turkish. It was conquered with Turkish blood. As you being a U.S.
citizen and me being a British citizen, if someday Turkey and Britain went
to war, I would end up leaving Britain and my children would visit our home
in London 50 years later with nostalgia. They would never own their
ancestral home. You might have bad memories about your ancestors but that is
history."
He continues: "Nationalism is not a good thing. It is national selfishness.
We all think we are good and all others are bad."
So far this was the only wisdom I could find in his letter.
He writes: "I looked at your website. I liked your works from nature. As far
as your Bread Series goes, it was beyond my comprehension. Even so, I
thought you were kind of disrespectful to the bread. As you know, we kiss
the bread three times when it falls to the ground. I am just telling you how
I feel, not trying to be disrespectful. . According to you, you are using
the 'bread' as the deprivation of your ancestors. As I mentioned before, who
took that bread from your ancestors? Or for hundreds of years who gave that
bread to your ancestors? Your theme does not look peaceful. You should find
more peaceful themes. Unless you are doing it for Armenian nationalism."
His finishing sentence was: "Hoping to find the true path for the future."
He discontinued communication with me, having come to regard me as a
nationalist.
After all this, I could not communicate with this person. I just did my
share by translating his thoughts, which partially translate some of the
sentiments in today's Turkey, and reading them with pain and anger. But I
fight anger because I believe in "hope not hate."
-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -----
2. An Armenian Treasure for 37 Years
Preservation Meets No Boundaries with ALMA
By Tom Vartabedian
WATERTOWN, Mass.-Ever since she came abroad as executive director of the
Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) last year, Mariam Stepanyan
has worked overtime to bring this 37-year-old facility to another standard.
She's launched more social and cultural exhibits, including an eclectic
series of jazz nights; gotten more artists involved in a bigger demographic
area; attracted a non-Armenian crowd (40 percent of those attending jazz
concerts); and launched a newer and fresher website.
The 32-year-old Yerevan native isn't done yet, not by a far cry. She sees an
untapped market in children's activities and looks to share some of ALMA's
most vital exhibits, beginning in the fall with Armenian Legionnaires
(Gamavors).
A genocide exhibit has been on the road 12 years and gets updated
periodically. One of her pet peeves since being promoted in 2005 from office
manager is a distinct lack of exposure.
As prominent as this building has remained at 65 Main St., in the heart of
Watertown Square, it troubles her to hear talk of nonchalance and ignorance.
An Armenian teller at a nearby bank was shocked to learn of ALMA's proximity
and admitted she didn't know its identity, much less its whereabouts.
"I find that pretty discouraging," says Stepanyan. "I want to make sure the
secret is out and that people who come here appreciate what we do. I want to
boost those numbers."
About 7,000 visitors are apt to come through the door in a given year. In
January, a joint holocaust/genocide exhibit drew over 300. With an increase
in paid members (1,500), donors (2,500), and trustees (42), there's no
shortage of exposure.
Only Stepanyan wants more.
"We're the largest independent Armenian museum in the diaspora and care
about generations," she points out. "More programs for children should be
open and free to the public. The heritage and culture is in their hands."
Of particular consequence is a mammoth exhibit titled "Who Are the
Armenians?" which opened last fall and tells the epic story of our country's
trials and tribulations with a rich repository of artifacts.
As diverse as the culture itself, the showcase could be an archer's bronze
belt worn around 700 BC or a silver coin that was minted before the time of
Christ; a Bible printed in the 17th century or a "dog collar" that was worn
by a victim of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.
Some objects were part of an extensive collection donated by private
benefactors. But many items were cherished family heirlooms that were simply
collecting dust in people's closets and attics.
Much of ALMA's success over the years can be attributed to the husband-wife
duo of Gary and Susan Lind-Sinanian, who've been aboard over the past 22
years.
While Gary handles most all the hands-on responsibilities as "curator
personified," his wife serves as textile coordinator. For her, it's become a
release valve from her 37 years with the Perkins School for the Blind where
she teaches home and personal management to the disadvantaged.
"I consider ALMA to be the greatest treasure in the diaspora," says Gary.
"The collections are enormous and diverse. Sometimes we don't realize what
we have. That's my job. It's a constant learning experience."
A look at April's itinerary showed an exhibit on Armenian village people;
another on Armenian textile art; a classical concert and jazz night; a
public forum on Armenian genocide; Hymayil-The Armenian Prayer Scroll and
"Who Are the Armenians?"
Prominent poetess Diana Der-Hovanessian appeared in May to discuss her
translations of Ten Armenian Poems You Should Know.
A photographer showed up with 50 prints to be hung. Not knowing where he
should assist, Gary told him to go for a cup of coffee and he would handle
it. By the time he returned, the exhibit had been hung better than he could
have imagined.
Gary Lind-Sinanian started as a volunteer in 1986 and became acting director
five years later. Both he and his wife are also noted for their Armenian
dance performances, each well-rehearsed and authentic. Gary is Swedish/Irish
by descent-until he met Susan. Now he considers himself "an adopted
Armenian."
"I've approached Armenian history as an outsider," he admits. "Susan was at
ALMA as a staffer and I just tagged along. She admired the textiles and
nobody was taking care of them. Both of us have been part of ALMA ever
since."
Gary takes charge of all the exhibits-both the creative side and the
installation-and all artifacts, be it storage, cataloging, and acquisitions.
To say that he's become a catalyst is an understatement.
"Aside from our trustees, Gary is the most important asset to ALMA," says
Stepanyan. "He puts many hours into the job. It's remained his passion."
Gary and Susan traveled to Armenia in 2007. Because of their vast museum
experience, they were invited by the Tufenkjian Foundation to help establish
similar programs in Armenia under the most adverse conditions possible.
They went to Sushi as consultants to design a local museum for the community
in Nagorno-Karabagh. By the time the Lind-Sinanians were done, they created
a development plan for a museum/art center similar to ALMA.
A photo of the couple by the ruins of the Zvartnos Cathedral was provoking.
This was Susan's first trip to Hayastan. Gary had been there before.
By standards, Stepanyan is a relative newcomer to ALMA but wasted no time
getting acclimated. She came armed with three master's degrees in
environmental policy, public administration, and political science.
She is married with a 14-month-old son and lives in Watertown. Supervising a
staff of six paid employees can be challenging, not to mention 20 regular
volunteers and 50 others for special events and needs.
At any given time, you're apt to find Haig Der Manuelian pouring through the
archives. On paper, he's listed as board chairman. A more appropriate title
might be "devoted servant."
He's been part of the tapestry since 1975 when he donated his family
collection. Credit Der Maneulian's perception for the "Where Are the
Armenians?" exhibit.
The 3,200-square foot building remains an imposing site in Watertown Square,
long a mecca for Armenians throughout the world.
The first two floors house the museum. Contemporary art galleries and
offices comprise the third and fourth floors with Armenian non-profits like
Project SAVE, Armenian Tree Project, and the Mesrop Boyajian Library. The
basement is used as a textile conservation center.
A wish list for items needed are the enhancement of an electronic database
for archiving and storing the library catalogue ($2,500); climate
controlled, free-standing display case for religious artifacts ($6,000);
hard-board for the piano for acoustic purposes ($1,250); and a large 7x9
projector Da-Lite Screen ($700).
Museum hours are Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.; Fridays and Sundays, 1-5 p.m.; and
Saturdays, opening at 10 a.m.
"Both triumph and despair pervade Armenia's rich history," Stepanyan points
out. "We continue to breathe new life into a country that has struggled over
the years amid numerous obstacles. ALMA is not just an investment into
Armenia's past but America's future."
***
All about alma
ALMA Overview
. Founded in 1971 by various individuals from the Armenian community. ALMA's
mission was to protect Armenian publications and artifacts located in the
United States from further loss or dispersion; and to collect, preserve, and
present the culture, history, art, and contributions of the Armenian people.
. The museum averages 14 different exhibits annually and contains over
20,000 artifacts including prehistoric, Urartian, religious, ceramic,
medieval illuminations, and other objects; 5,000 ancient and medieval
Armenian coins; 3,000 textiles; 930 rare books; and 170 rugs, many of which
are inscribed in Armenian.
. ALMA is the only independent Armenian museum in the diaspora, funded
solely through individual contributions.
. An active board of trustees and volunteer base augments the six-member
staff, headed by Mariam Stepanyan.
. The library contains over 26,000 catalogued titles, dating back to the
Garabed Gospel in 1207 AD, along with a large collection of books on
oriental rugs and the Armenian Genocide.
. Textile collection is among the largest outside of Armenia. Curator Susan
Lind-Sinanian continues to act as consultant. They are housed in
climate-controlled space in the basement where they are photographed,
documented, and catalogued.
. ALMA's work in Armenia and Karabagh since the 1988 earthquake has remained
impeccable, particularly in its efforts to assist museums and make Armenia's
heritage and culture more accessible.
***
Chronology Through the Years
1971 ALMA organized initially as a charitable trust.
1972 Two rooms rented at First Armenian Church in Belmont for storage and
limited activity.
1974 Oral History Project launched resulting in over 600 hours of taped
interviews of genocide survivors
1975 Donation by Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Family Collection.
1976 First exhibit and open house at parish house. Display at Boston Museum
of Fine Arts.
1978 Commencement of intermittent cultural events.
1980 ALMA's collection passes 1,400 hours of recorded oral history.
1985 Leasing of 4,000 square feet in basement of First Armenian Church to
include library, exhibit gallery, conference room, and work space.
1986 Formal opening of library and museum with part-time staff; donation of
the Dr. H. Martin Deranian Heirloom Collection; exhibit of Moses Gulesian on
saving the USS Constitution.
1988 Purchase of former Coolidge Bank headquarters in Watertown Square at 65
Main St.
1990 Renovations completed and formal opening; Gary Lind-Sinanian hired as
full-time acting curator.
1991 Donation of Paul and Vicki Bedoukian Collection of Armenian artifacts;
exhibition of Walter and Laurel Karabian Collection of Kutahya Ceramics.
1992 Donation of Arthur T. Gregorian Collection of Armenian Inscribed Rugs;
acquisition of the Alice Odian Kasparian Collection.
1994 Gontag issued to ALMA by Catholicos Vasken I, dedicated to the memory
of Stephen Mugar and Marian Graves Mugar.
1995 First major genocide exhibit.
1996 Twenty-fifth anniversary banquet celebrating Armenian women and
honoring Michele Bagdasarian Simourian; ALMA participates in Ellis Island
Exhibit.
1997 Acquisition of the Shalian Collection.
1998 Genocide Exhibit in the Rhode Island Holocaust Center.
1999 Sergei Parajanov Exhibit from Armenia; benefit banquet honoring Haig
Der Manuelian; Jack Kevorkian Exhibit.
2000 ALMA website established; donation of Bedoukian Coin and Library
Collection.
2001 Helping launch the website of the Armenian National Genocide Memorial
Museum Institute of Yerevan.
2002 Armenian Music Exhibit funded by the Margosian Memorial Fund; Armenia
Tree Project relocates its Boston office in ALMA's Mugar Building; Genocide
Exhibit at Massachusetts State House.
2003 Donation of Georges & Eliza Bezdjian Jewelry Collection; completion of
ALMA's Library Book cataloging project.
2004 Relocation of the library to 4th floor; Mena Topjian Children's
Program; Armenian Bible Exhibit.
2005 Traveling Genocide Exhibit at Texas State House and Mogan Cultural
Center in Lowell; completion of Church Plaque Project in Armenia; Mariam
Stepanyan hired as office manager.
2006 Baptismal Dove loaned to be exhibited in Berlin, Germany.
2007 Stepanyan appointed executive director; six unique artifacts from
Bedoukian and Karabian Collections loaned to galleries in Marseille, France.
------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- -
3. Sandi Bedrosian Turns Jazz into Pizzazz
By Tom Vartabedian
ANDOVER, Mass.-Over the past quarter century, vocalist Sandi Bedrosian has
performed at dozens of venues from the posh Ritz Carlton Hotel to the
rollicking Spirit of Boston cruises.
She's starred in numerous musical productions like "Fiorello," "Carousel,"
and "Die Fledermaus," and opened for national acts like Barbara Mandrell,
Sheena Eastor, and Gary Charrone of Van Halen.
She credits her musical influences to Julie Andrews, Cecilia Bartoli, Andrea
Borcelli, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, the group Sting-and
her parents. Her logo reads: "Dedicated to Musical Excellence."
Whether performing solo or with her Sandi Bedrosian Trio, this 46-year-old
diva has conquered the world of music in a big way and her career knows no
bounds, whether it's jazz, classical, contemporary, or rhythm & blues.
Bedrosian owns a voice studio in Andover and works as a teacher and vocal
coach to new and professional artists when not singing herself. Check out
her website: sandibedrosian.com.
The woman behind the microphone talks about her role:
Q. What is your background?
A. I grew up with music in my home. My father sang and performed in Armenian
musicals and operettas. Mom had a voice, too. My older brother is a music
major and runs a piano school with his wife. My sister is also musical. She
teaches and dances as well. I earned my degree from UMass Lowell and give
private instruction at my voice studio in Andover and at Milton Academy.
Q. How would you compare teaching with performing?
A. Teaching is a wonderful way to continue the process of learning and if
you're lucky, it also keeps you humble. Performing keeps me in shape-and in
the loop. You've got to be in the running.
Q. What is your Armenian background? Which Armenian composer/singer
impresses you the most? What's your opinion of Armenian music?
A. My entire family was involved with the Armenian Church, Sunday School,
Parish Council, and choir. I had the opportunity to join the Yerevan Choral
Society conducted by Father Oshagan Minassian when I was just 16. That
exposed me to these brilliant Armenian works and singing in Armenian.
Q. What type of music do you prefer most?
A. I have always loved the music of the 30's and 40's. Perhaps I'm a
throwback. It seems to suit me-singing Gershwin, Berlin, and Ellington. The
music is timeless. However, I'm also very drawn to Motown and Mozart. How
contrary!
Q. Where does Armenian music rank?
A. It still flows through my veins as though I am cued the moment I hear the
minor keys and Middle Eastern rhythms. I've made a promise to myself that my
future performances and next CD will embrace my Armenian heritage. The music
is brilliant and quite profound. It can express the emotional journey and
resounding spirit of a people so driven to survive.
Q. How did you start singing and who inspired you?
A. I can't remember ever not singing-in the car, the shower, my room, the
backyard. But I sang very quietly. My mom would always says, "Can you please
sing a little louder so we can hear you, too?" She was lovely and truly
amazing. Dad encouraged me, too. "Now don't force your voice. Let it out
naturally," he used to say. His tenor voice was beautiful. But they were not
professional singers. They ran a small dry cleaning business.
Q. Where did you go from there?
A. No one really knew I could sing until I was in my late teens. Aside from
my parents, I was greatly influenced by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy
Garland, and Julie Andrews to name a few. I sang my first paying job at a
wedding ceremony as a church soloist when I was 17. Hmmm . maybe that's
where it all began?
Q. Tell us something about your Trio and the Baboian Quartet connection?
A. My Jazz Trio has been performing around New England for the past 12
years, keeping the music of the great American songbook alive. My musicians
are some of the best in Greater Boston and it's a joy for me to work with
them. I am grateful for their artistic talent and musical camaraderie. John
Baboian and I met on a gig about eight years ago and were both astonished
that our musical paths had never crossed. He's a brilliant musician whose
guitar skills are stellar. I love working with him.
Q. Some highlights to your 25-year career?
A. In the 1990's, I shared billing with some headline artists such as
Barbara Mandrell, Sheena Easton, and Gary Charrone. That was exciting! Their
level of talent, up close and personal, exceeds any notion you may have in
your mind.
Q. Any disappointments?
A. Being in the performing arts always brings some disappointments. You can't
please all of the people all of the time, as they say. So you continue to do
what you love and do the best you can.
Q. Why are you so passionate about music and what does it do for your life?
A. Sometimes I think music chose me. When I was very young, I spent a lot of
time doing very artistic thinks like drawing and singing and listening to
famous recording artists-trying to emulate them to unravel their artistic
qualities and what made them so amazing. Somehow, I found a wonderful
creative vehicle-a way to express myself through music and lyrics. A song
becomes my canvas.
Q. How do you prepare yourself for a gig? Your most challenging role?
A. There are many things a singer does to prepare, depending on the venue,
repertoire, and the singer. Generally, there are vocal warm-ups, hydrating
with lots of water, and finding some calming way to relax and compose
yourself, maybe say a little prayer. Personally, I do all of the above and
it actually helps.
Q. How demanding is opera say to jazz or Broadway?
A. I have sung a lot of light classical, liturgical, and some opera.
Preparing to sing a soprano aria with my mezzo soprano range was somewhat
challenging for the part of Rosalinda in "Die Fledermaus" when I was in my
20s. I am moved by Andrea Bocelli's voice because he does what I have always
said I would do, that is, transcending vocally from the classical realm to
contemporary or pop effortlessly and authentically. If I were asked to chose
one genre of music and sing only that repertoire, it would be sad. I thrive
on versatility.
Q. Your most meaningful encounter with a diva or some other recording star?
A. It would have to be Tom Sullivan. I sang in the late 1990's with a jazz
quintet that was hired to play at a wedding reception. The uncle of the
bride happened to be Tom Sullivan, a well-known vocalist/pianist from the
1970's. Mr. Sullivan was an idol of mine from the time I was a little girl.
His musicianship was unparalleled, soulful, and riveting. I screamed out his
name as he walked by with his seeing-eye dog. He seemed quite flattered.
Later, we sang together and he told me his next project was to take up
skydiving. I'm not kidding. The man was remarkable.
Q. Favorite piece of music?
A. It would have to be Gershwin or "Panis Angelicas" (Bread of the Angels)
or "How Great Thou Art." Or my absolute favorite Armenian song, "Ichoo
terrar yev heratzar" Oh, gosh! Is that even a title?
Q. What's ahead? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
A. No huge visions of grandeur, just to be the best I can be and successful
at it. As a young aspiring singer, I've always strived for perfection but I've
never been very competitive. However, I truly appreciate how supportive and
receptive people have been over the years and plan to finally finish my jazz
CD for release by year's end.
Q. Anything else you wish to add?
A. I really owe everything I am to my late parents. I am very grateful that
somehow, someway I have been able to do something I love. I thank God for
that.