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Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Nov 9 2013
Rep. Adam Schiff urges White House to display Armenian orphan rug
By Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 11/08/13, 5:18 PM PST |
A nearly century-old rug made for President Calvin Coolidge by
orphaned girls from Armenia as a thank you gift for the support
America lent to refugees during the Armenian genocide has become the
focal point of a growing controversy.
The Armenian-made rug was slated to be displayed in a planned
exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. in
December, but the White House pulled the plug on its loan to the
museum with little explanation in mid-October.
Now, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, has waded into the fray, sending a
letter earlier this week to the White House, with co-author Rep. David
Valadao, R-Hanford, urging a reconsideration of its stance on making
the rug unavailable for public view.
`I have had the opportunity to sit and meet with genocide survivors in
their homes and get to know them,' Schiff said in a phone interview
Friday. `When I saw the rejection of the rug display it seemed like
yet another indignity, another retreat from acknowledging the
genocide.'
The letter was signed by 31 other House representatives, including
Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
The exhibit including the rug - a large, colorful, hand-knotted rug
with depictions of plants and animals woven in ornate detail - was set
to be displayed Dec. 16 to coincide with the book launch of `President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug' written by Hagop Martin
Deranian, a scholar whose parents were both genocide survivors and
immigrants to the United States. The book details the rug's origins,
and the plight of nearly 100,000 children orphaned by the genocide who
were helped by U.S. missionaries and government outreach.
The girls who made the rug were living in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near
East Relief, in present-day Lebanon, which was created and funded
through the U.S. Congress.
The White House issued a simple statement addressing the issue,
offering no explanation for its refusal to loan the rug to the museum.
`The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the
peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not
possible to loan it out at this time,' the statement said.
But Schiff and Armenian community groups suspect the White House's
refusal to display the rug has more to do with politics than anything
else.
The Obama administration has routinely stopped short of referring to
the atrocities committed against the Armenian population as genocide
in what was then the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The conflict
left up to 1.5 million people dead, and Schiff said the refusal to
allow access to the rug is most likely the result of diplomatic
pressure from Turkey.
The government in Ankara has staunchly refused to acknowledge the
conflict as a genocide.
`I can't imagine another reason,' Schiff said. `I can't imagine what
it means that it is unavailable. It's not like it's at the dry
cleaners.'
Advocates say the rug is a tangible link to the historical importance
of the Armenian community, and to support the U.S. gave to immigrants
fleeing the region.
`The piece is as important to American history as it is to Armenian
history,' said Tereza Yerimyan, government affairs director for the
western region of the Armenian National Committee of America, whose
offices are in Glendale.
The White House has not yet responded to Schiff's letter, or to emails
sent from members of the Armenian National Committee, urging
cooperation for a display of the rug, but Yerimyan said she hopes the
effort will sway opinion.
`This was made by people who found a new life because of the help of
Americans,' she said. `Why shouldn't it be displayed?'
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20131108/rep-adam-schiff-urges-white-house-to-display-armenian-orphan-rug
Nov 9 2013
Rep. Adam Schiff urges White House to display Armenian orphan rug
By Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 11/08/13, 5:18 PM PST |
A nearly century-old rug made for President Calvin Coolidge by
orphaned girls from Armenia as a thank you gift for the support
America lent to refugees during the Armenian genocide has become the
focal point of a growing controversy.
The Armenian-made rug was slated to be displayed in a planned
exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. in
December, but the White House pulled the plug on its loan to the
museum with little explanation in mid-October.
Now, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, has waded into the fray, sending a
letter earlier this week to the White House, with co-author Rep. David
Valadao, R-Hanford, urging a reconsideration of its stance on making
the rug unavailable for public view.
`I have had the opportunity to sit and meet with genocide survivors in
their homes and get to know them,' Schiff said in a phone interview
Friday. `When I saw the rejection of the rug display it seemed like
yet another indignity, another retreat from acknowledging the
genocide.'
The letter was signed by 31 other House representatives, including
Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
The exhibit including the rug - a large, colorful, hand-knotted rug
with depictions of plants and animals woven in ornate detail - was set
to be displayed Dec. 16 to coincide with the book launch of `President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug' written by Hagop Martin
Deranian, a scholar whose parents were both genocide survivors and
immigrants to the United States. The book details the rug's origins,
and the plight of nearly 100,000 children orphaned by the genocide who
were helped by U.S. missionaries and government outreach.
The girls who made the rug were living in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near
East Relief, in present-day Lebanon, which was created and funded
through the U.S. Congress.
The White House issued a simple statement addressing the issue,
offering no explanation for its refusal to loan the rug to the museum.
`The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the
peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not
possible to loan it out at this time,' the statement said.
But Schiff and Armenian community groups suspect the White House's
refusal to display the rug has more to do with politics than anything
else.
The Obama administration has routinely stopped short of referring to
the atrocities committed against the Armenian population as genocide
in what was then the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The conflict
left up to 1.5 million people dead, and Schiff said the refusal to
allow access to the rug is most likely the result of diplomatic
pressure from Turkey.
The government in Ankara has staunchly refused to acknowledge the
conflict as a genocide.
`I can't imagine another reason,' Schiff said. `I can't imagine what
it means that it is unavailable. It's not like it's at the dry
cleaners.'
Advocates say the rug is a tangible link to the historical importance
of the Armenian community, and to support the U.S. gave to immigrants
fleeing the region.
`The piece is as important to American history as it is to Armenian
history,' said Tereza Yerimyan, government affairs director for the
western region of the Armenian National Committee of America, whose
offices are in Glendale.
The White House has not yet responded to Schiff's letter, or to emails
sent from members of the Armenian National Committee, urging
cooperation for a display of the rug, but Yerimyan said she hopes the
effort will sway opinion.
`This was made by people who found a new life because of the help of
Americans,' she said. `Why shouldn't it be displayed?'
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20131108/rep-adam-schiff-urges-white-house-to-display-armenian-orphan-rug