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Glendale News Agency, CA
April 25 2014
Genocide descendants continue to seek recognition
Attendees of commemoration at Alex Theatre are largely unmoved by
recent political statements regarding the Armenian Genocide.
By Brittany Levine, [email protected]
April 25, 2014 | 8:53 a.m.
As nearly 1,200 people packed the Alex Theatre on Thursday at the
13th annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, attendees were
abuzz about a historic statement made by the Turkish Prime Minister
the day prior.
PHOTOS: Armenian Genocide commemoration at the Alex Theatre
Most dismissed the comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on the eve before the 99th anniversary of the
genocide, in which he offered condolences to Armenian descendants of
the massacre and mentioned a "shared pain," but did not directly
recognize the massacres of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.
It was the first time a top Turkish official has offered conciliation,
but the government continues to refuse to recognize the 1915 genocide
of 1.5 million Armenians. The United States has also yet to describe
the killings by the Ottoman Empire as genocide, but local and state
lawmakers have done so.
"There was nary an apology, there was nary any atonement for what
happened," Mihran Toumajan, a Glendale resident who works in software
engineering, said before the event, which featured speeches, and
Armenian songs and performances -- including a modern dance that
depicted a man dressed in a traditional Turkish fez hat steal a
woman's baby.
But, Osheen Keshishian, a Glendale Community College professor from
Sherman Oaks, said that although many would criticize him for saying
it, he considered the statement a step in the right direction.
"It's not enough, but he has never reached this point," he said.
State Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) echoed Keshishian on
stage, but added that after 99 years, condolences cannot be considered
an adequate response. While Rep. Adam Schiff didn't directly refer to
the condolences, he said the pain of genocide victims' descendants are
not the only emotion that can be passed down.
"Responsibility, too, passes down through generations," Schiff said.
Speakers also recognized other recent news that shook the
international Armenian community: the violent takeover last month of a
majority Armenian town in Syria known as Kessab. The Syrian rebel
forces who overran the town of about 2,000 came in through the Turkish
border, an upsetting reminder of the genocide for many Armenians
around the world.
"By now the wounds should have healed, but the wounds have not
healed," Mayor Zareh Sinanyan said. "The wounds are still bleeding."
The event's keynote speaker, Maurice Missak Kelechian, a Silicon
Valley engineer whose scientific research led to the unveiling of a
mass grave at an Armenian orphanage dating back to the time of the
genocide, shared a lengthy presentation demonstrating American
humanitarian efforts during the early 20th century to support
Armenians.
"We don't have to prove to anyone that the genocide happened,"
Kelechian said, clicking through a presentation featuring photos of
starving children, hundreds of orphans and American advertisements
asking for donations to a humanitarian group called "Near East
Relief."
During that time, Americans -- even presidents, their wives, and local
politicians -- rallied to support Armenians, he said, adding that with
that past support in mind, President Barack Obama should be ashamed of
his multiple attempts to commemorate the tragedy without calling it a
genocide.
On Thursday, Obama described the events 99 years ago as an atrocity,
despite promising to recognize the genocide as president during his
2008 campaign.
"We need to make the tragedy not just an Armenian one, but a tragedy
for humanity at large," Kelechian said.
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/tn-gnp-me-genocide-descendants-continue-to-seek-recognition-20140425,0,6652246.story
From: Baghdasarian
April 25 2014
Genocide descendants continue to seek recognition
Attendees of commemoration at Alex Theatre are largely unmoved by
recent political statements regarding the Armenian Genocide.
By Brittany Levine, [email protected]
April 25, 2014 | 8:53 a.m.
As nearly 1,200 people packed the Alex Theatre on Thursday at the
13th annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, attendees were
abuzz about a historic statement made by the Turkish Prime Minister
the day prior.
PHOTOS: Armenian Genocide commemoration at the Alex Theatre
Most dismissed the comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on the eve before the 99th anniversary of the
genocide, in which he offered condolences to Armenian descendants of
the massacre and mentioned a "shared pain," but did not directly
recognize the massacres of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.
It was the first time a top Turkish official has offered conciliation,
but the government continues to refuse to recognize the 1915 genocide
of 1.5 million Armenians. The United States has also yet to describe
the killings by the Ottoman Empire as genocide, but local and state
lawmakers have done so.
"There was nary an apology, there was nary any atonement for what
happened," Mihran Toumajan, a Glendale resident who works in software
engineering, said before the event, which featured speeches, and
Armenian songs and performances -- including a modern dance that
depicted a man dressed in a traditional Turkish fez hat steal a
woman's baby.
But, Osheen Keshishian, a Glendale Community College professor from
Sherman Oaks, said that although many would criticize him for saying
it, he considered the statement a step in the right direction.
"It's not enough, but he has never reached this point," he said.
State Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) echoed Keshishian on
stage, but added that after 99 years, condolences cannot be considered
an adequate response. While Rep. Adam Schiff didn't directly refer to
the condolences, he said the pain of genocide victims' descendants are
not the only emotion that can be passed down.
"Responsibility, too, passes down through generations," Schiff said.
Speakers also recognized other recent news that shook the
international Armenian community: the violent takeover last month of a
majority Armenian town in Syria known as Kessab. The Syrian rebel
forces who overran the town of about 2,000 came in through the Turkish
border, an upsetting reminder of the genocide for many Armenians
around the world.
"By now the wounds should have healed, but the wounds have not
healed," Mayor Zareh Sinanyan said. "The wounds are still bleeding."
The event's keynote speaker, Maurice Missak Kelechian, a Silicon
Valley engineer whose scientific research led to the unveiling of a
mass grave at an Armenian orphanage dating back to the time of the
genocide, shared a lengthy presentation demonstrating American
humanitarian efforts during the early 20th century to support
Armenians.
"We don't have to prove to anyone that the genocide happened,"
Kelechian said, clicking through a presentation featuring photos of
starving children, hundreds of orphans and American advertisements
asking for donations to a humanitarian group called "Near East
Relief."
During that time, Americans -- even presidents, their wives, and local
politicians -- rallied to support Armenians, he said, adding that with
that past support in mind, President Barack Obama should be ashamed of
his multiple attempts to commemorate the tragedy without calling it a
genocide.
On Thursday, Obama described the events 99 years ago as an atrocity,
despite promising to recognize the genocide as president during his
2008 campaign.
"We need to make the tragedy not just an Armenian one, but a tragedy
for humanity at large," Kelechian said.
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/tn-gnp-me-genocide-descendants-continue-to-seek-recognition-20140425,0,6652246.story
From: Baghdasarian