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Los Angeles Daily News
May 1 2014
Armenian Orphan Rug to be displayed, Rep. Adam Schiff says
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 04/30/14, 6:30 PM PDT |
A historic rug that was made by orphans of the Armenian Genocide will
be displayed publicly for the first time in nearly a century, after
the White House reversed an earlier decision and agreed to release it
from storage.
The Armenian Orphan Rug had been the subject of controversy when the
Obama administration in October refused to allow it to be released for
a planned exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute in December. The reason
was never disclosed publicly but critics felt it was out of
sensitivity to Turkey, a NATO ally that is blamed for the genocide.
The announcement was met Wednesday with gratefulness and optimism but
also caution by Armenian-American groups who had pressed the White
House to release the rug.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank along with Rep. David Valadao,
R-Hanford, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., were among those who urged the
White House to reconsider its stance on making the rug available for
public view.
Schiff said Wednesday he was pleased with the decision but was
uncertain why the White House reversed course.
"We've been working with the White House to find an appropriate
venue," Schiff said. "It was time to get a yes on it, and I'm pleased
we have."
It's still unclear if it will appear at the Smithsonian or elsewhere,
and when, he said.
The nearly century-old rug was made for and delivered to President
Calvin Coolidge on Dec. 4, 1925, as a thank-you gift to America.
Orphaned girls who survived the Armenian Genocide worked on the
approximately 19-by-12-foot rug for 10 months. Its intricate design is
made up of more than 4 million individual knots.
Coolidge kept the rug and it was passed down in his family until it
was presented again to the White House in the 1980s. Since then, the
rug was pulled from storage in 1984 and 1995, but only for private
viewing.
The rug itself has become a symbol of the tug of war between the
Armenian diaspora and the desire for both the American and Turkish
governments to recognize the genocide. Both governments continue to
refuse to call it such.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died from 1915-23 in what has been
called the first genocide of the 20th century. The Turkish government
maintains the deaths were a consequence of betrayal and civil unrest
in what was then the Ottoman Empire. Armenians, however, say the
killings involved the systematic cleansing of Christians, which
included Assyrians and Pontic Greeks.
Armenian-American activists have said the U.S. government won't
officially recognize the killings as genocide because it would hurt
relations with Turkey.
Schiff said he believes a shift may be occurring.
"I think things are slowly changing," he said. "The hope is that
Congress and the administration will formally recognize the genocide
this coming year when it marks a century. If not now, when?"
Aram Hamparian, executive director for the Armenian National
Committee, said his group is grateful for the leadership from Schiff
and others, but will remain vigilant.
"We're going to follow this policy closely to make sure the White
House follows on their commitment," Hamparian said.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140430/armenian-orphan-rug-to-be-displayed-rep-adam-schiff-says
May 1 2014
Armenian Orphan Rug to be displayed, Rep. Adam Schiff says
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 04/30/14, 6:30 PM PDT |
A historic rug that was made by orphans of the Armenian Genocide will
be displayed publicly for the first time in nearly a century, after
the White House reversed an earlier decision and agreed to release it
from storage.
The Armenian Orphan Rug had been the subject of controversy when the
Obama administration in October refused to allow it to be released for
a planned exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute in December. The reason
was never disclosed publicly but critics felt it was out of
sensitivity to Turkey, a NATO ally that is blamed for the genocide.
The announcement was met Wednesday with gratefulness and optimism but
also caution by Armenian-American groups who had pressed the White
House to release the rug.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank along with Rep. David Valadao,
R-Hanford, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., were among those who urged the
White House to reconsider its stance on making the rug available for
public view.
Schiff said Wednesday he was pleased with the decision but was
uncertain why the White House reversed course.
"We've been working with the White House to find an appropriate
venue," Schiff said. "It was time to get a yes on it, and I'm pleased
we have."
It's still unclear if it will appear at the Smithsonian or elsewhere,
and when, he said.
The nearly century-old rug was made for and delivered to President
Calvin Coolidge on Dec. 4, 1925, as a thank-you gift to America.
Orphaned girls who survived the Armenian Genocide worked on the
approximately 19-by-12-foot rug for 10 months. Its intricate design is
made up of more than 4 million individual knots.
Coolidge kept the rug and it was passed down in his family until it
was presented again to the White House in the 1980s. Since then, the
rug was pulled from storage in 1984 and 1995, but only for private
viewing.
The rug itself has become a symbol of the tug of war between the
Armenian diaspora and the desire for both the American and Turkish
governments to recognize the genocide. Both governments continue to
refuse to call it such.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died from 1915-23 in what has been
called the first genocide of the 20th century. The Turkish government
maintains the deaths were a consequence of betrayal and civil unrest
in what was then the Ottoman Empire. Armenians, however, say the
killings involved the systematic cleansing of Christians, which
included Assyrians and Pontic Greeks.
Armenian-American activists have said the U.S. government won't
officially recognize the killings as genocide because it would hurt
relations with Turkey.
Schiff said he believes a shift may be occurring.
"I think things are slowly changing," he said. "The hope is that
Congress and the administration will formally recognize the genocide
this coming year when it marks a century. If not now, when?"
Aram Hamparian, executive director for the Armenian National
Committee, said his group is grateful for the leadership from Schiff
and others, but will remain vigilant.
"We're going to follow this policy closely to make sure the White
House follows on their commitment," Hamparian said.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140430/armenian-orphan-rug-to-be-displayed-rep-adam-schiff-says