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City Watch
Vol 12 Issue 72
Sept 4 2014
For Many Armenians America was Like â?`Coming Homeâ??
05 Sep 2014
Written by Rosemary Jenkins
WHO ARE THE REAL ANGELINOS â?¦ AN ONGOING SERIES-It is hard to know
where to start when we talk about the Armenian culture in general and
our Los Angeles Armenians in particular. Although this proud group of
people comes from a European history over 4,000 years old (most of
which time the populations were enslaved), its American experience has
been much shorter.
In keeping with my ongoing series, â??Who Are the Real Angelinos?â?? this
article addresses the influences of the Armenian-American experience
on our greater community and how it has provided a connection that has
made us better off for its presence.
In California there is a large population in and around Fresno but the
City of Angeles has welcomed this group as wellâ?'hence Little Armenia
(in the eastern region of Hollywood) which early on became a center of
Armenian activity in Los Angeles. Many Armenians have also migrated
â??westwardâ?? to suburbs like Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, La Crescenta,
and other areas in the San Fernando Valley. In fact, the
Armenian-Cultural Foundation is currently designing a site for the
Encino Youth and Community Center that will accommodate the
continuously expanding Armenian community.
Concerned about passing on their history, traditions, and values, they
have their own day schools which teach language and customs in
addition to the core curriculum. Their church history includes the
original Apostolic founded by Saint Gregory in 301 ACE and to which
most Armenians belong. The Catholic and the Protestant sects include
the Congregationalist, Evangelical, and Presbyterian branches.
Armenian businesses (like the Masco Corporation) abound and leaders
have become quite politically involved. Certainly we recall when
George Deukmejian was Governor of California, when Walter Karabian was
a State Senator, and we similarly are familiar with our current Los
Angeles Councilmember, Paul Krekorian.
You may have wondered about the suffixes to most Armenian names, such
as the ones I mentioned above. As with any language, overlapping
cultures from other nations have always influenced linguistic
development and left their imprint on new dialects. Today we
recognize
the â?`ian and â?`yan variations and ponder the differences. Those
Armenians who lived in places like Russia and nearby East European
countries usually carry the â?`yan suffix, but those from Western Europe
and the Diaspora often end with â?`ian. Although other ethnicities
carry these or similar endings, they are most closely associated with
Armenians.
For Armenians, the recent Diaspora represents a nightmarish period,
one that has never been forgotten and whose pain has never been
mitigated. Incidentally, Raphael Lemkin (a Polish-American and
famously known within the Armenian community) is actually the person
who first coined the term, genocide, to apply to this event (and, of
course, the term has come to be used with reference to many other
similar acts that wipe out whole populations). Although other ethnic
groups (such as Assyrians and Greeks) under the subjugation of the
Ottoman Empire were brutalized and murdered, the Armenian experience
has had the greatest and most enduring impact on its victims: more
than one million men, women, and children were tortured, raped, and
murdered while another million were driven from their homeland (whose
territory, even then, only represented a very small part of what is
now Turkey).
This excruciating part of history is never far from the minds and
hearts of contemporary Armenians and, therefore, continues to keep the
horrors of that earlier area alive and raw. I think the rest of us
need to make every effort to understand what they are feeling and be a
little more empathetic to their grievances.
Nevertheless, says writer Harold Takooshian, â??Traditional Armenian
culture so closely resembles American values that many Armenians feel
they are â?`coming home' to America and make an easy transition to its
free-market and social values.'
Armenian-Americans have experienced very little bias against them, yet
they face an ongoing challenge: They have been willing to acculturate
quickly but have been slow to assimilate. There is the need (partly
based on their history when efforts were made to exterminate them
altogether) to hold on to, perpetuate, and become `proud guardians
charged with protecting their ancient, highly-evolved culture'its
distinctive language, alphabet, architecture, music, and art'from
extinction.'
When the first-generation immigrants arrived, they were willing to
take on whatever jobs were available (despite so many of them having
higher education levels). They worked at wire mills, garment
factories, silk mills, and California vineyards. More of
second-generation Armenian-Americans joined the professional and
managerial forces. By the time the third-generation emerged, its
members filled the ranks of entrepreneurs and chose fields in
engineering, medicine, the sciences (Varaztad Kazanjian is known as a
`Pioneer of Plastic Surgery'), and technology.
Armenians have become a significant and indispensable part of our Los
Angeles family. Their members are among the most educated. Early
on, many Armenians were drawn to such suburbs as West Adams, Boyle
Heights, the San Fernando Valley, and Hollywood, but the City of
Glendale has become home to one of the largest Armenian populations
outside of Armenia itself. Glendale, in fact, has served as a gateway
for Armenians coming from abroad. It has been so welcoming that as
recently as 2005, the majority of the City Council is of Armenian
background.
Glendale's Central Avenue is lined with bakeries, coffee shops, and
restaurants from which emanate tantalizing fragrances and aromas and,
of course, there are a variety of ethnic shops where one can shop for
clothing or art. In addition, there are a variety of
Armenian-language newspapers. Local cable TV offers an array of talk
shows and public affairs programs.
Armenian foods (dating back over a thousand years) have whetted the
palates of so many gourmands that there is great demand for these
delicacies (keeping in mind that many of the foods overlap with other
Middle Eastern and East European cultures). Think of humus (in all
its variations'yummy) and tabouleh, rice pilaf, and falafel as well as
lamb kabobs. There is string cheese and yogurt soup and what about
pita bread, baklava, and a range of espresso coffees and oghi (a type
of raisin brandy)?
Education has traditionally been of paramount importance to Armenians.
They have been described as `school crazy.' California's pupils, in
general, and Los Angeles Armenian-American students, in particular,
tend to test higher on standardized tests than many other groups. The
results are reflected in the high numbers who go on to college and
other schools of certification.
As for religion, Armenia is said to be the first Christian nation'`a
source of pride' for so many of this ethnic group. It follows that
they would bring with them to their new land their religious
philosophies and traditions as is reflected in their current Roman
Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox practices.
It is no surprise, then, that they are eager to celebrate a number of
holidays'a great number of which are already familiar to many of us:
Armenian Christmas on January 6 (the traditional day of the Epiphany);
Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. St.
Vartan's Day (the freedom-fighter) and Martyrs' Day (in remembrance of
the Armenian Holocaust) and independence days (the short-lived
liberation from the domination by the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey)
and the more recent Independence Day (from the Soviet Union). These
events are generally accompanied by a variety of parades, often
culminating in speaking events which pay tribute to these leaders and
events.
Wonderful artists abound. One can find in the Armenian district a
park which contains an inspiring arts center. A visitor should take
the time to check out thenotable mural in Little Armenia (off Vermont
and between Fountain and Santa Monica Boulevard) which colorfully
illustrates the history of the Armenian motherland. Another
outstanding mural (by Miles `El Mac' MacGregor who is famous for his
spray-paint creations) advertises `The Bridge''a current television
series. It graces the façade of the bodega, J & J Grocer and Liquor
(`offering the finest of imported Middle-Eastern foods') and is
located on Santa Monica Boulevard off Normandie. The prominent face
of a woman is depicted in stunning detail in various gradations of
red. El Mac's works combine `the sublime and the humble' and adorn
many interior and exterior walls throughout Los Angeles.
Many other intriguing and unique muralists, such as Eliseo Silva and
Vasily, also seek out the walls in Little Armenia to tell their
stories.
One of my favorite authors is William Saroyan (whose writings I always
taught my students). He is perhaps best known for his first novel,
The Human Comedy, which is in fact a metaphor examining what life
really is as compared to what it ought to be and can be. It is a
poignant story of a slice of Americana during World War II. Saroyan
wrote many novels and short stories as well as his famous play, The
Time of Your Life. Throughout his life he lived in Fresno, a
prominent Armenian community in California.
Armenian-Americans are part ofnearly every kind of venture. The arts
abound with a multitude of contributors such as Arthur Tcholakian and
composers, instrumentalists, and singers like Raffi, Lucine Amara,
Lili Chookasian, Ivan Galamian, and Maro Partamian. Then there are
actors, directors, and screenwriters, like Academy-Award winning Steve
Zallian (known for Awakenings and Schindler's List), Eric Bogosian
(writer of such works as Talk Radio and Notes from the Underground as
well as acting in shows like Dolores Claiborne and Wonderland and Law
and Order), and Rouben Mamoulian (who brought to us the modern
Broadway musical, Oklahoma!). Kirk Kerkorian has been involved with
both MGM and Columbia Pictures but, perhaps of even more importance,
is known for his philanthropy, especially providing aid to Armenia
after the major 1988 earthquake there. Michael Krikorian was for
years a prominent LA Times journalist.
The Armenian community is also represented by past and current sports
figures--football player Garo Yepremian and coach Ara Parseghian;
Jerry Tarkanian, coach of college basketball; race-car sponsor, J. C.
Agajanian; Steve Bedrossian, baseball pitcher; and Adrian Sarkissian
of soccer fame.
The older Diaspora generations have generally done quite well for
themselves'they are well-educated leaders and role models, often
living in the wealthier neighborhoods, but not all Armenian-Americans
are doing as well and are struggling like the rest of us to achieve
the American dream.
It should be obvious that we have a lot in common. We need to embrace
what the Armenian community has done for the rest of us and,
conversely, what we have done for them. Our interactions have been
significant. We also need to learn more about their history and
culture and embrace both as part of the overall American Experience'as
a vital part of what Saroyan (and much earlier, what Balzac) would
call the human comedy.
- ? Read other articles in the Who Are the Real Angelinos series and
other columns by Rosemary Jenkins.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast
Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding
Dress and Other Poems, and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and
Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch. This piece is part
of an ongoing CityWatch series ¦ Who Are The Real Angelinos ¦
exploring the myriad peoples and cultures that define Los Angeles.)
http://www.citywatchla.com/8box-left/7463-for-many-armenians-america-was-like-coming-home
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Vol 12 Issue 72
Sept 4 2014
For Many Armenians America was Like â?`Coming Homeâ??
05 Sep 2014
Written by Rosemary Jenkins
WHO ARE THE REAL ANGELINOS â?¦ AN ONGOING SERIES-It is hard to know
where to start when we talk about the Armenian culture in general and
our Los Angeles Armenians in particular. Although this proud group of
people comes from a European history over 4,000 years old (most of
which time the populations were enslaved), its American experience has
been much shorter.
In keeping with my ongoing series, â??Who Are the Real Angelinos?â?? this
article addresses the influences of the Armenian-American experience
on our greater community and how it has provided a connection that has
made us better off for its presence.
In California there is a large population in and around Fresno but the
City of Angeles has welcomed this group as wellâ?'hence Little Armenia
(in the eastern region of Hollywood) which early on became a center of
Armenian activity in Los Angeles. Many Armenians have also migrated
â??westwardâ?? to suburbs like Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, La Crescenta,
and other areas in the San Fernando Valley. In fact, the
Armenian-Cultural Foundation is currently designing a site for the
Encino Youth and Community Center that will accommodate the
continuously expanding Armenian community.
Concerned about passing on their history, traditions, and values, they
have their own day schools which teach language and customs in
addition to the core curriculum. Their church history includes the
original Apostolic founded by Saint Gregory in 301 ACE and to which
most Armenians belong. The Catholic and the Protestant sects include
the Congregationalist, Evangelical, and Presbyterian branches.
Armenian businesses (like the Masco Corporation) abound and leaders
have become quite politically involved. Certainly we recall when
George Deukmejian was Governor of California, when Walter Karabian was
a State Senator, and we similarly are familiar with our current Los
Angeles Councilmember, Paul Krekorian.
You may have wondered about the suffixes to most Armenian names, such
as the ones I mentioned above. As with any language, overlapping
cultures from other nations have always influenced linguistic
development and left their imprint on new dialects. Today we
recognize
the â?`ian and â?`yan variations and ponder the differences. Those
Armenians who lived in places like Russia and nearby East European
countries usually carry the â?`yan suffix, but those from Western Europe
and the Diaspora often end with â?`ian. Although other ethnicities
carry these or similar endings, they are most closely associated with
Armenians.
For Armenians, the recent Diaspora represents a nightmarish period,
one that has never been forgotten and whose pain has never been
mitigated. Incidentally, Raphael Lemkin (a Polish-American and
famously known within the Armenian community) is actually the person
who first coined the term, genocide, to apply to this event (and, of
course, the term has come to be used with reference to many other
similar acts that wipe out whole populations). Although other ethnic
groups (such as Assyrians and Greeks) under the subjugation of the
Ottoman Empire were brutalized and murdered, the Armenian experience
has had the greatest and most enduring impact on its victims: more
than one million men, women, and children were tortured, raped, and
murdered while another million were driven from their homeland (whose
territory, even then, only represented a very small part of what is
now Turkey).
This excruciating part of history is never far from the minds and
hearts of contemporary Armenians and, therefore, continues to keep the
horrors of that earlier area alive and raw. I think the rest of us
need to make every effort to understand what they are feeling and be a
little more empathetic to their grievances.
Nevertheless, says writer Harold Takooshian, â??Traditional Armenian
culture so closely resembles American values that many Armenians feel
they are â?`coming home' to America and make an easy transition to its
free-market and social values.'
Armenian-Americans have experienced very little bias against them, yet
they face an ongoing challenge: They have been willing to acculturate
quickly but have been slow to assimilate. There is the need (partly
based on their history when efforts were made to exterminate them
altogether) to hold on to, perpetuate, and become `proud guardians
charged with protecting their ancient, highly-evolved culture'its
distinctive language, alphabet, architecture, music, and art'from
extinction.'
When the first-generation immigrants arrived, they were willing to
take on whatever jobs were available (despite so many of them having
higher education levels). They worked at wire mills, garment
factories, silk mills, and California vineyards. More of
second-generation Armenian-Americans joined the professional and
managerial forces. By the time the third-generation emerged, its
members filled the ranks of entrepreneurs and chose fields in
engineering, medicine, the sciences (Varaztad Kazanjian is known as a
`Pioneer of Plastic Surgery'), and technology.
Armenians have become a significant and indispensable part of our Los
Angeles family. Their members are among the most educated. Early
on, many Armenians were drawn to such suburbs as West Adams, Boyle
Heights, the San Fernando Valley, and Hollywood, but the City of
Glendale has become home to one of the largest Armenian populations
outside of Armenia itself. Glendale, in fact, has served as a gateway
for Armenians coming from abroad. It has been so welcoming that as
recently as 2005, the majority of the City Council is of Armenian
background.
Glendale's Central Avenue is lined with bakeries, coffee shops, and
restaurants from which emanate tantalizing fragrances and aromas and,
of course, there are a variety of ethnic shops where one can shop for
clothing or art. In addition, there are a variety of
Armenian-language newspapers. Local cable TV offers an array of talk
shows and public affairs programs.
Armenian foods (dating back over a thousand years) have whetted the
palates of so many gourmands that there is great demand for these
delicacies (keeping in mind that many of the foods overlap with other
Middle Eastern and East European cultures). Think of humus (in all
its variations'yummy) and tabouleh, rice pilaf, and falafel as well as
lamb kabobs. There is string cheese and yogurt soup and what about
pita bread, baklava, and a range of espresso coffees and oghi (a type
of raisin brandy)?
Education has traditionally been of paramount importance to Armenians.
They have been described as `school crazy.' California's pupils, in
general, and Los Angeles Armenian-American students, in particular,
tend to test higher on standardized tests than many other groups. The
results are reflected in the high numbers who go on to college and
other schools of certification.
As for religion, Armenia is said to be the first Christian nation'`a
source of pride' for so many of this ethnic group. It follows that
they would bring with them to their new land their religious
philosophies and traditions as is reflected in their current Roman
Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox practices.
It is no surprise, then, that they are eager to celebrate a number of
holidays'a great number of which are already familiar to many of us:
Armenian Christmas on January 6 (the traditional day of the Epiphany);
Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. St.
Vartan's Day (the freedom-fighter) and Martyrs' Day (in remembrance of
the Armenian Holocaust) and independence days (the short-lived
liberation from the domination by the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey)
and the more recent Independence Day (from the Soviet Union). These
events are generally accompanied by a variety of parades, often
culminating in speaking events which pay tribute to these leaders and
events.
Wonderful artists abound. One can find in the Armenian district a
park which contains an inspiring arts center. A visitor should take
the time to check out thenotable mural in Little Armenia (off Vermont
and between Fountain and Santa Monica Boulevard) which colorfully
illustrates the history of the Armenian motherland. Another
outstanding mural (by Miles `El Mac' MacGregor who is famous for his
spray-paint creations) advertises `The Bridge''a current television
series. It graces the façade of the bodega, J & J Grocer and Liquor
(`offering the finest of imported Middle-Eastern foods') and is
located on Santa Monica Boulevard off Normandie. The prominent face
of a woman is depicted in stunning detail in various gradations of
red. El Mac's works combine `the sublime and the humble' and adorn
many interior and exterior walls throughout Los Angeles.
Many other intriguing and unique muralists, such as Eliseo Silva and
Vasily, also seek out the walls in Little Armenia to tell their
stories.
One of my favorite authors is William Saroyan (whose writings I always
taught my students). He is perhaps best known for his first novel,
The Human Comedy, which is in fact a metaphor examining what life
really is as compared to what it ought to be and can be. It is a
poignant story of a slice of Americana during World War II. Saroyan
wrote many novels and short stories as well as his famous play, The
Time of Your Life. Throughout his life he lived in Fresno, a
prominent Armenian community in California.
Armenian-Americans are part ofnearly every kind of venture. The arts
abound with a multitude of contributors such as Arthur Tcholakian and
composers, instrumentalists, and singers like Raffi, Lucine Amara,
Lili Chookasian, Ivan Galamian, and Maro Partamian. Then there are
actors, directors, and screenwriters, like Academy-Award winning Steve
Zallian (known for Awakenings and Schindler's List), Eric Bogosian
(writer of such works as Talk Radio and Notes from the Underground as
well as acting in shows like Dolores Claiborne and Wonderland and Law
and Order), and Rouben Mamoulian (who brought to us the modern
Broadway musical, Oklahoma!). Kirk Kerkorian has been involved with
both MGM and Columbia Pictures but, perhaps of even more importance,
is known for his philanthropy, especially providing aid to Armenia
after the major 1988 earthquake there. Michael Krikorian was for
years a prominent LA Times journalist.
The Armenian community is also represented by past and current sports
figures--football player Garo Yepremian and coach Ara Parseghian;
Jerry Tarkanian, coach of college basketball; race-car sponsor, J. C.
Agajanian; Steve Bedrossian, baseball pitcher; and Adrian Sarkissian
of soccer fame.
The older Diaspora generations have generally done quite well for
themselves'they are well-educated leaders and role models, often
living in the wealthier neighborhoods, but not all Armenian-Americans
are doing as well and are struggling like the rest of us to achieve
the American dream.
It should be obvious that we have a lot in common. We need to embrace
what the Armenian community has done for the rest of us and,
conversely, what we have done for them. Our interactions have been
significant. We also need to learn more about their history and
culture and embrace both as part of the overall American Experience'as
a vital part of what Saroyan (and much earlier, what Balzac) would
call the human comedy.
- ? Read other articles in the Who Are the Real Angelinos series and
other columns by Rosemary Jenkins.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast
Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding
Dress and Other Poems, and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and
Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch. This piece is part
of an ongoing CityWatch series ¦ Who Are The Real Angelinos ¦
exploring the myriad peoples and cultures that define Los Angeles.)
http://www.citywatchla.com/8box-left/7463-for-many-armenians-america-was-like-coming-home
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress