The Armenian Weekly On-Line: AWOL
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AWOL (Armenian Weekly On-Line) Volume 73, No. 2, January 13, 2007
1. One Nation, Two Citizenships: The Importance of Dual Citizenship for the
Armenian Nation
By Serouj Aprahamian
2. See What Happens?
By Garen Yegparian
3. BLOOD MONEY
By George S. Yacoubian
4. Epiphanies for Your Rucksack -‘Jerusalem and its Holy Sites’: A Rod and
Staff for Travelers
By Andy Turpin
5. The Gilgamesh Chronicle
By C.K. Garabed
6. Carla’s Song is Everybody’s Scream
By Z.T.
7. For Verse Junkies – Three Poems
By Gayane Ghazaryan
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
8. Happy New Year Armenia
By Tom Vartabedian
9. 2007: A Watershed Year for the Armenians of Jerusalem?
By Arthur Hagopian
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1. One Nation, Two Citizenships: The Importance of Dual Citizenship for the
Armenian Nation
By Serouj Aprahamian
WASHINGTON (A.W)-The Armenian nation is approaching a critical juncture in
its historical development. For perhaps the first time in modern history,
the relationship between the Diaspora and the Republic of Armenia has
entered a period marked more by cooperation than division or crisis. Spurred
by relatively high levels of economic growth and political stability, the
last several years have seen unprecedented levels of Diasporan development
projects, investments, tourism, conferences, cultural gatherings, and even
some repatriation to Armenia. The attitude of state authorities toward these
initiatives seems to be increasingly moving from cautious engagement to
committed cooperation.
An important step in further solidifying this trend is the slated adoption
of a law on dual citizenship, expected to be introduced in the National
Assembly this year. The enactment of such a law has the potential to be a
landmark development for Armenia as it moves into the 21st century. As such,
its adoption deserves careful consideration among those Armenians it will
likely affect, both in the homeland and in the Diaspora.
The concept of expanding the opportunity for citizenship to all Armenians is
not a new one. As far back as June 1920, the parliament of the First
Republic of Armenia had formally agreed to grant citizenship to all persons
of Armenian origin, even if they lived outside of the Republic. This
position was reaffirmed in 1990, with the adoption of the Third Republic’s
Declaration of Independence. In clause four of that Declaration, it clearly
states that "Armenians of the Diaspora have the right to Armenian
citizenship." Despite all of this, the Constitution adopted by the Armenian
government in 1995 explicitly blocked Armenians from enjoying dual
citizenship and effectively rejected the notion of incorporating the
Diaspora into the fabric of Armenian life. Thus, for the first 15 years of
the new Republic, those who did not renounce their outside citizenship were
prevented from becoming full-fledged citizens of Armenia.
However, with the passage of constitutional reforms in 2005, the ban on dual
citizenship was lifted from the Constitution, leaving the matter to a law
formulating the rights and obligations of dual citizens. Some of the most
contentious issues requiring deliberation include taxation duties, military
service requirements, the right to vote, the right to hold office and
residency obligations. Like the more than 90 countries around the world that
have successfully implemented dual citizenship, these matters must be
thoroughly formulated to fit the realities of Armenia in order to be
considered adequate for adoption as national legislation.
As the foremost champion of dual citizenship in Armenia, the ARF has
inarguably taken the lead in initiating the conception of such legislation.
They have put this issue on the top of their domestic agenda, organized open
hearings discussing the matter, and circulated their preliminary proposals
of the draft law to the public (see for the ARF concept paper
on dual citizenship). Their declared aim has been to base the establishment
of dual citizenship on international norms and to properly balance both the
rights and obligations afforded to dual citizens. By doing so, they hope to
genuinely make Armenia the homeland of all Armenians and to deepen the
engagement of the Diaspora in Armenia’s development.
Of course, the basic idea of allowing Armenians to become citizens of more
than one country has not gone without controversy. Some have raised fears of
Armenia’s sovereignty being handed over to people living outside of the
country, while others suggest that many governments will look negatively
upon Armenians holding dual loyalties. However, these fears are often
overstated and can be easily alleviated through a balanced and practical
approach to dual citizenship. For instance, it is quite inconceivable that
citizenship will be granted to individuals who do not fulfill stringent
obligations to the state or who do not even reside in the country long
enough to deserve a voice in its decisions. Furthermore, Armenia simply
cannot afford to base its future on the approval of other governments,
especially if its actions are in conformity with international regulations
and practices strengthening Armenian unity through the adoption of dual
citizenship makes particular sense for Armenia when considering that it is
one of only a few countries in the world today where residents are
outnumbered by their brethren living abroad-only about one-third of all
Armenians actually live in Armenia. Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Vartan
Oskanian, stressed this point during his speech at the Third
Armenia-Diaspora Conference, held in Yerevan this past September. Referring
to the adoption of a law on dual citizenship, the Minister stated, "This is
essential for the people and future of Armenia. Armenians should number not
3 but 5 million, 10 million, or 15 to 20 million in terms of our potential
for cooperation. This is necessary for us to really confront our challenges
effectively."
Indeed, in addition to being an added incentive for repatriation, dual
citizenship may prove to be a catalyst for Armenia’s growing economic and
political advancement. Economically, the Diaspora can play a more dynamic
role in spurring investment opportunities in Armenia, facilitating
integration into the world economy, and increasing both production and
consumption within the country. Politically, dual citizenship can assist
Armenia in maintaining good relations with countries containing large
Armenian populations and, by closely linking state authorities to Diasporan
constituents, increasing the pressure for adherence to democratic norms. In
turn, for the Diaspora, accelerating direct relations with the Republic of
Armenian can help reinforce national identity and provide an impetus for the
preservation of poorly organized communities.
On a more symbolic level, adopting dual citizenship will help somewhat right
the wrongs of history by 1) restoring the sense of homeland snatched away
from most by the Genocide and 2) overcoming the limitations and stereotypes
imposed on Armenians by 70 years of separation behind the Soviet "Iron
Curtain." Similarly, dual citizenship can help tighten the thread connecting
Armenians throughout the world by affirming their shared commitment to
mobilizing on behalf of the homeland. As a historically subjected people,
Armenians have long comprehended the need for collective strength. Dual
citizenship will serve as a tangible path for taking concrete steps in this
needed direction.
It is expected by most that a law defining the rules of dual citizenship
will be introduced in Armenia in the coming months. All that remains is for
the official drafts to be submitted in the National Assembly for
consideration. Armenians both within and outside of the homeland would do
well to familiarize themselves with this process and support those forces
seeking to establish a balanced, well-crafted and meaningful law.
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2. See What Happens?
By Garen Yegparian
"Not all Armenian-Americans oppose Hoagland’s nomination. The Armenian
Assembly of America has said that although it opposes administration policy,
it would support Hoagland."
That’s what the LA Times had to say, among other things, on Jan. 7, in
reporting-fairly well-the whole John Evans/Richard Hoagland travesty.
Now consider that in a Dec. 28, 2006-Jan. 8, 2007 poll conducted by the
ANC-Western Region, 94 percent of respondents "strongly agreed" with
opposing Genocide denier Hoagland’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate as
Ambassador to Armenia, and another 3 percent "somewhat agreed." Conversely,
a staggeringly irrelevant 2 percent "strongly disagreed" and 1 percent
"somewhat disagreed" with this opposition.
These 3 percent renegades must represent the Armenian Assembly’s level of
support within our community. Yet, the Assembly’s position as
lackey-in-chief of the U.S. Department of State within our community,
coupled with a few moneybags’ ongoing funding of their play-organization,
enable it to get this kind of visibility.
I’m getting tired of pointing out the Armenian Assembly’s
anti-Armenian-interest doings and their consequences. It’s repetitive and
boring. I’m starting to wish it’d fold and just go away. Or perhaps it might
break up into parts so that those among its members who truly have our
community’s interests at heart can function fruitfully. It’s not that the
Assembly doesn’t do good things. It’s just that the organization’s sniveling
and kissing up to its masters in the executive branch of the U.S. government
retard our community’s political progress.
The Assembly provides a place for those in our community who tend to be
fearful of rocking the boat. They want to be "good slaves." Unfortunately,
every human collective has that type. So even if the Armenian Assembly fades
into history, some other grouping will arise to fill that niche. I only hope
such a new entity will at least not take up the mantle of U.S. government
"spokesperson/propagandist" within the Armenian community.
But getting back to the topic at hand, the Assembly’s position diminishes
the positive spotlight that is and ought to continue shining on Ambassador
Evans. Similarly, it attenuates the perfidy that attaches to nominee
Hoagland. This hurts our efforts in a very public way. The LA Times may not
be a New York Times, Washington Post or Wall Street Journal, but it still
packs serious punch in the opinion-shaping world.
This whole situation is an example of what I’ve named "the Turkish tactic":
Sow the slightest doubt, create the least bit of controversy or express the
slightest disagreement, and you’ve darn near won. Why? How? Because at least
in the U.S., the media will "tell both sides of the story." Never mind that
one "side" is utterly fictitious and concocted. This then gives politicos
and others in positions of power room to wiggle and wriggle out of doing the
right thing. Here, the Armenian Assembly has provided senators a loophole
through which they’ll gladly jump, arguing that "the Armenian community is
of two minds, so we’ll just respect the president’s wishes." Net result?
Armenia and Armenians are screwed.
Contact the Armenian Assembly and let them know how you feel about their
treacherous behavior and its most recent outcome.
You can reach them at:
1140 19th St. #600, NW,
Washington D.C. 20036
phone: (202) 393-3434
fax: (202) 638-4904
e-mail: [email protected]
———————————- ————————-
3. BLOOD MONEY
By George S. Yacoubian
I am one of the 2,515 Armenian-Americans who recently received a check from
the Armenian Insurance Settlement Fund. Upon opening the envelope, my first
response, admittedly, was one of elation-found money! But moments later the
incongruity of the sentiment prevailed, and was replaced by a flood of
conflicting emotions: indignation, vindication and redemption; not ‘found"
but "blood" money!
To review, this check represented proceeds from a New York Life Insurance
Company policy, #4609875, purchased many years ago in the far-off town of
Malatia by my paternal grandfather, Armenag Minas Terziyacoubian.
What prompted this man-a dentist by profession, with at least three sons and
one daughter, and all other family members long consigned to posterity-to
validate his presence on this earth with the New York Life Insurance
Company? Was he a pessimist? Apprehensive that the impending international
crisis (World War 1) foreboded civilization? A fatalist? Not unaware that
the 1895 and 1908 massacres were merely dire omens? Or was he, simply, a
prudent investor, providing for his family in anticipation of the
inevitable? For that matter, what subconscious agenda prompted me, 70 years
of age, to examine almost misplaced yellowed and tattered documents, and
then institute legal proceedings?
In any event, 90 years later, in a comfortable Pennsylvania suburban
community, over 5,000 miles distant, a grandson became the beneficiary, not
only of his grandfather’s acumen, but of a legacy that spanned generations
and continents.
But what to do with the money? 2,515 claimants. 2,515 suggestions. For one
individual, however, there is no option. A return to the Republic of
Armenia. Amelioration (however modest) and the perpetuation of the memory of
a martyred grandfather and an orphaned father whose tribulations provided a
grandson and son an opportunity to acknowledge his inheritance, not of
resource, but of opportunity and an ancient heritage.
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4. Epiphanies for Your Rucksack -‘Jerusalem and its Holy Sites’: A Rod and
Staff for Travelers
By Andy Turpin
WATERTOWN, Mass.(A.W.)- It may aptly be gauged that what Boris Baratov does
for the photography of Armenian monuments is what Ansel Adams did for the
U.S. National Park Service-that is, gives them Cecil B. Demille-reminiscent
publicity.
Jerusalem and its Holy Sites was commissioned in 2001 by the order of
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem. Texts and
photos therein are productions of noted writer, photographer and
cinematographer, Boris Baratov.
Designed as a practical travel guide for those touring the Armenian quarter
in Jerusalem and the sacred Christian sites around it, the work is somewhere
between your average Lonely Planet and Let’s Go travel guides. Translation:
Not a good enough book to be your only resource in Israel, but for its
specialized area, it gives good concise facts with interesting Biblical side
notes. The maps themselves may be useful for bearings if you’re in a
helicopter, but there’s a high probability you’ll be wandering 40 years in
the desert if you don’t bring auxiliary materials.
For the simple armchair traveler, it would indeed make a provocative coffee
table conversation piece-perhaps on how religion and military conquests
shaped reliquary and territorial claims. Baratov is particular in his
documentation of the Armenian, Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Roman Catholic and
Russian churches.
As an officially released publication of the Armenian Church, only canon law
and church line historiographies are listed for the origins of the various
sites. Avid historians should be aware of this, though academically
speaking, the book would be great material for a comparative religion
course.
Certain sites are worth describing here to give examples of Baratov’s tone
and style. Any well-versed Christian will be familiar with many, though they
may not know their present-day spiritual significance. Examples range from
the Stone of Unction-"on which the body of Christ was anointed and wrapped
in its shroud after it had been taken down from the cross"-to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat-"mentioned in the Bible as the place of the Last Judgment," (not
to be confused with the Megiddo plain, where Armageddon will be waged.)
Baratov also describes the sites that influenced Jesus and the apostles
culturally and intellectually, such as the nearby Greek-Scythian city of
Scythopolis: "The Hellenistic city of Scythopolis, named after the Scythian
mercenaries, grew up on this site. They had palaces, fountains, temples, and
a theatre." Surprising many readers, the Scythians were the forefathers of
the present-day Russians. Such references are indicative of a
well-researched work.
Baratov makes subtle references to the socio-economic disparities between
the Christian followers from the villages and the urban dwellers from
Jerusalem. "The Jews did not like the Galileans," he writes, "because of
their pagan manners and also for their manner of speech, which combined
Syrian and Hebrew. The apostle Peter’s conversation with the servants of
Caiaphas the High Priest, immediately gave away his origins (Mk. 14:70)."
Altogether, Jerusalem is a well-produced volume of high quality and
research, and a worthwhile purchase for those leftover dollars after the
collection plate has been passed around.
—————————————— ————————–
5. The Gilgamesh Chronicle
By C.K. Garabed
Artin Vakrouni looked long at the letter in his hands. It was like that
sometimes. Whereas most people can’t wait to get at the contents, he could
tease himself with anticipation by conjecturing what a letter might contain.
The return address told him that it was from an old colleague and friend,
Shirvan Zaradusht.
His thoughts went back to many years ago when he and Shirvan, an old Iranian
scholar, worked together to decipher the tablet fragments found deep in the
ruins of Erebuni. That period was indeed an era of discovery. How
exhilarating it was to unearth undreamt of treasures! Not gold, silver,
diamonds and rubies but cultural treasures, the past history of the
Urartians. And then they parted; went their separate ways. He to a life of
academic pretension, and Shirvan to one of archaeological tramp. After what
they had seen, there was nothing to excite their interest by corresponding
with each other.
But here now was word from Shirvan. He must be close to 90-years-old! Artin
felt the portent of the letter by its very arrival at this time. Finally, he
opened it. It was written in an unsteady hand.
My dear Artin:
You are, no doubt, amazed to get this letter. We both knew that there was
nothing further for us to communicate to each other after the great
adventure of our lives. However, I have some unfinished business to attend
to, which points me in your direction. In your direction, because of all the
living persons with whom I am acquainted, you are the only one to whom I can
entrust what I am about to relate.
Many years ago, before our great adventure, I had the thrill of my life via
another great adventure. That was the work I did with Professor Ebeling, the
German scholar of classical antiquities. It was at his request that I
participated with him in the translation of the cuneiform script of the
Assyrian and Old Babylonian tablets that resulted in the discovery of the
Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh. Ebeling had entrusted certain fragments to my
safekeeping and although our interest very quickly centered on the Gilgamesh
tablets, there were other fragments that interested me and only me. It was
then that I came across a fragment that I felt could not be transpired to
the world at large, being susceptible to misinterpretation on political and
religious grounds. It was for that reason that I hid the fragments and kept
them secret for the past 65 years. You are aghast, I know. But after you
learn what I am about to reveal to you, you will understand. First I must
provide you some background.
>From the middle ages we get the concepts of the MACROCOSM and the MICROCOSM,
the MACROCOSM being the great world of the Universe and the MICROCOSM being
the little world, or man, who epitomizes the great world. These concepts are
represented by the geometric figures of the pentagram and the hexagram. The
pentagram, referred to also as the pentacle, was the five-pointed star that
represented the MICROCOSM. The hexagram was the six-pointed star that
represented the MACROCOSM. But it wasn’t really a star. Rather it was two
equilateral triangles, one superimposed upside down on the other. Thus it
hearkened back to the Hebraic symbol referred to by the uninitiated as the
Star of David or the Shield of David. The more discerning refer to it as
Solomon’s Seal, Solomon being the philosopher king and son of King David of
the Israelites. But again, the vulgar nature of the common man asserts
itself with the interpretation of the symbol as a mystical one used as an
amulet to guard against disease.
David adopted the symbol from the ancient Sumerians but it was Solomon who
divined the true meaning of the two triangles. In this respect the hexagram
seems more to represent the MICROCOSM, man.
The validity of what I tell you is borne out by the message contained on the
tablet fragments in my possession. If I may be granted the liberty of
supplying the missing portions of the tablets, I would produce the following
inscription:
"The symbol represents man. That part of the symbol which is the triangle
with point up represents the masculine principle. That part of the symbol
which is the triangle with point down represents the feminine principle.
Where the one triangle extends above the other is the area or attributes of
the masculine principle that is incomprehensible to the feminine principle.
It represents logic, consecutive thought and the seed of creativity. Where
the other triangle extends below the first is the area or attributes of the
feminine principle that is incomprehensible to the masculine principle. It
represents intuition, discrete thought and the egg of creativity. Together
they represent mankind."
What this has to do with the basic 12 tablets containing the epic of
Gilgamesh is a matter of conjecture. However, I can explicate the connection
somewhat confidently, as follows:
Gilgamesh, as the counterpart of the Sun God represents the masculine
principle. Enkidu, who is a wild man, living with the beasts of the field,
symbolizes primeval man and represents the feminine principle. Although
Enkidu was created to act as rival to Gilgamesh, curb his strength and
dispute his tyrannous control, his seduction by a woman nullifies his
instincts and sharpens his mind, thus converting him from the feminine
principle to the masculine. Gilgamesh and Enkidu, in fact, become friends
and together they dispatch Khumbaba, the guardian of the cedar forest
wherein the goddess Ishtar dwells, and also kill the divine bull that is
sent against them. The subsequent death of Enkidu impels Gilgamesh to seek
out the secrets of immortality from Ut-Napishtim, who survived the great
flood (which preceded the Biblical flood, as described by Gurdjieff the
mystic.)
After many travails, Gilgamesh finds Ut-Napishtim and learns from him the
secret of perpetual youth. It is contained in a certain weed which Gilgamesh
succeeds in obtaining, only to have it snatched away by a serpent.
The division into 12 tablets, which correspond to the yearly course of the
sun, further projects the heroes of the epic onto the heavens as part of an
astral-mythological system.
Enclosed are instructions which will help you to take possession of the
tablet fragments. I trust in your judgment as to the propitious time to
reveal this secret to the Masonic Brotherhood, and the world at large. It
may not occur in your lifetime as it failed to in my own. In that case, you
must be content to hold your counsel, and pass it on, with my documentation,
to the one person that you in turn can trust, and with the same instructions
that I have given you.
Until that final day comes, you can conjecture on the degree of knowledge
possessed by the Masonic brotherhood (the successor to the Knights Templar)
that prevailed in promoting the inclusion of Solomon’s Seal in the Great
Seal of the United States of America, keeping in mind that the Masonic
symbols of the Compass and the Square, superimposed one on the other, are
cryptic representations of the very same aforementioned hexagram, and yet
with even more coincidence with the Sumerian philosophy contained in the
tablet fragments.
The last thing on Artin’s mind before he fell asleep that night was the
significance of the number 12. There are 12 signs of the Zodiac. Twelve gods
and goddesses comprise the Sumerian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman pantheons.
Christ had 12 apostles. The Nicene Creed in the Armenian Liturgy is
constructed musically of 12 sections. Is it a mystical number? Just as
Sherlock Holmes would refer those few matters that were beyond him to his
brother, Mycroft, Artin would call on his brother Hovhannes tomorrow. He
could supply the answers.
—————————————– ———————————-
6. Carla’s Song is Everybody’s Scream
By Z.T.
WATERTOWN, Mass.(A.W.)-A 90-minute documentary can be considered long. Yet,
to describe one of the most horrible and atrocious words in the dictionary-"genocide"-
it can even be considered too short.
Filmmaker Carla Garapedian probably made sacrifices to present all the
aspects of this topic called genocide. Even a Kristof Kieslowski* style
series like his "Decalogue" isn’t enough to emphasize that "Thou shalt not
definitely and undoubtedly commit this Horrible Act."
The name of the movie is taken from the Pulitzer Prize winning book A
Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, in which its author,
Samantha Power, refers to people who speak up when genocide is taking place.
However, in this case, the entire world-or rather the civilized world-is
screaming, has to scream and will scream. In fact, all of the leading actors
in the film are screamers in their own right, starting with the powerful
Power herself; the ex-FBI translator and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds; the
Turkish Nobel Prize winning author Orhan Pamuk; his compatriot, historian
Taner Akcam; a survivor of the first genocide of the past century, Maritza
Ohanessian; and ending with an unknown innocent in the last and ongoing
genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
The screaming done by the famous Armenian-American alternative rock band
System of a Down are frequently used as the soundtrack for
"Screamers"-probably more than enough for non-devotees. There’s plenty of
concert footage, especially the one commemorating the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. One of the most interesting scenes is the fusion of
their noisy music with the photos describing horrible atrocities, from 1915
until 2006. Was anybody expecting a hyper-rockish tune with the famous photo
of a mamig (mother) holding the body of her baby? That’s what we would like
to do, after all. Even father Komitas-his nostalgic and lullabye-ish tunes
have usually been to describe these scenes-looked at the horrors by
screaming.
But what is the ultimate goal of people who call themselves "screamers?"
To scream is the only way to bring genocide to light. Only uninterrupted
screaming can acknowledge genocides and have a preventive effect.
The most difficult job of these screamers is to convince the non-screamers
to scream. Though it’s a difficult job, these screamers are continuing their
struggle, and pursuing passive and selfish deniers and nonscreamers, from
Dennis Hastert (ex-House Speaker) to many leaders including president George
W. Bush, and eventually the Turkish, Khmers Rouges (Cambodia), Hutus
(Rwanda), and Sudanese deniers.
As the film so effectively shows, highly educated, intelligent and selfish
societies can simply be Politically Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers (as System
of a Down screams) by plucking, blocking and blackmailing justice.
Everybody has to follow Carla’s path, and compel others to see the horrors
of genocide.
"We can stop it now. All we have to do is change our ideas about it. It’s
not something we have to accept. We can change this."
This is Carla’s song**, everybody’s scream, and everybody’s "must see"
movie.
* "Decalogue" (Dekalog), by the late polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski,
is a compilation of 10 television dramas, each dealing with one of the 10
Commandments in approximately 60 minutes.
** Reference is made to one of the movies (Carla’s Song, 1997, a friendship
between a Glaswegian bus driver and a Nicaraguan exile Carla living a sad
life in Glasgow) directed by the British Ken Loach, whose latest movie, "
The Wind That Shakes the Barley," won the first prize of the Venice
festival.
————————————— —————————————
7. For Verse Junkies – Three Poems
By Gayane Ghazaryan
H U M B L E G R E E T I N G S
Trees, how well your polyphonic song sounds
genuflecting in the snow!
Trees, covered with snow, concealing
a thousand dreams and loves.
Humble greetings to your prayer, your song.
Greetings to the snow, as it tunes its fiddle,
so that the witness of our faith may awaken,
so that spring may flow in thawing veins
tracing furrows on the snow’s forehead.
Sing, trees, sing! Your song’s timbre-
now white up to its knees-sounds so good
above the death throes of winter!
WOMAN-UNIVERSE-SOUL
And Woman was open, and She was good,
ready to imbibe heaven’s radiance,
and Woman was chosen, and She was able
to bear the Son in the image of God.
Woman, virgin link
of the Universe-Soul enduring chain.
And the placid male,
self-proclaimed power and genius,
kept Woman at his side as spouse,
in fear of losing the umbilical cord
that bonds Universe to Soul.
W A I T I N G
Tomorrow is Sunday again.
As a rule, your pigeon
delivered your letters on time,
before two winters were over.
You used to have an answer
for each page of my diary-
you used to say "Wait"
in only three lines.
Already the colors of winter
and my hair are almost similar,
and I have only one page left
To tear out.
And tomorrow is Sunday,
once more.
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
—————————————— —————————
8. Happy New Year Armenia
By Tom Vartabedian
This is a New Year’s wish for the blessed and the meek of Armenia, for the
sick and the dying, for the miserable and the poor, for my friends the
suffering.
This is a New Year’s wish for the burdened and the fearful, for the weary
and the hopeless, for all the people of my country who live crowded with
cockroaches, children and rats, with toilets that hardly work, with empty
refrigerators and failing hearts, sentenced to this salt mine called life.
Somehow, I know you will fan the last spark within you until it glows enough
to warm those around you.
How many of you will spend the new year fighting with your wife, having to
suffer the agony of letting her down because you cannot afford to provide a
better livelihood?
This is a New Year’s wish for the shepherd I saw in the mountains. He’s the
one who had to get up at 5 a.m. to tend his flock, hoping the new day would
be better than the next and the one after that.
Time often stands still for the people of Armenia, especially those who have
no real tomorrow or wish to forget yesterday.
My thoughts go out to Serpouhi, the old woman at Ambert with the pig named
Aram. They lived in the valley and came to greet a busload of tourists. I
gave her a dollar because she posed for a photograph.
"Where would she spend it?" I asked myself. "How shall she survive?"
Like the others of her kind, there would be no pomp, only circumstance. Hers
is a life of fate, chance. Happy New Year, Serpouhi. And keep Aram out of
harm’s way.
A wish, too, for the kiosk owner in the middle of nowhere. He’s the one who
never sleeps so he can earn the dimes that are his reward for selling food
to the shabbily dressed men waiting at the bus stop, going to God-knows what
kind of degradation they call jobs.
I saw him at Shushi and I will always remember him, a man about my own age
with the echo of the beaten in the dark tunnels of his eyes.
Where have all his fantasies gone, the dreams of his boyhood, worn away like
shoe leather on the sidewalk? What is there left for him but the vicious
battle to keep the respect of a young daughter, so pretty but earnest and
anxious to please, just the same as her father once was.
It’s expensive to be poor. You have to pay more for everything. The money
you earn goes back into survival, not pleasure. When was the last time a
merchant watched a movie or attended a concert?
This is a New Year’s wish for the wiry, dark-skinned man I saw pushing a
cart of pomegranates, maneuvering his wagon on a dirt road with all the
flash of a pizza-maker tossing a circle of dough into the air.
I shall always remember him, too, sallow and serious, the skin stretched
tight over the high cheekbone of his skeleton face, cursing at those who got
in his way. How much does he take home a week?
What is his New Year going to be like? He’s got maybe three kids and
furniture that are pasted together. There’s hardly any room in his crowded
slum; but it has a room, better than those I saw living out of an abandoned
car on the side of the road going to Spitak.
Maybe we can all do something to bring a little warmth and comfort to the
poverty-stricken of Armenia. Huddle together and allow these people to
maintain their dignity as human beings.
This is a New Year’s wish for the resilient who crossed my path during a
recent trip to Armenia. They are the people who won’t give up the struggle
to live.
If you’re looking to make a resolution for 2007, make it a trip to
Armenia-the one you may have considered taking but never did.
Dump a few tourism dollars into the country or, at the very least, a
donation to some worthwhile cause like the Armenian Tree Project or Cosmic
Ray Division on Mount Aragats.
Each of us can make a small contribution in boosting the country’s economy
with an act of kindness. Much too often, we get caught up in our own world
without giving the less fortunate a thought.
Let us look to 2007 as the year of bringing Armenians together for one more
tradition. With resolutions being what they are, there’s one thing we must
never give up.
HOPE!
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9. 2007: A Watershed Year for the Armenians of Jerusalem?
By Arthur Hagopian
As members of the tiny enclave of Armenians in the Old City of Jerusalem
celebrate Christmas on Jan. 19, in accordance with a centuries-old
tradition, they will be looking forward to perhaps one of the most decisive
years in the history of the region. What does 2007 hold for them? What can
the spiritual leader of this enduring bastion of Diasporan Armenians,
Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, tell them in the message he will be delivering
from the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem as the clock strikes midnight?
Manoogian has been leading prayers for peace since his election in 1990, but
the commodity that has remained elusive so far may finally lie within reach.
Perhaps the snow that fell early this winter on the Old City, blanketing its
forest of domed roofs and dish antennas with a gentle, downy white, is the
harbinger of a new era of hope for the Middle East.
It may not all be wishful thinking, according to seasoned political
soothsayers and pundits, who have so far failed to reveal any truly hopeful
visions for the future.
The tide is turning, they believe. There are signs aplenty, despite the
current Arab-Israeli impasse. For one thing, there is a growing realization
by the key player, Israel, that military power alone will not be sufficient
to solve the region’s problems, or eradicate the threat of terrorism.
Even among the flights of hawks on both sides of the Arab-Israeli divide,
there is a desire for a fundamental shift in outlook and expectations.
In particular, more voices are being raised in the West (and in Israel)
calling for a re-appraisal of Islam’s true message: a religion that teaches
the infinite mercy of God and an unconditional obedience to His will, rather
than an unquenchable thirst for the indiscriminate shedding of innocent
blood.
Regional political leaders can ignore the resounding yearning for peace only
at their peril, because there is little doubt in anyone’s mind that with
understanding and acceptance, Arab and Jew will inevitably turn their spears
into pruning forks and their swords into plowshares, and stop teaching their
children the art of war.
And when peace comes to Jerusalem, terrorism will surely lose its raison d’etre.
Within this ambience, Christians, Muslims and Jews continue to co-exist in
the Holy Land, albeit in limbo, making the best they can of a tenuous truce
in the face of a still uncertain future.
But they will not have to wait till the End of the Days, or the advent of
the Messiah (He is to enter the Holy City of Jerusalem through the Gates of
Mercy which have been walled-up for centuries), if the prognostications of
the pundits prove reliable this time.
And peace could not come too soon.
"We are tired and dispirited," as one elderly denizen of the Armenian
Quarter told this correspondent. "Perhaps for us grownups, it probably is
already too late to enjoy the fruits of peace. But for our children, it will
mean a whole new world at their fingertips."
Among the Armenians of Jerusalem, there is also the expectation that an era
of peace will finally halt and quite possibly reverse the headlong wave of
attrition that has decimated their ranks.
There is a widespread feeling that a significant number of Jerusalem
Armenians at present domiciled abroad entertain the dream of returning home
to the Old City and resettling there.
For them Jerusalem is not only home, it is also the center of the world.
Despite their plight, the Armenians of Jerusalem cannot be said to be living
dangerously. They actually fare much better than their compatriots in many
other parts of the Middle East. Conditions may not be ideal, but they are
tolerable.
For one thing, they enjoy the benefits of one of the world’s most
comprehensive and sophisticated medical systems, the Kupat Holim, all at
affordable rates. Israel’s pension scheme is even more generous.
But over and above all, there is a job for every single Armenian in
Jerusalem, when and if he wants it, thanks to the magnanimous monolith of
the Patriarchate of St. James that under the caring and sagacious
stewardship of Archbishop Manoogian has been metamorphosed into an island of
hope and security for all Armenians.
Manoogian ascended the throne of St. James on a platform of perestroika,
borne on winds of change, and proceeded at once to institute a string of
much-needed reforms, among them ones that helped propel the Patriarchate
into the technological age.
In the process, he has created plentiful job opportunities with the result
that almost every family residing in the Armenian Compound has one or more
of its members on the Patriarchate payroll.
The charismatic churchman has worked tirelessly to streamline the
administration of his office. He has succeeded in rubbing out the treasury’s
red ink and has dramatically improved the living conditions of the members
of the priestly Brotherhood of St. James.
"Manoogian cares," one community leader said. "That’s one way of summing up
what makes him run. The welfare of his community comes first. Not that he
does not have his detractors-but then that is to be expected when a reformer
takes over."
The Armenian presence in Jerusalem remains caught in the cross-hairs of
political maneuvering, with both Arabs and Jews firm in their resolve to
exert full control over the city, but the sense of endemic foreboding is
easing off.
The momentum for peace keeps building up despite occasional setbacks. And
there is every reason to believe the halcyon days when the world stood with
baited breath as it waited to see whether the dream of a "peace of the
brave," promulgated by former Israeli Labor Prime Minister Ehud Barak (there’s
growing speculation he might stage a come back), would ever be realized will
be with us again.
Although the political situation could not be murkier, with Arab and Jew
still entrenched on both sides of the divide, courageous minds will keep on
working towards achieving peace in our time.
Whether it will come in our time, or our children’s, remains to be seen.
* * *
(c) 2007 Armenian Weekly On-Line. All Rights Reserved.