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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 13; April 5, 2008
AYF Section:
1. New York AYF Organizes Discussion on ANCA Gateway, Internship Programs
2. An issue of international significance
By Raffi Teperdjian
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1. New York AYF Organizes Discussion on ANCA Gateway, Internship Programs
NEW YORK, NY-On March 27, ANCA Capital Gateway Program director Serouj
Aprahamian lectured to a group of young Armenian-Americans about ANCA
internship opportunities in Washington, DC. Organized by the New York
"Hyortik" AYF chapter the event took place at St. Illuminator’s Armenian
Cathedral in Manhattan. In addition to numerous young professionals, AYF
members from New York, New Jersey, and members from Hunter’s Armenian Club
were in attendance.
During the lecture Aprahamian spoke about the Capital Gateway program while
the audience listened with interest. "The ANCA offers many different
internship opportunities to students and young Armenian professionals and
has been doing so for more than two decades," said Aprahamian.
A short movie was then screened showing alumni and current fellows talking
about their program experience. In the film numerous young
Armenian-Americans voiced their thanks to the ANCA for giving them
opportunities that eventually led to their current career advancements. ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian spoke in the film about the importance of
having Armenians not only as interns working at large firms and
Congressional offices, but of one day becoming CEO’s and Senators
themselves. Copies of the DVD were also passed out to each attendee.
After the lecture Aprahamian gave the floor to ANC Eastern Region director
Karine Birazian who also addressed the audience, stressing the importance of
having a strong ANC presence in New York City. She outlined local
opportunities to help out at the ANC Eastern Region office in Manhattan.
"This event was a good learning experience not only in respect to the ANCA
Internship program but about ANCA’s role in Washington. Talking to Serouj
after the program, I think I’m definitely going to give Capital Gateway a
try," said Hyortik member Maral Najjarian.
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2. An issue of international significance
By Raffi Teperdjian
In the United States, the media is historically viewed as the public’s ally
against corruption and autocracy, internationally as well as within our
borders. Americans like to think that they can stay up to date on current
events, news, sports, and crises simply by staying glued to a television
set. Today, people seem more concerned with watching in the
highest-definition and having the most plasma oozing out of their system
than with what is the content of what they are actually watching.
Unfortunately, the magnitude of p’s & i’s does not affect the intellectual
quality of the programs being seen. Often the media coverage of the most
significant worldly issues is suppressed by crooked bureaucrats seeking
personal gains or is overlooked altogether.
Such is the case with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
On April 24th, 1915, the Ottoman Turks led by the newly formed Young Turk
party began a collectivized effort to ethnically cleanse all Armenians
throughout the Ottoman Empire and beyond, beginning with the arrest,
torture, and murder of 250 Armenian intellectuals within the Turkish
capital. What followed before and throughout World War I was the first
genocide of the 20th century where 1.5 million Armenians (in addition to
other ethnic minorities in the empire) were deported, persecuted, robbed,
starved, raped, burned, and ultimately slaughtered.
Under the false pretext of "relocating" Armenians to other parts of the
empire due to the ensuing war, Armenians were rounded up and marched out of
their villages systematically and driven towards the deserts of Der Zor in a
remote part of Syria where they were left to perish. Along the way, they
were prey to bands of Kurds and robbers who pillaged, raped, and killed
them. Instead of giving aid and protection, Turkish soldiers charged with
marching Armenians allowed and often partook in executions and rape and in
fact shot those who could not continue due to exhaustion and starvation.
The enormity of the scale of atrocities did not go unnoticed and in fact was
regularly reported in The New York Times. Westerners were outraged with the
stories they heard, and diplomats such as Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the U.S.
ambassador to Turkey at the time, regularly reported on events he witnessed
and had heard from others. Millions of dollars in aid were sent to Armenians
through the American Near East Relief Committee and similar organizations,
but ultimately less then 100,000 Armenians remained as a result of the
massacres.
Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting this holocaust, Turkey and the
United States have yet to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Politicians
shudder at the thought of even referring to the events by their proper name;
and to this day, Turkey threatens to halt support of U.S. operations in the
Middle East should a resolution be passed acknowledging the historical
facts. Among the 22 nations that have officially acknowledged the Armenian
Genocide is France, which is one of many nations that today demands that
Turkey accept its past truthfully before being allowed admittance to the
European Union.
Being an Armenian, this issue is personally paramount among unresolved
conflicts in the world, and with public support for the war in Iraq
dwindling is more relevant then ever. Governments cannot continue to dictate
international policy to meet an agenda at the expense of an entire nation.
If humans continue to cast a cold shoulder in reviewing and acknowledging
authentic history, then we are doomed to repeat our mistakes.
Prior to his invasion of Poland, Hitler was quoted saying, "Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" The most important issue
to me internationally is the one where retribution is the longest overdue.
Raffi Teperdjian is a member of the Washington "Ani" AYF chapter.