Month: May 2021

On the Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross on Sunday, Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan presided over Divine Liturgy and delivered the message at Glendale’s St. Mary’s Church.

During his message, the Prelate announced the appointment of Rev. Fr. Movses Shannakian as the new Pastor of St. Mary’s Church, who will serve with Archpriest Fr. Vazken Atmajian, Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Torossian and Rev. Fr. Ardag Demirjian.

Rev. Shannakian was born in 1983 in Anjar, Lebanon. He attended the University of Toronto, and earned his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Neuroscience and Psychology in 2008.

In 2012 he earned his Masters of Divinity Degree from St. Michael’s College, Faculty of Theology, at the University of Toronto. In the same year, he relocated to Los Angeles and was employed at the Western Prelacy in the Christian Education Department. He also teaches religion at two of the Prelacy Armenian schools. He was ordained into the priesthood in 2017.

Zaruhy Sara Chitjian, a long-time benefactor of Armenian studies programs and devoted supporter of the Asbarez Newspaper passed away on Monday, the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology reported.

As a longtime supporter of UCLA and the founder of the Research Program in Armenian Archaeology at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. Chitjian lived to see US president Joe Biden officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. 

Zaruhy Sara Chitjian, was born in Mexico City in 1933 to Hampartzoum and Ovsanna Chitjian, both survivors of the Armenian Genocide who had met and married in Mexico. In 1935 her family immigrated to the United States settling in Los Angeles where Sara spent the remaining of her life. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1956 from UC Los Angeles and a year later went on to earn her teaching credentials. She dedicated her life to education and spent the next 40 years teaching for the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

As a descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide she had a vested interest in preserving Armenian history and culture, but she had a unique appreciation for cultural heritage in general. As a young teacher at Monlux Elementary, Sara installed the same appreciation for culture into her young students who built models of early California, had visits for a geisha to learn about Japanese Tea Ceremony, and an Aikido sensei who gave demonstrations and taught about the philosophy of martial arts. 

While teaching at Dixie Elementary School, she proposed to teach Armenian history and culture for the “Mini Classes” program of the school, forever changing the landscape of the curriculum throughout Los Angles by becoming the first teacher to raise awareness of Armenian culture through a formal course. She found exciting and creative ways to teach Armenian history and culture, such as having her students try to write their names in Armenian script as she read them about the origin of the alphabet. She also invited prominent Armenian scholars, such as Dr. Richard Hovannisian, Dr. Gerard Liberadian, and Dr. Oshin Keshishian to give guest lectures on topics ranging from art to genocide. 

Sara’s numerous awards in recognition for her contributions and service as a teacher are clear testament to her dedication and passion for educating children. She successfully petitioned for the City of Los Angeles to make April 24th, the day of commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide, an excusable day of absence on the school district’s academic calendar. In the 1970s she created an Armenian Teacher Association and The Armenian Urban Center programs, the former trained teachers in providing aid to students who were fleeing the Syrian civil war and the latter developed scholastic curriculum for teaching about Armenian history and culture. In 2017, the Armenian National Committee – Western Region announced named one of its awards the Zaruhy “Sara” Chitjian Armenian Genocide Education Award in honor of Sara’s exemplary commitment to Armenian causes and dedication to preservation of the Armenian heritage through education and philanthropy. The award is present to outstanding educators of Armenian descent who have gone above and beyond to teach Armenian history, culture, and about the Armenian Genocide.

Sara believed strongly in the mission of public education and in memory of her parents and all survivors of the Armenian Genocide, she established the Hampartzoum and Ovsanna Chitjian Foundation to support Armenian Studies programs in higher education. She established four endowments at leading universities each with focus on a specific aspect of Armenian heritage. At University of Southern California (USC) her endowment supports research and study of the Armenian Genocide, California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is the steward of the Chitjian Family archive, at the American University of Armenia (AUA) her endowment supports an entrepreneurship program, and at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) her endowment supports archaeological research in Armenia. Sara was an avid supporter and promoter of Armenian archaeology and cultural heritage. In 2006 she partially sponsored renewed excavations of Dvin, a capital and a large commercial city of early medieval Armenia, and at the world-renown Areni-1 cave site. In 2013, she donated a transformative gift to the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology that established the Research Program in Armenian Archaeology ensuring that UCLA has a leading presence in the field.  

“In my father’s stories unity is the number one thing or finding a way to be united… ‘Here lies an Armenian boy who suffered all his life because of Armenian dis-unity’…he wanted that on his tombstone. He was telling the Armenian community ‘unite’ and we still don’t get that message…this is why I am doing what I am doing…not to forget.” Sara carried her father’s message of unity through all her life and works, preserving the memory of the past and promoting awareness was of outmost importance to her and the various programs she established ensure that the rich history and heritage of the Armenian people is preserved and passed on for generations to come.  

Her memory and her life-long mission to spread knowledge and raise awareness of Armenian history and cultural heritage will be carried on in the work of the members of the Armenian Archaeology Lab whose research is made possible by Sara’s generosity. We are grateful for her unwavering support and will forever hold her dear in our memories. 

For more information about the Sara’s legacy visit the Chitjian Foundation page.

WASHINGTON—Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) – the most senior member on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee – has called on House appropriators to allocate at least $50 million for food security, housing, medical aid, infrastructure, and other pressing needs in Artsakh – citing the vast death and destruction caused by Azerbaijan’s Turkey-backed attack last year, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

In a letter addressed to the leaders of the House Appropriations subcommittee that writes the foreign aid bill, Rep. Smith noted that, “In September 2020, Azeri forces, supported by Turkey, embarked on a devastating war of conquest in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that caused thousands of casualties, rendered thousands more homeless, and destroyed vital infrastructure,” underscoring the need for “not less than $50 million shall be made available for humanitarian assistance in Artsakh to support food security, housing, medical assistance, and vital infrastructure.”

Congressman Smith also forcefully condemned “credible reports that the Republic of Turkey funded mercenaries recruited from the Syrian National Army to fight with the Azeri army that invaded Artsakh,” calling on his Congressional colleagues to appropriate “not less than $500,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of State for a report that the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate Congressional Committees, on the role of Turkey in the recent attack on Artsakh.”

In his letter, Rep. Smith called for the strengthening of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support, a statutory restriction on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, and for suspending all “U.S. military aid, including under Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program, to Azerbaijan until its government ceases its attacks against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and agrees to an equitable resolution of the conflict.”

“Six months after the end of Azerbaijan’s attack – our U.S. government – under both Presidents Trump and Biden – has failed to provide meaningful assistance to meet desperate humanitarian needs in Artsakh,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We welcome Congressman Smith’s principled call for $50 million in direct aid to Artsakh and thank all the voices in Congress – House and Senate, Democratic and Republican – who are pressing aggressively for a robust U.S. assistance package for the Armenian population of Artsakh.”

The full text of Rep. Smith’s letter is provided below. The PDF is available here.
Dear Chairwoman Lee and Ranking Member Rogers:

I am grateful for your leadership of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and for your support of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

As you know, I have long been an advocate for Armenia. Over two decades ago, I chaired the first-ever House hearing on H. Res. 398, the Armenian Genocide Resolution. In 2019, after many years, we passed H. Res 296, a subsequent version of the resolution that I co­sponsored.

As you prepare the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill, we ask you to include the below provisions, which are vital to our continued support for Artsakh’s humanitarian needs, including reducing the threat of landmines, helping the survivors of physical and cognitive injuries from landmines, cleaning up unexploded ordnance (UXOs) left over from the recent war, and assisting Armenia’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, rule of law capacity and other institution building. It will also allow us to learn more about Turkey’s role in funding Syrian mercenaries in the war in Artsakh, while suspending military support for the Republic of Azerbaijan until it begins playing a helpful role implementing the November 2020 ceasefire.

Accordingly, we ask that you include the following priorities in the FY22 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill:

Humanitarian Assistance to Artsakh
In September 2020, Azeri forces, supported by Turkey, embarked on a devastating war of conquest in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that caused thousands of casualties, rendered thousands more homeless, and destroyed vital infrastructure. Though the parties agreed to a ceasefire in November 2020, many inhabitants of Artsakh are badly in need of humanitarian assistance for food, housing, medical assistance, and other needs. To address these critical humanitarian needs, I ask that you include the following language:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $50 million shall be made available for humanitarian assistance in Artsakh to support food security, housing, medical assistance, and vital infrastructure.

Nagorno Karabakh: Landmines and Landmine Survivors, and clean up UXOs
We need to continue our commitment to landmine, and now UXO, removals a result of the recent war. In addition, we need to renew our support for the rehabilitation of survivors of landmine injuries in Nagorno Karabakh. Like other House colleagues, I am troubled by the recent announcement that the US will end this much-needed assistance. US assistance has already saved lives and facilitated the return of many former minefields to productive use. Accordingly, I request that you maintain our funding for this vital program at $1.5 million.

In addition, I ask that you include the following language:

We further request that the committee provide robust funding for Nagorno Karabakh-based regional rehabilitation services for survivors of landmine injuries and individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Armenian Democracy and Economic Independence
Armenia needs our support to build its fragile rule of law institutions to consolidate the gains following the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” Accordingly, I ask that you include the following language:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $100 million shall be made available for economic, governance, rule of law, and security assistance to Armenia. An increase in funding specifically to the Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia should also be made available for these purposes.

Role of the Republic of Turkey in Fomenting the Conflict in the Republic of Artsakh
There are credible reports that the Republic of Turkey funded mercenaries recruited from the Syrian National Army to fight with the Azeri army that invaded Artsakh. UN experts expressed alarm at the devastating consequences for the civilian population, with little prospects of accountability. Accordingly, I ask that you include the following language:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $500,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of State for a report that the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, on the role of Turkey in the recent attack on Artsakh.

Suspend Military Assistance to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, along with Turkey, continues to frustrate the prospects for peace in Artsakh, and refuses to repatriate approximately 200 prisoners of war from the conflict. Accordingly, I -similar to other colleagues in the House – ask that you include the following language:
Suspend U.S. military aid, including under Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program, to Azerbaijan until its government ceases its attacks against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and agrees to an equitable resolution of the conflict.

Add the following certification requirement to the President’s waiver authority under Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act:” No funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Again, thank you for your leadership on the Subcommittee. The provisions highlighted in this letter will help contribute to democratic values in the South Caucasus region and further strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership. We appreciate your full and fair consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,
[signed]
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH
Member of Congress