Author: Badalian Vardan

JERUSALEM: A SOUVENIR FROM THE ARMENIAN QUARTER
By: Gayane Khechoomian

Haytoug Magazine

Dec 1 2011

In Memoriam: Vahik Aroustamian, Beloved Uncle (1955-2007)

Last summer I woke up on the rooftop of a hostel in the Jewish
quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. Before the sun had a chance to let
me know I had been sleeping outside, the Islamic ‘call to prayer’
sounding from the mosque speakers reminded me that even at 5 a.m.,
God is Great (“Allahu Akbar” in Arabic). Three hours later, the church
bells commanded my attention. I was wide-awake, living a dream.

This ancient part of the world, where the four corners of the earth
meet, is the sight holiest to the three Abrahamic religions. The
Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian Quarters make up this 0.35
square mile fortress-like city. Here, the cobblestones of narrow
streets are a time machine to a time long ago and every road has its
own idea of the elevation and direction that humans should walk. The
daytime bazaar is like a scene out of Disney’s Aladdin where everybody
is “my friend” and everybody has something pretty to sell to a
pretty girl.

The smell of herbs and pastries fill the Muslim Quarter, where a
non-Muslim cannot venture too far without being stopped and told to
return. The sounds of people gathering at the Western Wall on Shabbat
(the Seventh Day of rest in Judaism) fill the Jewish Quarter every
Friday. The sight of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian
Quarter, which was once that of Jesus’ crucifixion, is headquarters
to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The story of how I ended up in the Old City doesn’t go back quite
as far as the presence of Armenians in Jerusalem, which predates
Christianity. It was five years ago in my Armenian history class
at UCLA that Professor Richard Hovannisian described the age-old
tradition of Armenian pilgrims in the Armenian Quarter. It was then
I started dreaming about the day I would embark on a solitary journey
to the historical city.

Out of the four quarters, the Armenian is the smallest and the most
walled off. Home to roughly 500 Armenians, it makes up one-sixth of
the city. Armenian cafes, taverns, restaurants and souvenir shops
selling famous ceramics are found on streets with Armenian names
written in Arabic and Hebrew scripts.

For hundreds of years, Christian pilgrims have made journeys to the
Holy Land, taking with them one souvenir:

“What kind of tattoo do you want?” Wassim Razzouk, my Harley-riding
tattoo-artist asked.

“Give me what you give Armenian pilgrims,” I said hoping he’d know
what I was talking about.

Turns out he knew exactly what I was talking about. The year before,
he had tattooed seven Armenians from New York, all around my age. In
fact, one of the first tattoos done by Wassim’s ancestors was one of
Armenian letters dating back to 1749. That was around the time his
Coptic Christian family moved from Egypt to Jerusalem, where they
have tattooed Christian pilgrims for the past 250 years.

My uncle hoped to be one of those pilgrims. As the ink settled into
my arm, I thought about how he dreamed to one day be at the very spot
I was. And it dawned on me that it had been exactly four years to the
day since his passing. But if there were ever a time and place where
surrealism reigns, it would be the Old City. Because here, there is
no sense of time, no separation of modern and ancient. The religious
air has pervaded throughout the centuries and permeates every corner
of the old town.

I escaped into the Armenian Quarter where the St. James monastery
has stood since the 14th century. The church that provided refuge to
Armenians during the Genocide, now provided refuge to me from a world
where the struggle for cultural survival follows each generation. The
familiarity of the Priest’s voice echoing within the church walls
resonated with my soul. I walked out of the ornate room and rounded
the corner to a courtyard surrounded by Armenian dwellings. That’s
where I saw the majestic cross-stone statue standing in front of me
like an epiphany.

“I have no idea what it is like to be an Armenian,” William Saroyan
wrote in his short story Seventy Thousand Assyrians. “I have a faint
idea of what it is like to be alive.”

And looking down on the ink on my right forearm, I smiled to myself.

Yerevan. The Carousel City.
By: Vrej Haroutounian

Haytoug Magazine

Dec 1 2011

A few months ago when I was in Yerevan, a friend and I found ourselves
leisurely strolling down Abovyan Street whilst talking about our
immediate experiences of the last few weeks. She turned around to
me and said, “This city is kind of like a never-ending carousel, you
get on at one place and you get off at another but during the whole
time you are just going around and around the city.” Yerevan was a
carousel and we were traversing its circuitous path as it presented
us our life’s surroundings by what history had built.

Every city is mirror for and reflection of society. The city creates
a backdrop to a theatrical performance, which is the life of the
people interacting in it. We build the city to reflect what we
would like to have as the backdrop to the story of our lives, and
after the city ages she reminds us of our thoughts at the time and
what scenes from our life’s play we were performing then. Even if we
might forget the details, the city-in all that it is and isn’t in that
moment-will forever remind us. Through its buildings, parks, streets,
and movements, the city becomes the physical execution of all of our
intellectual and physical expressions, as we build our ideals into
our cities. We build our dreams into our city, we build our souls
into the city, and then the city reflects back to us the spirit with
which we created all that we did during that particular moment in time.

When we look at some of the streets and buildings in Yerevan they take
us back to the 1940’s era of Yerevan and we start imagining how people
lived then, and what clothing they wore and what books they read,
how they greeted each other. When we look at the taller buildings
built around the 60’s – 70’s we think about why the shift took place,
we notice the change in the building design. If we look carefully
enough, we can see the details in the quality of construction, we can
understand why a shift happened in the material quality, why buildings
went from 4 stories to 16. We start to think about why these changes
took place, if the quality of construction went up that means the city
was prospering if it went down, then the economy was not doing well,
or maybe there was corruption, or a shift in construction material,
or ideology. The city starts becoming a record of the people that
built her and why they built her the way they did, as the backdrop
to the theatrical performance of their lives at the time.

Then the fun begins because you are the main actor of a theatrical
performance of your life story, and the backdrop is Yerevan. The
year is 2012 for example. The season, summer. The scene starts with
you waking up and walking down the street. Where do you get a cup
of coffee? At a cafe in the corner of a small street? At a cafe that
surrounds Opera that is covering what used to be a large park? Or at a
friend’s house? The decision you make in the theatrical performance of
your life will, over time, mirror in the urban landscape of Yerevan,
because if you want that park to reappear from below that cafe,
then you should have your coffee on the corner of a street or at
a friend’s house and not deprive nature of her natural greenery by
increasing the need for more cafes.

Then the question becomes, do we favor Cafes over Parks, do we favor
street vendors over Super Markets, do we favor public transportation or
the dream of each having a Range Rover? What do we want the backdrop
of life to look like? The city will reflect in physical form, each
and every choice we make in how we choose to live. When we choose
the Range Rover, the streets will get wider over time and the public
transportation suffers as congestion increases. By choosing to shop
at commercialized supermarkets, street vending will become obsolete,
barring access to more natural, non-synthetic food, and yet goods
will be conveniently and easily accessible in wholesale at these
markets, ready to be purchased and placed inside those very Range
Rovers we drive.

We are the architects of our surroundings. Architecture is a democratic
process that we all engage in everyday. If we want to live in a
pedestrian-friendly Yerevan then we have to incorporate walking
into our everyday lives. If we want to have street vendors, then we
need to support them with that extra effort of walking to where they
are. Walking twenty more minutes to get our groceries would in turn
be great exercise as well.

Next time you wake up in Yerevan think to yourself, “I am in a unique
city with a great backdrop that was created by a very unique people
over the last hundreds of years as the backdrop for the theatrical
performance of my life that is going to take place today. What is my
performance going to be as an actor walking through that set and how
might my actions and decisions impact the city?” Imagine yourself as
an actor putting on a performance as you walk through this great city,
read her history with your senses, and write her present and future
with your actions.

A KARDASHIAN OFFERS VINTAGE FASHION ON THE EAST SIDE
By Mary Johnson

DNAinfo.com

Dec 1 2011

MIDTOWN EAST – There’s a Kardashian living in Midtown East who loves
high-end, designer clothing with low necklines and stylish flairs –
only this beautiful brunette isn’t trailed by paparazzi or plagued
by tabloid rumors.

Her name is Janetta Kardashian, and she runs a tiny but swanky
second-hand store called NY Vintage Club at 1073 First Ave. near
East 59th Street. She’s never met the reality TV-friendly trio of
Armenian sisters who share her name, but she supposes there is a
distant connection.

“All Kardashians are related,” said the storeowner, 40, an Armenian
from Russia who came to the United States in 1993.

Despite the reality TV ups and downs that have befallen her possibly
distant relatives, Kardashian has managed to maintain a drama-free
lifestyle. Over the past decade or so, she has built a business and
a reputation all on her own.

Her store on First Avenue doesn’t stock old prom dresses or
run-of-the-mill Louis Vuitton purses. Instead, her racks are full of
sable fur coats, mink dresses, $1,000 evening gowns and a coat made
of real leopard skin.

Kardashian has helped Yoko Ono, the Olsen twins and Oscar winner
Frances McDormand sift through her stock, which is now overflowing with
Jimmy Choo stilettos and at least one handbag made out of ostrich. The
desktop image on her work computer features a photo of her and fashion
designer Marc Jacobs at one of his infamous soirees.

Hers is really the only vintage shop in the neighborhood, and though
the area lacks the retail prowess of shopping hubs further west,
she makes up for it in spades.

“This place, it’s like a clubhouse,” Kardashian said. “[My customers]
all share their secrets here, their love affairs.”

Her shoppers like to linger inside for hours, she said, trying on a
few things, gossiping over cups of tea and rarely leaving empty-handed.

On her website, Kardashian notes that she will validate parking for
customers who spend more than $800 inside her store. Reaching that
amount is surprisingly easy, she explained, since she rarely prices
any of her items at less than $350.

Kardashian came to New York 18 years ago for love. Her romance didn’t
last, but her affair with New York City did.

“Saw all the lights. Never went back,” she recalled.

Kardashian started her career in finance and technology, but she
always had “a tremendous passion for fashion,” she said.

In Russia, she worked for an Italian oil company. On business trips to
Italy, she would purchase mounds of clothes, stuff them into suitcases
and sell them to her Russian friends.

“I would come [home] with three suitcases – gone in two days,”
she explained.

In New York, her coworkers would solicit Kardashian’s opinion on new
purchases or style choices, often summoning her into the bathroom
for impromptu fashion appraisals, she said.

Eventually, Kardashian decided to leave the corporate world and launch
her own business, NY Vintage Club. She nabbed a little storefront on
First Avenue and East 59th Street, just a few feet from her current
spot. A month later, her shop was written up in Elle magazine.

“I wanted one-of-a-kind pieces. I wanted not to follow fashion. I
wanted to create style,” she explained.

“I have to be honest,” she added, “it worked from day one.”

Over the years, the shop has seen its share of “soap operas” and
customers with odd proclivities, and Kardashian said that nothing
surprises her anymore.

One woman from Brazil shops there just four times a year – and only
at 10 p.m., long after the store’s official close.

Every visit, the customer orders sushi from a restaurant nearby and
sips flutes of champagne, Kardashian said. She never tries anything
on, instead asking her driver, “Do you think I will look good in this?”

Kardashian moved NY Vintage Club to its current location at 1073
First Ave. about three years ago, and by the end of the year she is
hoping to move yet again. She has her heart set on either East 57th
Street and Madison Avenue or East 60th Street and Lexington Avenue –
although on the second floor, not the first.

“Obviously, I cannot pull this off on the first floor,” she said,
gesturing at her small but selective stock of specialty items,
including an ornate jacket she said was once worn by Cher and a sable
fur coat that she claims could easily fetch $50,000 retail.

Kardashian’s sticker price for the item is just $2,500.

Her clientele – a loyal following that often accompanies her on girls’
outings to the opera or the ballet – are sad to see her leave the
stretch of First Avenue. But although Kardashian may be a little
farther west, she will still be in the neighborhood, she explained.

“I live here. I know everyone,” she said. “You need to know the spirit
[of a neighborhood].”

CONGRESSMAN ROTHMAN: ARMENIA SUFFERS

Turkish NY

Dec 1 2011
NY

Congressman Steve Rothman, representing Hudson, Bergen and Passaic
regions of New Jersey at the U.S. Congress, met the representatives
of Turkish American community. Advisory Board Member of Turks Living
Abroad Committee Member Ali Cınar and Ä°brahim KurtuluÅ~_, Turkish
American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI) board member
Rıdvan Sezer and Vice President of Turkestanian Association Turan
Ayaz attended to the meeting.

During the meeting Congressman Rothman stressed the importance of
Turkey for United States. Stating that the contributions of Turkey to
the world peace within the war against terrorism is very important
Rothman said that Turkey’s importance in the region became even
larger following the latest crisis in the Middle East. Wishing for
Turkish-Israeli ties to return its previous good status, Rothman
stated that the developments between two countries saddens many U.S.

Congressmen including himself.

Armenia Suffers

Also adding that Turkey’s neighbouring country, Armenia is experiencing
though times economically, Rothman said that the country should focus
on the future and try to fix its relations with Turkey.

Also calling Turkish students to fulfill their internships at his
office, Rotham said “I want to be much more closer to Turkish American
community”.

Turkish American community representatives informed Congressman over
the strategical and economical strength of Turkey besides the reasons
of the strained relations with Israel. Calling the Congressman Rothman
to join Congressinal Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans, Turkish
community representatives stressed that he can serve as a bridge of
peace between the Turks and the Armenians in the region he represents.

MEDIATORS STAND AGAINST STATUS QUO IN KARABAKH CONFLICT

news.az
Dec 1 2011
Azerbaijan

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier,
Robert Bradtke and Igor Popov released the following statement.
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Bernard Fassier
of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of
the Russian Federation) and Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk (Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office) traveled November
28-30 to Yerevan and Baku.

The Co-Chairs were accompanied by Ambassador Jacques Faure, who will
succeed Ambassador Fassier as the French Co-Chair of the Minsk Group,
the mediators said in a statement, published on the OSCE website.

In Yerevan the Co-Chairs met with President Sargsian, Foreign Minister
Nalbandian, and Defense Minister Ohanyan; in Baku they met with
President Aliyev, Foreign Minister Mammadyarov, and Defense Minister
Abiyev. In all these meetings, the Co-Chairs reaffirmed the strong
commitment of their countries to assisting the sides in achieving a
lasting and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Noting recent reports of incidents along the Line of Contact, the
Co-Chairs stressed again to the Presidents the importance of respecting
the 1994 ceasefire agreement. They reiterated that such incidents
demonstrate the need to implement the proposed mechanism to investigate
incidents along the front-lines, on which the Presidents have agreed
in principle. The Co-Chairs also discussed additional measures for
enhancing confidence through people-to-people exchanges and efforts
to preserve places of worship, cultural sites, and cemeteries.

On November 29, the Co-Chairs crossed the border between Armenia
and Azerbaijan by foot, and met on each side with local officials
to discuss the situation in the border region. On November 30, the
Co-Chairs met with representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijanis,
and underscored that a peaceful settlement must include the right
of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their
former places of residence.

Looking ahead to the December OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in
Vilnius, the Co-Chairs urged the sides to use this opportunity to
reaffirm their commitment to seeking a peaceful settlement and moving
beyond the unacceptable status quo.

BAKU REACTS TO DENIAL OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY FROM BERLIN MEETING

Trend
Dec 1 2011
Azerbaijan

Baku reacted to the denial of the Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh [Azerbaijan’s enclave under Armenian occupation]
from the dialogue with Azerbaijani community, which was to be held
in Berlin on November 28.

The negotiations between the two communities are one of the main
directions of resolving the relations, Head of the Presidential
Administration Public and Political Department Ali Hasanov told media
in Baku today.

He stressed that official Baku attaches great importance to this issue.

“The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh was always ready to
participate in the negotiations,” he said. “But it is necessary to
understand why the Armenians have not attended the talks. This means
that they do not want to stop their policy of aggression and use the
negotiations to delay the problem. Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated
that this policy has no future. Ultimately, this somehow may lead to
military confrontation.”

He said Armenian formal and informal bodies seek to avoid any
negotiations, trying to prolong the situation after the occupation
of Azerbaijani territories and achieving certain goals.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

1915 WAS GREAT TRAGEDY, BUT IT IS NOT US CONGRESS’ AFFAIR – CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

ISTANBUL. – Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the US House of Representatives stated it is inappropriate
for the US Congress to deal with the recognition of the 1915 Armenian
Genocide.

She noted that the efforts toward recognizing as genocide the
violence that occurred in the latter period of the Ottoman Empire
is a disturbing topic. “That violence was a tragedy, but giving
those massacres a correct historical recognition is a very delicate
topic. I believe it is inappropriate for the Congress to deal with
their recognition. Instead, Armenia and Turkey could directly deal
with that issue. I support the proposal that those tragic events be
examined with cooperation between Armenian and Turkish historians,”
said Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the US House of Representatives, Star daily of Turkey writes.

THERE WAS GENOCIDE IN DERSIM, WE SHOULD HAVE FACED 1915 LONG TIME AGO – TURKISH JOURNALIST

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

ISTANBUL. – The topic of 1937-1938 massacres in Dersim (today’s
Tunceli, Turkey) has transferred to television broadcasts. Turkey’s
pro-government Beyaz TV Company’s program host Nagehan Alci caused
great discontent because of her bold statements.

On live broadcast, the courageous host defined what occurred in Dersim
as genocide and this received a quick reaction from the program’s
moderator and guests. The moderator noted that the “genocide”
term is dangerous, since Turkey is battling for long years against
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. “Like a calamity, the Armenian
Genocide problem hangs down Turkey like a sword, every year,” the
moderator said.

And in response, Nagehan Alci stressed that the events in 1915 were a
shame and that if Turkey had sensibly faced those events a long time
ago, it would not have found itself in such situation.

To note, Nagehan Alci had visited Armenia and Karabakh two years ago,
and her interviews had displeased the Azerbaijanis and the Turkish
nationalists.

Thousands of Armenians, who had escaped from the 1915 Genocide and
found refuge in the villages of Dersim, were subjected to a second
genocide, this time in 1938.

ARMENIAN ECONOMIST AWARDED BY TURKISH GALATASARAY UNION

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

ANKARA. – Turkey-based Galatasaray Alumni Union, established by
the Turkish famous Galatasaray Lyceum graduates, awarded famous
Istanbul-Armenian economist Daron Acemoglu.

Since 1908 each year the Union awards the citizens who brought a
great benefit to Turkey with their international activity, statement
on the Union’s webpage reads.

“The Union decided to grant the Galatasaray reward to Istanbul-Armenian
Acemoglu, who has its unique place in the world economy,” the
statement reads.

Acemoglu was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He graduated from the
Galatasaray High School in Istanbul in 1986. He got his B.Sc. degree
from the University of York, UK and his M.Sc. degree in Econometrics
and Mathematical Economics and then his Ph.D. degree in 1992 from
the London School of Economics. He is currently Professor of Applied
Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of
the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal. He is the 8th among most cited 20
economists in the world according to IDEAS/RePEc. In comparison,
Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman is the 13th.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

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THE FRENCH PARLIAMENTARIAN CHRISTIAN VANNESTE VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

On Sunday 20 November 2011, His Holiness Aram I received in his office MP
Christian Vanneste and Mr. Sam Rakoubian, who is well known through his
advocacy work on the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

During the meeting, the guests and the Catholicos discussed the situation in
the Middle East and the Christian presence in the region. They also talked
about the Armenian Genocide and the role of France. Catholicos Aram I then
asked Mr Vanneste to thank President Nicolas Sarkozy for supporting the
recognition of the cause; he continued, “as we prepare to commemorate the
100th anniversary of this violent act perpetrated by Turkey, we must direct
our demand towards compensation”.

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