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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 4; Feb. 2, 2008
Community:
1. Exhibiting Humanity’s Dirty Laundry
By Andy Turpin
2. Jazz Nights at ALMA’ Continue with Baboian’s ‘Freshly Painted Blues’
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1. Exhibiting Humanity’s Dirty Laundry
By Andy Turpin
1. WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On Jan. 20, the Armenian Library and Museum of
America (ALMA) hosted a unique, joint Armenian genocide-Jewish Holocaust
exhibit co-sponsored by the Armenian National Committee, the Armenian
Assembly, Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, the Holocaust Center,
Boston North, the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at
Clark University, and Facing History and Ourselves.
The program featured Holocaust survivor Meyer Hack and Armenian genocide
survivor Kevork Norian.
ALMA trustee Scott Offen introduced the day’s events, stating, "The Armenian
genocide was the model for the second [the Holocaust]. We need no greater
proof than Adolf Hitler to prove this."
Offen then recited the now-infamous quote spoken by Hitler on the eve of his
Polish invasion: "I put ready my Death’s Head unit with the order to kill
without pity or mercy all men, women and children of the Polish race or
language. Only thus will we gain the living space that we need. Who still
talks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians?"
Offen said of the gathering of the Jewish and Armenian communities, "We are
here to remember our collective joys, and our sorrows, too."
WBZ radio talk host Jordan Rich provided the introductions to the invited
guests. "There are several honored guests here," he said, "State Senator C.
Fargo [representing Waltham, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln,
Sudbury and Weston], State Senator Steven A. Tolman [Boston, Cambridge,
Belmont and Watertown], State Senator Marian Walsh [Boston, Dedham, Norwood
and Westwood], State Rep. Ruth B. Balser [Newton], State Rep. William N.
Brownsberger [Arlington, Cambridge and Belmont], State Rep. Linda Dorcena
Forry [Milton and Boston], State Sen. Anthony D. Galluccio [Cambridge,
Everett, Somerville, Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Saugus], State Rep. Peter
J. Koutoujian [Newton, Waltham and Watertown], State Rep. Charles A. Murphy
[Bedford, Burlington and Wilmington], State Rep. Frank I. Smizik
[Brookline], State Rep. Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. [Cambridge and Somerville],
State Rep. Alice K. Wolf [Cambridge] and Cranston Rogers, Platoon Sergeant,
157th Infantry Reg."
Rich added of Sgt. Rogers, "There is no greater patriot. He was one of the
soldiers that helped liberate Dachau concentration camp. Most of us can’t
imagine what that was like."
Musicians Martin Haroutunian and Ara Sarkissian then performed a short
musical piece on traditional Armenian wind and percussion instruments.
The Rev. Gregory V. Haroutunian of the First Armenian Church in Belmont
presented one of the event’s invocation prayer, followed by a Hebrew
invocation from Rabbi Moshe Waldoks of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline.
Student Shoshana Traum then recited a poem, "Six Million Souls," by author
Susie Davidson.
Ara Nazarian of the ANC then introduced genocide survivor Kevork Norian. "As
the first genocide of the previous century, one would believe that the
Armenians have had ample time to reconcile with this chapter of their long
history," Nazarian began. "But unfortunately, the genocide has yet to come
to an end. Whether it was the hundreds of thousands who perished in 1896; or
the millions who did so in 1915 through 1922; or the uprooting of the
survivors from their millennia old homeland; or the desecration of our
places of worship and the final resting places of our forefathers that goes
on to this day; or the murder of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist
who dared to speak about the genocide in Turkey, almost one year ago to
date; or the continued and systematic denial of the genocide by the Turkish
government, this painful process is far from settled."
Nazarian noted that "While the kindness and generosity of the American
people has helped Mr. Norian and other survivors to rediscover the beauty in
mankind, it is the calculated actions of our government to question the life
story of Mr. Norian and thousands of others that has kept their wounds fresh
and the genocide still going."
Norian first spoke of the Hamidian Massacres that took place in the 1890s,
following on the heels of the anti-Jewish pogroms initiated in Czarist
Russia. He told of his grandfather’s death at the hands of Turks, stating,
"Armenians were constantly hounded and hunted. In 1895, Sultan Abdul Hamid
ordered a massacre, and 100,000 Armenians were killed."
"The First World War began in 1914," he continued. "The Turks didn’t enter
the war right away. When they did enter, they drafted thousands of soldiers
and needed tailors and craftsmen to supply the army and make their uniforms.
The families of the draftees were exempt from deportation-that was how my
family survived. But the government did not give those families any money.
They had to survive on their own."
Norian’s grandmother had worked to provide for the family by washing the
bodies of the dead, and as a result contracted cholera and died.
Speaking to Jewish activism and past Armenian-Jewish solidarity when it came
to genocide recognition, Norian spoke of the Jewish-American philanthropist
and Armenian community hero Henry Morgenthau, who bore testament of his
witness to the Armenian genocide as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey at the
time.
Norian said Morgenthau was a noble man. "He raised $25 million from
President Roosevelt in the 1930s for the Armenians and saved the lives of
thousands of orphans."
Norian stated in amity, "A few kind words to our Jewish friends: We know how
much you suffered, we know what it is to be hated. We share your pain.
Friends, keep talking. Friends, keep screaming."
He added, " We Armenians remained silent for awhile. We were licking our
wounds. Now we can yell. Friends, let’s yell together."
Turning back to the Holocaust, Norian said, "Does anyone remember Hitler’s
speeches? I do. Had the guilty been brought to justice, other genocides
could have been prevented. The Turks committed the genocide, but the Big
Power countries let it happen."
Norian also spoke about the current situation in Africa and chastised the
lack of intervention to prevent genocide there. He ended asking not
rhetorically but to those with influence in Washington, "How many more
people must shed tears and blood? When will people say enough is enough and
take action?"
Lexington High School student and Armenian Youth Federation member Sossi
Beujekian then read selected lines from Paruyr Sevak’s, "Anlreli
Zangagatoon."
Meyer Hack then spoke of his heinous experience in a concentration camp
during the Holocaust as a laundry worker. He secretly hid the personal
effects sewn into the clothing of murdered Jews. These items were on display
at ALMA.
Upon emigrating to the U.S. after the war, Hack kept his collection of items
a secret until he revealed his story to a rabbi and the public last year.
Dr. Dean Solomon of Watertown then introduced Holocaust survivor Meyer Hack.
"Meyer was always the candy man of the synagogue-always with sweets ready
for the children," Solomon said. "The Nazis did all that they could to
reduce the humanity of those in the camps. The jewelry that Meyer found kept
that humanity alive. It kept at bay the total destruction of one’s culture."
"He knew he had limited time to prepare to tell his story," Solomon added of
Hack’s experience. "He knew that knowing these things changes a person. He
knew these things never belonged to him and he was stressed as to what to do
with them. But he hoped they would bring dignity to our communities."
Hack spoke plainly and launched into recounts from his time at Auschwitz,
saying with sullen eyes, "If you looked at Dr. Mengele, he had a baby face.
1942 was the year they started using Zyclone B. Never should you hear anyone
say, ‘Be happy to die.’ But I tell you, in those years, you wanted to be
lucky enough to be shot instead of put in a gas chamber with the Zyclone B."
He added, "I observed it. I was a piece of meat. I did nothing. If I had, I
wouldn’t be here now. Mengele sent 80 percent of the people that came
through the camp straight to the gas chambers. I’m not a historian. I’m not
a writer. I kept silent for 62 years. I’m 92 years old, though maybe I don’t
look like it."
Of his time as a "clothing commando" in the camp, Hack said, "The gas
chamber didn’t gas fast enough. The crematorium didn’t burn fast enough. I’m
not talking with my lips, but with my heart. I’m speaking what I observed
for six long, horrible years."
Jordan Rich asked him, "You fought in a different way. How were you able to
save these things?"
"I observed when the Gestapo came in with Kommanders from outside the camp
who didn’t know the routines or what was going on," Hack said. "I was right
next to the gas chambers. I heard the screams. It took 8-10 minutes to die.
I’ll say again, you were lucky to die before [the Nazis] were using Zyclone
B. In 1942, the Gestapo was sophisticated. Beginning in 1943 they were able
to kill more people, but the gas no longer took 8-10 minutes-it took 8-28
minutes! I was there every single minute. Listen to me, I cleaned the empty
gas canisters!"
Hack explained that during Dr. Mengele’s infamous medical inspections that
dictated grotesque medical experimentation on the prisoners, "I had a secret
weapon against Hitler. It was so sophisticated in not giving them a chance
to kill me. I had a string around my neck all the time that I could pull and
tighten. No matter if my face was really white or yellow- I always made it a
healthy-looking red when they walked by."
Speaking of his coming to America, Hack said, "I came to the U.S. with
nothing-without a language and without a trade-in 1950."
With spry recollection he said, "I met my wife Sylvia in the camp," and in
tearful endearment he recited the camp ID number tattooed on her arm.
"I’m not a youngster, but like Coca-Cola I’m ‘the real thing,’" he said. "I’m
going to travel, not just here, but around the world telling my story while
I can. I want to say something to the Armenian people. Today, like another
finger, we can make a fist and stand together."
Cantor Robbie Solomon, Glenn Dickson and Grant Smith then performed a brief
musical finale.
Following the event, ALMA hosted light Armenian and kosher refreshments.
———————————— ————————————————– ———-
2. Jazz Nights at ALMA’ Continue with Baboian’s ‘Freshly Painted Blues’
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On Jan. 25, the Armenian Library and Museum of
America (ALMA) presented a concert by the Berklee College of Music’s
all-faculty band "The Be-Bop Guitars," as part of the museum’s ongoing "Jazz
Nights at ALMA" concert series.
ALMA director Mariam Stepanyan introduced the event, addressing the full
house with pride, stating, "We are so happy so many of you keep coming back,
and that we see even more people coming to our concert series! That means we
at ALMA do a good job of bringing you good music."
Bandleader John Baboian then introduced the group and said, "I hope you’ll
enjoy this musical experience. Even for us as a band it’s unusual that we’re
all in the same place at the same time because of our teaching and work
schedules."
He explained of Berklee, "We’re the biggest music college in the world with
4,000 music majors. 25 percent of them are guitar majors."
All of the evening’s songs and melodies came from the band’s new album, some
of which are jazz improvisos on old chestnuts, such Harry Schroeder’s "I’ll
Never Go Back to Georgia Brown"-a new take on the 1930s classic.
While playing Dizzy Gillespie’s gem, "Salt Peanuts", Baboian called out, "We
like to do a sing-a-long at every Baboian event." The crowd responded on the
bandleader’s cue with the interjected refrain, "Salt, Peanuts, Salt
Peanuts!" amidst much thrall and enjoyment.
Playing Dexter Gordon’s "Cheesecake," Baboian quipped to the audience, "Ya
know, cheesecake used to be one of my favorite foods. Then I found out I was
lactose intolerant."
Other highlights included a soft chord romantic rendition of Charlie Haden’s
"Waltz for Ruth" (created with love by the composer for his wife, Ruth) and
namesake track of the album, "Freshly Painted Blues," an original piece
composed by Baboian.
Baboian prologued another of his compositions, "Johnny’s House" with an
anecdote about his past musical travels to South Africa, the country which
inspired the piece and within whose borders it was created.
He said of the post-Apartheid nation, "In South Africa there’s a lot of
happy music that comes from the people there-and I thought up this melody
while I was there to bring home those feelings."
Baboian ended on a wry but pragmatic note about the song, saying, "And of
course, the name comes from the fact that I was staying in my friend Johnny’s
house."
Read Andy Turpin’s interview with Baboian in the features section.
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