Category: 2019

WASHINGTON—The Chairwoman of Idaho’s chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America, Liyah Babayan, joined with national ANCA leaders, met with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) at a recent policy consultation in Washington, D.C.

“I appreciated the opportunity to share with Chairman Risch the Idaho Armenian community’s support for a permanent U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide – one which properly honors the heroic role that Idahoans and all Americans played in saving hundreds of thousands of orphans through the Congressionally-mandated Near East Relief effort,” said ANCA Idaho Chairwoman Liyah Babayan. “As the great-grandchild of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, forced to flee Azerbaijani government-organized violence against the country’s Armenian minority, my family and I understand first-hand the importance of properly commemorating this crime, condemning its denial, and ensuring that the lessons of the past contribute to a more tolerant future,” she continued.

As Chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch holds the authority to schedule a vote on S.Res.150, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, introduced by the panel’s Ranking Democrat, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). This bipartisan measure, co-authored by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), is cosponsored by seventeen other Senators, including four current presidential candidates – Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Babayan was joined by ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian, ANCA Western Region Executive Director Armen Sahakyan, and ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan.

Babayan shared the efforts of the Idaho Armenian community to commemorate the Armenian Genocide and honor the efforts of Idahoans to helped survivors of that crime. Through participation in the congressionally mandated Near East Relief program, Idahoans sponsored the care and well-being of over 2,000 orphans of the Armenian Genocide, providing the cost of clothing and feeding these children. The residents of Idaho also contributed an impressive 100 tons of clothing and shoes through the designated NER district office in neighboring Washington State. A broader review of the humanitarian spirit of Idaho residents is available on the ANCA Western Region’s “America We Thank You” website.

The Idaho Armenian community has established three commemorative sites in honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, including a plaque placed in 2006 in Ann Morrison Public Park, in Boise; a granite memorial stone placed in Twin Falls City Park in 2009; and, a memorial established in 2018 as part of the Marilyn Shuler Outdoor Classroom for Human Rights, at the site of the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise.

Some 70 years after the Armenian Genocide, Idaho served as safe-haven for Armenians fleeing the Azerbaijani Government instigated pogroms in Baku, offering a new life and future for many, including Babayan and her family. After arriving in Twin Falls through the assistance of the CSI Refugee Program, Babayan became an entrepreneur at the age of 22, served on the Twin Falls School Board, and was the first refugee to run for Twin Falls City Council. She published “Liminal: a refugee memoir,” documenting her family’s escape from the ethnic killings of Armenians in Baku, Azerbaijan and sharing her childhood perspective of war and violence during her most formative years. In 2018, she was among 10 recipients of the Idaho Hometown Heroes Award, presented to members of Idaho communities who are extraordinarily dedicated to hard work, self-improvement, and community service.

The Washington, D.C. meeting was a follow up to a recent ANCA Western Region road trip to 4 states and 5 cities in the Pacific Northwest, including Idaho, where Sahakyan, Babayan, and ANCA Western Region Government Relations Director Serob Abrahamian shared the organization’s 360-degree policy priorities with elected officials, community groups, and local Armenian Americans.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated in Prelacy Churches with Divine Liturgy, the traditional blessing of the four corners of the earth (antasdan) and blessing of basil this week.

Given that the feast marks the name day of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello, Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian celebrated Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at Holy Cross Cathedral. Vicar General, Bishop Torkom Donoyan, conducted services at St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross also marks the commencement of Sunday Schools. Thus, Sunday school directors, teachers, and students attended Divine Liturgy at their local churches and received Holy Communion.

Prelate Mardirossian was assisted at the altar by parish pastor Rev. Ashod Kambourian. Parish dean, Very Rev. Muron Aznikian, participated, as well. During the service, the Prelate conducted the “antasdan” service and blessing of basil, after which he delivered his sermon.

The Prelate gave thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to once again collectively celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to be spiritually fulfilled by the message of the Cross, strengthened by the power of the Cross, and renewed in our faith by embracing the Cross, and to commit to living our lives with faith, hope, goodness, sacrifice, devotion, and love.

“Every time we make the sign of the cross or lift up the Cross, we see in it strength, faith, hope, peace, sacrifice, loyalty, obedience, and love. Glory to the Holy Cross and glory to the Crucified One Who came to this world as the greatest manifestation of God’s love and shed His innocent blood on the Cross to liberate us from the binds of sin and grant us salvation, so that when we look to the Cross and believe, if we carry our cross and follow Christ as His faithful disciples, we too will be saved,” he stated.

Prelate Mardirossian joyfully greeted the parish family and, in particular, the Sunday school family, which begins a new year bolstered by the message of the Cross. He then gave a brief overview of the historical events relating to the recapture and return of the Cross to Jerusalem. The Prelate noted that we continue to celebrate this feast centuries on, for the Cross is the foundation of the Church and the hope of all believers; the Cross restored us from death to eternal life.

“This feast day is an opportunity to reflect and recommit ourselves to live according to the Way of the Cross, a life of love and sacrifice, turning to the Cross for comfort and haven in times of despair, strength and protection amid storms, light in the darkness, freedom from the binds of sin, spiritual nourishment in our hunger and thirst, and as an armor of protection against all enemies of our faith and nation. Furthermore, the message of the Cross invites us to emulate the faithfulness and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ toward God the Father, to dedicate ourselves to our church and nation with faith and love, to make sacrifices for others, and to transform our homes and families into altars of God,” concluded the Prelate.

At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, Prelate Mardirossian was led in a procession to “Bagramian” Hall for the blessing of the madagh. Afterward, attendees enjoyed the madagh luncheon hosted by the parish Ladies Aid. Fr. Muron conveyed welcoming remarks and members of the Cathedral youth group presented a program dedicated to the Cross. The Prelate once again congratulated the parish on its name day and urged all to continue their service to our church strengthened by the power of the Holy Cross.

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced that it will honor journalist and TV personality Araksya Karapetyan with the “Excellence in Media” Award at the 2019 ANCA-WR Gala. The gala will be held on Sunday, October 20 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

“Throughout her illustrious career in journalism, Araksya has always stayed true to her Armenian roots by spreading the message of the Armenian Cause through her public platform,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “We are proud to honor her at our upcoming gala banquet for her tireless work in raising awareness about issues important to our community as well as for serving as a good example to the new generation on how they too can make a positive impact in the public sphere for the benefit of our nation.”

Araksya Karapetyan joined the FOX 11 team in March of 2012. She co-anchors Good Day LA from 6 to 9 a.m. alongside Tony McEwing. A native of Armenia, Karapetyan moved to the U.S. when she was seven years old. A devastating earthquake, a brewing conflict with Azerbaijan, and the demise of the Soviet Union all contributed to her family’s decision to leave their homeland. She grew up in Palos Verdes Estates. Karapetyan worked as a general assignment reporter and fill-in host at KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon. Prior to that, she was a reporter, anchor, and producer at KIDK-TV in Idaho Falls. Karapetyan began her television career as an intern at KABC-TV in Los Angeles and KFI 640 AM radio in Burbank. Her interest in journalism sparked when she went back for a summer visit to Armenia. She decided to spend her time there not by being a tourist, but by exploring to see what everyday life was like for the majority. Karapetyan has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations and Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Last year’s gala attracted over 1,000 attendees as it honored a variety of individuals who have served their community and their country. Past gala honorees in attendance include: Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament Garo Paylan, United States Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Ed Royce, California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, California Assemblymembers Katcho Achadjian and Paul Krekorian, CA State Senator Anthony Portantino, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, artist/musician Serj Tankian, Excellence in Media recipients David & Laura McKenzie, Elizabeth Stanton, Dean Cain and Montel Williams, and legendary late coach Jerry Tarkanian, among many other distinguished honorees.

Purchase tickets now.

Stay tuned for more information on the announcement of honorees. For more information, visit our Facebook page. For any additional questions, send an email or call (818) 500 – 1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

BY ANNA ASTVATSATURIAN TURCOTTE

“As we walked through our patio, the neighbors said goodbyes and the sight was so sad that I wanted to leave this place as fast as possible. I kissed Papa goodbye. He wasn’t coming with us to the airport bus stop once again because he looked too Armenian.

We hurried to the bus station, on foot, trying not to attract anyone’s attention. Grandma accompanied us, helping Mama carry one of the bags and holding Misha’s hand.

Baku looked at me and sighed, I felt. I looked at Baku and cried.

As the bus raced through the city, I wondered when I’d see it again. Maybe in a few months, I thought, that would be the most. We hadn’t gone out into the city much after we came back from Armenia. The streets shocked me. They were so different. Lenin Square, pride and joy of the city, was a deserted lot, grimy with soot, dirt and debris left behind by violent mobs. Clean up and repairs were in process; even the pathway to the stairs leading into the government building and the base of the Lenin monument seemed burnt to a pitch black in several places in the heat of repeated bigoted conflagration.

The airport was filled with people. It seemed like the whole city was leaving. We stood in line, and after a while waved Grandma goodbye. “I love you,” I said to her. She smiled and kissed me. And then my Baku was gone.” – Excerpt from “Nowhere, a Story of Exile,” by Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

I wrote these lines as a teenager, just learning English, sitting in a small bedroom of our Section-8 apartment we called our first home in United States. In this small North Dakota town, this was the first room I was to call my own. It was small and warm, a clean escape from the stresses of adapting to America and missing my relatives. These lines, which I wrote by hand, were meant to describe an emotional day of my life, September 18, 1989 – in a sense a love poem to my birth city. Now, with the foresight of the last 30 years I can say without hesitation that this was the most important day of my life, the day that shaped me as a human being for the next three decades and more, the day that shaped me as a mother, and propelled me to be an active and vocal member of the society. September 18, 1989 was the day I became a refugee.

But then, at the age of 11 and a half, this was simply a day I was leaving my beloved hometown, my house, my sweet grandmother, and my childhood friends. With the separation of time, and much reflection, we are able to see the important events in a different light, together with other components of our personality and our inner drives. Perhaps these important events eventually dull in the influence they have on who we are because we grow and change. But, time and time again, no matter how much I’ve survived or achieved in my life, I come back to this day, in my dreams, in my writing, in the art that I make, in the home that I create for my family, and in the things I value the most. Time and time again I reevaluate myself against this day: asking who am I, and who am I supposed to be?

Then, there are days when I doubt if I am who I was meant to be if it wasn’t for that fateful day, that fateful year. And, with that constant self-reflection, my friends will be the first to tell you, that I am many different things and they wouldn’t want me any other way. My garden in my home in Westbrook, Maine, is reminiscent of my garden in Baku – which I treasured as I child. I would hide underneath the grapevine-covered canopy and read the books from my father’s library, the library of 2,000 books, many of them antiques, that he was forced to leave behind.

Today, in 2019, I observe my children read under the grapevine that is growing in their backyard in Maine, and I smile. In that way, I take the good of my early childhood and combine it with the strength that the pain of fleeing my home created in me. Similarly, I see this in the work that refugees do across this country. My father, for example, a renowned Armenian repoussé artist, takes the skills of metal embossing he learned in the Soviet Baku and applies it to beautiful and ancient Armenian imagery, all while listening to duduk in his workshop. The refugee families across the country take the successes of our difficult lives and apply them to help others and, in turn, define who they are.

Only a refugee can understand this dichotomy. Only a violently displaced individual can fully comprehend the constant longing for that place, that state of comfort, and almost never finding it. And when the refugee accepts their fractured sense of home, when they embrace themselves and stop placing so much pressure on themselves to find it, the empowerment can be seen from a mile away in the things we create. Just a few hours ago, I completed a fundraiser for a 3D printer and computer lab for Stepanakert School #8 – collecting a total of $10,000 in less than two weeks. Majority of the donors were Baku Armenians with no ties to Artsakh. They wanted to help me commemorate the 30th anniversary of Baku Pogroms of January, 1990 in Artsakh by helping School #8 obtain state of the art 3D technology. There is strength in these projects from humanitarian perspective: we are helping Artsakh children. But there is so much more to this – we, as refugees, take our pain, our built up strength, and our vision for the future, and we create a new home for ourselves and everyone around us. Thirty years later, we survive, and we still question who we are meant to be. But in the end, we create. We create as our ancestors did and only that way we find peace.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American writer lecturer, city councilor, businesswoman, and a former refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan.

WASHINGTON—Among the Democratic Representatives selected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the conference committee charged with reconciling the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act – which includes, on the House side, the ANCA-backed Sherman and Chu Amendments – are all three Democratic leaders of the Congressional Armenian Caucus: Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).

“We look to House and Senate NDAA conferees to maintain the Sherman and Chu amendments – two constructive pro-peace measures that advance our American interest in a durable and democratic resolution of outstanding status and security issues between Artsakh and Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan.

The Sherman Amendment – offered by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA), Speier, Schiff, and Pallone – prohibits funds from being used to transfer defense articles or services to Azerbaijan unless the President certifies to Congress that the articles or services do not threaten civil aviation. It was adopted on July 11, by a vote of 234 to 195. The text reads: “None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2020 may be used to transfer defense articles or services to Azerbaijan unless the President certifies to Congress that the transfer of such defense articles or services does not threaten civil aviation.”

The Sherman amendment was necessitated by the public assertion, reported by Radio Free Europe in March of 2011, by Arif Mamadov, the Director of Azerbaijan’s Civil Aviation Administration, that the Azerbaijani government had warned the International Civil Aviation Organization that “the law on aviation envisages the physical destruction of airplanes landing in that territory,” specifically referencing flights to Nagorno Karabakh. As a result of this threat – which has never been withdrawn – the civilian airport in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh has been closed ever since.

The Chu Amendment – offered by Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Pallone, and Schiff – supports measures to continue the cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), including the non-deployment of snipers, heavy arms, and new weaponry, the deployment of gunfire locator systems, and an increase in OSCE observers along the line-of-contact. It was adopted on July 11 by voice vote as part of an “en bloc” group of amendments. The text reads: “It is the sense of Congress that United States interests in the stability of the Caucasus region and the continuation of the Nagorno Karabakh cease-fire will be advanced by an agreement among regional stakeholders on – (1) the non-deployment of snipers, heavy arms, and new weaponry along the line-of-contact; (2) the deployment of gunfire locator systems on the line-of-contact; and (3) an increase in the number of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe observers along the line-of-contact.”

Other traditional Congressional supporters of Armenian American concerns joining Representatives Pallone, Schiff, and Speier as House conferees on the NDAA bill are House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-NY), Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Republican Devin Nunes (R-CA), senior Foreign Affairs Committee member Brad Sherman, Committee on House Administration Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and senior Armed Services Committee member James Langevin (D-RI). Of the 70 U.S. House NDAA conferees, 42 voted in support of the Sherman Amendment during a full floor vote in June.

The Senate leadership has yet to announce its NDAA conferees, but they are generally comprised of all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a small number of Senators with specific interests in the measure. Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Democrat Jack Reed (D-RI), a longtime friend of the Rhode Island Armenian community, is among key supporters of Armenian American concerns serving as a Senate conferee.

U.S. Senate and House NDAA conferees are scheduled to begin discussions on the final bill on Thursday, September 19th, though the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Armed Services Committees of both chambers have already started informal discussions on the measure.

Armenian Americans have been calling on their Congressional leaders to maintain the Sherman and Chu amendments through a nationwide online campaign launched on the ANCA March to Justice advocacy portal. To share support for the Sherman and Chu amendments, visit the website.