Organically Tied: Ամերիկահայեր եւ Լիբանահայեր

Vahe H. Apelian

Indeed, the Armenian Americans (Amerigahayir) and Lebanese Armenians (Lipanahayer) are organically tied to each other. There may not be another two  Armenian Diaspora  communities that have such historic and organic ties than the Armenians in the United States and in Lebanon.

Armenian American community’s roots in America extend well even before the Hamidian massacres. The Armenian American community’s epicenter is the town of Worcester in Massachusetts, as amply noted by its denizen the late Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian whose book titled “Worcester is America” is an actual quote uttered by an early Armenian immigrant who, upon the immigration official’s welcome to the U.S. of America, has emphatically noted on record, “No, no, Worcester is America !”. 

The first Armenians churches were established in Worcester; Catholicos Khrimian Hayrig established the Armenian Apostolic church diocese in Worcester. The Armenian Missionary Association was founded in the city as well in the oldest Armenian church in the U.S. still in use, the Armenian Church of the Martyrs at 22 Osmond Street, Worcester, MA.  Since mid 2018 , my wife and I have been living in one of its suburbs named Boylston. 

It is fair to note that the American Armenian community came into being on its own, thanks to the persevering efforts of the early Armenian immigrants.  But, along the way, Armenian Americans extended vital assistance to their compatriots in Lebanon assisting them in laying the foundation of the Armenian community in Lebanon.

Seizing this year’s celebration of the 90the anniversary of the famed  Armenian educational institution Jemaran, I will cite the following from Antranig Zarougian’s book titled “The Greast and the Others” (Մեծերը եւ Մոյսները), relating to the Armenian Americans assisting Jemaran during its formative years.

After the passing away of the founding principle of  Jemaran, Levon Shant in 1951, Simon Vratsian was invited from America, where he was the editor of Hairenik Daily to take the helm. The newly appointed principal assisted by Antranig Zarougian  embarked on a fund-raising drive in the United States by visiting its large and small communities. The following incident took place during such a fund-raising event. 

Antranig Zarougian reminisced in his book: 

“Once Simon Vratsian was presiding over a large fund-raising gathering. He ended his introductory remark inviting me to the podium , saying:

- Whatever I tell you about Jemaran,  a tree is recognized by its fruit. Here we have both the tree and the fruit.

The fruit from the tree….. I wish that no one present knows that it’s all about a fruit that was picked prematurely (alluding to his dismissal from Jemaran a year before his graduation).

After my speech, someone from the backrows of the hall, raised his hand and asked….

- Is it true that the Lebanese Armenians say that the Armenian Americans are like a cow, let us go and milk it?

The attendees mechanically had turned their gaze to the back of the hall and with the same speed fixated their gaze on the podium, expecting an answer from me.

- It is true, there is a story about the cow but it has been interpreted wrongly. You do not have Armenian school here. We have many of them, but they are costly to run. We have come to ask you to give the milk of your cow you do not use, to us so that we take it to our  kids….

The applause ended. In the evening, during dinner, Vratsian told me

- Antranig, you spoke well, especially your response to the cow story

Vratsian was particularly well disposed that day. In the afternoon we were together when he spoke with Boston and learned that our fund-raising drive had netted $ 125,000 dollars.” Their fundraising drive had even surpassed Levon Shant’s drive that had raised $100,000, Vratsian had been anxious to meet.” (Note $125,000 in 1951 is estimated to be worth around $1,500,000 in 2020).

Generously donating towards the laying of the foundation of the Jemaran is but one of many such assistances the Armenian Americans have extended to the Armenian community in Lebanon over the decades. The late Catholicos Karekin Sarkissian poignantly recalled the generous financial assistance of early Armenian Americans to the Catholicosate of Sis in Antelias, Lebanon.  Along with the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA); the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, the Howard Karagheusian Foundation, were all established in the United States and continue to render much needed service to the Armenians in Lebanon.

Surely much has changed over the decades. During the 1950’s and 1960’s   there were not as many Armenians in the U.S. as there are now.  And yes, the community  did not have Armenian school then. But presently there are at least twenty day schools since Gabriel Injejikian founded the first Armenian Day school in America, The Holy Martyrs Ferranian High School in 1964 in Encino, California.

The Armenians in Lebanon, in turn, have remained grateful to the Armenian American community. I recall fondly when Garbriel Injejikian issued promissory notes in Beirut in 1963, when he was teaching in Haigazian University, a college then. Vicken Hovsepian, his nephew was our classmate. All of us in the class signed those promissory notes attesting that we will donate the amount we promised should Gabriel Injejikian, upon his return to the U.S. started an Armenian day school in the U.S. The first signatory of the promissory note Gabriel issued was Khoren Catholicos of blessed memory, in his red ink.. We were so much enthused at the prospect of the Armenian American community having an Armenian day school in America, a venture that was considered nearly impossible then.

A catastrophic disaster stuck Beirut on August 4, 2020. Almost right after the explosion, Armenian American organizations appealed the Armenian Americans to extend a helping hand  to the Armenians in Lebanon to patch their lives after the devastating explosion that inflicted extraordinarily devastating damage to the Armenian community as well.

It would not surprise me as this tragedy unfolds and the wounded are cared for and the damaged homes, churches, community centers are reconstructed, the Armenian Americans would emerge as the ones who extended the most help to their compatriots in Lebanon with whom they have and maintain organic ties.

Vahe H. Apelian

Worcester, MA