Remembering Varujan Pambukhchyan: Armenia is a country without forest

The attached is my abridged translation of Varujan Pambukhchyan’s posting on his Facebook page. Varujan is a native of Armenia and has his own distinctive style of narration and diction presenting a challenge to have it translated while attempting to remain true to his distinct original text,  that is why I attached the original piece in his Armenian writing style. I met and befriended Varujan on the social media and over the years I came to know him as a man who is whole-heartedly devoted to Armenia. Regretfully he unexpectedly passed away on January 15, 2022. Attached a glimpse of his varied interest and writing style. Բնագիրը՝ «Հայաստանն անտառազորկ յէրկիր է» կցուած է ներքեւը. Vahe H. Apelian

Varujan Pambukhchyan

***

Armenia is a country without forest 

Four years ago I researched about the forests in Armenia. The sources of my research made it evident that from Soviet years the most valuable  (native) trees such as Hajareni ¹and Gaghni ², growing in our forests, were being cut on a very large scale.

It is true that during the Soviet years extended forestation work was being done but even then the forests of Armenian were showing sign of being near to death. The thing is that the forest is a self-sustaining organism and everything is intimately tied together. From Soviet times, our forests already were losing their self-sustenance because, so to speak, the birthing and the dying process was forfeited in favor of the dying.

When the Artsakh movement started, the Baku-Tiflis-Yerevan railroad that brought to Armenia 75% of the goods from outside, was shut down. As an unavoidable outcome, the massive importation of timber from Russia ended.

When the Artsakh movement became Artsakh war and the encirclement became a reality, the real massacre, slaughter, butchery, and genocide (of the forests) started that continued to this day. 

As to how many Armenian sounding high placed officials from Akhalkalak, Lori, and  Artsakh, at the expense of the day by day dying forests, became millionaires, multimillionaires (of course in dollar and euro), let that remain on their conscience because I am not convinced that they should be punished.  I would only advise these people that, at the expense of the annihilation of the country’s nature and filling up their guts with money, not to give speeches about “ selfless dedication”, of “United Armenia” and things like that.

Sixty (60) years are needed to have a viable forest that is self-sustaining. For the country to be deemed to be a normal expanse, 50 (fifty) percent of the country must be forested. Our neighbor Georgia is 37% forested.

Of course, Prime Minister Pashinyan is right when he prevented the cutting down of the forests. Of course, those who raised their voices objecting were political partisans or were naïve…

Courtesy Raffi Doudaklian

Preventing (cutting down) is vital because according to official sources eight percent of our country is forested, as I said, it is devoid of being self-sustaining. However before preventing (cutting trees), first and foremost, it is important to organize the importation of timber. Winter is ahead of us and many families warm their houses by burning wood.

According to an official document from the Armenian Tree Project Jeff Masarjian: “today (that is to say in 2008 V. B.) when only 8% of Armenia has remained covered with forest and every year around 5,000 hectares is being deforested”. And according to Dr. George Nersesyan (see note 3) (դոկտօրՋօրջ ներսեսյանի) “if the deforestation continues for another twenty years, Armenia will become completely deforested”.  Dr. George Nesesyan is the coordinator of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).

Ten years have passed since the declaration of Dr. George Nersesyan. It is entirely possible that there will not be forested covering in Armenia (in another 10 years). But already there is hardly any forest left in Armenia because a forest is a living entity; it is not only many trees. It is a living body that has already been dismembered and we are now dealing with the dismembered parts, not the organism itself.

p.s. Some sources claim that during the days of   Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia exported timber to Iran and Germany. 

Varujan Pambukhchyan

August 8, 2019

Nor Yerznka (is a town in the Kotayk Province of Armenia)

Notes: 

1.Hajareni (Հաճարենի), (beech) is a deciduous native tree in Armenia. It grows 40 to 50 meters tall and 1.5 to 2 meters in trunk perimeter. It lives for more than 400 years. it is one of the trees that dominate the forestry in Armenia and is found mostly Lori, Tavush and rarely in Kotyak and Syunik. 

2. Gaghni (Կաղնի) (oak). There are many varieties in Armenia. It is found in Lori, Kotyak, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots, Syunik and other districts. It grows 40 to 50 meters tall, ceasing to grow taller after its 80th year, henceforth its branches. it lives 500-600 years at a time over 1000 years. The tree has come to symbolize strength and longevity.

3. The only professional forester that worked with the Armenia Tree Project has been Dr. George Nercessian (from British Columbia). We worked together in 2002-2003. (Antoine S. Terjanian)

His report : George Nercesian History of forests in Armenia1

***

Բնագիրը՝ «Հայաստանն անտառազորկ յէրկիր է» կցուած է ներքեւը. 

Կից ներկայացնում եմ Վարուժան Փամբուխչյանի՝ ֆեյսբուքյան իր էջում կատարած գրառման իմ կրճատ թարգմանությունը։ Վարուժանը բնիկ հայաստանցի է և ունի իր ուրույն յուրահատուկ շարադրանքն ու շարադրանքը, որը դժվար է թարգմանել այն՝ փորձելով հավատարիմ մնալ իր հստակ բնագրին, այդ իսկ պատճառով ես կցեցի բնօրինակը նրա հայերեն գրելաոճով: Ես հանդիպեցի և ընկերացա Վարուժանի հետ սոցցանցերում և տարիների ընթացքում նրան ճանաչեցի որպես մի մարդու, ով ամբողջ սրտով նվիրված է Հայաստանին: Ցավոք, նա անսպասելիորեն մահացավ 2022 թվականի հունվարի 15-ին: Կցվեց իր տարբեր հետաքրքրությունների և գրելու ոճի մի ակնարկ: Վահէ Յ Աբէլեան

Հայաստանն անտառազորկ յէրկիրէ...

Շորջ տաս տարի առաջ, այս նոյն խօրագրօւ մի հէտազօտոթյոն արէցի Հայաստանի անտառնէրի ւէրաբէրյալ: Ոսոմնասիրածս աղբյորնէրից պարզ դարձաւ, ւօրարդէն խօրհրդային տարինէրին չափից աւէլի էին հատւէլ մէրյէրկրի անտառնէրոմ աճօղ ամէնաարժէքաւօրծառատէսակնէրը՝ կաղնին ո հաճարին: Ճիշտ է խօրհրդային տարինէրին անտառատնկման լայնածաւալ աշխատանքնէրէին տարւոմ, սակայն, Հայաստանի անտառնէրն այն ժամանակնէրից էին սկսէլ մահամէրձոթյան նշաննէրցոյց տալ: Բանն այն է, ւօրանտառն ինքնաւէրականգնւօղ օրգանիզմ է՝ համակարգ, որամէն ինչ սէրտօրէն կապակցւած է. խօրհրդային օրէրին մէրանտառնէրն արդէն սկսէլ էին կօրցնէլ այդկարօղոթյոնը, ւօրօւհէտյէւ խախտւէլ էր, այսպէս ասած, ծնէլիոթյան ո մահացոթյան հաշւէկշիռը (բալանսը)՝ հօգոտ մահացոթյան...
Յէրբ սկսւէց արցախյան շարժոմն ո փակւէց Բաքո-Թիֆլիս Յէրյէւան յէրկաթողին, որու Հայաստան էին նէրկրւոմ ո արտահանւոմ բէռնէրի 75 (յօթանասոնհ՜ինգ) տօկօսը, ւօրպէս դրա անխոսափէլի հէտյէւանք, դադարէց նայէւ հսկայածաւալ անտառափայտի նէրկրոմը Ռոսաստանյան Դաշնոթյոնից...
Յէրբ Արցախյան շարժոմը վէրածւէց Արցախյան պատէրազմի յէւ շրջափակոմը դարձաւ իրողոթյոն, սկսւէց անտառնէրի իսկական ջարդը, կօտօրածը, սպանդն ո ցէղասպանոթյոնը, ւօրը շարոնակւէց մինչյէւ ւէրջէրս՝ մինչյէւ <<իջյէւանյան ղալմաղալնէր>>...
Թէ քանի հայանոն աստիճանաւօրնէր՝ ախալքալաքցինէր, լօռէցինէր, արցախցինէր... ի հաշիւ օրաւորմէռնօղ անտառնէրի դարձան միլօնատէրէրո բազմամիլիօնատէրէր(ի հարկէ՝ դօլարօւ, յէւրօյօւ) դա թօղ մնա իրէնց խղճին, քանզի համօզւած չէմ, ւօրնրանք պատժւէլո էն: Կցանկանայի միայն խօրհորդտալ այդմարդկանց, ւօրիրէնց յէրկրի բնոթյան ւօչնչացման հաշւին <<ւաստակած>> փօղէրօւ ւօրկօրնէրը լցնէլիս, ճառէրչասէն <<անսակարկ նւիրման>>, ՙ<<Միացյալ Հայաստանի>> ո նման այլ բանէրի մասին: Արա՛, խմէք սոսոփոս... Սոսոփո՛ս խմէք, ւօրպէսզի հաջօրդառաւօտ արթնանալիս գօնէ ձէրլամոկնէրի աչքէրին կարօղանաք նայէլ...
Իսկական անտառ ոնէնալո համարանհրաժէշտ է (60) վաթսոն տարի, անտառ, ւօրն իրօ՛ք ոնակ է ինքնաւէրականգնման: Վօրպէսզի յէրկրի տարածքը համարւի նօրմալ տարածք, անհրաժէշտ է, ւօրանտառապատ լինի յէրկրի տարածքի հիսոն 50 (հիսո՜ն) տօկօսը... Մերհարյէւան Վրաստանոմ անտառապատ է տարածքի 37 տօկօսը...
Ի հարկէ՛, ւարչապէտ Փաշինյանը իրաւացի էրյէրբ արգէլոմ էրանտառահատոմնէրը, իհարկ՛, այն մարդիկ, օւքէրձայնէրը գլոխնէրն էին գցէլ, կօղմնակալ էին կամ էլ միամիտ... Արգէլէլն անհրաժէշտ է, քանի ւօր, ըստ պաշտօնական աղբյորնէրի, անտառապատ է մէրյէրկրի տարածքի մօտ ոթ տօկօսը, ւօրն էլ, ինչպէս ասացի, ինքնաւէրարտադրոթյան կարօղոթյոնից հիմնականոմ զորկ է: Սակայն արգէլէլոց առաջ նախ պէտք էրկազմակէրպէլ ՌԴ-ից անտառափայտի նէրկրոմնէրը... Դէմը ձմէռ է, իսկ շատ ընտանիքնէրիրէնց տնէրը փայտօւ էն տաքացնոմ...
Ըստ <<Հայաստանի ծառատոնկ>> առաքէլոթյան տնօրէն Ջէֆ Մասարջյանի կօղմից 2008-ին տարածած մի փաստաթղթի <<Այսօր(այսինքն՝ 2008-ին-Վ. Փ.) , երբ Հայաստանի տարածքի միայն ութ տոկոսն է մնացէլ անտառածածկ, և յորաքանչյորտարի շորջ 5,000 հա անտառ է հատվոմ՚>>: Իսկ, դոկտօրՋօրջ ներսեսյանի կարծիքօւ <<Անտառահատոմը ևս 20 տարի շարոնակվելո դեպքոմ Հայաստանի անտառածածկոյթը գրեթե ամբողջովին կվերանա>> (տէս նոյն տեղոմ): ԴօկտօրՋօրջ Ներսեյանը ՄԱԿ-ի Զարգացման ծրագրի (UNDP)-համակարգօղն էր:
ԴօկտօրՆէրսէսյանի հայտարարոթյոնից հէտօ անցէլ է տաս տարի: Դէ՛ ինչ, բան չմնաց, մի տաս տարի հէտօ, լիօւին հնարաւօրէ, ւօրՀայաստանոմ անտառաԾԱԾԿՈՅԹ չլինի: Բայց արդէն այժմ Հայաստանոմ անտառնէրգրէթէ գօյոթյոն չոնէն, քանզի անտառը կէնդանի մարմին է յէւ սօսկ ծառէրի թւաքանակ չէ, կենդանի մարմին, ւօրն արդէն քառատւէլ է...

Հ. Գ. Քառատէլիս, նախ կտրոմ էն մարդո ձէռքը, հէտօ՝ ւօտքը, այնոհէտյէւ՝ գլոխը: Արդյոնքոմ ստացւոմ է 4 կտօր, այսինքն՝ այլյէւս օրգանիզմի հէտ գօրծ չոնէնք, այլ կան առանձին օրգաննէր...

Հ. Գ-2 Ի դէպ՝ ըստ ւօրօշ աղբյորնէրի <<քաղբանտարկյալ>> Ռ. Քօչարյանի յէւ առայժմ <<ւօչքաղբանտարկյալ>> Ս. Սարգսյանի օրօք Հայաստանից անտառափայտ էրարտահանւոմ Իրան ո Գէրմանիա:

Վ. Փ.
05.08.19
ՆօրՅէրզնկա

The first student protest

Vahe H. Apelian

I leave it to historians to negate me. In my view the first  Armenian students' public protest against the Turks took place on April 6, 1970 in the American University of Beirut. Attached is my recollection of the protest. I and my classmate Movses Hovsepian who would become my brother-in-law, appear in the  attached picture that appeared on the front page of the  Aztag Daily the following day.

April 6, 1970 marks the date that I, along many other Armenian students, participated in our first ever protest against Turkey over an exhibit that was organized by the Turkish Embassy to take place in the West Hall building located in the center of the American University of Beirut campus. The timing of the exhibit in the month of April, when we commemorate the genocide, could not have been coincidental. The exhibit would have highlighted Turkish culture.

To be fair to the University authorities, I would like to note that they had allowed the Armenians organize an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 1965 in the same West Hall building, five years before the Turkish exhibit.

The protest was spearheaded by the student members of the A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association, arguably the oldest university or college level Armenian student association in the Diaspora. Simon Zavarian had founded the student association in 1904 during his field trip to the Armenian communities in greater Cilicia. Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire then. Some of the members of this student association were martyred during the Genocide. Years later the student association was renamed after its founder who was also a founder of the A.R.F.

The Zavarian Student Association enjoyed a privileged status within the A.R.F. hierarchy. While other bodies needed to have a certain number of members to attain a similar status, the Zavarian Student Association was exempt from such requirement. Consequently, the organizers of the protest reported to their superiors of their intention. The latter’s response became akin to what Khrimian Hayrig had told those who wanted to abide by the wishes of the young poet Bedros Tourian and have him buried with a music band playing during the funeral procession, contrary to the accepted norms and hence the church had not given them permission. In desperation they appealed to the Patriarch Khrimian Hayrig, who famously told them that he too will not give them his permission but will forgive them for doing so. So was the case this time around. The party higher ups did not give their explicit permission but would not reprimand the students for doing so.  It later became evident, without telling the student organizers, the ARF leadership had provided security should the demonstrating students would be mishandled by unlawful elements.

As the date of the opening of the exhibit on April 6 approached, the student members of the Zavarian Sutdent Association had a flyer distributed. I have kept one flyer all these years having it cross with me oceans and continents. It is posted below. The language appears to be confrontational. It forewarns that unspecified “serious consequences might ensue” should the Turkish exhibit take place as planned.

 

The opening of the exhibit was planned in the afternoon of April 6, 1970. Checking the date revealed that it was Monday. That very afternoon the Armenian students started heading towards the West Hall and were directed to sit next to each other on the stairways leading to the building. As the attached picture of the front page of the next day’s “Aztag” Daily shows, the students sat tight next to each other. The circle on the picture depicts me and my friend and classmate Movses Hovsepian, who would be my brother-in-law. Some of the students carried banners. Dignitaries started coming for the opening of the exhibit but they encountered the students barricading the building entrance with their sit-in and hence could not enter. To the credit of the University authorities, they did not call police or have university’s security to dispel the students. The Turkish exhibit thus could not take place. The next day, the “Aztag” Daily heralded that 500 Armenian students had foiled a Turkish exhibit by peaceful demonstration, (see the attached April 7,1970 front page of the “Aztag” daily).

Fifty years have come and gone by since that day. Those young and restless Armenian students are now parents, grandparents and surely have mellowed a bit and are “wiser”, if age ever imparted wisdom. Some have left this world for good such as my brother-in-law Movses. Most if not all surely remember the event, much like I do, as a watershed moment in their lives.  First experiences remain entrenched in our memories for good. They now watch a new generation of students carrying the torch. 

U

From Memorial Monument to Memorial Monument: The longest march

The Armenian community in Lebanon will commemorate the 109^th anniversary of Medz Yeghern on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 with a torch light procession from Bourj Hammoud to the catholicosate in Antelias. I was reminded of the 1971 commemorative march. Attached is my reproduction of a blog about the march I wrote on April 18, 2017. Vahe H Apelian

Arguably it was the longest Genocide memorial march in the Diaspora and it was called from Memorial Monument to Memorial Monument. For all those who came of age in Lebanon in 1965, the year we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Genocide, likely remember the commemorative march on Saturday, April 24, 1971. That march, in my estimation, remains the longest Armenian Genocide commemorative march in the Diaspora. The participants were bused to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument situated on the premises of the Catholicosate’s summer monastery in the mountainous Bikfaya, and walked all the way to the Catholicosate of Cilicia in coastal city Antelias. Wikipedia tells me that the distance is 16 Km or 10 miles of steep down-hill walk. 

I was reminded of this march when Laura Vartan Agnerian from Canada, after having read my article titled “The First Protest”, posted on my Face book page a copy of the tickets issued by the organizers of that march, who were members of the A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association. I doubt that any other exists. It is fair, I thought, that I pen my remembrance of the event aided by the reporting that appeared on the pages of “Aztag” Daily on Tuesday April 27. 1971

The ticket Laura posted is telling of the era. The clenched fist had become the standard poster displayed by the youth then. I can state with some confidence that it was designed by the member/s of A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association at the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Genocide and was often depicted on Genocide commemorative posters henceforth and to this day. The ticket also notes of one (1) Lebanese Pound due (dourk), not a donation, but a due for Hai Tahd, the Armenian Cause. This ticket is No.8445. Such tickets were usually issued in whole numbers. One can easily surmise that at least 10.000 tickets  were issued.   

The 1971 Genocide commemorative march was called “From Monument to Monument” (houshartsane houshartsan) because, as noted, it started from the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument on the premises of the Catholicosate of Cilicia monastery in Bikfaya. The monument there was designed by Zaven Khedeshian. It depicts an abstract figure of a woman standing with her hands extending towards the sky. The following is inscribed at the foot of the monument in Armenian and Arabic as well: “This monument, commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Armenian genocide was erected with the cooperation of the whole Armenian Community in Lebanon to celebrate the rebirth of the Armenian nation and to express gratitude to our country, Lebanon, April 24, 1969”. 

“Aztag” daily noted that the Saturday, April 24, 1971 March was a community wide undertaking but the event was conceived, planned and organized by the A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association. The event was a cornerstone. An upcoming generation had started asserting itself and assuming the mantle pursuing the peaceful but determined resolution of the Armenian Genocide.  "Aztag" Daily reported that an estimated 30,000 marchers participated in the event.

The Friday evening to the Saturday morning became a period of uneasiness both for those who planned to march and for the organizers as well due to a capricious weather. In spite of all indications that a downpour awaited them, the marchers started coming to the assigned sites from where they were bused to Bikfaya. By 9 a.m., when the march started, some 25,000 people had gathered around the Genocide Memorial Monument. Fortunately, it did not rain. The marchers on their way to Bikfaya in buses had encountered a moving sight. They saw a young man shouldering a huge wooden cross with a two-pan scale mounted on the cross, symbolizing quest for justice, braving the steep uphill walk towards the monument all by himself.

George Azad Apelian carrying the wooden cross

The bearer of the wooden cross was the late  George Azad Apelian who was a student at the Haigazian University, a College then. He had embarked on his lone march towards Bikfaya very early that day to meet the marchers at the monument on the scheduled time. He had his relative Stepan Panossian fabricate a large wooden cross to accentuate the event and draw attention. The late Stepan Panossian is the father of Dr. Razmig Panossian, the director of the Armenian Department of the Gulbenkian Foundation. The cross was big enough when George carried it on his shoulder its long arm touched the ground at its far end. On the front arm a double pan balance was attached. The attached picture depicts George mounting the cross with its double beam balance, nearing the Bikfaya Genocide monument. Henceforth George, in close circles, was endearingly called, “The Cross Bearer” (khachager - Խաչակիր). George’s maternal grandfather, Rev. Georji Shammas was an Armenian Evangelical pastor who was killed in 1909 during the Adana Massacre. His paternal great-grandfather was also killed during genocide in the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour. 

The march from Bikfaya started at 9 a.m. The marchers were lead by the scouting organization, student associations, community dignitaries lead by the long standing 76 years old Lebanese Armenian Parliamentarian, Movses Der Kalousitan. The marchers walked in an orderly fashion along both sides of the road not to disturb the ongoing traffic. The marchers themselves made a 2 miles long procession. At times the progression of the march slowed down because of fatigue and then resumed its pace. It lasted more than 3.5 hours. Reporters from various local and international organizations were also there to report on the event. As the marchers approached Antelias city center, their rank swelled with those waiting for their arrival and both then headed towards the catholicosate where Archbishop Dajad Ourfalian, the prelate in Lebanon, addressed the marchers from the steps of the Armenian Genocide Chapel that houses bones of victims collected from the killing field, the desert of Deir-ez-Zor.

The aftermath of the 50^th anniversary commemoration was marked by a youthful activism. The 1971 Armenian Genocide commemorative march in Lebanon came to symbolize the young’s  quest for a just resolution of the Armenian Genocide. Over fifty years have come and gone by from that date. Some of the young organizers of the march are not with us anymore.  I can claim that generation did not fail their parents and grandparents and carried on the torch for just resolution of the Armenian genocide with determination. No wonder "Aztag" Daily heralded the event on its front page giving due tribute to the upcoming generation, as follows:  "A SENTIMENTAL EXPRESSION OF RESPECT, A MAGNIFICENT PICTURE OF REBIRTH”

A genuine call by the eminent Armenian-American educator Gabriel Injejikian

Vahe H. Apelian

This is a repost of the blog I posted on October 31, 2019 under a different title. I thought its fair that I post it again pursuant to the April 5, 2024, the Hamazkayin Eastern U.S.A. Region Executive presentation the challenges of the schools the Hamazkayin Central Executive administers in Lebanon, Marseille, Paris and Sydney. Other than the one in Lebanon. The Armenian school in the Diaspora receiving state assistance, a new trend and a new challenge, as well as new opportunities in the U.S., which will be the Charter School. Gabriel Injejikian, the pioneer of the Armenian schools in the U.S. was a proponent for Charter Schools. Vahe H. Apelian

The news of AGBU closing Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School, the last Armenian school established in greater Los Angeles, has understandably upset the community. In 2017 the community experienced a similar situation when Tekeyan Cultural Association closed Arshag Dikranian School. I want to believe that legitimate reasons have forced these esteemed Armenian organizations to take such drastic measures. Consolidating Armenian schools by closing some has become an unfortunate reality in the hub of the Diaspora Armenian communities in Beirut and Aleppo as well. 

The unfolding of this reality necessitates the Armenian community leadership to reassess their traditional way running Armenian schools in the Diaspora.

I am not an educator. However, since childhood I have been exposed to issues about Armenian schools. I have been privy to conversations among educators, thanks mostly to my mother, who taught in Diaspora Armenian schools for five decades. I remember her saying that the late Yetvart Daronian, the principal of Sourp Nshan Armenian School, would say during deliberations regarding the state of the Armenian schools: “Keep the government away from our schools.” Times have changed and I do not think we can afford to dismiss the schools run by the states and ignore them as possible avenues for our students to learn our language while attending state-run schools, although the apparent thinking within our community leadership is still to have our schools all together independent from the schools run by the governments of our host counties. Of course that would have been the idle situation but we cannot ignore anymore the reality that it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so and is bound to be more challenging.

During the 2011/2012 scholastic year, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the West Coast allocated $800,000 to the Armenian schools in its jurisdiction. The money was raised during Catholicos Aram I’s pontifical visit to the West Coast U.S.A. During his pontifical visit Catholicos Aram I stated over and over again that no Armenian student should stay away from Armenian school because of lack of money. The call is noble, of course, yet there is the economic reality that plagues our communities that stands on the way to live by that noble call. Whether infusing such sums of money would have been possible in the coming years as well remained a moot question. Eight years have come and gone by since that visit, I have yet to hear such an infusion of money as two schools closed in Los Angeles.

There was a time when the Armenian schools in the Diaspora had their pay scale. Not anylonger, at least not in the United States. The teachers in Armenians schools rightfully expect to be paid commensurate to their education and on par with the teachers in public schools, and other expenses are necessitating budgets in the Armenian schools that are becoming more difficult to meet. 

Hence comes Gabriel Injejikian's call - the pioneer of the Armenian day schools in the U.S. - for Armenian educators led charter schools in the U.S.

I do not regard Gabriel Injejikian's call to have charter schools in Los Angeles as a back door to teach Armenian. I regard it as a genuine call for Armenian-American educators to bring their expertise in running schools to better the state of education wherever they are, in particular in Los Angeles, by making better use of the funds the state provides towards educating students and in the process offer Armenian language classes to students interested in learning the language. They may not necessarily be Armenians. It is estimated that there are some 60,000 Armenian school age students in greater Los Angeles but less than 10%  attend Armenian schools. Let us be mindful that the parents of Armenian school-age children pay mandatory taxes towards public education and yet they do not make use of their taxes it if they send their children to private Armenian schools whose cost is increasing year after year.

On June 6, 2011, in an article by Stephen Saul in the "New York Times, titled “Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grows in Texas” noted that “followers of Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic Turkish preacher of a moderate brand of Islam whose devotees have built a worldwide religious, social and nationalistic movement in his name. Gulen followers have been involved in starting similar schools around the country — there are about 120 in all, mostly in urban centers in 25 states, one of the largest collections of charter schools in America.” 

 I cite this as an example that community-wide supported Charter schools is a possibility. I do not advocate of course closing the Armenian day schools., which are private and hence financially burden the parents well beyond the mandatory tax they pay.

Charter schools advocated by Gabriel Injejikian would run with the expertise of Armenian-Americans who have a long tradition of running exemplary schools and have an innate appreciation of education and are driven by a genuine mission to improve the state of education of the upcoming generation. These values can be put in use to improve public education in the U.S while also teaching Armenian for those interested, along with Spanish, for example, as is done in the Ararat Charter School, in Los Angeles.

Most charter schools fail, I am told, after a few years of operation because they cannot maintain the education standard expected of them. The continuity of a charter school is not assured if the students attending it do not meet those standards as attested by the mandated tests. Surely the government funds the schools with an expectation of excellence. The Alex and Marie Manougian School in Southfield, Michigan has been chartered since 1996 and is thus the longest-running charter school administered by the Armenian community. It is also a testament of how well the Armenian community has run a charter school and help school age children of the many nationalities that have made the United States of America their own. The school’s program mandates Armenian as part of the school’s curriculum.

Each community will have to address the issue of the Armenian schools in the Diaspora. In the United States, the pioneer of the Armenian day schools Gabriel Injejikianhad already proposed to light a candle instead of crying foul over the unfolding reality. The candle he proposed was Charter Schools and he spearheaded it with the founding of Ararat Charter School in Los Angeles.

Gabriel Injejikian, the pioneer of the Armenian schools in America has brought forth a daring and bold idea. His call needs due attention. The answer he said is the charter school (http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-answer-is-charter-school.html )

The answer is Charter School

 Gabriel Injejikian  

On April 5, 2024, the Hamazkayin Eastern U.S.A. Region Executive held a zoom conference and presented the challenges of the schools the Hamazkayin Central Executive in Lebanon, administers in Lebanon, Marseille, Paris and Sydney. Other than the one in Lebanon, Melanton and Haig Arslanian Jemaran, the remaining three Hamazkayin affiliated schools receive funding from the state. Jemaran in Lebanon does not receive state funding not out of choice but because of the chaotic state in Lebanon and absence of a coherently functioning government. The Armenian school in the Diaspora receiving state assistance is a new trend. It presents a new challenge to the school’s Armenian administration but also opens new possibilities. In the U.S. that will be the Charter Schools. Gabriel Injejikian, the pioneer of the Armenian schools in the U.S. was a proponent for Charter Schools. On December 31, 2011 Gabriel Injejikiian posted an article he wrote in Asbarez Daily’s New Year special issue. He titled the article “The Answer is Charter Schools.” I translated his article. Gabriel read and approved my translation. On January 8, 2012 I posted my translation of Gabriel Injejikian’s said article in Keghart.com. Given the emerging trend, I thought it would be timely to have the article reproduced and posted again in my blog. Vahe H Apelian

 

“What are Charter Schools and why do I think that they provide a golden opportunity to teach Armenian to the Armenian American students?

The laws governing Charter Schools in California were enacted in 1991. They came into effect because many public schools were not living up to the educational standards expected of them as evidenced by the poor academic performance in national achievement tests. Charter Schools come about in two ways. An existing public school may be converted to a Charter School, or an individual or an organization may start a Charter School.

The Charter Schools are semi-independent public schools. These schools are expected to outperform the public schools within their designated area as evidenced by the higher academic performance of their students on national achievement tests. If they succeed in their mission, their permit is renewed every five years. If they do not succeed, their permit is revoked.

Charter Schools must offer the students the state’s mandated curriculum. Besides the mandated curriculum they may offer students additional subjects such as foreign languages, longer school days or academic year. Charter Schools are not permitted to teach religion. They do not have the right to refuse a student. In the event the number of students applying is more than the seats available, then the students will be chosen by lottery.

The state funds Charter Schools at the same rate as the public schools according to the number of the students enrolled. Charter Schools are not permitted to require parents to pay tuition. However, parents are permitted to make donations for the betterment of the school.

Why do I think that Charter Schools present a golden opportunity to teach Armenian language and culture to a much larger number of Armenian American students?

There was no Armenian School in the United States until1964 when thanks to the overwhelming encouragement and support by the Armenians in Lebanon “Ferrahian” school was started in Encino, California with 12 students. During the following 25 years, 25 Armenian schools were established, enrolling around 6000 students.

The Armenian community in Los Angeles more than doubled during the last two decades during which time the only new Armenian School that was founded is the AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School in Pasadena in 2006 (see the note below). However, in spite of more than doubling of the Armenian Americans, the number of the students attending Armenian schools has noticeably declined.

Presently there are approximately 60,000 Armenian American students in California. Less than ten percent (10%) attend regular private and one-day Armenian schools. One of the most important causes for this sad state is definitely the cost of the tuition.

Times have changed. There was a time when the American public schools advocated the students from immigrant parents to shed away their culture and accept and adapt to the American culture. Nowadays the prevailing mentality is that we need to retain our ethnic language and culture to enrich the American culture.

The first Charter School in California to teach Armenian is the Ararat Charter School (see WWW. AraratCharterSchool.com.) It is situated in Van Nuys. The school was established two years ago by a group of self-appointed pioneer educators. It started with 120 students from kindergarten to third grade. This year the number of the students increased to 257 and we added a fourth grade. To accommodate the growing number of students we established three more kindergarten classes as well. We had 140 applicants for the 66 available seats. To our great regret, we had to turn down those who were not lucky enough to have their names drawn in the lottery.

Ararat Charter School is the only Charter School in Los Angeles that teaches Armenian and Spanish languages and cultures to every student starting with kindergarten. Ninety-Five percent (95%) of its students are ethnic Armenians. The only Armenian School in Michigan, Alex and Marie Manougian High School in Southfield, was chartered in 1995 and also teaches the Armenian language as an inherent part of its curriculum.

Let us preserve and improve the excellent private Armenian schools we have established over the past decades. Let us also have more of these semi-independent Charter Schools as well.

Honestly, I hope that it will not take additional decades for our community leaders to start establishing Charter Schools to teach Armenian language and culture to the ninety percent (90%) of the ethnic Armenian students who do not or more importantly cannot afford to attend the private Armenian schools.

For further details, you may contact me at 818-885-5232. I will gladly respond to your questions.” 

***

Note:  AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School was a private Armenian-American school located in Pasadena, California, United States, which opened its doors in September 2006 and closed in 2020. The campus is owned and operated by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the largest Armenian philanthropic organization in the diaspora that also sponsors 17 Armenian day schools around the world. The school was administratively and academically affiliated with AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, a college preparatory high school in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The school met high school requirements, which included a science lab, library, indoor gym, computer lab, assembly hall, and cafeteria.