An Armenian Library is closed: Personal libraries – 2/2 –

The attached is my continued translation of an article Dr. Armenag Yeghiayan penned a few years ago regarding the closure of Armenian libraries (see the link below). The first segment dealt with the closure of the New York Armenian Community Center’s library and is linked below. This segment pertains to personal libraries. Vaհe H Apelian

First row: Ardashes Der-Khachadourian personal library, Ardashes Der-Khachadourian.
Second Row: Hagop Iskenderian, Vahe-Vahian

Ardashes Der-Khachadourian’s library

The library of Ardashes Der-Khachadourian, most likely was the most magnificent personal Armenian library in the entire Diaspora rivaling the Matenadaran in Armenia, the library of the Cilician See and the library of Haigazian University in Beirut. It too suffered a fate similar to the library of the New York Armenian Community Center.

In the last years of his life, Ardashes Der-Khachadourian tried to sell it, but was unsuccessful. After his death, which came as a complete surprise, his heirs tried to sell it within Lebanon, but were also unsuccessful. In the end, the representative of the Armenian Department of the British Library in London bought the entire collection and took it to England. What fate awaits those books, which were the result of a teacher’s entire life’s work, struggle, and hardships, is difficult to guess. But it is also difficult to expect that there would be people waiting in line to read them. 

Hakob Iskenderian’s library

A slightly different fate befell on the library of Hakob Iskenderian, which, although did not have the numerical wealth of its predecessor Ardasher Der-Khachadourian’s library, was probably not less to it or any other library in terms of the quality of its books. Those books covered almost all the walls of their apartment. After his untimely death, the books began to oppress and haunt his widow as everyday reminders, to the point that she finally decided to get rid of them. Help came from Zaven Yegavian, the current director of the Armenian Department of the Gulbenkian Institute, who bought them all and gathered them in his apartment in Jal El Dib, which remains closed for almost twelve months of the year, and no one opens the pages of those books.

Vahe-Vahian’s Lbrary

More fortunate than the previous two was the Vahe-Vahian’s library, which also was a gem in its own right, assembled with the greatest taste, thanks to the long-term sacrifices of the teacher and poet Vahian. He was already 82 years old, and had very difficult vision problems. “My eyes are so weak that I have great difficulty reading, even with the help of a strong magnifying glass”, he had confided in a letter. And when at the suggestion of the buyer, a lecturer of Armenian language and literature in Michigan, Vahe-Vahian described the assembly of his library, he wrote: “my eyes began to water in a state of mind for writing an obituary”. In this case, an opposite movement took place. That magnificent and exquisite library went from Middle East to the United States to establish a site under the auspices of the American Armenology Department.  What exactly is its fate there, how much Armenians and Armenology benefit from it, we do not know ( see note 1). We only know that Vahe-Vahian replaced the light he lost in his eyes with something else. By bringing together all the money he had, he established a foundation that still operates to this day, 20 years after his death, by allocating annually funds towards the publication of a worthy work on Armenology.

It is in such variegated ways that Diaspora Armenian libraries are fading away or disappearing before our helpless, sometimes indifferent eyes.

And now, here was the news of the closing of the doors of the New York Armenian Community Center's library, a century old public library.

How can we not recall the poet’s well-known lament: "The language in which I wrote, a few on the face of the earth read, they too are dwindling”.

Vahan Tekeyan had spent many difficult days. He had even had experienced the bitter taste of hunger. Contemporaries told the writer sometimes would come to the editorial office of "Zartonk", hungry relying on Parounak Tovmasian, from whom he would borrow a meager sum, as a monthly stipend, for sustenance with a daily plate of ful (see note 2). But we find no hint of personal bitterness in his prose or verse. 

There are two things, however, towards which he could not remain indifferent. Tekeyan lamented the loss of one of his eyes (see note 3), and the loss of Armenian readership.

***

Note: 1      According to a reliable source, Vahe-Vahian’s personal library is at Harvard University.

Note 2:          Ful (Foul) Medames—a Middle Eastern/North African dish of stewed fava beans—is an exceptionally cheap, healthy, and filling diet component. It is widely considered one of the most budget-friendly, nutrient-dense meals available.

Note 3:         “He (Vahan Tekeyan) closed his one and only eye to the world, his other eye having fallen victim to his political adversaries. He was an early casualty for the cause of freedom of speech as thugs beat him to death in 1916 for an editorial he had written. But he survived with one eye blinded. Later on, he composed one of the most disturbing and movingly tragic poems about his eye titled, “My Only One”. (Edmond Y. Azadian, 2010). 

Link 1:  An Armenian Library is Closed: New York Community Center: https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2024/01/an-armenian-library-is-closed.html

Link 2:       ԳՐԱԴԱՐԱՆ ՄԸՆ ԱԼ ԿԸ ՓԱԿՈՒԻ:                                                      http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2018/03/blog-post.html

 

For a diverse National Assembly

Vaհe H Apelian

 

National Assembly of Armenia make-up

The present National Assembly of Armenia consists of 107 seats. 69 seats, of the National Assembly seats make the government, and 38 seats of the National Assembly constitutes the opposition. Could the National Assembly have a a broader representation by lowering the required threshold to have seats in the National Assembly?

During the June 20, 2021 snap parliamentary election, the criteria for having seats in the National Assembly was 5% of the votes cast for a single political party, and 7% of the votes cast for a coalition. Furthermore, the National Assembly is set to have at least 3 political entities as parties or coalitions, and the opposition should constitute at least 1/3 of the National Assembly. These requirements appear not to have changed for the June 2026 election.

But, during the June 20, 2021 snap general election, Serzh Sargsyan’s I Have Honor coalition amassed only 5.22% of the votes, which would not have qualified the coalition for any seat. However, it was the highest percentage among the rest of the competing political entities that did not qualify. Since the regulation called for at least 3 political entities in the National Assembly, I Have Honor party qualified for 7 candidates. 

We should bear in mind that the number of the deputies in the National Assembly of Armenia varies. That is why the December 2018 snap parliamentary election, resulted in a 132 seats National Assembly, while the June 12, 2021 snap parliamentary resulted in 107 seats National Assembly.

It should be noted that National Assembly of Armenia includes the base 101 members plus up to four minority representatives.  The two extra seats were added to ensure opposition representation occupies 1/3 of the seats of the National Assembly, as stipulated by law. But that number varies, depending on the election results. (see the note)

Let us also bear in mind that during the June 20, 2021 parliamentary election, Nikol Pashinyan led Civil Contract party had 53.95% of the votes. Robert Kocharyan led Armenia Alliance had 21.11% of the votes.  Serzh Sargsyan led I Have Honor coalition had 5.22%. Summing up these figures comes to 80.28%. What happened to the remaining 19.72% of the votes.? These votes were not cast in favor of Civil Contract, or I Have Honor, nor in favor of Armenia Alliance. They were cast to other political entities, and there were many of them, but none of them met the threshold requirement. But these votes were not lost but were absorbed by the three parties in the National Assembly, disfranchising these voters who did not vote for them.

The votes cast for the parties that did not qualify for a seat in National Assembly were absorbed by  Civil Cotract that had 54% of the votes, it ended up with 67% - 2/3 - of the National Assembly seats; the opposition that had 25% of the votes at the election, ended up with 33% or  - 1/3 - of the National Assembly seats.

Lowering the threshold for a political entity, say  to 1%, will give opportunity for more parties to be in the National Assembly, but it will greatly complicate the formation of a coalition government and  form a coherent opposition. 

Wikipedia notes that to qualify for seats in Israel's Knesset, a political entity must receive at least 3.25% of the total national vote. It is a threshold that has been raised in 2014 from the previous 2%, to encourage greater political stability by reducing small parties, though it has faced criticism for potentially marginalizing minority groups. Parties that cross this threshold – 3.25% - earn seats in proportion to their vote share.

Now let us assume that Armenia adopted a law that permits a party or a coalition have a lower threshold, at least 3.0 % of the votes, to qualify for seats in the National Assembly. How many parties would have been in the National Assembly?

During the June 20, 2021 snap general election 1,281,375 votes were cast. 3.00 %, or 38, 441 votes would have qualified the competing party/coalition for seats in the National Assembly. Consequently, in the addition to the three, the following would have seats in the National Assembly.

Prosperous Armenia, which had 50,444 votes, having recieved 3.95% of the votes.

And

Hanrapetutyun Party, which had 38,768 votes, having received 3.02% of the votes.

What would have changed in the National Assembly?

Instead of the current opposition, consisting of I Have Honor and Armenia Alliance, there would have been two more opposition parties, Gagik Tsarukyan led Prosperous Armenia, and Aram Sargsyan led Hanrapetutyun Party. The Civil Contract would have continued to lead the legislative National Assembly, much like it does at the present.

Consequently, lowering the threshold for assuring seats in the National Assembly is not the answer, as long as one political entity carries 50 plus of the votes.   

The answer for diversifying the National Assembly of Armenia may come about by diversifying the votes cast be to a reduced number of political entities vying for power, instead of over the 20 that took part in the June 20, 2021 election. And also, increasing the pre-election threshold for a political entity to qualify for candidacy in the national election. 

Note: Why the Armenian National Assembly Number Varies? -                                  https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-armenian-national-assembly-numbers.html

  

 

Proverbs 3:4-5: In God We Trust

Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday sermon ahead of time. This Sunday January 18, 2026, Rev. Avedis Boynerian’s sermon was the Proverbs 3: 4-5. "In God We Trust" is also the official motto of the United States, mandated on all U.S. currency since 1956, appearing first on coins in 1864 during the Civil War for morale, and then on paper money in 1957, driven by Cold War anti-atheism efforts to distinguish the U.S. from the Soviet Union, though it remains a subject of debate. Use of credit card has given a mortal blow to the use of actual paper currency, and hence maybe reflecting on its motto. Attached is Rev. Avedis Boynerian’s reflection on “In God We Trust.”  Vaհe H Apelian

" The book of Proverbs is part of God’s people’s wisdom literature. 

King Solomon wrote the book primarily to teach God’s people how to live wisely and godly in everyday life. Proverbs chapter 3 is a father’s instruction to a child—a loving, pastoral appeal to walk in the fear of God. 

The chapter begins with a call to remember God’s teachings and to live with steadfast love and faithfulness. 

In the first 3 verses the writer says, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (1-3).

Before Solomon speaks about trusting God, he speaks about character.

Verse 3 urges God’s people to bind love and faithfulness around their hearts.

Verse 4 shows the result: a life marked by favor and respect  in the sight of God and others.

Verse 5 reveals the foundation: wholehearted trust in God rather than self-reliance.

In other words, (trusting God is not an abstract idea—it is the root of a faithful life.

Solomon contrasts two ways of living: trusting God with the whole heart or leaning on our own limited understanding.

This teaching was important for God’s people, who are constantly tempted to rely on human wisdom rather than rely on God. These verses remind us that true wisdom begins with dependence on God. A life that trusts God leads to integrity and blessing because it is anchored in God’s faithfulness.

Let us bring this a bit closer:

Every day we make decisions—some small, some life-changing.  We rely on experience, advice, and even our emotions to guide us.  God’s Word speaks directly into this tension in our text (Proverbs 3:5–6) in which God invites us to a different way of living—not self-reliance, but God-reliance.

Our text shows us two ways to live and one powerful promise.

The Bible does not say we have no understanding—it says do not lean on it.

A person who leans on their own understanding, they trust their experience. They say, “I know what’s best for me” and they pray after decisions instead of before. 

Let us think about someone choosing a job. The salary and benefits are great and they make sense on paper. But there is no time for family, church or spiritual growth. Instead of asking God first, the decision is made—and later we ask God to bless it. Now, that’s leaning on our own understanding.

God does not ask for partial trust—He asks for all our heart. Trusting God means, 

— Submitting decisions to Him before acting

— Saying, “Lord, you know better than I do.”

— Obeying even when the outcome is unclear

— Walking by faith, not by sight

Abraham, who did not know where God was taking him—but he put his trust in God and obeyed Him. Peter, the disciple, stepped out of the boat without understanding how water would hold him—but he trusted Jesus and walked on sea. Trust does not mean we understand everything. Trust means we believe God understands everything.

Solomon commands his son to acknowledge Him. To “acknowledge God” means we invite Him into every area of our lives. Before responding to a difficult person, you pause and pray.

. Before making a financial decision, you ask, “Lord, is this honoring You?”

Before reacting emotionally, you seek God’s wisdom.

We do not acknowledge God only in church—we acknowledge Him in real life.

God does not promise:

An easy path

A fast path

A problem-free path.

But He does promise, to direct our path and take us under His care.

You may have heard this quote, “Sometimes God closes a door and opens another.” The question is not, “Do I believe in God?” The real question is, “Who am I trusting?”

Many people today would say, “Yes, I believe in God.”

They believe in other gods and/religions. 

         They believe in love — they say, “Love is all we need.”

         They believe in peace.

         They believe doing good is enough.

It is possible to mix faith—taking 

a little from Jesus, 

a little from the world, and 

a little from other religions—hoping it will bring peace. But Proverbs does not say, 

“Trust in wisdom,” or 

“Trust in peace,” or 

“Trust in love.”

Our text says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” Trust is wholehearted surrender and not convenient trust, but dependence on God. Trust is choosing God’s faithfulness over our experience and on our feelings. This Lord is none other than Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

When we lean on Jesus, we are leaning on Him, who, 

Loved us enough to go to the cross

Conquered sin and death through His resurrection

He lives today and leads us in the right path. So today, God invites us to lay down our,

.  self-reliance

. mixed trust and

. divided hearts and 

choose wholehearted trust in Jesus alone, Who directs our paths. Let’s: 

. Instead of forcing our plan, because it “makes sense,” we need to pray and take steps God guides us to take.

. Instead of panicking over what we cannot control, we need to trust God to carry us through.

. Instead of complaining, we need to trust God and His wisdom for our everyday life.

Leaning on God is not about seeing the whole picture—it’s about taking one step at a time. As we near to close, I want to speak to two hearts.

Some of you may believe in God—but today you sense Jesus inviting you to trust Him personally. 

Others of you already follow Jesus, yet you know you have been leaning on yourself. 

And today, God is lovingly calling you to renew your trust and return to wholehearted faith.

If today you are ready—whether for the first time or for a renewal—to say, “Jesus, I trust You, I invite you to respond by simply opening your heart to God.

Personal story: “There was a season in my life when I thought I had everything planned. I prayed, but honestly, I had already decided what the outcome should be. In my mind, I had the timing, the solution, and the direction all figured out. Things did not go as I expected. A door I was sure God would open stayed closed. Plans I felt confident about quietly fell apart. And I remember feeling frustrated —confused—asking God, “God, I am trusting You. So why isn’t this working?”

It was only later that I realized something: I was trusting God with my words, but leaning heavily on my own understanding. I wanted God to bless my plan, instead of surrendering myself to His plan.

Over time, God redirected my path— not suddenly, not dramatically—but gently, step by step. Looking back now, I can see that the closed door was actually God’s protection. The delay was God’s preparation and the redirection was God’s grace and care for me. What I thought was a setback became a deeper place of trust. And that’s when our text stopped being just a verse I quoted and became a truth I lived: When we stop leaning on ourselves and truly trust God, 

He does direct our paths—often in ways we could not have planned, but always in ways that are better, much, much better."

Interpreting Khrimian Hayrig's Iron Ladle Speech

Vaհe H Apelian.

“139 years have passed but the Armenian ladle still is not of iron”, I heard Hayk Konjoryan say, when I came across him for the first time nine years ago when he was a candidate as a deputy to Armenia’s National Assembly on behalf of the “They Way Out-Yelk” party. My records indicate that it was on January 1, 2017 when he presented his candidacy to an audience of around 600 people in a town hall filled to capacity. He had chosen Khrimian Hayrig’s famous “Iron Ladle” speech as the theme of his election campaign. Hayk Konjoryan, with a metal saddle in his hand, was claiming that “139 years have passed but the Armenian ladle still is not of iron”. 

In his speech Hayk Konjoryan went on arguing that the answer for an iron ladle,  is not a strong army alone, because a strong army without a strong a government is self-defeating.  Nor, he argued the answer is a strong government. Because, he said, a strong government with a weak army is ineffective.  Neither the answer, he further stated, can be a strong army and a strong government. Because these two institutions, strong army and a strong government, cannot long endure if the state’s economy is weak. He went on noting to his audience that, 2000 of such capacity filled halls, totaling 1.2 million citizens have left the country arguing that they did not want to leave their homeland but they turned their backs to their unjust and corrupt government, weakening the state. 

As I look at that speech, he appears to be younger than his 30 years old age. What struck me was his interpretation of the ladle (paper?) speech.  He came across to me wiser for his young age. The common message that has been carried from Khrimian Hayrig is to resort to gun as the most assured way for the Armenians to have their rightful national grievances heard and their rightful goals achieved. But this young man’s interpretation of the Khrimian Hayrig’s message was far more in depth than what I was accustomed and expected to hear. That is why I opted to archive the speech in my Facebook account (see the link below)..

At the present, Hayk Konjoryan is a mature, experienced, seasoned member of the National Assembly of Armenia and he is a forceful proponent of the ruling Civil Contract party that has proven to be an ideologically cohesive group thus far.  No Armenian leader and political party in the very recent history have been so tested as Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party and remained cohesive with a vision.

In fact, I liken the inexperienced young men they were - Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk Konjoyan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Araik Haroutiunyan, Vahagn Alexanyan and others - to the young revolutionaries that became statesmen as the founders of the First Republic of Armenia. I draw a parallel between the two in their political and foreign policy pragmatism to assure the longevity of the Republic of Armenia. I trust them and I wish them well.

 

The evolution of Hayk Konjoryan

 Vaհe H Apelian

Hayk Konjoryan delivering his "iron paddle" speech with a metal ladle in his hand

I came across Hayk Konjoryan for the first time nine years ago when he was a candidate for National Assembly deputy from Arabkir, Ajapnyak, Davitashen communities on behalf of the “They Way Out-Yelk” party.

My records indicate that it was on January 1, 2017 when he presented his candidacy to an audience of around 600 people in a town hall filled to capacity. The theme of his speech was the famous speech Khrimian Hayrig gave after he returned from the Berlin Conference as the head of the Armenian delegation. Hayk Konjoryan, with a metal ladle in his hand, was claiming that “139 years have passed but the Armenian ladle still is not of iron”. 

The argument Hayk Konjoryan put forth was his view as to why the Armenian ladle is still not of iron after 139 years. He went on arguing that the answer is not a strong army alone, because a strong army without a strong a government is self-defeating.  Nor, he argued the answer is a strong government when its army is weak. A strong government with a weak army is inefective.  Neither the answer, he claimed, is a strong army and a strong government, when the economy is weak. These two institutions will not long endure in a weak economy, he emphatically noted.

 He went on noting to his audience that, 2000 of such capacity filled halls, totaling 1.2 million citizens have left the country arguing that they did not want to leave their homeland but they turned their backs to their unjust and corrupt government. 

As I look at that speech, he appears to be younger than his 30 years old age. What struck me was his interpretation of the ladle (paper?) speech.  He came across to me wiser for his young age. The common message that has been carried from Khrimian Hayrig is to resort to gun as the most assured way for the Armenians to have their rightful national grievances heard and their rightful goals achieved. But this young man’s interpretation of the Khrimian Hayrig’s message was far more in depth than what I was accustomed and expected to hear. That is why I opted to archive the speech in my Facebook account (see the link below).

The Armenian Wikipedia notes the following about him:

Hayk Konjoryan was born in 1987 in the city of Charentsavan, Soviet Armenia. In 2008, he graduated from the Faculty of History of Yerevan State University, and in 2010, he completed his master's degree at the Faculty of History of Yerevan State University. In 2013, he completed his postgraduate studies in world history.

Hayk Konjoryan is married. The couple has a daughter.

One year after his speech, he also took his step as junior to with Ararat Mirzoyan (born in 1979), Araiik Haroutiunyan (born in 1979), led by Nikol Pashinyan (born in 1975) who  brought about the 2018 peaceful revolution in Armenia, known as the Velvet Revolution. It has always been the young and idealists that have changed the course of their nation as this Independence Generation did in Armenia. It should be noted that there is a generation gap between the principals of the Civic Contract party governing Armenia and the opposition led by Levon Ter Petrosyan (born in 1946), Robert Kocharyan (born in 1954), Serzh Sargsyan (born in 1954).

At the present Hayk Konjoryan is a mature, experienced, seasoned member of the National Assembly of Armenia and is a forceful proponent of the ruling Civil Contract party that has proven to be an ideologically cohesive group thus far.  No Armenian leader and political party in the very recent history have been so tested as Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party, ever since they brought about the change in 2018. 

I liken the inexperienced young men they were - Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk Konjoyan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Araik Haroutiunyan, Vahagn Alexanyan and others - to the young civic activists and revolutionaries that became statesmen as the founders of the First Republic of Armenia. I draw a parallel between the two in their political and foreign policy pragmatism to assure the longevity of the Republic of Armenia. 

I trust them and I wish them well.

 

Integrating national values and character

Vaհe H Apelian

AI generated

Vahan Zanoyan needs no introduction. He is an accomplished person and not an indifferent Armenian.  I read in  the Mirror-Spectator, his latest personal article about Ruben Vardanyan and the syndrome of indifference, I imagine his article will likely be reproduced by other Armenian publications. While the article is personal and has to do with the syndrome of indifference, but it sure is part and parcel of a greater whole which is our national values and character. Vahan remains concerned of their erosion under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He wrote: “An Armenia stripped of its national character and values is already defeated, even if in peace with its neighbors, because it would be a sterilized Armenia, a skeleton, just a map without a soul—indifferent to its history, culture, rights, identity and, most of all, to its national dignity. I know there are many who will mock these thoughts, and they will base their mockery on “what did we achieve with 34 years of senseless struggle,” but our history is much longer than 34 years. Our struggle is longer than three thousand years. 34 years is nothing but a blink in the history of nations. Nations prevail because they keep the will to struggle.”

Personalizing it on my end, I will note that Vahan and I are of the same generation, although he is younger than I. Both of us attended the same Armenian school in Beirut. I do not think that there is an Armenian, who will comment contrary to the statement he made. But the issue should not be presented with such a statement.

Armenian Evangelical College High School Science Club

What are our national values and character?  

Our national values and character are matters that cannot be summed up in a paragraph or two. But, for the sake of simplification, I will sum it up in a sentence or two. Our national values and character are hinged on our standing by, and upholding the three Rs: Recognition of the genocide and the historical wrong that was done to us; Restitution of what is historically ours but has been usurped from us; Reparation of what cannot be restituted but compensated to help the Armenian nation recover from the mortal wound. 

To further simplify, it is fair and right to note that the crux of our national values and character has two distinct aspects – what we can integrate into state policy, and what we should uphold and retain as individuals. Both are highly demanding commitments. The state has a responsibility for keeping the Republic of Armenia safe and secure in a tumultuous region. The Armenian as an individual has a responsibility to uphold and retain what has been passed to the person through, no less tumultuous long Armenian history.

Regarding the Armenian state, nothing of substance has changed since May 28, 1918 to this very day. To be more precise, from June 4, 1918, seven days after May 28, when Armenia signed the Treaty of Batumi and not long after went to Istanbul and thanked no other than the butcher himself, Talaat Pasha for making the republic of Armenia possible. These are happenings and not interpretations. 

But what has changed is the public outspokenness of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for baring to public the stark reality of the Armenia’s policies to secure Armenia and also his outspoken quest for Armenia’s “prosperity”. I do not need to elaborate on the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan blunt outspokenness. Consider it to be blunt pragmatism. The state of Armenia is continuing to do its job from get-go to this day, by not integrating onto the Armenia’s state policies the 3 Rs – the Recognition, the Restitution, and the Reparation.

As to Armenia’s quest for property, it should not be viewed within the context of Western prosperity. Armenia is an impoverished country. Poverty is endemic in Armenia. Armenia needs to provide bread, in the biblical sense - “give us this day our daily bread” - for sustenance, so that Armenians will be able to make a living and get by to stay put in Armenia and not join Vahan and I in far distant lands.

But regrettably, the individual Armenians and the ad hoc groups of Armenian individuals as cultural, athletic, academic and what not organizations, are failing. 

The individual failing is not only with Armenians. The trend of seeking solutions by the state and from the state, is pandemic, if you will allow me the use the term pandemic.

If we are to retain our republic, we have to know the difference between, what the state of Armenia can integrate in its state policy from what we term as “national values and character”; and what the Armenian individual should retain from the same -  “national values and character” - onto itself. Knowledge is at the fingertips of any one of us. 

The wisdom of knowing the difference of integrating national values and character by Armenia and integrating by Armenians, may help Armenia and Armenians from self-destructive politics. 

 

 

 

The Real Cold-Press Olive Oil of Keurkune

Vaհe H. Apelian 

Today I read in NY Times about the benefits of olive oil and I was reminded of this story I wrote and had it posted in Keghartdotcom in May 2011.

The shelves of the grocery stores are full of “virgin” or “extra virgin” olive oil. Most, if not all of these bottles claim that their content is the result of olives subjected to “cold press” and are bottled after collecting the oil from its “first pass”. I have bought and tasted many in colored fancy bottles. Transparent bottles alter its taste due to oxidation. However, I have yet to come across to one that tasted nearly like the olive oil I tasted in my childhood that came from Nofer Apelian's mangana, in our ancestral Keurkune, Kessab, in Syria. The olive oil was stored then in tin cans that were also the standard containers for storing molasses and for fetching water from the village’s spring on the back of the family’s donkey. I am not sure if mangana is a Turkish word. It may be. However, much like many other Turkish words, it has become part and parcel of Kesbenok the mostly Armenian derived dialect of Kessab. Nofer’s Mangana remains a cherished legacy of a long bygone way of life in Keurkune.

Nofer Apelian established in Keurkune the first and only olive oil press in greater Kessab at a time when sheer human muscle drove the industry. The cold press consisted of a long and large wooden column that rotated on its longitudinal axis, one end of which was at ground level and the other at the ceiling of the two-story building. Nofer, in fact, had removed the ceiling of a room in their house and converted it into the two-story high olive oil press. Their house and consequently the press stood in the center of the village, right across my maternal grandmother’s ancestral house.

If I remember correctly the number, there were three wooden handles that were fastened into this wooden column. Able-bodied young men pressed the wooden handles against their chests, grabbed the handles from underneath with their arms and pushed the column rotating it on its long axis. As the column rotated a thick rope started coiling on it as it lifted a horizontal wooden platform against the stationary one. In between the two platforms, minced olives were layered between burlap bags. The harder the men pushed the more oil oozed out of the minced olives. The whole process was a test of strength under the critical eyes of us kids watching the whole process and shouting out loud who among the men was the strongest and pushed the hardest! I admit though at times our nagging outspokenness raised the rage among some of the men who were pushing and who would not have hesitated to teach us a lesson or two had they been able to catch us fleeing their chase. After the last drop of oil was squeezed the men would alert each other to simultaneously let loose of the central column that now swirled back fast on its axis to release the tension it was subjected to.

That was the second and the last phase of the process. The harvested olives were first washed and then crushed outside in a flat stone mortar upon which a huge round shaped stone wheel was placed. A hole was dug through this large stone along its horizontal axis. Do not ask me how and what kind of tools the villagers used to manually carve such a smooth hole through the middle of this large stone. Through this hole a long wooden handle was placed that had a hole at its far end that went over the central wooden axis in the middle of the mortar. The indispensable and man's most obedient servant ever, the donkey, did the job. Ropes from the wooden handle were attached to the donkey and the donkey thus pooled the stone wheel over the olives to mince it. 

This is how the olive was first crushed

Along with the oil, the process resulted in another bi-product, the remains of the minced olives that Kessabtsis used to prepare one of their tastiest bread ever, Djeftuon Heots, i.e. Djeftuon Bread. As to the word Djeftuon, it is an authentic Kesbenok word whose origin seems to have lost in obscurity.

My mother, many a time, told me the story of one of the Pastors of Keurkune who, to his wonderment and puzzlement, came across a large family sitting cross-legged on the floor around a table. Each member of the family held a loaf of bread under their arm, repeatedly cut morsels out of it and dipped it into a single bowl placed in the center of the ground table and savored it with a mouthwatering voraciousness. It turns out that the family had placed pomegranate molasses in olive oil in the bowl and dipping into it. For those who have tasted the pomegranate molasses made in Kessab can only appreciate the exquisite taste of these two in a bowl when tasted with freshly prepared bread in the family oven.

Those who saw Godfather III may remember the scene when an aging Mafiosi meets a professional assassin to have Don Corleone done with. Before going into the details of the macabre plan, he dips into olive oil and tastes it and utters-“only in Sicily!”. As far as I am concerned, it was only the olive oil from the mangana Nofer Apelian set up in Keurkune in an era long bygone now from our midst. Keurkune has also changed to have any resemblance of the way it was then. Not only my taste buds, but my whole being longs for that real cold press olive oil taste and the way of life that went along with it in the tranquility of the once exclusively Armenian enclave called Keurkune.

*****

P.S.

This story was first published in Keghartdotcom.

The following comments were made:

 

May 12, 2011 at 1:44 am

Mangana

 

You’ve done it again Vahe. Congratulations! What a superb way of describing Keurkune’s long gone olive oil industry and thus preserving it in our archives, not to mention your refreshment of our memories of the delicious taste of freshly baked bread (toniri hats) dipped in freshly squeezed olive oil (dsennoon).

 

Thank you.

Kourken Bedirian.

***

May 12, 2011 at 5:26 am

Hello Vahé, this is an interesting reading

 

Hello Vahé, this is an interesting reading indeed, describing how the world was much closer to nature, the fields, the soil, the community, life.

 

Yes, you’re definitely right in saying that the olive oils today are not what they used to be. Most are now mixed with vegetable oil and contain coloring chemicals too.

 

As for the word Mangana, I’m not sure if it’s Turkish, but they use the word mengene 

 

By the way, do you remember the name of the pastor, whom your mother told you about?

***

May 13, 2011 at 5:15 pm

The Pastor’s Name

 

My mother has lost the mental alertness she had once; she does not remember the name of the pastor mentioned in the article.

However, the name of Rev. Garabed Tilkian was often mentioned in our extended family. The good reverend arranged for my maternal uncle, Antranig Chalabian, and her sister, Zvart (my mother), to continue their education in Aleppo College after graduating from the Keurkune’s school. Both, in their own ways, lived up to Rev. Tilkian’s trust in them–Antranig as a long-time trustee of Armenian Evangelical College High School in Beirut and Zvart as a teacher, for over four decades, in Armenian Evangelical Schools in Keurkune, Kessab, Bourj Hammoud and in LA.

 

It was often said in the family that Keurkune and its twin village Ekiz Olough served as stepping stones for many of the young and upcoming Armenian Evangelical pastors who then continued to carry the torch throughout their lives. It would be interesting if the present young pastor of the twin villages, Rev. Simon DerSahagian, would compile the list of the pastors who served the twin churches.

Vahe H. Apelian

***

May 14, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Olive Press

 

Vahe Apelian’s writings about Kessab evoke memories of my early life in Syria. I first visited Kessab in 1957 as a Homenetmen cub scout, attending summer camp. Later I would visit Kessab several times as did many other Armenians from Aleppo. In his own words, Vahe has created iconic images of life in his ancestral homeland.

***

May 16, 2011 at 9:32 pm

«Mangana» բառն պարսկերեն է:

 

«Mangana» բառն պարսկերեն է: Պարսկերեն արտասանությունը մանգանե է, որընշանակուկ է՝ մամլիչ, մամլակ:

 

Ա. Միրզախանյան

***

July 16, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Armenian Villages

 

Since 1915 we have not read stories which reflect life in Armenian villages. Many years ago, from the US or Canada, a Kessabtsi wrote a story about life in Kesab. The most memorable part was the story of the suffering and fury of their cow, following the death her calf.

 

Kessab and its surroundings are the only Armenian villages outside Armenia. The Kesabtsis today, with their description, bring us closer to the life of Armenian villages, as reflected by Armenian authors, who originated from Armenian villages, before 1915, in Bolis.

 

Vahé, through these stories, Kessab will never be forgotten. So, write more, whatever you remember from your Kesab life. I visited Kesab some years ago. It is great pleasure to be there.

 

We can read these stories with pleasure and interest.