Kessab Enduring Resilience

Vahe H. Apelian

LtoR: Rev Sevag Trashian, Rev. Serop Megerditchian, Father Nareg Louisian, Prelate Arch. Shahan Sarkissian, Muron Kahana Avedissian, and Apraham Garjikian.

Kantsasar", the official publication of the Aleppo Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, reported on June 16, 2014 that the Syrian Arab Army forces had advanced into Kessab and were stationed in the city square. The report effectively heralded the liberation of the historic Armenian enclave--on Fathers’ Day--after its occupation by extremists who had attacked the peaceful villages from Turkey on March 21, the first day of the spring and the Syrian Mothers' Day.

Official Syrian sources reported that some of the residents of Kessab, who in the previous 88 days had taken refuge in the Armenian Apostolic Church of Latakia or with family members, relatives, friends and hosts in that city, had begun to return to their vandalized and burned homes, businesses, community centers and desecrated churches.

The once beautiful Churukian-Missakian Cultural Center building, in the center of the town, was still smoldering when they had arrived. The returnees soon found out that even the dead were not spared as cemeteries were desecrated and graves opened. The orchards and the gardens--left unattended--had gone wild with overgrowth. The machinery to tend them had been taken away by the plunderers. Even the wooden poles supporting the electric grid were cut off and the wires were removed and hauled away for sale as scrap metal in Turkey.

Over a century of long hard work had been wiped away.

History was repeating itself for the Kessabtis. What they saw and experienced bore a stark resemblance to what Miss. Effie Chambers, the beloved American missionary in Kessab, had witnessed in the aftermath of the sack and pogrom of Greater Kessab in 1909. "It was a most desolate picture that greeted my eyes,” she wrote in her unpublished autobiography which her family has shared with me. “Houses had been burned after being looted, and silk worm eggs in the hatching process (one of the principal financial resources of the region) had been destroyed. The gardens stood in ruins. The grapevines, and other foods used for standby winter diets, such as raisins and molasses, were damaged beyond hope.
 The houses, my own, the Mission House, Girls' School, church, parsonage, and the market were all a holocaust. The outside villages fared the same.”

More than a century ago, the ever-resilient Kessabtsi did not spare a day and embarked on rebuilding their shattered lives anew. So they did for the third time as of  the next day, Monday June 16, 2014.

Just two days later after the liberation, on June 18, 2014 Father Nareg Louisian, the priest of the Kessab Armenian Catholic community, reported on his Facebook page that the St. Michael Armenian Catholic Church was cleaned of debris, thanks to the diligence of its parishioners. The church was ready for Holy Mass. The St. Michael Church, much like the other churches, had been desecrated and vandalized but it had not been torched. Father Louisian invited the clergy and the members of the other two denominations to use the sanctuary, saying that the St. Michael Church is their sanctuary as well. 

Within a week of its liberation, on the June 24, 2014, Rev. Haroutune George Selimian, the president of the Evangelical Churches in Syria, visited Kessab accompanied by an official government delegation from Latakia. Rev. Sevag Trashian, the pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Churches of Kessab, and lay dignitaries met the Reverend at the Armenian Evangelical Holy Trinity Church, at the town center. The historic over-a-century-old church whose outdoor wall had withstood the test of time, had been also desecrated, vandalized and torched. Rev. Selimian launched the cleaning and restoration work of the Armenian Evangelical Churches by symbolically wiping slogans written by the extremists on the walls of the church. Rev. Selimian also addressed the media covering his visit. He said that Armenians stand firm on their land in Kessab and remain loyal citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Syrian officials, in turn, promised to provide Kessab with the necessities to re-establish power and water supply.

On Friday July 25, 2014 Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, the prelate of the Aleppo Armenian Apostolic Prelacy, consecrated the desecrated Armenian Apostolic Church of Kaladouran, Kessab’s coastal village. Lay and clergy representatives from the other two denominations attended the consecration. In the evening Divine Service was conducted and on Sunday Holy Mass was held for the first time in the newly consecrated church.

I have cited the chronology of Kessab's rebuilding by the three Armenian denominations as testament to the indomitable and resilient spirit of Kessab's Armenian inhabitants. It is this tenacity that has made possible the continuous Armenian habitation on that rocky terrain over many centuries. As the Armenian phrase graphically puts, "They eked a living off of the stones". 

Miss. Chambers was in Adana to assist the survivors of that devastating massacre as marauding Turkish mobs had also attacked Kessab on the morning of April 23, 1909. She wrote in her autobiography: “Upon my arrival [to Kessab] the people, those who could get around, were assembled in the yard of the Mission House to greet me.

"Their first question was 'Will you stay with us and help us start again?'

"I said: 'That is what I came for, to stay and help you get on your feet again. If you want to stay we'll do it and God will help us rebuild our homes, shops, and churches and reclaim your land.'

'Is it a promise?' they asked.

"I said: 'Yes, on my part it is.'

'On ours also,' was the reply.

"'I can't tell you how we did it,' she elaborated. 'Just step by step, one day at a time, and by the autumn of 1911, before the rains set in, those who had stayed in Kessab and lived through the horrible ordeal, were back in their rebuilt houses, with their schools and churches going.'"

Thirteen months later, on Sunday July 12, 2015, the renovated and refurbished Armenian Evangelical Church of Keurkune  was formally reopened and Sunday service was held there. Rev. Selimian welcomed Rev. Jirair Ghazarian, the newly-appointed pastor for the Armenian Evangelical Churches in Kessab. After the service a reception was held in the church’s courtyard.

The battle to rebuild Kessab for the third time is underway. If only the greater forces of the region appreciate the value of the enduring resilience of the inhabitants of this ancient Armenian enclave who, not long ago, made Kessab a safe summer resort for families of all faiths to come and enjoy its refreshing weather, natural beauty and the unmatched hospitality of the Kessabtsis.

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Էհրամճեան Վարժարան ՝ Յիշատակելի Լուսանկարներ

Յիշատակելի Լուսանկարներ

Վահէ Յ. Աբէլեան

Պարբերաբար այս լուսանկարը դիտած եմ եւ երեւեկայութիւնս զիս տարած է այն օրը՝ շատ հաւանաբար Շաբաթ օր մը, երբ երեք ուոուցչուհիներ, մէկ աշակերտ եւ չորս աշակերտուհիներ, դպրոցին տնօրէնը եւ դպրոցի հոգաբարձութեան երեք անդամներ մեկտեղուած են Կարօ անունով լուսանկարչական խանութի մը մէջ եւ լուսանկարուած են պատմութեան յանձնելու համար իրենց նորակառոյց դպրոցին հաւանաբար առաջին հունձքը։

Քիչ մը աւելի ուշադրութեամբ դիտեցէք նկարը եւ պիտի նկատէք որ աշակերտ եւ աշակերտուհիներուն ծնողները ճերմակ եւ գեղեցիկ հագուստներով պատրաստած են իրենց սիրասուն զաւակները՝ այդ օրը լուսանկարուելու համար։ Ուսուցչուհիներուն հագուստները նորագոյն ձեւէն կ՚երեւին։ Նմանապէս տղամարդոց հագուածքը նուազ չէ Ամերիկայի մեծագոյն ընկերութիւններու գլխաւոր գործադիր պաշտօնեաններուն –chief executive officer – հագուածքէն։ Ուսուցիչ եւ աշակերտի համեմատութիւնը յաճախ կրթակամ հարց է։ Այս պարագային հինգ աշակերտներու համար, երեք ուսուցչուհիներ, տնորէն մը տրամադրուած եղած է, իսկ այս լուսանկարըունենլու համար երէք հատ դպրոցի հոգաբարձութիւնէն ընկերացած իրենց։ 

Ներկայիս կա՞յ դպրոց մը որ նման համեմատութիւն կրնայ պահել։

Հաւանաբար հիմա հարց տաք.- Ո՞ր դպրոցին աշակերտները, ուոսուցչուհիները, տնօրէնը եւ հոգաբարձուներն են լուսանկարին մէջ եղողները։ Դպրոցը՝ Լիբանանի արուարձաններէն Տորայի շրջանին մէջ կամ մօտ եղող Նոր Ամանոս թաղին մէջ կամ անոր մօտը կառուցուած երբեմնի Էհրամճեան վարժարանն է։ Դպրոցը կառուցուած է 1954-ին, ինչպէս կը վկայէ կցուած դպրոցին բացման լուսանկարը՝ այսինքն Ցեղասպանութիւնէն երեսուն եւ ինը տարիներ ետք։

Առաջին նկարին մէջ, առաջին կարգին վրայ՝ ճերմակ ձեռնոցներ հագուած ուսուցչուհին՝ երեսուն տարեկանը նոր թեւակոխած, մայրս է (ծնած էր Սեպտեմբեր 2,1924-ին)։ Իսկ իր հագուած հագուստը, ինչպէս նաեւ մնացեալ երկու ուսուցչուհիներուն հագուած հագուստները իրենց ձեռքին գործերն են։ Գիտեմ, քանի որ մայրս զիս բազմիցս հետը տարած է հագուստի կերպաս գնելու։ Ձեւագիտութեան դաս առած էր եւ վարպետ դերձակուհի ալ էր։ Իրեն կը պարտիմ պատանեկութեան տաբատներս եւ շապիկներս, նամանաւանդ կարճ տաբատներս, զորս կարած եւ պատրաստած կ՚ըլլար հագուելու համար կանուխ գարնամուտի օր մը, որպէսզի ես ալ իմ ընկերներուս խումբին միանայի, ձեռքերնիս իրար ուսերուն վրայ դրած շրջագայելու Սուրբ Նշան Ազզային վարժարանին բակին մէջ, կանչելով.- «կարճ տաբատ հագուողները հոս թող գան»։

Մնացեալ ուսուցչուհիներուն անունները չեմ գիտցած, իսկ դպրոցին տնօրէնին անունը մայրս յիշած է իր գիրքին մէջ՝ Մանուկ Ուզունեան է։ Իսկ այդ շքեղ հագուած հոգաբարձունները իրենց խրոխտ եւ հաստատ կեցուացքներով եւ նայուացքներով մնացած են անծանօթ։  Շատ հաւանաբար անոնք եղած են այդ շրջանէն ներս գործող կօշկակարը, թերեւս ատաղձագործը եւ կամ երկաթագործը, որոնք պայմանագրած եղած են մօրս ուսուցչութեան յառաջիկայ ինը ամիսներուն ամսական 75 լիբանանեանով  հրաւիրագիրը, զայն նորոգելու խոստումով եթէ ոււուցչուհին իրենց գոհացուցած ըլլայ իր ծառայութեանբը, ինչպէս կը վկայէ մօրս քով տակաւին պահ մնացած հրաւէր պայմանագիրը։

Ես Էհրամճեան Վարժարանը չեմ յաճախած բայց յաճախ ընկերակցած եմ մօրս, շատ հաւանաբար Շաբաթ օրերը։ Կը ձգէինք այդ քանի մը տարիներուն Արեւմտեան Պէյրութի Զոքաք Իլ Պլաթի մեր բնակած երկու սենեակնոց յարկաբաժինը, ուր մեր ընտանիքը ամփոփուած էր անոր մէկ սենեակին մէջ, իսկ միւս սենեակին մէջ ալ ամփոփուած էր մօրեղբօրս ընտանիքը։ Իսկ մեծ մայրս կը քնանար երկու սենեակներուն միջեւ գտնուող հիւրասենեակին մէջ։ Մի՛ հարցնէք, քանի որ պատասխան չունիմ, թէ ինչպէս մեր երկու ընտանիքները հոն կրցած էին ապաստան գտնել եւ տակաւին երբեմն ալ Քեսապէն օրերով հարազատներ հիւրընկալել։ Բայց այդ օրերուն անբնական կացութիւն մը չէր այդ վիճակը։ Այդ յարկաբաժինին մէջ բնակող երբեմնի պզտիկները այսօր են հոգեբոյժ բժիշկ, դեղագործ, դեղագիտութեան վարդապետութեան տիտղոսաւոր, հիւանդապահունի։

Մօրս հետ մեր տունէն քալելով կը հասնէինք Րիատ Էլ Սոլհ հրապարակը, ուր հանրակառքը առնելով կը հասնէինք Տորա ուրկէ փոշոտ եւ յաճախ ձեխոտ պարտէզներու մէջ արահետներուն վրայէն քալելէ ետք, կը հասնէինք այդ տարիներուն նշանաւոր Էհրամհեամ վարժարանը, որ այդ շրջանին մէջ աղիւսով կառուցուած, մասնաւորաբար դպրոց ըլլալու համար քանի մը սենեակներով օժտուած միայարկ միակ շէնքն էր։ Նորակառոյց դպրոցը մաքրելու պարտականութիւնը ուսուցչուհիներուն էր, ինչպէս նաեւ դասարաններուն պատուհաններուն համար վարագոյրներ կարելը. իսկ երբ ազգին մեծաւորները դպրոց գային, անոնց սպասարկողները նմանապէս դպրոցին ուսուցչուհիներն էին։ Նայեցէ՛ք վերը կցուած լուսանկարին եւ հոն պիտի տեսնէք գոգնոց հագուած ուսուցչուհիներ, որոնք ազգին  մեծաւորները հիւրընկալող սեղանին շուրջ ժպտերես ոտքի կեցած են՝ պատրաստ սպասարկելու։

Ինչ որ իմացած եմ Էհրամճեան եղբայրները ստանձնած եղած են իրենց անունը կրող երբեմնի այդ դպրոցին շէնքին կառոյցին ծախսերը Բարեգորական Միութեան միջոցաւ եւ յանձնած են Ազգային իշխանութեան հուանաւորութեան։ Մայրս այդ նորակաոոյց դպրոցին մէջ դասաւանդելու հրաւէր ստացած էր եւ այսպէս մաս կազմած էր անոր առաջին ուսուցչական կազմին։

Յաճախ մտաբերած եմ այդ եղբայներուն մասին բայց շատ բան չեմ կրցած գտնել։ Նոյնիսկ գրած եմ Բարեգործական Միութեան՝ տեղեկութիւն հաւաքելու։ Հոնկէ ալ յաւելեալ տեղեկութիւններ չեմ կրցած ստանալ։ Դպրոցը շատոնց գոցուած է եւ իմացած եմ որ արհեստանոցի վերածուած է։ Եթէ պատահի որ այս յօդուածը կարդացողներ ըլլան որոնք յաւելեալ տեղեկութիւններ ունին դպրսցին մասին, թող հաճին բաժնել իրենց տեղեկութիւնները մոռացութենէ փրկելու համար Էհրամճեան եղբայրները եւ անոնց շնորհիւ Կաոուցուած երբեմնի Էհրամճեան վարժարանը։

*****

Դոտկ. Զաւէն Մըսըրլեանը՝ իր 3 Ապրիլ 2017 թուակիր նամակով հետեւեալ տեղեկութիւնները յանձնած էր ինծի ակնարկելով երկրորդ լուսանկարին։ Կը տեղադրեմ հոս։

«Էհրամճեան եղբայրներու նուիրատուութիւնը Հ.Բ.Ը.Մ.-ի մէջոցաւ եղած էր։ Դպրոցը շինուելէն ետք յանձնուած էր Լիբանանի թեմի Ազգային Իշխանութեան։ Վեղարաւարը Խորէն Եպս. Է (յետագային Կիլիկիոյ կաթողիկոս) երբ Լիբանանի առաջնորդն էր։ Հոգեւորականները շրջապատողներն են Հ.Բ.Ը.Մ.-ի այդ ժամանակաշրջանի ղեկաւարները եւ Ազգային Իշխանութեան միաւորները։ Հոն նշմարելի են Երուանդ Տէմիրճեանը, Փրոֆ. Բարունակ Թովմասեանը, Բիւզանդ Եղիայեանը, Յակոբ Դաւիթեանը եւ ուրիշներ։ Երբ Հ.Բ.Ը.Մ.-ը Էհրամճեան դպրոցը Ազգային Իշխանութեան տուած էր հանձագիրին մէջ պայման մը կար, որ եթէ դպրոցը փախուէր այն ատեն լրիւ կալուածը պիտի փոխանցուէր Հ.Բ.Ը.Մ.-ին։ Այդպէս ալ եղաւ, երբ Գեղամ Արք. Խաչերեանը առաջնորդ էր, դպրոցը փակուեցաւ ու դպրոցին շէնքը բակով տրուեցաւ Հ.Բ.Ը.Մ.-ին, որ զայն կը գործածէ իրբեւ իր խօսնակը ամսագրի խմբագրատուն, ունի հանրային գրադարան մը եւ ձեռնարկներ կը կազմակերպէ Էհրամճեան կեդրոնին մէջ ամսական դրութեամբ։» 

Վահէ 1.10.2020

Discovering Aurora

This account about Aurora Mariganian may be the last personal account about her after whom the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was establshed. UPDATED

“Sometime in the early 1990s, "Ungerouhie" (a female associate) Yevgine Papazian, an elderly member of the Armenian Relief Society’s Anahid Chapter of Greater Los Angeles, told me about a granny by the name of Aurora  Mardiganian who lived alone in Van Nuys and was in need of help. She also told me that Aurora had formerly lived in New York.

A few days later Yevgine and I paid Aurora a visit. We knocked at her door and after a while, a granny dressed in woolen clothes let us in. We passed through a narrow hallway into a fairly large room. We were astonished to see the room was full of cardboard boxes as if she had arrived from New York only yesterday, although she had been living in Los Angeles for fifteen years. There was hardly any room to move around. Next, at the entrance of the room, there was a chair and a desk. Next to them, in large letters, there was a telephone number and on the wall was the calendar of the New York Prelacy.

We sat over the cardboard boxes next to the entrance. On one of the walls, there was a picture of a tall man with a teenage boy. The granny told us the man in the picture was her son Martin and the teenager is her grandson.

Granny Aurora had a likable face with a smooth skin and a pair of black and expressive eyes. She spoke in a soothing and impeccable Armenian, although her accent was different from ours. I asked her where was she born. She said she was from Chemeshgazak, a town about 20 miles from Kharpert.

I asked her who took care of her. She said her son visited her once a week; brought her necessities and left soon after.

“With the aid of my cane, I used to walk to the grocery store on Burbank Street and purchase groceries. I am not able to do it anymore.”

“Mayrig (Mother), call me, and I will gladly bring to you what you need,” I said.

We became friends. Every now and then she would call me and ask for grapes, pomegranate, her special brand of cheese and the like. One day I mustered the courage to suggest that she allow me to move the cardboard boxes and let us furnish the room for a more comfortable and pleasant living. She refused. “Let us open the windows so that you'd have sunshine in the room,” I then suggested. She refused again. The sun would shine outside but we would be sitting in a nearly dark room.

Another time, a lady who lived in the same building stopped when she saw I was knocking at Mayrig's door. She had hardly finished telling me that I was knocking at the wrong door because no one lived in that apartment when the granny opened the door to her neighbor’s astonishment.

Granny Aurora had fallen from her bed the night before. She was bruised but she had not fractured any bones. For the very first time since meeting her, I entered her bedroom to lower her bed. At that very moment, she pulled a bundle and unwrapped a book. The book was Ravished Armenia. 

- “Mayrig, let me borrow the book. I will read it and return to you in no time,” I promised.

-  “I cannot give it to you,” she said. “Already people came and took everything away. Only this book remained,” she said.

I was able to secure a copy of that book in microfilm in one of the public libraries. I could not believe what I read in the book: maybe one of mankind’s worst crimes, which were perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenians.

Her baptismal name was Arshaluys Mardigian. She was born in 1901 in Chemeshgazak to a wealthy family. The Mardigians were one of the best-known and respected names in Chemeshgazak. Arshaluys was a vibrant girl with long black hair, expressive eyes, with a sunny disposition much like her name. She was the second eldest among her siblings. She had an older sister, a younger brother, and two younger sisters.

On Easter morning in 1915, her father promised her that the following year he would enroll her either at a Constantinople or a Paris school. In addition to attending the American College of Marsovan, she was privately tutored at home. Not long after the conversation with her father Turkish gendarmes entered the room to take her to the local pasha’s harem. Her father sent the gendarmes packing.

Shortly after the incident, the deportations and the massacres of the Armenians began in full force. Her father and her 15 years old brother Boghos were killed almost right away. From April 1915 to November 1917 Arshaluys witnessed the killing of the rest of her family. She survived by taking refuge in a series of towns--Arapgir, Malatia, Diyarbekir, Urfa, Mush, Yerzenga ending up in Erzeroum at an opportune time. The Russian army was advancing into the city.

In Erzeroum she took refuge at the doorstep of a building that carried the American flag. Exhausted, she passed away at the entrance. The house was the residence of American missionary Dr. F.W. MacCallum who took her under his protection. Gen. Antranig happened to be in town also. Having heard of her story, he visited her. The Armenian hero complimented her for her courage and took his parents’ wedding ring from his finger and slipped it on her finger telling her to tell her story when she landed in America. The American Relief Organization sponsored her travel and on November 5, 1917, she arrived in New York.

A New York Armenian family took her in. Not long after, Harvey Gates, a writer, asked her to tell him of her experiences during the genocide. The Armenian family had her narration translated into English. In 1918 Ravished Armenia was published. The book was reprinted in 1919 as Auction of Souls.

In November 1918 Ravished Armenia was made into a film. Gates and his wife Eleanor changed her name to Aurora Mardiganian and put her on stage. From 1919 to 1920 Aurora Mardiganian, as the author of the book, the star of the movie and as a witness to the Armenian horrors, was presented to the public whenever the movie was shown--in the United States and in England. She became an instant star. People wanted to see her in person as much as see the movie. Screenwriter Gates and producer Col. William N. Selig became the prime beneficiaries of the profits generated from the movie. By 1920 Aurora was worn out. Physically and emotionally drained, she refused to make further public appearances

She married in 1929--after overcoming her long-time aversion to the company of men. She tried to live a normal life away from the limelight. The couple had a son, Martin Hovanian.

I met Aurora when she was 91-years-old. Her daughter-in-law was not Armenian. Relations between them had soured to a point that her daughter-in-law did not let her grandchildren visit her. Over the years, people who had been interested in her and had visited her had gotten what they wanted and had moved on. Joy and contentment had long ago abandoned her. The fear that she would be harmed had never left her. She lived alone, praying, reading the bible and the periodicals she received from the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in New York.

One day, when I visited her, I found Aurora Mayrig very weak and withdrawn. It was obvious she had not slept well the night before. She had had a nightmare. She told me that the "Turks had cut the rope". In the movie, There is a scene where Aurora escapes from the harem by jumping from the roof of a building. But instead of landing on the next roof, Aurora fell 20 feet and broke her leg. The movie producers continued shooting despite her pain.

Aurora Mayrig was meticulous in grooming herself. That day I noticed that she was not her normal self. She seemed too weak even to wash her hair.

Not long after, on January 3, 1994, she moved to the Ararat Nursing Facility in Mission Hills. I continued to visit her. I found her sitting in a wheelchair, withdrawn and not taking notice of her surroundings or participating in the social activities the social workers were conducting. She was in no mood to engage in conversation. That became my last visit.

On January 17, 1994, earthquake damaged our Los Angeles home. Busy attending to the repairs and certain that Aurora was in safe hands, I had not visited her for some time.

Months had passed by when I heard that she had died. I went to the Ararat Nursing Facility to find out the circumstances of her death. “Who was she?” Mrs. Evelyn Jambazian, the nursing director, asked me. Then she said that the only thing she remembered of Aurora was that one day a limousine had stopped in front of the facility and out had come a granny--Granny Aurora.

I smiled. Of course, she was Aurora Mardiganian, the one-time movie star. If others did not pay her attention, it's fair that she treated herself, I thought. Mrs. Jambazian told me that Aurora had passed away not long after. She became ill on February 5 and was taken to the Saint Cross Hospital where she had passed away.

Mrs, Araksi Haroutunian, who for many years had attended to her as well and I tried to find out where she was buried so that we could visit her grave, offer a prayer, place a wreath and burn incense in her memory. However, we could not get any information. The hospital would not tell us because we were not related to her. Her son’s telephone number had been cut off; we did not know any of her relatives to get the information we were looking for.

We found out that we had to go to Norwalk where personal public records are kept. My husband and Hagop Arshagouny went there and after searching unearthed the following.

Aurora Mardigian had died on Feb. 6, 1994. Her remains were cremated in the U.S. County Hospital public crematorium. Two individuals unknown to us had witnessed the affidavit. Her ashes? No one knew where they were scattered.

The news was heartbreaking. The one-time Arshaluys Mardigian of Chemashgazak had ended up not having a grave. What remained of her? Sweet memories and her book that Kourken Sarkissian translated into Armenian in 1995. In 1997 a new edition of her book appeared, edited by Anthony Slide. Plans are underway in Argentina to have the book translated into Spanish.

From Arshaluys Mardigian and from all those who became victims of the Armenian Genocide another major 'relic' also remained: their just cause. The world may disavow the Genocide of the Armenians. Eventually, we will prevail because our cause is just.”

Note: 

The translated piece is a chapter from Anahid Meymarian’s book Իմ Սուրբ Հայրենիք ("My Holy Fatherland"), published in Los Angeles in 2005.

Mrs. Anahid (Toutikian) Meymarian is from Kessab. She has a B.A. from Farleigh Dickenson University in NJ and an M.A in psychology from California State University Northridge (CSUN). She is a retired teacher having taught at the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian School since its founding by Gabriel Injejikian. Catholicos Aram I has bestowed upon her the Order of St. Mesrbob Mashtots. She lives with her husband Puzant, a well-known sculptor whose works grace institutions in Diaspora and Armenia.

It was later revealed that Aurora Mardigian’s ashes were buried in an unmarked grave after having remained unclaimed for four years. The four years were a grace period the county gives to claim the cremated remains of a deceased. No one had claimed her ashes.  Vahe H. Apelian, 12/03/2015

Cartoonist Araradian Depicts the Diaspora

 Vahe H. Apelian, Reproduced from Keghart.com. Loveland OH, 9 June 2016

Ararat is a well-known name in Christendom, as it is the mountain where Noah’s Ark landed. It is less known that 5th century historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi in Armenian) claimed that Armenians are the descendants of Noah’s great-great-grandson Hayk and thus call themselves Hai. It might also be less known that the Armenians call the twin peaks of the Ararat Big Massis and Little Massis. When these two names come together as Massis Araradian, they form an unforgettable combination, which happens to be the name of the legendary Diaspora Hai cartoonist and caricaturist.

The naming of the family name is no less legendary. It was upon the urging of Catholicos Megerdich Kefsizian (1871-1894) of the Sis (Cilician) Catholicosate that Massis’ ardently patriotic grandfather Khacher had changed his family name to Araradian. Khacher was outspoken in the closely-knit Aintab Armenian community and was unconcerned that Turkish officials would look with suspicion his hosting of Simon Zavarian, one of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (A.R.F). Years later, Khacher's son Megerdich, who had survived the Genocide and lived in Aleppo,  named his firstborn-son and seventh child, Massis. Khachig Araradian, a cousin of Massis, was a noted stage actor and a solo reciter.

Few months ago when I was in Glendale, California, I purchased from Abril Bookstore its last copies of the two-volume “The Smile is Light”  (Ժպիտը լոյս է), Massis Araradian's massive opus.  The set measures 11x8.5 inches in landscape. The first volume is 544 pages and the second 399. Together they weigh a hefty 6 pounds and 14 ounces. Each contains an index under almost all the 39 Armenian alphabet characters. Save for the few pages of introduction and testimonials, the two volumes are "wall-to-wall" cartoons and caricatures. They are not only a pleasure to view but are also educational because the Armenian Diaspora of the last six decades, with its denizens and events, unfolds right in the lap of the reader.

The cartoons and the caricatures in the first volume cover the years from 1953 (Aleppo) to 1996  (Los Angeles) with a considerable amount of work produced in Beirut in between. The second volume starts in 1997 and ends in 2012. The over five decades covered in these two volumes depicts the Diaspora where I came of age. There does not seem to be any Diaspora individual of some prominence or any event that pertained to it to have escaped Massis’ pen. Cartoons and caricatures speak with a universal language. Nonetheless, it would be most helpful if a companion book is published spelling the names and the events depicted in Latin character for the benefit of readers who cannot read Armenian.

Massis was born in Aleppo on December 29, 1929. As a young boy he found out that not only could he draw but also had an uncanny ability to observe and distill a person’s character and the essence of events and present them with his agile pen. He started drawing on the margins of his textbooks, to the chagrin of his teachers who noticed they were often the subject of his acute pencil. His well-meaning parents were no less concerned by their son’s obsession with drawing, almost to his total disinterest in learning a trade.

But Massis found encouragement too. During the Second World War, when paper was scarce, his family and relatives collected the 3 by 4 inch daily sheets of their calendars that were blank at the back and gave them to Massis to draw on. Thus was born his habit of drawing on similar size pads, he notes, while standing, sitting and kneeling in his younger days.

The gift nature had bestowed upon the young man did not go unnoticed. Aleppo Arabic newspapers soon invited him to draw for their pages. In 1953 he  moved to Beirut where he worked  for Antranig Dzarougian’s "Nairi” weekly and “Aztag” daily. From 1955 to 1975 Massis was employed by now-defunct U.S. Information Service (USIS) where he worked his way up to its art director. The USIS shuttered its operations after its American directors were kidnapped. Massis recalls fondly and in appreciation his time with the American service.  A year later, in 1976, he immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Los Angeles where the family still resides. Right after his arrival he was hired by the "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner” and contributed to “Asbarez” daily. Within a few years he was promoted art director of the "Herald-Examiner's" California Living section. After the daily folded in November 1989, Massis continued to draw for the "Asbarez” daily.

Along with his cartoons and caricatures, Massis has designed more than 35 Armenian and Arabic fonts. The soul of his cartoons, caricatures and art works remain Armenian. He has been hailed by reviewers such as

Shahan Sanossian ("Armenian Reporter", February 23, 2008). In 1965 Mechag published Araradian's “Symphony of Life” (Կեանքի Սէմֆոնին) containing cartoons about the life and struggles of a Genocide survivor. In 1997 Araradian published “Smile is Light (Ժպիտը լոյս է): Cartoons by Massis, 1947-1997”. It was reprinted twice but is now out of print. In fact, Araradian has only one copy left. In 2002 he released a CD-ROM version of the book, which is still available for purchase. In 1998, he published “Armenian National Figures” (Ազգային Դէմքեր), a slim volume containing drawings of Armenian heroes from the 1920s. Massis published his latest two volumes in 2012.

His cartoons continue to stir emotions, such as his recent drawing of President Serzh Sargsyan which depicted Armenia's third president with a comfortable girth in military fatigue and holding a sling shot. Massis continues to stir the Armenian public.

Massis continues to draw at a prodigious rate. His latest drawings can be seen on his Facebook page and on his website. He points out that while his hair, age, milieu, social circumstance and everything else around him have changed since he started drawing, the only things he claims that have not changed in his life are  the pencil he holds with his right hand and the 3x4 inch size pads in his left hand, much like the calendar sheets his family and relatives gave him when he was a lad.

Massis and his wife Maro, née Der Ghougassian, were married in Beirut in 1965.  They  are the proud parents of two sons and four grandchildren.

Note: Updated. 

Massis Araratian claims that he has drawn while kneeling, seating, and standing.

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"Zartonk" (Awakening)

Vahe H. Apelian, Ohio, 2 April 2015

"Zartonk" (Awakening) remains a memorable novel for many of my generation born and raised in the Middle Eastern Armenian Diaspora. It is not uncommon to hear people claim to have read the novel more than once during their pre-teen years. I was no exception. By the time I stepped into my teens, I had read all the volumes of the novel at least once and parts of it many times more.

The historical novel, by Malkhas, was first published in Boston in 1933. It has been reprinted several times since.

Recently I read that the Sardarabad Bookstore in Glendale (California) and the Sosé and Allen’s Legacy Foundation have spearheaded a project to publish Zartonk in English.

The Sose’ and Allen’s Legacy Foundation is named after Sose’ Thomasian and Allen Yekikian. Like the idealist characters in the novel, the young couple had settled in Armenia to contribute to its development. They were married on August 11, 2012 at Kecharis Monastery in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. Their lives were cut short in a fatal car accident en route to Tiblisi on May 10, 2013.  The mission of the foundation is the realization of the young couple’s aspiration to contribute to the development of Armenia “by establishing programs and supporting existing programs aimed at bridging the gap between Armenia and its Diaspora, through an emphasis on education, repatriation, and volunteerism within the homeland.”

A group with impressive credentials has teamed to bring to fruition the publication of Zartonk in English as Awakening in three volumes. The team consists of Dr. Talar Chahinian (editorial director),  Simon Beugekian (translator), Sako Shahinian (creative director), Dr. Carole Viers-Andronico (editor), Varouj Ourfalian (publisher on behalf Sardarabed Bookstore) and  Vaché Thomassian (project Coordinator on behalf of Sose’ and Allen’s Legacy Foundation.

Awakening  “tells the story of young Armenians who come of age during a period in Armenian history known as ‘zartonk.’ ‘Zartonk’ refers to the rise of collective consciousness among Armenians living across three empires: Russian, Ottoman, and Persian. Through the entangled lives of its characters, 'Awakening' recounts stories of activism and heroism, love and camaraderie that emerge during years of servitude, oppression, and ignorance. The story develops over a fifteen-year period (1903-1918) and offers glimpses into the Armenian revolutionary movement, the 1915 Genocide, and the establishment of first independent Armenia". 

Since reading the novel as a pre-teen, the characters of Zartonk have remained etched in my memory as vividly as they appeared on the pages of the novel I kept under my pillow to read while lying on my bed. The book is superbly narrated. It may be more captivating to school-age children than to adults. Thankfully, the translator is adept and experienced at the art of translation. Zartonk is translator Simon Beugekian’s second translation. The first was Karnig Panian’s memoir Goodbye, Antoura.

Malkhas' life appears to have been no less colorful than that of his characters.  Malkhas (baptismal name Ardashes Hovsepian) was born in Trapizond in 1877.  After a short stay in the United States with his brother, he returned home in 1900 and immersed himself in the national liberation struggle assuming different responsibilities. He remained in the first republic of Armenia until the 1921 February 13 uprising lead by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The anti-Bolshevik rebellion was suppressed on April 2, 1921. The Armenian leaders, including Malkhas,  escaped to Persia to avoid arrest and possible execution. Malkhas eventually settled in the United States where he continued to participate in communal life. Along with 'Zartonk' he wrote Abroumner (Reflections). Unlike Zartonk, the latter was a collection of his memoirs.

After reading Zartonk, I read Abroumner. Like many readers, I too was consumed to find out the persons behind the characters of Zartonk. It was rumored that Malkhas would reveal the characters' identity in Abroumer. It proved not to be the case and it made for dull reading compared to Zartonk. The characters of Zartonk may be fictional, but they continue to impress the reader as very real. That may well be the very reason Zartonk became popular among the young. It is way too real to be a fictional story with fictional characters. The story morphed persons, fictional or real, into the unforgettable Vartan, Levon, Sonia, Yevgine, Topal Sadana and Aruydz Kevo.

I had the privilege of meeting Malkhas when he was invited to Lebanon in 1962. He stayed at Hotel Lux, the hotel my father ran. I was in my teens and my Zartonk reading days were in the past. New heroes in the persons of Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Fabian and other American singers and actors had crept into my life and taken over my teenage imagination.

Fortunately, meeting the author who had fired my imagination a few years earlier, proved not to be a disappointment. His goatee, spectacles, general demeanor, lively character fit the image of the person who could have authored the novel. It would take me many years to find out that the lively, engaged and impressionable person I had met was eighty-five years old and had passed away that same year. He had personalized the attached picture of his to my parents. A few years ago I donated the picture to Project Save in Watertown, MA.

"Awakening" may very well fire the imagination of the new generation of American-born Armenian youngsters. 

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Lest We Forget: Aram Toros Arvanigian

Source: Levon Baronian (Լեւոն Պարոնեան) in  “Keghi, Khoups Memorial Album” (Յուշամատեան  Քղի, Խուփս), Fresno (1968). Translated and abridged by Vahe H. Apelian

“Unaccountable is the number of the victims of the Armenian people. From the First World War and onward the names of many martyred victims have been forgotten. Among them is Aram Toros Arvanigian who was better known by his endearing nickname Vartabed. He was martyred in 1915 along with the brave Khoupsetsis.

Aram was born in the village of Khoups in Keghi, on March 10, 1874. He left the village early on and joined his brothers in Istanbul who enrolled him in the Armenian Seminary of Jerusalem to prepare him for priesthood. Aram finished the Seminary’s course but did not want to be ordained as a priest. His temperament was not suited for an ecclesiastic life.

During the 1895-96 persecution and massacres of the Armenians in Istanbul and in the interior of the country, his brothers managed to escape to Bulgaria. In 1900’s Aram left Jerusalem and joined them. He did not stay with them for long. In 1903 he came to America and settled in Providence where there was a sizeable vibrant Armenian community and joined the ranks of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Thanks to his calm, composed and persuasive personality he soon became a much-noted member of the community and was endearingly nicknamed Vartabed in recognition of his upbringing in the Seminary of Jerusalem. Through his efforts the first women’s Gomideh was established in America whose founding meeting took place in the residence of Mrs. Hripsime Arvanigian.

Aram left Providence in 1911 and returned to his beloved village Khoups where he continued to be an active member of the community. He paid particular attention to the state of the education in Khoups and became a natural leader around whom the youth of the village congregated and organized themselves. He married Arousiag Mouradian who was a teacher. They both espoused the same ideals and formed a happy family. However their happy lives were short lived.

In October 1914 the Turk and the Russians declared war on each other. The Turkish government seizing the warring state armed the Turks and Kurds in the region who started threatening the very existence of the Armenians. The villagers of the Khoups, under the leadership of Aram, formed a military council to defend themselves.

On May 9, 1915 representatives form the government arrived to the village and ordered the villagers to prepare leaving Khoups in a week for the government to escort them to Kharpert. Meanwhile thousands of armed Turks and Kurds were encircling and threatening the village.

The Khoupsetsi held a meeting in the yard shared by the church and the school. Mikael Nalbandian, from the military council, and Aram Arvanigian spoke to the people. Aram presented the grave situation they were facing and asked the villagers if they are willing to fight and die honorably or abide by the order and face an uncertain future. The villagers unanimously declared that they would rather stay and die defending themselves in their village.

On May 18, between 8 to 10 thousand soldiers and armed civilians, under the leadership of the regional Turkish governor, attacked Khoups. The Khoupsetsis put a fierce defense for the next seven days, until May 24. Between 40 to 45 combatants died defending the village. On the morning of May 25, fighting came to a lull and the Turkish forces appeared retreating. The Military Council called for another meeting and presented to the villagers the bare facts of their situation. Their stock of bullets had considerably diminished. Should the attacks resume they will not be able to defend themselves for any appreciable period of time. They decided instead to find a way through the mountain passes nearby and reach Dersim. Few young men took the responsibility surveying the safety of the mountain passageways.

The surveyors brought word that the passageways appeared safe for crossing. In the evening the Khoupsetsis started leaving the village on their way to Dersim through a neighboring friendly village whose Kurdish tribe spoke the local Dersim dialect and had refused to accept arms from the government against the Armenians. It would have taken them three hours to reach to their safe destination.

The retreat of the Turkish army proved to be a ploy. Barely twenty-five minutes after leaving the village, Turkish soldiers and armed irregulars from a Kurdish tribe known for its violence encircled them. A fierce fight erupted. Men, women, young and old Khoupsetsis put a fierce resistance that lasted all night long. By the morning of May 26 an eerie calm prevailed over the battleground. Barely 200 out of the 2151 brave Khoupsetsis had survived.

The members of the Military Council were killed fighting with the rest of the fallen Khoupsetsis. Their remains remained between Khoups and the Armenian village Sakatsor, but their memories linger among the Khoupsetsis and the rest of the Armenians."

Source: Asbarez

Link: Lest We Forget: Aram Toros Arvanigian