Community - Armenian Reporter

community
the armenian
reporter
Western U.S. Edition
Number 25
January 26, 2008
California
Voices screened
at Ararat-Eskijian
Museum
Centennial events
to be held across the
globe
by Tania Ketenjian
Story on page B2 m
Pamela Nahabedian
Young helps the needy
Story on page B3 m
Crime Beat: Woman
sentenced in “parking
lot rage” incident
Story on page B3 m
A community of artists
comes together to put
on Baron Garbis
Story on page B4 m
Hye Katch Do: More
than just kicking and
punching
Story on page B5 m
The evolving art of
tying the knot
Story on page B6 m
The Dip
Story on page B7 m
Eastern U.S.
Ancient and modern
sounds mix
Story on page B8 m
SAN FRANCISCO7 – As this year
marks the centennial of William
Saroyan’s birth, events are happening
around the globe to mark the
importance of his legacy, not only
for the Armenian community but
the literary world as a whole. From
Japan and Russia to Fresno and
Boston, communities and institutions
are in the planning stages of
events to commemorate the powerful
work of a man who dedicated
his life to the written word.
One of the main reasons why
Saroyan’s work continues to resonate
is the strength of the William
Saroyan Foundation, which the
author and his siblings, Henry and
Cosette, set up in 1966. When Cosette
died in 1990, the house that
she and Saroyan co-owned, along
with all of Saroyan’s assets, became
the possessions of the foundation,
in accordance with Saroyan’s
will. The author had also appointed
Robert Setrakian as the next director
of the foundation, entrusting
him with the task of bringing together
all of his works, which had
been scattered around the world.
Setrakian did just that. In 1997, all
of Saroyan’s literary papers were
placed in the Special Collections
of the Stanford University Library
and designated as the William Saroyan
Archive.
The Sarkisyans join presidential
hopeful John Edwards in Los Angeles
by Lory Tatoulian
LOS ANGELES7 – The parents
of the late Nataline Sarkisyan,
Koko and Hilda, and their son,
Bedig, have joined presidential
hopeful John Edwards on his
campaign trail to support his commitment
to healthcare reform.
Nataline, 17, a leukemia patient,
died on December 20, 2007. Her
insurance company, Cigna, had denied
her a liver transplant, which
her doctors believed could have
saved her life.
The Sarkisyan family is now advocating
for healthcare reform and
has made sharing Nataline’s story
with as many Americans as possible
a personal mission.
The Sarkisyans joined John Edwards
at his first campaign rally in
Hew Hampshire, and are continuing
to tour with him through the
primary season.
On January 17, the Sarkisyans
made an appearance with Mr. Edwards
on the rooftop of the Service
Employees International Union office
in downtown Los Angeles.
During a 20-minute speech, Mr.
Edwards presented a litany of issues
he seeks to address if he is
elected president, including global
warming and an end to the war
in Iraq. The candidate also lashed
out at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
for proposed budget
cuts in education.
William Saroyan turns 100
Four years ago, Setrakian stepped
down as president and CEO and
appointed Haig Mardikian as the
new head of the William Saroyan
Foundation, which is located in
San Francisco. As Mardikian states,
“It’s a wonderful foundation and I
have to really take off my hat to
Robert and the early trustees. They
did a tremendous job of ensuring
that the literary legacy of Saroyan
would be protected and furthered.
From the nuts and bolts side, there
is a lot that needs to be done to
maintain an author’s legacy, and
it’s now the duty of the foundation
to make sure that it is protected
and more people are made aware
of his work.”
Mardikian knew Saroyan in his
childhood. Mardikian’s father had
come to San Francisco from Istanbul
in 1922 and begun working at a
local speakeasy as a dishwasher. He
later opened a restaurant in that
very speakeasy and called it Omar
Khayyam’s (after the well-known
ancient Persian poet who was famous
for the line “Eat, drink, and
be merry for tomorrow you may
die.”) Omar Khayyam’s became very
popular and was often frequented
by Saroyan. Mardikian’s father and
Saroyan quickly became friends.
The former would invite Saroyan to
the family’s summer house in the
Napa Valley. Mardikian remembers
a birthday party at which Saroyan
was present.
“It was the summer and I was
turning about 8 or 9,” Mardikian
recalls. “We were celebrating my
birthday at the family’s ranch
house and one of my gifts was an
Indian chief’s headdress. I have a
Koko and Hilda Sarkisyan, holding a picture of their late daughter Nataline and
the flags of Armenia and the United States. Photo: Steve Artinian.
distinct memory of Saroyan putting
that on his head, getting up on
the table, and dancing.”
There was surely a celebratory
side to Saroyan, and, in line with
that, this year there will be many
events to bring to life his work
and spirit. According to Mardikian,
“The primary activities will be at
Stanford, where they will be awarding
their biennial Saroyan Literary
Prize in early September. Along
with the ceremonies, they are planning
a musical concert.”
Mardikian continues: “The most
extensive activity will be in Fresno,
under the chairmanship of Larry
Balakian. All of those events can be
found at www.saroyancentennial.
org. We have been in touch with
Archbishop Barsamian in New York
City and they are planning to do a
panel discussion with author Peter
Balakian. The Armenian Dramatic
Arts Alliance is going to be presenting
a Saroyan Prize for Playwriting
during an event in Los Angeles.
Here in Berkeley, a publishing
company called Hayday Press will
be producing a 600-page book on
Saroyan which will include some of
his writings and will be available for
purchase in August. Finally, there
will be a centennial dinner in early
Fall in San Francisco.” These events
are in addition to those planned in
Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
There are many reasons why Saroyan’s
work maintains its strength
after so many years. Some attribute
it to his beautiful style, others
believe it’s the voice he offers to
Continued on page B2 m
“A man died, but a
nation awakened”
Hrant Dink is
remembered in New
York
by Florence Avakian
New York – A huge photograph
of Hrant Dink’s reflective
face gazed down on close to 500
attendees during the event held
on Sunday afternoon, January 21,
in the Haik and Alice Kavookjian
Auditorium of the St. Vartan
Armenian Cathedral complex,
marking the passage of one year
since the assassination of the
courageous Agos editor-in-chief
in Turkey.
Mr. Edwards advocted a universal
healthcare program that would
provide coverage for all Americans.
Universal healthcare, which every
other industrialized nation offers,
has become the fulcrum of his campaign.
“We are going to fight for universal
healthcare, and mandate it
for every man, woman, and child
in this country, because we so desperately
need it,” Mr. Edwards told
some one thousand supporters.
“We have 47 million people
without health coverage in this
country,” he said. “And we have
millions more who are terrified
of losing their coverage of healthinsurance
premiums. We need a
change and it will not happen unless
we have a president who is
willing to take on the drug companies,
the insurance companies,
their lobbyists.”
The former senator from North
Carolina also pointed out that unlike
his rivals, Senators Hillary
Clinton and Barack Obama, he
is proud to announce that he is the
only candidate that has “never accepted
a dime” from a Washington
lobbyist or special-interest group.
He proclaimed, “I don’t want to be
their president, I want to be your
president.”
During the campaign rallies, the
Sarkisyans have had the chance
to share the candidate’s stage and
speak about the tragic loss of their
daughter with voters across the nation.
In Los Angeles, the Sarkisyans
stood right behind Mr. Edwards,
holding miniature American and
Armenian flags and pictures of
their daughter. Even though the
family did not speak at the Los
Angeles rally, Mr. Edwards introduced
them as a family that underwent
the horrible experience
of having their insurance company
abandon them at the most
critical time.
“Nataline’s dad had worked his
entire life to support his family,”
Mr. Edwards said. “He had paid his
insurance premiums exactly the
way he was supposed to, and when
he needed the insurance company
to do their part and pay for the liver
Continued on page B2 m
A choir’s-eye view of New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral, during the Jan. 20
memorial service marking the anniversary of Hrant Dink’s murder. Hasmig
Meikhanedjian conducted the cathedral choir, accompanied by Florence Avakian
on the organ. Photo: Harry L. Koundakjian.
Following an opening prayer by
Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian,
welcoming remarks were made by
director of the Diocese’s Krikor and
Clara Zohrab Information Center,
Rachel Goshgarian, who reminded
the audience of Dink’s unceasing
efforts to bring dialogue and reconciliation
between the Turkish and
Armenian peoples and nations. “He
was the most vocal member of the
Armenian community in Istanbul,”
she noted.”
Dr. Herand Markarian, whose
background includes being a scientist,
playwright, poet, community
activist, and director of the Hamazkayan
Theatre, presented an audiovisual
display of “Hrant Dink’s Life
Continued on page B10 m

B2 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
Voices screened at Ararat-Eskijian Museum
The documentary
features some of the
last survivors of the
Genocide
MISSION HILLS, Calif.7 – Voices,
a 40-minute documentary that follows
the lives of four genocide survivors,
was screened at the Ararat-
Eskijian Museum in Mission Hills,
on Sunday, January 13. Filmmaker
Apo Torosyan has interviewed
three survivors of the Armenian
Genocide and one survivor of the
Greek Genocide, seeking to educate
non-Armenians and non-Greeks
about early 20th-century mass
killings committed by the Turkish
government.
One of the survivors featured
in the film, Yeghsapet Giragosian,
was 107 years when she was interviewed.
She passed away three
weeks before the film was completed
in 2006. “She was 15 years
old during the Genocide. She lived
near Kharpert,” Torosyan said.”
Yeghsapet survived by hiding out
in a neighbor’s house while the
deportations and massacres took
place.” Yeghsapet’s brother disappeared,
her sister was abducted by
the Turks, and her mother died of
dehydration.
The second survivor interviewed
in the documentary is 107-year-old
Hovhannes Madzharyan, who now
resides in Glendale.
William Saroyan turns 100
m Story starts on page B1
the voiceless. But Mardikian has
another insight. “What overlays
all of it and what I think is the
foundation for his lasting appeal
is his optimism,” he says. “He’s not
looking at the world through rosecolored
glasses and he admits that
there are hard things in life. But
through that he believes that living
is a great experience and that,
even with all the challenges, life is
still such a magical thing. That is
Saroyan’s unique flame that burns
through all his writing. There’s real
power in his optimism.”
As for Mardikian’s position at
the William Saroyan Foundation,
“He lived a tortured life,” Torosyan
said. “There were ten people in
his family and only three survived.
As a young boy, he was bought
as a slave by a band of Arabs and
worked as their shepherd. One day,
he saw two women harvesting the
grass in the fields where he herded
his sheep. Miraculously, he noticed
they were his mother and sister.
When the three united, they ran
away together.”
The late Luther Eskijian, founder
of the Ararat-Eskijian Museum and
the film’s third interviewee, was
only six and half years old when he
survived the Genocide. He went on
to help the freedom fighters who
defended the Armenian population
on the streets of Aintab, by taking
food supplies to them.
With his family annihilated by
the Turks, Eskijian found refuge
in the United States at the age of
seven and immediately began to
work. As a young man, he developed
an affinity for architecture,
and when he was in the military,
he learned about design and construction
while traveling through
Europe with the American corps.
From France all the way to Berlin,
Eskijian built hospitals and converted
buildings into hospitals for
the GIs.
“He never really talked to any
of us about his experiences in the
military,” said Martin Eskijian,
Luther’s son. “He didn’t talk to us
about his experiences in the Genocide.
You can see a bit of it in Voices,
he states, “I have always found
throughout my business career
that doing community work has
been extremely rewarding and
it has always been an interest
of mine to do something connected
to my heritage. I feel very
blessed to have been asked to be
associated with the William Saroyan
Foundation and the association
has been a great pleasure,
a true labor of love that I deeply
appreciate. I am hopeful that
we will continue to do the good
work of the people that came before
us.”
f
connect:
www.saroyancentennial.org.
but that’s about it. When he came
to America, he worked very hard,
moved on with his life, and never
looked back.”
Torosyan said he felt lucky to
have met survivors like Eskijian.
The most difficult part of the project,
he added, was saying goodbye
when the interviews were completed.
He had developed a deep
bond with the survivors, who had
become to him like the grandparents
he never had.
The final story of Voices belongs
to Sossos Delis, whose family members
were massacred by the Turks
in Smyrna (Izmir) in 1922. Delis was
able to escape, along with a number
of Armenians, when the Greek
army entered the city and rescued
as many survivors as possible.
Prior to making Voices, Torosyan
researched the history of Aleppo,
Syria. The city was an important
hub for the Turks’ genocidal project,
as thousands of Armenian deportees
were first taken to Aleppo
before being shipped off to Der Zor
and being massacred. Torosyan discovered
that some Armenians were
able to stay in Aleppo and survive,
but that most ended up in Der Zor,
where they were slaughtered or
died of starvation.
For Torosyan, the impetus to
make a film about Genocide survivors
came in 2003, when one of
his professors at Boston University
suggested that he makes a documentary
on the subject. The assignment
led Torosyan to Western Armenia
(present-day Turkey), where
he interviewed the children of witnesses
of the Armenian Genocide
and filmed the surroundings where
his father, Hrant Torosyan, was
orphaned at the age of 5. The result
was Discovering my Father’s Village
(2003), his first film about the
Genocide. Torosyan subsequently
made another documentary, Witnesses
(2005), which features interviews
with a number of Armenian
Genocide survivors.
A renowned installation artist,
Torosyan said he feels lucky to be
able to use film as the medium in
which he tells the story of the Armenians.
“Film is more mobile and
accessible and can have a further
reach than any mural on a wall,” he
explained. “A lifetime cannot be
justly surveyed in 10-12 minutes,
but I am trying to do the best job
possible,” Torosyan said. f
connect:
apotoros@comcast.net
www.chgs.umn.edu
www.PaintingsDirect.com
www.legacy-project.org
Left: Garbis
Sarafyan (l.) and
Voices filmmaker
Apo Torosyan at
Ararat-Eskijian
Museum
presentation in
Mission Hills
Calif. on Jan. 13.
Below:
Yeghsapet
Giragosian,
Hovhannes
Madzharyan,
Sossos Delis,
Luther Eskijian,
whose voices
are heard in the
documentary.
The Sarkisyans join presidential hopeful John Edwards in Los Angeles
m Story starts on page B1
transplant operation, they stepped
aside and said no.”
The Democratic candidate explained
to the audience how
the medical and Armenian
communities intervened and protested
in front of Cigna Insurance
offices in Glendale, and how the
communities pressured the insurance
company into endorsing a
liver transplant for Nataline.
“The problem is that [Cigna]
caved in when it was too late, because
she died a few hours later,”
Mr. Edwards told the crowd, which
listened in hushed silence.
“Anybody who says to me I’m supposed
to sit at a table and negotiate
with those people, never!” Mr. Edwards
said. “We are going to stand
up and we are going to fight. This
is a perfect example of why we so
desperately need a president who
will fight for you.”
Mr. Edwards’ daughter, Catharine
Edwards, was also present at
the campaign rally. As the former
senator was leaving the rally and
shaking hands with supporters,
Catharine, who attends Harvard
Presidential hopeful John Edwards in Los Angeles, with Nataline Sarkisyan’s parents at his side. Photo: Steve Artinian.
Law School and has been actively
campaigning with her father, spoke
to the Armenian Reporter. “My father
has been talking about healthcare
from the beginning of this
campaign,” she said.
Catharine mentioned that the
Sarkisyan family contacted her father
when they heard him talk about
expanding healthcare coverage to all
Americans. Catharine said her father
wants to mandate a Patient’s Bill of
Rights, so that patients and doctors
will be the sole decision-makers
when it comes to medical care.
“We are so happy to have [the
Sarkisyan family] come out and
tell their story,” Catharine added.
“It’s very powerful, and we are very
lucky to have their support. Unfortunately,
they know first-hand
how important it is to make these
changes in healthcare policy. The
reason we really love having them
here is because they are spreading
their message about what really
can happen. It helps prevent this
from happening to another child.
Hopefully there will not be more
situations like Nataline’s, until we
get the policy changed.”
Gary O’Brian, a John Edwards
supporter who attended the rally,
said he feels that the candidate really
understands the suffering of the poor
and the middle class. “John Edwards
brought the [Sarkisyan] family as evidence,
because this family suffered
a great loss and their child would
have been saved if their healthcare
provider gave the care they needed,”
Mr. O’Brian said. “And you can talk
and talk about it as a politician, but
when you have parents here, standing
with a picture of their child, with
something that happened so recently,
I think it really drives the message
home to the people that are listening,
and you realize just how high the
stakes are.”
f

The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
road less traveled
Pamela Young makes
it her life mission to
help the needy
by Mariette Tachdjian
Few young adults these days can
give so freely of their time and energy
for the sole purpose of helping
the less fortunate. But Pamela
Young, an Armenian-American and
self-made citizen of the world, is
one of those rare and selfless souls,
having spent the past 20 years of
her life making the poor and needy
her life’s work. Her unique journey
would take her from the disasterstricken
regions of Armenia to the
desolate refugee camps of Kenya
and Somalia.
Born to an Armenian mother and
a British father, Pamela grew up in
a tight-knit, church-based community
in Boston, Massachusetts. As a
teenager, she was involved in various
Armenian activities, inspired
by her own immigrant grandparents,
whom she watched volunteer
tirelessly in the church kitchen and
picnic booths. Her interest in serving
the Armenian community continued
to grow, but it wasn’t until
college that she actually learned
the Armenian language.
Pamela had set her sights on becoming
a lawyer. But when the fateful
1988 earthquake shook Spitak
and neighboring cities in northern
Armenia, she saw an opportunity
to go help her kindred folk. She enlisted
in a program with the Armenian
Church Youth Organization of
America (ACYOA), to help build a
house in Stepanavan, one of the region’s
most devastated cities. “This
was my second trip to Armenia, but
my first to do humanitarian work
in the country,” she recalls. The experience
would leave an indelible
mark on the young girl.
After earning a bachelor’s degree
in political science from Colby
College, Pamela began to develop
her own career niche by blending
her interest in global policies
and international law with her
Mariette Tachdjian is a freelance writer
living in the Los Angeles area.
CRIME BEAT
Sentence is home
confinement
by Jason Kandel
BURBANK7 – Culminating
months of drama in a freak “parking-lot
rage” incident in which a
pregnant woman pushed down an
elderly parking attendant, causing
his death, because she didn’t
want to pay the $5 fee, Hilda S.
Voskanian will serve 120 days of
home confinement, attend anger
management classes, and perform
community service.
During an emotional sentencing
hearing Jan. 16, Ms. Voskanian,
who was 31 and eight months pregnant
at the time she pushed Pedro
Dorado to the ground, expressed
remorse, wiping away tears.
Ms. Voskanian was also ordered
to serve 60 months of probation,
and will pay $8,500 in restitution
to Mr. Dorado’s family for funeral
expenses and travel costs.
“I want you to know that I feel
terrible for what happened,” she
said, addressing the court, according
to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Armenian by design, humanitarian by choice
newfound passion for humanitarian
work. She joined Oxfam GB, a
Britain-based international nongovernmental
organization (NGO),
where she was assigned to policy
development, advocacy work, and
campaigning to end global poverty.
“I chose this work because, with
all the wealth that there is in the
world, there is no reason for people
to be poor,” Pamela says. “Yet there
still are millions of children who
never go to school or see a doctor.”
She was stationed in all corners of
the world, including Tanzania, Indonesia,
Barbados, and England,
as a project manager, working in
long-term development as well as
emergency relief. She found that
being involved in Armenian activities
during her youth had had an
impact on the way she worked with
people in developing countries. “In
some ways, having come from a
family of Genocide survivors, I find
it easier to empathize with those
who I meet through my work,” she
explains.
But it was during graduate school
at the University of Michigan that
Pamela truly rediscovered her Armenian
culture and language, and
went on to nurture her Armenian
roots. Her doctoral dissertation
– on Armenian education in the
Ottoman Empire just before the
Genocide – required extensive research,
taking her to France, Armenia,
and England. While settling in
London to complete her dissertation,
she, along with a few committed
friends, founded the Armenian
Institute, with a mission to make
Armenian culture and history a
living experience by developing
educational resources and offering
various programs such as workshops,
academic events, exhibits,
and musical performances. “This
remains the guiding principle of
the organization, and I really am
proud of my friends and colleagues,
who continue to make it a thriving
organization today,” Pamela says.
Helping fight global
poverty
Currently Pamela lives in Atlanta,
Georgia, where she works for
CARE. This has also allowed her to
be closer to her parents and family.
CARE is a nonprofit international
“Knowing that if (I) had paid the $5,
Mr. Dorado would be alive and Mr.
Dorado’s family wouldn’t have to
live with this trauma.”
Ms. Voskanian, a Burbank resident
who works in importing and
exporting, was found guilty in November
of one count of involuntary
manslaughter for the June 2006
death of Mr. Dorado, who was 75.
The incident began about 7 p.m.
June 30 outside the Grand Bellaj
reception hall on Olive Avenue in
downtown Burbank.
Ms. Voskanian and her husband
had parked their vehicle in the lot
where the Mr. Dorado worked, and
on their way out, Mr. Dorado asked
the couple to pay the $5 parking fee.
But Ms. Voskanian refused, and Mr.
Dorado positioned himself in front
of the vehicle to photograph its license
plate.
Enraged, Ms. Voskanian got out
of the vehicle and pushed Mr. Dorado
back. The force caused him to
slam his head against the pavement.
He checked himself into White
Memorial Hospital, where he
slipped into a coma with bleeding
to the brain, was put on life support,
and died three weeks later.
He didn’t report the crime to the
police.
organization focused on fighting
global poverty, particularly by
supporting women. “It is usually
women who are most affected by
poverty,” Pamela says. She helps
create educational programs for
children and orphans, and other
vulnerable populations throughout
the world, including those with HIV
and AIDS. Though most of her work
takes place at the CARE headquarters,
she recently spent five weeks
on assignment in Kenya, England,
and India.
In Kenya, Pamela met with
CARE’s senior management from
East and Central Africa, to discuss
various issues ranging from climate
change to the rape of women during
armed conflict. Next she was
dispatched to evaluate a program
in Dadaab, a refugee town near
the Kenya-Somali border, where
CARE runs an education system for
40,000 young people. Back in Nairobi,
Pamela helped plan a meeting
on education and HIV/AIDS
mitigation for nine African countries.
She then had meetings with
representatives of global agencies,
including the UN, before returning
to England to discuss research and
collaboration with European NGOs.
She subsequently traveled to India,
to meet with CARE’s education
staff from the Middle East, Eastern
Europe, and East and South Asia.
The trip ended with a visit to education-program
sites in Lucknow,
India, where she met with children,
teachers, parents, and local NGOs.
Just imagining this kind of life
is exhausting enough. But Pamela’s
boundless drive seems to be fueled
by a personal belief: “I have always
thought it was worth the effort to
help others who are in need,” she
says. Still, what may seem as an
exciting lifestyle also comes with
its own set of drawbacks. “There
are a lot of tough moments, from
constant earthquakes in Indonesia
to missing weddings and birthdays,
to jet lag and bathing in brown
water,” Pamela explains. “They are
difficult but not insurmountable.”
Her greatest satisfaction, she adds,
is seeing people whom she has
helped succeed, or seeing a child
go to school for the first time. And
through it all, she keeps family her
main priority. “The most difficult
moments are being away from
Upon getting word of the death,
Los Angeles police opened a case
and notified Burbank officers, who
began piecing together details of
what happened.
Two days after Mr. Dorado died,
Ms. Voskanian and her husband,
Oshin Grigorian, 35, were arrested.
Charges against Mr. Grigorian,
were dropped.
In court, Ms. Voskanian’s attorney
James Epstein argued that
his client was acting in self defense.
Prosecutors said Ms. Voskanian
was “in a rage” and provoked the
incident.
During closing arguments Nov.
28, Ms. Voskanian showed little
emotion. The jury convicted Ms.
Voskanian of involuntary manslaughter,
a crime that could have
given her a state prison sentence of
up to four years. The judge gave her
a lighter sentence taking into consideration
the fact that she had no
prior criminal record, was pregnant,
and was raising a young child.
The prosecutor suggested that Ms.
Voskanian became embarrassed
when Mr. Dorado, seeking payment,
followed her into a Verizon
cellphone store nearby to collect.
Epstein tried to raise reasonable
doubt saying the prosecutor did
Pamela Nahabedian Young.
home when a family member is
sick or your help is needed. That
is when I have dropped everything
and been on the next plane home,
no matter where I was in the world,”
she says.
In early 2007, while working in
Rwanda, Pamela visited the Genocide
Museum, which also includes
a tribute to the Armenian Genocide.
What angered her most “Is
that the world does not learn,
and that despite people knowing
what is happening, it is difficult
to get people to act.” She credits
her grandparents for her own
work ethic. “For them it was never
about how much money a person
had but what they did to help
others” she says. In turn, she has
translated that to a larger, global
vision. “As a citizen of the world,
I see it as a responsibility to help
make sure that everyone has the
same opportunities, regardless of
who they are and where they have
come from.”
Woman sentenced in “parking lot rage” incident
not prove her case, that Mr. Dorado
likely died as a result of him taking
blood thinners for a preexisting
heart condition, and that she was
acting in self defense when Mr. Dorado
came after her.
Epstein said he plans to file an
appeal for a new trial in the case.
Glendale man pleads
not guilty in fatal hitand-run
A man who was caught trying to
flee the continent through Mexico
this summer pleaded not guilty to
second-degree murder and other
charges in connection with the
hit-and-run death of a 24-year-old
Elizabeth Sandoval.
Ara Grigoryan, 21, pleaded
not guilty, indicating that the
case will likely move forward for
a preliminary hearing in the coming
months at which a judge will
determine if there is enough evidence
against the defendant for a
trial.
He entered his plea Jan. 3 in a
Pasadena courtroom. He also
pleaded not guilty to one count
each of vehicular manslaughter
and felony hit-and-run charges involving
a death.
B3
With a purpose-driven life and
a giving spirit, Pamela Young is
a living example of what it is to
go beyond the Armenian identity
while preserving the culture that
molded her. So what does she say
to young Armenians who want to
pursue their life’s passion? “My
advice is to follow your dreams,
whatever they may be,” Pamela
states. She also feels it is important
to think about how you can
contribute to society and listen to
the wisdom of others. Her graduate
commencement speech encouraged
people to make a difference
in whatever they did. And to
parents of young Armenians, Pamela
says: “Support your children
to follow their dreams, no matter
whether you agree with them or
not. My parents always have and I
am grateful for it.”
f
connect:
armenianinstitute.org.uk
www.care.org
He has been charged in a July 10
crash that left Ms. Sandoval dead
at South Glendale Avenue near
Windsor Road in Glendale, police
said.
Mr. Grigoryan was allegedly at
the wheel of a black Mercedes-Benz
S430, driving at “highway speeds”
when he hit Ms. Sandoval at 9:40
that night, police said.
Four days after the crash, police
located the Mercedes at a Van Nuys
body shop through a tracking device
installed on the vehicle.
But the suspect was nowhere to
be found.
Police determined that the car
was registered to a relative of Mr.
Grigoryan’s and kicked off an international
manhunt that led them
to Tijuana.
With the help of Mexican authorities,
Mr. Grigoryan was arrested
July 18 in Mexico City for not having
proper travel documents as he
was trying to hop on a plane to
Spain, then Russia, before eventually
planning to land in his birthplace
of Armenia, police said.
Mr. Grigoryan, who police say
has a lengthy record of bad driving,
is at Men’s Central Jail in downtown
Los Angeles, awaiting his next
court hearing, set for Feb. 13. f

B4 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
A community of artists comes together to put on a show
ADVERTISER: PLEASE PLACE BETWEEN JANUARY 3 - MARCH 9, 2008 Contact: Jennifer Coulombe, 212.237.3859
by Adrineh Gregorian
This space contributed as a public service.
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.7
– Among the many hats Vahe Berberian
wears in the creative world
is his recent feat as writer and director
of Baron Garbis. The play
in Armenian opened to sold-out
performances last weekend (see
Arts & Culture page C18) for a nineweek
run at the Whitefire Theater
in Sherman Oaks, California.
The story, though fictionalized, is
one that all Diasporan-Armenians
have experienced and can relate to.
“Aside from the fact that the
opening weekend Send gave hope us a wonderful
high, it also during built confidence Daffodil Days ® .
by the bunch
with the group,” said Berberian,
referring to the positive audience
response. “Until the Youopening can fight of the back against
play, we knew we cancer had a by powerful supporting the
piece, but we had American no idea how Cancer the Society
audience was going Daffodil to react Days. to it.” Visit
“Now we know www.cancer.org/daffodils
and that gave a
new strength to the to purchase company. Daffodil Also, Days
I am very pleased products, that the make audience
was able to get the
a Gift of
nuances
that remains constant is the deeprooted
bond between each other.
These bonds that have lasted decades,
war, continental lines, and
transcend generational gaps are
the impetus and the spirit that is
captured in the production of Baron
Garbis.
Many of the cast and crew have
been ‘bonded’ together since the days
when they collaborated with the Experimental
Theatre Company in Beirut.
Now they bring their synergy to
the stage in Southern California.
“The experience of the cast and
crew getting together and focusing
on a project and finally bringing it
to the stage has been amazing,” says
Berberian. “Sartre says ‘Friendship
develops when people act together.’
We have been friends for a long
time, but acting together (meaning
working on a project together) has
brought us even closer and turned
the group into a tight family.”
“For me the process was exciting
yet a bit challenging to be on stage
again after 20 years of hiatus,” says
Hope donation or become Ara Madzounian, a
who plays Baron
of the play, especially Daffodil the Days humor, volunteer. Garbis’ son, Jirair. “It is hard to put
and laugh and cry at the same time,” into words an actor goes through
added Berberian.
the opening night before going on
The play is more than a piece of stage. It is a mixture of apprehension,
uncontrolled enthusiasm, the
entertainment for the Armenian
community. It’s a chance for the eagerness to set foot on stage and
audience to step back and consider utter your first words... and to hope
1.800.ACS.2345
how a simple relationship between www.cancer.org that all goes well without any obvious
glitch.
father and son gives can be insightful
into the journey of a people. “For the following weeks, my wish as
Not only will the 2-1/16” audience xbe
5-1/4” an actor is to perform in-front of capacity
audience,” added Madzounian.
able to relate to the relationships
on stage, they can also see the evolution
of the Armenians. One thing Manager, Salpi Yardemian,
Assistant Director and Stage
has
©2008, American Cancer Society, Inc.
been assisting Vahe and the cast,
with everything that they may have
needed. Yardemian says that Baron
Garbis represents, “the generation
who struggled for the impossible,
but paved the way in which we continue
to live.”
“Working on Baron Garbis has
been most rewarding not only
for the creativity and the camaraderie
that we all share,” says
Yardemian. “But also to bring Baron
Garbis (the character) alive on
stage whom we all know and miss.”
The production coordinator for
Baron Garbis, Christina Shirinyan,
has collaborated with Berberian
on many projects in the fine
art world and is making her debut
in theater world with this play.
“This was my first time working
in theater so I went in knowing it
would be an adventure to bring
Baron Garbis to life,” says Shirinyan.
This space contributed as a public service.
Ara Baghdoyan, on the floor, plays
Baron Garbis and his son Jirair, is
played by Ara Madzounian. Photo:
Helena Gregorian.
Send hope by the bunch
“Beacuse it’s a live show, it is a continuous
“Initially I saw my role as the per-
in a new light. Ara Baghdoyan,
adventure, and this is the son putting the pieces outside of Ara Madzounian, and Christo-
beauty of the process.” during Daffodil Days the content together, but the more . pher Bedian perform on Thursdays
and Saturdays. And, Maurice
As for the excitement of opening I hung out around the actors during
weekend Shirinyan says, “we were
all confident in the strength of play the rehearsals, the more I be-
came emotionally vested as well,”
Kouyoumdjian, Sako Berberian,
and Roupen Karakouzian perform
on Fridays and Sundays.
and our excitement
You
was
can
reaffirmed
fight back against
says Sarkissian.
cancer by supporting the
by the overwhelming response of “From the first time when Vahe “Baron Garbis will be playing every
the audience.”
American Cancer Society
told me
Daffodil
that he
Days.
has started
For your
to write
donation
Thursday,
of
Friday, and Saturday at
Producer Hrair $25, S. Sarkissian’s
our volunteers this willplay, deliver I thought a beautiful this will bunch be a hit,” of freshcut
8pm and Sundays at 3pm through
daffodils has tocol-
someone says Sarkissian. special, along “And with the fact Beathat
R. Hope, March a 16.
father, Sarkis Sarkissian,
f
laborated with Berberian special bear and Madzounian
back in Beirut, for thecirca American 1970s. Cancer work Society, out there while that supplies is of quality last.
createdthere by Boyds really Collection, is very little Ltd. Armenian exclusively
connect:
Sarkissian’s current partnership doesn’t hurt. I believe our community
www.barongarbis.com
will greatly appreciate the solid
with the latter two is a continuation
of something For more eachthat Bear what and Apiece Bunch of work youthat send, Baron you Garbis will is.” share hope Whitefire Theater
appears on stage, for it all substantiates people facing cancer “It is very by supporting courageous of theVahe American to 13500 Ventura Blvd.
the endless symbiotic Cancer relationship Society’s lifesaving have brought missionup tosuch eliminate an issue the into disease. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
within our community. Hope for a world free the ofArmenian cancer starts modern with you. day con-
818.990.2324
sciousness. I think this is a significant
step forward for Armenian theatre
and hopefully a beginning for more
open, honest and sincere depictions
of our lives,” added Sarkissian.
Sarkissian says it’s been a privilege
to work with Berberian on this
project. “I’ve tried to get Baron
Garbis to be as close to Vahe’s vision
as possible, with as little stress on
Vahe as possible,” he says. “You’ll
have to ask Vahe if I succeeded, on
both fronts.”
By opening night, Sarkissian had
seen the play dozens of times and
was jealous of the audience because
they were seeing it for the first time.
“With such an amazing response, all
the hard work becomes worthwhile,
and we all have an opportunity
to breathe, until next weekend,”
Sarkissian added.
The two alternating casts allows
the audience to experience the play
©2008, American Cancer Society, Inc.
This space contributed as a public service.
1.800.ACS.2345
www.cancer.org/daffodils
©2008, American Cancer Society, Inc.
4-1/4” x 7”
Send hope by the bunch during Daffodil Days ® .
You can fight back against cancer by supporting the American Cancer
Society Daffodil Days. Visit www.cancer.org/daffodils to purchase
Daffodil Days products, brighten a patient’s day by making a Gift of
Hope donation, send an E-card or become a Daffodil Days volunteer.
4-1/4” x 3-1/2”
1.800.ACS.2345
www.cancer.org/daffodils
This space contributed as a public service.
©2008, American Cancer Society, Inc.
©2008, American Cancer Society, Inc.
This space contributed as a public service.
OMNILEVER
You can fight back against cancer by
supporting the American Cancer Society
Daffodil Days. For more information,
visit www.cancer.org/daffodils or call
OUTSOURCING TO ARMENIA
* IT, Business Process, 1.800.ACS.2345. Day-to-Day Management
Send * Database hope and Web Programming
by* the Medical, bunchClinical Data Management
* during Financial, Legal Document Processing
Daffodil * Customer Days ® Contact, . Data Center
Contacts: (201) 654-4267, info@omnilever.com
4-1/4” x 2”
Established US Clientele
ISO 9001:2000 – QUALITY STANDARD
1.800.ACS.2345
www.cancer.org/daffodils
Send hope by the bunch
during Daffodil Days ® .
You can fight back against cancer by supporting the American
Cancer Society Daffodil Days. Visit www.cancer.org/daffodils to
purchase Daffodil Days products, brighten a patient’s day by
making a Gift of Hope donation, send an E-card or become a
Daffodil Days volunteer.
4-1/4” x 5-1/4”
1.800.ACS.2345
www.cancer.org/daffodils

The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
Hye Katch Do: More than just kicking and punching
by Razmig Sarkissian
Five young Armenians had to push
themselves beyond their breaking
points, doing push-ups, sit-ups,
jumping jacks, and squats, all in
the snow-covered grounds of AYF
Camp, during the second weekend
of December.
“I’ve never been so tired in my life,”
said 15-year-old Hrag Tarpinian.
Drills like sprinting up the steep
“Suicide Hill” and doing jumping
jacks at the summit without even
the chance to catch a breath had
the young Armenians digging deep
inside them to find something that
would keep them motivated.
“Every muscle in my body was
telling me to give up,” said 15-yearold
Jack Gulesserian, “but I knew
I couldn’t. I had come too far to
quit.”
They were hot and sweaty, but
cold and shivering at the same time
as they were instructed to sprint
up and down the icy, slippery stairway
leading up to the dining lodge
of AYF Camp, which is nestled in
California’s Angeles National Forest.
After repeated sprints, and
slips, the exhausted teenagers were
told that they had to wheelbarrow
back and forth in the snow… with
bare hands.
“I didn’t think it [wheelbarrowing]
would be that bad because
the distance looked so short,” explained
15-year-old Maral Aghvinian,
“but the moment my hands hit
the snow, I saw them turn blue, and
that’s when all five of us started
yelling our hearts out.”
It was an impressive sight for all
who were watching. The five students
from Hye Katch Do Armenian
Martial Arts Academy were
pushing through the pain, and
pushing through their exhaustion,
all for a goal they had been
working toward for years: getting
a black belt.
The students – Nareg Ashekian,
Jack Gulesserian, Hrag Tarpinian,
Maral Aghvinian, and Vatche
Gulesserian – had dedicated much
time and energy to Hye Katch Do
and were now ready to take their
black-belt test. They were put
through various trials for the duration
of the weekend to show they
had the skills, the attitude, and,
most importantly, the heart to become
black belts.
One of the most physically and
mentally challenging tasks of the
weekend was the five-mile run. The
teens had been dreading this part
of the test the most. The first two
miles seemed to be the most difficult
for them because the distance
of the run and the lower amount
of oxygen in the mountainous elevation
of AYF Camp had them all
psyched out.
“I felt really nervous,” said 13-yearold
Vatche Gulesserian, “partly because
I’m one of the youngest in
the group.”
A caravan of cars filled with parents
and other supporters constantly
followed the self-named
“Future Five” throughout their
almost entirely uphill run, giving
words of encouragement and blasting
Armenian music.
“I don’t know what happened,”
said 13-year-old Nareg Ashekian,
“but when I heard that Armenian
music, it just energized me and
kept me pumped up.”
Others had running companions
who helped keep them motivated.
Students from Hye Katch Do’s Black
Belt Club ran the last mile with the
mentally and physically exhausted
teens, giving them much-needed
support. In the end, Vatche Gulesserian
exceeded everyone’s, including
his own, expectations by finishing
third. The teens were exhausted
but overjoyed as they all stood at
the finish line, relieved to finally be
done with the run.
“I just ran five miles!” exclaimed
Hrag Tarpinian with a huge smile.
“I’m so happy right now!”
In between the testing, the “Future
Five” were able to relax with
their friends from the Black Belt
Club, who were there to encourage
them throughout the test. The time
spent with their friends was a good
way to keep their minds relaxed,
and their morale up.
As a final test, the “Future Five”
were instructed to fight against
each other, to showcase their
martial-arts skills and conditioning.
The five students took turns
partnering up with each other, and
fought various forms of combat
such as point fighting, continuous
fighting, and mixed martial arts.
For an entire hour, the students
fought each other with all the energy
they could muster, trying to
impress the judges: Renshi Mihran
Aghvinian; his longtime friend and
training partner from Germany,
Shihan Michael Boldt; and his
first-generation black belts Sensei
Vicken Joukadarian, Sensei Vatche
Markarian, Sensei Jeanette Jawlakian,
and Sensei Hovig Kaloustian.
When the students were instructed
to stop fighting, the judges went
into deliberation. As they did so,
the five students, along with their
parents and Black Belt Club members,
anxiously waited in silence. At
last, the judges announced that all
five of the students had passed. It
was an emotional moment for not
only the students and their teachers,
but for everyone in the room.
The passion that the five students
had exhibited in their efforts to
obtain their black belts was felt
emphatically by everyone. Renshi
Mihran went on to proudly bestow
the black belts on his students, and,
after many tears of happiness from
all around, the judges gave the new
black belts congratulatory kicks
and punches, a common tradition
of Hye Katch Do.
The birth of Hye Katch
Do
Hye Katch Do, meaning “The Way
of the Brave Armenian,” is a school
and style of Armenian martial arts
founded by Renshi Mihran Aghvinian.
Renshi (meaning “wise master”
in Japanese) Mihran founded
Hye Katch Do in 1989, in an Armenian
community center in Hamburg,
Germany. When he moved
to America in 1999, he brought
Hye Katch Do along with him, and
founded dojos (training places) in
the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena,
and Montebello, California.
Renshi Mihran began his long
relationship with martial arts in
1970. Between that year and 1989,
he studied a wide range of martial
arts including judo, kung fu, kickboxing,
and kadgamala karate, and
went on to become an instructor.
Being exposed to so many martial
art disciplines and styles helped
Renshi Mihran develop a set of
unique capabilities, which he says
are usually lacking in students who
focus on a single martial art. Renshi
Mihran’s growth as a martial art
practitioner enabled him to diversify.
“I felt motivated and confident
enough to start my own style of
martial arts,” he said.
Along with every style that Renshi
Mihran studied, he learned
of their respective national backgrounds,
cultures, and individual
heroes. When the time came to
found his own style of martial arts,
he envisioned it as a distinctly Armenian
system.
“We [Armenians] have a very rich
culture – possibly richer than the
cultures I studied while training,”
said Renshi Mihran, who has al-
From left: The
“Future Five”:
Maral Aghvinian,
Hrag Tarpinian,
Jack Gulesserian,
Nareg Ashekian,
and Vatche
Gulesserian.
Photos: Vatche
Markarian.
ways been proud of his Armenian
heritage. “I decided to establish
an Armenian style of martial art
so that I could teach others about
our Armenian culture, as other
styles taught me about their own
cultures.”
As for deciding the name of his
style, Renshi Mihran chose the
name Hye Katch Do because he noticed
that “we grow up learning that
we’re Armenian; that we’re brave.”
He added the Japanese word Do,
meaning “the way of,” to show that
his style focuses more on physical,
mental, and spiritual self-improvement
rather than combat alone.
“In 1989, in an Armenian community
in Hamburg, Germany, the
community center asked if I would
be able to teach the young kids my
style of martial arts,” recalled Renshi
Mihran happily, “and at that
moment Hye Katch Do was born,
because I had begun teaching Armenian
kids.”
Since Hye Katch Do’s launch, the
school has grown and expanded
beyond everyone’s expectations,
thanks to the hard work of Renshi
Mihran and all of the friends
and family who supported him.
Today Hye Katch Do has over 200
students throughout its chapters
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to drive cancer
patients.
1.800.ACS.2345
www.cancer.org
2-1/16” x 5-1/4”
This space contributed as a public service.
in Southern California. Renshi
Mihran, Sensei Vicken Joukadarian,
and Sensei Vatche Markarian
dedicate their time and energy to
teach these students throughout
the week.
Goals and ideology
Renshi Mihran explained why he
went so hard on the five students
during their black-belt test by using
the katana, a sword used by the
ancient samurai, as an example.
The katana is one of the toughest
and sharpest swords in the world,
mainly because during its preparation
the steel is heated repeatedly
in a furnace and then pounded with
a hammer. This causes the steel to
break down and become stronger
and more compact. “My goal with
the future black belts,” elaborated
Renshi Mihran, “was to put them
under so much pressure that they
would become more resilient, and
forget themselves. I wanted to
make those five people function as
one, and in doing so build a strong,
sharp group, like the katana.”
In addition to making the steel
harder, the elaborate process of
forging the katana removes all
impurities from the metal. Renshi
Mihran takes the process as a
knowledge.”
This space contributed as a public service.
B5
Back row, from
left: Sempei Hovig
Zeithlian, Sensei
Hovig Kaloustian
, Sensei Vicken
Joukadarian,
Renshi Mihran
Aghvinian, Shihan
Michael Boldt,
Sensei Vatche
Markarian, and
Sensei Jeanette
Jawlakian.
Front row: The
“Future Five.”
Give someone the ride of their life.
4-1/4” x 3-1/2”
4-1/4” x 2”
metaphor for one of his main
instructional goals. “I want to
work on the character of the Armenians,”
he explained. “I think
we [Armenians] are a very strong
nationality, and we have only one
weakness: jealousy. In our history,
we have always been held back by
traitors, who have risen because
of this jealousy. However, I know
that when we are under pressure
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and we work together without
jealousy, we can do unbelievable
things.”
Renshi Mihran dreams of one day
spreading Hye Katch Do as an organization
all over the world, with all
of his students working toward a
healthy mind, a healthy body, and a
benevolent spirit.
“My students learn so much more
than kicking and punching,” Renshi
Mihran continued. “There are
so many forms of fighting, be it
physical fighting, or fighting for
something you believe in, like so
many young Armenians do for the
Armenian cause. There’s so much
knowledge that I try to give to my
students, and so much I learn from
them as well. And that’s what I see
Hye Katch Do as: a school for life
– not only for fighting but also for
Give someone the ride of their life.
Volunteer
to drive cancer
patients.
1.800.ACS.2345
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f

B6 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
The Armenian wedding series
A look at some of
today’s most unique
proposals and
weddings
by Karine Chakarian
The evolving art of tying the knot
During dinner with my parents one
day, I learned something new about
them. “We were married with a ring
from Disneyland,” my mother said.
If I had had food in my mouth it
would have fallen out.
“We didn’t have enough money
for a wedding ring,” my dad explained,
“So a week before our wedding
we were at Disneyland and
your mom picked out a $3 fake diamond
from one of the stores. That’s
what I placed on her finger during
the ceremony.”
My mother continued to wear
that ring for fours year after they
got married.
I think I sighed. I’m not sure. I
was in shock. Before then I’d never
viewed my parents as romantic
types.
Romance. It’s the stuff that
makes most men roll their eyes
and most women sigh yearningly.
It’s what novels capitalize on and
movies glorify. Most little girls
dream about it and most men,
well … let’s just say they either
balk at it or valiantly struggle to
achieve it.
What enhances romance are
those “pearl” moments, like a
unique marriage proposal, or a
wedding that’s more than the traditional
walk down the aisle followed
by a banquet-hall reception.
If those pearls are strung together,
here are some of the stories you get.
Best impromptu
proposal
“My husband never proposed to
me,” Susan Sahagian says. “His
dad did.”
Susan and Mgo had been dating
for six months when Mgo invited
Susan to be his date at a wedding.
Susan agreed only on condition
that their families first meet. They
agreed to set up a dinner at a restaurant.
During dinner, Susan, her brother,
Mgo, and Mgo’s brother sat
chatting at one end of the table
as the parents spoke on the other.
There was a lull in the conversation
when from across the table Mgo’s
father was heard asking Susan’s
father permission for Susan’s hand
in marriage. Susan turned around
stunned. “Excuse me,” she said.
“Does anyone want my opinion on
any of this?”
Susan’s father then turned to Susan
and asked if she would be interested
in accepting the proposal.
“We had a khoskgab at the restaurant,”
Susan says laughing, referring
to the common Armenian tradition
whereby the groom’s family,
on behalf of their son, asks permission
from the bride’s family for her
hand in marriage.
Best-planned proposal
When a family friend of Eniseh
Youssefian’s boyfriend asked
Eniseh to babysit her ten-year-old
son one Saturday, Eniseh didn’t
hesitate. Her family and friends
were busy and her boyfriend was
in Las Vegas for the weekend. She
figured entertaining a ten-year-old
would keep her occupied.
When she arrived to pick up the
boy, his mother had already bought
them tickets for a 1 o’clock movie,
but when they arrived at the theater,
Eniseh suggested they see a
later show.
Above and top: Acrobats performed at Levon and Maro Parian’s wedding.
The agent at the counter complied
with her request and was about to
reissue the tickets when he began to
stutter, Eniseh says, and told them
that tickets were unavailable for
any other screenings. Eniseh began
to argue and pointed behind him
to the digital screen that displayed
show times. But as she looked up
she saw that all the available times
suddenly read sold out.
To make matters worse, over
an hour later, during the movie’s
climax, the projector stopped and
writing appeared on the screen.
Eniseh figured that the notice
was related to the technical difficulty,
but without her glasses, she
couldn’t read the message displayed
in small font. Then, to her
surprise, a picture of her and her
boyfriend popped up on the screen
with a large banner encircling the
couple with the words, “Will you
marry me?”
When the lights came up, all the
patrons – who, as she later found
out, had been planted there by her
boyfriend – walked out. Her boyfriend,
having flown in from Las
Vegas and driven directly to the
theater, walked in, got down on
one knee, and proposed. The multiple
cameras that had been set
up around the theater, as well as
Eniseh’s best friend, who slipped
into the room along with Eniseh’s
boyfriend, captured the entire proposal
on film. She said yes.
Best wedding
When Levon and Maro Parian
decided to get married 18 years
ago, they used a hand printer in
Levon’s garage to print their own
wedding invitations. Levon, who is
a photographer and artist, etched
the design of a puppy wearing a
top hat and smoking a cigar, and a
mouse in a wedding dress, on metal.
The inspiration came from the
nicknames the couple had for each
other: Shoonig and Moog.
A costume and set designer by
trade, Maro wore a 1950s wedding
dress, embroidered with antique
lace. Throughout the ceremony, her
veil refused to stay on her head, so
she carried it in her hand.
They had rented five convertibles
to transport the wedding party.
Since the rental company could
supply only four white cars, the
fifth was red. On the way to the ceremony,
the wedding party stopped
at Mann’s Chinese Theatre and
posed for pictures with the eager
tourists visiting the historic site.
At the church, guests were greeted
by a quartet that played Armenian
wedding music on traditional
instruments such as the dhol (a
drum) and zurna (a high-pitched
wind instrument).
Following the church ceremony,
the reception was held in a gymnasium.
A canopy of hundreds of gold
and white balloons covered the
ceiling and spiraling columns rose
into the air, courtesy of a balloon
artist Levon had photographed for
a catalogue.
As it’s customary, a band played
at their wedding but the entertainment
didn’t stop there. Maro had
designed costumes for an entertainment
troupe called The Mums.
In exchange for her services, the
acrobats performed at the wedding.
Men on stilts wearing tailcoats
that reached the floor juggled
enormous balls, and fire eaters
wearing bright costumes delighted
the crowd with their acts.
The wedding feast consisted
entirely of seafood, presented to
the guests in giant shells. But at 9
P.M., as the food was cleared, the
cake – a single sheet decorated with
fresh orchids – still hadn’t arrived.
Frantic phone calls were placed to
the bakery and it was discovered
that the cake had accidentally been
ordered for a different month. An
hour later, the patisserie chef delivered
a four-tiered cake, each layer a
different shape, adorned with plastic
fountains and horse carriages.
When it came time to bid farewell,
Levon and Maro’s guests
departed with a small token representative
of the couple’s unique
personalities: a tiny wrought iron
antique sewing machine and tripod
camera attached to colorful wedding
candy.
Best wedding
destination
When Tanya and Hratch
Gregorian decided to wed, they
Above and top: Tanya and Hratch Gregorian got married in Armenia.
chose the Fourth of July, because,
as Tanya’s mother said, “There
would always be fireworks on their
anniversary.” But they didn’t marry
in the United States. As the couple’s
lifelong dream was to one day
relocate and live in Armenia, their
“first step” toward eventually accomplishing
that goal, Tanya says,
was to get married there.
The only preparation they made
from their home in America was
booking the church and restaurant
for their reception. Beyond that,
they decided, “Whatever happens,
happens.” Their desire was to provide
an opportunity for their family
and friends, some of whom had
never been, to visit Armenia. “I
didn’t want our wedding to just be
about us. I wanted it to be about
everybody,” Tanya says.
With a “save the date” invitation
mailed in the form of a Republic
of Armenia passport, their journey
began.
Tanya and her family flew to Armenia
two weeks before her wedding.
They had booked all six rooms
of a small bed and breakfast called
the Villa Delenda. The B & B is located
in Yerevan and uses a portion
of its revenues to support the
Spitak Art School and the Ceramic
Art School in Gyumri.
Upon their arrival, the cold Tanya
had been nursing before her trip
intensified and she spent the first
week in the hospital, with a 104-degree
fever.
Recovering and leaving the hospital
only three days before the
wedding, Tanya was able to order
the flowers and cake, and book the
photographer and hair stylists, with
guidance from local Armenians.
On the day of the wedding, all
the ladies except Tanya walked
across the street to get their hair
styled. Hratch, taking his fiancée’s
recent ailment into consideration,
arranged to have a hairstylist make
a house call to fix Tanya’s hair.
Tanya’s voice was infused with
awe as she described the morning:
the hairstylist placing curlers in
her hair as clouds gathered outside.
Within moments, lightning and
thunder erupted and rain poured
down. As Tanya began to wonder
how the rest of the day would proceed,
Hratch called to say that the
men, as Iranian-Armenian wedding
custom dictates, were coming over
to join the women. Suddenly, Tanya
says, “I kid you not, the clouds dissipated,
the sun came out, and the
birds started chirping.”
The soon-to-be bride and groom,
along with their families, congregated
at the B & B as a priest blessed
the bride’s dress. From there they
proceeded to the Zion church of
the Saghmosavank Monastery,
a 40-minute drive from Yerevan,
which afforded an opportunity for
everyone to see Armenia’s countryside.
Built in 1215 on the rim of a
gorge, the church has no electricity.
Tanya describes the experience as
“mystical.” The only light came from
a small window above the altar and
the burning candles.
During the ceremony, the priest
encouraged all the guests to accompany
him in singing the Lord’s
Prayer in Armenian. A chorus of
the voices of the couple’s loved ones
echoed through the ancient church.
The experience of seeing her 90-
year-old grandfather and 80-yearold
grandmother in that “holy place”
brought tears to Tanya’s eyes.
Following the ceremony, everyone
piled into rented buses that
transported them to the reception.
On the recommendation of her
friend Shooshig, the couple had
reserved the Ashtaraki Leej restaurant.
Quaint and rustic, the restaurant
is set in nature, surrounded by
a pond and waterfalls.
The evening before the ceremony,
Hratch had made a new friend during
dinner. He invited this friend to
the ceremony and the newlyweds
seated him next to Tanya’s friend,
Shooshig.
The magic of Tanya and Hratch’s
wedding must have rubbed off
on their guests. Over a year later,
Shooshig was engaged to the man
she met that night.
Another “pearl” strung for yet
another romantic story. f
If you are planning a wedding, just got
married, or have a unique experience
or story to tell, or if want to share some
of what you learned planning your wedding,
we want to hear from you. Write
us at letters@reporter.am

The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Restaurants
The Dip: Gastronomical Learnings of French-Dipped
Sandwiches for Make Benefit Our Glorious Community
B7
by: Lucie Davidian
Ken Davitian plies patrons with food. Photos: Lucie Davidian.
Chinese Chicken Salad.
Hollywood, Calif.7 – If you
had asked me a couple of years ago
who Ken Davitian was I would
probably answered “one of my long
lost relatives that I don’t know
about.” Never would I have imagined
that he would be the Armenian
American actor rolling around
naked on the floor with the guy
from the Ali G Show, Sacha Baron
Cohen. Well, he’s not my relative
and when I walked into his Hollywood
restaurant called The Dip a
week ago, thanks to his recent fame
I knew exactly who he was.
Ken greeted me with a very firm
handshake and a kiss to each cheek
and no sooner than I had sat down,
he asked me what I wanted to eat
while motioning to the waiter to
come over and take our order. Since
I couldn’t decide, he ordered several
items from their menu; I kept
telling him that I wouldn’t be able
to eat that much, “don’t worry, take
only one bite” he said “I want you
to get a good taste of our menu.”
On my drive to meet him that day I
couldn’t figure out what questions
I would ask him only because I’ll admit,
I was a bit more curious about
his career than the food I was going
to taste.
Born in East L.A. to Armenian
parents, Ken’s passion for acting
began at an early age. His mother’s
family survived the Genocide
of 1915 and moved to Los Angeles
where his mother was born and
raised while his father, a Russian
Armenian, was a solider in the Russian
army and moved to Boston as
a young man. Ken credits his ability
since childhood of making fun of
his relatives accents in helping solidify
his most famous role to date,
the role of Borat’s agent Azamat
Bagatov in the film Borat:Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Ken’s grandmother was an actress
herself and belonged to the
Mamoulian Theatre Group, after
graduating high school Ken majored
in Theatre Arts in college. His
first role was in Albert Brooks’ directorial
debut That’s Life, however
his scene was left on the cutting
room floor; since then he has appeared
in several films such as A
Man Apart, S.W.A.T., This Girl’s Life
and T.V. shows such as E.R., Six Feet
Under and The Shield.
While auditioning for roles Ken
took on several jobs, as many
struggling actors do to survive. He
worked as a car salesman, a telemarketer
as well as taking part in
his families waste management
company. He insists that everything
he did was to help get his foot
in the studio doors and in that time,
he married his wife of thirty years
Ellen and had two sons Robert
and Aaron. As he begins to tell me
about his very interesting audition
for the Borat film, the food begins
to arrive at a very rapid pace.
The first item was the Chili
Cheeseburger, a delicious, juicy
burger with just enough of their
homemade chili. In the time it
took me to take a couple of bites,
the Lamb Sandwich arrived, followed
by the Chili Cheese Fries, the
Pastrami Sandwich and The Dip’s
famous Chinese Chicken Salad.
Shocked is an understatement as
to how I felt, I just wondered how
my poor stomach was going to
feel, and the possible punishment
I would receive for abusing it as I
was about to.
I continued my “feast” by trying
the Lamb sandwich next, the sandwich
is comprised of thinly sliced
pieces of lamb meat squeezed between
bread and dipped into the
Au Jus. Jus is a French term meaning
“with its own juice,” referring
to the natural juices that the beef,
lamb or any meat gives off during
the cooking process. This is what
The Dip is all about, sandwiches
such as Pastrami, Roast Beef, Pork
and Chicken served in a French roll
and are dipped in Au Jus.
The menu has a great variety
of sandwiches, there are breakfast
items like Omelet wraps and
sandwiches as well as burgers, fries,
salads and some interesting items
like the Chili Cheese Fritos and the
fried Hot Dog, which Ken insisted
I try. The Hot Dog was good, it was
the first time I had eaten a fried
hot dog, the texture was interesting,
and the crunchiness of the
outside versus the soft juicy inside
was unique. The Chinese Chicken
salad was delicious, it’s made with
shredded chicken, lettuce, almonds,
water chestnuts, and mandarin oranges.
I took as many bites of all
the food that I could, pretty soon I
knew that I had to stop, I was hoping
to save room for their desserts
but unfortunately I had passed my
limit of consumption. The desserts
sounded just as good, they have
two that stood out, the Chocolate
Hand dipped Banana and the chocolate
hand dipped Cheesecake.
Ken and his family opened The
Dip in 2003, there are two locations,
first was the location in Sherman
Oaks and the most recent one
opened at the Hollywood Highland
Center. The idea for the restaurants
was to establish a business while
taking on small roles in featured
films and television appearances. As
Sherman Oaks location.
I listened to Ken explain the fortune
that starring in Borat has brought
for him, I can see in his warm face
and smile that he is where he has
long dreamed to be. He has been
able to get that role that has helped
him take his career to the next level;
he has starred in several T.V. shows
and has completed several film projects
since, such as Get Smart, starring
Steve Carell, Bill Murray and
Ann Hathaway. He is set to star in
the upcoming film Not Forgotten,
as well as Soul Man, with Samuel L.
Jackson and Bernie Mac.
In his most recent film, Davitian
plays the character of Xerxes in the
comedy Meet the Spartans a spoof
of the film 300, set for release on
Chili Cheese Fries.
Pastrami Sandwich.
Lamb Sandwich with Au Jus.
February 1st of 2008. Ken’s journey
as an actor has been a long one;
his charming personality, comedic
ability and absolute dedication
and love for the craft has helped
his career take off and hopefully he
will have a long road ahead of him
doing what he does best. His restaurant
The Dip, is a great place in
Los Angeles to get a French Dipped
sandwich, the meat is tender and
juicy and the some of the unique
menu items help it be the adventurous
place that it is. Meeting and
hearing the experiences of individuals
like Ken make me realize
how important it is for us as a community
to really try and support
each other. It has to go beyond just
rhetoric, it has to be a legitimate
effort on our behalves, so I encourage
you to go experience the sandwiches
at The Dip and to also buy a
ticket to the next movie with Ken
Davitian, he won’t be completely
naked, I promise.
f
Locations:
Sherman Oaks: 14333 Ventura
Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 501-1850
Hollywood: Hollywood & Highland
Center, 6801 Hollywood
Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 871-0888

B8 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
New Aharonian scholarships are available for Armenian
women in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics
Watertown, Mass.7 – New
opportunities are now available
under the Lucy Kasparian Aharonian
scholarship program, administered
by the Armenian International
Women’s Association
in association with the Boston
Section of the Society of Women
Engineers.
Beginning in 2008, juniors
and seniors in the fields of science,
mathematics, or engineering
(including architecture) can
be awarded up to $6,000. Graduate
students in the same fields
can be granted up to $10,000.
These opportunities are in addition
to the $1,000 award under
the program that was initiated
last year.
The scholarship program was established
in 2007 in memory of the
late Lucy Kasparian Aharonian by
the Aharonian family.
by Anoush Ter Taulian
Brooklyn, N.Y.7 – The “Living
Memory” concert, an evening of
Armenian and Persian music and
art, played to a cheering full house
at the Brooklyn Lyceum on January
14. The concert, part of the “In
a Circle” series, was a collaborative
project that featured the Brooklyn
Rider string ensemble working
with fellow musician Kayhan Kalhor,
master of the Persian kamancheh,
and with visual artist Kevork
Mourad.
The opening group, Zulal – the
award-winning a cappella trio of
Anais Tekerian, Yeraz Markarian,
and Teni Apelian, who sing ancient
and contemporary Armenian folk
music as well as their own compositions
– captivated the audience
with songs that described romantic
escapades in rural life, such as Yaruks
khorodig eh (“My sweetheart is
cute; so what if he’s short?”).
Their songs also gave insight into
the problems of village women.
When introducing Lachin oo manan
(“Lachin and her spinning wheel”)
Teni Apelian said: “This song comments
on the quality of some men.
It describes how when Lachin gives
birth to twins her suitor arrives at
her house empty-handed because
en route to her house he has eaten
the two rolls of bread he meant as
gifts.” The audience enjoyed the
storytelling songs and immediately
connected with Zulal’s ethereal, intricately
woven sounds.
Jay Skrob, a Korean-American
attending the event, commented,
Long career in software
engineering
Lucy Kasparian Aharonian was
born in Lynn, Mass., the daughter
of the late Malcolm Kasparian, Sr.
and Charlotte (Zarohian) Kasparian.
She died of complications from pancreatic
cancer on November 5, 2006.
Starting a long history of furthering
her education, after attending
elementary and secondary schools
in Saugus, Mrs. Kasparian graduated
cum laude from Salem State College,
and earned her Masters degree
in Mathematics from Clark University,
where she was a teaching fellow.
In her mid-50s, she earned a
Master of Business Administration
degree from Boston University.
Her career in software engineering
was put on hold when she started
raising a family, but resumed
when her children were in school.
“The Armenian women’s voices had
incredible harmonies and their
technique emulated drum-like vocal
percussion, which I had never
heard before.”
The Brooklyn Rider string quartet
members – Jonathan Gandelsman
and Colin Jacobsen (on violin),
Nicholas Cords (on viola), and
Eric Jacobsen (on cello) – who are
dedicated to making connections
between folk, world, and classical
music, all have a parent who is a
musician. For instance, Jonathan’s
father studied in Russia with Henrigh
Talian, a famous viola player.
Jonathan said: “I have heard
Komitas’s music performed by an
Armenian choir, a little girl, and
by Komitas himself [via a rare recording].
Now we are honored
She worked for Raytheon, MITRE
Corporation, and GTE, and was also
an independent consultant. She
had been an active member of the
Society of Women Engineers.
Mrs. Aharonian taught on a parttime
basis and spoke with conviction
about the learning and education
process. She was proud that she
had taught at the elementary, secondary,
junior college, and college
levels, as well as in the continuing
education and crafts training fields.
In later years, Mrs. Aharonian
had a second career as a basket artist
and operated her own studio at
Art/Space in Maynard, Mass. She
researched and adapted several
styles of baskets and particularly
excelled in making Nantucket
Lightship baskets. She was also a
founding member of the Basketry
Guild of the Lexington (Mass.) Arts
and Crafts Society.
to play his music in which I hear
some of the pain that represents
the tragedy of his people and his
own personal tragedy. In Brooklyn,
our home which we love, there is a
great representation of our multicultural
world, and we would like
to share this Armenian and Persian
music with as many people as possible.
We also feel our art is more
powerful when we work together
with artists and musicians.”
Despite the obvious admiration
for Komitas on display throughout
the evening, one shortcoming
of the concert was the absence of
information on Komitas himself.
Some mention of his gripping
story, either in the program or as
a narrative, would have been helpful
informing the diverse audience,
Application deadline is
April 8
AIWA is currently accepting applications
for its various scholarship
awards, ranging in value from $500
to $10,000, for the 2008-2009 academic
year. The scholarships are
awarded to women of Armenian
descent, both undergraduate (junior
and senior year) and graduate
students, based on academic
achievement and financial need.
The deadline for applications April 8,
2008. Winners are announced at
the association’s annual meeting in
May.
Further information and application
forms are available from the
AIWA website: Aiwa-net.org. AIWA
is located at 65 Main St., #3A, Watertown,
Mass. Contact it by telephone
at (617) 926-0171, or via e-
mail at AiwaInc@aol.com. f
and would certainly have been a
welcome addition to the event.
Kevork Mourad, a Syrian-Armenian
artist, accompanied Brooklyn
Riders’s Komitas songs with
live drawings that were rehearsed
but looked improvisational. The
audience saw Kevork’s hand on
a large screen on stage, spontaneously
producing lyrical lines
synchronized with the music that
turned into dancers and mountains,
creating an Armenian community
and the landscape they
lived in. Abstract splotches and
smudges of paint created fields,
lakes, and whirling veils, transforming
imagination into physical
reality.
To bring the songs to artistic life
Mourad also used projections and
animation. For example, in the
song Chinares, a tree is used as a
metaphor for the beauty of height
and expansion. Before its eyes,
the audience saw the tree growing,
and a group of people putting
their hands on the tree to receive
its power.
Emotionally-charged
music
The third part of the concert featured
Kayhan Kalhor, the classical
Persian musician and composer
who plays the Persian kamancheh, a
spike fiddle which is a predecessor
of the Western violin. He was accompanied
by the Brooklyn Rider
players and Shane Shanahan on
percussion. All of these musicians
had connected through Yo-Yo Ma’s
“Silk Road Project.”
The late Lucy Kasparian Aharonian,
inspiration for the scholarship
program in her name administered by
the Armenian International Women’s
Association in association with the
Boston Section of the Society of
Women Engineers.
Ancient and modern sounds mix to conjure a concert of “living memory”
Kayhan Kalhor, master of the Persian kamancheh, or spike fiddle, and
percussionist Shane Shanahan, during the Jan. 14 “Living Memory” concert at
the Brooklyn Lyceum. Photo: Amber Darragh.
Mary Allukian, 98, dies in Watertown
During his performance, Kayhan
sat cross-legged on a rug, his bow
feverishly flying over the strings,
his fingers delicately plucking, to
elicit the instrument’s haunting
sounds. His keynote song, “Silent
City” (also the title of his forthcoming
CD) was named for a bombedout
Kurdish city, but according to
the artist, it speaks universally to
all cities destroyed by human or
natural agencies.
Kayhan introduced another song,
“Ascending Bird,” by saying: “A bird
from the Khorazon region of Iran
tries three times to fly to the sun,
each time going higher and higher.
It is a metaphor for losing the
physical body and attaining transcendence.”
The diverse audience responded
to the emotionally-charged music.
Datevik Hovanesian, the great Armenian
jazz singer, thought the
combination of musicians and the
special way they were braided together
was “fabulous.”
Sarah Kamalvand, an Armenian
who moved here a month ago from
Tehran, appreciated the musicians
efforts to preserve ancient Armenian
and Persian sounds when so
many of the traditional forms of
art and architecture are being neglected
or destroyed.
The Brooklyn Rider ensemble is
exploring the possibility of taking
this eclectic show on the road, to
share it with other Armenian communities
– and also with people
who are not (yet) familiar with the
wonders of Armenian music. The
group is also launching a new website,
www.brooklynrider.com. f
Newton, Mass.7 – Mary (Nahabedian)
Allukian, of Newton, a
Genocide survivor who was a member
of a remarkably long-lived family,
and who very nearly saw her
own centenary, died on January 3.
She was 98.
She was born in Aintab on February
12, 1909, the third child of
Benjamin and Lucy (Touzjian) Nahabedian.
Her older siblings were
Sarkis and Lydia (Bakerjian) Sulahian
(both now deceased), and her
younger siblings were Ethel Roubian
(now deceased) and Theodore
(Toros) Nahabedian, still living and
96 years old.
As Mrs. Allukian would relate, a
turning point in her family’s life
came when she was about eight
years old. One evening there came
a knock at the door of the family
home, and Mary opened it to find
the Turkish police. They asked her
where her father was, and she replied,
“In the next room.” Like so
many other men in the city, her father
was taken away and killed, in
the events that marked the start
of the genocidal campaign against
Armenian citizens.
Mary’s mother, then pregnant,
with five children under the age
of 12 in her care, found herself unable
to feed the children and placed
Mary in an orphanage, where (Mrs.
Allukian would recall) she cried constantly.
Out of pity, the orphanage
returned Mary to her mother, saying
she would die if kept there, and
also began giving her a gold coin
once a month to feed the children.
At age 18, living in Aleppo with
her family, Mary’s mother arranged
to have the girl married to Myron
Allukian, an Aintabsi visiting
from the U.S. They were married
on January 28, 1928, and settled
in Watertown, Mass., for several
years, where they had their first
children Doris and Myron, Jr. The
family then moved to the South
End in Boston, over Myrons store,
the Standard Meat Market.
The couple was married for 66
years, until Myron’s death in 1994
-- 10 days short of his own 102nd
birthday; Mary was 85 at the time.
For the next 10 years she lived
alone. On the Thanksgiving weekend
2003, she almost died of a heart
attack; but after several months of
recuperation, she returned to her
home, and lived there up until she
died, while sleeping, on January 3.
On April 20 of last year, Mary was
recognized as a Genocide survivor
at a commemoration at the Massachusetts
State House, and received
a proclamation from Governor
Deval Patrick. A family event celebrating
her 98th birthday was also
featured in an article in the April 21,
2007 edition of the Reporter.
Her loved ones recalled Mary as
a woman known for her cooking
and her passion for reading. She
loved dancing, music, and flowers.
She especially admired her mother
– one of 13 children and a high
school graduate, who Mary regarded
as quite ahead of her time.
Mary herself never finished high
school, because of the Genocide;
but five of her six grandchildren
are college graduates, with one
still in school.
She is survived by her children,
Doris Maranjian and Dr. Myron Allukian,
Jr.; and by her six grandchildren:
Myron III, Kristin, Alison,
Jason, Alexandra, and Nathan; as
well as by her brother Theodore.
A funeral service was held at
Watertown’s Armenian Memorial
Church on January 5, with a burial
at Newton Cemetery. Expressions
of sympathy may be made in Mrs.
Allukian’s memory to the Armenian
Memorial Church. f

The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
Fund for Armenian Relief is organizing its 12th annual Young
Professionals Trip to Armenia
B9
New York7 – The Fund for Armenian
Relief has announced that
its 12th annual “Young Professionals
Trip to Armenia” will run from
May 31 to June 12, 2008. The twoweek
trip to Armenia will include
tours of the entire country, with
overnight stays in Yerevan, Gyumri,
Sanahin, Lake Sevan, and Goris.
Participants will visit FAR’s humanitarian
and development projects,
meet with high-ranking officials
in Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, and have an audience
with Catholicos of All Armenians
Karekin II at Holy Etchmiadzin.
The FAR trip is an opportunity
for young professionals between
the ages of 23 and 40 to travel to
Armenia as a group. Participants in
the Young Professionals Trip will
do more than see the country’s scenic
wonders; they will learn about
Armenia’s place in the world, and
engage its government and religious
leaders in official state visits.
Space is limited, so interested
parties should contact Arto Vorperian
at (212) 889-5150, or by e-
mailing arto@farusa.org, in order
to be notified when the application
is posted online.
“I never left home”
Natalie Gabrelian was one of the
12 participants in last year’s FAR
excursion, who provided the images
for the accompanying photo
essay. Natalie had visited Armenia
26 years earlier, as a child, and always
nurished a dream to return.
But as she writes: “Whether it was
school, work, family or community
responsibilities, there had always
been – and seemed there would always
be – a reason holding me back
from fulfilling my promise. Year after
year I had heard so many rave
about their experience on the FAR
Young Professionals trip, and year
after year I had been filled with
jealous regret. So when the opportunity
presented itself, I realized it
was now or never. I decided I was
done excusing myself from making
the pilgrimage back to Armenia.”
The 2007 FAR Young Professionals with project director Arto Vorperian in front of the Arch of Yegishe Charents.
The Armenia that greeted her
was in many ways different from
what she had remembered; but
also exhilarating, and emotionally
moving. By the trip’s conclusion,
she could reflect: “Upon my return
I was asked if I was ever homesick.
‘How could I be?’ I replied; ‘I never
left home!’ I returned to the States
with a heart full of a rekindled love
for my heritage and culture, a suitcase
full of souvenirs, and a photo
memory stick full of, well, memories.
They say a picture is worth a
thousand words, but my 726 shots
of Armenia are priceless.”
For general information on FAR,
log onto its website, www.farusa.
org.
f
Natalie Gabrielian in Armenia.
On the grounds of the Gandzasar Monastery in Martakert.
Karabakhuh mern eh! (“Karabakh is ours!”)
by Natalie Gabrelian
I was 12 years old the first time
I raised a fist and shouted those
words in protest at the onset of
the war with Azerbaijan in 1988.
After years of political activism
and a long hot bus ride through
the Lachin (now Berdzor) Corridor,
I was welcomed into independent
Artsakh by a humble yet
overpowering signpost that exclaimed,
“Azad Artsakhuh Voghchunum
Eh Dzez.” As we drove down
the Pan Armenian Highway uniting
Armenia (Goris) and Karabakh
(Stepanakert), much like the pavement
beneath us, this Americanborn
Armenian’s dream of unity
with a distant but relative land
was now a reality.
Natalie Gabrelian took part in FAR’s
2007 Young Professionals Trip to Armenia.
The above is an extract from
a longer essay recounting her experiences
on the trip.
During the two days spent here, I
couldn’t find a shred of physical evidence
in its beautifully mountainous
terrain or in the bright vitality
of its people to explain why this
region would ever be considered a
“black garden.” We had the honor of
dining and dancing with decorated
soldiers from the first tank division
of Karabakh’s Defense Army,
and bearing witness to a wedding
ceremony at the Tatik and Papik
monument in Stepanakert, meeting
with the mayor of the province
of Askeran, visiting regional
homes that are part of FAR’s reconstructive
efforts through a grant
from USAID, seeing the rocket
missile that wounded but could
not destroy the 13th-century monastery
of Gandzasar in Martakert,
and paying homage to memorial
monuments and the Ghazanchetsots
Cathedral of Shushi.
I’ve never felt more Armenian
than in Karabakh. The ethnic
pride that courses through the locals’
veins, that accents their every
spoken word, is an extremely
contagious energy – and without
a doubt, Armenians from afar,
like myself, are most susceptible
to this “infection.” But it was time
to return to Armenia, so after filling
our hearts with this love, filling
our lungs with the fresh Karabagh
air, and filling the tour bus with
gas, we headed off to Goris. As if
the journey along the tortuously
winding dirt roads to the remote
majestic Tatev Monastery perched
atop the mountains wasn’t deathdefying
enough, the daredevils of
the group decided to cross wooden
construction planks in the niches
of the church complex currently
under renovation, all resulting in
a more religious experience, as you
can be sure we were praying and
calling to God to get us safely across
(and avoid the 10 foot drop).
Safe and sound, we tied ribbons
on the tree of wishes at the stone
memorial along the road. Later
that evening, the group felt right
at home enjoying dinner and the
warm hospitality at a local family’s
bed-and-breakfast.
f

B10 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
“A man died, but a nation awakened”
n Continued from page B1
and Accomplishments” titled “Sunset
to Sunrise.”
Not a sound was heard in the
vast hall as the film unfolded the
highly emotional funeral of the
slain journalist, showing hundreds
of thousands of Turks and Armenians
in Istanbul marching behind
the casket, carrying signs which
read, “We are all Hrant Dink. We
are all Armenian.”
A powerful and prophetic moment
occurred when Dink’s weeping
wife, Rakel, released a white
dove which alighted on the casket
and remained there throughout the
long route from the Agos offices to
the Armenian cathedral, and then
the cemetery. Throughout the film
were heard the soulful strains of
“Giligia,” “Dele yaman,” and Nerses
Shnorhali’s “Nor dzaghig.”
Interspersed throughout the
film were readings in Armenian
and English, detailing the injustices
done to Armenians in Turkey,
culled from Dink’s prolific writings.
Participating in the presentation
was a group of young Armenians,
including Sossi Essajanian,
Natalie Gabrielian, Mher
Janian, Arousiag Markarian,
and Arev Turbendian.
Recounting key events in Hrant
Dink’s life, Dr. Markarian listed
his birth in Malatya, his emigration
to Bolis at age eight, and his
early education in Bolis’ Armenian
Evangelical School and the Holy
Cross Seminary. Achieving a B.A. in
Zoology from Istanbul University,
Dink continued his studies in philosophy,
then served in the Turkish
Naval Infantry.
Among his numerous accomplishments
was being director of the Tuzla
Armenian Children’s Camp, which
the Turkish authorities eventually
confiscated. Bravely, Dink then
mounted an exhibit of this camp
with an accompanying book. In 1990,
he began writing in the Turkish-Armenian
paper Marmara under the
pen name “Chootag” (violin).
In 1996, he started his own paper:
Agos (meaning furrow, the planting
of seeds). Through that paper, “He
started to educate the Turks about
their history, and teach the Armenian
youth about their tongue, which
is fading,” Markarian declared.
In 2001, Agos had its publication
suspended by the Turkish government
for acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide. And at the
2002 Human Rights Conference in
Shanli Urfa, Dink declared, “I am
a citizen of Turkey, but I am not a
Turk.” Charged with “anti-Turkishness”
he received a six month suspended
sentence, then appealed to
the International Court of Human
Memorial program keynote speaker Carla Garapedian,
director of Screamers, recounts her experiences
interviewing Hrant Dink for her film.
Rights. In 2006, he was acquitted of
the Urfa charges.
Shortly thereafter, he was again
charged with “denigrating Turkishness”
for acknowledging the
Genocide. He participated in the
diaspora conference in Yerevan,
and visited the United States in
November 2006. The last issue of
Agos edited by Dink was published
on January 19, 2007 -- the day of
his assassination.
Concluding his inspirational
presentation, Dr. Markarian quoted
Sartre. “Freedom is achieved
by Struggle,” he declared, and
thoughtfully added: “A man died,
but a nation awakened.”
A “vulnerable pigeon”
Keynote speaker Carla Garapedian,
director of the acclaimed film Screamers
and a former BBC anchor, had interviewed
Hrant Dink in Istanbul for
her documentary. She commented
that though Dink was courageous,
he also recognized his frailty, calling
himself a “vulnerable pigeon” after
he witnessed two seagulls tearing
apart a helpless pigeon.
Why didn’t Dink leave Turkey?
“He thought as a newspaper editor
he had power, and thus could survive,”
Garapedian said. “He was constantly
testing the boundaries of his
power. He stood up to the bully.”
And Dink himself had once said:
”I have considered leaving this country
at times…. But leaving a ‘boiling
hell’ to run to a ‘heaven’ is not for
me. I wanted to turn this hell into
heaven.”
Calling herself a “proud American,”
Garapedian referred to the denial
of the Genocide by the current
and previous American administrations
as an “affront,” and added
that the candidates running for the
U.S. presidency should honestly list
their positions on the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, as well
as the ongoing one in Darfur.
Closing the day of remembrance,
Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian
spoke on behalf of Diocesan Primate
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.
Archbishop Gizirian stated that
Hrant Dink was a man “blessed
with great attributes. He was a
soldier who died in his efforts to
have the Genocide recognized. One
day, he will celebrate when that
resolution is passed. His important
legacy will always be in our hearts
and souls.”
Earlier in the day, Archbishop
Abp. Barsamian visits the Hovnanian School
Abp. Yeghishe Gizirian with Dr. Herand Markarian and the youthful voices who read from Dink’s
writings as part of the retrospective multi-media program on his life. Photos: Harry Koundakjian.
Seated in the front row at New York’s Diocesan Center during the screening a a special tribute to
Dink are (from left) Abp. Yeghishe Gizirian, Fr. Arnak Kasparian, Fr. Mardiros Chevian, Dr. Herand
Markarian, and Zohrab Center director Rachel Goshgarian.
Gizirian had celebrated the Divine
Liturgy in St. Vartan Cathedral,
with Hasmig Meikhanedjian directing
the choir. Attending clergy
included Fr. Martiros Chevian,
dean of St. Vartan Cathedral, and
Fr. Arnak Kasparian.
The Hrant Dink day of remembrance
was sponsored by several
community organizations, including
the Armenian General Benevolent
Union, the Armenian American
Support Educational Center,
Constantinople Armenian Relief
Society, Diocesan Gomidas Choir,
Esayan-Getronagan Alumni, Forest
Hills Armenian Cultural Center,
Hamazkayin Armenian Educational
and Cultural Society (N.Y. Chapter),
Knights of Vartan, Tekeyan Cultural
Association, and Tibrevank
Alumni.
f
New Milford, N.J.7 – Welcoming
visitors is always a special
pleasure for the students of the
Hovnanian School, and on January
15 they had a chance to welcome
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate
of the New York-based Eastern
Diocese, who came to confer
blessings in the aftermath of Armenian
Christmas.
“I was very happy to see Srpazan
Hayr visiting us and blessing the
school,” said Hovnanian School
2nd grader Shant Keshishian.
Accompanying the archbishop
on his visit were Fr. Vazken Karayan,
pastor of Union City’s Holy
Cross Church; Fr. Papken Anoushian,
pastor of Tenafly’s St. Thomas
Church; Fr. Shnork Souin, pastor of
Livingston’s St. Mary Church; and
deacons Sebouh Oscherichian and
Artur Petrosyan.
School founders Vahakn and
Hasmig Hovnanian, together with
members of the board, the PTO,
faculty, and students from Kindergarten
through 5th grade received
Archbishop Barsamian and his entourage
in the school’s multi-purpose
room. The Home Blessing
ceremony, traditionally conducted
after Christmas and Easter, was
the centerpiece of the visit.
The Primate spoke to the students
about the meaning of
Christmas and the importance
of prayer, congratulated the students
for their achievements, and
offered each a token of his appreciation.
After the blessing, the students
offered an amusing and soulful
program in Armenian, with 5th
graders serving as presenters. The
program included performances,
Abp. Khajag Barsamian, accompanied by Fr. Karayan and Fr. Anoushian, as well as Dn. Oscherichian, during the Home
Blessing ceremony.
recitations, and readings of a play
about Christmas. The evident
spontaneity and enthusiasm of the
students was much remarked by
the guests at the PTO-hosted reception
which concluded the visit. f

The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008
Community
Dr. Mary Papazian to speak at New
York Vartanantz event on Jan. 31
New York7 – The distinctively
Armenian feast day dedicated to
St. Vartan the warrior and his companions
will arrive early this year:
on Thursday, January 31. In New
York, Vartanantz will be observed
with a celebration in the saint’s
eponymous institution, St. Vartan
Armenian Cathedral.
An evening Divine Liturgy will
begin at 6:00 p.m. at the cathedral,
located at 630 Second Avenue (on
the corner of 34th Street) in Manhattan.
Maestro Khoren Mekanejian
will lead the St. Vartan Cathedral
Choir for the occasion.
Following the service, a dinner and
program will take place in Haik and
Alice Kavookjian Auditorium, beginning
at 7:30 p.m. The event is being
sponsored by the Eastern Diocese
and the Mid-Atlantic Region of the
Knights and Daughters of Vartan.
The program will feature an
engaging keynote address by Dr.
Mary Papazian, provost and senior
vice president for Academic Affairs
at New York’s Lehman College. Her
husband, Dr. Dennis Papazian,
chair of the Knights of Vartan Mid-
Atlantic Interlodge, will serve as
Master of Cermonies.
A dramatic program will also
be presented by the Holy Martyrs
Arousiak Papazian Theatrical Group.
For information on the January
31 Vartanantz event, call the Diocesan
Center at (212) 686-0710. f
Calendar of Events
Dr. Mary Papazian will be the keynote
speaker for the Jan. 31 Vartanantz
celebration at New York’s St. Vartan
Cathedral.
Fr. Mesrob Lakissian begins the home blessing ceremony. Pictured: (back row) Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Mrs. and Amb.
Armen Martirossian; (front row) Abp. Choloyan, Fr. Lakissian, and Bp. Tanielian.
Abp. Choloyan presides over the Prelacy’s annual
Armenian Christmas reception
New York7 – On Sunday evening,
January 6, Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
Prelacy, greeted a large number
of friends from the tri-state area
at his annual Christmas reception.
The event at the Prelacy headquarters
in New York City was hosted
by the Prelacy Ladies Guild.
Archbishop Choloyan received
B11
the good wishes expressed by the
attendees, and reciprocated with
prayers for a healthy New Year.
Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of
St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New
York City, conducted the traditional
home blessing ceremony, assisted
by Fr. Nareg Terterian, of St.
Sarkis Church in Douglaston, N.Y.,
Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, of Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Ridgefield, N.J.,
and Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian,
director of the Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC).
Armenia’s Permanent Representative
to the United Nations, Ambassador
Armen Martirossian, and his wife
joined the many guests in expressing
their good wishes to the Prelate and the
vicar, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian. f
California
JANUARY 19- MARCH 9
- BARON GARBIS. The White-
Fire, 13500 Ventura Blvd.,
Sherman Oaks, will be showing
Vahe Berberian’s “Baron
Garbis”, a play in Armenian.
The play will run from January
19th – March 9th with shows
every Thursday, Friday and
Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday
at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can
be purchased at the theatre
or through itsmyseat.com. For
more information please call
(818) 397-7392.
JANUARY 26 - MOSAIC II
CONCERT. Hamazkayin presents
Mosaic II- A Celebration
of Sound, at the Alex Theatre,
216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, at
7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $20.00-
100.00. For more information
please call (818) 562-0177.
JANUARY 27 - 2nd ANNU-
AL COMEDY FUNDRAISER.
AGBU- GenNext will be holding
their 2nd annual comedy
fundraiser at the Pasadena
AGBU Center, 2495 E. Mountain
St., Pasadena, from 7:00
p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Tickets are
$25.oo if purchased in advance,
$30.00 at the door. Tickets can
be purchased at itsmyseat.com.
For more information please
call (626) 794-7942.
JANUARY 27 - ZULA LIVE.
St. Andrew Armenian Church
Cultural Committee and
Homenetmen Santa Clara Ani
Chapter will be presenting
a “Zula” performance at the
Cubberley Community Center
Theatre, 4000 Middlefield
Road, Palo Alto, at 6:00 p.m.
For more information please
call (408) 257-6743.
JANUARY 29 - “VISIT ARME-
NIA, IT IS BEAUTIFUL”- 5th
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRA-
TION. The United Armenian
Congregational Church Men’s
Fellowship cordially invites
you to the 5th Anniversary
Celebration of “Visit Armenia,
It Is Beautiful” project, with
participation by UACC’s 2007
Armenia Mission Team, AGBU,
AYF, and Glendale College
“Study Abroad in Armenia.”
The event will take place at the
UACC Hall, 3480 Cahuenga
Blvd., Los Angeles, at 7:20 p.m.
Admission is free, but RSVP is
required. For more information
or to reserve a place please
call Ara Boyadjian at (818) 566-
1782.
JANUARY 31 - MELINEH
KURDIAN IN CONCERT. Melineh
Kurdian will be performing
live with her bad at the Hotel
Café, 1623 ½ N. Cahuenga
Blvd., Los Angeles, at 7:00 p.m.
Admission TBA.
FEBRUARY 1-2 - ART EXHI-
BITION: “THE ARMENIAN
WITHIN; VIEWS FROM THE
OUTSIDE.” Homenetmen
Glendale “Ararat” Chapter,
Cultural Division will be presenting
“The Armenian Within:
Views from the Outside,” by
Hratch Davitian. The series will
show February 1st 6:30 p.m.-
10:00 p.m. and February 2nd
5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Admission
is free. For more information
please call (323) 256-2564.
FEBRUARY 1 - TRADITIONAL
COSTUME FESTIVAL. Friends
of JULFA proudly presents a
Traditional Costume Festival
at the Ambrosia Banquet Hall,
6410 San Fernando Road, Glendale,
at 7:30 p.m. Admission is
$70.00. For more information
please call (818) 662-0404.
FEBRUARY 2 - “9 TO 1 GALA.”
The Knights of Vartan and the
Daughters of Vartan will be
hosting a fund-raiser Gala. The
organizations have secured
a partnership with the World
Bank in which the World Bank
will match the funds raised
by 9 times. The goal is to raise
$100,000.00 which will translate
to $1,000,000.00 and will
go directly to Armenia. The
money raised at the event will
be used to build schools in Armenia.
The event will be held
at the Westin San Francisco
Airport Hotel, 1 Old Bayshore
Highway, Millbrae, at 6:00 p.m.
Admission is $125.00. For more
information please call Rita
Takvorian at (650) 692-3500.
FEBRUARY 2 - KEF NIGHT
2008. Saro Dance presents Kef
Night 2008, at the Great Caesar
Banquet Hall, 6723 Foothill
Blvd., Tujunga. The night will
feature full course dinner with
mezza, open bar, and cocktail
hour. A portion of the proceeds
will benefit the Western
Prelacy Project. Entertainment
provide by 3 Brothers DJ. Admission
is $55.00. For more information
please call (818) 324-
0979. ***Seats are limited***
FEBRUARY 3 - HAMAZKA-
YIN’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY.
Hamazkyin Nigol Aghbalian
Chapter is celebrating the 80th
Anniversary on February 3rd.
Save the Date. More details to
follow.
FEBRUARY 6 - ‘LAUGHTER
IS MEDICINE’ 2008 Comedy
Fundraiser for the Children’s
Music Fund. Starring Lory Tatoulian,
featuring Raffi Rupchian,
Sevan Karagoz, Shante
Kharlubian, Raffi Tachadjian,
& Jason Jame. The event will
be held at the Phoenicia Restaurant,
343 N. Central Ave,
Glendale, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets
are $20.00 - $30.00.
FEBRUARY 8 - CHOOKA-
SIAN ARMENIAN CONCERT
ENSEMBLE AND DANCE
TROUPE. C l a r i n e t i s t
John Chookasian leads a dozen
of the finest conservatory
graduates from Armenia
and the United States will be
performing at the California
State University, 800 N. State
College Blvd., Fullerton, at
8:00 p.m. Tickets are $5.00-
$10.00. For more information
please call (714) 278-3371.
FEBRUARY 9 - ANAHID
FUND ANNUAL DINNER
DANCE. Come and support
the Anahid Fund, which is dedicated
to aid in the socioeconomic
conditions in Armenia.
This event will take place at the
Taglyan Cultural Center, 1201
Vine St., Los Angeles. A suggested
donation of $75.00 is requested.
For more information
please call (818) 409-0655.
FEBRUARY 15 - AGBU WIN-
TER GALA. Save the date for
the annual AGBU YPNC is
holding a Winter Gala February
15th- 18th. More information
to follow.
FEBRUARY 16 – ARS FASH-
ION SHOW. For the past 21
years the ARS “Sepan” Chapter
has been organizing the
Fundraising Fashion Show
Luncheon at the Glendale Hilton
Hotel, 100 W. Glenoaks
Blvd., Glendale, at 11:00 a.m.
Admission is $60.00. For more
information please call (818)
425-6464.
FEBRUARY 17 - Sunday- The
37th ANNUAL DEBUTANTE
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STREET
the armenian
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BALL sponsored by the Ladies
Auxiliary of the Western Diocese
of the Armenian Church
of North America to be held
at the Regent Beverly Wilshire
Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd.,
Beverly Hills. Reception: 5 p.m.
presentation 6 p.m. dinner 7
p.m. Tickets $200 per adult,
$125 for students. For reservations
please call Rose Ketchoyan
at (818)788-5138.
APRIL 26 – “CHILDREN
HELPING CHILDREN WITH
LOVE” -- AMAA Orphan Child
Care Luncheon, Fashion Show
and Silent Auction. 11:00 a.m.
At the Beverly Hills Hotel. For
more information, call Elizabeth
Agbabian, (310) 476-5306.
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B12 The Armenian Reporter | January 26, 2008