Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Genocide centennial conjures up ideas

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Genocide centennial conjures up ideas

    Genocide centennial conjures up ideas

    by Tom Vartabedian

    Published: Saturday June 29, 2013


    Is another march in order for the centennial?.

    The thoughts are gushing forth like a fountain with no shutoff valve.

    What to do for the 2015 centennial? By now, you may have heard a surge
    of recommendations. Or perhaps none at all. But let's face it. With
    the centennial barely two years away, some statement should be made.

    Please, not a mundane lecture. Certainly not another concert. We could
    post a billboard campaign throughout the country. But how many
    motorists really look at a billboard and how would it impact them?

    An Armenian activist telephoned me the other day to report a novel
    idea. Collect 1,000 old, worn shoes and dump them at midnight April
    24th in front of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC, signifying the
    remnants of a death march on Deir Zor.

    Another activist proposed this outlandish thought. Let's dump gallons
    of red paint into our notable tributaries to signify the River Arax
    flowing with the blood of our 1,500 victims.

    I don't think such nonsensical acts would create an impression other
    than give us a bad name. Let's settle down and become a bit more
    rational, folks. I'm suggesting none of those ideas because they will
    do nothing to perpetuate our cause.

    Of course, we could all gather in Washington or New York and preach to
    our own choirs. One day later, where will it get us as a civilization?
    What we need, folks, is to bolster our own ranks, put our own house in
    order before moving elsewhere.

    My suggestion is rather complex but workable. It costs no money, very
    little time and initiative, yet has good potential. Let each of us who
    might be involved in our Armenian community lure at least one passive
    member into our midst.

    Go out and recruit an inactive Armenian to join our churches and
    organizations. We would double our growth and inculcate new leadership
    in our ranks. Greater resources, too.

    Not long ago, I was scheduled to present a genocide class at a small
    high school north of Boston. It would be my first visit to this
    particular school and I was expecting to turn a new leaf in human
    rights education.

    Rather than go alone, I usually take it upon myself to invite a member
    of this community to join me in class. It puts a more local spin on
    the presentation.

    In this particular case, I chose an Armenian totally removed from the
    community. In 40 years, I had never seen this man at any genocide
    commemoration or church. He was totally immersed in the American
    mainstream, having dedicated his life to teaching and coaching. He was
    now in his mid-80s and retired from education.

    I called him one night out of sheer impulse and asked him to join me.
    Only then did I learn his father was a genocide survivor.

    He met me the next day at the school, dressed in a suit and tie with
    mixed reservations about the whole matter.

    "I don't know what I can contribute to this," he told me. "I don't
    know much about Armenian history and the genocide. Maybe I should have
    stayed home."

    As the discussion gained impetus, I decided to take a break and
    introduced my guest. He rose from his seat, told the students that he
    lived his entire life in this town, and taught school for 50 years,
    even after he formally retired.

    He recalled how his dad escaped the pogroms in Turkey while living in
    Van and how he became assimilated as an Armenian. The man broke down
    as he spoke, sobbing to gain composure. The subject of genocide held a
    powerful grip.

    The sentiment grew even more profound. I pulled out an interview I had
    done with my Armenian School students which is just as relevant today
    as it was 35 years ago when I conducted it.

    The subject? "If you lived in Armenia today and were told your village
    was going to be invaded by Turkey, what single prized possession would
    you take while fleeing?"

    By sheer coincidence, his two nieces happened to be in this class and
    responded to the question. One ultimately operated a restaurant while
    the other became a schoolteacher.

    "My Armenian cross and books," said one niece. "Because it would
    possibly give me and my family good luck."

    "I would make sure my family was out of the house," said the other. "I
    wouldn't care about anything else."

    My guest had become instantly transposed into a new life, even at this
    late age. He felt a sudden urge to return to his roots and live out
    the rest of his life inside his abandoned heritage.

    As we were leaving the school, he proposed a humble request.

    "If you're going to the Armenian Church Sunday, do you suppose we
    could sit together? I'd like to join you."

    http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2013-06-29-genocide-centennial-conjures-up-ideas

Working...
X