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WITH OBAMA IN GLENDALE, ARMENIANS PRESS GENOCIDE-RELATED ISSUE
Los Angeles Times, CA
Nov 26 2013
By Nicole Charky
November 26, 2013, 1:58 p.m.
Local Armenian leaders on Tuesday used an appearance by President
Obama at the DreamWorks Animation studio to request that the White
House allow a Smithsonian display of a rug handmade by refugee orphans
of the mass genocide about a century ago.
It took about 10 months for Armenian genocide survivors living at an
American-sponsored orphanage to weave and knot the 12-foot-by-18-foot
rug, which was scheduled to be displayed at the Smithsonian Castle
in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 16. However, organizers canceled the
exhibit on Sept. 12, saying the White House had declined to loan it.
At a news conference Tuesday, students from the Chamlian Armenian
School, representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America
and area clergy signed a letter extolling the historical importance
of the rug, the Glendale News-Press reported.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers who also support releasing the rug
have called it a "pivotal icon related to the Armenian Genocide,"
in which an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks as the empire was dissolving during World War I.
Historians have concluded the episode was a genocide, but Turkey --
a key U.S. ally in the Middle East -- has contended that Turks and
Armenians were casualties of war, famine and disease.
"All we're seeking is that a piece of American history be exhibited at
the Smithsonian. I certainly hope that President Obama will take the
right step in this direction and allow for the rug to be exhibited,"
Glendale Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said.
The rug, presented in 1925 to President Calvin Coolidge, is in storage
as part of the White House collection.
"The rug was a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between
the American and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history,"
said Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, prelate of the Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said he intends to host an event in the
Capitol featuring the rug and the history of American diplomats and
charitable organizations that provided relief for the genocide victims.
"I will be urging the administration to make the rug available for
display at that time and hope for a favorable response," he said in
a statement. "The Armenian Orphan Rug should once again be seen by
the American people and the world - as a testament to what happened
nearly a century ago, and as part of our commitment to the survivors
that we will never forget."
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-president-obama-glendale-armenians-genocide-20131126,0,3072954.story#ixzz2lse7SEll
Los Angeles Times, CA
Nov 26 2013
By Nicole Charky
November 26, 2013, 1:58 p.m.
Local Armenian leaders on Tuesday used an appearance by President
Obama at the DreamWorks Animation studio to request that the White
House allow a Smithsonian display of a rug handmade by refugee orphans
of the mass genocide about a century ago.
It took about 10 months for Armenian genocide survivors living at an
American-sponsored orphanage to weave and knot the 12-foot-by-18-foot
rug, which was scheduled to be displayed at the Smithsonian Castle
in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 16. However, organizers canceled the
exhibit on Sept. 12, saying the White House had declined to loan it.
At a news conference Tuesday, students from the Chamlian Armenian
School, representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America
and area clergy signed a letter extolling the historical importance
of the rug, the Glendale News-Press reported.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers who also support releasing the rug
have called it a "pivotal icon related to the Armenian Genocide,"
in which an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks as the empire was dissolving during World War I.
Historians have concluded the episode was a genocide, but Turkey --
a key U.S. ally in the Middle East -- has contended that Turks and
Armenians were casualties of war, famine and disease.
"All we're seeking is that a piece of American history be exhibited at
the Smithsonian. I certainly hope that President Obama will take the
right step in this direction and allow for the rug to be exhibited,"
Glendale Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said.
The rug, presented in 1925 to President Calvin Coolidge, is in storage
as part of the White House collection.
"The rug was a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between
the American and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history,"
said Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, prelate of the Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said he intends to host an event in the
Capitol featuring the rug and the history of American diplomats and
charitable organizations that provided relief for the genocide victims.
"I will be urging the administration to make the rug available for
display at that time and hope for a favorable response," he said in
a statement. "The Armenian Orphan Rug should once again be seen by
the American people and the world - as a testament to what happened
nearly a century ago, and as part of our commitment to the survivors
that we will never forget."
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-president-obama-glendale-armenians-genocide-20131126,0,3072954.story#ixzz2lse7SEll