Around Town

Armenian Museum’s Statement on the 109th Anniversary of the Genocide

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Photo from the Armenian Museum of AmericaAnnually we host thousands of visitors who learn about the Genocide, as well as the history and culture of Armenia thought artifacts and exhibitions; historian Khatchig Mouradian conducted several educational workshops this month with students visiting our galleries. The Watertown-based Armenian Museum of America released a statement on the 109th Anniversary of the Genocide. Read it below. The Armenian Genocide was the attempted annihilation of the Armenian people – physically and culturally – from their ancestral homeland. This brutal murder of the Armenian nation by the Ottoman Turks constitutes the first genocide of the 20th century.

Armenian Museum of America

WGBH Airing Filmmaker’s Journey to Find Ancestral Homeland in Armenia, Partly Filmed in Watertown

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Armenia Museum of America Director Jason Sohigian and filmmaker Ani Hovannisian, who made “The Hidden Map.” The film in which the granddaughter of a genocide survivor goes back to Armenia will be shown on WGBH. The following information was provided by the makers of The Hidden Map:

The Hidden Map, one of the only Armenian films ever to be distributed nationally by PBS, continues to share the Armenian story with viewers across America. After its successful June premiere in hundreds of U.S. cities, the documentary has been scheduled for more public television broadcasts from coast to coast during the network’s August pledge drive. Especially noteworthy is Boston WGBH’s visionary approach to connecting its viewers with the continuing story.

Armenia

Watertown Teacher Traveling to Armenia With Genocide Education Project

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Watertown High School English teacher Jess DePamphilis will travel to Armenia this summer to learn about the Armenian Genocide. A Watertown High School English teacher will travel to Armenia this summer as part of a program sponsored by The Genocide Education Project. Jess DePamphilis was chosen as one of 17 secondary level teachers from 14 states chosen to be GenEd Teacher Fellows. The group will spend 10 days in Armenia in July to take part in a professional development program based at the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute. While in Armenia the group will be based in Yerevan, the capital city.

Around Town

Congresswoman Clark’s Statement Marking 107th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

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Congresswoman Katherine Clark

The following announcement was provided by the office of Congresswoman Katherine Clark:

Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement to mark the 107th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which is Sunday, April 24, 2022. Last year, President Joe Biden declared that the Ottoman Empire’s killing of 1.5 million Armenians was an act of genocide, an official recognition that Clark has supported throughout her career in Congress. Watertown, in Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional district, is home to the third largest Armenian community in the United States. “As we mark the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we recognize this dark chapter in our world’s history and renew our commitment to preventing atrocities of this magnitude from ever happening again. The Armenian Genocide is not an opinion – its facts are undisputed, and the legacy of this trauma cannot be erased.

Around Town

Residents Invited to Attend Armenian Genocide Commemoration at State House

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Each April for the past 32 years, members of the Armenian community along with state legislators and guests have come together at the State House to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with the commemoration taking place on Friday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m. in the House Chamber with a program of speakers, music, and honorees, announced State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s office. Following the ceremony, a reception provided by Ani Catering of Belmont will be held in the Hall of Flags. The event recognizes the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 by the Ottoman Turkish government. This is an opportunity for survivors and Armenian-American descendants to demonstrate their commitment to preserving their culture, religion, and language; working for humanitarian projects and awareness; and striving for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian Genocide

106 Year Old Woman Shares Haunting Tale of Surviving the Armenian Genocide

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Seeing the cheerful personality and smile on the face of Asdghig Alemian’s face, you would never know the horrors and harsh conditions she lived through as a young girl. At the age of just five, Alemian watched family members die, was separated from her mother and made a harrowing journey just to be taken in by an abusive Turkish family. Now, at age 106, the Weymouth resident is one of the “last surviving survivors of the Armenian Genocide,” said Roxanne Makasdjian, a member of GenEd Board of Directors and UC Berkeley Manager of Broadcast Communications who interviewed Alemian at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown. The interview was part of a day-long program by The Genocide Education Project, called “Understanding the Armenian Genocide through Primary Sources,” to teach educators about the Armenian Genocide and was attended by teachers from the Watertown Public Schools, St. Stephen’s Armenian School, and other schools in the Boston area.

Armenian Genocide

Local Groups Taking Part in State Legislature’s Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide

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Each April for the past 31 years, members of the Armenian community along with state legislators and guests have come together at the State House to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, according to State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s office. This year marks the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with the commemoration taking place on Friday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. in the House Chamber with a program of speakers, music, and honorees. Following the ceremony a reception provided by Ani Catering of Belmont will be held at the Grand Staircase and guests can view a video created especially for this event by filmmaker Roger Hagopian about Armenia and survival of the Armenian nation. The event recognizes the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 by the Ottoman Turkish government. This is an opportunity for survivors and Armenian-American descendants to demonstrate their commitment to preserving their culture, religion, and language; working for humanitarian projects and awareness; and striving for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Around Town

A Tribute to an Armenian Grandmother from Watertown

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Ludér Tavit Sahagian of Needham recently wrote a tribute his grandmother Mayram Gulbahar Gigiyan Cinar, which he entitled “A True Salt of the Earth.” Here Sahagian’s tribute:

The year is 1915. The world is engulfed in warfare. In the cradle of civilization, an unprecedented genocide against the first Christian nation is festering. And Arusyak Hajinian, my maternal great-grandmother, is caught in the middle of it:

They smash open the house door and take her husband to purportedly serve in the army.