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

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.

Armenian Women’s Welfare Association Expands Senior Leadership

The following announcement was provided by the AWWA:

The Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA), a nonprofit health care organization dedicated to serving elders locally and internationally, and the sponsor organization of the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, today announced an expanded senior leadership team at the top-rated skilled nursing center with the appointment of two experienced administrators: Greg Messina, Chief Operating Officer, and Jessica Brigham, Executive Director. Messina and Brigham each bring more than a decade of health care experience to the 83-bed, nonprofit provider of high-quality long-term care and short-term rehabilitation. Messina will guide the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s strategic and planning initiatives, including the development of new services and programs, oversight of finances and collaboration with key health care partners. Brigham will lead the day-to-day operations, including the clinical care of patients and residents, management of staff, and communication with families. “With these important leadership appointments and our continued commitment to strengthen our programs, we are well positioned to grow our mission of providing high-quality, person-centered care to the communities we serve,” said Martha Mensoian, President of the AWWA Board of Directors. “Greg and Jessica bring new ideas and a record of success in running a long-term care center, which will serve us well in these quickly evolving times.”

Messina previously served as a regional administrator for Whittier Health Network, a group of acute rehabilitation hospitals and subacute rehabilitation and nursing homes in Massachusetts.  Prior to becoming a licensed nursing home administrator, he had a career in business and marketing. Messina earned a bachelor’s degree in history and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Boston. “I am thrilled to join a nonprofit organization with such a rich history in serving its beneficiaries both locally and internationally, and a strong tradition of collaboration in health care with Boston’s world-renowned medical centers,” Messina said. “I look forward to bringing my experience in managing multiple skilled nursing facilities and helping our team build toward the future.”

Brigham has served as the licensed nursing home administrator for several nursing homes in Greater Boston, most recently as executive director of Brighton House Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Prior to these leadership roles, she worked for many years as a nurse and nursing director in health care and in long-term care centers. Brigham earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Simmons University in Boston and is a registered nurse. “I am excited to return to a nonprofit health care setting and to guide the high quality care and services that the Armenian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is well known for providing,” said Brigham.

Watertown Churches Holding Services to Pray for Armenian Soldiers, Peace in Artsakh

Flag of Artsakh

Two Armenian Churches will hold prayer services this week for the soldiers in Armenia and Artsakh who have been fighting in an ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan. The current military conflict began in late September in the area known as Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh), an area of mostly ethnic Armenians. The area was placed within the borders of Azerbaijan when it was part of the Soviet Union, but is governed by ethnic Armenians as the Republic of Artsakh. Tensions date back decades, and a six year war was fought from 1988-94

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the St.

Congresswoman Clark Condemns Attacks on Armenians by Azerbaijan

Flag of Artsakh

Recent attacks on ethnic Armenians by Azerbaijan were called “reprehensible” by Congresswoman Katherine Clark, whose district includes Watertown. The fighting began Sunday in the area known as Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh), an area of mostly ethnic Armenians. The area was placed within the borders of Azerbaijan when it was part of the Soviet Union, but is governed by ethnic Armenians as the Republic of Artsakh. Tensions have been ongoing for three decades and there was a six-year military conflict from 1988-94, according to the Wall Street Journal. Clark called out Azerbaijan for violating the ceasefire and called for suspending military aid to Azerbaijan.

Books, Media on Armenian History & Culture Featured at Nearby Library

The following piece was provided by freelance writer David Boyajian:

During April 2019 the Belmont Public Library is displaying a selection of books, DVDs, and CDs on the Armenian Genocide and Armenian history and culture. Library Director Peter Struzziero and his staff facilitated the display whose items can be borrowed by patrons. 

The display has so far included The History of the Armenian Genocide by Vahakn Dadrian; Killing Orders by Taner Akçam; Architects of Denial, a film by Dean Cain and Montel Williams; Armenia, the Survival of a Nation by Christopher Walker; Tadem, My Father’s Village by Robert Aram Kaloosdian; Neither to Laugh nor to Weep by Abraham and Vartan Hartunian (the latter was a minister in Belmont); Goodbye, Antouraby Karnig Panian; Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art by Vrej Nersessian; Komitas-Aslamazian, a CD by the Chilingarian Quartet; Armenian Folk Arts, Culture, and Identity by Levon Abrahamian and Nancy & Sam Sweezy; The History of Armenia by Simon Payaslian; The Kingdom of Armenia by M. Chahin; Armenia and Karabagh Travel Guide by Matthew Karanian; The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel; The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian; and other titles. As items are borrowed, additional ones are added. A group of local Armenian Americans conceived the display for Armenian Genocide Commemoration Month. They suggested nearly 40 titles available in the Minuteman Library Network on topics and genres such as the Genocide, history, religion, art, music, film, food, travel, and fiction.

Watertown’s Hairenik Press Releases First Translation of Armenian Classic ‘Letter to Yerevan’

Translators Tatul Sonentz-Papazian (left) and Rupen Janbazian have produced the first English version of the Armenian long-form poem “Letters to Yerevan.” Janbazian is the former editor of Watertown-based Armenian Weekly. Watertown’s Hairenik Press recently announced the first-ever publication of the English translation of Andranik Tzarukian’s long-form poem Letter to Yerevan («Թուղթ առ Երեւան» “Tught ar Yerevan”). 

The translation was a collaborative effort between the former director of the ARF and First Republic of Armenia Archives and former editor of the Armenian Review Tatul Sonentz-Papazian, and former editor of the Watertown-based Armenian Weekly Rupen Janbazian. It features an in-depth introduction by another former editor of the Armenian Weekly and the volume’s English editor, Vahe Habeshian, as well as six original illustrations by Yerevan-based artist Meruzhan Khachatryan. The Armenian language republication was edited by Yeprem Tokjian of Toronto, Canada.