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Watertown Commemorates Genocide
with Call to Go Forward
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)—On April 24, the Greater Boston
Committee to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide presented its
93rd anniversary ceremonies in the St. James Armenian Church
Sanctuary and St. James Keljik Hall.
Presiding clergy read Ezekiel 37 as the thematic gospel tone
for the evening.
The Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston presented a solo
dance performance in memoriam, followed by remarks by Dr.
Dikran Kaligian, chairperson of the ANCA-Eastern Region and
a professor of history at Westfield State College.
Kaligian spoke of the recent high-profile controversy
surrounding Congress’s support for the Armenian Genocide
recognition bill. “This fall with House Resolution 106, we
saw unprecedented examples of extreme behavior on behalf of
the Turkish lobby. … The President of the United States went
out on the White House lawn to persuade Congress not to pass
this resolution.”
Yet, despite the resolution’s tabling, he said, Armenians
must not lose steam and must know how far they have come and
how truly close to victory they as a community are.
“Let’s remember, Turkey can’t do this all the time. They had
to pull out all the stops this year. They had to come up
with new and desperate strategies. We are winning the war,
even if this battle was a setback,” he said.
“How much did it cost Turkey to do all this?” Kaligian
asked, noting that having U.S. troops in Iraq allowed for
some leverage on the side of those blocking the resolution.
“Hopefully we will not be in Iraq forever and that weapon
will disappear.”
Turning to speak about the controversy surrounding the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and its position on the
Armenian Genocide, Kaligian said, “It began here in
Watertown. Let’s remember what our efforts here started.
From the front page of the Boston Globe to the front pages
of Europe, Israel, and South America, articles were written
educating people about the Armenian Genocide.”
He continued, “That united solidarity is why the
Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) this month voted
to stop its sponsorship of the No Place for Hate program.
But we have to show ourselves as one because there are
people in the Turkish government, and yes in the U.S.
government, looking for divisions and fissures among us.”
“Turkey is looking for ‘the Good Armenians,’” he said, “who
won’t force them to do any more. We cannot allow such
Armenians to tell them, ‘Say the words and we’ll leave you
alone.’”
He contrasted Turkey’s geo-political power today to the Cold
War, and warned against making any concessions. “Do we
really think Turkey is more powerful than the Soviet Union
was? I think not. We cannot limit ourselves to what we only
think possible today.”
Kaligian furthered, “We cannot betray those who marched
through the desert by giving up too cheaply. It is also
vital for Haiastan. Why is Armenia so weak? Because it is so
small. Were Karabagh and the Ararat plain to be reunited
with Armenia, Haiastan could free itself.”
“Remember, Armenia is only one-sixteenth of its original
size. Let us remember all these things on April 24. We need
to rededicate ourselves. Whatever we have to do, we must do.
We owe it to future generations.”
Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist Steve
Kurkjian spoke next, saying of the Armenian Genocide, “The
event still defines us as a people. We are a small tribe,
but to every shore we were cast, we thrived and survived.”
He continued, “It is up to us now to make sure that the past
is honored. Each of us must look into ourselves and put our
own price on forgiveness. For myself, I would only ask the
Turkish government to allow us to restore our ancient
churches that desperately need restoration.”
Kurkjian ended, “We don’t shy away from our past, we work
with it. Until the funeral masses take place for us there,
there can be no certainty in saying, ‘Never Again.’”
A musical performance by renowned cellist Ani Kalayjian
followed the speakers, along with served mezze.
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