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Commemoration on Beacon Hill: 'Deny
Denial'
Annual Beacon Hill Commemoration
Celebrates ‘No Place for Denial’ Effort
By Andy Turpin
 BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)—On April 18, in the Massachusetts House
of Representatives Chamber at the State House on Beacon
Hill, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and state
officials presided over ceremonies commemorating the
Armenian Genocide .
Massachusetts State Representative Rachel Kaprielian (D)
introduced the event, stating, “Today we are so honored with
the presence of the governor of the Commonwealth, Deval
Patrick. Like John F. Kennedy in Berlin, today Mr. Patrick,
‘You are Armenian.’”
She said of keynote speaker Nancy Kaufman, executive
director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
and her camaraderie with the Armenian community that “You
are a mensch [Yiddish, “a good person”] and a true friend.
You are the embodiment of what this day means and we love
and honor you.”
Kaprielian honored the passing of Boston-area Armenian
humanitarian and benefactor John Baronian. “We miss you
John,” she said. “Armenian par excellence and a son of
survivors, we know you’re looking down on us.”
Rev. Stephan Baljian of St. Stephen’s Armenian Church in
Watertown, presented the ceremony’s religious invocation,
followed by the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance led by Senator
Steven A. Tolman (D-Mass.).
The children of St. Stephen’s Armenian School and of the
Armenian Sister’s Academy then sang “America the Beautiful”
and the “Armenian National Anthem”.
Lt. governor Tim Murray, former three-term mayor of
Worcester, presented remarks, introduced by State
Representative Peter J. Koutoujian (D).
Koutoujian said of Murray and Worcester’s longtime
Armenian-American friendship, that “Many of you may not know
that the Armenian-American community started in Worcester,
or as it used to be known, Vooster. Lt. Gov. Murray
understands that. He has worked with the ANC of Central
Massachusetts to advocate genocide recognition in D.C.”
Murray said of the day’s significance that “understanding
the lessons of the Armenian Genocide helps us to prevent
other genocides around the world.”
Patrick spoke next, offering the presentation of the
Governor’s Proclamations. “Bari luys,” he said. “I am
so glad to be here today to welcome you to your house. The
State House is your house.”
He said of his longtime friendship with Koutoujian, “I was
befriended by Peter with a grace and kindness I will never
forget.”
Offering counsel to those Armenian children in attendance,
he said proudly, “What you see in the faces of the survivors
here is a picture of the resilience of the human spirit. You
come from a spirit and tradition of survival and mental
toughness. Remember that, live it.”
Patrick presented ceremonial plaques recognizing the
Armenian Genocide and the overcoming of its terrors to
survivors Virgine Mazmanian, Ojen Fantazian, and Almas
Boghosian.
Koutoujian added, “I want you all to know of the governor’s
long-held commitment to our people and our cause.” He
recounted how during Patrick’s election campaign allegations
were spread that he supported genocide denial.
Koutoujian detailed, “He reached out to myself and Rachel
and said, ‘This is untrue,’ and made statements speaking out
against the Armenian Genocide and its denial. He doesn’t
just understand the issue of genocide, he feels it. And
that’s a leap this governor never had to make.”
Turning to speak of the ongoing construction of the Armenian
Heritage Park on the Greenway and the legislative battle for
its creation by the Boston-Armenian community, Koutoujian
said, “We fought against all odds because it made us proud
to remember, ‘We are here in America!’ But we always had one
friend. This governor stayed with us and were it not for him
and this lieutenant governor, we would not have the Armenian
Heritage Park Greenway.”
In reaction, the crowd gave Patrick a cheering standing
ovation for his longstanding support of the
Armenian-American cause and its constituents.
Turning the ceremonies to honor those involved in exposing
and opposing the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) denial of
the Armenian Genocide, Kaprielian stated, “Regular citizens
said, ‘This is not right.’ And stood up for our people.”
Watertown town councilor and member of the Massachusetts
Municipal Association (MMA) board of directors Jonathan
Hecht was presented with the Joint House and Senate
Resolution on the Armenian Genocide as a way of honoring him
for his pivotal role in advocating for the MMA to rescind
its sponsorship of the ADL-affiliated No Place for Hate
program.
The MMA severed its ties with the ADL on April 8. The
resolution also honored the Watertown Town Council’s
leadership on the ADL issue over the past several months.
During his acceptance speech, Hecht stated, “I want to be
sure to thank the Armenian community for its tireless
efforts to make sure the truth is known and that the
Armenian Genocide is not ‘the Forgotten Genocide,’ and to
make it clear that the responsibility of fighting genocide
falls on each and every one of us.”
Koutoujian then introduced keynote speaker Nancy Kaufman,
and praised her for her support during the campaign against
the ADL’s ambiguous position on the Armenian Genocide. “She
did not hesitate and did not think about the politics,” he
said. “She denied denial.”
Kaufman said, “Passover is the festival that celebrates
freedom from tyranny and oppression. So it is appropriate
that when I should be home cooking, I am here with you
today. We also share in common the attempts by some to deny
that a genocide occurred.”
She continued, “I want to testify and witness and witness on
behalf of the JCRC and as a Jewish-American that 1915
occurred.”
Kaufman presented the audience with an overview of the
Armenian Genocide. She noted that “Early gas chambers were
formed by pushing people into caves and blocking the
entrances. … The Nazis improved the technology of these
methods.” She praised U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, a
Jewish-American, and his works to protect Armenians in all
aspects, including advocating to President Woodrow Wilson to
restore and assist in the founding and preservation of the
Armenian First Republic following World War I.
Kaufman added, “Ironically, it was his son [Henry Morgenthau,
Jr.] who lobbied FDR for United States intervention on
behalf of the Jews during World War II. America’s
non-response to the Turkish horror set in place patterns
that would be repeated again.”
Of the infamous Article 301 in Turkey, she explained, “Today
it’s considered treason to acknowledge the genocide in
Turkey…Think for a moment what would have happened if the
Allies had urged the world [to take action] against genocide
[after World War I]. Or suppose the Nazis had remained in
power and there were no Nuremberg Trials. Doubtless Germany
would have denied the charges against them as Turkey does
today for the Armenian Genocide.”
She ended speaking of the genocide in Darfur. “Let us not
ask ourselves what we would have done but let us act,”
she said.
Koutoujian presented special thanks to the representatives
of all those Massachusetts towns that contributed and banded
together during the anti-ADL controversy, including
Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Medford, Needham,
Newburyport, Newton, North Hampton, Watertown, and Westwood.
House of Representatives citations were also presented to
human rights groups in those towns for their “Commitment to
Protect and Honor Human Rights in the Past, Present, and
Future.”
Koutoujian also thanked the “No Place for Denial” team of
activists for leading an unprecedented grassroots effort to
expose the ADL’s denial and to persuade over a dozen
Massachusetts municipalities, and ultimately the statewide
umbrella group the MMA, to sever their links with the ADL.
Also thanked for their attendance were the medical NGO
Heart-Rwanda, the Consul Generals of Finland and Israel, the
Knights of Vartan, and the Armenian Veterans Association
Post 41. A final blessing was given to the memory of
recently deceased benefactor John Baronian, noting, “John
continued to give, and to give, to his college and to his
people.”
Fr. Vasken Kouzouian of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in
Cambridge gave a benediction and requiem prayer. The Erebuni
Armenian Chorus of Greater Boston, conducted by Maestro
Artur Veranian, presented a selection of commemoration
pieces.
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