Armenian Genocide

GLENDALE ? When John Krikorian was growing up, he couldn't ask his parents about what had happened to his grandparents. "I had a lot of friends ? that would go to their grandparents' houses in the summer," Krikorian, of Glendale, said. "I used to ask my mother, 'Where are my grandparents? She would start crying and never would say." Then, Krikorian's father would come home from work and tell Krikorian to never ask those kinds of questions, he said. It wasn't until Krikorian got older that he finally realized the reasoning behind his parents' reactions to the simple question ?

The House Judiciary Committee this week passed a resolution sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D--Burbank) recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The resolution, co-sponsored by Rep. George Radanovich (R--Fresno), was passed unanimously, and will now be eligible for a floor vote by the full House of Representatives. It states that 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were killed between 1915 and 1923 by the Ottoman Empire, which is modern-day Turkey. The bill was introduced April 10 to coincide with the 88th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

On the face of it, the Armenian Genocide is about Armenians. But it must serve as a lesson to all mankind, so that the tragic events of the past never become the fate of new generations. The annual Week of Remembrance, starting Sunday, offers a chance to solemnly look back. It is a week devoted to remembering the Armenian Genocide, when the Ottoman-Turkish Empire killed 1.5 million Armenians. For many, it is just history — easy to bury in the days when it happened, more than 90 years ago in a land far away from the neighborhoods of Glendale and Burbank.

In the wake of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan?s announcement to suspend all efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, hundreds of people gathered at the Alex Theatre to commemorate the first genocide of the 20th century. And while attendees Friday did not bear witness to the start of the mass exterminations, many mourned the losses of aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. On the eve of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the word ?

Jackson Bell A week devoted to remembering the Armenian Genocide will culminate with two events Sunday, on the 90th anniversary of the atrocity. "This is a day to remember those who have died in the genocide," said Alina Azizian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee's Glendale Chapter. "It's also about raising awareness and standing up against human-rights violations happening around the world." More than 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923 in what is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th century.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBERED The council recognized the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. WHAT IT MEANS Mayor Marsha Ramos presented a resolution to Burbank resident Tamar Krekorian, of the Armenian National Committee, recognizing the Armenian Genocide that began in 1915. Paul Krekorian, of the Burbank Unified School board, told the council and audience members of the importance of remembering the genocide and told the story of a relative who had been killed.

Rep. Adam Schiff, who represents Glendale and Burbank, announced the introduction of a resolution Tuesday recognizing and commemorating the Armenian genocide. It is the second year Schiff has introduced such a resolution, but looked for Congress' new leadership to help him pass the resolution this year. It received support in the form of 165 co-signing members of Congress. The resolution has the support of the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Assembly of America and the U.S. Armenia Public Affairs Committee Schiff stated that the U.S. has both compelling moral and historical reasons to formally recognize the Armenian genocide as well as the ability to bring further attention the genocides currently taking place in other parts of the world.

Josh Kleinbaum Rep. Adam Schiff and 62 other representatives asked Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to back off his opposition to an amendment to the Foreign Operations bill that refers to the Armenian Genocide. The amendment, proposed by Schiff (D-Burbank) and approved by the House in July, prohibits Turkey from using U.S. foreign aid to lobby against a House resolution that would recognize the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as a genocide.

Mark R. Madler The tri-colored Armenian flag flew Sunday afternoon as the community remembered the now-90-year-old Armenian Genocide. The city ended its weeklong remembrance with an event at the Alex Theatre, while hundreds turned out at Glendale High School's athletic field for a rally. "The red represents the blood of our people, and blue is the color of the sky, which represents peace," said Torkom Pastajian, an audience member at the Alex Theatre.

More than 100 people gathered at Burbank City Hall Tuesday to commemorate the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust, which together claimed the lives of 7.5 million people. Descendants of Holocaust victims and survivors lit seven candles at the City Council meeting to commemorate their families and the six million massacred. Nina Guttman and David Drexler lit a candle for their mother, Rena Drexler, who survived four years in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Steve Harman lit a candle for Holocaust survivor Irving Belfer, who escaped from a death march.

Glendale YMCA officials are hosting a blood drive in commemoration of the Armenian genocide. Organizers say it's a way to bring the community together while continuing a tradition of saving lives. The blood drive will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Glendale YMCA's Youth Fitness Center, 130 N. Louise St. Walk-ins are welcome, but for appointments, call (818) 240-4130, ext. 34 or visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code ANCGlendale. To give blood, one must be at least 16 years old and weigh 110 pounds.

The Armenian National Committee of Burbank honored four students of Woodbury University with scholarships during its annual Armenian Christmas reception on Jan. 9 at the Burbank Armenian Center. The “Re-Birth” scholarship was established last year, funded by a donation from the Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center. Candidates needed to meet several requirements and be involved in voluntary humanitarian work while demonstrating leadership. The Re-Birth scholarship is the first of its kind for the committee and honors 200 Armenian religious, political and intellectual leaders who were arrested on April 24, 1915 and later killed in Turkey in what would become the Armenian genocide.

A candlelight vigil commemorating the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was held on the steps of Burbank City Hall on Tuesday night, two days before an L.A. visit by President Obama, who has not kept a campaign promise to formally recognize the mass killings in 1915 as genocide. Several in the crowd of about 200 held signs with phrases such as "1915 Never Again," "End the Cycle of Genocide" and "Stand True to Your Word. " "Mr. President, you did not keep your promise," said Hilton Sorkazian, a member of the Armenian Youth Federation and a speaker at the vigil.

On the heels of the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, The Armenian National Committee Burbank chapter have organized a candlelight vigil to commemorate the Armenian Genocide on the steps of City Hall Tuesday evening. The vigil, held in conjunction Armenian Youth Federation “Varak” Chapter in Burbank, will take place after the City Council is scheduled to issue an official proclamation recognizing the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, in which millions of Armenians were massacred at the hands of Ottoman Turks.

So, with all of California's problems, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and other lawmakers have introduced legislation to “push the federal government” to recognize the Armenian Genocide (“State lawmakers take up Armenian Genocide,” Jan. 30)? Don't get me wrong, the genocide was historical and tragic beyond words, and the federal government should stop the semantics and call it what it was. But is this really what we elected our state lawmakers for? To tell Congress what to do?

Early Friday morning, the calls began to roll into the newsroom. One woman wondered why we were singling out Armenia. Another inquired about the ethnicity of our writing staff — perhaps wanting to make sure we employed no one of Turkish descent. What caused this outrage? Like many news outlets, we have been closely following the WikiLeaks story and its wide-ranging implications. Within a massive trove of confidential documents released Sunday was a diplomatic cable alleging that Armenia supplied Iran with weapons.

Daisy Troop visits thrift shop Burbank Girl Scout Daisy Troop 631-6 and their leaders, Lisa Tobey, Carey Sanchez and Ashlynn Wright, visited La Providencia Guild Thrift Shop. This was a thank-you opportunity to plant their Master Project "Mini Garden" in the flower boxes of the thrift shop. The Burbank Girl Scout Daisy Troop 631-6, comprised of nine kindergarten girls, are in their first year of Girl Scouting. Some of their other activities include Burbank Plant a Tree and Take Action Project.

DOWNTOWN — As U.S. lawmakers continue to take Turkey to task for its support of an aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip, Rep. Adam Schiff is seizing on the discontent to garner more support for his long-stalled resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Fear of angering Turkey, a strategic military ally in the Middle East, has long stood in the way of Congress officially recognizing the 1915 massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. But since Turkey has refused to back down from efforts to send supplies to Israel's Gaza Strip, a new crop of U.S. lawmakers say they may now support the Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Wednesday called on Armenian Genocide survivors and descendants to submit their stories and memories for inclusion into the congressional record. The effort parallels a congressional resolution Schiff introduced to recognize and commemorate the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Schiff in a statement said he plans to make the submissions part of the nation?s enduring record of congressional proceedings. ?Let us fill the congressional record with the personal histories of those who survived the genocide and their families,?