Day: March 26, 2024

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission (RIHGEC) is kicking off its second annual April Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month with a host of events planned across the state. As part of its mission to empower educators and their school communities to integrate learning about the Holocaust and other genocides as integral parts of their school cultures and studies, the commission also oversees the month of awareness by providing resources and professional development for teachers to incorporate these topics into their curricula.

Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month will commence on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 6 p.m. with a program entitled, “A.I., Truth and Genocide Denialism: Professional Development for a New Age,” sponsored jointly by the Genocide Education Project (GenEd), RI Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission and Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.

Genocide denialism is a growing movement, especially with regards to the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. Artificial intelligence (A.I.) has the potential to make denial seem more authentic, especially to students, who are already engaging with generative A.I.

Professor Michael Xiarhos of Salve Regina University and GenEd Teacher Fellow will present this timely workshop on emerging A.I, how it can spread denialism and how educators can separate fact from fiction. 

The event will be held at Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. Register here. Light refreshments will be served. 

Rounding off the month of events is “Remembrance, Resilience and Renewal: Genocide Awareness through the Arts,” on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. at Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence, RI 02908. The program is presented and curated by artistic director and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman, Rhode Island College’s Artist-in-Residence.

Remembering the Cambodian, Rwandan, Liberian, Armenian and Uighur Genocides and the Holocaust, this multidisciplinary program embraces the music, art, spoken word and dance of four extraordinary and resilient cultures that have faced the scourge of genocide.

The program will feature Stillman, along with Anush Avetisyan, Becky Bass, Shani Achille-Collins, Joe Bentley, Michael De Quattro, lan Greitzer, Song Heng, Mher Khachatryan, Michael Laurendeau, Nuné Melik, Bryan Round, Willine Thoe and Alexander Tum. Tickets may be reserved here.

In addition to the aforementioned events, several presentations are being offered throughout the month of April at libraries across the state. An updated list of these presentations appears on the RIHGEC website. 

The Ten Stages of Genocide and How Antisemitism Became an Effective Tool of the Nazis, presented by Barbara Wahlberg

This 75-minute presentation will explore the 10 Stages of Genocide, as defined by Genocide Watch, the origin of the term genocide coined by Raphael Lemkin and the history of antisemitism through the centuries, up to the 20th century and Nazi Europe.

• Wednesday, April 10 at 4:00 p.m. at Willett Free Library (45 Ferry Rd., Saunderstown, RI 02874)
• Thursday, April 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Newport Public Library (300 Spring St., Newport, RI 02840)

America and the Holocaust: Jim Crow Laws, Eugenics and the March Toward Genocide in Nazi-Occupied Europe, presented by Barbara Wahlberg

This 75-minute presentation provides a case study examining Nazi Germany and the United States during the 1930s, at a time when racism and eugenics were enshrined in law and practice. It will examine the national and historical contexts in which racism manifested in the two countries and explore how the pseudoscience of eugenics, as well as concerns about “racial purity,” found their way into the laws of the United States and Nazi Germany.

• Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Tiverton Public Library (34 Roosevelt Ave., Tiverton, RI 02878)
• Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland Public Library (1464 Diamond Hill Rd., Cumberland, RI 02869)
• Monday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m. at Harmony Library (195 Putnam Pike, Harmony, RI 02814)

A Journey from Despair to Hope: The Armenian Genocide and the Story of the Armenian Americans of RI, presented by Pauline Getzoyan and Esther Kalajian

Under the cover of World War I, Armenians of the Ottoman Empire became the victims of the first modern genocide. The Armenian Genocide, carried out by the Ottoman Turks, has been denied by the perpetrators to this day. The video, “A Journey from Despair to Hope: The Story of the Armenian Americans of Rhode Island,” traces the story of Margaret Garabedian DerManuelian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, and her arrival in Rhode Island. The film, which will be a focal point of this 75-minute presentation, also introduces the history of the Armenian Genocide and illuminates the impact of genocide denial on future generations, as well as the impact of genocide on identity.

• Wednesday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. at Cranston Public Library (140 Sockanosset Cross Rd., Cranston, RI 02920)
• Wednesday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. at West Warwick Public Library (1043 Main St, West Warwick, RI 02893)
• Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Pontiac Free Library Association (101 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, RI 02886)
• Thursday, May 2 at 5:30 PM at Langworthy Public Library (24 Spring St., Hope Valley, RI 02832)

To assist schools, teachers and community members during the month, the RIHGEC is sharing its latest booklist to use during April 2024 Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month, featuring books appropriate for middle and high school students, as well as adults. For more resources, please visit the commission’s Resources link on the website.

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Ani Nazaryan Esq., Viken Demirjian and Setrag Balian discuss crisis facing the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem

Over 150 attendees participated in a webinar about the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem hosted by the Eastern Region ARF and AYF-YOARF Central Hai Tahd Council. The expert webinar highlighted the history of the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the controversial land deal with Xana Capital Ltd. and ways the Diaspora can help combat the existential threat facing our nation.

The first speaker was chairman of ARF Jerusalem Viken Demirjian. He explained that Armenians living in Jersualem arrived in two prominent waves: first, after the adoption of Christianity and the Crusades and second, as a result of the Armenian Genocide. The former typically arrived in large groups during Easter, with some opting to stay, work and eventually secure their presence by purchasing homes around the Armenian convent. This wave of Armenians are otherwise known as kaghakatsis. Demirjian noted the distinction between the kaghakatsis and the Armenians who sought shelter during the first Armenian Genocide, in that the second wave sought refuge in the Armenian convent as opposed to around it.

The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian, with the Armenian Quarter surrounding the Armenian convent and extending over 17-percent of the land. The Cows’ Garden deal encompasses 25-percent of the Armenian Quarter, which would shrink the total percentage to about 10-11 percent. 

Demirjian shared additional details about the community, including different schools, clubs and churches. He concluded by introducing the Save the ArQ movement and welcomed the co-founder Setrag Balian. 

Balian delved into the two different deals that were made regarding the Cows’ Garden. The first deal with the municipality, strictly referring to the parking lot, outlined a usage agreement for 10 years, allowing residents of the Jewish Quarter to make use of the space. The second deal, which Balian referred to as illegal and treacherous, included 25-percent of the Armenian Quarter along with five residential Armenian homes, the Patriarchate’s garden and private parking lot, and the seminary hall where the community hosts Armenian Genocide commemorations. 

The deal, which threatens the very presence of Armenians in their own Quarter, was signed without the knowledge of the community, the Holy Senate or the General Assembly of the Patriarchate. The three signatories to the controversial contract included the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Grand Vicar and Real Estate Director.

The community mobilized through weekly protests in the grand courtyard of the Armenian convent between April-October 2023 with a clear and specific demand: the cancellation of the controversial Cows’ Garden land deal. After mounting pressure from the media, community organizations and institutions, the Patriarchate formally canceled the deal. 

Instead of coming to the table to negotiate, the opposing party intimidated and attacked the community. Baret Yeritsian, the aforementioned Real Estate Director, was relieved of his duties in January 2023, defrocked from the St. James brotherhood and the priesthood in May 2023 and given one week to leave Jerusalem following the community’s uprising. Jerusalemite Armenians protested in front of Yeritsian’s residence and demanded that the Patriarchate extract useful information from Yeritsian relating to the land deal. Police arrived and eventually reached an agreement with the Armenian protesters to have Yeritsian leave “through a walk of shame to avoid violence,” explained Balian.

After unprecedented attacks by masked individuals, the Armenian community, in a united effort,  took full repossession of the land, aiming to stop the attacks and protect the community and church. It opted to let the courts decide if the Cows’ Garden land deal was legitimate. On December 26, 2023, the Patriarchate formally opened a lawsuit against the deal and Xana Capital Ltd.

Click to view slideshow.

Ani Nazaryan, Esq., representing the team of attorneys leading pro bono work for the Save the ArQ community organization, then explained that the lease agreement with Xana Capital Ltd. extends for 49 years and allows for renewal, totaling 98 years. The agreement further references the use of adjacent lands, which is of concern due to its vague wording. Nazaryan posited that the agreement violates the internal bylaws of the Patriarchate, since it did not receive the approval of the Holy Senate to lease the property.

Nazaryan discussed the legal avenues the community is pursuing to complement the Patriarchate’s lawsuit, strengthen the case and ultimately give a voice to the community. The community filed a declaratory action upon discovering that the property is held in a trust specifically for the benefit of the Armenian community, which is legally enforceable in the Old City. If the court finds that the property is under the trust, it would then assess if the agreement would ultimately benefit the Armenian community.

All participants were encouraged to continue spreading awareness, with the goals of limiting attacks, echoing calls on politicians in the U.S. and abroad to take action and ultimately maintaining Armenian possession of all lands within the Armenian Quarter. After a Q&A, the webinar ended with a surprise tour of the Quarter by Jerusalem community leaders Demirjian and Balian.

Those interested in learning more are encouraged to watch the recording of the webinar here. Those interested in supporting the community’s efforts can visit the Legal Defense Fund for Jerusalem Armenians.

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