այգիին հոգատար պարտիզպանը՝ Աւետիսը, մօտեցաւ մեզի, հետաքրքրուած՝ մեր յուշարձանին հանդէպ ունեցած ուշադրութեամբ: Բացատրեց, որ իրօք ան նուիրուած էր 1915-ի ցեղասպանութեան նահատակներուն եւ, որ ճարտարապետը Ռաֆայէլ
է: «Գիտե՞ս, Իսրայէլեան նաեւ ճարտարապետն է Սարդարապատի յուշահամալիրին եւ Մուսա Լեռան յուշարձանին», ըսաւ հայրս, Մուսա լեռական հպարտութեան երանգ մը իր ձայնին մէջ: Աւետիս խանդավառութեամբ գլուխը վեր ու վար շարժեց ու ըսաւ․ «Ճի՛շդ. գիտե՞ս, մերոնք
Ճեպել Մուսայից են եկել», ու կայծակնային արագութեամբ
խօսակցութիւնը փոխուեցաւ
Մուսա Լեռան բարբառով:
«Վա՛յ. օ՞մ ըրմեյննես» («Ո՞ր
ընտանիքէն ես»), հարցուց
հայրս այն բարբառով, որմէ ես
միայն պատառիկներ գիտէի… Աւետիսը ծնած եւ մեծցած
էր Հայաստան. Այնճարէն՝
հօրս ծննդավայրէն հայրենադարձներու զաւակ էր. անոնք եկած էին
1940-ականներուն, «Մեծ հայրենադարձութեան» ընթացքին: Անհաւատալի էր տեսնել այս մարդը, որ կը պահպանէր իր ժողովուրդին
Bridging histories: An exclusive interview with Alan Whitehorn
Presenting our own Armenian great—Jirair Tutunjian
By Keith Garebian
We are delighted to present renowned author Keith Garebian's open remarks-introduction to TorontoArmenian author Jirayr Tutunjian, delivered during the recent launch of Tutunjian's latest book Armenian Greats—Known and Unknown. The event, which took place on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at the Hamazkayin H. Manougian library, was organized by the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society Klatsor chapter's Library committee. Garebian introduced Tutunjian's work, which shines a light on 40 influential yet lesser-known Armenians, whose remarkable contributions have often gone unnoticed. ***
Of course, I could begin with a list of his outstanding distinctions, especially his having been the youngest magazine editor in Canada and one of the most honoured and successful ones. Or with his deep involvement with diaspora work. Or with his amateur but useful etymological investigations. Or with his own extensive tours of multiple countries around the globe. But I want to offer a different set of perspectives of the man, beginning with the beginning—in Jerusalem (his birthplace), circa the early or mid-1950s where he and boyhood chum Kevork Hintlian proved themselves to be streetwise hustlers who “ambushed” foreign tourists, especially Europeans who mostly stayed at cheap hostels and travelled on strict budgets, unlike Americans who, flush with money, stayed at well-known hotels which were inaccessible to the boys. Because Kevork’s English was better than Jirair’s at the time, he was to be the main guide, while Jirair’s job was to locate the “target” and persuade him or her to recruit the boys as local guides.
The course of their amateur business changed only after a pair of well-dressed French ladies, alluring in dress and behaviour, rewarded the boys not with a kiss or a monetary tip but the turquoise gem of a Vicks cough-drop! The next day, Lady Luck came to the rescue when the boys found a stocky man in his early twenties, with friendly eyes, thick curly hair and a dark beard, a Los Angeles-born Armenian who couldn’t speak Armenian. After showing him the holy sites on a sweltering day, the boys took him to the Armenian Quarter, very proud of their prize: they had landed not just a tourist but an American who was Armenian. “America meant a big payday.” But that was not the end of the story. More than forty years later, Jirair (by now well and prosperously settled in Toronto) re-discovered Roger Gertmenian (now 65 and retired from his careers as grocer, teacher, and politician in California) and began a correspondence, from which Jirair quotes this salient remark from Gertmenian: “The Armenians are the world’s most wonderful and baffling people!” An exclamation outmatched only by the great English novelist Aldous Huxley’s declaration in another article from this book we are officially launching: “The Armenians are the only people in Palestine who seem to enjoy themselves. They have a genius for life.”
I begin this way to reveal key qualities in Jirair Tutunjian: an instinct for survival, ingenuity, a vivid memory, and a warm appreciation for his tribe, no matter where they wander or settle—an appreciation that is fuelled by his staunch refusal to submit to the toxins of history (particularly the toxins of obscene persecution, subjugation, and epical denial by criminal perpetrators). Which brings me to something we both share—as possibly with most Armenians who have never forgotten their painful history as a tribe. I refer, of course, to the historical “wound” that he describes in a later profile and one caused by an “often tortured history (battlefield for empires, occupation by nearby Persia and distant Rome, countless exiled by Byzantium to Cyprus, Thrace, and Sicily for heresy; invasions and centuries of persecution and finally genocide by the Ottomans.” But Jirair goes a step farther than I have ever done in lamenting what he calls Jermag chart (White massacre), by which he means a huge loss of native Armenians over the past two thousand years to massive assimilation in disparate countries, often for the lure of financial betterment. Their exilic life as diasporans often resulted in many Armenians losing track of their fellow tribesmen. But an even greater wound than this is the failure of ultranationalistic Armenians to realize that many diasporan Armenians are what Sarkis Guiragossian called “faithful and dedicated ambassadors of their Armenian blood and spirit in non-Armenian surroundings.”
It is not for nothing that Jirair describes himself as “a card-carrying member of the Venerable Order of Armenian Hunters (VOAH) organization.” These hunters don’t carry guns or hunt victims (animal or human). They are a small group (of around two dozen members scattered around the globe), “mild-mannered scholars, patriotic bookworms, assorted milquetoasts, and ethnocentric busybodies who get a frisson upon unearthing the hidden Armenian identity of famous people.”
Although of hybrid ethnicity, I am part of his tribe, and as he reveals in the first of two articles on me in his book, he was the one who discovered me after he had come across a book review I published in the Globe and Mail. I don’t remember the year, the review, or the book, but I do recall being invited to coffee and pastries at an Armenian restaurant near Hallcrown Place. I am guessing that the meeting was close to the time of the release of my memoir Pain: Journeys Around My Parents in 2000. It was certainly not later than 2000, which means that he and I have been friends for at least 24 years. I found Jirair to be a man of warm cordiality,
generous with his time and information, and sincere about exploring my Armenian connection and promoting my work within the Armenian community. Because of Arsho Zakarian and the ladies of the Hamazkayin committee, I was welcomed as a diasporan writer at the library. Still, it was he, Aris Babikian, Khoren Mardoyan, David Karapetyan, and the Armenian National Committee who were instrumental in securing me partial funding and guaranteeing warm hospitality for my first and only trip to my father’s homeland in 2013. “You can be Armenian for a week!” joked Jirair, tongue probably in cheek. I felt a little unsettled. Of course, I would feel a little less odar (non-Armenian), but it was eerily disconcerting to know that the trip would mean that I would experience more of Armenia than my father was able to remember. I dreamed of Ararat. “You will see Ararat everywhere!” Jirair promised as if the sightings were a psychic inevitability for people of the mountain or those who identified spiritually with it. But the sad fact was that the mountain was not in the Republic; it was held, alive in its natural massive shape, by Turkey. I am certain he didn’t mean just the mountain. As it unfortunately transpired, I never did get to see the mountain, but its historical shadow could be felt in many places and in several ways.
Some self-styled experts are renowned for their fountains of useless information: not Jirair. He never poses as an expert on anything, but he is one who keeps his mind alert. Along with his empathy. And he hasn’t changed in terms of personality and character from the first time I met him, which means that his consistency is an expression of his security in himself.
But you don’t need to believe just me. Read his new book carefully, and it is prudent to read it in installments rather than straight through because of its range. Comprised of thirty-nine articles (running from a page to four pages in length) and a final list of “possible” Armenian greats, it is (as he himself puts it) “overwhelmingly about remarkable but often unsung Armenians whose Armenian identity is not known even to Armenians.” Perhaps this is why you won’t find profiles of Atom Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Peter Balakian, Lorne Shirinian, Lucine Kasbarian, Alan Whitehorn, Peter Oundjian, and many other luminaries in this book. They are
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Zoryan Institute’s Oral History Collection
Oral history documents how individuals and communities truly experience forces and events throughout history, adding meaning and context which fills gaps that are not documented in the literature.
Zoryan Institute’s oral history collection includes: the Armenian Genocide Oral History Collection, the 44-day Artsakh War Oral History Project, and the Syrian-Armenian Oral History Collection. Interviews from the oral history collection also inspired and featured in the film Aurora’s Sunrise (2022).
To learn more please visit: zoryaninstitute.org/the-armenian-genocide-oral-history-collection/
SYRIAN-ARMENIAN REFUGEE COLLECTION
AURORA'S SUNRISE (2022)
THE ZORYAN INSTITUTE AUA CENTER FOR ORAL HISTORY
Bridging histories: Alan Whitehorn on genocide, identity, and the ongoing Armenian struggle
By Hrad Poladian
"Silence was not an option for me as an ArmenianCanadian and genocide scholar," reflects Alan Whitehorn, an emeritus professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. With a career spanning decades, Whitehorn has become a leading voice on genocide, human rights, and Armenian identity. His deep personal connection to the Armenian Genocide — his grandmother Siroun Alajajian/Hamamjian was an orphan of the 1915 atrocities — has driven much of his scholarly and poetic work.
Whitehorn's academic background includes a BA from York University and a PhD in political science from Carleton University. His contributions to genocide education and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide have been profound. He has authored numerous influential works, including The Armenian Genocide: Resisting the Inertia of Indifference (2001) and Ancestral Voices: Identity, Ethnic Roots and A Genocide Remembered (2007). His work seamlessly blends rigorous academic analysis with heartfelt poetry, offering both intellectual and emotional insight into the impact of genocide.
In this interview, Professor Whitehorn delves into his family history, his career as a political scientist and poet, and his ongoing commitment to preserving Armenian identity and educating future generations on the importance of historical memory.
Hrad Poladian: Can you please tell me about your family history?
Alan Whitehorn: My family's story begins with my grandmother Siroun Alajajian/Hamamjian, an Armenian orphan of the 1915 Genocide, who lived in refugee camps and orphanages for over a decade. As part of the globally-displaced Armenian Diaspora, she moved to Greece, then to Egypt and later emigrated to Soviet Armenia in the late 1940s. In the 1960s, her last move was to Canada. Here, I met my metzmama for the first time, while I was a university student.
My Armenian mother and British-raised father married in Alexandria, Egypt, at the end of World War II. It was East meets West. My parents, like so many other families, immigrated to Canada in 1953. At that time, it was an English-dominated country, and it would be another decade before multiculturalism achieved fuller bloom, and we became more involved in the growing Armenian-Canadian community in Toronto.
Poladian: What was it like for your family adjusting to life in Canada in the 1950s?
Whitehorn: Canada in the 1950s was a very different place. It was still quite monocultural, and many immigrants had to work hard to integrate. It wasn't until the following decade, when multiculturalism became more prominent, that our family began engaging more actively with the
Armenian-Canadian community.
As an Armenian-Canadian, I wanted to better understand my ethnic roots and how the international community reported on the Armenian Genocide during World War I. Commencing with an extensive search of the old Toronto Globe newspaper microfilm, I examined the daily accounts of the mass deportations and killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during that fateful year, 1915. A decade later, in response to the contemporary Turkish government's genocide denial in the same newspaper, I penned a letter to The Globe and Mail citing the historical record. This led to an unexpected invitation to present a paper on the subject at a conference on ethnic minorities in the Ottoman Empire.
He and I decided to each present a paper at the conference. Both became chapters in the conference's edited book. We subsequently used the chapters in our co-authored book The Armenian Genocide: Resisting the Inertia of Indifference (2001). The book became an example of successful education and lobbying of Members of Parliament that fostered the Canadian government's recognition of the 1915 genocide. The book utilized historical analysis and poetry, which was an effective combination. Two of my poems were cited in the Parliamentary debates and the official Hansard.
Poladian: What inspired your later works on Armenia and Artsakh?
Whitehorn: I finally was able to travel to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2005. It was a life-altering trip. I penned a poem or two at the end of each eventful day. Soon, a diary of the poems began to outline that existential journey and became the book Ancestral Voices: Identity, Ethnic Roots and A Genocide Remembered (2007). I hoped it would be a personal guidebook for others who might follow a similar path of exploring their ethnic and cultural identity in our historic ancestral land.
Genocide unfortunately continues even today, including in the form of active state-sponsored genocide denial and threats by the contemporary Turkish government. To address these problems, I actively supported the Toronto District School Board's (TDSB) efforts to introduce genocide education in the high school curriculum. My written presentation to the TDSB in 2007 was later reprinted in the local Kingston newspaper.
Poladian: Can you talk about the reaction to your work, particularly with the Turkish government?
Whitehorn: The Turkish government took note of my ongoing efforts for public recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In 2008, the Turkish Ambassador to Canada wrote a two-page official complaint to the Canadian Minister of Defence. The formal letter demanded that I cease all such genocide education activities or risk significant adverse impact on Turkish-
Canadian relations. The Canadian government defended my academic work, while I continued my lectures and penned a number of poems expressing my concerns, reactions, and reflections about the difficult and problematic situation. These writings became the basis of the book Just Poems: Reflections on the Armenian Genocide (2009). It was an exceedingly stressful and potentially dangerous time, but silence was not an option for me as an Armenian-Canadian and genocide scholar.
Poladian: It seems Armenia has had a lasting impact on you. Can you tell us more about your connection with the country?
Whitehorn: I often returned to Armenia over the next decade, with annual month-long visits, and frequently lectured at the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Writers' Union, and key universities. Poems from these eventful trips can be found in the bilingual Return to Armenia/
(2012). As I continued to write about the Armenian Genocide, I received an invitation to author key entries on the Armenian case study in the major international encyclopedia Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection (2014). Building upon this work, the staff at ABC-CLIO and I decided to publish an Armenianfocused volume in time for the 100th memorial of
the 1915 Genocide. I authored many articles and edited the pioneering book The Armenian Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide (2015). The 425-page encyclopedia included overview essays, 150 subject entries, a chronological timeline, maps, photographs, and an extensive selection of historic documents. It is the only scholarly encyclopedia in English on the Armenian Genocide. Copies have even appeared in
major Turkish university libraries.
Poladian: How has the conflict in Artsakh influenced your recent work?
Whitehorn: Over many decades, the status of the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh has been of great concern. It had been an uneasy part of the Azerbaijan republic in the former federal Soviet Union, but in the late 1980s, the region declared its independence and its strong wish to join Armenia. The Azerbaijani government used brutal armed force to oppose the local population's democratic vote. These events led to the First Karabakh War of the late 1980s and early 1990s, followed by an unstable, decades-long ceasefire. The 44-day Second Karabakh war of 2020 shattered the so-called' frozen conflict'. I penned a number of poems in the Yerevan press as the tragic events unfolded, and they were later published in the book Karabakh Diary: Poems from the Diaspora/ Ղարաբաղյան
(2022). The poems were about Armenian loss and grief unfolding once more. Tragically, the genocide of Armenians continued, with the Azerbaijani government's subsequent blockade and siege of Artsakh/Karabakh. Yet, another territorial war led in 2023 to the forced exodus of the entire Karabakh Armenian population. Threats and dangers to the Armenian people persist. We still need to be vigilant in self-defence.
Poladian: You are both a political science professor and poet. Can you tell me more about exploring both styles of writing?
Whitehorn: The complex topic of genocide has been explored both in important analytical academic studies and in more personal, but quite moving, expressions in the arts. The arts often have a way of reaching a larger audience more directly than scholarly books. We can benefit from both forms of communication. To begin to convey the enormous magnitude of the impact of genocide, we need to tap not only the analytical mind but also the compassionate heart. Accordingly, I have often employed both the methods of the analytical academic political historian and the more personal artistic
expression of the poet.
Poladian: You have been to Armenia many times. What are your thoughts on what is happening in Armenia today?
Whitehorn: Armenia continues to live in exceedingly difficult times and faces multiple challenges and crises. It is a tiny, land-locked country, surrounded by authoritarian regimes which pose strategic risks and threats. Defence and security concerns are paramount—the potential scenarios for decision-makers in Yerevan range from bad to worse to catastrophic. Armenia is amid a complex and challenging international realignment from an old Cold-War Moscow-centric orbit to enhanced panEuropean/Western contacts and eventually to stepby-step greater economic and social integration with the democratic European countries. It will be a long process, with substantial obstacles ahead, but it is a necessary transformation.
Poladian: Thank you for this invaluable interview. Do you have a message for the youth of Canada?
Whitehorn: To the youth living in the Diaspora, it is essential not only to study and learn our national history and culture but also to visit Armenia and see the land first-hand. However, it should not be just for a brief holiday and existential exploration of family roots, but also to volunteer or work with colleagues there. In an age of jet planes, email, the internet, and Zoom, these seem more feasible. We can achieve dynamic, productive, and ongoing interactions between the Diaspora here in Toronto and fellow Armenians in Yerevan. For example, I continue working with colleagues in various sectors, including literary writers, university academics, and government officials. The Republic of Armenia is exceedingly vulnerable today. It urgently needs the sustained support of the entire global Armenian nation. We here in Canada can offer substantial and talented human resources to assist our besieged fellow Armenians. We live in hope, but we must do far more. Working together, we can do this. Whether our expertise is in the arts or the social sciences. Or perhaps both! ֎
‘Teaching the young’ by Norval Morrisseau. colour serigraph on paper; ed. #13/150. 44.5
(citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario):
Zoryan Institute’s oral history collection impacts WWI history
By Zoryan staff
Imagine sitting with your great-grandparents and listening to their stories, learning the mundane details of their lives, their inner thoughts and emotions, and their perceptions of the world around them. Interactions like this form the basis of human history; the first historians did not write books; they told stories.
Oral history is the process of documenting these stories (called oral tradition) through structured interviews that ask questions. It connects generations past and present. Oral history is a treasured primary source that lets people learn their history and culture in their own words.
Zoryan Institute, from its inception in 1982, realized the importance and urgency of preserving the testimonies of ageing Armenian Genocide survivors who had lived through the horrors of the Genocide during the First World War. The Institute conducted over 800 audiovisual interviews with a trained team of camera operators, scribes, and trained interviewers to create an oral history collection archive. The audio-visual equipment
used then was expensive and bulky – a far cry from today’s portable and affordable cameras. Each interview used a questionnaire prepared by psychology, history, sociology, and anthropology specialists. The questions sought to uncover the details of everyday life, prompting interviewees to recount the details of the homes they lived in and the games they played, questions scarcely asked by scholars. It is the largest, most extensive oral history collection of Armenian Genocide survivors, with interviews in cities like Beirut, Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Yerevan, in several languages, including Armenian, English, Arabic, and Turkish. The
historical, social, and ethnographic information they contain, the deep emotion they convey, and the preservation of Armenian identity and life make these interviews a source of inspiration and a valuable academic resource. The interviews with survivors who became Canadian citizens are now being transcribed and subtitled to become accessible to an international audience.
Filmmakers, scholars, and researchers have used these interviews as the basis of their work, with two major films utilising the collection. An Armenian Journey (1988) and Aurora’s Sunrise (2022) have been celebrated by critics and
viewers alike for their ability to relay the stories of Armenian Genocide survivors to a new generation in an accessible format.
Oral history helps us to understand how individuals and communities experience the forces and factors of history, rounding out written history with intimate insights into the lives of generations past. These first-person accounts serve as the material from which to carve images of history. Although the survivors are all gone, their legacy lives on for future generations to understand what they went through, what was lost, and what it means to be an Armenian.
For more information, please visit zoryaninstitute. org/armenian-genocide-oralhistory-collection-catalogue/.֎
From the editor
Torontohye does not necessarily endorse or evaluate the products, services, or companies advertised. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Torontohye. The reproduction of the material contained in this publication may be made only with the written permission of the publisher or editor. All submissions are subject to editing for space, style, and clarity.
Armenian beauty culture Celebrating 60 years of the AYF Toronto
Dear Editor,
I would like to congratulate and thank you for the improvements you've made to Torontohye and for publishing well-written articles such as Sophia Alexanian's report on trends in female cosmetics in Armenia (“Armenian beauty culture examined: Confronting the prevalence of plastic surgery in the homeland and diaspora” Toronohye #206, Sept. 2024).
While the article is well-researched, I would have liked to have seen data about the cost of cosmetic enhancements in a cash-strapped country such as Armenia. A few lines about the average income in our homeland would have made the article more relevant.
Jirair Tutunjian Toronto
Dear Editor,
I recently had the pleasure of reading Sophia Alexanian's insightful article, ‘Armenian beauty culture examined.’ This article deeply resonated with me as someone who grew up surrounded by conversations about physical appearance, weight, and beauty standards. Discussions about nipping and tucking among the women in my family persisted throughout my life. I, too, have faced insecurities around my weight and body image, often feeling like I was under a microscope when wearing certain outfits. As a kid, I remember thinking that if I just got liposuction, all my insecurities about my weight would magically disappear, and I would suddenly receive the outward validation I thought I needed. I believed that being thin would make me ‘good enough.’
The cultural emphasis Armenians place on outward beauty and ‘thinness’ can negatively affect mental health and foster an unhealthy self-image. While physical health is important, cultivating a healthy mindset is equally crucial. Sophia's article serves as a catalyst for conversations that can drive this necessary change in perspective. I hope all Armenians engage in supportive, healthy interactions with one another to help bring about this shift. Thank you for sharing this piece.
Stephanie Mangioglu Lodi, New Jersey
Letters to the editor
Dear Editor,
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Toronto Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Simon Zavarian chapter on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.
Founded in 1964, the chapter has been a cornerstone of the Toronto Armenian community, providing countless opportunities for youth to engage, learn, and grow. The chapter’s beginnings were humble, founded in the garden of unger Hagop Abadjian, and its first meetings took place at the Toronto YMCA. By the time I arrived in Toronto in October 1966, the community had already secured the Avenue Road and Dupont Street location, where we celebrated New Year’s Eve in 1967. The building's renovation and inauguration ceremony in October 1967 remains vivid in my memory.
As a proud AYF member, I recall many significant events that took place over the years. Our meetings and activities were always filled with the spirit of camaraderie and dedication. I fondly remember the music festival at the Japanese Cultural Centre and the play ‘Aghchig des’ performed by AYF members at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, directed by the late Vartan Vartanian. The chapter also hosted the 37th AYF Annual Convention in September 1970, an important milestone in our history.
I've also included a few photos from those early days to share some of these cherished memories.
Throughout its existence, the Simon Zavarian chapter has been integral to the fabric of Toronto's Armenian community. Its members have tirelessly participated in and supported a variety of community events and celebrations.
Happy anniversary to all Simon Zavarian chapter members. You are the pillars of our community, and your contributions continue to shape our collective future.
Hrad Poladian Toronto
մէջ այս հանդիպումները պարզ զուգադիպութիւններէ աւելին են. անոնք
ինքնութեան: Ու
կը սգանք մեր
ըլլան անոնք սիրելիներ թէ բարբառներ, կը գիտակցինք նաեւ արժէքը
այն անսպասելի կապերուն , զորս կը գտնենք հոս: Այս փորձառութիւնները կը
Presenting
well-known, and some are, in fact, international celebrities. Jirair elects the unsung, the lesser known. His first subject is photographer Arto Cavoukian, whose process on colour film baffled Kodak, Gaevert, and Agfa manufacturers. This piece has the distinction of being his first journalistic class assignment in 1967. The true value of this article is the insight it provides into informal technique: how the photographer used coffee and conversation to put his subjects at ease in order to induce the right expression that could reveal the inner personality of famous people such as Earl Mountbatten, Vladimir Ashkenazy, David Ben Gurion, John Diefenbaker, Pierre Berton, the Shah and Empress of Iran, and the Queen Mother who was so pleased with her portrait that she ordered it for her personal Christmas cards. Cavoukian’s ancestry has Egyptian links, but the book as a whole is linked by its various subjects and historical periods to such other countries as Kenya, America, England, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, India, Canada, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and, of course, Armenia.
Overlooking flaws in writing and editing, there’s an impressive range of professions and vocations covered in the columns, and leave it to Jirair to express the contents succinctly: “Canada’s top newsreel photographer Haig Tashjian, who during his long career was known as Roy Tash; Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov— the greatest ever ‘Russian’ military leader; Commander Philaretus Varazhnuni who made possible the establishment of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia; a prominent Armenian family in Texas who changed their name from Donigian who were leading citizens of Corpus Christi; an entrepreneur who put a remote Brazilian town on the map; an inventor who helped Oklahoma become a player in the international petroleum industry; one of the deadliest villains in James Bond movies; a tragic singer who was recognized by critics as having the best voice in the Arab world; an engineering-mathematics teacher who, along with his students, launched the first rocket in the Middle East; the Armenian queens of Jerusalem; the six Armenian viziers of Fatimid Egypt. Also profiled are inventors, industrialists, a star Nazi propagandist, an etymologist, an ethnographer, a clergyman, tourist guides, community leaders, a seamstress who was the right-hand woman of fashion designer Schiaparelli, diplomats, a poet, a major conductor, several professors, etc. No one is too high or too low for Jirair’s inquiry. An important feature of this collection is that nine of the thirty-nine profiles are of Jerusalemites, and Jirair explains why: “I was born in Jerusalem and thus am familiar with the city’s Armenian community; the small but patriotic community has contributed a great deal to the Diaspora although receiving scant recognition.”
Recognition in a subtle psychological sense, I would suggest, because it implies that due or befitting attention has been paid.
What sort of attention and recognition? The article on Philaretus, a distinguished but controversial Byzantine general in the mid-11th century is informative on this issue, for Jirair presents both sides of this “renegade hero,” asserting that though he was dedicated to his people, Philaretus had many Armenian enemies. Worshipped for his bravery, sagacity, and patriotism, he rescued Armenians fleeing the Seljuks (Turco-Persian Sunnis) but cared little for Armenian religious orthodoxy. Another exceptional piece is the one “Finding the Elusive Roy Tash,” in which we discover the extent and acuity of Jirair’s sleuthing. Tash was recognized as the Canadian dean of newsreel photographers, and acting on a suspicion that this man might be Armenian, Jirair conducts assiduous research, using as his investigative sources Google; Library and Archives Canada; Findyourpast.com; Familyrecords.org; Jewish Canadian database; Canadian cinema photographs, magazines, and books; the Toronto Reference Library; Toronto City Hall; Canadian National Archives; the National Film Board; the Canadian Society of Cinematography; Ancestry.com; the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR); and the Armenian community at large. All these many sources for a four-page profile. This means that Jirair doesn’t begrudge the immense expenditure of time if the exploration of myriad resources leads to a discovery of a diasporic Armenian of significant interest.
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While such uncompromising investigation is admirable, my own favourite pieces for personal exploration are about Karekin Dikran (1945-2012) and Hovhanness Pilikian (1940-2018), two men of my generation: the first being a Beirut-born polymath, amateur etymologist, Armenologist, semiotician, lover of mythology, pictographs, art, and ancient languages; while the second was a virtual Renaissance man in England: scholar, social scientist, author, film producer/theatre director, classical music composer, etymologist, and avid puzzle solver who, among many distinctions, published a stunning interpretation of the word “Hai,” as well as a paper on Shakespeare’s Black Mistress in the Sonnets. Jirair’s recognition is exceeded only by my appetite to know more about these remarkable Armenians. I look forward to seeing more of Jirair’s correspondence with Dikran and to Jirair’s help in locating some of the books of Pilikian and his stunning paper on Shakespeare’s Black Mistress. If I had only known of Hovhanness before I met his son Vahan (an anarchic genius) during my only trip to Armenia in 2013, I could have made inquiries then, but that has been another of life’s lost opportunities. So, Jirair, let us both undertake a new cultural adventure, if time permits. Meanwhile, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in applauding another great Armenian, one of my leading teachers in many things Armenian: Jirair Tutunjian! ֎
Լենային
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Junior problem
Assume the current price of gas is $1.35 per litre, and your car’s gas tank has a capacity of 60 litres. If the tank is already one-quarter full, how much will it cost to completely fill up the tank?
Senior problem
Use each of the numbers from 1 to 9 only once to make each of the following statements true:
Հորիզոնական
2. (գոյ./ած.) աջին հակառակը
4. (գոյ.) ամպերէն տեղացող ջուր, տարափ (զօրաւոր)
5. (յատ. անուն) հայ մեծ գործիչ, բանաստեղծ եւ մտածող. «Մեր հայրենիք» ազգային քայլերգի
17. (գոյ.) Թորոնթոյի հաքիի (hockey) խումբը (թարգմանաբար). թղկիի
Canadian Armenian Private Garden Section
Planning Ahead Is Simple Exclusively for The Armenian Community. Customized Options and Plans available to suit each Family’s Individual Needs.
In Tribute to Armenia, as symbolized by Holy Mt. Ararat, and to the Armenian people who were the first to embrace and adopt Christianity as a State religion in 301, and the first nation to be crucified in 19151923 falling victim to the first genocide of the 20th century. For the glory of a reborn free Armenia world-wide, whose generations of sons and daughters continue to believe in justice world-wide.
