1989_12 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper December 1989

              Page 2. OPINIONS
Hve Sharzhoom
December 1989
Jewish Armenian Genocide Resolution assessed
By Dickran Kouymjian
Haig and Isabel Berberian
Professor of Armenian Studies
There are some lessons to learn,
questions to think about, as a result of
the passage of an "Armenian Genocide
Resolution" by the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations spearheaded by
Rabbi Kenneth Segel of Fresno's
Temple Beth Israel.
First, international minority
groups, in this case the Armenians, are
not always alone in their fight for
correcting past injustices inflicted by
larger states. American Jews have
spoken out clearly in support of a
strong stand on the question of the
Armenian Genocide, just when the
Israeli government seemed to have
bowed to official Turkish pressure to
work against the current U.S. Senate
Joint Resolution 212 on the Genocide.
The major obstacle to get any group to
involve itself in the problems of
another is ignorance. This was clear
from Rabbi Segel's report on the
Fresno delegation's lobbying
activities at the New Orleans
convention of the UAHC: Most of the
4,000 or so delegates were just not
familiar with the details of the
Armenian Genocide.
Second, the success of the five
member delegation from Fresno's
Reform Congregation in getting some
800 other delegations to accept a
resolution, which at best was a matter
of indifference, and at worst an
annoyance, proves again that
individuals are not powerless before
large bodies. One man can make a
difference,in this case Rabbi Segel,
even on an international issue that is
both morally and politically
sensitive. . Armenians, Jews, Americans, people should not despair or be
discouraged when the odds are against
them, even overwhelmingly.
Third, in order to act resolutely and
unhesitatingly for a cause you most
have absolute faith in the right and
justice of the cause. It is this total
moral resoluteness that was the solid
foundation on which Rabbi Segel
anchored himself to demand with his
Temple Beth Israel that Jews,
survivors of the Holocaust, help
Armenians in their struggle for
recognition of their genocide. The
rabbi said repeatedly before and after
his victory that he was fighting for the
rights of a non-Jewish group because
it was the right thing to do.
Never once did Rabbi Segel suggest
that there was anything Armenians
need do or might do for Jews whether
in Fresno or Israel. There was never a
suggestion of a quid pro quo, an
exchange. Every time the Rabbi
referred to the reason of his and his
congregation's actions for the
Armenians it was always because it
was the moral thing to do. There was
almost a global apology from his lips
when more than once he said that Jews
should have spoken out on the
Genocide long ago.
Fourth, morality has a place in our
fives, even though we seem from time
to time to forget that simply because
we have seen that right does not often
prevail in our materialistic society.
The joy openly expressed by the
2,500 Jews present when the Genocide
Resolution was unanimously adopted
by the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations in New Orleans was
possible because they understood that
they had allowed moral justice to
vanquish questions of political
expediency.
Fifth, media are still a strong
instrument of asserting moral right.
The impressive coverage by the
Fresno Bee of the Genocide Resolution
through John Taylor, its special
correspondent in New Orleans, allowed
all citizens of the San Joaquin Valley
to properly understand the historical
importance of what the Jews of
America, driven by the Fresno
congregation, were doing.
Sixth, historical revisionism, the
rewriting of history by governments
to suit their own needs, can be blunted
by dedicated individuals, organizations and the press. With the official
recognition of the Armenian Genocide
by the largest religious group among
the Jews of the United States, the
Turkish state will have an infinitely
more difficult time in its attempt to
falsify        what        happened        to
the Armenians in 1915. The pain we
all suffered this past summer as we
collectively watched the Chinese
government doggedly attempt to
establish, and with some success, a
different truth from the one we watch
unfold in Tiananmen Square, is
slightly diminished as we see that at
least one courageous group, the Jews
of America, are not going to let the
Turkish government succeed in its
denial of Genocide.
Finally, our world is truly
interdependent. Actions of one group
can help or harm those of another
group. There is a renewal that takes
place when peoples or nations who
have kept a distance between
themselves come together on an issue
that is humanitarian. There is in fact a
certain exhilaration in discovering the
genuine love, friendship, and brotherhood that is pent up in all people
waiting for an appropriate vehicle of
release. This has been so overwhelmingly felt between Jews and
Armenian in Fresno that more than
once in these first two weeks of
November it has led to tears of
happiness.
A remarkable thing has happened in
our community. As victims of the
Holocaust, Jews have stepped back
from their suffering to alleviate the
sufferings of another group. Let us all
try to emulate this example and look
beyond our own problems to see how
we can help bring justice to others.
Letters to the Editor
Opinion article on Turks in Bulgaria questioned
Dear Prof. Der Mugrdechian,
I have enjoyed reading Hye
Sharzhoom for the past ten years. I
received my first copy of the
newspaper during my tenure as
President of the Armenian Club of
Columbia University. On many
occasions, I have expressed my
admiration for the newspaper to my
friend, Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, who
deserves so much credit for inspiring
the student body at California State
University, Fresno. Indeed as a former
judge   for   the   Columbia   Scholastic
^tess Association, I applauded Hve
Sharzhoom not so much for its
valuable contribution to Armenian
culture, but in large measure for its
excellent journalistic content
* I recently read with great distress the
opinion article by one of the
newspaper's staff writers, Ms. Seda
Melkonian, "Three Cheers given to
Bulgaria," September, 1989. While I
appreciate the fact that you are not
responsible for the views expressed on
the opinion page, I feel compelled to
write you in your capacity as advisor
to the newspaper to express ny serious
reservations over the decision to air
^utj SutpdnLiT
Hye Sharzhoom
Editor:
Paulette Kasparian
Staff Writers:
Scpit Asmar
Janice Caprelian
Deborah Garabedian
JonelleGaro
Sheri Hokokian
Peggy Momjian
Sato Ohannessian
Jacqueline Sish^
Advisor:
Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Armenian Page Editor:
Serop Torossian
Armenian Page Writer:
% Matthew
Layout:
Sheri Hokokian
Paulette Kasparian
Photographer:
Scott Asmar
JohP.Maroot
Advertising Manager:
Sheri Hokokian
Circulation Manager:
Matthew Jendian
Hye Sharzhoom is/a supplement of the Daily Collegian and the newspaper of the
CSUF Armenian Students Organization and the Armenian Studies Program and is
funded by the Associated Students.
Articles may be reprinted provided that Hye Sharzhoom is acknowledged;
Hye Sharzhoom welcomes prose, poetry, articles, manuscripts, and other
material from its readers. For further information concerning the newspaper or
me Armenian Studies Program, call the ASP office (209) 294-2669. ,
such venom and hatred toward the
Turkish minority in Bulgaria. I
literally had to read Ms. Melkonian's
article several times to make sure that
it wasn't satire or black comedy.
The forced deportation and
persecution of the Turkish minority in
Bulgaria is hardly something over
which Armenians should rejoice; it is a
major human rights issue which brings
into focus the systematic annihilation
of the Armenian minority of the
Ottoman Empire during and after World
War I. Ms. Melkonian's article was
immature, irresponsible and had no
literary value whatsoever. I have
discreetly shown the article to several
of my close Armenian friends who
were uniformly embarrassed and
shocked over the newspaper's poor
exercise of discretion in choosing to
publish such material.
I do not want you to misconstrue my
letter as a challenge to the newspaper's
right to publish. As an attorney, I am
sensitive to restrictions placed on
First Amendment freedoms of
expression. However, a newspaper's
right to publish is a liberty which
brings with it an equally important
responsibility to publish material
which has some semblance of
sophistication, integrity and literary
value. For instance, I would imagine
that Hye Sharzhoom would not publish
an editorial from a right-wing or
fascist organization denouncing the
Jewish Holocaust as a gigantic hoax.
Moreover, I would like to think the
Hve Sharzhoom would refuse to
publish racist or sexist material.
Ms. Melkonian's article is not just
anti-Turkish; it is anti-ethnic. Hye
Sharzhoom committed a great
disservice to its reputation by
trivializing human rights abuses
which have been denounced by, among
other organizations, US Helsinki
Watch and Amnesty International. Ms.
Melkonian not only disgraces the
newspaper for which she writes, but
attacks the integrity of the Armenian
people who are interested in justice
and the preservation of truth, and not
the glorification of another group's
repression and demise.
The newspaper I have read over the
years was dedicated to denouncing
crimes against humanity. It is my
sincere hope that this reputation will
reemerge in future editions of the Hye
Sharzhoom.
Very truly yours,
Mark Momjian
Philadelphia, PA
To the Editor:
With reference to the staff member
article by Seda Melkonian in the
September 1989 issue of Hye
Sharzhoom, I do not believe it is
appropriate for rejoicing at the
oppression and persecution of any
nationality-not even our historical
nemesis-the Turks. The current crime
is  by  the  Turkish   government  that
see LETTERS, page 6
Corrections
A
On page 2 of the September issue of Hye Sharzhoom, the headline
"Tables turn on Turks" was an error and did not correspond with the
article about Armenian athletic games.