It is with great pleasure that we announce the Summer 2020 Zohrab Information Center Event Schedule. Due to ongoing uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic, all events will take place online, via Zoom. Not only does this guarantee our format for these Summer events, but it allows us to connect people well beyond the New York City Area. We hope to see our ZIC friends, near and far, join us for these upcoming events this summer!

There are two types of events planned for this summer. First, we plan a continuation of our ZIC Enrichment Evening Programming. While we may add events, at this point, we have two exciting events scheduled. First, on July 21st and July 23rd, we will hear from Fr. Garabed Kochakian on the Sacred Arts of the Armenian Church Past and Present. In this two-part event, Fr. Garabed will first offer a background discussion about the history of Armenian Christian sacred art on Tuesday evening. Since he is an artist himself, on Thursday night, Fr. Garabed will then give a demonstration of some of the techniques used in the production of sacred art. This two-part event is not to be missed! The second enrichment evening, scheduled for August 20, is a rescheduled event from our Spring 2020 Series on the Environment. Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz will present In Theory and Practice: Engaged Theology of the Anthropocene, offering insight into how environmental theology has been received in the Orthodox parishes where she conducted fieldwork.

In addition to our ZIC Enrichment Evenings, we are thrilled to announce a new initiative, Գրաբար Եւ Գինի (Krapar and Kini, or Classical Armenian and Wine), an informal opportunity to learn the basics of Classical Armenian, the language of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. While we one day hope to meet physically and share a glass of wine around a table together, in the meantime, we are encouraged by the possibility of more people joinging us for these events. During our Krapar and Kini evenings, which will be held the Final Thursday of every month, a different scholar each month will present a text in Classical Armenian, along with a vocabulary list and one or two important elements of Krapar grammar that are exhibited in the text. This way, we will be introduced to the foundational texts of Armenian Christianity, many of which remain untranslated. At the same, we will learn some vocabulary and grammar that will slowly help us build a knowledge of Classical Armenian. These evenings are not intended as a comprehensive course, but rather as an opportunity to learn some fundamental elements of the language and to be exposed to important texts. You do not need to have any background in Classical Armenian or even Modern Armenian, other than an ability to read the Armenian alphabet. We hope you will join us, for the time being with your own glass of wine, as we explore the rich heritage of Classical Armenian literature and learn some basics of the language.

The first Գրաբար եւ Գինի evening will take place on Thursday, June 25 at 7 PM. The session will be led by Jesse Arlen, a PhD Candidate in the Near Eastern Languages & Cultures department at UCLA. We will be discussing a selection from the Lives of the Fathers, the Վարք Սրբոց Հարանց, an important collection of biographies and sayings of early Christian saints. For more information, and to sign up, please email zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org.