On Wednesday, October 27th, the Zohrab Center’s Lily E. Jelalian intern Luiza Ghazaryan (NYU ’26) presented original research at the NYU Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program Research Symposium, entitled “Handwritten Memory: Manuscripts and Literary Journals of Armenian Migrants.”
Luiza Ghazaryan with her poster, entitled “Handwritten Memory: Manuscripts and Literary Journals of Armenian Migrants”
Conducted under the supervision of Zohrab Center director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, and Zohrab Center special projects coordinator and research associate, Arthur Ipek, Luiza surveyed and described 9 manuscript journals and diaries of Ottoman Armenians from the late 19th and early 20th centuries kept in the special collections of the Zohrab Center library.
Luiza chose one such handwritten journal to make the focus of her poster presentation, a collection of love poems penned by Harutyun G. Iskenderian between 1905–1906.
Luiza Ghazaryan’s poster based on her research and translation of the poems of Harutyun G. Iskenderian
Born around 1887 in Everek (Kayseri [Կեսարիա, Caesarea], Turkey), Harutyun was a freshman at St. Paul’s Institute in Tarsus during the 1905-1906 academic year. During this time, he composed an 87-page manuscript of love poems in Western Armenian, dedicated to his beloved Ms. Marine Dadourian. Luiza translated these poems from Western Armenian into English and situated them within the context of late Ottoman Armenian life and education in the provinces.
“Through my translations of Haroutune Iskenderian’s poetry, I have revealed the ways in which he conveyed sentimental expressions of wisdom, love, and devotion. Immersing myself in the author’s writings and their historical context—that is, Iskenderian’s Kayseri—made me realize how communities and educational institutions more than a century ago fostered an appreciation for literature in the hearts of students. To help me better understand this context and the author’s identity, I also made use of archival material, with school reports, photographs, and historically relevant correspondences with the US that dealt with the liminal space between life in the provinces and the Armenian Genocide,” said Luiza.
Luiza Ghazaryan is a Biology major at NYU (class of 2026), who is also pursuing minors in Creative Writing and Chemistry. She began working at the Zohrab Center in summer 2023, as a Lily E. Jelalian summer intern, a program generously funded by Dean Shahinian and has continued at the Zohrab Center since that time.
We congratulate Luiza on her research and achievements!
Linda Smith, an archival intern at the Zohrab Center who is a graduate student in New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program, recently presented her archival work at the Zohrab Center in a poster session at the annual meeting of The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Linda Smith’s poster at the AMIA annual conference
Her poster, entitled “Responsibly Stewarding for Others: Preserving Armenian Culture,” related to her experience working with Armenian cultural materials, documents, and artifacts as a non-Armenian who knew little about Armenian culture, history, and language before beginning her internship at the Zohrab Center.
Working under the supervision of Zohrab Center director, Dr. Jesse Arlen, Linda Smith learned the Armenian alphabet and engaged in research about Armenian history and culture relevant to each collection she processed. Over the course of her year-long internship at the Zohrab Center, supported in part thanks to a generous gift from benefactor Dean Shahinian, she helped or was the lead processor in nine individual special collections, whose finding aids may be viewed here.
Luiza Ghazaryan with her poster, “Reviving Lost Memories: Kazanjian’s Kharpert” at the MLK Scholars Research Symposium
On Wednesday, October 23rd, Zohrab Center intern Luiza Ghazaryan (NYU ’26) presented original research at the NYU Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program Research Symposium.
Conducted under the supervision of Zohrab Center director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, the basis of Luiza’s research was an over 800 page handwritten manuscript by Pilibos Kazanjian, entitled Խարբերդ եւ իր գիւղերը (Kharpert and its Villages), written in a form of Western Armenian with large impact from the Kharpert dialect and full of borrowings from Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, and Greek. Working with Dr. Arlen, Luiza translated selected portions from this lengthy, unpublished manuscript.
Zohrab director Dr. Jesse Arlen, Luiza Ghazaryan, and Zohrab Special Projects Coordinator Arthur Ipek
Kazanjian was born to an Armenian family in Kasirig Village in the Kharpert province of the Ottoman Empire. However, after the massacres of 1894-1897 under Sultan Abdul Hamid II, in which hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed, he migrated to America with his wife and five children, eventually settling on a farm in the Central Valley of California (Fresno area).
After publishing several short articles in the local Fresno Armenian paper “Mushag” (Մշակ) (see issues 3, 7, and 14 in July 1931), he was asked by his compatriots to write a book on the topic, encapsulating stories and memories from the region of Kharpert. The result was over 800 handwritten pages on Kharpert and many villages in the region, detailing local customs, traditions, and memories, generally falling into the Houshamadyan (“Memory book”) genre.
Luiza’s research focused especially on Kazanjian’s information on the marriage customs of Kharpert as well as the traditional medicine, practiced mostly by the elder women of the region.
At the research symposium, Luiza also participated on a panel surrounding the topic of storytelling and research methodology.
Luiza speaking on storytelling and research methodology at a panel during the research symposium
Luiza Ghazaryan is a Biology major at NYU (class of 2026), who is also pursuing minors in Creative Writing and Chemistry. She began working at the Zohrab Center in summer 2023, as a Lily E. Jelalian summer intern, a program generously funded by Dean Shahinian and has continued at the Zohrab Center since that time.
We congratulate Luiza on her research and achievements!
Luiza Ghazaryan, a Neuroscience undergraduate student at New York University (’26) and an intern at the Zohrab Information Center was featured as an NYU Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program “scholar in service” for her work at the Zohrab Center.
Luiza was recently interviewed based on her work at the Zohrab Center. To read more about her involvement, click here or continue reading below:
How long have you been working with the organization?
My delightful work with the Zohrab Center started in the Summer of 2023 and since then I have been inseparable from the Armenian treasures in the library!
Why are you passionate about this organization and cause?
Located in the heart of New York City and among skyscrapers, the Zohrab Center is dedicated to preserving Armenian cultural knowledge through research and public programming, and holds a vast collection of books, manuscripts, archival materials, and masterpieces by Armenian intellectuals. I am grateful for this opportunity as I get to learn more about my culture and encounter remarkable stories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide survivors and their resilience. I believe that even by only cataloging the donated books in the online system, I become part of the vital mission to maintain Armenian history and contribute to the flourishing of my nation in the diaspora. Moreover, I relish the tranquility I feel when I am around the literature in this small but cosmic library, away from the cacophony of the city.
How should other Scholars get involved?
Follow the announcements on the ZIC website (or @zohrabcenter on Instagram) for new opportunities posted or literary events that you can attend!
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Thank you Luiza for your wonderful and impactful ongoing work at the Zohrab Center and for helping to promote Armenian culture at NYU!
A group of special collections comprised of hundreds of photographs, letters, scrapbooks, and other artifacts has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center. The collections were processed by Linda Smith, a graduate student at Simmons University, pursing a degree in Archives Management, who is concurrently an archival intern at the Zohrab Center.
The collection includes over 125 years of materials that were donated over the years by various individuals.
Dr. Riggs was a missionary who lived from 1810-1901 and worked in the Ottoman Empire for decades. He helped guide the translation of the Bible into modern Armenian. The plate was made and colored by E.F. McLouglin, 36 Bromfield St., Boston.
The first series contains several small portrait photographs and photographic glass plates from Armenian photographers based in Constantinople/Istanbul in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These photographs and plates show various leaders, religious figures, and people at work or with their families, as well as various sites in Armenia and the former Ottoman Empire.
Bashi Bozooks were irregular soldiers of the Ottoman army raised only in times of war.Similar to a bashi bozook, a zeibek was an irregular militia and guerrilla fighter who lived in West Anatolia from the late 17th to early 20th centuries.
The second series consists of photographs and other personal artifacts from Zaven Melik-Shah Nazaroff, whose brother was Soss E. Melik. Both brothers were artists, but Soss’s renown far surpassed Zaven’s. Both brothers, their parents Efrem Melik Shah-Nazaroff and Maria Avanesov, and friends and family members are featured in photographs, and artwork from both brothers is photographed as well.
Zaven Melik-Shah Nazaroff with a work of art, 1949.Soss E. Melik (left) is pictured here with Reinald Werrenrath, an American baritone opera singer who regularly performed under the name Edward Hamilton. This photograph was taken on August 20, 1939 in Kingston, NY.
The next series is by far the largest and consists primarily of materials donated either by former diocesan employees or people active in the diocese. The contents document people and events related to the diocese, or were donated by people who thought the materials would be of interest to the diocese and those connected to it. The materials include photographs, photo albums, clippings, letters, postcards, certificates, and other documents.
This photograph’s caption (in French) translates to “Armenian church vestments” and refers to the island of San Lazarro degli Armeni, home to the Mekhitarist monastery.From left, Reuben Nakian, Alex Manoogian, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Mrs. Reuben Nakian, and Mrs. Alex Manoogian. The sculpture on the left, a permanent installation on the St. Vartan cathedral plaza, was created by Nakian and is called “Descent from the Cross.”Delegates and guests performing traditional Armenian dances at the gala banquet for the 88th Diocesan assembly in Worcester, Massachusetts on May 5, 1990.A unique feature of this collection is the numerous scrapbooks and photo albums available. Here is a two-page spread from one album, available in box 11.
The fourth series is the Ashjian family donation. Zovig Ashjian donated these photographs, which are primarily of her father, Fr. Arten Ashjian (1919–2016), who played an influential and leading role in the diocese throughout his long pastoral ministry, including at St. James in Watertown, MA (1955–1969) and as a teacher at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary.
From left, Fr. Arten Ashjian, Massachusetts Governor John A. Volpe, and Archbishop Sion Manoogian at a banquet in Boston on March 28, 1965.Fr. Arten Ashjian celebrating with others at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in 1988. To Fr. Arten’s left are current seminary dean Fr. Mardiros Chevian and current Diocesan Vicar Fr. Simeon Odabashian.
The next series is the Joseph and Joyce Chorbajian donation. Joseph served on the original steering committee responsible for the construction of St. Vartan Cathedral. After the cathedral was operational, he served in many positions within the diocese. Several photographs show Joseph, his wife Armenouhie, and daughter Joyce throughout his life. Highlights of this donation include old passports of Joseph, Armenouhie, and Joseph’s mother Veronica and cards and letters congratulating Joseph for different honors bestowed upon him by the diocese and a banquet held in his honor on November 6, 1977.
From left, Diocesan delegates Zareh Kapikian, Ralph Anoushian, Edward Bashian, Edward Chapian, and Joseph Chorbajian in May 1970.The Chorbajian family (the three people in the background facing the camera). From left, Joyce, Joseph, and Armenouhie.
The final series in this collection contains materials from the opening of the Zohrab Information Center on November 8, 1987 through its early years. There are several photographs from events that took place in St. Vartan Cathedral, the Zohrab Information Center, and nearby, including an assembly that took place outside the diocese seeking help and awareness for Armenians suffering from an Azeri blockade in the early 1990s.
Photographs from the early days of the Zohrab Information Center, which include Dolores Zohrab Liebmann, Bishop Khajag Barsamian, Fr. Krikor Maksoudian, Dn. Hovannes Khosdeghian, and others.An undated photograph of Dolores with Mr. and Mrs. Haik Kavookjian (located in the Zohrab Information Center opening series).Photographs of an assembly that took place outside the diocese seeking help and awareness for Armenians suffering from an Azeri blockade in the early 1990s.
These collections illustrate the experiences of Armenian people from the 19th and 20th centuries across the globe. It serves as an invaluable look into the lives and work of many Armenian people throughout history, especially those connected with the Armenian Church and Eastern Diocese. This collection is now available for visitors looking to conduct research or simply admire documents, artifacts, and photographs from the past. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
(Left to Right) Aren Yegoryan, Armen Karakashian, Arthur Ipek, Dr. Jesse Arlen, Luiza Ghazaryan, Tessa Weber
The Zohrab Center’s 2023 Lily E. Jelalian summer internship program came to a successful conclusion on Thursday, July 27th. Two high school and two college interns assisted with coordinating donations to the library and processing and cataloging Armenian-related books and periodicals in Armenian, English, Turkish, Russian, Spanish, and Italian, as well as organizing the library’s space and its holdings to make it more functional. All together, over 500 new items were processed and added to the collection, where they are now searchable via the library’s online catalog.
Working under the guidance of director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, and special projects coordinator and cataloger, Arthur Ipek, each intern also had a special project they pursued, meant to give them an opportunity to foster and develop their own interests in Armenian culture, history, language, and literature.
Armen Karakashian, a Mathematics major at Rutgers University, where he is also taking classes in Western Armenian, translated the beginning of a novella by Matteos Mamurean and developed a prototype for an AI-based software to assist in the cataloging of books.
Tessa Dadourian Weber, a high school student at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, learned the Armenian alphabet and researched the Kütahya/Jerusalem Ottoman Armenian ceramics and pottery tradition, which she plans to apply in her own ceramics practice.
Aren Yegoryan, a high school student at Saint Demetrios Prep in Queens, researched the history of modern Armenian photography.
Each of the interns had an opportunity to reflect on their own experience working at the Zohrab Center.
Armen Karakashian translating an Armenian novella
Armen Karakashian: “I am incredibly grateful for my internship at the Zohrab Center. The internship provided me with the opportunity to continue learning the Armenian language in new and challenging ways, such as interpreting Armenian texts for cataloguing purposes and being introduced to the Eastern Armenian dialect. In addition to cataloguing books, I also practiced translating chapters from the novella Ամիս մը Ծովուն Վրայ by Մատթէոս Մամուրեան (A Month on the Sea by Matteos Mamurean) and programmed a prototype AI-based software to assist in the cataloguing of books. I was also exposed to many Armenians throughout the cathedral and the center who speak the language fluently, which greatly assisted in my own learning of the language.”
Luiza Ghazaryan cataloging books
Luiza Ghazaryan: “Interning at the Zohrab Information Center gave me the opportunity to be closer to the treasures of Armenian literature, history, and art. During my time as an intern, my mentors and peers inspired me to explore the beauty of my roots, strengthen my skills in Creative Writing, and publish translations of Armenian poems in The Armenian Poetry Project. I spent most of my time cataloging the donated books and in this very captivating process, I encountered new writing styles and forms of art, and learned more about talented Armenians.”
Tessa Weber cataloging the AGBU periodical “Hoosharar”
Tessa Dadourian Weber: “During my time spent at the Zohrab Center this summer, I completed various projects and tasks. One reason I became interested in working and researching at the center was to expand my knowledge on Armenian pottery. Next year I plan to engage in an independent study at my school on Armenian pottery. Having the opportunity and access to the Zohrab Center has allowed me to gain a basis of understanding on how these vessels were created and the history behind them. I plan to take what I have learned to my study where I aim to use the same techniques as used in the Ottoman Armenian tradition from Kütahya and Jerusalem. In addition to my research, I spent time at the center helping organize the periodicals, some dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. Sorting through different series of periodicals, for example Hoosharar, broadened my prior knowledge on different subjects, for instance the history of AGBU. Lastly, I spent time studying the Armenian alphabet so I would have the ability to read titles of books and periodicals located in the center.”
Aren Yegoryan shelving books
Aren Yegoryan: “During my time at the Zohrab Center, I assisted in processing, cataloging, and organizing Armenian books. It was a pleasant experience to participate in as a summer job. It provided a sense of responsibility and gave me my first work experience, which I’m sure will help me with my future endeavors. Being exposed to many different books, people, and information, the environment was great to work in, and I’d certainly do it again.”
The Zohrab Center’s 2023 Lily E. Jelalian summer internship program lasted for six weeks, from June 19th to July 27th, with the interns coming to work in person at the Center three days per week.
(Left to Right) Armen Karakashian, Aren Yegoryan, Arthur Ipek, Dr. Jesse Arlen, Luiza Ghazaryan, Tessa Weber
The Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center’s 2023 summer internship and community service program for high school and college students will be named “The Lily E. Jelalian Internship and Community Service Program,” thanks to a generous donation from Mr. Dean Vahan Shahinian, Esq., which will provide modest stipends to the interns and lunches for interns and volunteers.
The program will last for approximately six weeks, from June 19th to July 28th. High school and college students interested in applying may do so via the form here. Please submit your application by Sunday, May 28th to be considered for the program.
Ms. Lily Elizabeth Jelalian, Mr. Shahinian’s aunt, was a lifelong member of the Armenian Church, belonging to St. Leon Armenian Church in New Jersey, where her father, Rev. Fr. Vahan Jelalian, served as the parish’s priest from 1941–1947. She was a faithful and avid supporter of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and other Armenian cultural and Christian causes. She read widely in Armenian art, history, and other subjects and worked through various avenues and means to promote effective ministry in the Church.
In her career, Ms. Jelalian was a school psychologist, who helped countless children with their various psychological and emotional needs. She pursued doctoral studies in educational psychology at New York University after receiving a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Douglas College. Her yearbook described her as “warm, sincere, ardent…about things big and little.”
Lily E. Jelalian, aunt of Dean V. Shahinian
In addition to being a loving and caring aunt involved in the life of her nephew, Ms. Jelalian played a mentoring role to the young Dean Shahinian, acquainting him with the activities and leaders of Armenian Christian and cultural organizations, many of whom she knew personally. She was a constant source of encouragement, offering advice and guidance to her nephew as he pursued his education, career, and concurrent involvement in Armenian Church affairs.
Mr. Shahinian recalls how his beloved aunt “sparked my interest in various Armenian subjects through our many discussions, buying me Armenian books to read and sending me subscriptions to Armenian publications. She made me feel comfortable and well informed about the Armenian Church, leading me to assume positions of responsibility on the Diocesan Council, as a representative on the National Ecclesiastical Assembly, and in other ways.”
It is Mr. Shahinian’s intention that through the internship and community service program sponsored in his aunt’s name, young Armenian Americans will see how their efforts and contributions are valued by the Church and community. He hopes that the program will provide them with experience and mentorship like that he received from his aunt, helping Armenian youth to feel at home and find their place in the Armenian Church and culture.
High School and College students in the Tri-State area who are interested in Armenian history, literature, theology, culture, arts and contemporary affairs are invited to apply to become an intern or to perform community service at the Zohrab Center this summer.
Zohrab Center interns and volunteers will assist in all manner of library and center operations, including cataloging and organizing books and other materials, digitizing rare materials, assisting with research projects and at ZIC events, and creating content for the ZIC blog and social media pages.
Zohrab Center interns and volunteers will gain valuable exposure to and experience in Armenian studies and scholarship, in Armenian literary and artistic culture, and in community outreach in an environment that is connected both to the Armenian church, scholarly world, and general community, in the heart of New York City.
Hours are flexible. Reading knowledge of Armenian is preferred but not required. Limited internships are available.
Those interested may apply by filling in the contact form below, providing information in the Statement field about their personal background, school/academic interests, prior experience with the Armenian language, and why they are interested in an internship or volunteering at the Zohrab Center and what they hope to gain from the experience.
The Zohrab Center will host a book presentation by Jennifer Manoukian, whose new, English translation of the autobiography of Zabel Yessayan entitled, The Gardens of Silihdar, has just been published. The event is being co-sponsored by the Armenian Network of America Greater New York Region.
The presentation will take place on Tuesday, May 6 at 2014 at 7PM at the Armenian Diocese, 630 Second Avenue, New York.
Author, educator and social activist Zabel Yessayan (1878-1943) is today recognized as one of the greatest writers in Western Armenian literature. Her poignant 1935 autobiography displays the fierce determination of an Ottoman era Armenian intellectual who refused to accept the restrictions placed on women in Ottoman Turkey, and affords a vivid account of Armenian community life in Constantinople at the end of the nineteenth century.
Jennifer Manoukian, an authority on the writings of Zabel Yessayan, will present her newly-published English translation of Yessayan’s autobiography at the ZIC
At her Zohrab presentation Manoukian will present The Gardens of Silihdar, and introduce the life and work of Zabel Yessayan, a bold, one-of-a-kind figure in Western Armenian literature. The presentation is free and open to the public. A wine and cheese reception will follow, during which attendees may purchase the book.
The Ghosts of Anatolia is a gripping and heart-wrenching adventure novel by Dr. Steven E. Wilson that chronicles the suffering and path to forgiveness of a young boy during the Armenian Genocide. The lurid yet intriguing tale begins with disgruntled and grumpy Sirak Kazerian who leaves his house in search for coffee only to find his son Keri conversing with George Liralian, the man who he blames for concealing the truth behind the death of his other son, Ara. After beating George over the head with his cane, Sirak is chided and taken home by his son. When the two engage in an intense heart-to-heart, Keri inquires about his family’s origins, which Sirak has neglected to share for many years. After Keri persistently probes, Sirak reluctantly agrees to recount his and his family’s devastating experience.
