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!
The contents of the book relate directly to the history of the Diocese of the Armenian Church and the Armenian American community of New York and the East Coast in general, and much of the research for the book was conducted in the Zohrab Center itself, which is warmly acknowledged by Dr. Alexander at the outset of the book.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Maps
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Contested Homeland: World War I and the Genocide
2. Years of Adjustment: Armenian Americans in the 1920s
3. The Tourian Affair: Contested Memories and an Archbishop’s Murder
4. “To Supply Armenia with Architects”: The Coming-of-Age of the American-Born Generations
5. Fighting on Many Fronts: World War II and Its Aftermath
6. The Armenian Americans’ Cold War
7. A House of God Divided: The Formalization of the Church Split
8. The Power of a Word: Naming and Claiming the Genocide
The contents of the book relate directly to the history of the Diocese of the Armenian Church and the Armenian American community of New York and the East Coast in general, and much of the research for the book was conducted in the Zohrab Center itself, which is warmly acknowledged by Dr. Alexander at the outset of the book.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Contested Homeland: World War I and the Genocide
2. Years of Adjustment: Armenian Americans in the 1920s
3. The Tourian Affair: Contested Memories and an Archbishop’s Murder
4. “To Supply Armenia with Architects”: The Coming-of-Age of the American-Born Generations
5. Fighting on Many Fronts: World War II and Its Aftermath
6. The Armenian Americans’ Cold War
7. A House of God Divided: The Formalization of the Church Split
8. The Power of a Word: Naming and Claiming the Genocide
The Zohrab Center is pleased to share that the third annual Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture, established through the generosity of Mr. Dean Shahinian, will take place on March 27th in Washington, D.C. Please find the details below:
Lecture Title: “When Things Fall Apart: Disentangling Christian-Muslim Relations in Medieval Armenia”
Speaker: Prof. Sergio La Porta
Place: Heritage Hall in O’Connell Hall at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Date and Time: March 27 at 5 pm
Lecture open and free to the public. Reception to follow
Dr. Sergio La Porta is currently the Acting Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at California State University, Fresno. Prior to assuming this role, he was the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and the Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies. His most recent book publication, co-authored with Dr. Alison Vacca, is entitled, An Armenian Futūḥ Narrative: Łewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate (Chicago: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, 2024). In addition, Dr. La Porta has published on the Armenian commentaries on the works attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, and numerous articles on medieval Armenian intellectual history and cultural interactions with the Islamicate, Byzantine, and Latinate worlds.
The Byzantine annexation of Armenia in the eleventh century followed by the Seljuk invasions brought dramatic political and demographic changes to the region. Nonetheless, a modus vivendi between Christians and Muslims in Armenia was established by the end of that century. This condition of “rough tolerance,” to borrow a phrase used by MacEvitt in the context of the Crusades, lasted until the second half of the twelfth century. This talk will argue that contemporary Armenian stories of martyrdom both shed light on the previous state of affairs and document the disintegration of intercommunal relations during this period.
Past Lectures in the Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series:
(1) The inaugural lecture was on March 23, 2023 at 5 pm (Heritage Hall, The Catholic University of America). The speaker was Prof. Christina Maranci (Harvard University) who spoke on the topic “Armenia and the World in Art and Text.” For a video of the lecture, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBccQFf1Tmg&t=15s
(2) On March 21, 2024 we hosted the Second Annual “The Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series.” The speaker was Prof. Zara Pogossian (University of Florence) who spoke on the topic “Women and Power in Medieval Armenia: Beyond Local Dynasties and Eurasian Empires.” For a video of the lecture, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Uyg8VUfzc&t=212s
On Monday, February 3rd, at 7:00pm, Dr. Nora Lessersohn will deliver an illustrated lecture entitled, “The Twain Shall Meet: Armenian-American Images from the Civil War Era.”
All are welcome to attend this public event, featuring the life and work of Christopher Oscanyan, the first Armenian New Yorker.
Dr. Nora Lessersohn is the Nikit and Eleanora Ordjanian Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies in the Department of MESAAS at Columbia University. She is a historian of the Armenian-American diaspora and U.S.-Middle East relations, broadly conceived. She earned her PhD in History from University College London in 2023, supported by a Calouste Gulbenkian Armenian Studies Scholarship. In 2021-22, she was a Predoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of American History. She earned her AB in the Study of Religion at Harvard College and her AM in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, where she was also a Visiting Fellow in 2023-2024. Dr. Lessersohn has published articles on the memoir of her great-grandfather, Hovhannes Cherishian, and is now preparing a manuscript on Chistopher Oscanyan and Ottoman-American cultural diplomacy across the 19th century (and especially in Civil War era New York City).
An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024), by Matthew J. Sarkisian, edited and with a foreword by Jesse S. Arlen is now available in print in both hardcover and paperback formats.
The volume is the first in the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center’s Sources from the Armenian Christian Tradition series and was previously released online in digital format in 2022. The revised print edition features some updates and corrections and full-color photographs.
Cover of Matthew J. Sarkisian. An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation. Edited and with a Foreword by Jesse S. Arlen. Sources from the Armenian Christian Tradition, volume 1. New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024 (revised print edition)
A hmayil is a handwritten or printed scroll containing prayers, supplications, Psalms, Gospel passages, hymns, and incantations. These scrolls, often richly illustrated, were a popular medium used for protection against maladies and other evils during the early modern period and were often carried or worn like a talisman. In this volume, Matthew J. Sarkisian and editor Jesse S. Arlen provide the Armenian text and an English translation of one such scroll printed in Constantinople in 1727. Together with facsimile images of the hmayil, this volume offers the reader an experience similar to unrolling and reading the original scroll. The translation is accompanied by an introduction, extensive annotation, and appendices, which bring to light the Scriptural and theological background as well as the folk and traditional characteristics of the hmayil’s texts and illustrations, making this fascinating artifact accessible to the general reader in the twenty-first century.
The publication of this volume was supported by a generous grant from Souren A. Israelyan. The book is available to purchase on Amazon.
The personal papers of Dolores Zohrab Liebmann, foundress and benefactress of the Zohrab Information Center, have been processed, and the collection is now available for the interested public to view and research at the Zohrab Center. It was the first such archival special collection processed by the Center (in the late winter of 2022 and spring of 2023), serving as a model for the subsequent special collections of unique, mostly unpublished materials now available for viewing and research. Under the guidance and with the collaboration of Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, the papers were processed by Dn. Andrew Kayaian, former long-time employee of the Center who is now the librarian of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and is currently a graduate student at Simmons University pursuing a Library and Information Science degree.
Mrs. Dolores Liebmann née Zohrab was born in Istanbul on January 13, 1896 (recorded in the certificate as January 2, 1896, according to the Julian/Old Style Calendar).
Sealed document from the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul (“Stanboul” in Armenian), primarily written in French, giving Dolores’ birth information and details surrounding her baptism of July 23, 1896 (August 3, 1896 according to the Gregorian Calendar/New Style).
She was one of four children, along with her sister Hermine and brothers Aram and Leo, of Krikor Zohrab, the famous Ottoman-Armenian community leader, parliamentarian, lawyer, and writer, and his wife Clara Zohrab née Yazidjian.
Photograph of Krikor ZohrabDolores’ mother Clara (standing, center), Dolores herself (standing on the right, on Clara’s left side), and Dolores’ sister and brothers.
With the initiation of the Young Turks’ genocidal policies in 1915, Dolores was a witness to Krikor’s arrest and removal by the Ottoman government. Her brothers were attending school in France at the time. Clara Zohrab escaped with Dolores and her sister Hermine from Istanbul to Paris, France through Austria to join the boys in order to avoid a similar fate in Turkey. Dolores and Hermine remained in Paris until the death of their mother some years later, after which Dolores moved to Romania where one of the brothers was living at the time.
In Romania, Dolores Zohrab met and eventually married Henry L. (Leopold) Liebmann (1871-1950) in 1932; Dolores was Henry’s second wife. Henry Liebmann was a member and heir of the Liebmann family in New York, which had made its fortune from their brewery business in Brooklyn. The brewery was well known in the New York metropolitan area and the larger East Coast of the United States as the producer of the popular Rheingold Beer.
Front page of the Liebmann’s marriage license.
Open interior of the marriage certificate. Notice that the certificate asks for their religious backgrounds: it lists Henry’s Jewish roots as “Mozaica” and Dolores’ Armenian Church roots as “Gregoriana,” (‘Gregorian’), a not uncommon designation for the Armenian Church.
After their marriage, Dolores and Henry returned to America, residing in New York City, which she would call home for the rest of her life. The married couple would often vacation around Lake Tahoe in California and take cruises.
Henry Liebmann died in 1950, leaving his estate to Dolores. For the next forty years, she was a perennial name in and among high society in New York and the wider American Armenian community. Besides the various official papers, the collection of her papers also contains many letters and other correspondence. From these one sees that Dolores was well connected and in contact with many prominent Armenians in America of the twentieth century.
Dolores in the company of Eastern Diocese Primate Archbishop Torkom Mannoogian, benefactors Haig and Alice Kavookjian, and singer Charles Aznavour.
Dolores in the company of the late academic/educator/historian/administrator Vartan Gregorian and scholar S. Peter Cowe, among others.
For example, the collection contains Dolores’ correspondence with the Eastern Diocese regarding the publication of a book of selections of her father Krikor Zohrab’s writings (Voice of Conscience), some correspondence with entrepreneur and philanthropist Alex Manoogian, and materials concerning Dolores’ patronage of Armenian studies at Columbia University.
She appears to have been a close friend of famed Armenian Studies scholar and art historian Sirarpie Der Nersessian and her sister Arax Der Nersessian.
An air mail letter between Dolores (“Ma Cherie Dolly”) and Sirarpie, one of many pieces of air mail.
Taking inspiration from her upbringing, she was a major patroness of Armenian culture and education, especially in America but also throughout the world. The Mesrob School in France sent her a letter of gratitude for her patronage; the Armenian Museum of Literature sent a thank you letter (image below) for her donation of Krikor Zohrab’s papers.
Thank you letter from the Armenian Museum of Literature for the donation of Krikor Zohrab’s papers
Toward the end of her life, Dolores founded the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center to function as a major hub of information collection and distribution among the Armenian American community. There are some materials from the opening of the Center on November 17, 1987, as well as photographs showing Dolores in the company of Catholicos Vasken I and then-Primate Archbishop Torkom Manoogian.
A cropped photo of the photo collage in the Zohrab Center reading room: the center image in the top row shows the 1987 opening ceremony with Dolores, Catholicos Vasken, and Archbishop Torkom. Atop the frame is Dolores’ cane.
Front page of an informational pamphlet about the Zohrab Center.
Thank you letter to Dolores from her law firm in gratitude for the “brochure” she sent to them connected to the Center’s opening.
Cover of the program published for the opening of the Center in 1987.
Dolores was eventually awarded the St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal in recognition of her philanthropy and dedication to the Armenian community by Catholicos Vasken, the encyclical for which hangs in the reading room of the Center.
The encyclical for Dolores’ reception of the St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal in the Zohrab Center reading room.
The St. Nerses Shnorhali medal
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann passed away in 1991; in her will, she established an endowment to sustain the Zohrab Information Center. Among other philanthropic endeavors, she also established The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund, which supports the publication of books in Armenian studies and provides funding for graduate studies. This collection chronicles the extraordinary life of a great lady in the twentieth century Armenian community and is a major resource for all those interested in twentieth-century Armenian life, especially in America but also throughout the world.
A collection of hundreds of documents commemorating Armenian people, places, and anniversaries has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center.
Two anniversary booklets for the Holy Cross Church of Armenia in New York, New York. The second booklet is also commemorative of the miraculous icon painting Charkhapan Soorp Asdvadzadzin by Simon Samsonian. Many of the parishes within this collection have booklets commemorating multiple anniversaries.
The collection includes commemoration books, pamphlets, event programs and flyers, yearbooks, orders of service for unique church events, and memorial materials for individuals.
A commemorative booklet for the 40th anniversary of the Khorenian Divine Liturgy, 2024. While the Zohrab Center has a liturgy collection, liturgy that was specific to one-time events was primarily placed in this collection.
This body of materials is a comprehensive look at the many ways in which Armenian people the world over have celebrated each other, organizations and groups, and milestones, a testament to the effort, especially in the Armenian diaspora, to preserve memory in the wake of genocide and exile.
A booklet commemorating the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Surp Pirgic Hospital of Istanbul, Türkiye, 1981.
The collection was processed by Linda Smith, an archival intern at the Zohrab Center who is beginning a graduate program through New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation in fall 2024. Additionally, Dr. Nareg Seferian assisted with processing and translation of the Armenian and other materials in the collection in non-English languages.
A booklet for one of the newer Armenian churches in the collection, which contains the Order of Consecration of a Church and the Divine Liturgy for St. Yeghiche Armenian Church in London, England, 2001.
The materials in the collection span over 120 years, originating from 1903 and continuing through to 2024. These items were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals.
A photographic spread from the 2023 booklet for the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary event 12 Vocations.
The collection’s first series comprises materials related to institutions and is broken down into three subseries: parishes, schools and seminaries, and organizations and other groups.
There is a wealth of commemoration books for Armenian churches all over the world (with a bulk of materials on churches in America) and several commemorative materials for the diocese itself.
Commemorative issue of The Mother Church (Մայր Եկեղեցի) magazine honoring the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. That anniversary was in 2007, though this magazine was published at the end of 2006. This collection contains several materials commemorating anniversaries of the Western and Eastern dioceses in America and the Diocese of Canada.
These kinds of items give a glimpse into the rich history of Armenian churches and their impact within their communities. Many of the commemorative books feature letters of appreciation and well wishes from religious leaders as well as politicians, at the local, state, and federal levels.
The second subseries highlights a number of Armenian schools and seminaries around the world, and how they have fostered the education of Armenian students for decades.
A special issue of the AGBU Mari Manukean Varzharan (AGBU Marie Manoogian School) school serial Դպրոցական Կեանք (Dprots’akan Keank’, School Life) dedicated to the school’s 15th anniversary, 1991. Materials about the legacy of Marie and her husband Alex are also available in the philanthropists subseries of this collection.
This subseries is more global in scope, which allows visitors browsing the collection to get a sense of the span of the Armenian diaspora and its effort to foster spiritual and cultural education around the world.
A booklet and letter calling for admissions for the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy of Kolkata (Calcutta), India (Կալկաթայի Հայոց Մարդասիրական Ճեմարան), circa early- to mid-2010s.Commemorative booklet for the 150th anniversary and the occasion of the re-inauguration of Bardizatagh in Jerusalem, Israel, 1993. The booklet contains a history of the monastery, photographs of the grounds and clergy members, and a message from Archbishop Torkom Manoogian.
The third subseries focuses on various organizations and groups, mostly based in North America.
A booklet commemorating the centennial (100th) anniversary of the establishment of an Armenian community in Ontario, Canada, 1998.
These groups have supported Armenian camaraderie and causes for decades, with some groups providing specific assistance to children, seniors, and students. Many of these groups continue a legacy of accomplishment and support into the present day for Armenian people.
A pamphlet and booklet commemorating the centennial (100th) anniversary of the Armenian Students’ Association of America, Inc. (ASA), 2010.
Next in the collection is the individuals series. The people represented range from average citizens who worked in a variety of fields to priests and clergymen, from philanthropists to writers and artists of all sorts.
A program booklet celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, New York by Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, 2002.
The clergy subseries has a plethora of materials, honoring the ordinations of various holy men in the Armenian Church and remembering their lives and legacies. They all come with their own stories and personalized material.
The ordination and consecration booklet for Benjamin Rith-Najarian as a priest, 2014. Some of these materials have notes from the presiding clergy, showing preparations taken for each ceremony.
Musicians, writers, and artists form three of the following four subseries. This collection features a varied breadth of materials from creative Armenians, who were active at various points from the end of the 19th century through the 20th century.
A program for an event honoring the artist Sarkis Katchadourian, 1956. The ZIC’s second special collection contains photographs of his wife Vava, many of which include Sarkis.
Their artistry continues to be appreciated and to inspire new actors, poets, authors, musicians, composers, visual artists, and singers to this day.
An Armenian Program booklet honoring poet Avetik Isahakian, 1958; and a commemorative booklet for the 120th anniversary of the birth of Hratch Yervant, 2006. Though many people worked in more than one field, individuals were placed within one subseries for clarity in organization.
The fourth subseries includes materials commemorating businessmen and entrepreneurs whose philanthropic efforts have been wide-reaching. Whether they generally supported the Armenian community, philanthropic organizations, and Armenian studies at universities like Alex Manoogian or championed public institutions including the New York Public Library like Vartan Gregorian, these individuals used their success to support people and groups in need throughout their lives.
A 2022 commemorative publication honoring the life and legacy of Vartan Gregorian one year after his passing.
The final series consists of events and milestones more broadly. These materials either cannot easily be associated with an institution or individual(s), or are of such a general nature that they are better studied in a separate category. A highlight of this series is several materials relating to the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, a milestone commemorated in 2001.
One of the collection’s many commemorative materials for the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of Armenia, 2001. This booklet also honors a pontifical visit from Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians to the Diocese of Canada.
This collection brings together a plethora of resources. The collection shows how Armenians have acknowledged both tragedy and joy for over 120 years, honoring those people and places lost as well as remembering times of growth and prosperity.
A commemorative booklet containing the order of canonization of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, 2015.
All throughout the series highlights the efforts of Armenians, especially in the diaspora, to preserve memory and document their own history.
A spread from a bilingual booklet from an Armenian history contest held in honor of Archbishop Torkom Manoogian’s 20th year as primate, 1982.
This collection is now available for visitors who want to research commemorative events and materials and learn more about individuals, groups, and milestones integral to the history and legacy of Armenian people around the world. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
A poster drawn by Yervant Nahabedian commemorating the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Nor Jougha/New Julfa, Iran, 2004.
A collection of hundreds of documents relating to the Armenian Cause including articles, letters, unpublished genocide survivor’s memoirs, exhibition catalogs, booklets, pamphlets, and ephemera has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center. The materials in this collection relate first and foremost to the genocide of 1915, but also include materials related to the Soviet and post-Soviet Republic of Armenia, especially Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). The collection was processed by Linda Smith, a graduate student at Simmons University, pursuing a degree in Archives Management, who is concurrently an archival intern at the Zohrab Center.
Photocopies of the first four pages of Yervant “Edward” Alexanian’s memoir Forced into Genocide: Memoirs of an Armenian Soldier in the Ottoman Turkish Army. Photocopies of the original materials were donated by his daughter and the memoir’s editor Adrienne Alexanian. This donation is held in boxes 6 and 7 of this collection.
The materials in the collection span over 100 years, originating from the end of the 19th century through 2022. These items were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals.
Panoramic view of Sivas, the Armenian quarter of Alexanian’s birthplaceAdrienne made notes like this one on several documents, so researchers can quickly gather details on a particular resource and its significance.
The collection’s first series is comprised of memoirs and accounts of survivors of the genocide. Most of these accounts are unpublished and unknown to both scholars and the general public, while some like Yervant Alexanian’s Forced into Genocide or Hagop Vartanian’s My Story were only published in English translation (while this collection at the Zohrab Center includes the handwritten Armenian original).
Alexanian at three different points in his military career. In the top photo, he is a new conscript in the Ottoman Turkish Army; in the middle photo, he is a new graduate of the Harbiye Military Academy; in the bottom photo, he is a second lieutenant.
Scans from the family history and diary of Hagop Vartanian, which was eventually translated and published in English by Dr. Roberta Ervine under the title My Story: Hagop Vartanian (1873–1950), Genocide: A Father’s Struggle from the United States.
These memoirs are handwritten (or, in one case, photocopies of handwritten and primary source documents) or typed on a typewriter/computer, with several survivors having pasted their own family photos within these materials.
A 1989 memoir entitled “My Name is Avak and I Survived The Armenian Holocaust of 1915: How a Young Boy, Avak Takeljian and His Family Became the Victims”.
This series in the collection provides precious new sources for genocide historians and the interested public alike, each one a testament both to the similarities in experiences of Armenian Genocide survivors while also highlighting the unique journeys of the various individuals and families during and after the tragedy.
Among those individuals is Zaven Seraidarian with his six bound volumes of handwritten notes, memories, poetry, drawings, and scrapbooked images.
“Left to Right: Zaven, Mari, Mihran Seraidarian. We are witness to 1915.”“Zaven Seraidarian – I was born in the Putania [Bithynia] region of western Asia Minor, Nicomedia, the town of Geyve, Kaylaplour [Wolf-Hill] or, in translation, the Turkish name Ghurtbalan or Kurtbelen, Turkey.”“Mihran – Zaven Seraidarian, two brothers, scions of a patriarchal family. We are witness to the two and a half million martyrs. Whoever reads this story of a bloody journey – we remain living in this world. Whoever does not read this story of a bloody journey – that is when we two brothers will be dead to this world.”“Springtime Teardrops – The world belongs to the powerful, may God take our vengeance upon our enemies – You must be sacred hearts in the world – H. T., M. M., Z. S.”“To the Armenian who speaks in a foreign language, always respond in Armenian.”
Seraidarian shares a mix of materials, including personal memories and emotions from his experiences of the First World War and the Armenian Genocide, expressed both in the contents of his writing and the various forms they take in the volumes.
He includes photographs of himself, as well as other images, and writes about the legacy of the Armenians of what is today the north-west of Turkey, historically known as Putania (Բիւթանիա) or Bithynia. Seraidarian was from an area by the town of Geyve near the major city of that region, Nicomedia (modern Izmit).
Seraidarian’s writings are repetitive, often dwelling on the horrors he witnessed and experienced, replete with longing for justice for himself and the Armenian people. Our current generation may assess his volumes as manifestations of journaling, or efforts to work through the traumas that so deeply afflicted his life.
The second series covers community and political activism, which includes documentation of worldwide efforts to raise awareness of the genocide, as well as more contemporary struggles involving Soviet Armenia, the Republic of Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh). This is the largest series, including articles, conference reports, and booklets. Materials from government subcommittees and from the House of Representatives and Senate show efforts to recognize April 24 as the National Day of Remembrance of Man’s Inhumanity to Man and hold Turkey accountable for its actions during and after the genocide.
An informational flyer that contains historic information about Armenia in general and the genocide.
The third series contains historical and informational documents. These are materials that provide background information about Armenia and the genocide, both from historical and contemporary points of view, often meant to influence public opinion, raise awareness, or educate younger generations.
A spread from a 1980 booklet entitled “Sauver ce qui peut encore être sauvé…les monuments arméniens de Turquie” (“Save what can still be saved…the Armenian monuments of Turkey”).
The final series contains materials from memorial events and exhibitions that took place in commemoration of the genocide. The booklets and articles in this series provide a comprehensive picture of how Armenians around the world have continued to remember and speak about the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath, as well as educate the general population through sharing stories and art.
A booklet for an art exhibition entitled “Absence Presence: The Artistic Memory of the Holocaust and Genocide”, which was held at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota from January 7-February 25, 1999.
This collection brings together a wide array of mostly unpublished materials related to the Armenian Cause in general and the genocide in particular, including unpublished and previously unknown survivor accounts. This collection also highlights the efforts of Armenians and their allies the world over to remember the tragedy, honor the Armenian people, hold the Turkish government accountable, and share their experiences through the arts and community engagement.
A scan of H.R. 191, a bill passed in the Texas House of Representatives officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This resolution passed in 2017.
This collection is now available for visitors who want to research the genocide and learn more about past and present efforts related to genocide remembrance and activism for the Armenian Cause. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
Come to Kavookjian Hall at the Diocesan Center this Wednesday, Nov. 1st, to hear architect David Hotson speak on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” the award-winning church in Dallas, Texas. A reception will follow the illustrated presentation, which is organized by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center under the auspices of Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America (Eastern).
