Metro Detroit Committee Marks 95th Martyrs’ Day

Sometimes the things a person has done so often becomes the hardest to do again and again. Commemorating April 24, 1915 has become so entrenched in my life that it is looked upon with both despair and obligation. The same sadness and awareness that is carried throughout the year for the loss of 1.5 million Armenians begins to intensify in April and seems to shade everything I deal with in everyday life. I often think what life would be like if I had a normal history. What would it be like to not carry genocide around as part of one’s being?

The weekend of the 24th is emotionally demanding. Friday evening I was invited by the Detroit United Committee to attend a lecture at the AGBU School featuring Prof. Ron Suny and Monsignor Andon Atamian of St. Vartan’s Armenian Catholic Church. The program included a short film, “We Want Genocide,” by a young half-Armenian Englishman Levon Marsland. Thanks to his upbringing, he could not be more Hyeaser. So don’t worry, there definitely will be a future generation of activists defending the Armenian Cause.

Saturday dawned as April 24, 2010, but as we know the killings in the land of our ancestors lasted far beyond this same day in 1915. As is usual on the 24th, my husband and I drove to Eight Mile and Woodward in Detroit to Woodlawn Cemetery to the huge dark-gray marble monument with its urn of tears at the top. At its base I placed a dozen pink roses intoning the names of my grandparents Apraham and Serpouhie Apigian, then my little aunts Nevart, Khasvart, and Baidzar, then Grandpa Ohannes and my uncle Senekerem Charverdian, and all the martyrs.

I love the peace and quiet there, with the freshness of blooming tulips and flowering trees. It is so pleasant that you would never believe genocide could be in the hearts of anyone, but I know otherwise. I am surrounded by the tombstones of hundreds of Armenians who somehow escaped the horrors of those years. I say the “Hayr Mer” in Armenian and we departed for home.

That evening we entered St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn at 6:30 p.m. to find it filled to standing room-only capacity and people talking in all its outer rooms, as well. The air hung heavy with incense. Der Daron Stepanian accompanied by deacons and acolytes did a moving Badarak. The choir sounded particularly pleasing.

A handful of survivors of those dreaded years of 1915-23 were seated in the front pew.

The rest of the thousands of survivors are resting in cemeteries across Detroit, Pontiac, and Troy, their grave markers testimony to their exile from their homeland.

Der Hayr‘s announcement that near the altar was sand from the desert of Der Zor had an unexpectedly stunning affect on the worshippers. We know that sand contains bones of our ancestors.

Welcomed to address the worshippers by Der Daron were his brothers in Christ Monsignor Atamian and Pastor Makarios Darawi of the Armenian Congregational Church, who said not to put our faith in politicians who make promises they never fulfill; instead, to put our faith in Christ who will give us the courage to move forward and continue in the Armenian quest for justice

Monsignor spoke in Armenian expounding eloquently on the importance of remembering the million and a half Armenians who lost their lives needlessly. That politicians and presidents come and go, and have let us down with their empty promises, instead being swayed by Turkish politicians to turn away from the truth.

Ninety-five youth comprised of the Homenetmen and the Armenian Youth Federation carried candles representing the years of Martyr’s Day recognition. They led a procession to the genocide monument outside for special prayers and a hokehankisd ceremony held at the martyr’s monument in front of the church. Afterwards all returned to the sanctuary for the blessing of lamb madagh prepared by the St. Sarkis Ladies Guild.

Georgi-Ann Oshagan performed the mistress of ceremonies duties, welcoming all and expounding on the significance of the day, and the resulting impact of the building of Armenian communities around the world and in Detroit.

The altar curtain was closed and in front were the black and white close-up photos of 18 survivors, now deceased. They are the stirring works of California photographer Ara Oshagan as part of his iwitness series done years ago. He is also responsible for taking the oral histories of many of Detroit’s Armenian survivors at that time. He is to be congratulated for this project, which held the audience in silent awe as they approached the altar and placed carnations in respect of those who perished. The eyes of these survivors tell you of the silent eternal sorrow clearly lining their face and Armenian eyes.

The eyes tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God. The Turks are the ones who are the non-believers. In these magnificent photos, Oshagan has captured for all time the pain and reality of genocide perfectly.

The final guest speaker was Lorna Touryan Miller, the daughter of genocide survivors. She is co-author of Survivors: An Oral History of the Armenian Genocide. She spoke of the thousands who died without ever hearing an apology from the Turkish government and how they struggled while living with trauma to rebuild their lives all over the world.

She said, “Where are we now in the form of denial from Turkey? We feel anger, outrage, depression, and resignation.” She has visited Armenia and Karabagh, where she feels helping Armenian to survive is a sort of reconciliation. She heard the stories from her own parents who tried to come to terms with the idea that people could perform such horrible acts. Her collecting of oral histories was to give a voice to the voiceless.

In her work alongside her husband in Rwanda and the genocide there, she said the Rwandans know of the Armenian Genocide and that on April 24, they conducted prayer services for the martyrs. Even Africa shares our pain.

Her father sired seven children to replace the seven siblings he lost in the genocide, and all of them have become well-educated children and grandchildren. She said, “Hope is critical for survival. Helping orphans in Rwanda is symbolic of what I couldn’t do for my father. I think about him often…”

Afterwards, as I was the last to approach the altar to view the photos, Touryan-Miller came up to me; I asked her if she happened to know someone I had been in contact with, John Prendergast, another activist in the world of stopping genocide. She said she did know him, through meetings dealing with genocide elimination—she for Rwanda and he for Darfur. It is a small world.

It is important to give credit for the planning of the 95th Martyr’s Day commemoration to the following: St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church; St. Vartan Armenian Catholic Church; Armenian Congregational Church; ARF Detroit “Azadamard” Gomideh; ARS Maro, Shakeh, Sybille, Tsolig, and Zabel Chapters; AYF Detroit Chapter; Detroit Homenetmen’ Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational Society; Vasbouragan Society; and Musa Lehr Society.

Betty Apigian-Kessel

Betty Apigian-Kessel

Betty (Serpouhie) Apigian Kessel was born in Pontiac, Mich. Together with her husband, Robert Kessel, she was the proprietor of Woodward Market in Pontiac and has two sons, Bradley and Brant Kessel. She belonged to the St. Sarkis Ladies Guild for 12 years, serving as secretary for many of those years. During the aftermath of the earthquake in Armenia in 1988, the Detroit community selected her to be the English-language secretary and she happily dedicated her efforts to help the earthquake victims. She has a column in the Armenian Weekly entitled “Michigan High Beat.”

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