Pontian Greek Society of Chicago Holds Public Lecture

On Sat., May 15, the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago presented a public lecture titled “Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing: The Fate of the Christian Populations of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey” at the Duke Realty Corporation Auditorium in Rosemont, Ill. Upon offering the benediction by His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago, words of welcome were said by various Greek dignitaries. Anastasia Skoupas, president of the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago, read Charles Aznavour’s poem “They Fell.” The vice-consul general of Greece in Chicago, George Tsonis, then introduced the lecturer, Richard Hovannisian, professor of Armenian and Near Eastern history at UCLA.

Following the Greek wars of independence at the end of the 19^th century, three hostile Turkish regimes attempted to rid the republic of its Christian population. As a result, several million people were killed, many were forced to leave, and their churches and businesses were destroyed. Finally, by the 1920’s, only a small Christian population remained. During the genocide of these people, immeasurable wealth was transferred to the Turks from the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Though shielded ever since behind a veil of steadfast genocide denial, and fostered by the Kemalist strategy that the “survivors will die, and their children won’t care,” the Turkish government’s policy of genocide denial is, at long last, being challenged. “Mass killings have taken place throughout history,” continued Hovannisian, “but regimes involved in genocide do this as an act of constructing a new state or, according to the peasant mind, to ‘serve a higher goal’ and so this killing process is OK. The Turks had this type of mindset.”

After Hovannisian further described the dreadful events during this period in the history of the Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians, he mentioned ways to bring one’s cause to the spotlight. “We must do our homework and learn the means of using the political process. Make it known, and others will join you,” he said. “I was pushed into this field because I came from genocide survivors. Now, non-Armenians are studying the Armenian Genocide. The Greeks and the Assyrians need to do the same.”

He then described his visit to Turkey, where he saw large Greek churches remodeled for the purpose of deriving income from tourists, and the intentional cultural destruction of others, particularly the Armenians with their 3,000-year history on that land. Hovannisian concluded his lecture by stating, “Memory against forgetting reinforces our struggle. Our struggle now is of memory against forgetting.”

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Knarik O. Meneshian

Knarik O. Meneshian was born in Austria. Her father was Armenian and her mother was Austrian. She received her degree in literature and secondary education in Chicago, Ill. In 1988, she served on the Selection Committee of the McDougal, Littell “Young Writers” Collection—Grades 1–8, an anthology of exemplary writing by students across the country.” In 1991, Knarik taught English in the earthquake devastated village of Jrashen (Spitak Region), Armenia. In 2002–2003, she and her late husband (Murad A. Meneshian), lived and worked as volunteers in Armenia for a year teaching English and computer courses in Gyumri and Tsaghgadzor. Meneshian’s works have been published in "Teachers As Writers, American Poetry Anthology" and other American publications, as well as Armenian publications in the U.S. and Armenia. Knarik is the author of A Place Called Gyumri: Life in the Armenian Mountains. She has also authored a book of poems titled Reflections, and translated from Armenian to English Reverend D. Antreassian’s book titled "The Banishment of Zeitoun" and "Suedia’s Revolt" She began writing at the age of 12 and has contributed pieces to The Armenian Weekly since her early teens.

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