NEW YORK—High school and college students across the country were invited to address the question, “How can International Recognition of the Armenian Genocide Help Prevent Future Crimes Against Humanity?” in the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration Contest co-sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan and Facing History and Ourselves (www.facinghistory.org). A panel of distinguished judges selected 1st place winner, Brooklyn resident Jeremy Majerovitz, of Stuyvesant High School, N.Y.; 2nd place winner, Brooklyn resident Gerald Nelson, Stuyvesant High School; 3rd place winner, Riverdale, N.Y. resident Samuel Levine, Stuyvesant High School; and honorable mention, Oradell, N.J. resident Katrice Karanfilian, Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, N.J.
The winners will receive their awards and be recognized at the 96th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide (Medz Yeghern) and Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShaoh) event to be held in Times Square (43rd & Broadway) on Sun., May 1, 2011 from 2-4 p.m. The theme of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration is “Turkey is Guilty of Genocide: Denying the Undeniable is a Crime.” This historic event will pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred by the Young Turk Government of the Ottoman Empire and to the 6 million Jews who were annihilated by the Nazis.
National Grand Commander of Knights of Vartan Dennis R. Papazian and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lehman College, CUNY, Mary A. Papazian will preside over the ceremonies. Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History at UCLA Richard G. Hovannisian will be the keynote speaker. Other presenters will include civic, religious, humanitarian, educational, cultural leaders, and performing artists. The event is free and open to the public.
“We welcome the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with our supporters including the Jewish community to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust,” said Papazian. “The Armenian Genocide was the blueprint for all future genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries. In fact, when Hitler sent his Death Heads troops into Poland at the beginning of World War II, he said, ‘Go. Kill without mercy. Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?’”
In his conclusion, 1st place essay winner Majerovitz wrote, “[R]ecognition of the Armenian Genocide would bolster international human rights law. At the moment, various countries refuse to recognize the Armenian Genocide due to individual state interests. Turkey refuses to recognize the genocide because it would reflect poorly on itself; the United States does not recognize the genocide because it desires access to Turkish airspace. By failing to recognize the Armenian Genocide, states place their own national interest above the interests of international law and human rights, and in doing so, undermine the entire international system.”
The 96th commemoration is organized by the Mid-Atlantic chapters of the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, and is co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Council of America and ADL-Ramgavars. Participating organizations include the Diocese of the Armenian Church, Prelacy of the Armenian Church, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Catholic Eparchy for U.S. and Canada, Mid-Atlantic ACYOA, AYF, Armenian youth organizations, and university and college clubs.
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