Goverou Bardez: Saving the Oldest Armenian Diaspora in the World
On May 10, the Holy Synod of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem convened and unanimously declared Fr. Baret Yeretzian defrocked. The former real estate director of the Patriarchate was accused for his alleged role in leasing Goverou Bardez (The Garden of Cows) for a duration of 99 years to Jewish Australian businessman Danny Rubinstein. A few weeks later, he was decreed to vacate his residence within the Armenian Convent.
Upon hearing this news, a large swath of the Armenian community of Jerusalem gathered outside his home, demanding answers while shouting “Tavajan! Tavajan!” Being a cynic, I didn’t think this would amount to anything of value, but upon arriving on the scene, I was happily proven wrong. There were no Tashnags, Ramgavars, Homenetmenagans, Hoyetchmenagans, children, men or women — only the people, united in their clamor, for a change, with a protest that lasted for hours until nightfall, emboldened by patriotic chants.Â
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Here is another clergy that has become a treator. We had many of those in our history.
get your facts correctly, the church leader found an escape goat to cover his ineptitude and the gullible idiots followed him, reminds one of another fiasco 50 years ago by the same mob getting rid of Arch, Diran Nersoyan.
Fr Baret is not a Tavadjan, he did nothing wrong, he was appointed to this job by the Patriarch who approved the deal.maybe if they have consulted real state experts they might have made a wiser decision
Hello Sam
If you think Fr. Baret is not a Tavadjan can you please tell me why he ran away?
Which facts did I get wrong? Do point them out please so I may rectify them. And for the purpose of transparency, tell me who you are as well instead of aggressively making accusations and attacking an entire community, calling us “gullible idiots” from the comfort of your home whilst hiding behind a pseudonym.
Well said
Hello Sam
If you think Fr. Baret is not a Tavadjan can you please tell me why he ran away?
Great article. And great title.
A few days ago, Khachig Yeretsian (formerly Fr. Baret and director of Jerusalem Patriarchate’s real estate department) was quoted, in an Israeli newspaper, as saying that he believed Patriarch Nourhan had the right to sign (the illegal) 99-year lease of Goveroun Bardez because the garden “belonged to him.” This is a stupendous and mind-blowing lie that insults the reader’s intelligency and tells one everything one needs to know about Mr. Yeretsian and his hard-to-stomach variations of the truth. Perhaps ingenious Khachig also believes Patriarch Nourhan also owns the Sts. James Cathedral, the cathedral’s lamps as well as the water-wells of the Armenian Convent, the books and newspapers at the Gulbenkian Library, the pens-and-pencils at Sts. Tarkmanchats High School, our share of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of Nativity. Possibly inherited from his Aleppo parents. Nourhan/ex-Boghos, Khachig/ex-Baret: What a pair of walking disasters of the Armenian Church, the Armenian nation, and Armenian Jerusalem!
Sahag,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to add to yours.
Truly it is unimaginable that Khachig Yeretsian made the announcement that he believed Nourhan Manougian had the right to lease the Goveroun Bardez for 99 years.
Difficult to describe correctly as to how orphans and poor kids arriving to the St James seminary, are fed, clothed, educated to become celibate priests, turn into successful crooks, liars, womanizers, and vendors. That basically they join the devil and rise in ranks to become “owners” of everything that they can grab to sell. To name a few that the public has come to know: Armenian church properties in Bethlehem and Beit Safafa; Jaffa Road shops and post office West Jerusalem; large property leased to Christ Church (english) opposite the Citadel in East Jerusalem; Chapel opposite Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem; shop near Soup Prgitch; the priceless Goveroun Bardez opposite the St James Convent stretching all the way to the Kishleh, and the Citadel. All historic buildings, bought with blood and sweat in prior centuries to benefit the Armenian Church and nation. Nourhan, Khachig and their like deserve the hell painted by Bosch.
I can categorically say that Baret is a criminal
And traitor.there is no ifs or buts about this
When he approaches me in a glendale restaurant and offers to sell me properties in Bethlehem and saying that if I dont buy them the jewish guy with him will buy.I was dumbfounded.
H., I agree with your ever word. I appreciate your listing of other Armenian properties that these veghar-wearing crooks and traitors have secretly and illegally sold. There must be a special compartment in hell for these vipers and scorpions.
This land deal is a catastrophe for the Armenian Quarter. There needs to be civilian oversight of the Patriarchate. They can’t be allowed to give away more of our heritage. After the losses of Cilicia, Ani, Aghtamar, Ararat, Dadivank, Shushi, etc. how can the Patriarchate consider giving up another inch of holy ground?
lack of leadership has been and still is a major problem. Armenians are considered smart but our actions say otherwise.
Fr Barret had other issues that worked against him, but in my humble opinion the church has bigger problems and should be closely watched.