On April 24, 2016, the Armenians flocked again to the church of St. Stepanos in Elberon, NJ for a solemn memorial day dedicated to the Armenian genocide of 1915 that was organized and carried out by the brutal Turkish government of the Ottoman Empire. Though already 101 years have passed since those events, Armenians have not forgotten them; and they show no less resolve to demand from the world, as well as from the Turkish government, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide to bring about long-waited closure to this bloody atrocity. On that Sunday morning, Divine Liturgy dedicated to the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide was celebrated by Fr. Daniel Karadjian.

Along with a solemn commemoration, the Armenian community, as always, exhibited a strong resolve to live on, to rise above the evil, soaring up on the wings of art, kindness, hospitality, and good will. Once again, the Armenians showed to the community their dedication to celebrate life to the fullest for those that were deprived from that chance by singing, playing, and spreading joy around them. Preformers of the commemoration concert Ani Mouradian, Van Mouradian, Eric Yeung, Lara Bakhtiarian, Davit Avetisyan, Arianna Housepian, Inessa Tadevosyan, and Leon Bagdasarov touched everyone’s hearts with their instrumental talents and beautiful voice.

It was a great honor for me to host the event, as well as present my latest poem named “A Letter to my Turkish Friend” to our congregation and in my closing words, encourage them to be united in flesh and in spirit, to become one family, one voice, one demand, for a single goal of justice, truth, and peace, to remind them that regardless of differences of our languages, age, or skills, we are the same in heart, and will always be the children of one Mother—Mother Armenia. After the classical concert and a delicious luncheon prepared and served by the women of our church, the Children’s Theatrical group of St. Stepanos Armenian Church staged a play based on a book named “You Rejoice my Heart,” written by Kemal Yalcin. In this book, Kemal Yalcin, a Turkish writer, investigated the Armenian Genocide, and interviewed Armenian survivors of the genocide in Europe and Turkey, as well as Turkish eyewitnesses. He documented all of his findings in this book and dedicated it to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, offering his public apology to the Armenian nation and to the world. For this act, he deserves sincere respect and honor from the Armenian Nation. I would like to express my deep gratitude to God for saving the Armenians from annihilation, for protecting our homeland from evil, for providing us, along with our homeland, another country, the United States, where we can live in peace and harmony with many other nations, as well as for our church that became our home far from our homeland full of talented children and dedicated parents, with administration led by Reverend Father Karadjian, who spares no effort in uniting and nurturing the Armenian community. May God richly bless you all.

Article by Armen Orbelyan.