Category Archives: Politics
Assembly to Hold Armenian Genocide Symposium at Annual Members Meeting in Florida
Symposium Will Take Place in Boca Raton on Saturday, March 14, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is pleased to announce the speakers for the Armenian Genocide Symposium that will take place during the Assembly’s Annual Members Meeting weekend in Boca Raton, Florida, March 13-14, 2015. Entitled, “A Century of Genocide: The 1915 Armenian Genocide & Its Lasting Impact,” the symposium will feature Dr. Rouben Adalian, Dr. Rosanna Gatens, and Hannibal Travis.
Dr. Adalian will present on the topic “The Armenian Genocide as a Prototype of 20th Century Mass Killings.” Dr. Gatens will discuss “The Impact of the Armenian Genocide on Holocaust Education,” and Hannibal Travis will present “The Armenian Genocide as a Political Act and International Crime.” Assembly Trustee Marta Batmasian will moderate the discussion.
The Symposium will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
Dr. Rouben P. Adalian is the Director of the Armenian National Institute (ANI) in Washington, DC. He is the editor of The Armenian Genocide in the U.S. Archives 1915-1918 and its accompanying Guide and associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Genocide. Adalian is also the author of From Humanism to Rationalism: Armenian Scholarship in the Nineteenth Century and Historical Dictionary of Armenia and has contributed to Genocide in Our Time; Studies in Comparative Genocide; America and the Armenian Genocide; and Centuries of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts. He is a specialist on the Caucasus and the Middle East, and has taught at a number of universities, including George Washington University, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. He received a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Rosanna M. Gatens is the Director of the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Gatens is a specialist in the social and intellectual history of Germany, especially during the era of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. Dr. Gatens has written about the collapse of academic freedom in German universities during the 1920s, the anti-fascist and anti-militarist campaigns of the German League for Human Rights during the interwar years, and racism as a component of National Socialism. Her research and writing in the area of Holocaust education focuses on the effectiveness of particular teaching and learning strategies for high school and college students. Dr. Gatens is a member of the Florida Task Force on Holocaust Education and a member of the Save Darfur Coalition of South Palm Beach.
Hannibal Travis is a Professor of Law at Florida International University (FIU) College of Law in Miami, Florida. He has published widely on Ottoman Turkey’s Christian genocide, freedom of expression, religious freedom in the contemporary Middle East, and human rights in Africa. Travis wrote the first comprehensive legal history of genocide in the Middle East and North Africa, entitled Genocide in the Middle East: The Ottoman Empire, Iraq, and Sudan. His second book, entitled Genocide, Ethnonationalism, and the United Nations: Exploring the Causes of Mass Killing Since 1945, undertakes the first in-depth exploration of the causes of genocide and politicide using the U.N. archives.
The Assembly’s Armenian Genocide Symposium will be held at the Marriott Hotel at Boca Town Center, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33486 on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Guests that are traveling from out of town should call (561) 392-4600 to reserve a room at the Armenian Assembly’s reduced rate of $169.00 per night.
Online registration for the Symposium is available here. For additional information please contact Assembly South Florida Regional Council Chair Carol Norigian at southflaaa@gmail.com.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
Armenian Assembly to Hold Annual Members Meeting in Florida
Annual Florida Meeting to Feature Armenian Genocide Symposium
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is pleased to announce that the annual Assembly Members Meeting and Banquet will take place at the Marriott Town Center on March 13-14, 2015 in Boca Raton, Florida. Organized by the Assembly’s South Florida Regional Council (SFRC), this year’s gathering will feature an expanded program, including a special panel discussion on the Armenian Genocide.
“We are excited to welcome all members, guests and friends of the Armenian Assembly to attend our annual meeting and banquet,” stated Assembly Board Member Lu Ann Ohanian. “It will be an informative and enjoyable weekend,” Ohanian said.
The weekend will begin with a welcome reception on the evening of Friday, March 13th. Following the welcome reception, guests will have the pleasure of spending time with friends and family at their choosing. On Saturday, March 14th, the Annual Members Meeting will take place at 9:00 AM, followed by lunch. At 1:00 PM, the Assembly will host a special academic symposium that will explore different dimensions of the Armenian Genocide. Speakers will be announced shortly. Later Saturday evening, guests will convene for cocktails and dancing.
Below is a listing of events for this year’s Assembly Annual Members Meeting:
Friday, March 13, 2015:
- Welcome Reception, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday, March 14, 2015:
- Breakfast, 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Annual Members Meeting, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Lunch, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Armenian Genocide Symposium (Speakers Invited), 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Cocktails & Dancing, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
All events will be held at the Marriott Hotel at Boca Town Center, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33486. Please call (561) 392-4600 to reserve your room and be sure to mention the Armenian Assembly in order to receive the reduced rate of $169.00 per night.
For tickets or additional information, please contact Assembly SFRC Chair Carol Norigian at southflaaa@gmail.com.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
Miami Herald Publishes Op-Ed on the Passing of Harry Pilafian, South Florida’s Last Armenian Genocide Survivor
On Christmas Day, the Miami Herald published an op-ed by Harout Jack Samra, a Miami-based attorney of Armenian heritage. His article calls attention to the recent passing of Harry Pilafian (1921-2014), a grandfather, father, husband, veteran, and genocide survivor.
Below is an excerpt from Samra’s article and a link to the full story.
Annually, Armenians around the world gather on April 24 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. Survivors of this national calamity stand at the front of each assembly as symbols of a people’s capacity to survive.
With each passing year in South Florida, with the commemoration reaching its centennial, survivors have grown fewer. Two weeks before Christmas, South Florida’s last known Armenian genocide survivor died.
Harry Pilafian was born in Tekirdag, in Thrace, during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. His mother and father had fled their home to Damascus in 1918. Their first son, James, was born in that ancient city.
During a period of calm, the family, like so many others, tried to return home. This is when Pilafian was born.
You can read the article in full by clicking here.
Florida Armenians 