Blog Archives
Sun Sentinel Features Upcoming South Florida Armenian Food Festival
This week, Sun Sentinel reporter Marci Shatzman wrote a story about the upcoming Armenian Food Festival at St. David Armenian Church entitled “Kebabs, pastries, music at Armenian food festival.” After many years, the festival has become a staple in the community as the largest Armenian Food Festival in Florida.
The Armenian Food Festival will take place at St. David Armenian Church, 2300 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431 on Saturday, March 5th from 10:00am to 10:00 pm, and Sunday, March 6th from 12:00pm to 10:pm.
St. David Armenian Church parishioner Mary Demir told the Sun Sentinel:
“Bourma is like baklava, but the shape is different with more nuts and less dough,” said Demir, of Delray Beach, a church member. “It’s traditional Armenian cooking, and this is how we grew up. Even when we entertain we cook this kind of food.”
None of the food will be frozen, she said, adding “the Easter bread will come right out of the oven and the next day it will be sold.”
Schatzman’s story covered the entire menu and the hard work being done behind the scenes by the festival organizers. The story quotes festival chairwoman Maral Khanjian, parish council chairwoman Marta Batmasian, and Florida Armenians public affairs director Arsine Kaloustian.
The church had more than 3,000 visitors the last time they had a food festival in 2014, Khanjian said.
No doubt, the Florida Armenian community hopes to meet and exceed those numbers by reaching more people than ever. Sharing Armenian culture, history, and food with our neighbors is a great opportunity (and a lot of fun) and we thank Marci for her article.
You can read the entire Sun Sentinel story here, and you can send Marci Shatzman a thank you email here.
In South Florida U.S. Holocaust Museum Memorial Presents Findings on Genocide and Mass Atrocities in Iraq
By Mercedes Gechidjian
FLArmenians Miami Contributor
A displaced Iraqi Christian woman prays at the home where she is staying in Erbil. Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
On Tuesday, February 9th and on Wednesday, February 10th, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton and the University of Miami (UM), respectively, had the honor of hosting a presentation by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) entitled “Exposing the Darkness: Perspectives on Mass Atrocities.” The panel discussion featured human rights experts Naomi Kikoler, Deputy Director at the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the USHMM, and photographer Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin. This brilliant, powerful discussion was co-hosted by FAU’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education and by the University of Miami Hillel.
In 2015, Kikoler and Knowles-Cousin travelled to northern Iraq to document evidence of mass atrocities carried out by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). The USHMM report found that IS has committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing against various minority groups and perpetrated genocide against the Yezidi people.
“The event discussed previous atrocities, such as the Holocaust and crimes in Iraq, and brought forth ideas on how these atrocities could be prevented,” stated Michael Bezjian, a University of Miami Armenian Student Association (UM-ASA) member who was present at the Miami panel.
Naomi Kikoler, Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin, and Michael Bezjian
Knowles-Coursin’s work focuses on identity within the context of migration and statelessness, so his photographs documenting the Islamic State’s brutality brought to life the plight of the displaced and persecuted.
According to USHMM’s mission statement, the “Museum strives to broaden public understanding of the history of the Holocaust through multifaceted programs: exhibitions; research and publication; collecting and preserving material evidence, art and artifacts related to the Holocaust; annual Holocaust commemorations known as Days of Remembrance; distribution of education materials and teacher resources; and a variety of public programming designed to enhance understanding of the Holocaust and related issues, including those of contemporary significance.”
Florida Armenians were encouraged to attend the USHMM discussion in the hopes of raising awareness and broadening perspectives on genocide and man’s inhumanity to man.
“Growing up as an Armenian American, I’m no stranger to the stories of genocide, as they were told to me by my grandparents, who learned from their parents. Attending high school in South Florida, we learned about Nazi Germany and the atrocities that took place in the concentration camps during WWII,” stated Florida Armenians Boca Raton Chair George Sarkisian who was present at the FAU presentation.
“’Exposing the Darkness: Perspectives on Mass Atrocities’ was truly eye-opening, and really put in context the level of violence currently taking place in Iraq and Syria. The pictures and stories shared by the panelists provided a small but powerful glimpse into the lives of the people suffering at the hands of ISIS. I was especially touched by the pictures and stories of the displaced people living in camps located in northern Iraq and it feels like the history of the Armenian people a century ago may well be repeating itself today,” Sarkisian said.
Scout Tufankjian at St. David Armenian Church
The Assembly’s Annual Members Meeting weekend will conclude on Sunday, March 13 with a book presentation by Scout Tufankjian at 1:00 PM at St. David Armenian Church.
Tufankjian will present her book entitled There is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project.
Released in April 2015, her book is the culmination of six years spent documenting Armenian communities in over 20 countries.
The book presentation is free and open to the public, but online registration is required.
Florida Armenians 