Blog Archives
2020 U.S. Census: Make Florida Armenians Count
The 2020 U.S. Census has started and it’s up to all of us to make sure we are counted.
Why it Matters
The 2020 Census will determine how over $700 billion in federal funds are allocated each year, and how congressional districts are apportioned.
To maximize the collective voice of the Armenian American community and secure vital funding for community services, we have to make #FLArmeniansCount.
An accurate count of the Armenian American community will ensure federal funding is delivered to service our community. This will include funding for schools, hospitals, aged care facilities, colleges, housing, and other important services.
Armenian Americans in Florida are Undercounted
While it is estimated more than 1.5 million Armenians live in the United States, Census data indicates that there are fewer than 500,000.
In Florida, where the estimated Armenian population is 30,000, less than 10,000 Armenians are counted.
This means our community is missing out on millions of dollars in federal funding and grants.
How to Count
Make sure that on the Census Questionnaire Question #9 you write ‘Armenian’ as your response to ensure you are counted as an Armenian.
If you haven’t already received a letter in the mail from the U.S. Census, you can easily fill out your questionnaire online by visiting https://my2020census.gov/.
Florida Armenians 2018 Municipal Election Endorsements
By Editorial Staff
Tuesday, March 13th, is election day for several cities in Palm Beach County. As Armenian American voters head to the polls in Palm Beach County, Florida Armenians is pleased to provide you with a list of our 2018 Municipal Endorsements.
Endorsements:
City of Boca Raton:
Seat C: Jeremy Rodgers
Seat D: Armand Grossman
City of Delray Beach:
Mayor: Jim Chard
Seat 1: Adam Frankel
Seat 3: Mitch Katz
City of Highland Beach:
Vice-Mayor: Alysen Africano-Nila
Commission: Peggy Gossett-Seidman
City of Lake Worth:
Mayor: Pam Triolo
District 1: Scott Maxwell
City of West Palm Beach:
District 1: Kelly Shoaf
District 5: Shanon Materio
Voting Information:
Election Day is Tuesday, March 13th. Polls are open 7:00AM to 7:00PM. Municipal elections in Florida are Non-Partisan, meaning the candidates cannot, by law, disclose or promote their party affiliation or registration.
Not sure if you’re registered to vote? Click here to check.
Are you a registered voter in Palm Beach County, but don’t know where to go to vote? Click here to find your precinct in Palm Beach County.
Also, you can now register to vote online in the State of Florida! Click here to register to vote, and you will be eligible to vote in the following election.
The next election is the Primary Election on August 28, 2018. The General Election will be held on November 6, 2018.
Armenian, Jewish Communities Unite to Commemorate Holocaust and Armenian Genocide Together
From left, Robert Silvers, senior rabbi, Congregation B’nai Israel; Arsine Kaloustian, chair, Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Inc.; and Father Paren Galstyan, pastor of St. David Armenian Apostolic Church, gather to discuss plans for an interfaith Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemoration taking place on Sunday, April 23 at B’nai Israel which also will commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. (MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/JEWISH JOURNAL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
BOCA RATON, FL – As Armenians and Jews around the world will gather this week to commemorate Yom HaShoah and Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which happen to fall on the same day this year, Congregation B’nai Israel and the Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Inc. have organized a joint program of remembrance with a screening of the critically acclaimed film DENIAL at Congregation B’nai Israel, 2200 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431 on Sunday, April 23rd at 6:00pm.
Based on the book Denial: Holocaust History on Trial, DENIAL recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt’s (Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz) legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (BAFTA nominee Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, in cases of libel, the burden of proof is on the defendant, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team, led by Richard Rampton (Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson), to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred.
“The Armenian and Jewish communities have a shared historical pain. Our religions may be different, but our stories are the same. Families broken apart and slaughtered in campaigns of ethnic cleansing that took millions of lives from us, an uprooting of a people and a way of life, our survival and that we have not only survived but thrived, and a vow to remember and never forget,” commented Arsine Kaloustian, Florida Armenians Editor and Chair of Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Inc. “We also share the vigilance against any denial of these atrocities, which makes the theme of the film so relevant for both communities,” she added.
The commemorative event will be featured in this weeks Sun-Sentinel Jewish Journal.
The program will begin with a catered welcome reception, while a multi-panel presentation on prejudice and genocide created by students from Palm Beach Central High School will be on public display. Local Armenian and Jewish community leaders will then deliver brief remarks and discuss the importance of the film. After the film screening, the evening will conclude with an interfaith candlelit prayer service from local religious leaders.
“We human beings, created in the divine image, have a Godly responsibility to speak out and act against the atrocity of the extermination of any people because of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Too often people are complicit in their silence against those who would deny such a holocaust. The lessons of history must be studied and learned so that we might chart a better course for humanity. It does not do justice to our Godly responsibilities to ignore, deny, or reframe human history,” stated Rabbi Robert A. Silvers of Congregation B’nai Israel.
The event is free and open to the public. Members of the media are also invited to participate. Space is limited and RSVP is required. Please register online at: www.rememberthem.eventbrite.com.
About the Organizers:
Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Inc. (AGC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose purpose is to observe and commemorate the Armenian Genocide of 1915 when the Ottoman Turkish Empire systematically annihilated 1.5 million Armenians through a campaign of ethnic cleansing, as well as raise public awareness of all genocides. AGC is responsible for planning and executing all Armenian Genocide related activities within Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Founded in 1989, Congregation B’nai Israel is now considered one of the landmark reform congregations in the country. With nearly 1,000 families, a religious school serving over 600 students, and early childhood programs considered one of the finest in the nation, Congregation B’nai Israel, or CBI, is more than just a synagogue. It is a thriving and connected Jewish community, joyfully inspired by tradition and passionately committed to worship, study and repairing the world.
Florida Armenians 