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ARMENIAN 'ORPHAN RUG' IS IN WHITE HOUSE STORAGE


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ARMENIAN 'ORPHAN RUG' IS IN WHITE HOUSE STORAGE, AS UNSEEN AS GENOCIDE IS NEGLECTED

Washington Post
Oct 22 2013

By Philip Kennicott, Tuesday, October 22, 3:18 AM E-mail the writer

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented
to the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin
Coolidge standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort,
but a complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even
in the largest and most ceremonial rooms.

If you can read a carpet's cues, the plants and animals depicted on the
rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far removed as
possible from the rug's origins in the horrific events of 1915, when
the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began amurderous campaign
against its Armenian population. Between 1 million and 1.5 million
people were killed or died of starvation, and others were uprooted from
their homes in what has been termed the first modern and systematic
genocide. Many were left orphans, including the more than 100,000
children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored Near East Relief
organization, which helped relocate and protect the girls who wove
the "orphan rug." It was made in the town of Ghazir, now in Lebanon,
as thanks for the United States' assistance during the genocide.

There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost
20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event
that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian's "President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug." But on Sept.

12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled
it, citing the White House's decision not to loan the carpet. In a
letter to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor,
director of the institution's Asian cultural history program, had no
explanation for the White House's refusal to allow the rug to be seen
and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A.

Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing.

Although Taylor, Heffern and the White House curator, William G.

Allman, had discussed during a January meeting the possibility of an
event that might include the rug, it became clear that the rug wasn't
going to emerge from deep hiding.

"This week I spoke again with the White House curator asking if there
was any indication of when a loan might be possible again but he has
none," wrote Taylor in the letter. Efforts to contact Heffern through
the embassy in the Armenian capital of Yerevan were unsuccessful,
and the State Department referred all questions to the White House.

Last week, the White House issued a statement: "The Ghazir rug is
a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia
and the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it
out at this time."

That leaves the rug, and the sponsors of the event, in limbo, a
familiar place for Armenians. Neither Ara Ghazarians of the Armenian
Cultural Foundation nor Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs
Society can be sure if the event they had helped plan was canceled for
the usual political reason: fear of negative reaction from Turkey,
which has resolutely resisted labeling the events at the end of the
Ottoman Empire a genocide. But both suspect it might have been.

"Turkey is a very powerful country," says Der Bedrossian, whose
organization was planning to fund a reception for the event.

And it's a sign of the Obama administration's dismal reputation in
the Armenian American community that everyone assumes it must be yet
another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote understanding
of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history.

Aram Suren Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, says the president has had "a very negative
reception across the board in the Armenian world, and that includes
both Democrats and Republicans." The principal emotion is profound
disappointment. As a candidate, and senator, Obama spoke eloquently
about the Armenian genocide, risking the ire of Turkey and Turkish
organizations. But since taking office, says Hamparian, Obama has
avoided the word, making more general statements about Armenian
suffering. Critics of his silence point to the geopolitical importance
of Turkey in a region made only more complex by the Arab Spring and
a brutal civil war in Syria.

The word genocide is a flash point in the ongoing animosity between
Turkey, Armenia and the Armenian diaspora. Turkish resistance to
accepting the historical facts of the Armenian genocide has included
wholesale denial that the events took place, an effort to contextualize
them as the fallout of a complicated, violent period, and semantic
argument based on the 1948 legal definition of genocide, established
by the United Nations. Independent scholars have eviscerated the
first of these claims, demonstrated the bad faith of the second
(the treatment of the Armenians was egregious) and grappled seriously
with the legal particulars, especially the difficulty of proving the
"intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial
or religious group, as such." But few seriously argue that the events
weren't genocidal.

Samantha Power, for example, uses the term "Armenian genocide"
throughout her landmark 2002 book on genocide, "A Problem From Hell."

Power was appointed by Obama to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations, and was confirmed in August.

But the president's language has been more circumspect. As a candidate,
he said, "The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal
opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact
supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. America
deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide
and responds forcefully to all genocides." But in his most recent
presidential proclamation honoring April 24's Armenian Remembrance
Day, he used the Armenian term "Meds Yeghern" - "great calamity" -
while avoiding explicit mention of genocide.

U.S. government officials and the Smithsonian have been reluctant
to address a controversy that is often dismissed as just another
intractable historical dispute. Although Armenian musicians performed
at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2002, a Smithsonian spokeswoman
says the institution hasn't taken up the subject of the genocide, a
remarkable omission of scholarship concerning an important ethnic group
in the United States and one of the last century's most critical and
notorious historical events. (Even Adolf Hitler supposedly referred
to the Armenian genocide in a quote that is also disputed by some
scholars: "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
Armenians?" he asked in a speech just before Germany invaded Poland
in 1939.)

In Power's book, the author notes the power of "Turkish objections"
to prevent official U.S. recognition of the genocide. As a presidential
candidate, Obama said in a statement that he "stood with the Armenian
American community in calling for Turkey's acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide." But April's presidential proclamation finessed the
delicate situation by saying, "I have consistently stated my own view
of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed," suggesting
he strongly supports a truth he no longer has the courage to utter.

Calls and e-mails to the Turkish Embassy in Washington weren't
returned.

The status of the rug remains ambiguous. It was last taken out of
storage in 1995 and is reported to be in good condition. But a White
House spokesman declined to answer questions about whether it might
ever be seen again, if the climate is simply too politicized for the
rug to be exhibited.

And the Smithsonian is distancing itself from Taylor. "Dr. Taylor
put this together on his own, nobody knew about it, certainly senior
leadership didn't know about it," says Randall Kremer, who handles
public affairs for the National Museum of Natural History, where
Taylor is employed.

Taylor says he doesn't want to speculate about why the White House
won't lend the object, and he says he isn't an expert on the tortured
politics of the region. It was the rug, its iconography, its status
among Armenians and its history that intrigued him, especially after
hearing Armenians discuss it during a 2012 visit to Armenia.

"We're not afraid of doing Armenian exhibitions," he says. "I would
love to do one."

Although the White House can offer no explanation about why the rug
is off limits to the American people, Der Bedrossian is optimistic
that it might someday see the light of day.

"Rug weaving is a metaphor for me: We can make peace weaving together,"
he says. "We are patient. I tend to believe in miracles.

Someday it will come."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/armenian-orphan-rug-remains-in-white-house-storage-as-unseen-as-genocide-is-neglected/2013/10/21/90458518-3a6d-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html

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Turkey preventing U.S. institution from displaying Genocide-era artwork
http://media.pn.am/media/issue/171/596/photo/171596.jpg
October 22, 2013 - 10:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey has reportedly pressured the Obama Administration into forcing the Smithsonian Institution to cancel an official display of the historic Genocide-era "Armenian Orphan Rug." The ANCA is deeply troubled that foreign interference, from Ankara, appears to be preventing the Smithsonian from displaying this historic Genocide-era artwork.

"We hope and expect that our government will, as a matter of principle, reject foreign efforts to censor how Americans view a truly pivotal chapter in the history of America's emergence in the early 20th Century - notably during the Armenian Genocide - as an international humanitarian power," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Any barriers to the display of the Armenian Orphan Rug should be removed, and this important piece of artwork made available to the American public."

In an article in The Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Philip Kennicott says: “If you can read a carpet’s cues, the plants and animals depicted on the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far removed as possible from the rug’s origins in the horrific events of 1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a murderous campaign against its Armenian population. Between 1 million and 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others were uprooted from their homes in what has been termed the first modern and systematic genocide. Many were left orphans, including the more than 100,000 children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored Near East Relief organization, which helped relocate and protect the girls who wove the “orphan rug.” It was made in the town of Ghazir, now in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States’ assistance during the genocide.”

“There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian’s “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.” But on Sept. 12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it, citing the White House’s decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution’s Asian cultural history program, had no explanation for the White House’s refusal to allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing,” Kennicott says in the article titled “Armenian ‘Orphan Rug’ is in White House Storage, as Unseen as Genocide is Neglected.”

"Although Taylor, Heffern and the White House curator, William G. Allman, had discussed during a January meeting the possibility of an event that might include the rug, it became clear that the rug wasn’t going to emerge from deep hiding. This week I spoke again with the White House curator asking if there was any indication of when a loan might be possible again but he has none,” wrote Taylor in the letter. Efforts to contact Heffern through the embassy in the Armenian capital of Yerevan were unsuccessful, and the State Department referred all questions to the White House. Last week, the White House issued a statement: “The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at this time.”

That leaves the rug, and the sponsors of the event, in limbo, a familiar place for Armenians. Neither Ara Ghazarians of the Armenian Cultural Foundation nor Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs Society can be sure if the event they had helped plan was canceled for the usual political reason: fear of negative reaction from Turkey, which has resolutely resisted labeling the events at the end of the Ottoman Empire a genocide. But both suspect it might have been.”

Hamparian says the president has had “a very negative reception across the board in the Armenian world, and that includes both Democrats and Republicans.” The principal emotion is profound disappointment. As a candidate, and senator, Obama spoke eloquently about the Armenian genocide, risking the ire of Turkey and Turkish organizations. But since taking office, says Hamparian, Obama has avoided the word, making more general statements about Armenian suffering. Critics of his silence point to the geopolitical importance of Turkey in a region made only more complex by the Arab Spring and a brutal civil war in Syria.

 

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I read the article with interest and dismay. A comment caught my attention with the suggestion that children could weave or embroider a copy of the rug and send it to the White House. (on second thoughts, send it to the Smithsonian). This might embarrass them (hmmm....) It would be something, and might be seized on by the media. Maybe one of you (or more) might post a comment. I find it futile to go on bickering. Better to do something concrete, like writing or creating a work of art, creating waves. What do you think?

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11:13 25/10/2013 » Society

ANCA rallies against White House decision to block Smithsonian display of Armenian Genocide orphan rug

Armenian Americans across the U.S. are calling upon the White House and Congress to secure a prominent and permanent public display of a historic rug woven by Armenian Genocide orphans and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of Turkey's murder of over 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The ANCA campaign was initiated after The Washington Post reported, earlier this week, that a planned December 16th Smithsonian Institution exhibit featuring the rug, organized in conjunction with the Armenian Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society, was abruptly cancelled when the White House, reversing an earlier affirmative decision, refused to lend the iconic symbol of American and Armenian shared heritage to the museum.

Armenian Americans can take action by visiting:
http://www.anca.org/action_alerts/action_disp.php?aaid=62978086

Washington Post staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Philip Kennicott, reported, "There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed December 16th as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian’s 'President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.' But on September 12th, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it, citing the White House’s decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution’s Asian cultural history program, had no explanation for the White House’s refusal to allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing."

Kennicott described the controversy as "a sign of the Obama administration’s dismal reputation in the Armenian American community that everyone assumes... must be yet another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote understanding of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history.”

The complete Washington Post article is available online at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/armenian-orphan-rug-remains-in-white-house-storage-as-unseen-as-genocide-is-neglected/2013/10/21/90458518-3a6d-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html

The White House response thus far has been vague - with National Security Staff Assistant Press Secretary Laura Magnuson offering the following comment to the Asbarez Armenian Newspaper: "The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at this time." A statement with the same exact wording was released by the White House last week and included in Kennicott’s article.

“The White House should simply come clean,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s time for the White House to open up about Turkey’s role, and lay out all the facts about its decision to block the Smithsonian’s exhibit of the Armenian Orphan Rug - a historic, Armenian Genocide-era work of art that speaks powerfully to the common values and shared experiences of the American and Armenian peoples.”

In a letter sent earlier today to President Obama's Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian reminded the White House that "upon receiving the rug, President Coolidge wrote, 'The rug has a place of honor in the White House where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth.' I ask you, in this spirit, to remove any obstacles to the Smithsonian’s display of this historic artwork and to secure a prominent and permanent public home for this powerful symbol of America’s humanitarian values and friendship with the Armenian people," continued Hachikian.

Placing this latest controversy in context, Hachikian noted that: "since taking office, President Obama has not only failed to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but has actively blocked Congressional legislation (H.Res.252, 111th Congress) to commemorate this atrocity and, through his Solicitor General, officially opposed efforts in the U.S. courts (Arzoumanian v. Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft AG) to allow American citizens to pursue Genocide-era property claims. In addition, the Administration has regularly sent senior officials to speak at events organized by Armenian Genocide deniers, while refusing repeated invitations to simply attend Congressional observances of this atrocity. In these areas, and, sadly, many more, the President has not simply failed to honor his pledge, but rather - in both letter and spirit - worked to fundamentally undermine and reverse the very policies he pledged to pursue."

According to Dr. Hagop Deranian, the Armenian orphan rug measures 11'7" x 18'5" and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took the Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East Relief Society 10 months to weave. A label on the back of the rug, in large hand-written letters, reads "IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."

Source: Panorama.am

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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RUG'S FREEDOM A WORTHY CAUSE FOR AMERICAN JEWS

JNS.org [Jewish News]
Oct 25 2013

By Rafael Medoff/JNS.org

Ninety-nine years after the Turkish genocide of the Armenians, one
of the most poignant symbols of Armenian suffering is being held
hostage-by the White House.

The prisoner is an 18-foot long rug. It was woven by four hundred
Armenian orphan girls living in exile in Lebanon, as a gesture of
appreciation for America's assistance to survivors of the genocide. In
1925, they sent the rug to President Calvin Coolidge, who pledged
that it would have "a place of honor in the White House, where it
will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth."

Unfortunately, the rug is instead becoming a symbol of the unseemly
politics of genocide. An Armenian-American dentist, Hagop Martin
Deranian, recently authored a book called "President Calvin Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," and the Smithsonian Institution
scheduled an event about Dr. Dernanian's book for Dec. 16. But when
the Smithsonian asked the White House to loan it the rug for the event,
the request was denied.

Reporters who asked the State Department about it this week were
referred to the White House. When they asked the White House spokesman,
they were curtly told that he had nothing to say except, "It is not
possible to loan it out at this time."

Armenian-American leaders believe the Obama administration is
responding to pressure from the Turkish government, which denies that
genocide took place. And Armenians have good reason to be suspicious.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, then-Senator Obama declared,
"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian
genocide." By contrast, the statements that President Obama has issued
each April on Armenian Remembrance Day have never included the g-word.

Instead, he has used an Armenian expression-"Meds Yeghern," meaning
"the great calamity." Fear of displeasing the Turks appears to be
the only plausible motive for that rhetorical sleight-of-hand.

Armenian-Americans are not the only ones who should be upset. American
Jews should be up in arms, too. Not only because of the sympathy
that victims of genocide instinctively feel for one another-but also
because if the White House can permit political considerations to
trump recognition of the Armenian genocide, there is a danger that
memorialization of the Holocaust could one day suffer a similar fate.

In any event, at least one president did keep his word: Calvin Coolidge
proudly displayed the Armenian Orphan Rug in the White House for the
rest of his term.

After he left office, Coolidge took the rug to his Massachusetts
residence. It was still there in 1939, when former First Lady Grace
Coolidge became a leading figure in the struggle to rescue a different
group of children from a genocidal dictator. Mrs. Coolidge lobbied in
support of the Wagner-Rogers bill, which would have admitted 20,000
German Jewish children to the United States. But President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt refused to support the legislation, and it was buried
in committee.

Ironically, FDR's relative and predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt,
advocated declaring war on Turkey over the Armenian genocide. "The
failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all
talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous
nonsense," the then-ex-president asserted in 1918. Teddy Roosevelt
was correct to fear that tolerating genocide would pave the way for
it to happen again.

Indeed, Adolf Hitler reportedly once assured his subordinates that
their atrocities would not be remembered since "Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

The genocide rug eventually made it back to the White House and was
in use during at least part of the Clinton administration. But it
has not been seen in public since then. If the Obama administration
and the Turkish government have their way, it seems, the imprisoned
rug may never again see the light of day.

In December, Americans will flock to a new movie called "Monuments
Men." Directed by (and co-starring) George Clooney, it will tell
the true story of a handful of U.S. military personnel who risked
their lives to rescue famous paintings, monuments, and other precious
European cultural artifacts from the Nazis in the waning days of World
War II. It seems that it might take a new generation of Monuments
Men to rescue the Armenian genocide rug and restore the treasured
heirloom to its rightful place-in a public display.

Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for
Holocaust Studies, in Washington, D.C. His latest book is "FDR and
the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith."

http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2013/10/25/nei27kbgs6gnsn3vmt9nagejbvfbp5


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THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS A RUG GIFTED TO CALVIN COOLIDGE BY ARMENIAN ORPHANS WILL STAY IN STORAGE FOR NOW

PRI.org
Oct 25 2013

Producer Shirin Jaafari
October 25, 2013 · 3:45 PM EDT

Until a few weeks ago, Armenian advocates hoped a rug that has been
in White House storage for almost 20 years would be put on display
at an event at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

00:0000:00 But hopes were dashed recently after the White House
announced it would not lend the carpet at this time. The rug in
question is not just any rug.

After the Armenian genocide, where between 1 million and 1.5 million
Armenians were either killed or starved to death, many children were
left orphans. The US government set up a campaign to help relocate
these children and provide humanitarian relief.

In 1925, a group of these orphans who had been relocated to Ghazir,
now in Lebanon, wove a rug, now known as the "orphan rug," and gave
it as a gift to US President Calvin Coolidge.

Philip Kennicott, arts and architecture critic at the Washington Post,
says the rug is so professionally woven it's hard to tell it was the
work of children.

"It's a big rug. It's a beautiful piece. It has on it many images
of animals and plants and there is the sense by people who know what
these images suggest, that it represents probably the garden of Eden,"
he says.

Kennicott says the rug traveled with the Coolidge family after they
left the White House. It stayed with them until the 1970s. In the
1980s, it arrived back at the White House, where it has been kept
in storage.

Only a few people have seen the rug since it was put into storage.

Among them, Kennicott says, is a woman who saw a picture of the rug
in the White House and recognized it as the rug her mother had helped
to weave.

In 1995, she asked for, and received, permission from the Clinton
administration to see it. Current efforts to display the rug centered
around a Dec. 16 event launching a book about the rug, "President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug" by Hagop Martin Deranian.

Because the "orphan rug" has its roots in the Armenian genocide,
it is a politically-sensitive object to display, says Kennicott.

"The US government does not want to touch the word genocide. That's
the perennial political debate that comes back again and again,"
he says. "It's a very delicate situation."

The Turkish government doesn't want to call the events at the end of
the Ottoman Empire a genocide. And the US, for its part, doesn't want
to upset the Turkish government by bringing the issue up at events
such as this.

The White House issued a statement about the planned Smithsonian event,
which said, "The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship
between the peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that
it is not possible to loan it out at this time."

http://pri.org/stories/2013-10-25/white-house-says-rug-gifted-calvin-coolidge-armenian-orphans-will-stay-storage

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REP SHERMAN ASKS WHITE HOUSE TO PERMANENTLY DISPLAY ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG AT SMITHSONIAN

11:28 ~U 26.10.13

Congressman Brad Sherman, in a letter to President Obama's Chief
of Staff Denis McDonough criticizing the White House's decision to
keep the Armenian Orphan Rug in storage, has called for the permanent
public display of this historic artwork at the Smithsonian Institution,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Noting that, "an exhibit to display this relic at the Smithsonian was
canceled due to the White House's inexplicable decision not to loan
out the rug," Representative Sherman stressed that, "this unique work
should not be hidden away in storage. Instead, it should be displayed
on a permanent basis at the Smithsonian. It is in our national interest
to recognize and remember the past. We must acknowledge and learn
from the tragic crimes against humanity that orphaned the weavers
of this rug to ensure that they are never repeated. I urge the White
House to take this intricate piece of history out of storage and to
display it at the Smithsonian permanently."

"We join with Armenian Americans in California and across America in
thanking Congressman Sherman for his principled leadership in seeking
a prominent and permanent public display for this powerful artistic
symbol of shared American and Armenian heritage," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/10/26/sherman-orphan-rug/

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Jihad Watch
Oct 26 2013


Obama stops Smithsonian from displaying Armenian Genocide-era artwork
for fear of irking Turks


Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide is consistent with an
unbroken Islamic supremacist pattern: never, ever admit wrongdoing;
never, ever take responsibility for actions that cause harm; never,
ever acknowledge that jihad actions (such as the Armenian Genocide)
cause immeasurable suffering to human beings; always, always instead
blame the kuffar who have the temerity to point out the wrongdoing.

And Obama, who counts Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a friend, falls right in line.

"Armenian `orphan rug' is in White House storage, as unseen as
genocide is neglected," by Philip Kennicott for the Washington Post,
October 21 (thanks to AINA):

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented to
the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge
standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a
complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the
largest and most ceremonial rooms.

If you can read a carpet's cues, the plants and animals depicted on
the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far
removed as possible from the rug's origins in the horrific events of
1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a
murderous campaign against its Armenian population. Between 1 million
and 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others
were uprooted from their homes in what has been termed the first
modern and systematic genocide. Many were left orphans, including the
more than 100,000 children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored
Near East Relief organization, which helped relocate and protect the
girls who wove the `orphan rug.' It was made in the town of Ghazir,
now in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States' assistance during the
genocide.

There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost
20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event
that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian's
`President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.' But on Sept.
12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it,
citing the White House's decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter
to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director
of the institution's Asian cultural history program, had no
explanation for the White House's refusal to allow the rug to be seen
and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A.
Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing.

Although Taylor, Heffern and the White House curator, William G.
Allman, had discussed during a January meeting the possibility of an
event that might include the rug, it became clear that the rug wasn't
going to emerge from deep hiding.

`This week I spoke again with the White House curator asking if there
was any indication of when a loan might be possible again but he has
none,' wrote Taylor in the letter. Efforts to contact Heffern through
the embassy in the Armenian capital of Yerevan were unsuccessful, and
the State Department referred all questions to the White House.

Last week, the White House issued a statement: `The Ghazir rug is a
reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and
the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at
this time.'

That leaves the rug, and the sponsors of the event, in limbo, a
familiar place for Armenians. Neither Ara Ghazarians of the Armenian
Cultural Foundation nor Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs
Society can be sure if the event they had helped plan was canceled for
the usual political reason: fear of negative reaction from Turkey,
which has resolutely resisted labeling the events at the end of the
Ottoman Empire a genocide. But both suspect it might have been.

`Turkey is a very powerful country,' says Der Bedrossian, whose
organization was planning to fund a reception for the event.
And it's a sign of the Obama administration's dismal reputation in the
Armenian American community that everyone assumes it must be yet
another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote
understanding of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history.

Aram Suren Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, says the president has had `a very negative
reception across the board in the Armenian world, and that includes
both Democrats and Republicans.' The principal emotion is profound
disappointment. As a candidate, and senator, Obama spoke eloquently
about the Armenian genocide, risking the ire of Turkey and Turkish
organizations. But since taking office, says Hamparian, Obama has
avoided the word, making more general statements about Armenian
suffering. Critics of his silence point to the geopolitical importance
of Turkey in a region made only more complex by the Arab Spring and a
brutal civil war in Syria.
...

Calls and e-mails to the Turkish Embassy in Washington weren't returned....

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/10/obama-stops-smithsonian-from-displaying-armenian-genocide-era-artwork-for-fear-of-irking-turks.html

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The Jawa Report
Oct 26 2013


White House Refuses Smithsonian Request For Armenian Rug Display


Nothing like denying history to avoid hurt feelings.

The rug was woven by orphans in the 1920s and formally presented to
the White House in 1925. A photograph shows President Calvin Coolidge
standing on the carpet, which is no mere juvenile effort, but a
complicated, richly detailed work that would hold its own even in the
largest and most ceremonial rooms.

If you can read a carpet's cues, the plants and animals depicted on
the rug may represent the Garden of Eden, which is about as far
removed as possible from the rug's origins in the horrific events of
1915, when the fracturing and senescent Ottoman Empire began a
murderous campaign against its Armenian population. Between 1 million
and 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others
were uprooted from their homes in what has been termed the first
modern and systematic genocide. Many were left orphans, including the
more than 100,000 children who were assisted by the U.S.-sponsored
Near East Relief organization, which helped relocate and protect the
girls who wove the "orphan rug." It was made in the town of Ghazir,
now in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States' assistance during the
genocide.

There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost
20 years, might be displayed Dec. 16 as part of a Smithsonian event
that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian's
"President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug." But on Sept.
12, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it,
citing the White House's decision not to loan the carpet. [...]

Last week, the White House issued a statement: "The Ghazir rug is a
reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and
the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at
this time."

That leaves the rug, and the sponsors of the event, in limbo, a
familiar place for Armenians. Neither Ara Ghazarians of the Armenian
Cultural Foundation nor Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs
Society can be sure if the event they had helped plan was canceled for
the usual political reason: fear of negative reaction from Turkey,
which has resolutely resisted labeling the events at the end of the
Ottoman Empire a genocide. But both suspect it might have been.

http://www.mypetjawa.mu.nu/

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Armenian Genocide Rug’s Freedom a Worthy Cause for American Jews

October 28, 2013 9:46 am

 

 

 

http://www.algemeiner.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Armenians_marched_by_Turkish_soldiers_1915-300x191.png

Armenians are marched to a nearby prison in Mezireh by armed Turkish soldiers in Kharpert, Armenia, in April, 1915. Ninety-nine years after the Armenian genocide, one of the most poignant symbols of Armenian suffering is being held hostage by the White House, writes Rafael Medoff. Photo: Project SAVE via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Ninety-nine years after the Turkish genocide of the Armenians, one of the most poignant symbols of Armenian suffering is being held hostage—by the White House.

The prisoner is an 18-foot long rug. It was woven by four hundred Armenian orphan girls living in exile in Lebanon, as a gesture of appreciation for America’s assistance to survivors of the genocide. In 1925, they sent the rug to President Calvin Coolidge, who pledged that it would have “a place of honor in the White House, where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth.”

Unfortunately, the rug is instead becoming a symbol of the unseemly politics of genocide. An Armenian-American dentist, Hagop Martin Deranian, recently authored a book called “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug,” and the Smithsonian Institution scheduled an event about Dr. Dernanian’s book for Dec. 16. But when the Smithsonian asked the White House to loan it the rug for the event, the request was denied.

Reporters who asked the State Department about it this week were referred to the White House. When they asked the White House spokesman, they were curtly told that he had nothing to say except, “It is not possible to loan it out at this time.”

Armenian-American leaders believe the Obama administration is responding to pressure from the Turkish government, which denies that genocide took place. And Armenians have good reason to be suspicious. As a presidential candidate in 2008, then-Senator Obama declared, “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide.” By contrast, the statements that President Obama has issued each April on Armenian Remembrance Day have never included the g-word. Instead, he has used an Armenian expression—“Meds Yeghern,” meaning “the great calamity.” Fear of displeasing the Turks appears to be the only plausible motive for that rhetorical sleight-of-hand.

Armenian-Americans are not the only ones who should be upset. American Jews should be up in arms, too. Not only because of the sympathy that victims of genocide instinctively feel for one another—but also because if the White House can permit political considerations to trump recognition of the Armenian genocide, there is a danger that memorialization of the Holocaust could one day suffer a similar fate.

In any event, at least one president did keep his word: Calvin Coolidge proudly displayed the Armenian Orphan Rug in the White House for the rest of his term.

After he left office, Coolidge took the rug to his Massachusetts residence. It was still there in 1939, when former First Lady Grace Coolidge became a leading figure in the struggle to rescue a different group of children from a genocidal dictator. Mrs. Coolidge lobbied in support of the Wagner-Rogers bill, which would have admitted 20,000 German Jewish children to the United States. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt refused to support the legislation, and it was buried in committee.

Ironically, FDR’s relative and predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, advocated declaring war on Turkey over the Armenian genocide. “The failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous nonsense,” the then-ex-president asserted in 1918. Teddy Roosevelt was correct to fear that tolerating genocide would pave the way for it to happen again.

Indeed, Adolf Hitler reportedly once assured his subordinates that their atrocities would not be remembered since “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

The genocide rug eventually made it back to the White House and was in use during at least part of the Clinton administration. But it has not been seen in public since then. If the Obama administration and the Turkish government have their way, it seems, the imprisoned rug may never again see the light of day.

In December, Americans will flock to a new movie called “Monuments Men.” Directed by (and co-starring) George Clooney, it will tell the true story of a handful of U.S. military personnel who risked their lives to rescue famous paintings, monuments, and other precious European cultural artifacts from the Nazis in the waning days of World War II. It seems that it might take a new generation of Monuments Men to rescue the Armenian genocide rug and restore the treasured heirloom to its rightful place—in a public display.

Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, in Washington, D.C. His latest book is “FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith.”

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REPS. VALADAO AND SCHIFF CALL ON WHITE HOUSE TO STOP BLOCKING EXHIBIT OF ARMENIAN ORPHAN RUG

http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/10/29/reps-valadao-and-schiff-call-on-white-house-to-stop-blocking-exhibit-of-armenian-orphan-rug/
12:21 29.10.2013

U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA)
are urging their Congressional colleagues to join them in co-signing
a letter urging the White House to reverse its decision to block
the public display of a rug woven by Armenian orphans and gifted
to President Calvin Coolidge in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian
assistance following Ottoman Turkey's genocide of over 1.5 million
Armenians from 1915-1923, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA).

The Congressional letter campaign comes in the wake of Washington
Post and National Public Radio reports last week that the White
House, after agreeing to lend the rug for an exhibition at the
Smithsonian Institute, organized in cooperation with the Armenian
Cultural Foundation and Armenian Rug Society, mysteriously and
abruptly announced it would not make this historic artwork available
for display. In an interview with Public Radio International (PRI),
Washington Post Art Critic Philip Kennicott noted that while the White
House has not offered an explanation for the reversal in decision,
it is likely due to the U.S. government's deference to Turkey's
international campaign of genocide denial.

In their Congressional letter, Reps. Valadao and Schiff, who are
the lead sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.227),
note: "The Armenian Orphan Rug is a piece of American history and it
belongs to the American people. For over a decade, Armenian American
organizations have sought the public display of the rug and have
requested the White House and the State Department grant their request
on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Armenian Americans have yet to
have their requests granted."

"Armenian Americans from California and across the country join
together in thanking Representatives Valadao and Schiff for their
leadership in launching this initiative, and in calling upon their
U.S. House colleagues to support this worthwhile effort to reverse
this most recent White House capitulation to Ankara's hateful campaign
of genocide denial," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The Armenian orphan rug measures 11'7â~@³ x 18'5â~@³ and is comprised
of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls in the Ghazir
Orphanage of the Near East Relief Society 10 months to weave. The
rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 2025, in
time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."

According to Missak Kelechian, an expert on this topic, the gift of
the Armenian Orphan rug was widely covered in U.S. media, including in
the New York Times in 1925 and the Washington Post in 1926. Kelechian
describes the journey of the rug in a CNN clip available at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyDoZl7bYN8

Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug
is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian's book, "President Coolidge
and the Armenian Orphan Rug," published on October 20, 2013, by the
Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com at:

http://www.amazon.com/President-Calvin-Coolidge-Armenian-Orphan/dp/061584734X

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Who knows this idiom?

 

sweep something under the carpet
1. Lit. to hide dirt by brushing it away under the edge of a carpet. He was in such a hurry with the cleaning that he just swept the dirt under the carpet. She swept the dirt under the carpet, hoping no one would find it.
2. Fig. to hide or ignore something. You made a mistake that you can't sweep under the carpet. Don't try to sweep it under the carpet. You are wrong!
ԳՈՂ ՍԻՐՏԸ ԴՈՂ
Edited by Arpa
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PETITION TO OBAMA TO FREE ARMENIAN "ORPHAN RUG"

http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/10/31/petition-to-obama-to-free-armenian-orphan-rug/
12:08 31.10.2013

Petition posted on the White House website calls on the Obama
Administration to share the Armenian Orphan Rug with the American
people. The petition reads:

"The White House should make available for public display to the
Smithsonian Institution the rug woven by Armenian refugee orphans in
1925 and given as a gift to President Calvin Coolidge to thank the
American people for the generous humanitarian support they gave the
Armenians after World War One."

The Washington Post's shocking revelation that the White House has
blocked a planned Smithsonian exhibit of an Armenian Genocide-era
work of art has sparked thousands of calls and emails to Congress
urging the public display of the historic "Armenian Orphan Rug"
woven by child survivors of the Genocide.

A bipartisan effort in Congress, spearheaded by Representatives David
Valadao (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), is collecting signatures on
a letter calling on the White House to permanently and prominently
display the rug.

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AS WE SEE IT

By Prof. Osheen Keshishian

You Can't Sweep It Under the Rug

Posted on October 30, 2013

Dr. Martin Deranian recently wrote a historical book - "President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug", the story of a rug woven
by over 400 orphan girls following the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by
the Ottoman government. The book was to be presented by the Smithsonian
Institution in December of this year. In 1925, the rug was sent to
the President of the United States Calvin Coolidge as a "Thank You"
gift for his assistance to the orphans following the Genocide.

Indeed a good gesture. The President assured the orphans that the
rug will have a " Place of Honor in the White House." And it did,
as it was displayed in the White House during President Coolidge's
term in office as US President.

He took the rug home after his term expired and his wife gave it back
to the White House.

It was even on display during President Bill Clinton's era.

But, on September 12 of this year, the Smithsonian scholar who helped
organize the event for December 16, suddenly cancelled the exhibition,
believe it or not, citing the White House's decision not to loan
the rug for the exhibit. The White House refused to loan the rug and
gave a very vague and short answer explaining that the rug could not
be loaned out at this time. No further explanation was given. Very
irritating and astounding. Why not at this time? If not now, then
when will it be the time and loan it to the renowned Smithsonian
Institution, a reputable and world renowned American icon.

Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution's Asian Cultural
History Program, gave no explanation for the White House's refusal
to allow the rug to be on display and said the efforts by the US
Ambassador to Armenia, John Heffern, to intervene, had also been
unavailing.

The request goes back nine months. In the beginning of January of
this year, when Ambassador Heffern was asked to assist in securing
the rug for display. Although Taylor, Heffern, and the White House
Curator, William G. Allman, had discussed during the January meeting
the possibility of an event that night include the rug it became
clear that the rug wasn't going to come out of deep hiding.

What's wrong in exhibiting a rug to the public to the public especially
when it is donated to a United States President who displayed it in
the White House.

What's wrong in exhibiting a piece of handicraft?

What's wrong in exhibiting a hand-made historic work?

What's wrong in exhibiting a sample of cultural heritage?

There has to be a reason as to why the White House, a symbol of
freedom, is not explaining and giving reasons for not making the rug
available to the public. Government secret? What else! Everyone thinks
that there has to be a political reason behind it and most probably
it is Turkey, and the US does not want to upset Turkey.

Congressman Brad Sherman of San Fernando Valley, California was not
happy and wrote a letter to the White House and asked to have the
rug permanently displayed. Thank you Congressman.

I also think that the grandchildren of President Coolidge should file
a complaint, after all the rug was a gift to their grandfather and
now it is being tossed around.

Many complaints have gone to the White House by important and well
known individuals, Armenian and American. And I hope that the White
House will respond to the many request positively.

The White House should know that you cannot sweep this Armenian rug
under the rug.

http://www.thearmenianobserver.com/?page_id=21

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Rep. Adam Schiff urges White House to display Armenian orphan rug

 

Armenian Orphan Rug

 

By Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News

Posted:

11/08/13, 5:18 PM PST|

 

A nearly century-old rug made for President Calvin Coolidge by orphaned girls from Armenia as a thank you gift for the support America lent to refugees during the Armenian genocide has become the focal point of a growing controversy.

The Armenian-made rug was slated to be displayed in a planned exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. in December, but the White House pulled the plug on its loan to the museum with little explanation in mid-October.

Now, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, has waded into the fray, sending a letter earlier this week to the White House, with co-author Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, urging a reconsideration of its stance on making the rug unavailable for public view.

 

 

“I have had the opportunity to sit and meet with genocide survivors in their homes and get to know them,” Schiff said in a phone interview Friday. “When I saw the rejection of the rug display it seemed like yet another indignity, another retreat from acknowledging the genocide.”

The letter was signed by 31 other House representatives, including Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.

The exhibit including the rug — a large, colorful, hand-knotted rug with depictions of plants and animals woven in ornate detail — was set to be displayed Dec. 16 to coincide with the book launch of “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug” written by Hagop Martin Deranian, a scholar whose parents were both genocide survivors and immigrants to the United States. The book details the rug’s origins, and the plight of nearly 100,000 children orphaned by the genocide who were helped by U.S. missionaries and government outreach.

 

 

The girls who made the rug were living in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief, in present-day Lebanon, which was created and funded through the U.S. Congress.

The White House issued a simple statement addressing the issue, offering no explanation for its refusal to loan the rug to the museum.

“The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at this time,” the statement said.

But Schiff and Armenian community groups suspect the White House’s refusal to display the rug has more to do with politics than anything else.

 

 

The Obama administration has routinely stopped short of referring to the atrocities committed against the Armenian population as genocide in what was then the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The conflict left up to 1.5 million people dead, and Schiff said the refusal to allow access to the rug is most likely the result of diplomatic pressure from Turkey.

The government in Ankara has staunchly refused to acknowledge the conflict as a genocide.

“I can’t imagine another reason,” Schiff said. “I can’t imagine what it means that it is unavailable. It’s not like it’s at the dry cleaners.”

 

 

Advocates say the rug is a tangible link to the historical importance of the Armenian community, and to support the U.S. gave to immigrants fleeing the region.

“The piece is as important to American history as it is to Armenian history,” said Tereza Yerimyan, government affairs director for the western region of the Armenian National Committee of America, whose offices are in Glendale.

The White House has not yet responded to Schiff’s letter, or to emails sent from members of the Armenian National Committee, urging cooperation for a display of the rug, but Yerimyan said she hopes the effort will sway opinion.

 

 

“This was made by people who found a new life because of the help of Americans,” she said. “Why shouldn’t it be displayed?”

 

About the Author

Reach the author at Kelly.Goff@Dailynews.com or follow Kelly on Twitter: @KellyGoff_DN.

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Foreign Policy
Nov 7 2013

Art as Politics

by Ani Torossian | on November 7th, 2013


It is not often that a rug becomes caught in the crosshairs of foreign
policy and cast away from artistic appreciation, yet the 1920s
Armenian orphan rug that was planned for display in December at the
Smithsonian Museum suffers just this fate.

Bound by the common thread of their identity as children and survivors
of the Armenian genocide, Armenian orphans in a Lebanon refuge camp
wove a room-sized rug as a gift presented to the White House in 1925.

Each woven thread contained a symbolic message of gratitude for
American humanitarian aid in the Middle East, Greece and Armenia -
assistance that came in the form of education, healthcare and
relocation for the hundreds of thousands of orphaned children in a
region devastated by the Turkish atrocities committed against the
backdrop of World War I.

As a work of art, this Armenian rug represents an image of the
Biblical Garden of Eden. It was set for display at the Smithsonian
before the Obama administration's unexplained refusal to loan the rug.
Now, it fades from significance in a White House storage room.

As a work of art imbued with a political subtext, the Armenian rug
represents far more than meets the eye. Many note that its public
display would complicate U.S.-Turkey relations. To this day, Turkey
refuses to label the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire as
genocide.

Yet to deny the American public access to the rug is to deny the
openness necessary for historical scholarship and artistic
appreciation.

President Obama has made diplomatic dances around the term `genocide'
far too many times for the administration to worry about the rug's
negative impact on the foreign policy agenda with Turkey.

His promise as a presidential candidate was as follows: `America
deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide
and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that
president.'

But the courage with which Mr. Obama confronted the issue as a
presidential candidate has faded. During his presidency, he omitted
the term `genocide' from his public statements.

Appeasing Turkey at the cost of glossing over historical facts had
been regretfully swallowed in the past. The refusal to now display
artwork for the sake of foreign policy considerations is not at all
what the American public deserves.

And if the White House's refusal does not rest on an attempt to
politically appease Turkey and protect its relationship, then the
Obama administration would do well to offer the American public an
explanation that actually consists of an explanation. Otherwise, it
leaves a political can of worms open in the form of speculation
unpleasant to both the government and its public.

http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2013/11/07/art-as-politics/

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Burbank congressman wants White House to display Armenian rug

Kitty Felde |

 

http://a.scpr.org/i/be68993df7aa2c5161802f63ff733ca4/71801-eight.jpg

The carpet was a thank you gift to America for aid to orphans of Armenian genocide

The battle over official U.S. government recognition of the Armenian Genocide has recently focused on a rug woven by orphan girls and presented to President Calvin Coolidge nearly a century ago. A Southern California lawmaker is calling on the White House to put the carpet on display.

The ruby red and purple rug took ten months to weave and was a thank-you gift for American aid to more than 100,000 Armenian orphans. Young women tied more than four million knots to create the carpet.

It was supposed to be the centerpiece of a Smithsonian event next month to launch a new book called “President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug." But the White House declined to make the rug available, saying in a statement that it’s “not possible to loan it out at this time.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and colleague David Valadao (R-Hanford) are circulating a “dear colleague” letter, urging the president to change his mind. So far nearly three dozen lawmakers have signed on.

Schiff says the president's reluctance comes down to a single issue: "the Administration doesn’t want to offend Turkey."

Turkey is an important military ally. Ottoman Turks are said to have killed more than a million Armenians in the early years of the 20th century. The Turkish government maintains that number is inflated and the victims were caught in the middle of a civil war. Official Washington has been reluctant to go on the record acknowledging the genocide.

Schiff, who spoke on the House floor in Armenian on the April anniversary of the genocide, says the rug, with its millions of knots, is a tangible way to come to grips with the genocide. "These girls were real. What they went through was real. And I think it’s the power of that rug that is part of the reason the administration doesn’t want to exhibit it."

An online petition on the White House website asks for the rug to be displayed, but so far, it has fewer than 600 signatures.

Candidate Barack Obama said, “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.” But President Obama has avoided using the term.

 

http://a.scpr.org/i/e767b41bd74066df371417277ae6b4ae/44747-thumb.jpgKitty Felde, Washington, D.C. Correspondent
Edited by Yervant1
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REP. SCHIFF URGES OBAMA TO ALLOW ORPHAN RUG DISPLAY

http://asbarez.com/116142/rep-schiff-urges-obama-to-allow-orphan-rug-display/
Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

Representative Adam Schiff

WASHINGTON-On Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) once again called on the
Obama Administration to allow exhibition of the "Armenian Orphan Rug"
at the Smithsonian Museum. The rug, woven by orphans of the Armenian
Genocide in 1920, was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
as thanks for U.S. assistance during the genocide. The rug - which
has been in storage at the White House for decades - was supposed to
be released for exhibition in a Smithsonian event for the launch of
Hagop Martin Deranian's new book President Calvin Coolidge and the
Armenian Orphan Rug. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled when the
White House refused to release the rug for display.

"The decision by the Administration to block display of the Armenian
Genocide rug is as inexplicable, as it is hurtful to the Armenian
community," Schiff explained. "The rug is not only a symbol of
the resilience of the Armenian people through their darkest days,
it also serves as a tangible expression of the inherent truth that
not only were 1.5 million people killed in the first genocide of the
20th Century, but that the American government was a central player
in efforts to call attention to the plight of the Armenian people
and provide relief to survivors."

The Administration has been reluctant to call the Armenian Genocide
what it was, a genocide, and this latest decision to keep the rug
out of the Smithsonian comes without explanation. Schiff continued,
"The rug deserves to be on display and the millions affected by
the genocide deserve the chance to see it - it's my hope that the
Administration will decide to allow the rug, a symbol worthy of the
Smithsonian, to be released."

Schiff and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) sent a letter, along with 31
other Members, to President Obama urging him to allow exhibition of
the rug. The full letter is below:

***

Dear Mr. President:

As Members of Congress who represent America's Armenian community,
we write to inquire about numerous reports that the White House has
blocked the exhibition of an important Armenian Genocide-era icon of
shared American and Armenian history scheduled to open December 16th;
the "Armenian Orphan Rug."

This historic rug was hand-woven by orphans of the Armenian Genocide
in an American-sponsored orphanage run by an U.S. charity created by
an act of Congress. The rug, which has over 4,000,000 hand-tied knots,
was presented, in 1925 to President Calvin Coolidge as a symbol of
gratitude for American aid and generosity. President Coolidge noted
that, "The rug has a place of honor in the White House where it will
be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth." The presentation of the
rug to President Coolidge enjoyed wide publicity including in The
New York Times and resulted in millions of dollars being raised for
humanitarian assistance.

The Armenian Orphan Rug is a piece of American history and it
belongs to the American people. For over a decade, Armenian American
organizations have sought the public display of the rug and have
requested the White House and the State Department grant their request
on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, Armenian Americans have yet to
have their requests granted.

We urge you to release this American treasure for exhibition. We
look forward to working with you to ensure this important piece of
American and Armenian history is publicly displayed and we eagerly
await your response.

Sincerely, Members of Congress

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  • 2 weeks later...

OBAMA WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY TURKEY, PROTESTERS SAY

Washington Times
Nov 26 2013

Protesters will use President Obama's fundraising trip to Southern
California on Tuesday to highlight his refusal to live up to a
campaign promise to recognize the Armenian genocide in Turkey nearly
a century ago.

The Armenian National Committee of America has organized an event in
Glendale, Calif., calling on Mr. Obama to allow a public display of
the so-called Armenian Orphan Rug, a carpet woven by orphans of the
genocide and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925.

The rug, which is held in storage by the White House, was given in
appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of
Turkey's murder of more than 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923,
the ANCA said.

Armenian Americans have been hoping that the rug could be displayed at
the Smithsonian Institution next month as part of an event launching
a book about the circumstances of the gift to Mr. Coolidge. But the
White House has resisted, saying it's not possible to loan the carpet
for such an event.

"The White House should simply come clean," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian in a statement. "It's time for the White
House to open up about Turkey's role, and lay out all the facts
about its decision to block the Smithsonian's exhibit of the Armenian
Orphan Rug - a historic, Armenian Genocide-era work of art that speaks
powerfully to the common values and shared experiences of the American
and Armenian peoples."

In a pattern common to the last three presidents, Mr. Obama pledged, as
a candidate stumping for Armenian-American votes in the 2008 campaign,
that he would recognize the genocide if he became president.

But since taking office, he has resisted labeling the episode as a
"genocide," a move which would anger NATO ally Turkey.

In April, Mr. Obama marked the anniversary of the Armenian deaths
with a statement that called it "one of the worst atrocities of
the 20th century" but never used the word "genocide." The word is a
specific term under international law, both for its symbolic value
and because it imposes duties upon other states and penalties upon
the perpetrating country.

Turkey doesn't deny that its military and paramilitary forces killed
many Armenians at the time in question, but it disputes vehemently
the "genocide" charge and has warned that formal U.S. steps to use
the term will hamper relations.

In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, ANCA
Chairman Ken Hachikian said that President Coolidge, upon receiving
the carpet, wrote that "the rug has a place of honor in the White
House where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth."

"I ask you, in this spirit, to remove any obstacles to the
Smithsonian's display of this historic artwork and to secure a
prominent and permanent public home for this powerful symbol of
America's humanitarian values and friendship with the Armenian people,"
Mr. Hachikian wrote to the White House.

He said that since taking office, Mr. Obama "has not only failed to
recognize the Armenian Genocide, but has actively blocked congressional
legislation (H.Res.252, 111th Congress) to commemorate this atrocity
and, through his Solicitor General, officially opposed efforts in
the U.S. courts ... to allow American citizens to pursue Genocide-era
property claims."

The rug measures 11 feet, 7 inches by 18 feet, five inches, and is
comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls in
an orphanage 10 months to weave. A label on the back of the carpet
reads, in all capital letters: "in golden rule gratitude to President
Coolidge."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/25/obama-wont-acknowledge-armenian-genocide-turkey/

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ARMENIA: DID TURKEY PUT THE KIBOSH ON CARPET DISPLAY?

EurasiaNet.org
Dec 5 2013

December 5, 2013 - 1:51pm, by Liana Aghajanian

It's not often that Calvin Coolidge's name is invoked these days
in Washington. But the long-dead 30th president is figuring in a
controversy involving several Armenian-American organizations, the
Smithsonian Institution and the White House.

At the center of the controversy is an intricate and colorful carpet
depicting the Garden of Eden, woven by orphaned Armenian girls and
presented to then-president Coolidge in the late 1920s. It is known
as the Ghazir Rug, named after the Lebanese city where it was made
by 400 orphans who lost their families during the mass slaughter of
Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces starting in 1915.

The gift to Coolidge was a gesture of gratitude to the United
States, specifically for the relief efforts mounted by the Near East
Foundation, an American philanthropic organization founded in response
to the Armenian mass slaughter in Ottoman Turkey. The foundation's
programs were credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

For close to a century, the Ghazir Rug has remained largely hidden
in White House storage. But a similar carpet, known as the "Armenian
Orphan Sister Rug" will be on display December 5 in Boston, as part
of a holiday event sponsored by the Armenian Assembly of America,
a prominent Diaspora group. Martin Deranian, author of a book on the
Ghazir Rug's history, titled President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian
Orphan Rug, will be a featured speaker at that event. The sister carpet
to be displayed in Boston is part of Deranian's personal collection.

The Boston holiday gala, however, has not quelled a controversy that
began in the autumn, when the White House abruptly decided not to
lend the Ghazir Rug to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
DC, for an event to mark the publication of Deranian's book.

In a September letter, Paul Michael Taylor, director of the Asian
cultural history program at the Smithsonian, wrote to organizers
-- Ara Ghazarians, curator at the Massachusetts-based Armenian
Cultural Foundation and Levon Der Bedrossian at the Armenian Rugs
Society - expressing regret that the White House had, without reason
or explanation, decided not to lend the rug for the Smithsonian
event. As a result, the event, which had been scheduled for December
16, was canceled.

"Needless to say this was a great surprise and disappointment ...

because White House staff had previously offered considerable
assistance or the use of the rug," Taylor wrote in the September
letter. The letter also mentioned that the US Ambassador to Armenia,
John Heffern, made inquiries on his own, but determined that the loan
of the Ghazir rug would not be possible.

The White House issued a statement last month: "The Ghazir Rug is
a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia
and the United States. We regret that it is not possible to loan it
out at this time."

Thirty-one members of Congress, including Adam Schiff, whose district
includes a large number of Armenian-Americans, signed a letter in
mid-November urging the Obama administration to let the rug be
displayed. The White House has remained firm on not lending out
the carpet.

The Smithsonian or Taylor did not respond to requests from EurasiaNet
for comment. The U.S. Department of State referred a request to
the White House. Officials at the White House did not respond to a
EurasiaNet.org query.

Without an explanation from the White House, representatives of
Disaspora groups, including the National Association for Armenian
Studies and Research (NAASR), believe the Smithsonian cancellation
was prompted by pressure from the Turkish government, which denies
that the 1915 events constitute Genocide. Turkey has been known to
exert diplomatic pressure on the United States on matters relating
to the recognition of the 1915 events.

"I see this to be a clear cut example of an administration playing
unfairly and unjustly to a people who deserve so much better," said
Stephen Kurkjian, a former journalist for the Boston Globe and member
of NAASR.

Levon Der Bedrossian of the Armenian Rugs Society, a California-based
organization, suspects the same political motives. "We've seen this
time and again, after so many years it is the strength of the Turkish
lobby, there is no other explanation," Der Bedrossian said.

Anthony Barsamian -- who headed the group "Armenian-Americans for
Obama" in 2008 and 2008 and 2012, and a board member of the Armenian
Assembly of America -- characterized the decision to not loan Ghazir
Rug as unacceptable - especially as the centennial of the mass
slaughter approaches in 2015. "Why should the White House deny the
Armenian Community their artifact?" he asked.

Editor's note: Liana Aghajanian is a freelance writer based in Los
Angeles.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67835

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THE ORPHANED RUG

Reason.com
March 2014

Matt Welch from the March 2014 issue

In 1925, a group of orphans who had lost their parents to Turkey's
genocide of Armenians presented this ceremonial rug to President Calvin
Coolidge. Despite the exertions of many activists and historians,
the rug has been kept away from public view since the mid-1990s.

Armenian Americans have long suspected that the rug was warehoused
because the government of NATO ally Turkey does not want to see
or read any official-sounding communication that even broaches the
g-word. So when the publishers of a slim new volume titled President
Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug asked the White House to
release the Ghazir artifact for a private book party in December,
the terse response was, "We regret that it is not possible to loan
it out at this time."

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) responded by planning a historically
appropriate event that he hoped even the White House couldn't refuse.

But Schiff's initiative probably will end up in the same place as
the annual congressional drive to get the president to use the word
genocide on Armenian Remembrance Day (April 24): nowhere. As long
as Washington feels it has foreign policy needs that only Turkey can
supply, the orphan rug is likely to remain orphaned.


http://reason.com/archives/2014/02/28/the-orphaned-rug

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16:44 01/05/2014 » SOCIETY

Armenian Assembly of America welcomes White House decision to display Orphan Rug

With Members of Congress and the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) weighing in, the White House has agreed to release the Armenian Orphan Rug for public display as early as this fall, reported the Assembly.
The Assembly welcomes this development as a previous one-day exhibition of the carpet planned at the Smithsonian Institution last December was cancelled. According to a letter from National Security Advisor Antony Blinken to Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) last year, "Loans from the White House collection are made for fully developed exhibits, not for one-day private events." The Assembly expects the Armenian Orphan Rug to be prominently displayed to the American public this year.
News reports surfaced about Turkish pressure on the White House last year and the cancellation of the event, which led to an outcry by Members of Congress, including Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), along with Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA), who spearheaded a letter to President Obama signed by over 30 Members of Congress calling on him to release the rug.

With the Coolidge rug unavailable, the Assembly launched a campaign to display the Armenian Orphan "Sister Rug." Since then, the sister rug has been displayed in Boston, Massachusetts and Boca Raton, Florida, and was planned to be displayed at an event on Capitol Hill with Congressman Schiff in March, but was postponed due to a snowstorm.
"I am extremely touched," Dr. Martin Deranian told the Assembly upon learning the news of the decision to display the Armenian Orphan Rug. "I have faith in the American government, that it will do the right thing in the end," he said. Dr. Deranian authored the book "President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug." "I appreciate the work of our elected officials in Washington as well as the Armenian Assembly for helping to secure this commitment," he said.
In 1925, Dr. John H. Finley, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and vice-chairman of the congressionally chartered Near East Relief organization presented a rug made by orphans of the Armenian Genocide to then President Calvin Coolidge. The rug was made in appreciation of America's generosity in aiding the survivors of the first genocide of the 20th Century. As previously reported, the carpet was displayed at the White House in 1984 and 1995, but not since, an issue which the Assembly has raised with successive Administrations.
"The display of this tangible expression of gratitude for America's humanitarian intervention to save the survivors of the Armenian Genocide is a positive development," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

Source: Panorama.am

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White House vows to release Armenian Orphan Rug for display
White House vows to release Armenian Orphan Rug for display
May 1, 2014 - 11:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Obama Administration has advised Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) that the White House will be making the Armenian Orphan Rug - woven by young survivors of the Armenian Genocide and presented as a gift to President Calvin Coolidge in appreciation of U.S. relief efforts for the survivors of this crime - available for public display at an event to be held as early as Fall, 2014, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The announcement was welcomed by both Congressman Schiff and Senator Markey, who had joined with Congressional colleagues in petitioning for the release of the iconic symbol of U.S. humanitarian assistance following reports that the White House had refused to allow its display at an event that was to be held at the Smithsonian Institute in December, 2013.

"Since first raising this issue with the Administration, I have worked diligently with the White House to find a way for the Ghazir rug to be sensitively and appropriately displayed,” said Rep. Schiff. “Today, I’m pleased to be able to say that planning is underway for the Armenian Orphan Rug to be displayed as early as this fall. I have worked out with the White House that the display will take place in a venue that is open to the general public, and I appreciate their willingness to place this significant artifact on display for all to see.”

Sen. Markey concurred, noting that “the Armenian Orphan Rug is an important symbol of the longstanding friendship between America and Armenia. Displaying this significant piece of history will serve as reminder that we will never forget the Armenian Genocide and highlight the continued need to work towards its proper recognition. I commend President Obama and the White House for working with me and my Congressional colleagues to ensure that this rug is given the historic exhibition is truly deserves.”

The news was also hailed by Congressman David Valadao (R-CA), who, along with Congressman Schiff, is lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.227) and led a bipartisan Congressional effort to secure the release Armenian Orphan Rug. “For over a decade, Armenian – American organizations have been asking the White House and the State Department to display the Ghazir Rug publically," said Rep. Valadao. "Today’s announcement by the White House is an important first step towards ensuring the Armenian Genocide is recognized by our current Administration. My Congressional District, CA-21, is home to a large population of Armenian-Americans, who have a strong presence in our community. As their Representative, I am pleased the Administration has decided to fulfill our request to publicly display the rug. The Armenian Orphan Rug is a shared piece of American and Armenian history that belongs to the American people."

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian warmly welcomed the longstanding efforts of Rep. Schiff, Senator Markey, and Rep. Valadao to seek the public, prominent display of the rug, but noted that vigilance remains the key to ensuring that the rug presentation does, in fact, take place.

"It's a testament to the Turkish government's continuing grip over the Obama Administration's policy on the Armenian Genocide that it has taken years of Congressional and community effort to secure the public display of a rug woven by the child survivors of this crime - a unique artifact that, it must be stressed, is a piece of U.S. property and a meaningful part of American history," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We applaud the efforts of Congressman Schiff, Senator Markey, Rep. Valadao and others to secure the public display of this rug and will continue to track this matter closely in the coming weeks and months."

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Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts)
June 13, 2014 Friday


The Armenian rug of hope

by Harry N. Mazadoorian,


Sometimes a meaningful symbol can bring about results not achievable
by millions of articulate and well-reasoned words. We have all seen
examples where large populations have been moved from lethargy into
action by a symbol such as a flag, a gesture or a picture.

One such symbol is a rug woven by orphan survivors of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915, many years ago.

This year marks the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. More
than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children perished from
deportations, death marches, starvation and outright murder at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire.

So great was the sympathy and outrage that a relief effort of
unparalleled proportions was undertaken in the United States. The
Americans providing humanitarian relief and support for the victims
were a virtual who's who of American politics, arts, academia and
philanthropy, as well as ordinary citizens, all outraged by the
atrocities.

The Near East Foundation raised millions of dollars, the equivalent of
several billion today, for humanitarian relief. At the same time,
Danish relief workers, Swiss missionaries and people of goodwill from
all over the world rushed to create orphanages in Syria, Lebanon,
Greece, and elsewhere, providing lifesaving support to the young
orphans who survived, such as my mother and father.

Regrettably, the American outrage which followed the horrific genocide
waned in ensuing decades. Passage of time, shifting policies in the
Middle East and a growing reliance on the perceived strategic role of
the government of Turkey, successor to the Ottoman Empire, caused
indignation to melt into indifference.

Even efforts to have the United States Congress pass a symbolic
resolution recognizing and denouncing the genocide encountered
insurmountable resistance. Turkish opposition to congressional action
was strong.

Presidents, including President Obama, who pledged to recognize the
atrocities as genocide while on the campaign trail, abandoned the
pledge once elected for fear of offending a key ally in the Middle
East. Euphemisms and cleverly selected words replaced a forthright
recognition. The genocide was deftly sidestepped.

Some asked, did recognition of this genocide of so long ago, so far
away, of a people so little known, really make a difference? Meanwhile
genocide, brutality and killing continue throughout the world.

The "orphan rug" was painstakingly woven by Armenian orphans of the
Ghazir Orphanage in what is now Lebanon in gratitude for the
lifesaving humanitarian efforts of the United States during the
bleakest hours of the genocide.

The rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 and resides
in the White House today. Interestingly, the rug resided in
Northampton, Massachusetts for some time after the Coolidges left
Washington. Awareness of the rug heightened after the publication of a
marvelous book about the rug by Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian, who
practices in Worcester.

When the rug was requested for commemorative programs by Armenian
advocacy groups and by the Smithsonian Institution itself, the White
House declined the request, citing what appeared to be hollow
logistical and procedural reasons. Speculation was that sensitivity to
Turkish denial of the genocide was the real reason.

Organizations such as the Armenian Assembly, a Washington-based entity
promoting awareness of Armenian issues, and supportive members of
Congress, including Sen. Edward Markey, persisted in seeking release
of the rug.

Finally, at the end of April, the White House agreed to release the
rug for public display at some time in the future. This is encouraging
news and further details about when and where it will be displayed are
eagerly awaited.

Why has this single rug, this 90-year-old inanimate object, generated
such a passionate interest? What difference could its production or
non-production possibly make?

Clearly, the rug is only a symbol, but an extremely visible and
powerful one. It represents the spirit of those fragile orphans whose
resilience, faith and gratitude kept them going and which brought many
of them to this country -- many to the Worcester area -- to become proud
and productive Americans.

It serves as a precious and powerful emblem of respect and gratitude
to this country. Something which hapless survivors and waifs created
with their own hands -- more than four million knots of appreciation.

It also symbolizes the potential for a long-overdue and much-needed
transformative healing following one of history's darkest and most
tragic chapters.

The rug is part of American history representing this country's
pivotal role, throughout its history, in supporting the persecuted and
oppressed all over the world. It belongs to all Americans.

Perhaps, after nearly 100 years, the display of this modest symbol
will play a role in curbing the brutality and killing which continues
throughout the world.

Harry N. Mazadoorian of Kensington, Connecticut is the son of
survivors of the Armenian Genocide, both of whom were relocated to
orphanages in the Near East, before coming to America where they
initially lived in Whitinsville. He is an attorney and a mediator and
is the Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Quinnipiac University Law
School Center on Dispute Resolution.

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