Fund established for Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial

April 1, 2014 - 14:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A special fund has been established to receive donations for the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Everyone is encouraged to consult with their accountants and financial advisors about contributing to the project, which will commemorate the Armenian Genocide and condemn all crimes against humanity.

Funding raised for the project will help pay for construction and ongoing maintenance of the memorial, for which a Ground Blessing ceremony will take place Sunday, April 27, at Memorial Park in Pasadena, California.

“I believe it is the calling of corporations, nonprofits, individuals, accountants and financial advisors to work together in making this memorial a reality,” said David George Gevorkyan, Chief Financial Officer for the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee. “Each of us, in our way and capacity, can bring about the change we would like to see for us and for future generations.”

Approved by the City Council in September 2013, the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial will be completed and dedicated in April 2015 to mark the 100th anniversary of the killing of 1.5 million Armenians over a three-year period beginning in 1915.

“This unique memorial pays tribute to the fallen martyrs and their descendants in the diaspora,” said Bernard K. Melekian, a member of the committee and former Pasadena Police Chief. “It will stand as a testament to faith, courage and perseverance.”

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.