95th anniversary of Asia Minor catastrophe commemorated in LA

LOS ANGELES, CA – When the Kemalist forces set fire to the Greek and Armenian quarters of the city on September 13, 1922 in an attempt to complete the extermination of indigenous Christian minorities, it also effectively ended the 3000-year cultural presence of Hellenism on the cities of Asia Minor.

Designated by the Greek Government in 1998, September 14 serves as a day of remembrance for all Greek victims of the Genocide. This year marks the 95th anniversary of that catastrophic event and the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian communities came together to commemorate the event at the Huffington Center at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles.

This is the first ever United We Remember Commemoration, an initiative by the American Hellenic Council of California (AHC) which was the host organization, in cooperation with the Armenian Assembly of America and the Federation of Hellenic American Societies of Southern California. Greek actor Panos Vlahos served as Emcee and guest speakers included Past AHEPA Supreme President Dr.James Dimitriou Past and Dr. Eric Esrailian. Executive Producer of The Promise, a film thatchronicled the Armenian Genocide.

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco and Fr. John Bakas welcomed the attendees and performed the invocation. Also in attendance was Consul General of Greece Gregory Karahalios.

Dr. Dimitriou, the keynote speaker, centered his speech on the tragic events of the Great Fire of Smyrna and the Greek Genocide of Asia Minor that was the conclusion of the campaign against Christian minorities that started with the Armenian Genocide in April, 1915.Dimitriou spoke about American Consul General of Smyrna George Horton, who wrote a memorable account of the attack and destruction of the city in his book, The Blight of Asia. Referencing the book, he spoke about“the hundreds of thousands of Greeks and Armenians stranded on the quay of Smyrna while 21 allied warships watched their suffering. In addition to those murdered, raped and tortured was the Metropolitan of Smyrna, Chrysostomos, who was butchered and dragged through the streets.”

Dimitriou, whose family is from Marmara Island said that “after the Smyrna Catastrophe 15,000 Greeks were taken off the island but less than half would survive. My grandfather who was already in America came back and through some miracle was able to find my family in the camp and was able to take them back to America in 1923. The next ship was to bring others of our extended family and from our town of Afthoni on Marmara, but they were refused entry into the United States and were sent back to Turkey. They were never heard from again.” He also spoke about his visits to Greece and his interviews with Consul General’s daughterNancy Horton, who remained in Greece until her death a few years ago.

Dr. Esrailian is an American gastroenterologist who serves on the full-time faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. A proud Armenian and the great-grandson of Armenian Genocide survivors, he was appointed as a manager and producer for Kirk Kerkorian’s production company Survival Pictures.The Promise is the first major Hollywood production to tell the story of the Armenian Genocide and it featured Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Christian Bale and Golden Globe Award nominee Oscar Isaac. The film was the vision of Kirk Kerkorian, who donated the entire amount for the production which was nearly $90 million. Esrailian said that “Mr. Kerkorian understood the enormous difficultyand the challenges in producing a film depicting a tragedy that happened over a century ago in a different continent, and questionable commercial value to such a production, but he felt that it will promote a awareness and start a conversation, so we never forget what happened.” Another byproduct of Kerkorian’s vision was the establishment of The Promise Institute of Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, launched by a $20 million donation. The Promise Institute will promote awareness for the Armenian Genocide but its scope is global, they want to raise awareness of violations of human rights worldwide. “Human right abusers and deniers are relying at the fact that we are scattered and that is why events like today, United We Remember, are very important. We have far better leverage when we act together” Esrailian told TNH. He sees many parallels in the stories of the Greek Genocide and “those stories should be told as well. There is plenty of talent and ingenuity in the Greek community that will allow those stories to make it to the big screen. But we need to connect those stories to the world community so they can be relatable” he said.

The shared history and affinity that the Greeks and Armenians have for each other is evident in the following story. Despina Gianopulos Landers who attended the event and is the granddaughter of two Greeks who survived the Smyrna Catastrophe, met Esrailian 10 years ago when her mother was sick. Once they entered his office and her mother read the name on his desk she asked: “Are you Armenian?”When the doctor replied “yes I am, Mrs. Gianopulos,”she said “then we are going to be good friends, my family is from Asia Minor.” Then,she turned to her daughterand told her “Despina, I have an Armenian doctor so I will be in good hands.” The two families have remained friends ever since. She said her mother would have been very proud that her doctor produced a film about the Armenian Genocide and she believes that “The Promise is a reminder that freedom can never be taken for granted.”

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Photo Source: thenationalherald.com

Source: thenationalherald.com