WINCHESTER, Mass. — The Pan-Armenian Council of New England, in coordination with the Armenian Assembly of America, hosted Jerusalemite activists Hagop Djernazian and Setrag Balian Jr. on January 25 for a presentation in the home of Drs. Shant and Reem Parseghian in Winchester at which representatives of many different local Armenian organizations were present.
The following day the two spoke at St. James Armenian Church in Watertown and at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge, sponsored by the Pan Armenian Council and the Armenian Assembly of America. These talks were part of an East Coast and Midwest tour from January 22 to 30, intended to raise awareness about problems the Armenians of Jerusalem are facing, primarily concerning control over a piece of land called the Cows’ Garden, and to raise funds for legal expenses concerning this property.
The young visitors cofounded the Save the ArQ (Armenian Quarter) movement in May 2023 and were speaking as its representatives. Save the ArQ has a seven-member organizing committee which, according to Djernazian, consults and works closely with the various Armenian political parties and clubs.
The 24-year-old Djernazian is also leader of the scouts and executive committee member of the Hoyetchmen Club (Armenian Youth Association) in Jerusalem. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Middle East Studies in Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he is now working on a second degree in law. The 28-year-old Balian, a fourth-generation descendant of the Balian ceramics family, has studied economics in France and Armenia, and explored ceramics in Spain.
In addition to participating in Armenian community meetings in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York and New Jersey, in Washington D.C., the Jerusalemite duo met with representatives of various Congressional offices and held a midday briefing sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America, while in New York City, they met with representatives of several countries’ United Nations missions, including of France, Canada and Armenia, together with one of their international law team members, Karnig Kerkonian.
Djernazian right after the trip ended reported that the meetings at the UN and Capitol Hill were very productive. He said, “We reached agreements with different stakeholders to raise this issue on various levels, whether at the UN, the House of Representatives, or Senate.”