Voski Ashoun - 2018

was held at Keljik's Oriental Rug Store this year. The featured presenter was Dr. Charles Hajinian who gave a presentation on Urartian and Pre-Urartian Antiquities.

ACOM Cinema Saturday in August featured parts 3 and 4 of the Russian produced TV comedy - My Big Armenian Wedding.

Tigran, a popular plastic surgeon in Moscow with roots in Armenia, and Lena, a well-educated and beautiful Russian woman, are in love. Families on both sides are mostly against the prospect of a "mixed marriage" and therefore devise various schemes to derail the impending engagement. Absurd and delightful situations develop. Comments on the series were, in general, positive. Although it was a bit over-the-top in some aspects, the filming taking place in Armenia was particularily interesting. Many familiar sights were presented. The major characters portrayed for the Armenian family were said to be quite accurate especially the Grandmother. The series got off to a slow start but as the plot developed it became more interesting and funny. Since the production was Russian, the dialog was mostly in Russian with some Armenian thrown in. The series was subtitled in English for those of us who are not conversant with either Armenian or Russian.

Thanks to Natasha Vaubel for her knowledge and diligence in rounding up these Armenian films.

The annual ACOM Summer Picnic was held this year at Como Park in St. Paul. We had reserved the West Picnic Shelter for this event. This is a new location for us but provided lots of opportunities for the attendees. The Shelter was near the Como Mini-Golf course, just across the street from Como Town (rides for kids). A short walk took people to the Cafesjian Carousel, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and the Como Zoo. There was a kids' play area near the shelter also.

The picnic started at 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, July 29, 2018. There was a grill nearby and many people brought their own meat to grill. The weather was extremely accommodating, even though there was a slight chance of rain (which didn't happen!!). More than 50 Armenians and their families and friends joined us for the afternoon with food, music, conversation, fellowship, games and simply a marvelous time for all. Comments we heard about the venue were very positive and people would like to return to the same location next year.

The ACOM Book Club met on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at Judy Ohanessian's house. Judy provided pita bread and hummus, a salad and a nice dessert, along with red and white wine.

Attendees this month were Tashina, Judy, Andrea, Francis, Al, Joe and me. The book for this month was "Mayrig" by Henri Verneuil

The question was asked as to why Henri Verneuil changed his name from the Armenian one, Ashot Malakian. Nobody had a ready answer.

The ACOM Pool party for 2018 was graciously hosted by Leroy and Cynthia Erickson at their home on Sunday June 24th 2018. The day was perfect for the event and the 24+ people who attended had a wonderful tine. Leroy, as usual, cooked up hamburgers and brats amid some clouds of smoke. There was a lot of good food provided by those who attended, with beverages provided by the Ericksons. This event has been  another more intimate summer gathering for ACOM members for a number of years. Stay tuned for our ACOM summer picnic to be held at St. Paul's Como Park on Sunday July 29th (Details)

Taner Akҫam honored by World Without Genocide

at the WWG Gala held at the Minneapolis Women's Club

on May 14th 2018

Dr. Akçam (right) with Executive Director Dr. Ellen Kennedy (center) and Sarah Erickson, J.D. (left),

recipient of the Alice Musabende Outstanding Citizen Award.

Chair of the Board of Directors Jack Rendler (left) presenting the award to Dr. Akçam (right).

For the complete text of Dr. Akҫam's remarks Click Here

Website for World Without Genocide at Mitchel-Hamline School of Law.

Our Mission

World Without Genocide works to protect innocent people around the world; prevent genocide by combating racism and prejudice; advocate for the prosecution of perpetrators; and remember those whose lives and cultures have been destroyed by violence.

The ACOM Book Club met on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at Leroy Erickson's house. Attendance this month was sparse with only Al, Judy, Francis and Leroy attending. The book for the month was "Hummus and Homicide" by Tina Kashian.
A special treat for the month was a hummus bar and crackers provided by Judy. She made four types of hummus - sun dried tomato, roasted garlic, spinach & lemon and traditional with cumin. I added red and white wines and some honeycrisp apples to complete our snacks.

The 2018 Festival of Nations held in St. Paul at the beginning of May is now history. The Festival has been running since 1932 and the Armenians were one of the twenty nationalities represented from the beginning.  the Festival of Nations has inspired people throughout the region to discover more about our world and embrace the rich cultural diversity brought to us by immigrants from around the globe. 

ACOM Held a Talk on April 24th 2018 commemorating the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Tom Keljik was the featured speaker and his topic was:

"Why did it happen? What were the events leading up to the Genocide".

The event was held in the auditorium of the St. Anthony Park Library in St. Paul. The event was well attended (43 at one count). Before the start of the event, Buttons calling for a remembrance of the Genocide were passed out to attendees. Tom also gave selected members of the audience colored cards with various pieces of information about times, places, and actions of historical significance leading up to the time of the Genocide. He used these during his talk, further involving the audience in the presentation. 

 An audio recording is currently available for the presentation. The talk was a bit under 1 hour in length. Click on the link below to hear the audio.

ACOM Genocide Talk - Audio

The link below is to a copy of Speakers Notes and Background Data in the Handout:

Speakers Notes and Background Data