https://ann.org/features/reports-from-jerusalem/Recent content in Reports from Jerusalem on Armenian News Network - GroongHugo -- 0.128.0en-usFri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20130125.htmlFri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20130125.htmlAbp. Sevan Gharibian Armenian priests, members of the Brotherhood of St James of Jerusalem, have cast their votes in favor of Archbishop Sevan Gharibian as their Patriarchate’s new Grand Sacristan, the second most important and prestigious position within the church after the patriarch. The move follows the election of the former Grand Sacristan, Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, as the city’s 97th Armenian Patriarch. Born in 1940 in Beirut, Gharibian was ordained priest in 1968 and elevated to the rank of a prince of the church in 1988.https://ann.org/orig/mt-20130125.htmlFri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/mt-20130125.htmlAbp. Nourhan Manougian Abp. Nourhan Manoogian received 18 out of 33 votes Abp. Aris Shirvanian received 15 out of 33 votes It is incumbent upon the Armenian Apostolic Church, including its pious clergy and lay leadership, and the faithful at large to rally around, support, and pray for the 97th Patriarch-Elect (Undryal Badriark) of the Brotherhood of St. James, His Eminence Abp. Nourhan Manoogian (Note: When he becomes “Hasdadyal Badriark” in 40 days, then we can accurately address him as “His Beatitude”).https://ann.org/orig/ah-20111127.htmlSun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20111127.htmlQueen Keran has regained her royal train and her glory. The first time I saw her, I could not even bring myself to touch her with my own hands. She looked so ineffably fragile and sacrosanct, I was terrified I would be committing a sacrilege. I could only gaze at her in wonder - an 800 year old masterpiece I had been one of the privileged few to have seen or examined close up.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110413.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110413.htmlThe heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem have expressed grave concern over renewed moves by the Israeli authorities to tax Church buildings and properties. While previous such moves have ended in failure, the Israelis have not tried hard to mask their intention to persist in their efforts to impose an “arnona” (property tax) on properties owned by the various churches, including those which have been vacant for some time. In a statement issued here today, the “Heads of Churches of the Holy City of Jerusalem,” a loose conglomeration of the 13 Christian churches officially recognized by the Israeli State, warned of dire consequences that would ensue should Israel carry out its plans.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110301.htmlTue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110301.htmlWhen the great historians, particularly Ormanian and Savalaniantz, set out to wrest from the obscure pages of the past the history of the Armenians of Jerusalem, one of the main objective they achieved was the establishment of chronologically ascertained points of reference. But despite the exhaustive tenor of their approach and perspective, their quills inevitably left some gaps in the narratives that have come down to us. We know when Armenians first trod the dust-blown roads of Jerusalem, back in the days of empire, when Tigranes II led a conquering army to Syria and the borders of Judea (circa 1st-2nd BCE).https://ann.org/orig/ah-20101217.htmlFri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20101217.htmlAlthough the Armenian connection with Jerusalem began some two centuries before the advent of Christianity, when the victorious armies of King Tigranes II swept across the land, extending an empire that encompassed much of the known world then, documentary evidence from that period is scant and fragmentary. Macarius Of Jerusalem Letters To The Armenians The armies had left behind colonies of Armenians whose numbers were constantly replenished and augmented over the years, but few, if any, of the records they must have kept over the years, have survived.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100422.htmlThu, 22 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100422.htmlSteeped in a history that dates back a thousand years, and a tradition as old as time itself, St John’s eye hospital in Jerusalem is gearing up for further expansion in a bid to meet escalating demands for its services. Perched in lone majesty atop a hill in the East Jerusalem suburb of Sheikh Jarrah, which has been making turbulent headlines recently over property rights, the hospital stands as a beacon of hope to thousands of people across the Arab Israeli divide.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100419.htmlMon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100419.htmlStrands of gold entwined with copper, wrapped in the folds of a towering wall, the scent of pines carried on the breeze at twilight, the sound of bells punctuating the slumber of tree and stone. Lying in proud solitude, its mountain air as clear as wine, its name scorching like the kiss of a seraph. We are looking down on the little town of Jerusalem, city of gold, of which the poets and troubadours never tire of singing - Israel’s Ofra Haza calls it “Yerushalaym shel zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold) and Lebanon’s Fayrouz “zahratul mada’en” (flower of the cities).https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090911.htmlFri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090911.htmlJERUSALEM ODYSSEY - PART V JERUSALEM A gentle breeze has sprung up, cooling the ardor of the morning sun. Above me the cupola of the Dome of the Rock shimmers like a glorious beacon pointing at the sky, the golden tiles reflecting the aspirations and prayers of a thousand genuflecting worshippers. I am waiting for my guide, Abu Fadi, thoughtfully provided by Dr Yusuf Natsheh, of the Waqf, the Supreme Islamic Council.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090910.htmlThu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090910.htmlA page from the Queen Keran gospel, 1272 The Israeli Ministry of Interior has rescinded its decision to deport two Armenian seminarians involved in a fracas with a Jewish youth who had spat on them. The two, who had been held over by the Israeli police, were set free “without any prior conditions” and allowed to return to the Armenian Patriarchate of St James, church sources said. The seminarians, Narek Hovannesian and David Harutunian, had arrived in Jerusalem only a year ago to enrol at the seminary of St James, built by the American Armenian philanthropist pair Alex and Mary Manoogian, and prepare for the priesthood.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090909.htmlWed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090909.htmlThe Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has lodged a strong protest against a decision by the Israeli Ministry of Interior to deport two seminarians involved in a fight with a Jewish youth who had spat on a religious procession they were participating in. Patriarchate spokesperson Father Pakrad Bourjekian noted that this was not the first time such an unprovoked aggression against Armenian or Christian clergymen in Jerusalem had occurred. The road to the Armenian Patriarchate He said not only were the clergy singled out for this kind of treatment, but lay members of the Armenian community who wore or displayed crosses bore the brunt of such attacks.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090831.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090831.htmlIn this fourth articles in the series, Arthur Hagopian tells of his encounter with Khader Khano, the first native-born Assyrian to be ordained priest in over 100 years. It is early in the day in the Old City of Jerusalem, and virtually no one is up and around. It will be some time before the serenity of its streets and alleys is disturbed by the tread of heavy feet and the babble of many voices.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090824.htmlMon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090824.htmlIn the warm, reinvigorating summer air, walking along the cobblestoned alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem becomes a rediscovered pleasure, denied in Sydney where the use of a pedestrian’s feet is confined primarily to pressing a brake or an accelerator. Old City street I can believe friends who have been to Jerusalem claiming they had lost pounds, pounding the streets of the Old City. I am carrying a long mental list of all the people I hope to meet.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090810.htmlMon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090810.htmlThe Old City of Jerusalem basked in the warm July sun, morning shadows parading the splendor of the 500-year-old walls with majestic hauteur. It was a soothingly welcome relief from the shivering cold that had gripped Sydney as I boarded my flight, barely a day earlier. Old City spice merchant The Tower of David pointed a languid finger to the skies while the resplendent Dome of the Rock smiled beatifically at the group of worshippers in its embrace.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090803.htmlMon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090803.htmlThe 777 Thai Airways took off from Sydney more than a quarter of an hour late, but the crew made up for it with an abundance of solicitous courtesy and exemplary service. It would be a 9-hour flight to Bangkok and then another gruelling 11 hours aboard an El Al 767 bound for Telaviv. For the first time in 15 years, I was returning to Jerusalem, city of my birth, on an odyssey fraught with expectation and a modicum of trepidation.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090223.htmlMon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090223.htmlThe sprawling house is long gone, along with the dairy that his father ran in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City, but the memories (and tastes) Sarkis Bedevian has of his childhood in Jerusalem no doubt still linger. The sprawling house, a stone’s throw from the 500-year-old walls of the Old City’s Zion Gate (one of seven that punctuate the walls), has been bulldozed and replaced by a block of flats.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090118.htmlSun, 18 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090118.htmlArchbishop Nourhan Manoogian He is a spry 60-year-old, a dominating presence in any assembly, with a will that is pure forged steel, tempered with a keen sense of humor: qualities that have proved indispensable to him as Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the post that ranks as the second most important in the Jerusalem church. He has not been in the city long, but in those few years Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian has demonstrated that he has earned his place as a pillar of strength for the Jerusalem church, standing staunchly by the side of his Patriarch, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian (no relation).https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090107.htmlWed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090107.htmlThe global economic meltdown has diminished any hopes artist extraordinaire Avedis Baghsarian had held of staging an exhibition of his latest works. “According to the galleries and art experts conditions are so bad that they claim you can purchase masterpieces such as Picasso’s, for 1/4 the price of their estimated value,” he told this correspondent, echoing the current feeling in the worldwide financial market. But despite the setback, Avedis remains undaunted.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090101.htmlThu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090101.htmlGladys Berejiklian If the Australian Liberal Party wins the next elections in the State of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian stands poised to get the nod for a coveted cabinet post, the first Armenian ever to come within touch of the circle of power in this country’s most populous state. She has already carved out an Australian first with her appointment as Shadow (opposition) Transport Minister. The prospective portfolio in a Liberal State government would be of a “toxic nature,” as one columnist here observed, but that’s still at least two years away.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20081110.htmlMon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20081110.htmlInside The Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, and regarded by many as the holiest relic in the whole of Christendom, has once again become the unwelcome theatre of an unsightly brawl between two brotherly Christian denominations. Though not a stranger to such flagrant eruptions, the extent of the violence this time repelled every one who witnessed the drama as graphically captured videos streamed it on world TV.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080915.htmlMon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080915.htmlInside The Holy Sepulchre For decades, the triumphant triumvirate of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Latin Catholic churches, have stood firm guard over the panoply of Christian sacred places in the Holy Land, protecting, refurbishing and maintaining them. Often at enormous cost, the burden shared equally by all. It has been a practical and productive arrangement that has seen, among others, the roof of the Holy Sepulcher, one of Christendom’s holiest structures, restored to a brilliant display of inspiring color, after lingering as a painful eyesore buttressed by rickety scaffolding that soared upwards in an ungainly tangle of tubing.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080809.htmlSat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080809.htmlA page from the Gospel of Infancy Cricket is supposed to have originated some 300 years ago in England, but it is just possible that the game venerated all over the British Commonwealth, is older than currently thought. The story, told me by the distinguished Kaghakatzi Armenian professor Dr. Abraham Terian, was first released online by the Australian Associated Press, and has been picked up around the world, with both the reverent and irreverent, having a field day with the intriguing revelation.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080505.htmlMon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080505.htmlA page from the register of births of Kaghakatzi Armenians of Jerusalem. For years beyond count they have been languishing undisturbed, save for an occasional peek, in the cavernous archives of the Armenian Patriarchate of St James, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Three fat tomes of painstakingly meticulous script, with frequent lapses into flowery forays, the official registers recording the births, baptisms, marriages and deaths of the denizens of the city’s Armenian Quarter, the Kaghakatzis.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080422.htmlTue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080422.htmlJERUSALEM For Christians all over the world in general, and the faithful who hold the fort in the Holy Land in particular, Easter should be the most sublime of all feasts in their religious calendar. But often it is not, its sanctity marred by internecine conflict. The festive season that begins with Maundy Thursday, which marks the washing of the feet of the 12 Disciples, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is meant to engender a rebirth of faith and belief in the religion of peace he preached two thousand years ago.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080325.htmlTue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080325.htmlPatriarch Torkom Manoogian of Jerusalem Armenians in the diaspora who originally came from Jerusalem are planning a reunion in the city of their birth over the course of this year and the next, seeking to relive for a brief spell, the heady days of their youth in the hallowed confines of the sacred Old City. They will be travelling mainly from North America and Australia, in time to attend the Armenian Easter ceremonies in the Holy Land which will be held towards the end of April.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080120.htmlSun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080120.htmlA bold new initiative afoot to preserve the unique history and culture of the Kaghakatzi Armenians of the Old City of Jerusalem. JERUSALEM, ISRAEL Kaghakatzi Armenians having a ball - half a century ago. The tiny community of genocide survivors and their descendants living in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, has taken a bold and determined step toward ensuring that their unique place in the history of this immortal city, is not irretrievably lost.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070730.htmlMon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070730.htmlOrdination ceremony of three new priests in Jerusalem. The golden threads of the sun rappel through the high windows and entwine the velvet mists of incense floating in the air, before settling on the forms of the three figures kneeling before the cross and the bible. The candles on the resplendent altar flare as if in joy at the mysterious age-old ceremony being enacted before them. Their heads bowed in obedience, the three young men prepare to take their final vows as newly ordained members of the priestly brotherhood of the Armenian Patriarchate of St James in Jerusalem.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070112.htmlFri, 12 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070112.htmlEarly snow over the Old City Courtesy: Custodia di Terra Santa As members of the tiny enclave of Armenians in the Old City of Jerusalem celebrate Christmas on January 19, in accordance with a centuries-old tradition, they will be looking forward to perhaps one of the most decisive years in the history of the region. What does 2007 hold for them? What can the spiritual leader of this enduring bastion of diaspora Armenians, Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, tell them in the message he will be delivering from the Grotto of the Nativity, in Bethlehem, as the clock strikes midnight?