A child’s perspective
Jerusalem
Armenians
have
had
their
share
of
poets,
troubadours
and
story-tellers,
but
although
records
or
anthologies
of
the
accomplishments
of
previous
generations
are
non-existent,
memories
still
linger
among
their descendants, some of these very vivid.
Among
one
of
the
most
intriguing
skills
the
old
ones
proudly
possessed,
and
displayed
at
the
drop
of
a
hat,
was
the
manufacture
of
tall
stories.
Audiences
even
had
a
special
appellation
for
the
practitioner
of
this
kind
of
art:
"Abu
'l
Haul,"
the
Arabic
name
for
the
Sphinx
at
Giza
in
Egypt.
The
reference
or
connection
is
not
clear
-
the
word
"Haul"
(as
in
'hole')
literally
signifies
terror
or
great
dismay,
and
"abu"
(literally,
'father')
is
an
attributive construct carrying the meaning "of", "owner of".
Most
of
these
accounts
detailed
exaggerated
first
person
exploits
but
some
were
based
on
fairy
tales
whose
origins
are
unknown.
There
was
the
story
of
the
three
friends
each
of
whom
had
a
unique
talent,
including
invisibility,
which
enabled
them
to
garner
vast
riches.
Another,
rated
M,
told
of
a
man
who
complains
to
a
rooster:
"Isn't
it
a
shame
that
your
crowing
at
dawn
wakes
people
up
from
their
beautiful
sleep?"
and
when the rooster concurs, he promptly wrings its neck.
Stories
of
ghouls
and
other
unclassified
fiends
and
monsters
abounded
-
including
the
bear
that
devoured
every creature around him, but spared his mate.
The
songs
were
haunting
melodies
of
love
and
nostalgia
for
the
Armenian
Quarter
had
tasted
an
inordinate
slice
of
humanity's
painful
woes,
one
of
the
most
tragic
the
death
of
the
pretty
stewardess,
Hoppig
Ohannessian, in a plane crash.
Among
the
current
crop
of
writers
and
philosophers,
more
attuned
to
the
nuances
of
perpetuity,
poetry
in
the
classic
sense
has
been
a
more
or
less
rare
indulgence.
Dr
Abraham
Terian
and
Prof
Haig
Khatchadourian
have
attained
international
renown
with
their
brilliant
insights
while
on
a
more
modest
note
Kevork
Jinivizian,
resident
poet
of
the
Armenian
Quarter
over
the
past
half
century
and
veteran
subeditor
of
the
Patriarchate's
official
organ,
"Sion,"
has
produced
handfuls
of
poems
in
Armenian.
One
of
his
anthologies
is
called
"Streams
of
tears."
Although
a
healthy
crop
of
teachers
and
educators
was
available
to
cater
to
the
kaghakatsi
young,
few
have
availed
themselves
of
the
academic
opportunity
to
pen
down
their
thoughts,
dreams
or
stories.
Novelists
have
therefore
remained
an
endangered
species.
Abraham
Kankashian,
a
universally
popular
and
inspired
teacher,
would
only
produce
one
slim
volume
of
short
stories,
"An
Armenian
Medley."
John
Rose,
whose
mother
was a midwife serving in the Armenian Quarter, has penned a touching reminiscence of life there.
Journalism
has
attracted
a
number
of
kaghakatsis.
In
recent
days,
Aram
Belian
attained
to
the
post
of
editor
of
Israel
TV's
Arabic
section
after
editng
the
now-defunct
Jerusalem
Times,
while
John
Zakarian
found
his vocation on a local paper in the US, with a string of awards to his credit.
The
Armenians
of
Jerusalem
have
always
been
good
with
their
hands.
Whether
it's
jewellery,
masonry,
ceramics or metalworking, the output of their multifaceted imagination has astounded the world.