For the greater part of the past century, the Jerusalem Armenian
Benevolent Union (JABU), popularly known the "Agoump" (club),
continued to act as the nerve center of the social and cultural life
of the kaghakatsi Armenians of the Old City.
It
played
a
significant
role
not
only
in
enhancing
the
education
of
the
kaghakatsi
youth
with
its
Scout
movement,
but
also
in
providing
succor
and
shelter in times of need.
One
of
its
most
cherished
traditions
is
the
annual
(Armenian)
New
Year's
eve
celebration
when
everyone
who
can
make
it,
wends
his
or
her
way
to
the
club
hall
to
share
a
meal
or
refreshments
and
drinks,
sing
songs,
and
remember the old days.
Filled
with
good
cheer,
and
good
wine,
the
revelers
then
snake
along
the
winding
alleys
of
the
Quarter,
led
by
an
accordion-wielding
Pied
Piper,
and
carry
the
party
to
each
other's
home.
Invariably,
the
evening
would
end
at
the
home
of
the
head
of
community
leader
and
JABU
president
Antranig
Bakerjian.
His
table
would
always
be
lavishly
laid.
The
genteel
host,
he
would
personally
ensure
his
guests,
who
would
sometimes
number
over
a
hundred,
each
had
a
drink
or
finger
food
in
hand.
More
songs
and
more
laughter,
the
merriment
would
continue
until
the
wee
hours of the morning.
The
next
day,
it
would
be
the
children's
turn
to
have
a
party,
with
a
heavily
laden Santa Claus to regale them and give them presents.
In
the
afternoon,
JABU
committee
member
Arshalouys
Zakarian
would
lead
a
group
of
ladies
to
the
homes
of
the
less
fortunate
families,
to
bestow
some
good
cheer upon them along with such largesse as JABU's modest budget would allow.
Bakerjian
had
a
deep
love
of
literature,
particularly
poetry
and
drama.
One
of
his
perennial
favorites
was
E.
A.
Poe's
"The
Raven."
He
directed
and
produced
several plays, among them the highly popular "Syv Ho.yr" and "Salome."
JABU
survived
and
thrived
on
the
income
generated
not
by
membership
dues,
which
were
practically
nonexistent,
but
by
the
sale
of
gate
tickets
to
the
much-
coveted
balls
held
on
three
or
four
occasions
during
the
year
in
the
club
hall,
as
well
as
the
highly
anticipated
stage
productions.
Lotteries
brought
in
some
more
money.
There
were
also
regular
film
shows:
the
first
movie
ever
screened
by
JABU
was
"The
Greatest
Show
on
Earth,"
(which
starred
Charlton
Heston
and
James
Stewart).
JABU
also
helped
stage
other
shows,
with
magicians
the
most
popular
attraction.
The
club
once
even
managed
to
stretch
a
tight-rope
above
the
audience for a trapeze artist's balancing act.
The
walls
were
decorated
with
Disney
characters,
drawn
by
nascent
artists
like
Kevork
Koukeyan
("Kawarek")
who,
alas,
never
bothered
to
capitalize
on
their
talent.
Literary
activities,
like
dramas
and
poetry
recitation,
were
another
major
draw.
"Salome" and "Sev Hogher" (Black Earth) won hands down as best productions.
The
Scout
movement
was
a
solidly
established
feature
of
life
for
the
young
kaghakatsi.
It
was
unquestionably
male-dominated.
The
children
were
trained
in
various
kinds
of
Scout
lore
and
craft,
went
camping
at
the
drop
of
a
hat,
and
marched
in
glorious
parades.
One
of
their
most
memorable
exploits
was
a
three-
trek to Wad el Quilt and the Dead Sea, carrying full packs.
Although
community
numbers
have
been
shrinking
alarmingly
over
the
past
several
years,
the
JABU
spirit
still
lives
in
Jerusalem,
in
the
US,
in
Australia,
wherever there is a sizeable colony of kaghakatsis.
JABU
was
founded
in
Jerusalem
in
1929,
the
same
year
the
city
saw
the
establishment
of
the
Tarkmanchatz
parish
school
and
the
Gulbenkian
library.
Among
its
original
founders
were
Hagop
Hovsepian
(who
later
changed
his
surname
to Hagopian), a "sefer berlik" survivor.
During
the
1948
Arab-Israeli
war,
it
fell
to
the
well-organized
kaghakatsi
leaders
to
take
on
the
duty
and
responsibility
of
guarding
and
defending
the
Armenian
Quarter
and
the
Convent
of
St
James.
With
whatever
weapons
they
could
scrounge,
they
patrolled
the
Armenian
compound,
ministered
to
the
occasional
casualties, organized food distribution, and herded people to shelters.
In
the
wake
of
the
1948
Arab-Israeli
war,
the
kaghakatsi
community
leaders
(there
were
nine
of
them)
decided
it
was
time
to
refurbish
the
"Agoump"
whose
roof had received a direct hit during the fighting between the Arabs and Jews.
Hagop
Zakarian,
to
whom
people
rarely
referred
by
name,
preferring
to
call
him
by
his
popular
sobriquet
"sab'
el
leil"
(night
tiger),
picks
up
the
thread
of
the
history of JABU.
Zakarian,
one
of
the
pillars
of
the
modern
kaghakatsi
entity,
who
now
lives
in
Miami,
Florida,
was
one
of
those
nine.
The
others
were
Arshalouys
Zakarian,
Antranig
Bakerjian,
Kevork
Kaplanian,
Ghazaros
Pashaian,
Melkon
Babigian,
Krikor
Mnatzaganian, Apraham Toumayan and Mourad Mouradian.
[All
of
the
people
mentioned
in
the
above
paragraph
have
lamentably
passed
away now].
The
"transition"
that
took
place
in
1948
was
aimed
at
blending
"the
founders
with
the
new
members
in
order
to
follow
through
what
our
founders
were
doing,"
Zakarian says.
"During
the
transition
a
new
committee
of
nine
members
was
elected
and
given
the
responsibility
to
remain
identical
to
the
same
work
the
founders
were
doing," he adds.
The
nine
included
merchants,
businessmen
and
public
servants
and
under
their
guidance, the JABU club was ushered into a golden age.
However,
the
1967
Six
Day
War
and
relentless
attrition
among
the
kaghakatsi
ranks saw its glory begin to fade.
Echoing
the
feeling
of
all
kaghakatsis,
Zakarian
is
determined
to
see
the
Agoump "grow and remain as strong as it was in the past."
"This
will
make
everyone
of
us
very
proud
of
our
heritage
and
hard
work,"
he
adds.
He
notes
Bakerjian's
visit
to
the
United
States
to
raise
the
funds
required
to
repair
the
damage
to
the
club's
roof
was
highly
successful.
Bakerjian
also
visited
Sydney,
and
returned
home
to
Jerusalem
with
pledges
of
continuing
support
from
abroad.
After
graduating
from
Jerusalem's
Terra
Santa
school,
Bakerjian
became
a
teacher
English.
In
the
1950s
he
joined
the
the
United
Nations
Relief
and
Works
Agency
(UNRWA)
for
Palestinian
refugees,
rising
through
the
ranks
to
attain
the
status of Area Officer.
During
his
visit
to
the
United
States,
he
was
asked
to
remain
at
the
UN
headquarters
in
New
York
but
he
declined
the
offer
because
he
wanted
to
go
back
and serve his community and rebuild and strengthen the Agoump's membership.
The
total
cost
of
repairs
at
the
Agoump
stood
at
US$87,000.
Rebuilding
started
in 1992.
Ghazaros
Pashayan
was
a
Treasury
Department
employee
with
the
British
Mandate
government
when
he
volunteered
his
financial
expertise
to
JABU.
He
became
a
committee
member
and
oversaw
the
Agoump's
books,
keeping
a
tight
rein on expenditures.
He
was
later
to
emigrate
to
Australia
and
continue
serving
the
community
by
managing the finances of the Sydney branch of JABU.
Krikor
Mnatzaganian
assumed
the
duties
of
store
manager
and
inventory
keeper,
ensuring
that
the
Agoump
never
ran
out
of
necessities.
But
he
was
most
more
for
his
prowess
on
the
dance
floor,
earning
for
himself
the
label
of
"al
raqqas"
(the dancer). Rare was the girl who could stand on her feet after a twirl with him.
Arshalouys
Zakarian
proved
to
be
one
of
the
most
active
members
of
the
JABU
board.
She
was
appointed
specifically
to
speak
for
the
women
of
the
community.
She was their voice and their hope.
"Her
commitment
and
hard
work
was
to
get
as
many
women
as
she
could
involved in the Agoump," Hagop Zakarian (no direct relation) says.
She
was
particularly
active
in
JABU's
charity
and
social
welfare
programs
and
nothing
delighted
her
more
than
to
witness
the
delight
of
the
community
children
as they opened their Christmas presents, whose donation she orchestrated.
Kevork
Kaplanian,
who
owned
a
shoemaking
business
in
the
Christian
Quarter,
volunteered
his
time
and
efforts
as
manager
of
the
club's
catering
and
entertainment department.
"Whenever
the
Agoump
help
a
party
or
had
a
celebration,
he
used
to
get
up
very
early
in
the
mornings
and
head
to
the
market
to
purchase
the
necessary
provisions,"
Jack
says.
His
skills
extended
to
the
culinary
art
and
the
mezzas
he
prepared were mouth-watering indeed.
The
Agoump
hall
set
the
stage
for
a
very
active
entertainment
program,
for
children
and
adults
as
well.
Under
Kaplanian's
stewardship,
the
audience
was
regaled
with
magicians,
a
tightrope
walker,
and
movies!
The
first
film
shown
at
the
Agoump
was
"The
Greatest
Show
on
Earth,"
starring
Charlton
Heston
and
James
Stewart.
Melkon
Babigian
was
another
successful
businessman,
a
goldsmith
and
jeweller
by
trade,
who
lived
in
the
nearby
Greek
convent
of
St
George.
A
genial,
imposing
figure,
he
found
time
to
cater
to
the
needs
of
the
community
as
a
JABU
board
member.
Apraham
Toumayan
worked
in
the
payroll
department
of
the
United
Nations
Relief
and
Works
Agency
(UNRWA),
and
assisted
the
club's
treasurer,
Ghazaros
Pashayan,
in
managing
the
JABU
treasury
and
finance
department.
A
bachelor
all
his life, he became very active in Agoump affairs.
The
greatest
joy
in
his
life
was
the
traditional
role
he
played
as
the
guardian
and
transmitter
of
the
miraculous
Holy
Fire
on
"sabt
el
nour",
the
Saturday
of
Easter.
He
would
be
perched
at
the
mouth
of
one
of
the
several
small
apertures
in
the
edicule
containing
the
tomb
of
Jesus,
in
the
rotunda
of
the
Holy
Sepulcher,
waiting
for
the
light
that
would
descend
miraculously
on
the
tomb,
signifying
the
resurrection of Christ.
With
a
mighty
plunge,
he
would
snatch
the
torches
as
they
burst
into
fire,
and
pass
them
on
to
the
runners
waiting
to
take
them
to
their
various
destinations.
The
first
torch
would
be
handed
to
the
Armenian
runner,
traditionally
a
Hagopian
whose
clan
had
inherited
the
immemorial
right
for
the
race
to
get
the
torch
to
the
Armenian Patriarch waiting in an upstairs balcony.
Murad
Muradian
is
best
remembered
as
a
Scoutmaster.
By
trade
a
metal
worker,
he
threw
himself
body
and
soul
into
the
cultural
programs
of
the
Agoump.
His
energetic
zeal
was
contagious.
He
organized
some
of
the
club's
most
ambitious
camping
expeditions,
among
them
the
famous
4-day
trek
from
Jerusalem
to
Wad
el
Quilt to Jericho and the Dead Sea.
Another
of
his
exploits
was
orchestrating
the
Boy
Scout
contingent
of
the
funeral
cortege
of
Patriarch
Guregh
Israelian
who
died
in
1952,
in
Tiberias.
Jack
remembers
how
Murad
went
from
house
to
house
to
recruit
more
youth
to
form
a
Boy
Scout
group.
He
got
members
of
the
community
to
donate
clothing
and
asked
every
mother
to
help
put
a
uniform
on
the
boys
so
that
they
could
participate
in
the procession.
Jack
notes
that
Murad's
efforts
paid
off.
When
the
body
of
the
Patriarch
crossed
the
Mandelbaurn
gate
dividing
Arab
and
Jewish
Jerusalem,
JABU
was
the
only
one
of
the
four
Armenian
clubs
that
could
field
representatives
of
the
Armenian
community
to
receive
the
body
of
the
Patriarch
and
accord
him
the
honor
he
deserved.
"In
his
years
with
the
Agoump,
Murad
was
like
a
father
to
every
boy
Scout
and
Cub,"
Jack
adds.
Murad
later
immigrated
to
Australia
where
he
also
became
involved in the JABU Australian activities.
Like
Murad,
Jack
Zakarian
himself
was
a
metal
worker,
who
worked
at
the
Augusta
Victoria
hospital
as
an
instructor.
And
like
Apraham
Toumayan,
he
remained a bachelor most of his life until he migrated to the United States.
Jack
occupies
a
unique
niche
in
the
annals
of
JABU
and
the
kaghakatsi
community
of
Jerusalem.
A
fearless,
perennially
cheerful
man
with
universal
appeal,
he
was
the
heart
and
soul
of
any
gathering
or
party.
He
worked
tirelessly
to
help
rebuild
the
Agoump
after
the
terrible
pounding
it
had
received
during
the
1948
fighting,
and
became
the
friend
of
young
and
old
alike.
His
tales
of
adventure
and
misadventure
(some
of
them
definitely
exaggerated)
would
enthrall
his
listeners
for
hours
on
end.
No
Scout
outing
or
expedition
was
complete
without
his
participation.
The
Agoump
has
gone
through
more
than
one
upheaval,
but
has
survived
two
wars
and
endure
over
the
years,
to
stand
as
an
invincible
symbol
of
the
spirit
of
the kaghakatsi Armenians of Jerusalem.
It
continues
to
inspire
and
lead.
Although
a
shadow
of
its
vaunted
halcyon
days
of
glory
during
the
1950s
and
early
1960s,
it
persists
and
endures
and
shows
the
flag
with
all
the
dignity,
courage
and
perseverance
that
is
the
hallmark
of
this
unique Armenian community.
Its
endurance
is
attributable
in
no
small
measure
to
the
selfless,
devoted
support
it
has
been
receiving
from
sister
clubs
overseas,
particularly
the
US
and
Australia.