Overdoing It
By Jirair Tutunjian
Some months ago the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in New York published a four-color magazine in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Berge Setrakian upon Mr. Setrakian’s retirement after 22 years as the president of AGBU. “Some months ago” because the magazine had no date. Neither did it have any information about the publisher, the editor or the staff. Although there were four long articles only one had a byline. Since the AGBU publishes a quarterly with full editorial staff headed by an editor-in-chief, why the anonymity?
The celebratory issue had 52 pages, and was furnished with 70 color photos and 10 in B/W.
The cover of the magazine had the photo of the Setrakians in their glitzy Manhattan apartment. The retiring president wore a glossy-silky grey shirt. Something a Las Vegas entertainer would wear.
Inside the magazine, there were 53 photos of Setrakian and 11 of his wife Vera. In one of the photos, Mrs. Setrakian is conferred by Catholicos Karekin II with the “Daughter of Echmiadzin Award,” the highest award of the Armenian Church.
We also see Mr. Setrakian with Pope Francis, Charles Aznavour, and President Bill Clinton; at the Palace of Versailles, in Sao Paolo, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Aleppo, Yerevan, Beirut, Sofia, and Detroit…
There’s no doubt that Mr. Setrakian–AGBU president (2002-2024)—did commendable job during his long tenure. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been re-elected repeatedly.
Honoring in writing a president upon his departure one expects to read panegyrics. However, dedicating a 52-page magazine to Mr. and Mrs. Setrakian is overdoing it. It’s money spent unwisely when there are so many needy Artsakh Armenians marooned in Armenia and encounter indifference—if not hostility–from the government and some citizens. A good example of the over-the-top mellifluous text can be seen in the magazine’s first article, titled Making His Case.
–“Berge Setrakian, Esq. prepares to look into a new role—that of a transformational figure whose legacy will be judged by none other than history itself.”
–“His profound understanding of historical context has guided his lifetime of leadership, allowing him to navigate the complex realities of our times with wisdom drawn from decades of lived and learned experience in inspired life.”
–“Highly developed ability to analyze and synthesize information drawn from such disciplines as philosophy, literature, politics, culture, and contemporary affairs.”
–“…his savoir faire…quintessential citizen of the world…”
–“To his professional peers and adversaries alike, Setrakian is a glowing brilliant legal mind and highly skilled negotiator.”
There’s more like the above.
The article mentioned Setrakian had worked at “one of the world’s most elite law firms…” Someone, something can be elite, but there’s no such thing as “most elite.”
The profile of Mrs. Setrakian is headed by “Giver in Chief.” She is photographed in Setrakians’ deluxe Manhattan apartment.
The articles dedicated to the lives and times of Berge and Vera Setrakian are supplemented by “Blessings” from Catholicos Karekin II (one-and-a half pages) from Catholicos Aram of the Catholicosate of Cilicia (one-and-a-half pages), and from Catholic Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian (half-a-page.)
Reading the 52 pages one learns about Setrakian’s childhood, Boy Scout days, about his parents (photos of his father and family), how he insistently courted Vera, his sports car, their engagement photo, and photo of their engagement dinner (1975) at the St. Georges Hotel, Beirut’s top hotel. We also learn that one of their daughters is an “international journalist.” The descriptive is of unknown coinage. Does the writer mean “foreign correspondent?
In the avalanche of glowing biographical detail, there are three important missing facts:
- The magazine about the life and times of Setrakian should have mentioned his salary. The Internet claims overly-generous salaries for AGBU’s New York staff while some Armenian sources say Setrakian served for 22 years without salary.
- How much money was spent to publish the send-off issue and mail it to AGBU members and people who are on the subscriber list of AGBU’s quarterly? Why spend all that money when Setrakian has left the building?
- Why did the tribute issue did not mention that Setrakian bears main responsibility for shuttering AGBU’s Diaspora schools. His “legacy” includes the closing of schools in Cyprus, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Setrakian bizarrely looked at these schools as “business centers.” That is, if they lost money, they had to be closed and teachers tossed into the Unemployment Pit. Setrakian knows as well as any one that Diasporan educators who teach Armenian, Armenian history, and Armenian literature, music, and culture have limited job opportunities in odar schools. And since when have Diaspora schools made a profit? How could Setrakian dismiss the fact that our Diaspora schools play a leading role in the survival of the Armenian Diaspora? Is Setrakian indifferent to the possible jermak chart threatening the six-million Diaspora?
Has he given up on the Diaspora?
