Amended in Assembly April 10, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 41

Introduced by Assembly Members Ian Calderon and Wilk

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(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian and Nazarian)

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March 19, 2014

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 41—Relative to the Armenian and Assyrian Genocide.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AJR 41, as amended, Ian Calderon. Armenian and Assyrian Genocide.

This measure would commend the extraordinary service delivered by Near East Relief to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and the Assyrian Genocide.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, During the Armenian Genocide of 1915 through
1923, 1.5 million men, women, and children of Armenian descent
lost their lives at the hands of the Young Turks regime then ruling
the Ottoman Empire in its attempt to systematically eliminate the
Armenian race; and

WHEREAS, In response to the begin delete genocide end delete begin insert Genocide end insert and at the
behest of President Woodrow Wilson and the United States State
Department, the Near East Relief organization was founded and
was provided unprecedented complete access to all United States
Government documents and files concerning the plight of Christian
minorities; and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief was the first congressionally
sanctioned American philanthropic effort created exclusively to
rescue the Armenian nation and other Christian minorities from
annihilation after United States Ambassador to Constantinople,
Henry A. Morgenthau, Jr., pled for assistance after personally
witnessing the systematic massacre of Armenians; and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief’s efforts resulted in delivering
$117 million begin delete of end delete begin insert in end insert assistance between 1915 and 1930, including
the delivery of food, clothing, and materials for shelter, and setting
up refugee camps, clinics, hospitals, and orphanages; and

WHEREAS, The generous philanthropy of the American people,
including many Californians, directly resulted in the salvation of
the Armenian and Assyrian refugees and prevented them from
being completely annihilated by the begin delete genocide end delete begin insert Genocide end insert by saving
more than one million refugees, including more than 130,000
orphans begin insert , end insert through their humanitarian assistance; and

WHEREAS, Near East Relief evolved into the Near East
Foundation in 1930, and continues to provide humanitarian aid to
people throughout the Middle East and Africa; now, therefore, be
it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California
hereby commends the extraordinary service delivered by Near
East Relief to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and the
Assyrian Genocide, including thousands of direct beneficiaries of
American philanthropy who are the parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents of many Californian Armenians and Assyrians;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of
the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States
Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California
in the Congress of the United States.