The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU,

Eastern Armenian Eastern Armenian ( ''arevelahayeren'') is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, as we ...

: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or hyw, Հայ Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միութիւն,''Hay Parekordzagan Enthanour Miyutyun'' or ''Hopenetmen'' for short, french: Union générale arménienne de bienfaisance, ''UGAB'') is a non-profit Armenian organization established in Cairo, Egypt, in 1906. With the onset of World War II, headquarters were moved to New York City, New York. With an annual international budget of over $47 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational,

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

and

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

programs, annually serving some 500,000 Armenians in over 30 countries. In 2006, the AGBU celebrated its

centenary {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

in its headquarters in New York City. The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) was founded on April 15, 1906, in Cairo, Egypt, by the initiative of renowned national figure

Boghos Nubar Boghos Nubar ( hyw, Պօղոս Նուպար), also known as Boghos Nubar Pasha () (2 August 1851 – 25 June 1930), was a chairman of the Armenian National Delegation, and the founder, alongside ten other Armenian national movement leaders, of th ...

, son of

Nubar Pasha Nubar Pasha ( ar, نوبار باشا hy, Նուպար Փաշա (January 1825, Smyrna, Ottoman Empire - 14 January 1899, Paris) was an Egyptian-Armenian politician and the first Prime Minister of Egypt. He served as Prime Minister three times d ...

(three times prime minister of Egypt) and other prominent representatives of the Egyptian-Armenian community to contribute to the spiritual and cultural development of the Armenian people. The goal was to establish a union that would in every way assist the Armenian people, the future of which, as a minority in the Ottoman Empire, was endangered.

History

Between 1906 and 1912, the AGBU provided the villagers of the Western Armenia with seeds, agricultural instruments, etc. It established schools and orphanages in Western Armenia,

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

and other Armenian-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire. In 1914, AGBU had 142 branches in Western Armenia, Cilicia, USA, Argentina, Europe and Africa with 8,533 members. Boghos Nubar Pasha (1906) - TIMEA

The First World War and the Armenian genocide were turning points for both the Armenian nation and the AGBU. In 1914, Boghos Nubar left Egypt and moved to Paris. Despite the huge losses in different chapters of the union, the AGBU managed to render tangible help to the Genocide survivors. In October 1915, the Sisvan school with 1,222 students, later an orphanage and a camp for women refugees, was established by the AGBU in the desert near Port Said, Egypt. This camp is where survivors of Musa Dagh settled. In the years following the Genocide, the AGBU became mainly involved in taking care of orphans. After the war, the AGBU was reformed and founded new branches in Armenian-populated regions of the Near East, Greece, France and USA. AGBUManchester

In 1921, the union's headquarters was moved from Cairo to Paris. After World War I, the main goal of the AGBU was to preserve and promote Armenian language, identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. In 1926, AGBU established the Melkonian Educational Institution in Nicosia, Cyprus, Nubarian foundation, which provided scholarships to Armenian youngsters to study in European universities, and the Marie Nubar Dormitory in Paris in 1930. After the death of Boghos Nubar in 1930, oil magnate and prominent Armenian figure Galust Gyulbenkian took over the presidency of AGBU. After heading the union for two years, the son of the former, Zareh Bey Nubar, replaced him and headed the union until 1940. During World War II, the AGBU headquarters was moved from Paris to New York as a result of Nazi occupation. In 1942, Arshak Karagyozian became the fourth president of the AGBU. The AGBU's activities aimed at national preservation became more effective during the post-war period, especially in

Alex Manoogian Alexander Manoogian ( hy, Ալեք Մանուկեան; June 28, 1901 – July 10, 1996) was an Armenian-American industrial engineer, businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist who spent most of his career in Detroit, Michigan. He was the foun ...

’s tenure between 1953–1989. The AGBU expanded and became the biggest and most influential Diaspora-Armenian organization in the world. In 1954 Alex Manoogian founded the ՚՚"Alex and Marie Manoogian" cultural fund; in 1968 he established the "Alex Manoogian" cultural fund. Through these funds, a number of educational and other establishments were built over the next several years. Today, the AGBU has chapters in 72 cities in 30 countries around the world, with 22,000 members, 120 branches, 27 cultural centers spread worldwide in the US, Europe, Near East, South America and Australia. The AGBU has 24 schools (6,600 students) and funds more than 16 educational establishments. The AGBU has two libraries, one in Paris and the other in New York City. In 1989, Louise Manoogian Simone, the daughter of Alex Manoogian, became the president of the AGBU. It gave a new breath to the strengthening of ties between the Armenians of Armenia and diaspora. In 1988, immediately following the

Spitak earthquake The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurre ...

, the AGBU organized the transportation of food, clothes, and medicine to the disaster zone. In 1990, the AGBU opened a representative office in Yerevan. Restarting its activities in Armenia after a 50-year interval, along with humanitarian assistance, the AGBU carries out projects aimed at and contributing to the development of the country. In 1995, the AGBU founded the first Young Professionals (YP) Group in Los Angeles; today, there are 37 YP Groups and Partners worldwide. Since 2002 Berge Setrakian, partner at renowned law firm DLA Piper, is the president of AGBU. In 2017, the AGBU opened the

AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or hyw, Հայ Բարեգործական Ընդ ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, California in the United States.

Centers, chapters and offices

*Argentina: Buenos Aires, Córdoba *Armenia: Yerevan *Australia: Melbourne,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

*Austria: Vienna *Brazil: São Paulo *Bulgaria: Burgas,

Dobrich Dobrich ( bg, Добрич ; ro, Bazargic, tr, Hacıoğlu Pazarcık) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 9th most populated city in Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province and the capital of the region of Southern Dobr ...

, Haskovo,

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

, Rousse,

Silistra Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Sil ...

, Sliven, Sofia,

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

and Yambol *Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver *Cyprus:

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

, Larnaca *Egypt: Alexandria, Cairo *Ethiopia: Addis Ababa *France: Lyon,

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, Nice, Paris,

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to: * Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon * Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him * Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

, Vienne *Greece: Athens, Thessaloniki *Iraq: Baghdad *Iran: Tehran *Lebanon: Beirut, Sin El Fil, Alay, Zahle,

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, Sidon *Italy: Milan *South Africa: Johannesburg *Switzerland: Geneva *Syria:

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Qamishli, Kessab,

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

*United Kingdom: London *United States: Boston,

Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...

, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Fresno, California,

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish for " St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718. San Gabriel was founded by the Spanish in 1771, when Mission San Gabriel Arc ...

, Houston,

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, California, Red ...

, Los Angeles, New England District, Oakland-San Francisco,

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

, Philadelphia, President's Club,

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, San Diego,

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., Watertown, Massachusetts *Uruguay:

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. *Netherlands: Almelo.

Education

AGBU operates 24 day and Saturday schools. Some of the schools run by the AGBU include: *

AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School ( hy, ՀԲԸՄ Մանուկեան-Տէմիրճեան վարժարան) is an Armenian-American private school located in Winnetka, Los Angeles, California, United States. Located in the heart of the San Fernando ...

, Los Angeles, California * AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School,

*AGBU Alexander Primary School,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

*Manoogian School, Southfield, Michigan *Alex Manoogian School, Montreal, Quebec. *Marie Manoogian School, Buenos Aires, Argentina *AGBU Armenian Central High School,

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

(since 1954), *Nubarian (primary school) and Alex Manooguian (secondary school),

, Uruguay. It awards scholarship grants and loans to more than 500 students worldwide; it supports the American University of Armenia and Yerevan State University. The Union has funded a number of benevolent causes, including supporting the Lord Byron School, which was donated by the British government following the earthquake in Armenia in 1988. The school has continued to twin with the Holgate School in Nottingham.

Youth and culture

Through its extensive global network of 69 chapters, young professionals groups, centers and offices, the organization sponsors numerous worthwhile cultural and humanitarian programs, including children's centers, soup kitchens, summer camps, athletics and Scouts, internship and mentoring programs and the performing arts. It claims to be the world's largest non-profit Armenian organization.

Sayat Nova International Composition Competition

One of AGBU's cultural efforts is th
Sayat Nova International Composition Competition
Started in 2006, Sayat Nova International Composition Competition introduces the greater music community to Armenian cultural and inspires talented young composers. The competition seeks works written for a mixed ensemble of Armenian and Western instruments and set to the text of an Armenian poet. In 2006, the poetry of

Sayat Nova Sayat-Nova (Armenian: Սայեաթ-Նովայ ( сlassical), Սայաթ-Նովա ( reformed); ka, საიათნოვა; ; ; born Harutyun Sayatyan; 14 June 1712 – 22 September 1795) was an Armenian poet, musician and '' ashugh'', w ...

was featured, in 2014 it was

Daniel Varoujan Daniel Varoujan ( hy, Դանիէլ Վարուժան, 20 April 188426 August 1915) was an Armenian poet of the early 20th century. At the age of 31, when he was reaching international stature, he was deported and murdered by the Young Turk gov ...

, and 2016 will feature

Grigor Narekatsi Grigor Narekatsi ( hy, Գրիգոր Նարեկացի; anglicized: Gregory of Narek) ( – 1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and ...

. The competition offers an amazing array of financial awards and opportunities to composers including a premiere performance in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Publications

With more than a dozen publications in six languages, AGBU has a rich publishing tradition
*

Ararat Quarterly ''Ararat Quarterly'' (1959–2008) was an international quarterly of literature, history, popular culture and the arts published in English The quarterly was published by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in New York New York most co ...

(first published in 1959) A quarterly of literature, history, popular culture and the arts. *AGBU News (New York, NY, USA) *AGBU Voice (Bulgaria) *

Arek Monthly ''Arek Monthly'' (أريك in Arabic meaning sun in Armenian) is a monthly magazine published in Cairo, Egypt by Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in Arabic covering Armenian subjects and concentrating on Arab-Armenian relations. The firs ...

(Cairo, Egypt) *Desilk (Scarborough, Canada) *Deghegadou (Cairo, Egypt) *Generation 3 (Argentina) *Hayatsk (Aleppo, Syria) *Hoosharar (New York, NY, USA) *Khosnag (Beirut, Lebanon) *Mioutune (Sydney, Australia) *Parekordzagani Tsayn (Sofia, Bulgaria) *Revue Arménienne des Questions Contemporaines (France) *UGAB-France (Paris, France) *Yeram (Damascus, Syria) *Generacion 3 (Buenos Aires, Argentina) *AGBU Scout "Սկաուտ" (Yerevan, Armenia)

Presidents

(1906–1928) – Founder * Calouste Gulbenkian (1930–1932) * Zareh Nubar (1932–1943) *

Arshag Karagheusian Arshag Karagheusian ( hy, Արշակ Կարագյոզյան December 4, 1872 - September 24, 1963) was an Armenians, Armenian rug manufacturer and co-owner of A. & M. Karagheusian, Inc. He also served as the head of the Armenian General Benevolent ...

(1943–1953) of

A & M Karagheusian A. & M. Karagheusian, Inc. was a rug manufacturer headquartered at 295 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Manufacturing was located in Freehold Borough, New Jersey and operated for 60 years before closing in 1964. It employed 1,700 people at its peak ope ...

(1953–1989) – Honorary Life President. * Louise Manoogian Simone (1989–2002) * Berge Setrakian (2002–present)