Sara Anderson
Sara Anderson is a great-granddaughter of Armenian genocide survivors Sarkis and Natalie Israelian. Growing up, Sara always knew she was Armenian. By the time she was 10, she was able to talk about the genocide and had a fuller understanding when she was thirteen. Even though she wasn't fully Armenian, that was the part of her that she felt she could talk about the most, and gave her a sense of identity.
"It was something to be proud of from before I knew anything else."
Shortly before her great grandmother passed, Natalie passed down her story and experience of the Armenian genocide to Sara and her twin sister Beth when they were thirteen. This was an experience that impacted Sara greatly, and can recall the stories she was told as a child from her great grandmother.
"But she sat my twin sister and I on either side of her and held us close. And they always used to sing us Armenian songs about eyes and nose and mouth and ears, and we had no idea what she was singing! But she'd sing it and then she would tell us a story about leaving Armenia."
Natalie additionally helped instill a sense of Armenian identity and family in Sara not just from the stories she told but also through speaking about the bonds of family.
"She talked about what it meant to be Armenian. She talked about the importance of family and loving family."
Sara was also able to learn more information through her uncle Harvey, who had traveled to historical Armenia to see the regional infrastructures in Kharpet, Tadem village and Mt Ararat in 2015. He was able to create a book of all the buildings from photos that had been taken, and added informational text alongside them. She was given this book to pass onto her kids, and gives them an additional way to learn about the Armenian genocide and where their ancestors had come from.
"They're almost 13 and almost 10 and they know about the genocide, they know about the stories... I hope to continue to tell the stories. There is a part of me that is sad that it gets diluted. But I think it's about telling the story and keeping the story and passing [it on]. My daughter will have a ring from Barmakian's, and my son too if he wants it. But passing that on and just making sure they understand what it means to know that history and those stories."
Although there is a fear of losing some of the stories that are passed down from generation to generation, Sara hopes that her children will continue to carry on the traditions and awareness of their Armenian side. Harvey's efforts in creating this book are also greatly important in educating family members on the physical location and memories that subside there, which will hopefully continue to make its way throughout future generations of Sara's family.