*Arranged marriages. The AGBU’s Aleppo, Beirut, and Jerusalem chapters often resorted to arranged marriages in order to find a niche in life for abandoned young women under their care. The Union’s local officers assumed the role of real parents, urging the girls to marry Armenians. In this way, everyone had the impression that he was contributing to the nation’s survival, even while ensuring that the orphaned young women would find their place in society. The Union was nevertheless very demanding when it came to selecting candidate husbands—whom the young women usually did not know, since the prospective grooms lived in Egypt, Jerusalem, the United States or even Argentina—requiring that they supply precise information about their economic situation, moral standards, and health. A dossier on the young woman whose hand was being sought was sent, together with her suitor’s, to the AGBU’s executive committee in Cairo, which had the final say on such marriages. Over and above the usual information, such as the candidate’s last name, first name, and place and date of birth, the executive committee asked local chapters more ticklish questions. For example, was the young lady inclined to marry the man who had asked for her hand? Did she have distant relatives interested in what became of her? If so, they had to consent to the proposed match. The executive committee also asked for a report on the young lady’s health. The candidate husband, for his part, had to provide information about his age, line of work, economic situation, and family status. A widower had to indicate whether he had children. The prospective groom was also required to furnish a health report, ... Read all
Integrating Adult Orphans into Society
Weddings of young women from the AGBU's Beirut orphanage (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).