Wednesday, August 3, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Lamenting Jerusalem: The Armenian Quarter In The Old City

by Contributor
March 29, 2013
in Columns, Critics' Forum, Latest
12
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Save the ArQ

BY TAMAR BOYADJIAN

For the last two millennia, Jerusalem has been represented as a space of desire – a place that has been perennially occupied and lost, and an area of which the borders are contested until today. Jerusalem – as both a spiritual and secular space – has over the years attracted the attention of many different groups of people, including Armenians. Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back over 1,500 years, with documented evidence from the 5th century. The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem, which encompasses one-sixth of the Old City, is unique in that Armenians are the only people to have a quarter in the Old City along with the three monotheistic faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

My own interest and fascination with the city of Jerusalem comes from the desire to examine the ways in which both Armenians and other cultures represent the city in their medieval literary traditions. On Friday the 8th of February, I had the pleasure of delivering a paper about Armenians and the city of Jerusalem in the crusader period, at a symposium entitled, “Armenian Jerusalem: Past and Present.” The event, organized by the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno, in cooperation with the non-profit organization Save the ArQ (Save the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem), also featured presentations by my colleagues – Dr. Bedross Der Matossian (University of Nebraska, Lincoln); Dr. Sergio La Porta (California State University, Fresno); and Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian (California State University, Fresno). The lectures on the program covered a rich array of topics, such as: the history of the Armenian community of Jerusalem from the early period to the contemporary; issues that relate to the negotiations between the sacred and the secular; pilgrimages to the city; and the current political and social events taking place in the Armenian Quarter, including the election of the new Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem in January of this year. Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian succeeded the late Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, becoming the 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Conversations during this symposium were also interspersed with personal experiences of both living and traveling to the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem. These types of intimate familiarities were significant in that, alongside providing an outline of the vital role Armenians have played in the far extended history of Jerusalem, these experiences also brought to the forefront one of the main goals of the symposium – raising awareness about the Armenians currently living in Jerusalem’s Old City .

From l to r: Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Dr. Bedross Der Matossian, Dr. Sergio La Porta, Dr. Tamar Boyadjian

Currently, the Armenians in Jerusalem face many types of difficulties, due to socio-economic and political factors impacting the region. While much of the connection between Armenians and Jerusalem has been and continues to be religious in nature – and more specifically related to pilgrimage – a strong and prominent secular dimension also exists. Armenians in Jerusalem have made significant contributions to the history and development of the city from the period of early Christianity to the present. Moreover, in order to better understand the current condition of the Jerusalem Armenians, one must look at the historical transformations that Armenians in general experienced under the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, and later under British Mandate, Jordanian rule, and the current administration of Israel. In order to elaborate upon these historical complexities, I find it useful to briefly draw upon the highly valuable work of my colleague, Dr. Bedross Der Matossian, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian Genocide during World War I led to the mass migration of Armenians from Cilicia to Jerusalem, with thousands of Armenians pouring into the Armenian Quarter. At this point, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem detached itself from the authority of the Istanbul Patriarchate and the Armenian National Assembly, to which it was subordinate during the period following the Armenian National Constitution in 1863. During the period under British Mandate, the Patriarchate kept amicable relations with the British authorities, who largely maintained the Ottoman millet system and allowed administrative matters concerning the Armenian refugees and local population to be handled by the Patriarchate. Following the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and the subsequent withdrawal of the British, the Jordanians and the Israelis had disputes over Jerusalem; and subsequent to the Cold War, Jerusalem became a contested space for the Holy Sees of Echmiazin and Cilicia. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Patriarchate pursued a subtle policy with the Israeli government, but with the breakout of the first Intifada in 1987, the position of the Patriarchate towards the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli government relatively cooled, and dozens of Armenian families began to leave Jerusalem. In fact, the population of Armenians living in Jerusalem has greatly declined since then. During the British Mandate period, over 10,000 Armenians lived in greater Jerusalem. Today, that number is under 1,000.

The decline in population is just one of the many challenges that Jerusalem Armenians face today. These current difficulties are multifold; and as Armenians, we should be aware of these circumstances to help maintain this historically significant and long-standing Armenian diaspora community. The first obstacle Jerusalem Armenians face pertains to their citizenship status. Most Armenians are considered Jordanian citizens and fall under the legal category of “Eastern Jerusalemites.” For this reason, many of them have difficulty obtaining travel and marriage documents. They also face obstacles when attempting to bring spouses or other family members into Jerusalem. The depressed economic environment discourages and makes it difficult for Armenians to open up and maintain businesses in Jerusalem. Housing also remains one of the biggest obstacles facing the Armenians in the Old City. Not only is space limited because of overpopulation in the Old City, but real estate is very expensive. Most Armenians, given their current income, simply cannot afford to maintain their primary residence there. Moreover, Armenians living in East Jerusalem would find it virtually impossible to obtain a house in West Jerusalem, due to exorbitant costs and their citizenship status.

Armenian education in the Old City also faces serious challenges and needs the aid of Armenians in the diaspora. The Armenian Sts. Tarkmanchatz Secondary School has adopted neither the Israeli nor Palestinian education systems. Rather, the school follows the system that was put in place under the British Mandate. As a result, children graduating from this school are having difficulty both being accepted and transitioning into Israeli and Palestinian universities. Amidst these challenges, sweeping reforms and renovations have been implemented under the supervision of Rev. Father Norayr Kazazian, the current Dean of Sts. Tarkmanchatz Secondary School. Similarly, Mihran Der Matossian, the director of the school’s education system, has undertaken the task of radically restructuring the school’s curriculum and education program. These reforms have been put in place to prepare students graduating from the school to enter institutions of higher education in Israel and abroad.

In face of these challenges, what are some of the things we can do as Armenians living in the diaspora to help the Armenian community in Jerusalem? One way to get involved is through the aforementioned non-profit organization, Save the ArQ, co-founded by Mary M. Hoogasian and Bedross Der Matossian, which has an Executive Board and supporting members. The organization’s mission is to create awareness of the significant religious, cultural, and historical presence of Armenians in Jerusalem and to encourage the revitalization of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City. The organization engages in both short-term and long-term projects to help sustain the Armenian Quarter’s future. One of its key objectives is to build housing units to re-populate the Armenian Quarter in the Old City. The organization’s other projects are devoted to bettering the community’s life by supporting education at Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School; renovating the compounds within the Armenian Quarter; building a park and playground in the Quarter; renovating sections of the Helen Mardigian Museum of Armenian Art and History; organizing academic workshops, conferences, and seminars at the Gulbenkian library; and aiding the Armenian clubs in the Quarter. One of the most recent contributions of the organization is the donation of lab equipment to the school to enhance students’ study of the sciences. The organization also intends to set up a program at the school, whereby teachers living abroad will be invited to teach there and provide the latest tools and technologies necessary for educational advancement. The school is also in desperate need of up-to-date textbooks and school supplies, which could be donated by both schools and individuals in the diaspora.

Another way Armenians living abroad can help the Armenian community of Jerusalem is by making a “pilgrimage” to the Armenian Quarter. One need not be convinced of the historically significant and highly stimulating experience of visiting a place like Jerusalem. Though many Armenians abroad may fear traveling to Israel because of the current political climate, Save the ArQ will begin organizing tour groups for Armenians interested in visiting the city. There are also a number of non-Armenian and Christian tour groups which arrange frequent trips to the Holy Land. These visits will both morally and financially support the Armenian community in the Old City, along with being a rewarding experience for the visitors themselves.

One final component that needs special attention pertains to the preservation of the manuscripts and archival material of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. As a medievalist, and someone who both collects and works with manuscripts, the preservation and maintenance of this collection is particularly important to me. We are very fortunate to have the invaluable magnum opus of Archbishop Norayr Bogharian – a twelve-volume manuscript catalog, which provides detailed information about all of the manuscripts belonging to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. This highly significant catalog is no longer published in print form, but through my efforts at UCLA, I have been able to convince the university to digitize it. However, it is vital that we support efforts to preserve and digitize the actual manuscripts and archival material – yet another project being put in place by Save the ArQ. Just like Jerusalem itself, this material is a palimpsest upon which Armenian culture and history have been inscribed and preserved; and it is significant that we create permanency of our own history and culture through modern technologies, such as digitization.

Through efforts such as these, we can help our brothers and sisters in Jerusalem maintain this historic and vital community. Let us remember some of the opening lines of Catholicos Grigor Tgha’s 12th-century “Poem of Lamentation over the Capture of Jerusalem,” lest we find ourselves lamenting (as his poem does), a once-present Armenian spirit in the city:
I cry out this lamentable sound…
You listen concerning the calamity,
Brothers and sisters together,
Children of the great mother Zion
Brides of the upper room.

For more information on Save the ArQ, you can visit their website at: savethearq.org.

Tamar Boyadjian is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA, where she received her PhD in the Department of Comparative Literature. Her research interests include medieval manuscripts, crusader Jerusalem, and the interactions between medieval Europe and the medieval Middle East. You can reach her or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum at comments@criticsforum.org. This and all other articles published in this series are available online at www.criticsforum.org. To sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to www.criticsforum.org/join. Critics’ Forum is a group created to discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Armenian History Timeline Quiz Bowl Set for April 14

Comments 12

  1. Satenik says:
    9 years ago

    A very interesting article to read. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. stephan says:
    9 years ago

    Great Topic. Keep up the good work Tamar.

    Reply
  3. Jirair says:
    9 years ago

    Thank you for the article on Jerusalem Armenians. As a former resident of the city, I would very much like to obtain copies of the research papers/presentations by the Critics’ Forum. Can you provide me with a contact address? Shnorhagaloutune. Jirair Tutunjian

    Reply
  4. Jacqueline says:
    9 years ago

    Thank you for this interesting article. I have one comment though: early in the article you mention that Jerusalem, and thus Armenians in Jerusalem are under the “…current administration of Israel”. It is not administration but rather illegal annexation since 1967. Israel is illegally applying its laws on occupied territory, including East Jerusalem. The international community, including the USA, doesn’t recognise this jurisdiction. It is important to use the proper description of the situation when talking about conflicts, particularly this rather complex one. Kind regards, Jacqueline

    Reply
  5. Aymara says:
    9 years ago

    Jacqueline, whether or not Israel’s annexation of the Old City was illegal is debatable – and this certainly is not the place to debate it as you’re trying to do. The reality is that Israel administers the territory. That’s the reality, and that’s what the Old City’s residents need to contend with. In the case of the Armenians, there’s no question they’re better off under Israeli sovereignty than under Palestinian/Islamic rule. In Gaza, from which Israel withdrew, Christians are suffering severe hardships. Should Israel ever make the colossal mistake of surrendering control of the Old City to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, the Armenian community will be persecuted and their freedoms eroded. Get your priorities in order: put your concern for the wellbeing of Jerusalem’s Armenians above your enmity towards the Jewish state. –Aymara

    Reply
    • Mary Dagan-Foxman says:
      9 years ago

      Dear Aymara, as you stressed, prioritization is the key. I enjoyed your post.

      Reply
      • Armen says:
        9 years ago

        Prioritize for the ancient city and Armenian community should be #1, the Armenians have been stewards of the tomb of Jesus Christ for centuries. Way before Israel became astate. The Palestinian muslims and Catholics share a bond with Armenians. The Zionista continue to confiscate ancestral Armenian property. Then there is the spitting attacks of our priests by the Haredi Orthodox Jews. Motto mention the continual games the Israeli government plays with the Turkish government in not officially recognizing the armenia’s genocide despite the terror turkey supports in gaza.

        Reply
        • Armen says:
          9 years ago

          The way I hear it this Mary Dagan-Foxman aka “Terrorist Barbie” despises Armenians and regularly attacks them in Fresno, California.
          Look her up online she is crazy and claims to know everything and knows nothing and nobody. Just a pathetic liar claiming to be a humanitarian and a writer of some sort. No credibility from her, not anything from her except fantasy make believe.

          Reply
  6. Rev. Dr. Gary Shahinian says:
    9 years ago

    Hello Aymara,

    I would like to correct you. Israel’s annexation of the Old City is not a question of debate. It is illegal, plain and simple, as proclaimed by the United Nations over and over again! Yes, the sad reality is that Israel administers that territory. I take strong exception, however, with your statement that in regard to the Armenians who live there, “there’s no question they’re better off under Israeli sovereignty than under Palestinian/Islamic rule.” Really? Have you asked them? I was in Jerusalem during the summer of 2011 and what I regularly heard was that they would prefer to live under Palestinian rule. Of course, the ideal would be for Jerusalem to be considered a sovereign state like Vatican City, with representatives from the three major religions jointly administering the affairs of the government. But since that is not likely to happen, the next best thing would be for the Armenians to live under Palestinian rule. That opinion was expressed by the late Very Reverend Father Ghevont Samoorian of blessed memory. He was ordained on the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Christianity’s holiest site. He attended and taught at the Armenian Theological Seminary in Jerusalem. In addition he lived and served as a priest in Jerusalem for many years, including serving as Dean of the famous Gulbenkian Library on the compound of the Patriarchate. He was a member of the Brotherhood of St. James which manages the affairs of the Patriarchate. He also worked with the US Embassy and the CIA in making broadcasts for Voice of America and in developing films for use at the Monastery and schools of the Patriarchate. I mention these things to show not only Hayr Soorp’s expertise of the Patriarchate and the situation in Jerusalem and Palestine, but also that he possessed “inside” information not released to the general public about what is really going on there. He was a mild-mannered person, but the one time that I saw him become dramatic was when he said that it would be disastrous if the Armenian Quarter were ever to be placed under Israeli sovereignty. I have my priorities in order. They are the priorities of Jerusalem’s Armenians themselves who have made it clear that they are suffering under Israeli oppression and it is getting worse. Aymara, I don’t know if you’re an Armenian or not, but you certainly do not give the impression that you are familiar with the struggles of the Armenians who live in Jerusalem. Why don’t you talk to them about it? You might learn something.

    Reply
  7. Dianne Sandler says:
    4 years ago

    so what really is the citizenship of Armenians living in the AQ in the Old City in Jerusalem?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Through Use of Force, Azerbaijan is Forcing Concessions from Artsakh, Says Human Rights Defender

Through Use of Force, Azerbaijan is Forcing Concessions from Artsakh, Says Human Rights Defender

12 mins ago
Russia Again Blames Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violation

Russia Again Blames Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violation

1 hour ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • August 3, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to