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International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
(A Division of the Zoryan Institute)
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
www.genocidestudies.org
Righteous Turks and Armenian Righteous Among Nations: Rescuers in the
Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust
A Public Lecture
by
Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian
As the Ottoman Turkish government was rounding up the Armenians in the
Empire for mass deportation and slaughter in 1915, a number of Turks and
other Muslims risked their lives to help them escape certain death. Years
later, as the Nazis were rounding up the Jews throughout Europe, a brave few
risked their lives to help Jews escape annihilation. Among them were a
small number of Armenians, officially recognized as "Righteous Among the
Nations." There is no way to know today how many such individual acts of
courage occurred in either of those tragic cases.
This lecture will describe the activities of these Armenians and explore the
various motivations of rescuers generally. These acts of kindness and
heroism stand in stark contrast to the cruelty and evil so prevalent during
genocide, and serve as a common lesson arising from both genocides. Today,
when genocide shows no signs of abating, and governments with the power to
intervene prefer the role of bystander, the actions of these rescuers
highlight a moral imperative, as well as reassure us of the human potential
for courage and humanity.
These lectures are part of the United Jewish Association's Holocaust
Education Week in Toronto, the largest such program in the world, and are
organized by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights
Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute), with the participation of the
Armenian Community Centre of Toronto, the Armenian General Benevolent Union
of Toronto, and the Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region.
Richard G. Hovannisian is Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History and
Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is the author of Armenia
on the Road to Independence (1967); The Republic of Armenia, 4 volumes
(1981-1996), and has edited and contributed to twenty other volumes on
Armenian history, the Armenian Genocide, as well as other subjects. A
Guggenheim Fellow, he is the first recipient of the "I Witness Award"
conferred by Jewish World Watch for his work on the comparative study of
genocide and prevention.
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, 8:00pm
The Sephardic Kehila Centre, 7026 Bathurst St., Toronto
&
Sunday Nov. 2, 2:00pm
The Armenian Community Centre, 45 Hallcrown Place, Toronto
For more information contact the International Institute for Genocide and
Human Rights Studies at [email protected] or call 416-250-9807.
(A Division of the Zoryan Institute)
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
www.genocidestudies.org
Righteous Turks and Armenian Righteous Among Nations: Rescuers in the
Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust
A Public Lecture
by
Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian
As the Ottoman Turkish government was rounding up the Armenians in the
Empire for mass deportation and slaughter in 1915, a number of Turks and
other Muslims risked their lives to help them escape certain death. Years
later, as the Nazis were rounding up the Jews throughout Europe, a brave few
risked their lives to help Jews escape annihilation. Among them were a
small number of Armenians, officially recognized as "Righteous Among the
Nations." There is no way to know today how many such individual acts of
courage occurred in either of those tragic cases.
This lecture will describe the activities of these Armenians and explore the
various motivations of rescuers generally. These acts of kindness and
heroism stand in stark contrast to the cruelty and evil so prevalent during
genocide, and serve as a common lesson arising from both genocides. Today,
when genocide shows no signs of abating, and governments with the power to
intervene prefer the role of bystander, the actions of these rescuers
highlight a moral imperative, as well as reassure us of the human potential
for courage and humanity.
These lectures are part of the United Jewish Association's Holocaust
Education Week in Toronto, the largest such program in the world, and are
organized by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights
Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute), with the participation of the
Armenian Community Centre of Toronto, the Armenian General Benevolent Union
of Toronto, and the Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region.
Richard G. Hovannisian is Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History and
Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is the author of Armenia
on the Road to Independence (1967); The Republic of Armenia, 4 volumes
(1981-1996), and has edited and contributed to twenty other volumes on
Armenian history, the Armenian Genocide, as well as other subjects. A
Guggenheim Fellow, he is the first recipient of the "I Witness Award"
conferred by Jewish World Watch for his work on the comparative study of
genocide and prevention.
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, 8:00pm
The Sephardic Kehila Centre, 7026 Bathurst St., Toronto
&
Sunday Nov. 2, 2:00pm
The Armenian Community Centre, 45 Hallcrown Place, Toronto
For more information contact the International Institute for Genocide and
Human Rights Studies at [email protected] or call 416-250-9807.