The Hairenik Lends Book to Lemkin Exhibit

NEW YORK (A.W.)—On Sat., Nov. 16, an exhibition titled “Letters of Conscience: Raphael Lemkin and the Quest to End Genocide” opened at the Center for Jewish History in New York.

The exhibition, co-organized by the American Jewish Historical Society, the Center for Jewish History, and the Yeshiva University Museum, is on view through May 9, 2010. It focuses on the activities and legacy of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-American Jewish lawyer who coined the term “genocide,” working relentlessly and inventively to protect the rights and survival of groups targeted for destruction. Organized jointly with the American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History, the Lemkin exhibition, which presents a fascinating array of original correspondence and documents, serves as a stirring and important reminder of an individual’s ability to better humanity and the future.

Included in the exhibit is the Jan. 1, 1959 issue of the Hairenik Weekly (currently, the Armenian Weekly), in which an exclusive book review by Lemkin was published. Lemkin’s review is a powerful reminder of the impact the Armenian Genocide had on the person who coined the term “genocide” and who dedicated his life to fighting this crime. In the article, Lemkin says, “One million Armenians died, but a law against the murder of peoples was written with the ink of their blood and the spirit of their sufferings.”

Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian, who has written about the role Armenian newspapers played during the discussions leading up the Genocide Convention of 1948, said, “We are honored and delighted to have made a small contribution to this landmark exhibit on Lemkin’s legacy. Armenian communities on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1940’s closely followed the tireless efforts of Lemkin and supported him. Lemkin himself attests to this in his book review, as well as in interviews given to the Armenian press.”

For more information on the exhibit or to contact the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org.