THE HAIRENIK LENDS BOOK TO LEMKIN EXHIBIT
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By Weekly Staff
November 20, 2009
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