SURVIVORS TO HONOR MORGENTHAU FAMILY AT MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE
Armenian Weekly
Tue, Apr 13 2010
NEW YORK-On Thurs., April 22 at 11 a.m., Armenian Genocide survivors
from metro New York will meet with Robert M. Morgenthau to tour "The
Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service" exhibit at the Museum of Jewish
Heritage. The survivors will be joined by leaders from the Armenian
community. Together, they will personally thank Morgenthau for his
family’s contributions to world events and honor his grandfather,
Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the former U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman
Empire during World War I.
While serving as ambassador, Henry Morgenthau Sr. was a champion for
the Armenians being persecuted by the Young Turk government. Among
the artifacts on display in the exhibit is his 1915 telegram where
he alerted the U.S. State Department: "it appears that a campaign of
race extermination is in progress."
Profiling three generations of the Morgenthau family, including
Henry Morgenthau, Sr.; his son, Henry Morgenthau Jr., Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s treasury secretary; and his grandson, Robert M.
Morgenthau, the former New County district attorney and chairman of
the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the exhibit includes rare documents
and dramatic footage of the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and
the formation of the state of Israel.
Dr. Mary Papazian, the provost of Lehman College, City University of
New York, will give the opening remarks.
***
This special event takes place two days before the 95th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. On Sun., April 25, for the 25th year, thousands
of Armenian Americans and citizens against genocide will gather in
Times Square (on Broadway between 43rd and 44th Streets) from 2-4 p.m.
for the 95th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
(Medz Yeghern), under the theme: "Turkey is the Question, America is
the Answer."
The event will pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians annihilated by
the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire (1915-23) and address
the consequences still felt today. Major political figures will speak,
along with civic, humanitarian, and educational leaders.
The event is organized by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan,
and co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian
Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian
Democratic Liberal Party, and the Armenian Council of America.
Participating organizations include the Diocese of the Armenian Church,
Prelacy of the Armenian Church, Armenian Missionary Association of
America, Armenian Presbyterian Church, Armenian Evangelical Church,
Armenian Catholic Eparchy, and Armenian youth organizations.