Zoryan Institute: Relationship between the Armenian and Jewish Genocides

Relationship between the Armenian and Jewish Genocides to be Presented at World's Largest Holocaust Education Week Program

International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
(A Division of the Zoryan Institute)
October 17, 2007

Toronto, Canada-- As part of the United Jewish Association's Holocaust Education Week in Toronto, November 1-11, the largest such program in the world, the Zoryan Institute, through one of it sister Divisions, has been invited to jointly organize a thought provoking public lecture, "Nazi Germany, the Armenians and the Jews." The lecture will be presented by Prof. Eric D. Weitz, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of History and Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.

Prof. Weitz, in his exploration of many points of interconnection between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust, discusses: the influence of the Armenian Genocide on Raphael Lemkin in his having genocide declared a crime in international law; the Nazi reaction to Franz Werfel's novel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh; the novel's impact on the Yishuv and on Jewish resistance during World War II; how the lack of punishment for the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide gave confidence to Hitler to declare in August 1939, when justifying to his generals his plan to kill, oppress, and brutalize the Poles, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians," and believe that he could get away with exterminating Jews and committing other crimes against humanity. Prof. Weitz, will conclude his sobering lesson of the impact of history with an examination of German officials involved in Ottoman Turkey who went on to become Nazi leaders and supporters.

Prof. Weitz will be speaking at 7:30pm both at the Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Ave W, on Tuesday November 6 and at the Armenian Youth Centre, 50 Hallcrown Place, on Wednesday November 7.

The mission of the Holocaust Education Week is to provide "truth in education and dignity in remembrance," said Lorraine Sandler, Chair, UJA Federation Holocaust Centre of Toronto. This year over 25,000 people will participate in one or more of the 150 programs offered throughout the city.

"We are very pleased to be part of Holocaust Education Week where Prof. Weitz is discussing the many direct connections between the two genocides. First, because we believe that education and awareness-raising activities are essential for preventing the gross violation of human rights and genocide. Second, because sharing scholarship on, and testimonies from, many tragedies powerfully illustrate the universal nature of the problem, the necessity of it being the concern of us all, and, in particular, with the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, how impunity for genocide emboldens future perpetrators," commented George Shirinian, Executive Director of Zoryan Institute.

This program is 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.

For more information visit http://www.holocausteducationweek.com/ or contact the Zoryan Institute (416-250-9807 or zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org).