Armenian Genocide exhibit presented in Boston

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) held last week its annual holiday reception in Boston, MA, reported the Assembly.

Organized by Assembly Board Member Lu Ann Ohanian, the reception and presentation was held at the Armenian Cultural Foundation. One hundred Assembly members and friends gathered with Assembly and Armenian community leaders for a presentation by guest speaker Dr. Rouben Adalian, Director of the Armenian National Institute (ANI) on "The Armenian Church, Etchmiadzin, and the Armenian Genocide." After a detailed explanation of the digital exhibit, guests were introduced to a poster-size printed version of the exhibit, which allowed the audience a closer view of the panels chronicling a very specific episode of the Armenian Genocide.

"The Assembly is pleased to provide this special exhibit to the entire Massachusetts Armenian American community for use in the upcoming Armenian Genocide centennial year," Ohanian said.

Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny provided an update on the Assembly's activities in Washington and the current challenges facing our community on Capitol Hill. Ardouny also discussed the successful efforts of the Assembly to secure the release of the Armenian Orphan Rug, which was on display at the White House Visitor Center from November 18 to 23, 2014.

Ardouny reiterated the Assembly's call for the White House to permanently display the Armenian Orphan Rug at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, which he said would serve as "a powerful symbol" as we approach the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

Special guest speaker Dr. Rouben Adalian held a presentation of the digital exhibit "The Armenian Church, Etchmiadzin, and the Armenian Genocide," which is a joint production of ANI, Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA,) and Assembly, in cooperation with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, and the Republic of Armenia National Archives. The exhibit consists of 20 panels with over 150 historic photographs documenting the role of the Armenian Church during the Armenian Genocide.

The exhibit examines the vital leadership role played by the clergy during the Armenian Genocide, especially the all-important intervention of His Holiness Catholicos Gevorg V Sureniants in alerting world leaders about the massacres, effectively issuing the first 'early warning' of an impending genocide. Dr. Adalian's presentation focused on a specific region of eastern Anatolia with majority-Armenian populations where survivors sought refuge in the capital of Armenian Christianity.

"I was honored to make a presentation on the research involved in creating the Etchmiadzin exhibit and in finding all the clues that helped pull this vast collection of historic photographs into a coherent story," Dr. Adalian said.