Euroasian Jewish News

Speech of leader of the Armenian Jewish community, Rimma Varjapetyan-Feller

Holocaust Commemoration in Yerevan

On February 4, 2014, a commemorative evening dedicated to the Holocaust had been held in Yerevan.

The event was organized at the initiative of the Ambassador of Israel to Armenia Shmuel Meirom and with the participation of Honorary Consul of Israel to Armenia Ashot Shahmuradyan. Many important figures from the diplomatic corps were present, and the opening address was given by the Ambassador of Israel.

Shmuel Meirom greeted the gathering and spoke on the horrrors that the Jewish people had to live through during the Holocaust. The Ambassador also spoke on the work of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and its volunteers, such as Artem Chernamoryan, who are placing incredible effort into finding those who risked their lives to save the Jews during that crazy war. These people are given the Righteous Among the Nations title. 22 Armenians have already found a place in the list of Righteous Among the Nationa maintained by the Yad Vashem National Memorial and Research Insititute. And now another name has been uncovered by Artem Chernamoryan’s enormous work - Arutyun Hachatryan. This person will also be given the Righteous Among the Nations title in thanks for what he had done. Hachatryan had been a prisoner in a concentration camp, and helped heal a Jew named Kohen. When all the Jews were being transferred to another camp, Arutyun risked his life to keep Kohen in the Armenian barracks. Later, the Armenians helped Kohen to run away from the camp. The medal was given to the hero’s granddaughte, Anna Hachatryan, as the hero himself had already passed away.

Among those who spoke at the ceremony were the Director of the Armenian Holocaust Museum and Research Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, Aik Demoyan. He spoke of the importance of preserving the memory of such horrific events as the Holocaust and the Genocide, to teach the new generations about what happened so that history does not repeat itself.

The Chairman of the Armenian Jewish community Rimma Varjapetyan also called for the gathering to take the utmost care in remembering such events.
The evening ended with a movie showing; the movie was “The Heavens Will Open for You,” and its subject was Malka Rosenthal.

A. Livshitz