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The Armenian Genocide & the Holocaust
April 19, 2010
Montréal, April 15th, 2010 - On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian genocide and the 65th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust, the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre (MHMC) and the Comité uni pour la commémoration du 95ème anniversaire du Génocide Arménien present the photographs of Armin T. Wegner in the exhibition « The Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust: One Man Takes a Stand ».
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 from 6 p.m. To 7:30 p.m.
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
(5151, Ste-Catherine road)
In the presence of Michele Wegner, Armin T. Wegner's son, Montreal's Armenian and Jewish Communities will honour a man who devoted much of his life to fighting for the rights of Armenians and Jews.
Mr. Roupen Kouyoumdjian, Chair of the Comité uni pour la commémoration du 95ème anniversaire du génocide arménien and Ms. Susyn Borer, Chair of the MHMC, will remind that Armin T. Wegner was not Armenian, nor Jewish. He was simply a person who would not tolerate the denial of other people's humanity due to racist policies. He left behind him a legacy of taking responsability.
His son, Michele Wegner, will speak on this heritage during his presentation after the vernissage at 7:30pm.
Rare Visible Proof of the Armenian Genocide: « The Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust: One Man Takes a Stand » is an exhibition developped by the Armin T. Wegner Society USA and is composed of 64 photographs taken between 1910 and 1996. It will be on display until May 16th and documents the Armenian genocide and tells the life story of the of Armin T. Wegner, a man who took a moral position in denouncing both the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust.
While serving in the German army as a nurse during World War I, Armin T. Wegner chose to investigate rumors of the massacre of the Armenian people by Turkish troops. Crossing Asia Minor, he photographed scenes of famine and murder. Deliberately disobeying orders Wegner collected visible proof of the Armenian genocide and sent it to contacts in Germany and the United States. .
One of the First Voices against the Holocaust: Deeply affected by what he saw in Anatolia, Wegner was one of the first voices to denounce the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. On April 11th, 1933, he wrote an indignant letter to Hitler imploring him to rescind antisemitic policies. He suffered
incarceration in three Nazi concentration camps and seven prisons before he could make his escape to Italy.
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre informs and sensitizes people of all ages and backgrounds about the Holocaust, as well as antisemitism, racism, hate and indifference.
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Interview Possibilities: By request, Michele Wegner, representatives of the Montreal's Armenian Community and from the MHMC will be available for interviews all day.
Press Contact: Audrey Licop 514-345-2605 ext. 3026 514-892-2605 (cell.) audrey.licop@mhmc.ca
