Asbarez: Exhibition Honoring Armenian ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ held in J

Photo Credit: Yaron Weiss

A commemorative exhibition dedicated to 24 Armenians recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem was held in Jerusalem on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event took place at the Clergy Seminary Hall in the Armenian Quarter of Old City of Jerusalem and drew hundreds of visitors.

The exhibition focused on stories of Armenians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, many of whom had themselves survived the events of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. It featured photographs, archival materials, and personal accounts of rescuers who operated in several European countries, including Ukraine, Crimea, Austria, Hungary, and France.

The initiative was led by Yisca Harani, a scholar of Christianity and director of the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli organization established in 2023. The center documents incidents affecting Christian religious freedom in Israel and promotes interfaith dialogue. The exhibition was organized in cooperation with the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian community in Jerusalem.

Among the attendees were representatives of Christian communities, residents of Jerusalem’s Old City, religious students, as well as diplomatic and municipal figures, including Israel’s Ambassador to Armenia Joel Lion and Jerusalem City Council member Yeela Bitton de Lange.

Organizers noted that the exhibition also reflects historical connections between Armenian and Jewish communities. Armenia has one of the highest numbers of individuals recognized as Righteous Among the Nations among countries where the Holocaust was not carried out. For comparison, Georgia has one recognized Righteous Among the Nations, Turkey also has one, while Azerbaijan has none. Many Armenian rescuers were themselves survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, in which more than 1.5 million people were killed.

The exhibition also highlighted broader historical connections between Armenians and Jews, emphasizing themes of solidarity and humanitarian action across different periods. Historical accounts note that various Jewish figures and institutions contributed to raising awareness about the fate of Armenians during the events of 1915. Among them was U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau Sr., who advocated for Armenians, as well as Austrian-Jewish writer Franz Werfel, whose novel “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” brought international attention to the tragedy. Polish-Jewish jurist Raphael Lemkin later introduced the term “genocide,” drawing in part on his study of the Armenian case. Members of the NILI underground, including Sarah Aaronsohn and Aaron Aaronsohn, also contributed to raising awareness at the time.

Several individual rescue stories presented at the exhibition illustrated the risks taken by Armenian families during the Holocaust. One example is Ashkhen Agopian, who was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 2010 together with her daughters. During the German occupation of Odessa, she helped organize support for a Jewish family, hiding them and assisting their escape from deportation. Her young daughter also played a role by delivering food and clothing despite the dangers involved.

Another account featured the Tashjian family in Crimea – Grigori and Fran – who sheltered Jewish children for several years, moving them between different hiding places to avoid detection. Despite significant personal risk, they continued to protect the children throughout the occupation.

The exhibition also referenced instances of Armenian-Jewish cooperation in the French Resistance, including the Manouchian Group led by Armenian poet Missak Manouchian, which included members of different backgrounds who fought against Nazi forces.

Organizers note, however, that despite the warm relations between the two peoples, the State of Israel has not yet officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. In addition, Israeli weapons sold to Azerbaijan were used in ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Following the event’s reception, the Religious Freedom Data Center indicated plans to expand the exhibition and present it in other locations in Israel, including Jaffa and Haifa, in cooperation with local Armenian communities.

Organizers described the exhibition as both a historical commemoration and an effort to highlight examples of solidarity and humanitarian action during periods of mass violence. As Pietro Kuciukian observed in his writings on the rescuers of Armenians during the 1915 genocide, “Connecting the memories of peoples who have experienced genocide is not simple, but focusing on the righteous makes dialogue easier.”

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