Dr. Vahram Shemmassian will give a lecture entitled “Humanitarian Intervention by the Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo during the First Months of the Armenian Genocide,” on Thursday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
In 1915, the city of Aleppo in northern Syria constituted the main funnel through which thousands of Armenian deportees from across the Ottoman Empire filtered on their forced marches to extinction by genocidal design. During their transitional sojourn or, in the case of the more fortunate ones, permanent stay in that metropolis, the outcasts received humanitarian assistance, albeit often with difficulty and clandestinely, from several corners including the U.S. Consulate and Swiss missionaries. Similarly, the Armenian Prelacy of Aleppo played a pivotal role in alleviating the misery of incoming deportees during the turbulent years of World War I and beyond.
This talk will shed light on the humanitarian mission embarked upon by a special instrument of the Prelacy, called the Refugees Committee, which was constituted for the specific purpose of aiding the victim element. Although the Refugees Committee remained active at least through early 1917, the paucity of sources does not allow for a fuller investigation of the entire period. On the other hand, two extant files in the Prelacy archives enable us to focus on the months of May, June, and July 1915 with considerable detail, although certain points continue to remain moot.
Five areas of interest will be dealt with: first, the formation of the Refugees Committee; second, the arrival of deportees in and their relocation from Aleppo; third, fund raising, relief, and other accommodations; fourth, the extension of succor to the outlying districts; fifth, a viability report.
Dr. Vahram Shemmassian is Associate Professor of Armenian and Director of the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and wrote a dissertation entitled “The Armenian Villagers of Musa Dagh: A Historical-Ethnographic Study, 1840-1915.”
More information about Shemmassian’s lecture or NAASR and its programs for the furtherance of Armenian studies, research, and publication may be had by calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing hq@naasr.org, or writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
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