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Morgenthau Story Makes New England
Premiere on Sept. 21
By Tom Vartabedian
 CHELMSFORD, Mass.—”The Morgenthau Story,” a documentary on
the life and times of Henry Morgenthau Sr., will make its
New England premiere Sept. 21.
The event marks the 17th anniversary of the New Republic of
Armenia and will take place at 1 p.m. at Sts. Vartanantz
Armenian Apostolic Church, 180 Old Westford Rd., and is
sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of Merrimack
Valley.
A complimentary dinner will be served in memory of Abraham
Jeknavorian, a lifelong member of the Lowell ARF Committee.
The 56-minute film represents the latest work of noted
artist Apo Torosyan, who spent close to 800 hours on the
project. It chronicles the late U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
during the genocide years and his commitment to helping
humanity.
From 1913-16, Morgenthau served at the U.S. Embassy in
Istanbul. During the Armenian Genocide, he appealed to the
Ottoman-Turkish leaders to stop the killings, but without
success.
Returning to America, Morgenthau became the primary credible
witness to testify on the brutally he had witnessed
first-hand.
In 1923, during the aftermath of the Greek and Assyrian
Genocides, Morgenthau saved thousands of lives by
successfully leading the Refugee Relief Committee in Greece.
Torosyan dedicated boundless energy to this mission,
interviewing family members both near and far. The film will
next be shown in Athens, Greece, on Sept. 27.
As a second-generation Armenian Genocide survivor, Torosyan
was born the son of an Armenian father and Greek mother in
Istanbul in 1942.
As a boy, he witnessed the terrifying events of the 1955
pogrom against Christians, during which priests were hanged
and Greek businesses were destroyed throughout the city.
Torosyan graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with a
master’s degree in 1968 and immigrated to America the same
year.
After settling in the Boston area, he established an
international visual design company, which he sold in 1986
to dedicate full-time to his art. Since then, he has had
numerous solo and group shows throughout the United States,
Canada, and Europe.
His other films include: “Discovering My Father’s Village—Edincik”;
“The Walk”; “Witnesses”; “The Gates”; “Water”; and “Voices,”
a 2007 work documenting the lives of genocide survivors,
which has gained widespread exposure.
The late Abraham Jeknavorian remained a pillar of the
Greater Lowell Armenian community.
His three sons—Aram, Ara, and Armen—remain close members of
the ANC and Lowell ARF. They agreed to underwrite the cost
of this dinner in their dad’s memory. There will be no
admission charge.
Torosyan will be present to discuss the film and answer
questions.
Reservations are suggested. Please contact either Ara (by
emailing ara.a.jeknavorian@ grace.com or calling (978)
251-4845) or Tom Vartabedian (by emailing Tommyvart@aol.com
or calling (978) 373-1654).
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