Morgenthau Story Makes New England Premiere on Sept. 21

By Tom Vartabedian

"The Armenian Weekly", Volume 74, No. 32, August 16, 2007

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).