Tale Of Two
Genocides
Authors at Birmingham Temple recount
the slaughters of Armenians and Jews.
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reminded the audience that Armenia
was a religious minority in eastern
Turkey that had converted to
Christianity 1,700 years ago.
wo survivors, two genocides
In 1915, while
— Jewish and
World War I domi-
Armenian. But sim-
nated world atten-
ilarities ended there
tion, Turkey began a
as Jewish and Armenian pre-
senseless slaughter of
senters discussed the horrors of
the Armenian popu-
their particular genocide.
lation.
Soldiers and
The presentations came as
political and intellec-
part of Birmingham Temple's
tual-leaders were
Writers Festival 2001 Series,
killed; others died in
tided "Genocide: Stories of the
concentration camps.
Survivors."
People suffered
Mae Derdarian of
arrests, confiscation
Bloomfield Hills discussed the
of property, torture,
infamous Armenian genocide
public
executions,
of 1915 from the perspective
rapes, death marches,
of a later-generation relative of Henry Gleisner
starvation and dis-
victims and survivors. She
ease. More than a
recounted those events in her
million perished; a
1997 book Vergeen: A Survivor
half-million survived,
of the Armenian Genocide
but were driven from
(Atmus Press; $15).
their homeland and
Henry Gleisner of Oxford is
forced to scatter, she
a 37-year member of
said.
Birmingham Temple, whose
"Remember,
son had the first-ever bar mitz-
Turkey was an ally of
vah there. He spoke about the
Germany," said
Jewish genocide — the
Derdarian, "so it's
Holocaust — as a survivor
easy
to see the tech-
who actually lived through the
nique
followed by
terrible events of World War II.
Hider many years
His story is described in his
later. One big differ-
2000 Holocaust memoir
Mae D erdarian
ence between this
Defiling the Fates: The
genocide and the
Remarkable Story of a Jew Who
Holocaust is that the
Survived in Nazi Europe
Turkish government, to this day, denies
(Alpine 1; $19.95).
the genocide, whereas everyone knows
Rabbi Sherwin T Wine introduced
Germany caused the Holocaust that
the speakers in successive weeks to
killed six million."
audiences of 65-75 people. Gleisner
Irked over the denials, Derdarian, a
credited Rabbi Wine with urging him
passionate member of the local
to write his book and suggesting the
'Armenian community, makes the geno-
title. Derdarian praised Rabbi Wine
cide clear through the eyes of Vergeen
and the temple for consistently keeping
(Virginia in English) Meghrouni, who
the community aware of the genocides,
was
the daughter of her mother's
often labeled as plagues of the 20th
friend.
The book was privately pub-
century.
lished by Derdarian's and Virgnia's sons.
Derdarian, 79, a native Detroiter
It's a gripping story of Vergeen's child-
who spent 30 years as public relations
hood in Turkey, her planned marriage,
director of the local United Way,
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
T
Lorio Ross Effertainmenkc
Call (248) 398-9711
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248-543-3637
email-Marcsphotography@mac.com
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6/1
2001
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