In 1915 and 1916, during the First World War, the government of Ottoman Turkey sent an estimated 1.5 million Armenians on death marches to the Syrian Desert. During these marches, they were deprived of food and water, and subjected to robbery, massacres and sexual violence. Once they arrived in the desert, those who had survived the death marches were put into concentration camps. Further massacres and ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Turkey followed in the years after the end of the War.

The symbol for the centenary of the Armenian Genocide - A Forget-Me-Not Flower

Especially as Jewish students, conscious of the impact of genocide, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Armenian community in their commemoration. The 24th of April is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, marking the date of the deportation of Armenian intellectuals from Istanbul in 1915.

There is a short (14 minute) video giving an overview of the Armenian Genocide, from the genocide education organisation Facing History, available here

Find out more!

A good recent book on the Armenian Genocide is "They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else": A History of the Armenian Genocide by Ronald Grigor Suny, Princeton University Press, 2015.

You can also get in touch with Alison or Oliver from the UJS team if you'd like more information.