A display of 11.9 million grains of rice, representing the lives of the various ethnic groups lost in the Great Holocaust during World War II, was one of the moving artworks displayed at the second annual Interfaith Service Against Genocide, co-hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church in Chelmsford, Mass., and the Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance (GLILA).
According to the Armenian Weekly, Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants, non-denominational Christians, and Buddhists were all invited to hold a handful of rice in their palm, pause, reflect, and stand together against genocide in all forms. The rice, weighing 525 pounds, was later donated to the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter serving the Greater Boston Community.
Prior to the service, approximately 80 people viewed a documentary on the Armenian Genocide, which detailed the horrific story of the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children during World War I by the Young Turk government. The one-hour film was at times difficult to watch, as many present were in disbelief of the misery and suffering experienced during the genocide.
“I never realized that an event with such devastation ever befell the Armenian population in Turkey,” remarked Dr. Stephen Fisher, a spiritual psychologist and member of GLILA sub-committee responsible for planning the event.
