In Fall 2016, the Zoryan Institute launched its Syrian-Armenian Refugee Oral History Project to preserve the heritage, identity, culture and memories of group of Armenians who had to leave their homelands by force. Under war and the threat of destruction, they found refuge from crisis in Canada and elsewhere around the world. These interviews will be an important tool for analyzing sociological, anthropological, and historical patterns and trends prior to, during and after migration due to conflict.

The sooner we conduct these interviews, the more authentic and historically accurate they will be. It is absolutely imperative that the Institute acts quickly to capture the stories of Syrian-Armenian refugees while they are newcomers in their host communities, but in order to act fast, we need your help.

The Syrian initiative is in line with Zoryan Institute’s experience conducting Oral History Projects. Zoryan has the world’s largest oral history collection, with over 800 interviews of 1915 Armenian Genocide survivors.

It goes without saying that a project of this caliber requires a significant financial investment. Therefore, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, we ask that you please help the Institute in capturing the stories of Syrian newcomers by donating to the Institute’s Syrian-Armenian Refugee Oral History Project.