President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug

By Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian During the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, 1.5 million people were killed or died of starvation, and others were uprooted from their homes. More than 100,000 children were left orphans. The U.S. sponsored Near East Relief organization protected them and also helped relocate and protect the girls who wove the “orphan rug.” It was made in the town of Ghazir, in Lebanon, as thanks for the United States’ assistance during the genocide. Armenian Cultural Foundation (First Edition 2013, Second Edition 2014)