The use of Jewish narratives, particularly the Holocaust, for propaganda purposes by various states is not a new phenomenon. However, certain cases demonstrate an even more troubling trend: some groups not only exploit these narratives for their own agendas but actively appropriate them, erasing their intrinsic connection to Jewish history and identity.
In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that anti-Israeli activities leveraging Jewish history and tragedy have been orchestrated by groups closely tied to the Armenian lobby in the United States.
One notable example occurred in the beginning of 2023, when the Illinois Holocaust Museum published a statement on its official website that was riddled with inaccuracies and biases. The statement addressed the so-called “Autonomous Republic of Artsakh,” an Armenian-populated, self-proclaimed enclave located on internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory. The museum’s statement called for sanctions against Azerbaijan, citing an alleged “humanitarian crisis” and “blockade” of the region.
Such action not only distorted historical narratives but also exploited the weight and solemnity of the Holocaust, a cornerstone of Jewish identity and history, for purposes entirely detached from its true context. The statement was removed after public uproar and letters from prominent Jewish leaders, who turned out to be much more familiar with the history of the Caucasus.
In the fall of the same year, close to 150 European rabbis signed an open letter to the Armenian president and Prime Minister, expressing their concern over the government’s frequent invocation of the Holocaust in its rhetoric concerning the conflict over the Karabakh region. Rabbis cited interviews given by senior Armenian officials to international media regarding their political conflict with Azerbaijan.
They condemned the repeated and inappropriate parallels drawn between the Holocaust and the situation in Karabakh. They emphasized that such comparisons “diminish the unimaginable suffering of Holocaust victims and the Jewish people as a whole, who still bear the profound pain of the greatest tragedy ever experienced by a single group of people.”
Moreover, a third, equally alarming instance suggests that these are not isolated occurrences but rather part of a deliberate strategy. This calculated approach appears aimed not only at inflicting maximal damage on Israel but also at appropriating Jewish history and the tragedy of the Holocaust to advance political objectives of the Armenian lobby in the US.
The subject in question is the so-called “Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (LIPG)”, which, under the guise of invoking the name of Raphael Lemkin—a Jewish lawyer, Zionist, and the originator of the term “genocide,” who passed away in 1959—engages in the propagation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. The institute seeks to lend pseudo-legal credibility to the Palestinian narrative of “genocide,” cynically appropriating the Holocaust as a foundation for its arguments.
Since its establishment in 2021, the Lemkin Institute has openly championed a pro-HAMAS agenda, advocating for the persecution of Israelis who combat terrorists. Most of its publications are used as “proof” to bash Israeli politicians and the military.
As Martin Sherman observed in his October article in JNS, the LIPG blatantly ignores the significant role of Hamas in Gaza’s civilian casualties—using human shields, preventing evacuations, and creating conditions for suffering—while portraying Israel, victims of the Holocaust, as perpetrators of a fabricated “genocide.”
The Lemkin Institute demonstrates a willful disregard for the reality that Israel is engaged in an existential conflict with two terror organizations—Hamas and Hezbollah —both backed by Iran, a state sponsor of global Jihadi terrorism. These entities openly declare their goal of genocide, specifically the annihilation of the Jewish state and its inhabitants, as central to their ideology and purpose. The destruction of Israel is an explicit and foundational element of their missions, as stated repeatedly in their public communications.
Nevertheless, on its official X account, the Lemkin Institute audaciously labels Israel as a “genocidal state that is completely out of control,” further claiming that Israel is “supported by a Western world that is, in large measure, too racist and Islamophobic to care.” This inflammatory rhetoric is echoed across the institute’s website and the LinkedIn account of its executive director, perpetuating a narrative detached from the complexities of the conflict while vilifying Israel and its supporters.
As Sherman noted, the nonprofit’s focus extends beyond Israel to its ally Azerbaijan, which it accused of “genocide” during the 2023 Karabakh operation, despite extremely low casualty numbers and the safe evacuation of civilians to Armenia.
The follow-up article by Ira Stoll in Algemeiner highlighted the fact that LIPG appropriates the name of a prominent Jewish figure to advance its anti-Israel agenda.
Stoll’s investigation reveals that the LIPG did not seek or receive permission from the family of Raphael Lemkin to use his name. Lemkin, a distinguished Jewish lawyer, ardent Zionist, and lifelong opponent of antisemitism, devoted his career to combating atrocities—a legacy that stands in stark contrast to the organization’s controversial activities. He passed away in 1959, 62 years before his name was literally appropriated by the enemies of Israel.
As Stoll notes, The Lemkin Institute’s social media activity has consistently defended individuals whom the U.S. government has officially labeled as promoting antisemitism. A notable example occurred on October 29, when U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield publicly criticized UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. In her post, Thomas-Greenfield stated, “As UN Special Rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the US belief she is unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights.”
Francesca Albanese , in her capacity as the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, has frequently disparaged Israel and appeared to justify acts of aggression by Hamas. In response to Thomas-Greenfield’s critique, the Lemkin Institute’s account not only defended Albanese but also launched a direct attack on the American diplomat.
Their reply accused Thomas-Greenfield of complicity in what they termed an “ongoing genocide,” stating, “Your attack on UN Special Rapporteur Albanese is so clearly intended to hide your criminal complicity in an ongoing genocide that you truly should be embarrassed. Is there any trick from the genocidaire’s playbook that you will refuse to carry out?” This inflammatory post garnered significant attention, with 294,000 impressions, according to X metrics.
The Institute further praised Albanese as an “upstander” and “hero,” asserting, “She will be remembered as a hero. We will remember you as both a perpetrator and an apologist. As experts on the crime of genocide, we can say this with certainty.” This rhetoric underscores the Lemkin Institute’s polarizing stance and its readiness to escalate its critique to personal accusations against high-ranking U.S. officials.
The self-proclaimed “experts on the crime of genocide,” who seemingly adopted Lemkin’s name without permission, could potentially face various repercussions. The Lemkin family is discussing possible steps ranging from a joint public statement to a cease-and-desist letter aimed at getting the Philadelphia organization to drop the name.
Who is behind Lemkin’s «mask»?
The more important question is who are the creators of the LIPG, and who supports them? According to Martin Sherman, the LIPG not only aligned with the Democratic candidate but actively sought to integrate its anti-Israel agenda into Kamala Harris’ campaign. Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, LIPG’s founder, publicly urged the U.S. government to pressure Israel, citing the deaths of Rachel Corrie and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a pro-Palestinian activist with Turkish-American citizenship, as examples of what she called “executions.”
Joeden-Forgey also co-founded “The 21st Century Project” alongside Christine Arakelian, a former Armenian government advisor through the iGorts Program, which recruits Diaspora Armenians for public sector roles. This nonprofit has supported Democratic campaigns in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, working closely with the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The stark example of the blatant misuse of Lemkin’s name and lifework is that ANCA, apparently, produced something called “ANCA’s Raphael Lemkin Policy Series”. It is funded by the ANCA Endowment Fund and the Aramian Family Center.
While the center claims to focus on “Armenian cultural and advocacy initiatives,” on December 10, 2023, it has organized a reading titled “Who Remembers?: Armenian-Palestinian Solidarities,” aiming to “denounce the normalization of genocidal violence and express solidarity with those under siege in Gaza.”.
It is not a secret that for years, ANCA consistently promoted anti-Israeli and anti-Azerbaijani narratives, openly supporting the Palestinian cause and accusing both Israel and Azerbaijan of “genocide.” Its communications director, Alex Galitsky, frequently bashes Israel using various antisemitic canards. Observers note that ANCA’s rhetoric often mirrors Iranian propaganda—”ethnic cleansing”, Holocaust denial, blaming Jews for terrorist attacks against them, etc.
ANCA, whose main enemy is Azerbaijan, uses LIPG statements on a regular basis. A review of the institute’s 2023 statements reveals a disproportionate emphasis: 11 of 34 statements center on the unrecognized “Artsakh Republic,” created after the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis in the 1990s, and three statements defending Ruben Vardanyan, a figure linked to Russian President Putin and accused of laundering billions of dollars for the Kremlin’s oligarchs. Meanwhile, the institute chose to ignore the massacre of 1,200 Israelis, instead publishing a statement titled “Why we call Israeli attack on Gaza genocide” and criticizing a letter from European rabbis opposing Armenian misuse of the Holocaust.
Let’s return to “The 21st Century Project,” under the leadership of Arakelian and Joeden-Forgey. This nonprofit seeks to “unite a meaningful voting bloc around issues in the Greater Middle East that are negatively impacting Americans, particularly US policies supporting expansionist states and genocide.” Which states does the LIPG accuse of genocide in the Greater Middle East? Syria? Iran? No– Israel and Azerbaijan.
Before the elections, the leaders of “The 21st Century Project” met with Vice President Harris’ aides to discuss joint activity. Who were these aides? Brenda Abdelall, who claimed that “Zionists controlled a lot of American politics”, and Nasrina Bargzie, Harris’ former White House adviser on “Muslim, Arab, and Gaza-related issues,” who has a history of pro-Palestinian activism.
It must be noted that a post on X (Twitter) by the Simon Wiesenthal Center expressing outrage at how the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention “is desecrating the name of Raphael Lemkin and the word ‘genocide’ by falsely labeling the Gaza war as ‘genocide'” has triggered widespread antisemitic responses from social media users. The post also reminded readers that “Lemkin was a Jewish lawyer who coined the term ‘genocide’ and dedicated his life to exposing the horrors of the Holocaust. While the Lemkin Institute is entitled to its political agenda, it has no right to besmirch Lemkin’s legacy.”
Many of those responding negatively display symbols in their profiles, such as the keffiyeh, red triangles, and other signs of support for Palestinian terrorism. What is particularly striking is their inability to maintain a consistent narrative. The responders claim that Raphael Lemkin was a questionable figure and, at the same time, argue that “real genocide” is taking place in Gaza, not elsewhere. In this case, the opportunistic habit of appropriating anything associated with Jewish identity appears to have backfired, revealing the inconsistency and cynicism of such arguments.
In summary, an anti-Israel nonprofit has blatantly appropriated the name of a late Zionist lawyer, collaborated with genuine antisemitic movements, and, essentially, terrorist sympathizers, erasing Jewish culture, history, and trauma under the guise of “genocide prevention.”