Stephen Feinstein, Holocaust center director, died at 64

by Lou Ann Matossian

Published: Saturday March 08, 2008

Minneapolis - One autumn day at the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, an Armenian­-American visiting lecturer happened to notice "Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies" on a building directory and wanted to know whether its scope included the Armenian Genocide.

"Thanks to the good fortune of Lou Ann Matossian walking into my office in 1998," wrote director Stephen Feinstein to the Cafesjian Family Foundation nearly a decade later, "we have taken up the issue of the Armenian Genocide and its recognition with enthusiasm in order to provide scholarship to prove the utility of the word "genocide" vis-à-vis the Armenian tragedy of 1915."

In that effort, the presence of Ohanessian Chair Eric Weitz and visiting professor Taner Akçam was crucial to the center's success, "not only in scholarly research," as Feinstein recalled, "but also in television programs of local and national interest, radio, the Minnesota press, national magazines, and critical recognition all over the world."

Under Feinstein's decade of leadership, the list of CHGS contributions to Armenian Genocide scholarship, education, and community outreach is long. Internationally renowned researchers, writers, and artists; the Association of Genocide Studies, the Workshop on Armenian-Turkish Scholarship, and the Zoryan Institute's Genocide and Human Rights summer program; national teacher education seminars; and cultural events co­sponsored with the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota - Feinstein welcomed all these and more to the Minneapolis campus, often in partnership with the Cafesjian Family Foundation.

In the multimedia realm, Feinstein and CHGS developed an unparalleled array of Web resources related to the Armenian Genocide, both in its own right and, just as important, in the broader context of genocide, human rights, and memory. He directed and was interviewed for the hourlong documentary Armenian Genocide: 90 Years Later, which, co-produced by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Public Television, and the Cafesjian Family Foundation, was nominated for a regional Emmy award.

Feinstein did more than sign the "126 Holocaust and Genocide Scholars" petition, which reaffirmed the Armenian Genocide as an uncontestable historical fact and called for its international recognition as such: he also held the original signatures at the CHGS office.

He was instrumental in organizing the ongoing Armenian-Turkish Research Project and the Hrant Dink Endowment in Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Studies, for which fundraising is currently underway at the University of Minnesota.

In January 2001, the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota honored Dr. Feinstein for his outstanding contributions as a friend of the Armenian community. "But Stephen Feinstein is more than a friend," wrote Vahakn Dadrian on that occasion. "He is a pillar of righteousness. Beyond that, he is also a scholar dedicated to the often tortuous pursuit of truth."

"Unlike many others in similar positions," Dadrian continued, "he attaches a high-minded importance not only to the prolific study of the Armenian Genocide as part of a larger genocide issue but also to its worldwide recognition as a first step to succor the still unexorcized wounds of the Armenians."
Expressing his thanks to Matossian, Steve and Chacké ­Yeterian Scallen, Massis Yeterian, Arsham Ohanessian, and the Foundation, Feinstein spoke on memory and the diaspora experience as matters of mutual concern that bind together the Jewish and Armenian communities.

"All of us live in a diaspora," he said, "some willingly, some unwillingly. What we possess together, especially those of us who understand a violent past, is a sense of ‘un-at-homeness,' our understanding that we once lived somewhere else and are here not because we willingly picked up and left our former lands." Speaking from a Jewish perspective on the Holocaust, Feinstein added, "I can think of no event which is more similar than the Armenian genocide of 1915-1922. ... There is, however, a difference between scholarship and international recognition by states."

To end genocide, said Feinstein, "we must study it and understand how it works against what we call ‘civilization'," if possible to develop an "early warning system" to prevent future genocides. His engagement with the Armenian community at the local level brought this message home, encouraging second- and third-generation survivors to understand their family story in wider terms, while sensitively introducing these hidden histories to educators and the public.

On display in Feinstein's campus office was an affectionate tribute from the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota-a fez embroidered with rhinestones that spelled out "Grand Vizier." It was a perfect fit not only for his quirky sense of humor, but also the Armenian community's love and respect for him. With his keen appreciation of the absurd and love of life, Feinstein was the only person who could get away with greeting the Minnesota Armenians as their "Pasha," which was how he occasionally signed his emails. He had earned the title.

Stephen Feinstein was a true friend of the Armenians and all peoples affected by genocide, a dear colleague and a scholar of great integrity. The Armenian community of Minnesota was honored to embrace him as one of our own. His loss is heartbreaking and incalculable.