17.07.2019


The photo depicts a Danish Armenophil Karen Jeppe, appointed as the League of Nations Commissioner, while crossing the Euphrates by raft. Karen Jeppe passed thousands of kilometers through Mesopotamian deserts to liberate Armenian women and children from captivity. Jeppe’s Ford car Anna, which was damaged for several times, played an irreplaceable role during that mission. The car depicted in this photo is another one used by Karen Jeppe later on to complete her mission.


In 1921 Karen Jeppe was appointed as the League of Nations Commissioner to deal with abducted Armenian women and orphans.

During the first three months the Commissioner were able to rescue a hundred Armenian women and girls from Islamic captivity. For this aim Karen Jeppe established a search center in Aleppo. When the number of rescued people increased, the need to establish a special shelter became apparent. Those freed from Islamic captivity were getting necessary medical assistance, special care, clothes and food. Their identities were being verified, while their photos adjuncted to their names sent to newspapers, churches and Armenian unions to locate their relatives. “Shelter homes for lonely people” were opened for women without relatives, who had to adopt orphans.

Misak Melkonian, an orphan-adoptee of Karen Jeppe, was involved in orphan-collecting activity, while Jeppe herself was taking care of them. The slogan “One Red Gold for One Armenian” was heard everywhere in the desert.

“She has received a program from the League of Nations; they were offering her a hard job - she has to find Armenian orphans taken to Arab families during deportations. The job was hard and being physically weak she said: “I can’t do this”. I told her: “Mother, agree to that job, I have to do that to save the children of my nation despite its difficulties”.

Misak Melkonian
Adoptee son of Karen Jeppe
Armenian National Archive, fund 420, list, 14, No 2, unpublished memories


Photo: Collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute