Wikipedia article on ADL statement on the Armenian Genocide
Wikipedia`s article on ADL`s statement on the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide controversy
In 2007, calls came from within the Jewish community to fire Abraham Foxman for his stance on the Armenian Genocide. Foxman had opposed calls for the U.S. Government to recognise it as a "genocide". “I don't think congressional action will help reconcile the issue. The resolution takes a position; it comes to a judgment,” said Foxman in a statement issued to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The Turks and Armenians need to revisit their past. The Jewish community shouldn't be the arbiter of that history, nor should the U.S. Congress." The ADL felt the safety of Israel, which considers Turkey a rare Muslim ally, was paramount to the issue.
In early August of 2007, complaints about the Anti-Defamation League's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide led to the Watertown, Massachusetts unanimous town council decision to end their participation in the ADL "No Place for Hate" campaign. This decision gained a great deal of media coverage.
In early August of 2007, an editorial in The Boston Globe criticized the ADL saying that "as an organization concerned about human rights, it ought to acknowledge the genocide against the Armenian people during World War I, and criticize Turkish attempts to repress the memory of this historical reality."
On 17 August, 2007, the ADL fired its regional New England director, Andrew H. Tarsy, for breaking ranks with the main organization and saying the ADL should recognize the genocide.
In a 21 August 2007 press release, the ADL changed its position to one of acknowledging the genocide but maintained its opposition to congressional resolutions aimed at recognizing it. Foxman wrote, "the consequences of those actions," by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, "were indeed tantamount to genocide." The Turkish government condemned the league's statement.
The ADL was criticized by many in the Armenian community including The Armenian Weekly newspaper, in which writer Michael Mensoian stated "The backtracking of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the acknowledging the planned, systematic massacre of 1,500,000 Armenian men, women and children as "...tantamount to genocide..." is discouraging. Tantamount means something is equivalent. If it's equivalent, why avoid using the term? For the ADL to justify its newly adopted statement because the word genocide did not exist at the time indicates a half hearted attempt to placate Armenians while not offending Turkey."
ADL statement on the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide controversy
In 2007, calls came from within the Jewish community to fire Abraham Foxman for his stance on the Armenian Genocide. Foxman had opposed calls for the U.S. Government to recognise it as a "genocide". “I don't think congressional action will help reconcile the issue. The resolution takes a position; it comes to a judgment,” said Foxman in a statement issued to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The Turks and Armenians need to revisit their past. The Jewish community shouldn't be the arbiter of that history, nor should the U.S. Congress." The ADL felt the safety of Israel, which considers Turkey a rare Muslim ally, was paramount to the issue.
In early August of 2007, complaints about the Anti-Defamation League's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide led to the Watertown, Massachusetts unanimous town council decision to end their participation in the ADL "No Place for Hate" campaign. This decision gained a great deal of media coverage.
In early August of 2007, an editorial in The Boston Globe criticized the ADL saying that "as an organization concerned about human rights, it ought to acknowledge the genocide against the Armenian people during World War I, and criticize Turkish attempts to repress the memory of this historical reality."
On 17 August, 2007, the ADL fired its regional New England director, Andrew H. Tarsy, for breaking ranks with the main organization and saying the ADL should recognize the genocide.
In a 21 August 2007 press release, the ADL changed its position to one of acknowledging the genocide but maintained its opposition to congressional resolutions aimed at recognizing it. Foxman wrote, "the consequences of those actions," by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, "were indeed tantamount to genocide." The Turkish government condemned the league's statement.
The ADL was criticized by many in the Armenian community including The Armenian Weekly newspaper, in which writer Michael Mensoian stated "The backtracking of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the acknowledging the planned, systematic massacre of 1,500,000 Armenian men, women and children as "...tantamount to genocide..." is discouraging. Tantamount means something is equivalent. If it's equivalent, why avoid using the term? For the ADL to justify its newly adopted statement because the word genocide did not exist at the time indicates a half hearted attempt to placate Armenians while not offending Turkey."
ADL statement on the Armenian Genocide