AYF HOLDS VIGIL IN FRONT OF ADL NEW YORK HEADQUARTERS

Vigil serves as prelude to larger rally set for this Thursday

Armenian National Committee of New York

PRESS RELEASE

October 31, 2007

NEW YORK, NY -- In a bold consciousness-raising effort, the Armenian Youth Federation of New York held a candlelight vigil in front of the national headquarters of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Manhattan on Monday evening, October 29.

The vigil specifically addressed the ADL’s efforts at preventing US Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. AYF New York President Justin Kaladjian said, “Any organization which assists Turkey in denying the Armenian Genocide, will be confronted by the AYF, no matter how ‘respectable’ it might make itself out to be.”

ANC of New York Chair Doug Geogerian commended the AYF for “coming in force and standing up to one of the most influential organizations in our society, all in defense of the Armenian Cause. The AYF courageously represented the New York area Armenian community.”

The vigil served as a prelude to a larger rally to be held on Thursday evening at the same location. According to Geogerian, a multi-ethnic array of musicians, comedians, commentators, scholars and activists will speak about the ADL’s morally bankrupt policy on the Armenian Genocide and why it must change.

The ADL will hold its national convention this Thursday and Friday in New York City at an undisclosed location. During the convention, ADL delegates will address the controversy of its failure to support congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. The ADL has seen its anti-bias program “No Place for Hate” come under fire in recent months, as six Massachusetts towns—Watertown, Newton, Belmont, Arlington, Lexington, and Westwood—have severed ties with the ADL over the organization’s role in denying the Armenian Genocide. The website www.noplacefordenial.org provides comprehensive information on the campaign waged by Armenian activists in Massachusetts.

The Jewish on-line magazine Jewcy and the No Place for Denial team are organizing Thursday’s event, where music and speeches will highlight the ADL’s unsavory position regarding the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian National Committee of Eastern U.S. is a co-sponsor. ANC Eastern Region Board Member Sevag Arzoumanian said, “Youthful representatives of two ancient peoples will hit the pavement to demand that the ADL come down on the right side of a key human rights issue: unqualified opposition to genocide denial. Spontaneous, irreverent, unscripted, a celebration of Jewish-Armenian solidarity, hard hitting political messages transmitted through irony, parody and verse...impromptu speeches and chants...that is what people should expect and contribute to.”
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UPDATES FOR OCTOBER, 2007

Wednesday 10/31
=Announcement: Join the good folks at Jewcy and No Place for Denial for a hastily organized, totally spontaneous, peaceful Rally in front of the ADL Offices in NYC (605 3rd Avenue) on Thursday, November 1 @ 7pm to urge the ADL National Meeting to take a clear stand against genocide denial. Click here for details. Facebook users can sign up here.
=The JTA reports that "Top leaders of the Anti-Defamation League are strenuously fighting efforts to get the organization to adopt a more unambiguous position on the Armenian genocide at a national commission meeting. The ADL's New England leadership is pushing for a more clearly worded statement recognizing the World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide." The reports concludes that "Few expect that the ADL will decide to endorse the congressional resolution. But Boston leaders have been pushing to have the organization issue a clearer statement on genocide in the hope of stanching the flow of communities defecting from No Place for Hate. One Boston leader described the opposition coming from the top as "hand-to-hand combat." "
=In a Slate column dated 10/29, Christopher Hitchens writes about the Turkish threats that caused Congress to postpone the vote on the Armenian genocide resolution: "The United States and its friends are being squeezed by Ankara instead of—to put it shortly—the other way around. This is disgracefully undignified [...] If the Turks wish to continue lying officially about what happened to the Armenians, then we cannot be expected to oblige them by doing the same (and should certainly resent and repudiate any threats against ourselves or our allies that would ensue from our Congress affirming the truth)." Hitchens concludes that "It is not our conduct that should be modified by Turkey's arrogance; we do a favor to the democratization and modernization of that country by insisting that it get its troops out of Cyprus, pull its forces back from the border with Iraq, face the historic truth about Armenia, and in other ways cease to act as if the Ottoman system were still in operation."

Tuesday 10/30
=On the eve of the ADL National Meeting, the ANC and Armenian Assembly of Massachusetts have sent a joint letter and informational packet to ADL commissioners, urging them to reverse the organization's position on the Armenian genocide. The ANCA has also issued a letter to the commissioners, while the Diocese of the Armenian Church has addressed Abraham Foxman directly.

Monday 10/29
=The Christian Science Monitor reports that "much of [the] pressure [opposing the Armenian genocide resolution] came not just from Turkey but from Israel [...] The Israeli stance [...] prompted the first protest of its kind by this country's usually apolitical Armenian Orthodox community." The article quotes Turkey's ambassador to Israel, Namik Tan, as saying: "We have a right to ask our Israeli friends to talk to their friends in the US [...] eight of the sitting members of the foreign relations committee are of Jewish descent and they are ardent supporters of this resolution, and all voted in favor of it, which encouraged and bolstered the ambitions of the Armenians and the ADL statement [on the Armenian genocide]."

Sunday 10/28
=The JTA reports that American-Armenian organizations have "slammed" the Yerevan State University for honoring Iranian President Ahmadinejad. The article has excerpts from the Armenian Weekly editorial condemning Yerevan State University. Rejecting a comparison between the ADL and Yerevan State University, ANCA-ER Chair Dikran Kaligian states that the proper analogy to make is between the ADL and the ANCA, which "has never taken an ambiguous position on the Holocaust." The article concludes with a quote by Boston area activist Sevag Arzoumanian: "How can Yerevan State University give an academic degree, however symbolic, to someone who takes the intellectually dishonest position that there needs to be further research and academic conferences to determine if the Holocaust occurred? What were they thinking? I think the YSU made a terrible error of judgment, both academically and morally."

Saturday 10/27
=The Independent reports that at last week's (10/22) demonstration by the Armenian community in Jerusalem the protesters were joined by Meretz Party Knesset member Haim Oron and a former minister in the government of Yizthak Rabin, Yair Tsaban . The article reports as Mr. Oron having said that "there was a natural Knesset majority for recognition, including the right-wing Likud, but it needed to overcome pressure from a government determined to maintain close ties with Turkey." Mr Tsaban has said that he was "supporting the protest 'as a member of humanity born in the 20th century which witnessed all kinds of genocides, of which the worst was the Holocaust, and of course as a Jew... I feel that is their [his grandparents who were exterminated in Auschwitz] will that I should support this campaign against denial of the [Armenian] genocide.' " According to the report, opinion polls suggest that most Israelis favour the recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Friday 10/26
= The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has published an interview with Abraham Foxman. Asked whether he'd made a mistake in his handling of the Armenian genocide "controversy," Foxman replies: "I didn't do anything wrong. I miscalculated. We said it is a massacre, an atrocity, we've said it for 40 years. The Armenians wanted us to say genocide. To me it was sufficient for us to say I'm not a historian, we don’t adjudicate all the issues. What I miscalculated was the Jewish community. I respect the Armenian community for wanting their memory, their pain, their suffering to be recognized globally...so we said it is an atrocity and it is massacre, but we just don't think that Congress should adjudicate it. " Foxman goes on to elaborate on his disappointment with the response of the Jewish community: "I was shocked, upset, frightened by the fact that this was an issue where Jews were attacking us....the last thing we need now is for [Boston Jewish leaders] Barry Shrage and Nancy Kaufman to be fighting us."
=In the same interview, Foxman describes the stark moral choices he has had to make: "I don't believe that the Turkish government tomorrow will go and take it out on the Jews... [But] it was very clear to me what the interests of the Jewish community in Turkey are. It was also very clear to me that after the United States, the most important ally Israel has is Turkey. It's a country that not only has promised to provide Israel with water until moshiach comes, but it's a country that permits Israel's pilots to do maneuvers over its land. And so, to me, it was very clear that there are two moral issues, but one trumps the other. And it was clear to me that I cannot save one Armenian human being, not one. But if I do what the Armenians want me to do, I will put in jeopardy the lives of Turkish Jews and Israeli Jews."
=The latest Jewcy post starts with the Foxman quote above and leads into a futuristic essay/parody by Aris Janigian entitled Holocaust Denial in 2022. Here's the introductory paragraph: "On Wednesday, September 23 [2022], The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 27 to 21 to condemn as genocide the mass killings of Jews in Germany during World War II. New Germany reacted angrily, recalling its ambassador from Washington and threatening to withdraw its support for the continuing War on Terror. "

Thursday 10/25
=Read the letter sent by the ANCA to members of Congress following the announcement that the sponsors of the Genocide Resolution have revised the timetable for House consideration of H.Res.106.
=Watch a video of French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Levy delivering a major speech on the need to prevent the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The event was attended by prominent Jewish and Armenian organizational leaders in France.
=Jewcy's Michael Weiss has a blog post today on Irshad Manji's article in The New Republic calling for the passage of the Genocide resolution, on threats to Turkish Jews by the Foreign Minister of Turkey and finally, on Jewish-Armenian solidarity in America in the wake of Ahmadinejad's visit to Armenia. Michael Weiss writes:
"If you'd like to know why American Jewish-Armenian solidarity is running high at the moment, you may turn to this latest news item showcasing how our Armenian comrades deal with fanatical despots who try to woo them by offering heavily leveraged support. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was given an honorary doctorate this week by Yerevan State University, one of the more prominent schools in Armenia...The Armenian Weekly was swift to denounce the university in no uncertain terms, demonstrating once again that a U.S. ethnic lobby doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the country on whose behalf it agitates." The Jewcy post concludes with an excerpt from the Armenian Weekly editorial.

Wednesday 10/24
= BREAKING NEWS: ARMENIAN WEEKLY ISSUES EDITORIAL CONDEMNING YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY FOR BESTOWING AN HONORARY DEGREE ON AHMADINEJAD. The editorial reads: "Why did Yerevan State University bestow an honorary doctorate and a gold medal upon a politician, who has shown disregard to basic historical research and memory by denying the Holocaust of the Jews during WWII?" It adds: "It is worth noting that one of the manifestations of Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial is calling for further “impartial” studies on WWII. We have heard that very same argument regarding the Armenian genocide from Turkey and its allies. " The editorial concludes as follows: "The university’s decision to bestow an honorary doctorate is simply unacceptable. We are surprised that, as the officials in charge of the alma mater of a nation that rose from the ashes of another genocide, they did not take this fact into consideration before deciding to award the honorary degree."
=Announcement: Boston area activists are urged to participate in the ANC Phone Banking TODAY, Wednesday, October 24, 4:30-8pm at the Hairenik (80 Bigelow Ave, Watertown), to help pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Click here for a phone script and phone numbers.
=In a front page article entitled "Turkey blames US Jews for genocide bill," the Jerusalem Post reprints Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's infamous threat directed at Turkish Jews and intended to pressure American Jewish leaders to do more to defeat the Armenian Genocide bill: "We have told them that we cannot explain it to the public in Turkey if a road accident happens. We have told them that we cannot keep the Jewish people out of this." A few paragraphs below, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is quoted as saying "There is the same commitment on the part of the organized community to support Turkey."
=In the same article, Jerusalem Post reporter Vigal Schleifer goes on to state: "Yet despite the [27-21] vote [in committee], US Jewish groups said they lobbied against the bill - just as they have done in the past." The article quotes a research coordinator at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as saying: "Behind-the-scenes support [from US Jewish groups] has been quite powerful" in persuading congressmen to oppose the bill. It may yet help prevent the bill from being brought to a vote in the full House.

Tuesday 10/23
=The Jerusalem Post reports that the Armenian community in Jerusalem has staged a protest on Monday Oct 22 demanding that Israel recognize the Armenian genocide: "A group of teenage girls stood in school uniforms alongside an elderly woman holding a sign that read, "I am a survivor," in English and Hebrew." The report notes that "Turkey has threatened to cool its ties with Israel if it doesn't use its influence in Washington to quell the campaign [for genocide recognition]."
=The Jewish Journal has published an extensive article on the No Place for Denial campaign that first appeared on the JTA website on 10/17. The report starts from Lexington severing ties with the ADL on 10/15 and goes on to present a chronology of events, placing them in the context of the Armenian genocide resolution pending in Congress. Boston area activists Laura Boghosian and Sevag Arzoumanian are quoted in the article. Speaking of the ADL's support for Turkish calls for a joint commission, Arzoumanian is quoted as saying: "They’re asking us to sit down with the equivalent of David Irving to work something out as if history is a bazaar."

Monday 10/22
=Metro West Daily News has a major article on the Armenian Genocide that features an interview (also posted on YouTube) with Kevork Norian, the genocide survivor who spoke at the Arlington town hall meeting last Monday. The article quotes David Boyajian and Shari Melkonian. It also quotes Turkish historian Taner Akcam who explains the roots of Turkey's denial of the genocide as follows: "The founders of the republic were members of the party which organized the genocide. They either participated in the killing, or they became rich by plundering Armenian property. It's not easy for a state or a nation to call its founding fathers murderers and thieves."

Sunday 10/21
=Watch the ANCA Special Report: Call for Justice, today, Sunday, October 21, 5-8pm (PST) on Horizon Television or log on to www.horizonarmeniantv.com to hear updates about how we will win the Congressional vote for the Armenian Genocide Resolution.
=In an article reporting Westwood severing ties with the ADL, the Boston Globe quotes Nancy Hyde, chairwoman of the Westwood Board of Selectmen as saying: "The town of Westwood has concluded that our ability to carry out the founding principals of the No Place for Hate program is seriously compromised by the ADL's position on the Armenian genocide and the House and Senate resolution."
=The Boston Globe reports that after severing ties with the ADL, "Lexington selectmen are appointing an organizing committee to recommend how to carry on the work of No Place for Hate without the offending political ties". Speaking of the Selectmen's decision to have local and statewide organizations as watchdogs against bias instead of No Place for Hate, Sosse Beugekian, a Lexington High School senior who helped persuade more than 250 fellow students to sign a petition asking them to sever ties to the ADL's No Place for Hate program because of ADL's stance on the Armenian genocide, is quoted as saying: "I think that's the best solution [...] They've [NPFH] done a lot of good work, and we've heard about them in school, too. We all appreciate their work."

Saturday 10/20
=In an opinion piece published in the Haaretz, the author asks: "What can we learn from the German response to the Holocaust that might help Turkey alter its attitude toward the Armenian genocide? [...] They [the Germans] did take responsibility, with the understanding that they could not escape history and that if they could muster the courage, they could use that experience to build a better future." The article concludes that "Recognizing past wrongs and calling them by name is difficult, and may even seem insurmountable, but the Turks must find the courage to try to do so."
=Bloomberg News reports that: "Turkey, which has close ties with Israel, has long relied on lobbying from Jewish groups in Washington to aid in fending off proposals like the one endorsed by a House of Representatives panel Oct. 10 [...] Turkey's complaint: Its usual allies among pro-Israel U.S. lobbyists didn't work hard enough to block the resolution. [...] 'There have been insinuations that our security and well- being in Turkey is linked to the fate' of the resolution, Jewish leaders said in a half-page ad in the Washington Times urging its rejection [...] Babacan, in an Oct. 6 interview with Turkey's Vatan newspaper, said that 'we would not be able to keep the Jews out of this business' if the resolution is adopted."
The article concludes with an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy saying "Turkey's perception of its good ties with Israel is that this relationship stands on American Jewish support for Turkey in Washington. This is not a bilateral relationship, it is a trilateral relationship.'"
=The Jewish Exponent reports that in an interview dated 10/11, Abraham Foxman has reiterated that "[...] as painful as the Armenian experience was in 1915, the way to reconcile it is not with a resolution in Congress [...] I hope the American Jewish community will also understand that it is not only counterproductive to America's best interests and to Israel's best interests, but also the best interests of Turkey's Jewish community."

Friday 10/19
=The New York Times reports on Massachusetts cities and towns severing ties with the ADL. The article quotes Mr. Patrick Mehr, a Lexington resident and the son of a Holocaust survivor as saying: “Abe Foxman, like George W. Bush, is mumbling that it may not have been genocide. Foxman talks about commissions of scholars who should study this. That, to me, rang exactly like Ahmadinejad saying, ‘Let’s have a committee to study the Holocaust.’ Give me a break.” Dr. Jack Nusan Porter, another child of Holocaust survivors and a genocide studies scholar, is quoted as saying: “If you deny one genocide, you deny all genocides.”
=In a Haaretz article entitled Mozart and the Armenian genocide, Tom Segev writes about Turkey's denial of the Armenian genocide. He also attacks Turkey's threats against Israel and the Jewish community in Turkey: "[...] the Turks are also issuing threats: The Congressional decision could put the Jewish community in Turkey at risk. This galling threat is just as despicable as the denial of the Armenian genocide itself, and just goes to show why decent people need to demand that Turkey finally learn to look in the mirror. The Germans have done so; it was painful at first, but worth it in the end."
=The Boston Globe reports that "several Massachusetts towns are still calling on the Anti-Defamation League to clarify its position on the matter and support the resolution." Referring to Congressmen who recently withdrew their co-sponsorship of the Armenian genocide resolution, Abraham Foxman has told the Globe: "I think the good people of Congress have seen the light [...] Maybe the good people in the Massachusetts towns who penalized us will also see the light."
= Jewcy has published a column by a Memphis based Armenian-American activist Dany Beylerian, who writes: "Congressman Cohen (D-Tenn.) claims that House Resolution 106 -- the Armenian Genocide Resolution -- would threaten our troops in Iraq. This resolution is an affirmation of the American role in its humanitarian effort during the Armenian Genocide. It does not threaten our troops --Turkey does."

Thursday 10/18
=Announcement: The Somerville No Place For Hate Committee will meet TODAY, Thursday, October 18, 6-7pm at the Tufts Administration Building (167 Holland Street, Somerville, 2nd Floor.) From the S-HRC's announcement: "The meeting will discuss the recent controversy around ADL and the Armenian genocide and whether Somerville's NPFH committee will take any action on this matter. All concerned parties are invited to attend and contribute. This meeting will be followed by the regularly scheduled meeting of the Somerville Human Rights Commission, which will take place from 7-8:30pm. That meeting is open to the public as well."
=BREAKING NEWS: Yesterday evening, the Medford Human Rights Commission voted unanimously to suspend ties with the ADL pending a more sincere acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by the latter.
=Read the ANCEM Press Release on 3 additional Massachusetts towns breaking ties with the ADL.
=The national director of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman gave an Oct. 11 talk at Temple Sholom in Broomall that dealt primarily with the arguments he advances in his new book, The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control, reported the Jewish Exponent today. "I think that, as painful as the Armenian experience was in 1915, the way to reconcile it is not with a resolution in Congress," said Foxman in an interview after his presentation. "I hope the American Jewish community will also understand that it is not only counterproductive to America's best interests and to Israel's best interests, but also the best interests of Turkey's Jewish community."
=The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has just published a feature article on the movement that is gaining momentum in Boston area towns and communities to sever ties with the ADL.
=Read the Time Magazine article by Samantha Power entitled "The U.S. and Turkey: Honesty Is the Best Policy."
=The Zoryan Institute has just announced a public lecture, "Nazi Germany, the Armenians and the Jews," as part of the United Jewish Association's Holocaust Education Week in Toronto, November 1-11. The lecture will be presented by Prof. Eric D. Weitz, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of History at the University of Minnesota.

Wednesday 10/17
=Announcement: A meeting of the Medford Human Rights Commission to discuss the ADL/NPFH issue will be held TODAY, OCTOBER 17 at 5:30PM at the Medford City Hall, Room 201 (85 George P. Hassett Drive). Medford residents and friends are encouraged to attend this key meeting. An article just published in Inside Medford suggests that Medford may become the 7th Massachusetts town after Watertown, Belmont, Newton, Lexington, Arlington and Westwood to pull out of the ADL program.

Tuesday 10/16
=On October 15, the Westwood Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to suspend their ties with the ADL until the ADL changes its position on the Armenian genocide. The selectmen have also renamed the No Place for Hate committee as the town’s Human Rights Committee.
=On the same day, following the recommendation of its Human Rights Commission, the Arlington Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to sever ties with the ADL.
=The Lexington Minuteman reports that "The Lexington Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to end their participation in the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) No Place For Hate program Monday [October 15]. In the next breath, they laid the groundwork for a similar committee with a more official, and recognizable, link to Lexington."
At the meeting, Laura Boghosian read a statement on behalf of the steering committee of the Lexington Armenian community, and Patrick Mehr read a moving statement on behalf of his wife Helen Epstein, author of Children of the Holocaust.
= Jewcy has published a statement delivered by a Boston area Armenian activist at a recent meeting of the Mass. Association of Human Rights Commissioners. In his introductory remarks, Joey Kurtzman writes: "[...] Armenian-Americans continue to plead with Jewish-American organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, as well as with the foreign ministry of Israel, to stop abetting Turkish efforts to destroy the memory of the Armenian Genocide. "
= Speaking to Salon.com about the Armenian genocide resolution, Turkish historian Taner Ackam says "Whoever is against the resolution must show an alternative to the Armenian people. Unless you give an alternative policy, saying 'Shut up and stop' is not a policy. The Armenians don't have any options. As long Turkey criminalizes the past, as long as Turkey kills journalists, as long as Turkey drags its intellectuals from court to court, as long as Turkey punishes the people who use the G-word, as long as Turkey doesn't have any diplomatic relations with Armenia, as long as Turkey threatens everybody in the world who opens the topic of historical wrongdoing, it is the legitimate right of a victim group to make its voice heard."

Monday 10/15
= BREAKING NEWS: The Boards of Selectmen of 3 Massachusetts towns -- Arlington, Lexington and Westwood -- voted unanimously to break ties with the ADL this evening. Details to follow.
=Speaking of Newton Mayor David Cohen's statement that "we certainly hope the national ADL will do the right thing", the Jerusalem Post writes that "he's liable to be disappointed. The ADL's National Commission, its highest policy-making body, is scheduled to meet during the first week of November to discuss the issue. According to sources in the organization, it is likely to support Foxman's position in not backing the resolution."
=In light of the conviction of Arat Dink and Serkis Seropyan, Amnesty International has updated action on Article 301. The link can be found here. This action is also currently being highlighted on Amnesty's "Music for Human Rights" site.
=The Palm Beach Post reports that "[Congressman] Wexler's announced Democratic primary opponent, former Broward County Commission Chairman Ben Graber, has criticized Wexler for opposing the Armenian genocide resolution. A son of Holocaust survivors, Graber has called Wexler an "embarrassment" to the Jewish community for opposing the resolution."
=Armenia Liberty reports that "a large number of Armenian nationals have been arrested in Turkey in recent days for violating the country’s immigration rules. [...] Turkish officials have indicated that the closure of Turkish airspace for civilian aircraft flying to and from Armenia is one of the measures Ankara could take in response to the passage of the genocide resolution."

Sunday 10/14
= Announcement: The Lexington Board of Selectmen will meet on Monday October 15, at 7:30pm to vote on the future of the ADL sponsored No Place for Hate program. The meeting will be held at Cary Hall, 1605 Mass Avenue, Lexington.
= Announcement: The Arlington Board of Selectmen will meet on Monday October 15, at 7:00pm to vote on a recommendation by its Human Rights Commission to sever ties with the ADL. Location: Town Hall, 730 Mass Avenue, Arlington.

Saturday 10/13
=Today's Boston Globe editorial reads: "The historical evidence shows that the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians in eastern Turkey constituted what the world now knows as genocide, and Turkey ought to acknowledge this reality. But a resolution before Congress has provoked an upsurge of nationalism that threatens US interests and would do nothing to lift Turkey's willful amnesia. It should not be pursued at this time." The editorial concludes that "the Turks need to begin an honest dialogue about the birth of their nation and repeal the "Turkishness" laws", but that "the House resolution, by inciting the worst aspects of Turkish nationalism and creating government-to-government friction, would delay a reckoning with history."
To submit a letter to the Boston Globe editor, email letter@globe.com.

Friday 10/12
= Jewcy's Joey Kurtzman has just published a post that directly challenges ADL national leadership's moral credibility. He references a recent op-ed by Boston area activist Berge Jololian, and concludes: "What Jololian describes--the hypocrisy, the arrogance, the ignorance, and worst of all the high-minded universalist rhetoric in defense of Jewish rights matched with utter contempt for the rights of other communities--these things are simply poison to any organization or cause that hopes to influence the general population. For Israel's sake, I hope the ADL never says another word about her. And for any organization that maintains a working relationship with the ADL, I hope you jump ship now. "
=Today's Boston Globe quotes Massachusetts State Rep. Peter Koutoujian as saying: "Turkey's response should encourage people to press on with the genocide resolution. The United States has to stand up for truth," said Koutoujian, whose grandparents survived the massacres. "Unless you stand up for truth, you can never lead."
=In a poweful Op-Ed in today's Haaretz, former Israeli Minister of Education Yossi Sarid writes: "Denying another nation's Holocaust is no less ugly than denying ours. It is also dangerous. Today's denial is tomorrow's Holocaust. The Armenian genocide wasn't the first in this era. The German imperial army slaughtered 100,000 Namibians in 1904. In 1915, the Armenian genocide began; the Ottomans killed 1.5 million of them in various ways. If the world had risen up in protest against the genocide of the Namibians and Armenians, the Holocaust of the Jews might also have been averted."
=The Armenian National Committee of Jerusalem issued a statement yesterday expressing "grave concern" for the pressures applied by Turkish officials on Israel. "It is with grave concern and consternation that we are following Israeli Foreign Ministry attempts to influence congressmen not to vote for the Armenian genocide resolution in the U.S. Congress," read the statement. "On October 8th, the Turkish foreign minister, Mr. Ali Babacan paid a two-day visit to Israel with the declared objective to seek Israel's help to pressure Jewish organizations in America to lobby and fail the Armenian Genocide legislation. We regret to say that this shameful visit is taking place in open daylight," it went on. The statement strongly condemned "the efforts to undermine the Armenian genocide bill" considering it "an insult to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust." It called upon Israeli intellectuals and people of conscience to break their silence and speak out condemning this shameful intervention.
=The Daily Show ran a segment (in 2 parts) yesterday on the Armenian genocide resolution.
=In an article in the Independent today, Robert Fisk writes, "The story of the last century's first Holocaust – Winston Churchill used this very word about the Armenian genocide years before the Nazi murder of six million Jews – is well known, despite the refusal of modern-day Turkey to acknowledge the facts. Nor are the parallels with Nazi Germany's persecution of the Jews idle ones."
=Armenia's president has welcomed a vote by US lawmakers backing the description of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks after 1915 as genocide, reports the BBC. Robert Kocharyan told reporters he hoped the vote would lead to "full [US] recognition... of the genocide."

Thursday 10/11
=Breaking News: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters today she will not back down to Turkish and White House pressure and intends to bring the Armenian Genocide resolution (H. Res. 106) to the floor for a vote by the full House.
=Breaking News: Arat Dink--the son of a Agos editor Hrant Dink who was killed earlier this year after calling the massacre of Armenians genocide--was convicted today of insulting Turkey’s identity for republishing his father’s remarks. He and Serkis Seropyan, another Agos editor, each received a one-year suspended sentence for "insulting Turkishness," said their lawyer, Erdal Dogan. He said they would appeal the sentences.
=Breaking News: Turkey recalls its ambassador to U.S. over the Armenian Genocide bill. According to CNN, the foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said: "Yesterday some in Congress wanted to play hardball. I can assure you Turkey knows how to play hardball." According to the BBC: Turkey's foreign ministry said the ambassador would return to Turkey for a stay of "a week or 10 days". "We are not withdrawing our ambassador," said ministry spokesman Levent Bilman. "We have asked him to come to Turkey for some consultations."
= MSNBC is running an online poll on H.Res 106: "Should the United States formally recognize the World War I-era killing of Armenians as genocide?"
=In today's Haaretz, Anshel Pfeffer writes, "The Turkish rage following [ADL's change of position] was not directed at the ADL's offices in Washington but toward Jerusalem. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called President Shimon Peres and asked him to intervene. Peres contacted Foxman who promised to issue a new statement saying that the matter was merely semantic and that the ADL objected anyway to a resolution proposal in Congress."
=In an article in the Boston Globe titled "Genocide vote sets a face-off with Bush," Farah Stockman writes, "In a rare show of urgency, Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates each declared that the resolution the House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved could lead Turkey's leaders to curb vital US military supply routes through their country, leaving American troops without enough equipment to conduct operations in neighboring Iraq." Stockman concludes with the following: "[A Boston area activist], who spearheaded the local movement against the Anti-Defamation League, said yesterday that he is 'really disappointed' that Turkey can bully Bush, the leader of a superpower. 'Every time it comes up in Congress, it is killed by the administration, the Pentagon, the State Department,' he said. 'They say, 'It is not the right time.' It is never the right time.'"
=Bloggers are outraged by President Bush's opposition to the genocide resolution, writes Michael Weiss of Slate. The article presents quotes from different blogs on the issue. His concluding quote is from Joey Kurtzman. "At the Daily Shvitz blog, Kurtzman reminds readers that George W. Bush once spoke differently about historical fact when he was trying to drum up support for his tax policy: 'The Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity.'"

Wednesday 10/10
=BREAKING NEWS: The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopts H.Res.106 with a vote of 27 to 21. Read the ANCA and AAA press releases. Watch video of the entire sitting (in 3 parts) courtesy of Hairenik Web TV.
= ANNOUNCEMENT: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VOTE TODAY! At 1:30pm Eastern Time, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106). Visit the Committee website to watch the proceedings LIVE! Read the ANCA Action Alert for more information.
= Read the Jerusalem Post article on the Armenian Genocide bill and Turkish Foreign Minister Babacan's threats of retaliation. Here's an excerpt:
He [Babacan] warned that if a measure characterizing the killing of Armenians as an act of genocide was approved by Congress in the coming days, it would not only harm Turkey's ties with the US, but also Ankara's ties with Jerusalem. Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, who has publicly acknowledged the Armenian genocide, harshly criticized the recent threats by the Turkish government. "This is an ugly and inappropriate threat by Turkey and it really tells you something about them when they blame Israel for something the US is doing," said Klein. "This doesn't have to do with Jews because they aren't lobbying for it, and I don't think Israel or America or anyone should respond to this type of inappropriate threat."

Tuesday 10/09
= Read the Jerusalem Post article on Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's visit to Israel. Here's an excerpt: One of the main agenda items was the proposed US congressional resolution branding the killing of Armenians "genocide." Babacan said Turkey "would be happy if the Israeli authorities" could use their leverage in Washington "so that nothing goes wrong over there." He did not spell out what specifically he expected from Israel, other than to say, "What we have done is told them the problems, and it is up to them to decide what to do and how to help the situation."
= Read the Press Release on HH Karekin's visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Boston.
= In a Daily Zaman article on the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan issues retaliatory threats directed at the Jewish community in Turkey. Here's an excerpt:
Babacan said if the resolution is passed in Congress, the Jewish population will inevitably be the target of public anger in Turkey. [...] He said: “We have told them that we cannot explain it to the public in Turkey if a road accident happens. We have told them that we cannot keep the Jewish people out of this.”

Monday 10/08
= In a joint letter dated 10/06, the Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts and the Armenian Assembly of Massachusetts respond to the recent statement issued by ADL-New England. The letter reads: "In a recent statement, New England Regional ADL Director Andrew Tarsy and Chair James Rudolph accused “some” Armenian-Americans of spreading “misinformation” and “attacking” the No Place for Hate program. Not only do they fail to provide a single example of alleged misinformation, but their charges are simply incorrect [...] Rather than “blaming the victim,” for what is happening to NPFH programs, the ADL should reverse its immoral positions if it is truly concerned with NPFH’s future."
"In August, the NE Regional ADL leadership took a courageous stand against the national ADL’s policy of genocide denial. We look to them to continue their principled stance against national ADL’s disingenuous statement on the Armenian Genocide and its lobbying for the Turkish government. We also ask that they meet with the New England Armenian community without delay so that any misunderstandings or misapprehensions may be resolved."

Sunday 10/07
= In a letter dated 10/05, the International Association of Genocide Scholars urges the US House of Representatives to pass HR 106. The letter reads: "The Armenian Genocide is not a controversial issue outside of Turkey. Just as it would be unethical for Germany to interfere with the historical memory of the Holocaust, we feel it is equally unethical for Turkey to interfere with the memory of the Armenian Genocide [...] We believe the US government should not be party to efforts to kill the memory of a historical fact as profound and important as the genocide of the Armenians, which Hitler used as an example in his plan to exterminate the Jews."
"We also believe that security and historical truth are not in conflict, and it is in the interest of the United States to support the principles of human rights that are at the core of American democracy", the letter concludes.

Saturday 10/06
=The Jerusalem Post reports that during his visit to Israel on Sunday, "[Turkish Foreign Minister] Babacan is expected to talk with his Israeli interlocutors about legislation [...] that would declare the World War I era killings of Armenians a genocide." The article reminds its readers that "in August Turkey's ambassador to Israel Namik Tan told The Jerusalem Post that Turkey expected Israel to "deliver" American Jewish organizations and ensure that the US Congress did not pass the resolution." The article further quotes Tan as having said that "Israel should not let the [US] Jewish community change its position. This is our expectation and this is highly important, highly important."
=The IHT reports that "George W. Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked by telephone about their opposition to the legislation [HR106]. [...] The Bush administration has been telling lawmakers that the resolution, if passed, would harm U.S. security interests. [...] The Turkish government has been holding back from public threats while making clear that there will be consequences if the resolution is passed." Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America says that "Turkey has been threatening every sort of doomsday scenario... We have been saying that Turkey would harm itself more than the United States, if it carries through with these threats."

Friday 10/05
= ANNOUNCEMENT: CARRY THE TORCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR this Sunday, October 7, 3:30PM, Government Center, Boston. Please join us and friends and neighbors from throughout the region as Massachusetts Dreams for Darfur and calls on China to use its influence to help end the genocide in Darfur. For details please read our announcement.

Thursday 10/04
=In an editorial opposing HR106, the Wall Street Journal writes: "There can be little doubt that the Armenian repression was a terrible chapter in history... But it was only one part of a global tragedy that claimed nearly 15 million lives. Dredging it up now in Congress [...] may be a generous gesture toward Americans of Armenian descent but is hardly an appropriate signal to U.S. enemies. Or to our Turkish friends." Letters to the editor can be sent to wsj.ltrs@wsj.com.
=An on-line poll at the Lexington Minuteman asks: "Should Lexington's No Place for Hate Committee remain linked to the Anti-Defamation League?"
=Read the Minuteman article on the Lexington No Place For Hate steering committee's closed door meeting on Monday with ADL regional director Andrew Tarsy, whose October 2 commentary "ADL critics going too far" was today published in the Lexington Minuteman.
=Read the letter of support issued by the national office of Jewish Voice for Peace. Mitchell Plitnick, Director of Education and Policy for JVP, writes: "While the Anti-Defamation League has unquestionably done some very important work in fighting hate groups and bigotry, their blind spot when it comes to Israel renders them an inappropriate choice for the “No Place for Hate” campaign. We applaud the many Massachusetts groups that have come to the same conclusion." The letter concludes: "In fact, an American resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide protects Jews, including the 26,000 Jews in Turkey as well as all ethnic, religious and other minorities, as it places the world’s sole superpower firmly against such atrocities. It frankly boggles the mind that any Jewish group could possibly justify any sort of minimization of atrocities committed against another group. "

Wednesday 10/03
=In a commentary published in the Newton Tab, ADL New England Regional Director Andrew Tarsy and Board Chairman James Rudolph ask "why some activists are directing their efforts against ADL’s No Place for Hate" and write that "[these efforts] look increasingly like an organized campaign to blur the line between the moral issue of acknowledging the genocide and the political issue of the Congressional resolution ". The Newton Tab is accepting comments.

Tuesday 10/02
= ANNOUNCEMENT: Community Public Forum on the Armenian Genocide and the Anti-Defamation League, TODAY, Tuesday, October 2 at 8:00PM, at the First Armenian Church (380 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA). Attend this important public forum to hear a community-wide perspective on recent events surrounding the Armenian Genocide, the Anti Defamation League, and U.S. House/Senate Resolution 106. This event is being hosted by the First Armenian Church and is jointly sponsored by individuals and organizations of the greater Boston Armenian community. Read the announcement for details.
= Read the follow-up letter sent by Lexington residents to the Lexington Board Selectmen urging the latter "to decide expeditiously to sever Lexington’s ties with the Anti-Defamation League." The letter states: "The Anti-Defamation League not only continues to define the Armenian Genocide in a way that fails to meet the international legal definition of genocide, but it is actively aiding the Turkish government in its genocide denial by advocating scholarly examination to create doubt about settled history – a tactic used by global warming deniers, tobacco companies, and intelligent design advocates. Further, they continue to lobby against consideration and passage of the Congressional resolutions to affirm the Armenian Genocide." It concludes: "Every day that Lexington delays a decision to dissociate itself from such actions is a day of deep pain for its Armenian-American residents."
= Read the Boston Globe Op-Ed by Adrian Walker on the Armenian Heritage Park. Walker writes that the dispute over the park "has echoes of the recent battle between the Armenian community and the Anti-Defamation League over the ADL's reluctance to embrace the term genocide to describe the massacre of Armenians by Turks. The Armenian community won that round handily."

Monday 10/01
= BREAKING NEWS: Lexington NPFH Committee Holds Closed-Door Meeting with Tarsy, Excludes Armenian Residents. In a Press Release entitled LEXINGTON NO PLACE FOR HATE COMMITTEE SHOWS BAD FAITH, the ANCEM reports that Lexington residents Laura Boghosian, Michael Kouchakjian, and Nora Aroyan arrived for the 8 AM Town Hall meeting on time but were soon asked by a representative of the Town Manager’s office speaking for the LNPFH committee to leave the closed meeting, which they did, under protest, stating that they had a right as Lexington residents to be heard on an issue which affects their town. Read the letter of complaint submitted to the Lexington Board of Selectmen by the Armenian-American residents who were excluded from the meeting.

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CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

Visit "No Place for Hate" Towns & Cities in Massachusetts for the most up to date list of programs and towns that have severed ties with the ADL.

July 6
David Boyajian’s letter printed in Watertown Tab.
Letter: "Anti-Defamation League works against recognition of Armenian genocide"
“No Place for Hate” (NPFH) programs, such as Watertown’s, are tarnished by the fact that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has authored and sponsored them. The ADL, you see, has made the Holocaust and its denial key pieces of NPFH while at the same time hypocritically working with Turkey to oppose recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915-23.

July 8
Joey Kurtzman's essay "Fire Foxman" is published in Jewcy Magazine.
"Denying the Armenian Genocide should be the last atrocity perpetrated by the ADL chief...The ADL chief is a danger to the future of the community, and it is a scandal that he remains at the head of a major Jewish organization. Foxman must go. And the organization he has done so much to shape must either change or go with him."

July 19
The Watertown Tab publishes a first set of letters from residents in response to Dave Boyajian's piece. The Tab weighs in on the issue with an Editorial of its own:
"As you can see from a surge of letters to the editor...the action by the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, has some residents so furious that they are calling for an end to the Watertown’s participation in the ADL-sponsored “No Place for Hate” program....It boggles the mind that the head of the ADL could actively work against recognition of a genocide, given the centrality of the Holocaust to the ADL’s work."

July 26
The Watertown Tab publishes a second set of letters from residents as well as a response from Andrew Tarsy, New England Regional Director of the ADL.

July 27
The Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts (ANCEM) submitts a letter (published on Aug 3) condemning ADL's position and calling on the local NPFH program to distance itself from it: "Foxman does a disservice to the ADL in associating this noble organization with genocide denial. We can only hope that Boston’s No Place for Hate program leadership will not allow itself to follow in the same disgraceful path."

August 1
The Boston Globe first reports on the issue in a front-page article titled “Antibias effort stirs anger in Watertown.” When asked by the Globe reporter if what happened to Armenians under the Ottoman Empire was genocide, Abraham Foxman replies: "I don't know." In the article, Sharistan Melkonian -- chairwoman of the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts -- accuses Foxman of engaging in "genocide denial" and states that she will call for the Watertown No Place for Hate program to sever its ties with the ADL unless the latter acknowledges the genocide.

August 2
Petition requesting that “the No Place for Hate leadership call on its sponsor, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), through its National Director Mr. Foxman, to openly and unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and support congressional affirmation” is launched in Watertown Mass.

The ANCEM sends a letter to the co-chairs of the Watertown NPFH committee, requesting that "the NPFH leadership issue a public statement supporting efforts to oppose Turkey's state-sponsored campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide, expressing support for Congressional Armenian Genocide legislation and requesting that the ADL, through its director Mr. Foxman, publicly and unequivocally renounce its denialist agenda."

August 3
The Boston Globe publishes its first editorial on the issue: "[The ADL] 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."

August 14
The Watertown Town Council unanimously votes to become the first town to sever ties with the ADL. The proclamation, introduced by Watertown Councillor-At-Large Marilyn Petitto Devaney, states: “The Town Council has become aware that the ADL denies the facts of the horrific Armenian Genocide, that occurred from 1915 to 1923 […] The Town Council can not continue to join with such an organization.”
Read in depth article on, and watch video of, historic Watertown Town Council meeting.

August 17
The New England regional ADL breaks ranks with the national ADL: recognizes the Armenian genocide and calls for support of H.Res. 106. The NE regional director, Andrew Tarsy, is soon after fired for breaking ranks with national ADL policy.

The Boston Globe reported that since the Watertown Town Council Meeting, New England ADL Regional Director Andrew H. Tarsy had called an emergency meeting of the regional ADL Board which voted to urge National ADL to revise their policy of genocide denial. This story was covered by the New England Cable News in its evening broadcast.

The National ADL responded to the publication of the Boston Globe article with a statement (posted on the ADL website and placed as an ad in the Boston Globe and the New England Jewish Advocate) repeating the standard denialist euphemisms and citing their "neutrality" about the Armenian Genocide resolution, while stating that they do not find the genocide resolution "helpful" in helping Turkey come to grips with its past.

August 18
The Boston Globe in its August 18th issue ran a front page article about the firing of Tarsy, including outrage expressed by the Jewish and Armenian American communities. According to the Globe story, the New England ADL board's executive committee “backed Tarsy and…..went a step further, resolving to support legislation now pending before Congress to acknowledge the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians during the World War I era as genocide.”
The Globe also published a strongly worded editorial condemning Tarsy's firing: "If the national ADL doesn't acknowledge the genocide, it is complicit in a coverup."
Read: Letter to the New England ADL Board Sent by the National ADL

August 19
The Boston Globe reported that "at least two prominent board members of the regional Anti-Defamation League have resigned in protest over the national ADL's decision to fire the regional director for acknowledging the slaughter of Armenians during World War I as genocide." The report added that a meeting of the entire New England regional ADL board has been scheduled for Wednesday morning.

August 20
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and 13 other area Jewish organizations issue a statement re-affirming the Armenian genocide and standing in solidarity with the New England Chapter of ADL and Andrew Tarsy.

August 21
The National ADL issues its now-infamous statement on the Armenian genocide. It reads, in part: “On reflection, we have come to share the view of Henry Morgenthau, Sr. that the consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide. If the word genocide had existed then, they would have called it genocide. … Having said that, we continue to firmly believe that a Congressional resolution on such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship between Turkey, Israel and the United States.”

The Human Rights Commission of Newton holds a meeting led by Mayor David Cohen and sends a letter to the ADL asking it to unambiguously recognize the Armenian genocide, support the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106, in Congress, and reinstate Andrew Tarsy as a condition for the continuation of the ADL program.

Reacting to the ADL's statement issued that morning, Mayor Cohen states: “Whenever I saw the word Armenian, in my mind I substituted the word Jewish. And whenever I saw the word genocide, I substituted the word Holocaust. And I said, would I be satisfied if this were the response of my leaders? And the answer was no.” In order for Newton to be satisfied and continue with the ADL program, added Mayor Cohen, the National ADL has to “do the right thing, recognizing the Armenian genocide and advocating for its recognition as they would any other genocide.” Read report & watch video

August 23
The national ADL issues a statement calling for “joint commissions” to study the Armenian genocide.
Turkish envoy returns to Israel to deal with ADL issue. Read Jerusalem Post article

August 24
Turkey condemns statement by ADL. Read Boston Globe article .
Turkey presses Israel over ADL's recognition of 'Armenian genocide.' Read Haaretz article

August 25
Turkey’s Prime Minister announces that the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, has apologized for labeling the events as a genocide in a personal letter. Erdogan: ADL corrects “genocide” mistake in letter.
Read Zaman article. Read press clippings reporting equivocation by Foxman following Aug 21 statement.

August 28
ADL reinstates NE regional leader Andrew Tarsy stating that the NE ADL and the national ADL now see “eye to eye.” Read Boston Globe article.

August 30
Jewish-Armenian solidarity event at the Massachusetts State House. Read Boston Globe article.

August 31
The town of Newburyport, Mass., sends a letter to the ADL asking it to unambiguously recognize the Armenian genocide and support Congressional affirmation.
Local Armenians ask Needham to sever ties with ADL program during first public hearing held by Needham Human Rights Committee. Read Needham Times article.

September 4
Bedford Violence Prevention Coalition demands an explanation from the ADL. Read Armenian Weekly article.

September 5
Needham HRC holds second public hearing on ADL issue and votes to send a letter to the ADL asking it to “acknowledge the Armenian genocide as a genocide, not 'tantamount to genocide'... and support the resolution before Congress which officially recognizes the Armenian genocide.”

September 6
The Belmont, Mass., Human Rights Commission unanimously votes to recommend that the town sever ties with the ADL. In a letter to the ADL, the Belmont HRC wrote: "ADL and the No Place for Hate® program emphasize that the “tip of the pyramid of hatred” is genocide. How can we, in good faith, ask our community to work at the base of this same pyramid while the No Place for Hate® sponsor is actively working against congressional, international recognition of the Armenian genocide?"

September 11
The Newton, Mass., Human Rights Commission recommends to the Mayor that the town cease participation in the ADL-sponsored No Place for Hate program.
Read report & watch video.

September 12
The Massachusetts Municipal Association sends a letter to the ADL calling on it to recognize the Armenian genocide and support passage of the Congressional resolution.
The MMA has issued a strong and unequivocal statement on the importance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting passage of the Congressional Resolution. We applaud the Executive Committee of the New England Region of the ADL for taking this position, and the MMA has called on the national ADL organization to do the same. We will continue to review and monitor this matter, recognizing that while progress has been made, we will subsequently re-evaluate our official sponsorship of NPFH after the national ADL determines whether to adopt this position.

West Coast Armenian and Jewish community organizations urge the ADL to end its opposition to Armenian Genocide legislation. Read the ANC-WR press release.

September 17
The Belmont Board of Selectmen votes to sever ties with the ADL.

September 18
The Mayor of Newton severs ties with the ADL’s NPFH program. Read Boston Globe article.

September 19
The Arlington, Mass., Human Rights Commission votes to rescind endorsement of ADL program stating ADL's failure to support the Armenian Genocide Resolution in Congress. Sends resolution to Arlington Selectmen.

September 24
Lexington Board of Selectmen hold first public meeting to discuss the future of the town’s No Place for Hate program. The meeting is moved at the last minute from Town Hall to the auditorium to accommodate the larger than expected number of local residents who wished to be heard on this issue. Read report and watch video

September 27
Foxman meets with Erdogan and publicly reiterates opposition to the Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution and re-states his support for Turkey's calls for a joint commission of historians. Read press reports on meeting.

September 28
The Northampton, Massachusetts Human Rights Commission sends a letter to Mr. Foxman informing him that they had "voted unanimously ... to withdraw from the No Place for Hate program ... in light of the ADL’s position on the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks." The letter goes on to state: "We cannot endorse selective recognition of hate by an organization that claims leadership in creating a world where there is no place for hate."

October 4
Northampton, Massachusetts severs ties with the ADL. A resolution passed by the City Council states: "The City of Northampton must not continue its affiliation with such an organization as ADL that promotes such a grievous denial."

October 15
The Lexington, Mass., Board of Selectmen votes to sever ties with the ADL.
The Arlington Board of Selectmen votes to sever ties with the ADL.
Westwood, Mass., votes to suspend ties with the ADL.
Read ANCEM Press Release.

October 17
The Medford, Mass., Human Rights Commission unanimously votes to suspend ties with the ADL. Read article.

October 19
The New York Times reports on the ongoing efforts in Massachusetts towns to sever ties with the ADL.

October 29
The AYF hosts a vigil in front of the ADL's national headquarters in New York City.

October 30
The Massachusetts Armenian community sends Letter and Informational Packet to the ADL National Commission on the eve of its annual meeting. Co-signed by the Armenian National Committee and the Armenian Assembly of Massachusetts, the letter asks "that the ADL remain true to its mission and fully and unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, refrain from advocating for Turkish calls for a “historical commission,” and express support for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian-Americans also rightfully expect an apology from Mr. Foxman for the damage and pain the ADL’s actions and statements have caused thus far."

November 1
A rally is organized in front of the national headquarters in New York. Watch video.

November 2
The ADL votes to “take no further action on the issue of the Armenian genocide.”
Read articles in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Boston Globe .

November 8
The Medford City Council votes to suspend the city’s NPFH program due to the ADL’s failure to support national recognition of the Armenian genocide.

November 14
The Needham Human Rights Committee votes votes to suspend the town's membership to the ADL’s No Place for Hate program due to the ADL’s failure to change its position on the Armenian genocide following its Nov. 2 meeting.

November 19
Bedford Board of Selectmen votes unanimously to suspend the town's participation in the ADL-sponsored No Place for Hate Program.

December 1
Los Angeles area community protests ADL national director's genocide denial at event hosted by the Anti-Defamation League in Beverly Hills, California.

December 3
The Glendale, California, Unified School District postpones a three-day seminar that was to be conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) due to the sponsor's opposition to Congressional legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

December 4
Needham severs ties with the ADL. The Needham Board of Selectmen vote to accept the Human Rights Committee's recommendation to suspend the No Place For Hate program over the ADL's position on the Armenian Genocide. Watch video highlights from the Needham HRC meeting held on Sept. 5.

Andrew Tarsy announces his resignation as ADL's New England Regional Director. The Boston Globe reports that according to his supporters, it is "the result of his rift with the ADL's national director, Abraham H. Foxman, over the genocide issue."

December 11
The Watertown Town Council passes a resolution calling on the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) to rescind its endorsement of the ADL's No Place for Hate program. Read the Watertown Tab report on the vote. Read the full text of the Resolution.

February 01, 2008
Newburyport becomes the 11th Massachusetts municipality to end relations with the ADL's No Place for Hate program. Read The Newburyport Current report. Read the Daily News story.

February 26
Over 30 Armenian American organizations from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts call on the MMA in an open letter to "rescind its endorsement of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) program due to the ADL’s refusal to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and its continued active opposition to US recognition of the Genocide."

March 26
Michigan Armenian community protests appearance of Abraham Foxman, National Director of the ADL, at the Birmingham Community House. Read report by Armenian National Committee of Michigan.

March 27
Peabody, Massachussetts withdraws from ADL's No Place for Hate program. Read the Peabody Weekly News story.

April 8
The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) votes unanimously to end its sponsorship of the No Place for Hate program. A statement by the nonprofit, nonpartisan association of Massachusetts cities and towns states: "The MMA feels strongly that it is imperative to speak with absolute clarity on genocide and that, due to the NPFH program’s association with the National ADL, the Association will no longer be a sponsor of the program.” Read the ANC Press Release and the Boston Globe article.

April 24
The city of Somerville becomes the 13th Massachusetts municipality to end its relationship with the Anti-Defamation League's No Place for Hate program. Read the Boston Globe article, and the Somerville Journal article.
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RALLY IN FRONT OF ADL HEADQUARTERS IN NYC

Urge the ADL National Meeting to take a clear moral stand against genocide denial

Host: No Place for Denial & Jewcy
Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: ADL National Office, 605 3rd Avenue, New York. View Map

Contact Info
Phone: 917.428.1918
Email: karine@noplacefordenial.com

The ADL National Meeting is in town from Nov. 1st though Nov. 3rd.

They will be voting on a resolution, introduced by the ADL's New England branch, to unambiguously recognize the Armenian Genocide and support U.S. recognition of the Genocide.

Join the good folks at Jewcy and No Place for Denial for a hastily organized, totally spontaneous, peaceful demonstration in front of the ADL Headquarters on

Thursday, November 1 @ 7pm

Youthful representatives of two ancient peoples will hit the pavement to demand that the ADL come down on the right side of a key human rights issue: UNQUALIFIED OPPOSITION TO GENOCIDE DENIAL

Spontaneous, irreverent, unscripted, a celebration of Jewish-Armenian solidarity, hard hitting political messages transmitted through irony, parody and verse...impromptu speeches and chants...

B.Y.O. signs and slogans...

==============================

UPDATE: Rally Set & Armenian Folk/Klezmer Band to Perform

Everything is set and the rally will take place at 605 Third Ave & 40th St. There will be:

1--an update about the NO PLACE FOR DENIAL effort

2--information about why the ADL must support US/Federal recognition of the Armenian Genocide

3--prominent Jewish American voices from Boston and Jewcy.com who have been a strong supporters of Armenian Genocide recognition

4--poems read by prominent writers, including novelist Arthur Nersesian & curator Neery Melkonian

5--and most importantly we got a music permit and we've invited an ARMENIAN FOLK & KLEZMER TRIO!!!!!!

Samvel, the trumpet player, is the guy who composed and played the soulful tune that became the official anthem of the anti-Soviet marches in the late 80's!! It is his trumpet that kicked off the demos in Liberty Square!! He's also played in several NY-area klezmer bands.

Come out and support the peaceful, colorful rally that will ask the ADL to STOP SUPPORTING TURKEY'S DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.

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Q & A: Abraham Foxman on ADL and the Armenian Genocide

By Ami Eden
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

10/24/2007

The following are excerpts from an edited transcript of an interview conducted last month with the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, in which he addresses the controversy over his initial refusal to use the word genocide to describe the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. The full published text of the interview can be viewed here.

Did you do anything wrong in the controversy over whether to describe as genocide the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks?

I didn't do anything wrong. I miscalculated. We said it is a massacre, an atrocity, we've said it for 40 years. The Armenians wanted us to say genocide. To me it was sufficient for us to say I'm not a historian, we don’t adjudicate all the issues. What I miscalculated was the Jewish community. I respect the Armenian community for wanting their memory, their pain, their suffering to be recognized globally in the most sensitive way or the most meaningful way. So we said it is an atrocity and it is massacre, but we just don't think that Congress should adjudicate it. What I did not suspect was where the Jewish community was.

I was shocked, upset, frightened by the fact that this was an issue where Jews were attacking us. It's one thing for the federation director or the CRC director or for Jewish pundits to support the Armenian position, but to criticize us, to organize against us, that shocked me.

I think there are two things going on out there. We are a community in transition. I believe in Hillel, I think this agency is an expression of the Hillel thesis [If I am only for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?] In fact, our founding fathers had this vision in 1915, to defend the Jewish people and to protect the right of all individuals. But there is one and two. To me it was very clear, there are moral imperatives here -- the moral imperative to feel somebody else's pain, to recognize their anguish, and the moral imperative which is the safety and the security of the Jewish community.

I don't believe that the Turkish government tomorrow will go and take it out on the Jews. But the Turkish Jewish community came to the United States, met with Jewish representatives and asked them to transmit a letter on this issue. It was very clear to me what the interests of the Jewish community in Turkey are. It was also very clear to me that after the United States, the most important ally Israel has is Turkey. It's a country that not only has promised to provide Israel with water until moshiach comes, but it's a country that permits Israel's pilots to do maneuvers over its land. And so, to me, it was very clear that there are two moral issues, but one trumps the other. And it was clear to me that I cannot save one Armenian human being, not one. But if I do what the Armenians want me to do, I will put in jeopardy the lives of Turkish Jews and Israeli Jews.

What I didn’t realize was to what extent the American Jewish community has reversed Hillel, or at least in Boston and Massachusetts. That comes out of a changed demography, sociology. When we talk about assimilation, when we talk about intermarriage -- you know what, that's what it is.

So that's one thing I misread. Two, I misread something else: Israel is no longer as significant. Some of this stuff I read and hear about in Boston was, "Why do we have to sacrifice our relationship with our Armenian friends and neighbors for Israel?" I heard people say to me if the [Jews in Turkey] are in trouble, let them leave. That's what I miscalculated.

Then I turned around and I got made fun of for it, and said we need unity now because Iran is a threat, Hamas is a threat, Hezbollah is a threat, anti-Semitism in Europe and Latin America. The last thing we need now is for [Boston Jewish leaders] Barry Shrage and Nancy Kaufman to be fighting us.

Given your concerns about Turkey, why did you reverse yourself on the use of the word genocide?

I need, you need, we need a strong unified Jewish community to help Israel. And if we begin splittering …

I gave for the greater purpose so that we can now sit and talk together. It almost destroyed our operation in Boston. And in the greater scheme of things, to go from massacres and atrocities to genocide, OK.

You know what, I've had sleepless nights about it.
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Genocide Resolution Sponsors Announce Revised Timetable for House Consideration of H.Res.106

Schiff, Pallone, Sherman and Eshoo Send Letter to Speaker Pelosi Citing Continued Efforts to Pass Resolution “Later this Year or in 2008”

ANCA Press Release
October 25, 2007

WASHINGTON--The four leading Democratic sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) have called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to adopt a revised schedule for the consideration of this human rights legislation by the House of Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

In a letter sent today to Speaker Pelosi, lead author Adam Schiff (D-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) stressed that, in asking for this delay, "we believe that a large majority of our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more favorable." The letter goes on to note that they will continue to work with Speaker Pelosi's staff and the House Foreign Affairs Committee staff to bring up the resolution "sometime later this year or in 2008."

"Trying to advance American interests by compromising our values is a fast-track to failure in foreign policy," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "By enabling Turkey's genocide denial, America undermines its own ability to be a positive influence in the Middle East and around the world."

In a letter circulated today to every member of the House, Hamparian noted that, "In the days since the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res.106), the initial cautious response by many Members of Congress to Turkey's threats has already begun to give way to a more lasting impression of disappointment, even anger, that an ally is so brazenly threatening the security of our troops." He added that, "we are confident that, as the confusion over these threats lifts, an even stronger bipartisan majority will stand up against Turkey's intimidation and vote to adopt this human rights resolution on its merits."

The letter also noted that Armenian Americans remain deeply appreciative of the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, chief authors Adam Schiff and George Radanovich (R-CA), Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and leading advocates Brad Sherman, Ed Royce (R-CA), Anna Eshoo, and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), all of whom are working with their colleagues on a bipartisan basis to put America on the right side of this human rights issue.


The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below.

-----------------------------------------------------

Dear Representative:

I am writing to share our thoughts about how the ongoing consideration by the House of H.Res.106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, has brought greater clarity to this human rights issue.

In the days and weeks since the Foreign Affairs Committee approved H.Res.106, we have seen that the initial response of caution to Turkey's wave of threats has already begun to give way to a more lasting impression -- one of disappointment, even anger, that an ally is so brazenly threatening the security of our troops. As the confusion over these threats lifts, we are confident that an even stronger bipartisan majority will stand up against Turkey's intimidation and vote to adopt this human rights resolution on its merits.

Looking back on the contentious events of the past two weeks, three issues stand out:

1.Turkey has revealed itself to be an increasingly unreliable ally

Turkey displayed a truly remarkable willingness to disrupt U.S. military operations.

Sadly, Ankara's new readiness to place our strategic priorities at risk was only encouraged by its success, once again, in forcing the Administration's capitulation. As a result of our appeasement in responding to their blackmail, we can expect to see Turkey's leaders continue to employ similar threats in connection with the full range of issues on our bilateral agenda, among them Iraq, the Kurds, Israel, Syria, Cyprus, and Iran. Their behavior is particularly abhorrent in light of the challenges that we face today in Iraq.

This disturbing episode serves as a much needed wake-up call for our State Department and Pentagon to make preparations to limit our future reliance upon Turkey by exploring alternate ways to supply and support our regional operations.

2. The real danger is compromising American moral leadership

The true danger to U.S. interests and American troops comes not from Turkey's threats, but rather from the long-term damage to our international standing when we publicly retreat from our core values under unwarranted pressure from a foreign government.

We cannot advance our interests by compromising our values. Agreeing to a Turkish government-imposed "gag-rule" on the Armenian Genocide sets a dangerous precedent, emboldening other nations to use similar threats against America. Such a response diminishes our moral standing, making it more difficult to move international public opinion toward greater acceptance of our values and increased cooperation with our nation's foreign policy priorities. Rest assured that Turkey will concoct another "threat" to our security whenever an Armenian Genocide resolution is considered. We would expect no less from a country where one literally faces prosecution for even speaking about the Armenian Genocide.

3. The facts of the Armenian Genocide are not in dispute

The debate over the Armenian Genocide Resolution, particularly during the nearly three hours of consideration of this measure by the Foreign Affairs Committee, was characterized by a common acceptance of the Armenian Genocide. Even those who spoke most ardently against the measure 's based on a fear of Turkey's reaction 's never denied this crime.

While we remain, of course, deeply troubled by the opposition to this measure - in the view that it is always the right time for America to stand up against genocide 's we do, however, take a measure of satisfaction from this progress within Congress toward a proper and accurate understanding of the history of the Armenian Genocide.

Moving forward, we are hopeful that these considerations will help inform the ongoing discussion of H.Res.106 as we continue our efforts to secure its adoption by the 110th Congress. Armenian Americans remain deeply appreciative of the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, lead authors Adam Schiff and George Radanovich, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg, and leading advocates Brad Sherman, Ed Royce, Anna Eshoo, and Thaddeus McCotter, all of whom are working with their colleagues to put America on the right side of this human rights issue.

Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. We would, of course, be pleased to meet with you to discuss this matter in greater detail.

Sincerely,

Aram S. Hamparian
Executive Director


Thursday, October 25, 2007
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Armenian Weekly Editorial: Ahmadinejad in Armenia

The Armenian Weekly
Oct. 27, 2007

With the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockade on Armenia, Iran has become a lifeline for the landlocked republic. Bilateral relations are good. The Islamic Republic also hosts a very vibrant Armenian community with deep historic roots, living peacefully in the country for centuries. All this has made Iranian high-ranking officials, including current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, welcomed guests in Armenia since 1991. Yerevan State University has also been lavish in the past, perhaps more than necessary, in bestowing honorary doctorates to visiting heads of state and other statesmen.

Like previous occasions, the Iranian president received a warm welcome from the political leadership of Armenia. Like other visiting heads of state, Ahmadinejad also had the opportunity to speak to university students in Yerevan—just like he spoke at Columbia University in New York not so long ago.

But why did Yerevan State University bestow an honorary doctorate and a gold medal upon a politician, who has shown disregard to basic historical research and memory by denying the Holocaust of the Jews during WWII?

It is worth noting that one of the manifestations of Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial is calling for further “impartial” studies on WWII. We have heard that very same argument regarding the Armenian genocide from Turkey and its allies.

The very same day he met Armenian officials and received the honorary doctorate, Ahmadinejad decided to cut short his Armenia visit. The reason for this is unclear. According to several reports, he either wanted to avoid visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan fearing criticism from Turkey, or he was facing political problems at home. It would not be surprising if visiting the Memorial and planting a sapling in memory of the victims—as it was planned—were regarded potentially harmful to Turkish-Iranian relations and Ahmadinejad left Armenia to “escape” that visit. Avoiding to hurt Turkey’s “feelings” seems to be the norm these days and it should not be ruled out that Ahmadinejad, the Bush Administration, many in Congress, and even some human rights organizations are on the same page when it comes to this issue.

The university’s decision to bestow an honorary doctorate is simply unacceptable. We are surprised that, as the officials in charge of the alma mater of a nation that rose from the ashes of another genocide, they did not take this fact into consideration before deciding to award the honorary degree.

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Cambridge Human Rights Commission Letter on ADL

Dear Selectmen of Lexington,

As a member of the Massachusetts Association of Human Rights and Relations Commissions, we are writing to our colleagues and neighbors in Lexington to support the efforts of those working to make the ADL accountable to its commitment of justice for all. We urge Lexington to join Watertown, Belmont, Newton and Arlington in suspending or severing ties with the ADL until they do the right thing.

First, contrary to the opinion piece by Andrew Tarsy and James Rudolph, “ADL critics go too far,” we have found no one questioning the work of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) committees. In fact those communities that have severed ties with the ADL admire the work of the local grassroots organizing by NPFH and seek to continue the work under different auspices. Second, Tarsy and Rudolph have turned the situation on its head. They claim that those challenging the ADL have turned a moral issue (the “acknowledgment” of the Armenian genocide) into a political issue (support for the Congressional resolution that would publicly and officially recognize it by the US). On the contrary, Tarsy and Rudolph’s view would make morality hollow, subsumed to the political interests the ADL is promoting.

Indeed, Abraham Foxman, director of the national ADL, wrote that they are torn between support for Israel—ADL “has been a leader in promoting Turkish-Israeli relations” and “recognizing human injustice.” The Bush administration and other politicians likewise oppose recognition of the genocide because of their political relationship with Turkey which refuses to acknowledge the scholarship of researchers from all over the world that have said the genocide is “an incontestable fact.” These scholars, including Elie Wiesel and Turkish Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk, call on all nations to recognize it as such. Should not a group like No Place for Hate that is based on civil and human rights for all, and stands against hate and bigotry, join with those scholars to stand for what is morally right? It is ADL’s prerogative to prioritize their view of Israeli interests over considerations of human justice, in this instance with regard to Armenians. But then they have lost the moral credibility to sponsor No Place for Hate. They cannot represent safety and recognition for all the town’s residents.

Many Jews were outraged by the hypocrisy of ADL for choosing to place political expediency above their commitment to human justice, knowing that if any group played that game with the Holocaust, the ADL would be the first to call them for what they were, genocide deniers.

Late last fall, the diversity committee of Cambridge employees and the Human Rights Commission considered whether Cambridge should join NPFH. Some commissioners, a few civil rights attorneys including one who had worked for the ADL, argued strongly that the behavior of the ADL over the past two decades towards Arabs, Muslims, anti-Apartheid activists, as well as their activism against any kind of affirmative action policy, was not the behavior of a civil rights/human rights organization.

While the ADL has worked on important issues, e.g., related to discrimination, it has been a leader in the fight against affirmative action, contradicting the policies of Cambridge. They filed an amicus brief in the University of Michigan case in 2003 against the University’s admissions policies that sought to create a diverse student body. The ADL was the only civil rights or Jewish organization to file an amicus brief in the Michigan cases.

For all these reasons, those committed to human rights and diversity in Cambridge did not think it appropriate for the ADL to have any authority over our diversity and human rights projects. Now the public has become aware of the political opposition of the ADL to US recognition of the Armenian genocide.

We urge Lexington Selectmen to consider these issues, and to know that severing ties with the ADL should not stop the important work of the “No Place for Hate” committee.

Respectfully,

Charles Kavanagh, Susan Ostrander and Marla Erlien for the

The Cambridge Human Rights Commission
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Interview with Adam Schiff on Fox News

VIDEO

Fox News Network
Saturday October 20, 2007

Click "read more" for transcript.

GIGOT: Welcome to the "Journal Editorial Report." I'm Paul Gigot.

A House committee voted last week to condemn the mass killings of
Armenians in Turkey in World War I as an act of genocide, despite
warnings it would strain relation was an important Iraq war allies.

Following the vote, Turkey recalled its ambassador to the U.S. and
officials there warned if the resolution is approved by the full
House they will reconsider their support for the American war effort,
which includes permission to move essential supplies through Turkey
into northern Iraq.

Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California is the author of
the Armenian genocide resolution. He has more than 70,000 ethnic
Armenians in his Los Angeles district.

Congressman, welcome. Good to have you on the program.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D), CALIFORNIA: Thanks, Paul. Nice to join you.

GIGOT: This atrocity occurred 90 years ago. Why bring it up now at
this delicate moment in the Middle East?

SCHIFF: Well, Paul, you have to put it in perspective. We have tried
to recognize the genocide really for years, even decade. We introduced
this resolution before the Iraq war and the administration said now
is not a good time. We introduce it before the war in Afghanistan
and the administration said it wasn't a good time, before 9/11 and
said it wasn't a good time.

I stood yesterday in the capitol rotunda and watched the president
bestow the Medal of Honor on the Dalai Lama and I was proud of him. I
was proud of him doing that notwithstanding the fact China protested
that it was deeply offensive to our strategic partner in China.

Someone asked him, Mr. President, why do you risk antagonizing China.

The president earlier said that preventing Iran from getting a nuclear
weapon could be so important it might stop World War III.

Paul, you know whose vote we need on the Security Council to pre-
investment Iran from getting the bomb? We need China's vote. But,
you know, the president said when America stands up for human rights
and freedom, America is always serving its national interest. The
president was right then.

But the president believes that the situation in Tibet, the invasion
that took place 50 years ago, it is important to recognize what took
place in China but not what took place in Turkey, though it involved
the murder of a million and a half people. It doesn't make sense to me.

GIGOT: Congressman, the current dispute in Tibet is ongoing and it
is about human rights in Tibet now. This resolution is 100 years ago.

SCHIFF: You know what, Paul? The dispute going on is important now
as well. Just last week, Turkey brought up on charges the son of a
murdered Armenian journalist in Turkey, who was killed this year,
on charges of publishing his father words about the genocide. Is that
freedom in Turkey to speak out about the genocide not important? Is the
freedom of expression the freedom to talk about some of the darkest
chapters in the history of the world not important? Why is freedom
in China important but freedom in Turkey of so little value?

GIGOT: Congressman, let's say Turkey does take offense, and they
say they will, and they decide to cut off supplies, the supply
route we have, an important airbase there. If they decide to cut off
supplies to Turkey, are you, as a member of Congress, willing to take
responsibility for the consequences of that?

SCHIFF: Paul, we have to expect Turkey will act in their national
interests. They're an important ally to us and we are pan important
ally to them. The fact that the European Union wants to make genocide
recognition a condition of Turkey getting into the E.U. hasn't stopped
Turkey from wanting to be in the E.U.

I have to expect Turkey will act rationally. But I also think,
Paul, and maybe can you point to an example of the contrary, that
has inform been the case, that we have served our national interest
well by denying the truth, particularly when it involves genocide. I
don't think this will be the first time where it was advantageous to
our country to deny the truth.

At the ceremony yesterday, Elie Wiesel said that speaking truth
to power gives power to the truth. That's true with China. It is
also true with Turkey. And I think we have to speak that compelling
historic truth.

GIGOT: On the other hand...

SCHIFF: Yes, I have an Armenian community in my district. I have
sat in their living rooms and heard stories about how their parents
and grandparents were wiped out. Paul, if it was your parents and
grandparents, you would be screaming to the rafters we should recognize
what happened to them. And the fact that it was our neighbor's family
and not our own shouldn't matter.

GIGOT: Congressman, there is a long list of people on the other side
of this. General David Petraeus, head of American forces in Iraq,
eight former secretaries of state, including Madeleine Albright. When
this issue came up in 2000, President Clinton called the Republican
speaker of the House, then Denny Hastert, and asked him to pull this
so if wouldn't compromise our situation in the Middle East. He did.

Why shouldn't the Democrats now, at the request of an American
president, decide to pull something like this at a similar moment?

SCHIFF: Paul, these eight secretaries of state you mentioned, this
was their policy. They are defending their policy during those --
the administrations of those eight secretaries they were willing to
deny the genocide and become complicit in Turkey's denial.

The last president, Paul, who had the courage to recognize the Armenian
genocide, was President Reagan. What would you have said to President
Reagan if you were his advisor? Mr. President, I know you talk about
the United States being a moral beacon for the word but we are in
the middle of the Cold War this was antagonize Turkey. Mr. President,
you shouldn't do it.

But you know what? Ronald Reagan had the guts to do it. He had the
guts to say, no, this country stand for something and I stand for
something. And you know what, Paul? You applaud him for that. You
applaud him for the courage. Why shouldn't we ask this president
to have the same courage? He likes to model himself after President
Reagan. All Republican presidents like to, but let's have the courage
that Ronald Reagan had to speak the truth.

GIGOT: Congressman, what's your response to Dave Petraeus who says
this will make his mission more difficult to achieve in Iraq?

SCHIFF: I respect General Petraeus. I have been to Iraq three times.

I met him in Mosul on one of my trips there. He is doing his job and
he is, I think, a very honorable man. His mission is Iraq. When he
testified before the Senate and he was asked, is what we are doing
in Iraq making our national security better, is it improving our
national security. You know what he said? I really can't answer that.

The reason he couldn't answer that is his mission is only Iraq.

I think the president needs to look to the greater war on terror
and say what about our moral standing in the world. What role does
it have when we espouse truth about history in terms of fighting this
ideological struggle in the war on terror? That's not General Petraeus'
responsibility. It is the responsibility of the president.

I think Ronald Reagan had it right and I think this president has
it wrong.

GIGOT: Congressman, you get the last word. Thanks for being here.

SCHIFF: Thank you.

GIGOT: When we come back, a new report says the U.S. military dealt
al-Qaeda in Iraq a crippling blow. Should we declare victory? Our
panel debates when the "Journal Editorial Report" continues.

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THREE MORE MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS BREAK TIES WITH THE ADL

Lexington, Arlington, and Westwood condemn the denial of the Armenian Genocide

ANCEM Press Release
October 17, 2007

WATERTOWN, MA—In a wave of condemnation of the denial of the Armenian Genocide just days after the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide, the Boards of Selectmen of three Massachusetts towns -- Arlington, Lexington and Westwood -- voted on the same day, Monday, October 15, to break ties with the Anti Defamation League (ADL) and its No Place for Hate (NPFH) program, due to the ADL’s failure to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts (ANCEM.)

In addition, just this evening, October 17, the Medford Human Rights Commission unanimously voted to suspend ties with the ADL. Details to follow.

“Arlington, Lexington, and Westwood reaffirmed a clear message," stated ANCEM chairperson Sharistan Melkonian. "Genocide denial, in any form, at any time, is unacceptable, no matter who engages in it."

The action in Lexington, Arlington, and Westwood follows action by Watertown, Belmont and Newton, which have also ended their involvement with the ADL-sponsored program due to the ADL’s policy on the Armenian Genocide.


Arlington

Arlington’s Board of Selectmen met to discuss the future of ADL’s No Place for Hate program. The standing room only Selectmen’s chamber was packed with over 80 residents.

Prior to voting on the future of the town’s association with the ADL, Arlington’s Selectmen heard a report from the chair of the Human Rights Commission, Joseph Curro.

Curro presented a resolution--which had been voted on and passed at the September 19 meeting of the Human Rights Commission-- recommending that the town sever its ties with the ADL’s NPFH program.

The resolution read (in part):

WHEREAS Arlington is home to many residents of Armenian descent and serves as the headquarters location of the Armenian Cultural Foundation; and

WHEREAS the national Anti-Defamation League has failed to recognize unambiguously the Armenian Genocide and has opposed efforts in Congress to do so; and

BE IT RESOLVED that the full recognition and honest discussion of past atrocities -such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust -- are requisite to understanding and responding to contemporary genocidal crimes against humanity – such as the atrocities in Darfur -- and that legislative measures such as H. Res. 106 constitute an important part of this process; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arlington Human Rights Commission does join in protest of any form of genocide denial and commits to facilitating educational activities related to genocide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arlington Human Rights Commission does hereby rescind its endorsement of the Town's formal relationship with the Anti-Defamation League; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arlington Human Rights Commission does reserve the right to review this decision should the Anti-Defamation League reconsider its position on the Armenian Genocide and H. Res. 106.

Following Mr. Curro’s presentation, chairwoman Annie Lacourt put the matter to a vote and the Selectmen voted unanimously to sever ties with the ADL. Prior to the vote two selectwomen expressed their personal disappointment in the ADL’s current position on the Armenian Genocide and its opposition to HR 106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

During the open forum portion of the meeting, longtime Arlington resident and Armenian Genocide survivor Kevork Norian mesmerized those present with a stirring speech. Clutching a copy of Peter Balakian’s The Burning Tigris and with his eyes closed he recounted his family’s escape from certain death from the Cilician city of Aintab in 1920--the 2nd stage of the Armenian Genocide. He spoke of the pain of denial and the need for recognition – especially by the country that he and his family now called home. Mr. Norian concluded by calling for a round of applause to the United States and its people for having been so generous in welcoming Armenian refugees -- survivors of the first genocide of the 20th century.


Lexington

In front of a crowd of over 100 local residents, the Lexington Board of Selectmen also unanimously passed on October 15 a resolution presented by Selectmen Hank Menz rescinding its endorsement of the town’s formal relationship with the ADL’s No Place for Hate program.

Lexington Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Jeanne K. Krieger opened the meeting in historic Cary Hall, and acknowledged Lexington High School students Nairi Khachatourian and Sosse Beugekian who presented a petition, signed by almost 300 members of the Lexington High School Community, calling on the Board of Selectmen to immediate sever ties with the Anti Defamation League. The petition read:

“We the undersigned members of the Lexington High School community urge the Lexington Board of Selectmen to Immediately sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League because the ADL has failed to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and has lobbied against Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. The ADL has not only failed to live up to its own charter to “secure justice and fair treatment to all”, it has also failed to live up to our own town’s standards and the quality education that we deserve in our school by choosing politics over human rights and tolerance. The ADL has disqualified itself as an effective spokesman for tolerance education. We deserve better.”

The Board of Selectmen then heard from the Lexington NPFH Committee, which had been asked by the Board to provide a recommendation on the future of NPFH in Lexington.

In its statement to the board, the NPFH Committee reaffirmed its “full and unequivocal recognition and acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide” adding that “by its very name and definition, the Armenian Genocide is one of the greatest atrocities of the early 20th Century, and we recognize the direct impact the Armenian Genocide has had on our Armenian-American neighbors and friends, both in Lexington and in the Armenian Diaspora.”

The Committee stopped short, however, of making a recommendation to the Board and instead deferred to “wisdom of the Board of Selectmen concerning the formation, functionality and future of Lexington’s “No Place For Hate” (LNPFH) Steering Committee.”

On behalf of Armenian-American residents of Lexington, Laura Boghosian also addressed the Board of Selectmen Monday pointing out that an organization that engages in genocide denial has no place in Lexington.

Boghosian proposed that Lexington continue an anti-discrimination/human rights campaign that is unaffiliated with any organization and encompasses the Genocide as part of its teachings.

"The ADL's failure to recognize unambiguously the Armenian Genocide and its efforts, on behalf of Turkey's denialist government, to oppose Congressional affirmation of this genocide is unconscionable," said Boghosian.

"As recently as three weeks ago, the ADL's national director endorsed Turkey's call for a joint commission to study the events of 1915, a proposal that the International Association of Genocide Scholars labeled a 'red herring [that] would only serve the interests of Turkish genocide deniers,'" Boghosian pointed out.

"By voting to rescind its endorsement of the ADL's No Place for Hate program, Lexington's Board of Selectmen will uphold the human rights and dignity not only of its Armenian residents, but of all people everywhere. Human rights are universal and should never be subordinated to political interests, whether on the local, state, national, or international level," added Boghosian.

"Let us speak tonight of the annihilation of the Armenians and take a principled stand against the ADL's denial of the Armenian Genocide. Lexington, Massachusetts has served as a symbol for justice and human rights since 1775. Let us honor that legacy now by ending our association with the Anti-Defamation League," concluded Boghosian.


Westwood

Westwood’s Board of Selectmen also met on October 15 and, at the request of local residents, voted to suspend ties with the Anti Defamation League. The Board of Selectmen voted to send a letter to the ADL advising them of the decision.

The Board of Selectmen also voted to rename the No Place for Hate Committee and ordered the four No Place for Hate signs in Westwood removed.

“The issue of genocide denial is a moral issue that has affected many of us in town,” stated Gary Yessaillian, a long time resident of Westwood. “As such, we went to the Board of Selectmen in a grass roots effort to express our pain and hurt, and to recommend a solution that truly embodies human rights for all.”

"I am proud to be a resident of Westwood," stated another long time Westwood resident. "It was a gratifying experience working with the members of what is now the Westwood Human Rights Committee. They listened carefully and understood how important this was to maintaining an inclusive community. I never thought I would have the opportunity to fight for recognition of the injustices done to my grandparents and their families."

“Westwood, Lexington, and Arlington join other communities in Massachusetts in standing up for truth and human rights by refusing to allow the tolerance and anti hate programs in their communities to be tainted by the policy positions of the ADL-- an organization which has, as we have said before, unfortunately disqualified itself as an effective spokesman for tolerance education through its position on the Armenian Genocide,” stated the ANCEM’s Melkonian. “We hope that the ADL-National will rethink its policies, properly and unambiguously recognize the Armenian Genocide, and put an end to its efforts to actively oppose its reaffirmation by Congress.”

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Zoryan Institute: Relationship between the Armenian and Jewish Genocides

Relationship between the Armenian and Jewish Genocides to be Presented at World's Largest Holocaust Education Week Program

International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
(A Division of the Zoryan Institute)
October 17, 2007

Toronto, Canada-- As part of the United Jewish Association's Holocaust Education Week in Toronto, November 1-11, the largest such program in the world, the Zoryan Institute, through one of it sister Divisions, has been invited to jointly organize a thought provoking public lecture, "Nazi Germany, the Armenians and the Jews." The lecture will be presented by Prof. Eric D. Weitz, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of History and Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.

Prof. Weitz, in his exploration of many points of interconnection between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust, discusses: the influence of the Armenian Genocide on Raphael Lemkin in his having genocide declared a crime in international law; the Nazi reaction to Franz Werfel's novel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh; the novel's impact on the Yishuv and on Jewish resistance during World War II; how the lack of punishment for the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide gave confidence to Hitler to declare in August 1939, when justifying to his generals his plan to kill, oppress, and brutalize the Poles, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians," and believe that he could get away with exterminating Jews and committing other crimes against humanity. Prof. Weitz, will conclude his sobering lesson of the impact of history with an examination of German officials involved in Ottoman Turkey who went on to become Nazi leaders and supporters.

Prof. Weitz will be speaking at 7:30pm both at the Temple Har Zion, 7360 Bayview Ave W, on Tuesday November 6 and at the Armenian Youth Centre, 50 Hallcrown Place, on Wednesday November 7.

The mission of the Holocaust Education Week is to provide "truth in education and dignity in remembrance," said Lorraine Sandler, Chair, UJA Federation Holocaust Centre of Toronto. This year over 25,000 people will participate in one or more of the 150 programs offered throughout the city.

"We are very pleased to be part of Holocaust Education Week where Prof. Weitz is discussing the many direct connections between the two genocides. First, because we believe that education and awareness-raising activities are essential for preventing the gross violation of human rights and genocide. Second, because sharing scholarship on, and testimonies from, many tragedies powerfully illustrate the universal nature of the problem, the necessity of it being the concern of us all, and, in particular, with the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, how impunity for genocide emboldens future perpetrators," commented George Shirinian, Executive Director of Zoryan Institute.

This program is organized by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute), with the participation of the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto, the Armenian General Benevolent Union of Toronto, and the Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region.

For more information visit http://www.holocausteducationweek.com/ or contact the Zoryan Institute (416-250-9807 or zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org).
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PRESS ADVISORY: THREE MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS BREAK TIES WITH ADL

The Boards of Selectmen of three Massachusetts towns--Arlington, Lexington, and Westwood-Monday voted to break ties with the Anti-Defamation League because of the organization's failure to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and forthrightly support Congressional affirmation of the Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee Eastern Massachusetts.

Lexington voted to sever ties with the ADL and disband the No Place for Hate committee, replacing it with a town sponsored Committee that is not associated with the organization.

In Westwood, the Board decided to suspend ties with the ADL until the ADL changes its position on the Armenian Genocide. The Board will be taking down the No Place for Hate signs in the city and has renamed the No Place for Hate Committee, "Human Rights Committee."

In Arlington the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to accept the Human Rights Commission's recommendation and rescind its endorsement of the No Place for Hate program.

In its September 19 resolution recommending severance, the Arlington Human Rights Commission stated: “the full recognition and honest discussion of past atrocities -such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust -- are requisite to understanding and responding to contemporary genocidal crimes against humanity – such as the atrocities in Darfur -- and that legislative measures such as H. Res. 106 constitute an important part of this process.” They concluded: “[we] reserve the right to review this decision should the Anti-Defamation League reconsider its position on the Armenian Genocide and H. Res. 106.”

"Arlington, Lexington, and Westwood reaffirmed a clear message," stated ANC of Eastern Massachusetts chairperson Sharistan Melkonian. "Genocide denial, in any form, at any time, is unacceptable, no matter who engages in it."

On behalf of the Armenian-Americans of Lexington, Laura Boghosian addressed the Board of Selectmen Monday, by pointing out that an organization that denies the Armenian Genocide had no place in Lexington.

She also proposed that Lexington continue an anti-discrimination/human rights campaign that is unaffiliated with any organization and encompasses the Genocide as part of its teachings.

"The ADL's failure to recognize unambiguously the Armenian Genocide and its efforts, on behalf of Turkey's denialist government, to oppose Congressional affirmation of this genocide is unconscionable," said Boghosian.

"As recently as three weeks ago, the ADL's national director endorsed Turkey's call for a joint commission to study the events of 1915, a proposal that the International Association of Genocide Scholars labeled a 'red herring [that] would only serve the interests of Turkish genocide deniers,'" Boghosian pointed out.

"By voting to rescind its endorsement of the ADL's No Place for Hate program, Lexington's Board of Selectmen will uphold the human rights and dignity not only of its Armenian residents, but of all people everywhere. Human rights are universal and should never be subordinated to political interests, whether on the local, state, national, or international level," added Boghosian.

“For if one group is denied its rights, all groups are endangered - as evidenced by Hitler’s quote just prior to his invasion of Poland and unleashing of the Holocaust. “Who, after all,” he asked, “speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Let us speak tonight of the annihilation of the Armenians and take a principled stand against the ADL's denial of the Armenian Genocide. Lexington, Massachusetts has served as a symbol for justice and human rights since 1775. Let us honor that legacy now by ending our association with the Anti-Defamation League," concluded Boghosian.
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Statement by Helen Epstein & Patrick Mehr at Lexington Board of Selectmen Meeting: October 15, 2007

MY WIFE HELEN EPSTEIN IS OUT OF TOWN TONIGHT BUT THIS ISSUE IS SO
IMPORTANT TO HER THAT SHE ASKED ME TO MAKE THIS STATEMENT FOR HER:

It may be politically expedient to deny the Armenian genocide but it's morally wrong.

As a writer, HELEN supports novelist Orhan Pamuk and other courageous Turkish artists and writers who have told the truth about the Armenian genocide and paid dearly for it.

As the daughter of Czech Jews whose families were murdered during the Holocaust, she understands not only the facts of destruction of life, culture and community but the long-term psychological ramifications of genocide and the healing power of validation.

When natural disasters like earthquakes or floods occur, our sympathy goes naturally to their victims. But when human beings perpetrate disaster, we are more reluctant.. " It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator," writes Judith Lewis Herman. The perpetrator asks nothing of us but to be silent. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain, The victim demands action, engagement and remembering.

The head of the ADL has chosen not to do this. As a Jew who understands what this means, HELEN urges that No Place for Hate sever ties with the ADL.

AS A JEW WHOSE PARENTS SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST IN RUMANIA, I, TOO, ASK THAT NO PLACE FOR HATE SEVER TIES WITH THE ADL.

October 15, 2007
Lexington, MA
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Comments to Lexington Board of Selectmen by Armenian Community Representatives: October 15, 2007

Comments read by Laura Boghosian on behalf of the steering committee representing the Lexington Armenian community

October 15, 2007

We would like to begin by acknowledging, once again, the valuable work performed by the Lexington No Place for Hate steering committee. We have always honored their commitment to making Lexington a diverse, bias-free, and tolerant community over the past seven years, and we thank them.

Our objective, rather, has been to disassociate Lexington from No Place for Hate’s creator and sponsor, the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that purports “to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike,” but in practice, denies the rights of many, including the Armenian community.

The ADL’s failure to recognize unambiguously the Armenian Genocide and its efforts, on behalf of Turkey’s denialist government, to oppose Congressional affirmation of this genocide is unconscionable.

The ADL’s disingenuous August statement ostensibly recognizing the Armenian Genocide was carefully worded to ensure that the Turkish massacres and exile of Armenians from their homeland of over 2,500 years did not meet the international legal standard for genocide. This hypocrisy must not go unchallenged.

As recently as three weeks ago, the ADL’s national director endorsed Turkey’s call for a joint commission to study the events of 1915, a proposal that the International Association of Genocide Scholars labeled a “red herring [that] would only serve the interests of Turkish genocide deniers.”

As an organization that actively engages in genocide denial, the ADL simply does not have the moral authority to teach tolerance or combat hate in our cities and towns.

Whether the ADL works “very hard at the local level” with “a lot of personal involvement” with local No Place for Hate committees, as stated by New England ADL Director Andrew Tarsy, or whether local committees are largely free of ADL influence as argued by Lexington’s No Place for Hate steering committee, is simply irrelevant.

What is critical is the fact that No Place for Hate is a registered, trademarked program of the Anti-Defamation League and our local committees work under the ADL’s name. Indeed, they require regular recertification by the ADL. For Lexington’s local human rights body to perform anti-bias and anti-hate work through an organization engaging in genocide denial is contradictory and absurd.

Thus, we ask that the No Place for Hate committee be reconstituted as a town-sponsored human rights commission, for it is vital that the work continue. We look forward to meeting with the town and the members of the steering committee to achieve this.
The Armenian community thanks our friends and neighbors, numerous individual members of the Jewish community, organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, and local human rights commissions who voiced strong support for our call to sever ties with the ADL.

By voting to rescind its endorsement of the ADL’s No Place for Hate program, Lexington’s Board of Selectmen will uphold the human rights and dignity not only of its Armenian residents, but of all people everywhere. Human rights are universal and should never be subordinated to political interests, whether on the local, state, national, or international level.

For if one group is denied its rights, all groups are endangered - as evidenced by Hitler’s quote just prior to his invasion of Poland and unleashing of the Holocaust. “Who, after all,” he asked, “speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

Let us speak tonight of the annihilation of the Armenians and take a principled stand against the ADL’s denial of the Armenian Genocide. Lexington, Massachusetts has served as a symbol for justice and human rights since 1775. Let us honor that legacy now by ending our association with the Anti-Defamation League.

Steering Committee: Laura Boghosian, Michael Kouchakdjian, Alan Seferian, and Nora Aroyan
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Armenian Genocide Survivor Speaks at Arlington Meeting

Kevork Norian, a Genocide survivor and resident of Arlington, Mass., spoke at an October 15 Town Hall meeting held to discuss the ADL's denial of the Armenian Genocide. That evening, the Arlington Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to sever ties with the ADL. This sequence of YouTube videos also includes highlights from other public meetings including (in reverse chronological order): Newton HRC #2, Needham HRC, Newton HRC #1, Belmont HRC, Watertown Town Council. Related links: 1)Watch in YouTube window. 2)Read report on Arlington, Lexington and Westwood breaking ties w/ADL on Oct 15. 3)Read the "No Place for Denial" Statement & Demands. 4)Watch video of Lexington Selectmen meeting.

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HELP PASS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE PASSED H.RES.106
H.RES.106 MUST NOW PASS THE FULL HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Call your Member of Congress.

Urge him to lead efforts to pass H.Res.106. Ask your Member of Congress to:

1. Speak up in Favor of passage of H.Res.106
2. Vote in Favor of H.Res.106
3. Oppose any amendments to weaken H.Res.106

It’s easy to call! And will only take 3 minutes
[The phone will likely be answered by a receptionist. Ask this person to take a message from you to the Representative. If you call over the weekend or after office hours, leave a voice-mail message.]

* Hello, my name is [NAME] and I live in [TOWN OR CITY].
* I am calling to thank my Congressman for cosponsoring the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106 and to ask him to vote for the Resolution -- as introduced -- when it reaches the House Floor.
* I also urge the Congressman to speak up in favor of the adoption of this bill, encourage his Colleagues to vote in favor of the Resolution, and oppose any amendments to weaken the Resolution.
* This bipartisan, genocide-prevention legislation is cosponsored by more than half of the House (227 Members from thirty-nine (39) different states) and was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on October 10.
* My family and I look forward to following the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

HELP PASS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION.CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] 202-225-5335
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] 202-225-5601
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] 202-225-6101
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] 202-225-5931
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] 202-225-3411 (Just elected to Congress 10/16/07)
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] 202-225-8020
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] 202-225-2836
(Rep. Markey has been leading efforts to put the Resolution to a vote. Thank him and ask for his continued leadership.)
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] 202-225-5111
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] 202-225-8273
Rep Delahunt, William [MA-10] 202-225-3111
(Rep. Delahunt is a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and voted in favor of H.Res.106 in Committee. Thank him!)

Questions? Contact the ANCEM Team at ancem@hotmail.com
Need to find out who your Member Representative is or want to send an email to your Member?
Go to www.anca.org and type in your zip code.

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Lessons from the United States Senate 1927

The Armenian Weekly
October 13, 2007

Honorable Ms. Pelosi,

I am writing to you regarding H.Res.106, which would recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915. You have received several letters asking you to prevent the resolution from reaching the House floor, including the letter dated Sept. 25, jointly signed by eight former U.S. Secretaries of State. I would respectfully refer you to a similar situation that was faced by the United States Senate in 1927.

At the conclusion of World War I, the United States signed a treaty with Turkey on Aug. 6, 1923. Many statements for and against ratification of the Treaty with Turkey were published during the following three years. On Jan. 3, 1924, the Honorable Charles Hughes, the former Secretary of State, addressed the Council on Foreign Relations. (“Foreign Affairs,” Supplement to Vol. II, No. 2). He indicated, just as the letter you have just received indicates, that should the United States fail to ratify the treaty with Turkey, our economic and political interests would be in jeopardy. He even quoted a letter by Dr. James L. Barton, who was the Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, saying that “If the treaty (with Turkey) should be rejected, I am convinced that the continuance of the American institutions in Turkey, with their large investment interests, would be jeopardized” (Nov. 24, 1923).

Mustafa Kemal himself, the first president of the modern Turkish state, indicated in an interview on Jan. 9, 1927, a week prior to the U.S. Senate vote on the treaty, that the United State’s “present policy reacts against America” and that “our mineral recourses which are awaiting American engineering ingenuity and capital, when properly worked up, would furnish to America much of the raw material that her country is not able to produce.”

Despite all this rhetoric and the implicit—and explicit—threats, the Democratic Party, lead by Senator William King of Utah, stood in unity and rejected the treaty on Jan. 17, 1927. This was one of only three treaties outright rejected in the history of the U.S. Senate. In his statement in the New York Times, on Jan. 18, 1927, Senator King indicated the reason for his principled stand: “The treaty was opposed upon three major grounds. Namely, that it failed to provide for the fulfillment of the Wilson award to Armenia, guarantees for protection of Christians and non-Muslims in Turkey, and recognition by Turkey of the American nationality of former subjects of Turkey.”

“Obviously,” he continued “it would be unfair and unreasonable for the United States to recognize and respect the claims and professions of Kemal so long as he persists in holding control and sovereignty over Wilson Armenia—now a No Man’s Land, while a million Armenian refuges and exiles are people without a country.”

I am confident that you and your esteemed colleagues of the 110th Congress will be able make a similar principled stand and bring H.Res.106 for a floor vote.

Respectfully,

Shahe Fereshetian, M.D.
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Lexington Minuteman: Letters to the Editor Published on October 11, 2007

Human-rights group is valuable to town

In last week’s Minuteman, Yukari Scott described her experiences of living in Lexington and as a No Place for Hate (NPFH) committee member. Lexington’s Armenian residents share this love of our community’s diversity, tolerance, and respect. That is why we, too, have chosen to live here.

We also greatly value the important work performed by our NPFH committee. We have declared this clearly and consistently in our letters, articles, and public statements. Thus, we were surprised by her writing Armenians have “unfairly misrepresented” NPFH.
She says it is a misunderstanding that “ADL [Anti-Defamation League] created a program called NPFH [and] neither national ADL nor ADL of New England has ever influenced our programs.”

Yet the ADL’s Web page states: “The No Place for Hate program was created in 1999 by ADL, in partnership with the Massachusetts Municipal Association to provide communities with a solid framework for fighting all kinds of hate and bigotry.”

Further, ADL leadership stated in last week’s Minuteman that local communities “have achieved meaningful results in full partnership with ADL experts. We work very hard at the local level and take great pride in what is accomplished in every city and town,” [and] “The content and substance of the [NPFH] program is an ADL creation … we bring a lot of expertise, and a lot of personal involvement. It’s very hands on.”

The real “misunderstanding,” then, is that NPFH is not a part of the Anti-Defamation League.

We are asking Lexington NPFH to disassociate from the ADL because ADL continues to engage actively in denial of the Armenian Genocide at the behest of the Turkish government.

Because our local NPFH committee is an ADL-sponsored program using an ADL-registered trademarked name, it is inextricably associated with genocide denial. This is an absurd and contradictory situation for a committee that promotes tolerance and combats hate speech.

Lexington NPFH committee members can continue to do the same valuable work, but without the divisive association with ADL. We believe their dedication is — or should be — to the work and to the Lexington community, not to the ADL. We ask that Ms. Scott and her colleagues reconstitute themselves as an official town human rights commission, as in our neighboring communities. Only then will their efforts truly be for all the residents of Lexington.

Nora Aroyan
Idylwilde Road


Meeting should have been open to all

As one of the “three Armenian-American residents” who were turned away last week from a closed-door meeting between the No Place for Hate committee and representatives of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), I would like to respond to the statement that “the steering committee had already had a meeting with the Armenian community, and now it was [ADL New England Director Andrew] Tarsy and the ADL’s turn.”

Whether or not the committee was legally obligated to hold an open meeting so as to avoid violating open government laws, it was ethically bound to provide an equal opportunity for both perspectives to be presented.

When Lexington Armenian residents went before the NPFH committee, it was in a publicized, open meeting where all views, including those advocating that NPFH remain part of the ADL, were aired.

Yet when the committee met to hear the ADL’s position, it was in an unpublicized, closed-door session in which ADL representatives were able to speak unhindered, with no one from the outside present to challenge any assertions or possible misinformation.

This biased and unfair process did not serve the best interests of the town of Lexington.

Although there are times when closed meetings are necessary, their scope is well defined. In cases of hate crimes — or hate speech such as genocide denial — closed meetings are often called to protect the victim, not the perpetrator.

Trust and confidence in the system are built only in an open setting with mutual respect. To quote U.S. federal appeals court Judge Damon Keith, “Democracies die behind closed doors.”

The No Place for Hate committee must not put the interests of the Anti-Defamation League before those of the residents of Lexington — all the residents of Lexington. And it must provide an open, equitable process to meet the difficult challenges faced by our community.

Laura Boghosian
Russell Road
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ANCA Action Alert on HR106 Committee Vote

October 10, 2007

We have reached the day of the vote.

In just a few hours, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106).

At 1:30 pm Eastern Time (10:30am Pacific Time), the 49 members of this panel will decide whether to put America back on the right side of this human rights issue.

Visit the Committee website -- http://foreignaffairs.house.gov -- to watch the proceedings LIVE.

During the webcast:

** . . . if a Member says something that upsets you, call the Capitol Operator (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected to his/her office so that you can share your disappointment.

** . . . if you notice that a traditionally friendly Member of the Committee is not in attendance, call the Capitol Operator (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected to his/her office to politely encourage their participation and support for the Resolution.

The ANCA will be posting news of the Committee vote as soon as it is available. Check back to the ANCA website at www.anca.org for the latest information.

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October 8 Letter to Lexington No Place for Hate

October 8, 2007

Dear Lexington No Place for Hate Steering Committee Members:

When we first approached you with our request that you disassociate Lexington’s anti-bias program from the Anti-Defamation League, we thought we would gain your immediate and unconditional support. After all, what anti-hate committee would choose knowingly to partner with genocide deniers?

We understood that it would take time and much discussion to consider what model might best replace the ADL’s NPFH structure, but we never imagined that any serious consideration would be given to remaining as part of the Anti-Defamation League.

Rather than engaging in “mutual understanding” based on “civil dialogue” that we are told comprises the NPFH program, we have been asked to leave a closed-door meeting, attacked in the press by Andrew Tarsy as “activists” who are spreading “misinformation,” and accused in last week’s Minuteman of “unfairly” misrepresenting NPFH by a member of your committee.

Further, another of your members, despite saying that your group stands for “civil discourse and tolerance,” writes on the Minuteman web page that we are “working overtime to diminish the good work the Steering Committee does and to question its objectives, motivations, or behavior” with “slick PR products and spin doctors” and “loud, vituperative and accusatory carping.”

We are truly saddened that we seem to be perceived as your adversaries rather than as members of your community seeking justice.

Moreover, we find it difficult to comprehend how such an erroneous perception has come about. In every single article or letter to the editor that we have written, in every statement made in public forums, and in our discussion with you, we have made it absolutely clear that we honor and support the work that you do. It is because we value your work that we have asked that you disassociate from the ADL, but remain intact as a Lexington committee working for the residents of our community.

If there is anger in the Armenian community, it is not – and has never been – aimed at our local No Place for Hate programs. Rather, the outrage is directed at the ADL, an organization that lobbies for Turkey, a country with an appalling human rights record that includes genocide and genocide denial. The ADL has directly participated in this genocide denial. How can our local anti-hate programs be sponsored by such an organization?

We are at a loss to understand how it is unfairly misrepresenting your committee by pointing out the fact that you are sponsored and certified by the ADL. Is it possible there are members on your committee who were unaware of this reality?

In Jill Smilow’s letter of October 1, 2007, she thanked us for “understanding” why we were prevented from attending your meeting with Mr. Tarsy. We did not then, nor do we now, understand. We left the meeting under protest.

When we met with you, it was in a publicized, open meeting where all views, including those advocating that NPFH remain part of the ADL, were aired. Those of us who requested the meeting had to share the limited time available with a room full of people, many of whom we did not know, and some who spoke in opposition to us. But such is the nature of democracy.

Yet when you met with Mr. Tarsy and Ms. Smith of the ADL, you made it an unpublicized, closed-door session where they were able to speak unhindered with no one from the outside present to challenge any assertions or possible misinformation.

Further, to leave us in an empty meeting room for forty minutes while you intercepted members and caucused outside was disgraceful. Surely this episode was at odds with your mission of dialogue, inclusion, and mutual understanding.

With this inequitable opportunity to share perspectives, the process was biased and unfair, and did not serve the best interests of Lexington; nor does it reflect well on our community. As news has spread about events in Lexington, we have received offers of support and encouragement from officials and human rights commissioners from neighboring cities and towns.

Since we met with you, the ADL has continued to lobby for the Turkish government and actively engage in genocide denial, as we demonstrated in our letter of October 1 to the Board of Selectmen, copied to you. These actions clearly show that the ADL is not fit to teach tolerance in our communities, a position endorsed by more towns and organizations every day.

In Jill’s letter, she encourages us to share our ideas on ways to educate the larger Lexington community about the Armenian Genocide. We will be very happy to work with the committee on this project at a later date, for it is a worthy suggestion. It is not, however, what we are seeking now. The immediate issue is to take a stand against genocide denial. It would be ludicrous to engage in education on the Armenian Genocide in partnership with an organization (the ADL) that is working with its perpetrator to deny it.

We understand that the mission of the No Place for Hate committee is to promote dialogue and find common ground. In this particular case, however, there is no common ground. How does one find common ground with the ADL when it is engaged in genocide denial? Would the NPFH committee seek common ground with the American Nazi party if it came to town denying the Holocaust? Did you advocate accommodation with the Westboro Baptist Church? Would we promote dialogue with the KKK?

There are times when dialogue and accommodation are desirable, even necessary. But there are times when it is mandatory to take a clear, strong, and principled stand against hate. This is one of those times.

For ninety-two years, Armenians have internalized the pain of the genocide and then genocide denial. Every day that you fail to sever ties with the ADL causes additional pain to the Armenian residents of Lexington. We are completely united on this issue and committed to pursuing a just resolution.

We have always supported your work and honor your commitment to diversity and tolerance. Thus, we ask, once again, that you do the right thing and vote to disassociate with the Anti-Defamation League.

Sincerely,

Laura Boghosian, Michael Kouchakdjian, Alan Seferian, and Nora Aroyan


cc: Board of Selectmen
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Forum Retains Anti-Denial Steam for Coming Fights

By Andy Turpin


BELMONT, Mass. (A.W.) —On Oct. 2, Armenian-American activists and concerned citizens gathered at the First Armenian Church in Belmont to recount the recent turn of events involving the Anti Defamation League (ADL), their position on the Armenian genocide and the Genocide Resolution in the U.S. Congress.

Video footage—available on www.noplacefordenial.com—of the town hall meetings in Watertown, Belmont and Newton were shown to the audience. Those towns voted to rescind their ties with the ADL in August and September.

Rev. Gregory Haroutunian of the First Armenian Church gave opening remarks, expressing his near-disbelief—and pride—over the successes made by the Armenian community. “We stand at a truly historic moment as Armenian-Americans,” he said. “If you had said to me two months ago that my own town of Belmont would rather stand with the Armenians than receive funds, I’d have been incredulous.”

Lenna Garibian acted as moderator, and thanked the audience for their active engagement during the past few months in calling on the ADL to recognize the genocide. She noted that on Oct. 10, the House Foreign Relations Committee would convene to discuss pushing forward the H.Res.106 on the floor. “Civic engagement is at the heart of our democracy,” she said. “It may very well be a deciding moment in genocide recognition.”

Henry Theriault, associate professor of philosophy at Worcester State College, thanked the activists who organized the meeting and continue to inform the community and push forward the issues, saying, “I’d like to think I’m standing behind them and not speaking for them.” In a brief talk titled “The Ethical Challenges of Human Rights Advocacy,” he reminded the audience that denial—one of one’s history, of a genocide—is not a normal state of being. “We sometimes forget that denial is fundamentally wrong. It’s sometimes non-Armenians, in their rage, that remind us of that,” he said.

He recapped the debate with the ADL and reminded the audience that genocide denial is a form of hate speech. “It is very much the kind of hate speech that I expected the ADL to be against,” he said. Instead, the ADL has turned into “a crass lobbying machine” over the past few years, and was only recently forced to do “damage control”—which it did, by ambiguously recognizing the genocide. “This is a crisis for them,” he said. “There are good people in the ADL who want to do the right thing and are being prevented by their leadership, we’ve seen them.” Theriault argued that because the ADL has lobbied for so long against the resolution, it now has a moral obligation to reverse the damage it’s done by actively lobbying for its passage.

He addressed the ADL’s running public line that recognition of the genocide by Congress would endanger the Turkish-Jewish community or contribute to further destabilization relations with Israel. “A Turkish government willing to do this to the Armenians is not a good partner for peace or mutual protection,” he said.

Theriault also cited former Ambassador John Evans’ recall from his post after using the “g-word” to describe the Armenian genocide, and argued that the passing of the Genocide Resolution “would protect representatives in our government who just want to speak the truth.”

Jewish academic Dr. Jack Nusan Porter, treasurer of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), spoke next, quipping, “Someone said I looked Armenian. I took that as a compliment.”

He prefaced, “I am a child of survivors. I lost 25 members of my family in the Holocaust.” Porter noted that there is a mountain of evidence proving the Armenian genocide occurred, though he said, “Nobody listens to us as scholars. It’s the politicians who take this to a much higher level.”

Recounting the attempts to pass the Genocide Resolution in Congress in 1999, and the political intrigue involved then and now in Washington, Porter explained in real terms how “Over $4.5 billion of attack helicopters would be in jeopardy if Congress signed the bill. It’s been raised to a much higher level than just the ADL.”

Yet, he said, “Most of the Jewish community is with you. Maybe not the leaders, but the rank and file. God bless you, I think you’ll win.”

Five community activists spoke next, relating their efforts over the past two months to have their towns cease participation in the ADL-sponsored NPFH program. David Boyajian of Newton said, “Perhaps the most important word for today is activism. Each of you is a one-person army. If the cause is a good one, people will join.” He condemned the ADL’s statement, released in August, calling the murders of the Armenians by the Turkish government “tantamount to genocide.” “The ADL has not yet recognized the Genocide by international law,” he explained. “They clearly received expert advice in wording that statement by using the word ‘consequences’ that were ‘tantamount to genocide,’ thus indicating that there may not have been ‘intent’ on the part of the Turkish government.”

“The ADL can no longer be described as a human rights organization,” he chided. “It has done continuous damage to Armenians and genocide awareness.” While the ADL has condemned the genocide in Darfur, apparently, Boyajian said, “the ADL recognizes every genocide, except the Armenian genocide.”

Activist Narini Badalian of Watertown recounted her experiences recently in New York protesting Abe Foxman alongside Jewish groups such as Jewcy. She summarized the victories achieved thus far by the Armenian community against the ADL, and those still to be achieved, when she said, “This was thrown, I repeat thrown, upon our hometowns. I am from Watertown, but I am also from Newton, from Belmont and from Arlington when I stand against injustice. And I hope soon I will be from Bedford and from Brookline.”

Activist Laura Boghosian of Lexington spoke of her town’s recent meeting, when “so many people showed up, the selectman were forced to move the meeting.” She said that a counter-petition to the town’s decision not to sever ties with the ADL was circulating in the high school there. She also referenced a closed-door meeting with ADL New England regional director Andrew Tarsy and ADL representatives. Boghosian stated, “Three of us showed up, much to their surprise. We are looking into whether this was a violation of public meeting laws.” The Lexington NPFH decision appears to be a direct contradiction to the state’s open meeting “sunshine” law defined as "every board, commission, committee or subcommittee of any district, city, region or town, however elected, appointed or otherwise constituted.” The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law makes it clear that "a governmental body cannot circumvent the Law by delegating public business to a subcommittee."

Activist Luder Tavit Sahagian of Needham read a letter drafted by Armenians in Needham, to be submitted to the Needham Times, titled, “Is Needham Complicit in Genocide Denial?”

Sahagian noted, “Sadly, the ADL is still treated with deference and reverence by our town.” Though on a positive note, he said, “Until our community’s efforts, only 5 percent of Needhamites knew about the reality of the Armenian genocide.” Now almost everyone does.

Activist Sevag Arzoumanian said, “Arlington is another battlefield town whose meeting is coming up on Oct. 15. It’s going to be a key meeting and most likely will have a public forum session.”

Massachusetts State Representative Peter Koutoujian spoke about a recent State House meeting convened to discuss a divestment bill from funds that support the genocide in Darfur. Koutoujian had proposed a more aggressive counter bill that would not be specific to Sudan, but rather all genocide high-risk zones in the future. “My piece of legislation kept it relevant,” he said, so that it would always be relevant. I was outraged. I forced a role call vote. It didn’t pass, but I made a statement.”

“This is not only about Armenians,” he concluded. “This is about the Irish and the Great Hunger, it’s about the Sudanese right now. But we can’t win this with only our community.”

Noubar Afeyan of the Armenian Assembly of America Board of Trustees spoke next. He referenced Iran’s past conference on debating the “historical truth of the Holocaust.” He stated, “What’s remarkable is the ADL’s coverage of that conference—a conference of denial. The irony and hypocrisy runs deep in the words and actions of the ADL.”

Chairperson of the ANC of Massachusetts Sharistan Melkonian said, “The ADL has, unfortunately, for years collaborated with a major human rights violator—the government of Turkey—in contradiction to its own charter and mission, to engage in actions which disqualify them from having the right to teach our children about tolerance.”

She added, “Second, the ADL actively opposes the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress. I did not say that the ADL opposes the genocide resolution. No. The ADL actively engages in efforts to defeat the Armenain Genocide Resolution. We are not talking about whether or not the ADL crosses the fine lobbying line set out by the IRS. We are in fact talking about an international human rights organization that engages in efforts to oppose proper recognition of the Armenian Genocide. That is not a tax issue. It is a moral issue.”

Dikran Kaligian, chairman of the ANC Eastern U.S., spoke about the power of the grassroots activism during the past few months. “People are listening,” he said. “Not just the ADL but all the defense contractors, all the ethnic organizations are seeing the consequences of taking the wrong position on the Armenian genocide.”
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Newton Tab: Letter to the Editor: ‘Do not let the ADL’s spin deter you’

Letter: ‘Do not let the ADL’s spin deter you’

Andrew Tarsy’s column of Oct. 3 is total spin. He did the right thing by resigning, but now he is backtracking. After a short period of stunned silence, the quiet of summertime, and then the Jewish holidays, the ADL has now awoken and rather than admit that there is a deeply moral issue here — how can a human rights organization call itself a human rights organization if it denies this genoicde? — it is simply recasting the argument as pitting a local issue, No Place for Hate against a national and international one, U.S. House Resolution 106.

The national ADL has yet to acknowledge publicly and unambiguously the Armenian Genocide. Moreover, it has actively lobbied against Congressional affirmation of this genocide on behalf of the Turkish government.

Why does Abe Foxman, ADL national director, hold these views? The answer is: Israel and possibly the fate of Turkish Jews. He honestly believes, as does Tarsy, that Israel will be harmed, that Turkish Jews will be harmed, in fact, that American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will be harmed if Turkey retaliates over this issue.

But we have seen over and over that this a bluff. Turkey could not harm the head of a single Jew in Istanbul if it wishes to join the family of nations and the European Union.

Yet, the bluff work and continues to work. We urge citizens to write to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Tom Lantos, and other government officials, both local and national, to stay firm against ADL tactics and to support H.R. 106.

Do not let the ADL spin deter you. This is an internal ADL power struggle between Foxman and the locals. It is an existential moment in their history. Either Foxman retires or the ADL falls from grace and can never call itself a human rights organization ever again.

Jack Nusan Porter
Newtonville
Treasurer
International Assoc. of Genocide Scholars
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Response to Statement by Andrew H. Tarsy and James L. Rudolph

The following is a response, by representatives of the Armenian Community in Massachusetts, to the Tarsy-Rudolph Statement issued in late September .

In a recent statement, New England Regional ADL Director Andrew Tarsy and Chair James Rudolph accused “some” Armenian-Americans of spreading “misinformation” and “attacking” the No Place for Hate program. Not only do they fail to provide a single example of alleged misinformation, but their charges are simply incorrect.

While advocating communities sever ties with ADL, due to its refusal to acknowledge unambiguously the Armenian Genocide and its active opposition to a Congressional resolution affirming this genocide, Armenian-Americans have never “attacked” NPFH. In reality, Armenian-Americans, Jewish-Americans and others have consistently praised the invaluable anti-hate and diversity work performed by local committees.

What has been said, however, is that by engaging in genocide denial, the ADL does not have the moral authority to sponsor such important programs in our communities.

Contrary to the ADL’s assertion that it “confronted the moral issue and did the right thing” by using the word genocide, the ADL actually announced, “We have . . . always described the painful events of 1915-1918 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as massacres and atrocities. On reflection, we have come to share the view . . . that the consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide.” This is not an honest acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.

First, ADL does not say “genocide,” but “tantamount to genocide,” or merely its equivalent. More important, ADL describes the “consequences” of Turkish actions. The international legal definition of genocide, however, rests upon “intent.” The 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention states, “Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group . . . ”

Certainly, an organization whose mission includes combating Holocaust denial understands the international legal definition of genocide. Their carefully worded, duplicitous statement ensures the Armenian Genocide does not fit the criteria. Clearly, ADL did not do “the right thing.”

The ADL also neglects to mention that after recently conferring in late September with Turkey’s prime minister, ADL’s national director said he hoped Armenians would “respond to calls from Turkey to set up a joint commission of academics to investigate what happened in the past.”

This is genocide denial in its most insidious form. According to ADL’s own web page: “On the surface, Holocaust deniers portray themselves as individuals and groups engaged in a legitimate, dispassionate quest for historical knowledge and ‘truth’ . . . Holocaust deniers seek to plant seeds of questioning and doubt about the Holocaust in their mass audiences.”

The authors next accuse Armenians of “an organized campaign” that is issuing “ultimatums” for “a political demand that ADL support a particular resolution before Congress.”

This is not, however, a political demand, but a moral imperative. ADL did not consider it “political” when it supported Congressional resolutions on the Holocaust, the genocide in Darfur, and recently, the UN General Assembly’s condemnation of Holocaust denial by Iran. Rather, it is ADL that has politicized this issue by lobbying against Armenian Genocide resolutions for over a decade.

Additionally, this is not an “organized campaign” by “some activists,” to harm NPFH, but a natural, grassroots reaction of outrage by all segments of the Armenian community, as well as the Jewish and human rights communities, against ADL’s continuing to abet Turkey’s campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide and silence Congressional discussion of it. It is not Armenians forcing NPFH to disassociate from ADL, but human rights activists and politicians voting their conscience.

Rather than “blaming the victim,” for what is happening to NPFH programs, the ADL should reverse its immoral positions if it is truly concerned with NPFH’s future.

Finally, the ADL states it is “unreasonable,” “wrong,” and “harmful for communities to turn their backs on a program that has made such a difference for residents.” Yet none of the programs in towns that have severed ties have ceased; in fact, they are stronger without the baggage of ADL divisiveness.

In August, the NE Regional ADL leadership took a courageous stand against the national ADL’s policy of genocide denial. We look to them to continue their principled stance against national ADL’s disingenuous statement on the Armenian Genocide and its lobbying for the Turkish government. We also ask that they meet with the New England Armenian community without delay so that any misunderstandings or misapprehensions may be resolved.

It is unfortunate the ADL has chosen to stand not with committed citizens and human rights activists in our communities, but in opposition to their efforts. If the ADL sincerely wishes to engage in “the hard work of fighting hate and promoting diversity,” it should begin by forthrightly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and working to support, rather than oppose, Congressional affirmation.

Sharistan Melkonian
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts, Chair

Herman Purutyan
Armenian Assembly Massachusetts State Chair

October 6, 2007
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International Association of Genocide Scholars Letter on Armenian Genocide Resolution

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS

October 5, 2007

The Honorable Tom Lantos, Chairman
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member
House Foreign Affairs Committee
US House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen:

We write to you as the leading international organization of scholars who study genocide. We strongly urge you to pass H. Res. 106.

In passing this resolution the US Congress would not be adjudicating history but instead would be affirming the truth about a genocide that has been overwhelmingly established by decades of documentation and scholarship.

Truth of the Scholarly Record

It is disingenuous of the government of Turkey to use the red herring of a “historians’ commission,” half of whose members would be appointed by the Turkish government, to “study” the facts of what occurred in 1915. As we have made clear in our Open Letters to Prime Minister Erdogan (6/13/05 and 6/12/06), the historical record on the Armenian Genocide is unambiguous. It is proven by foreign office records of the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, and perhaps most importantly, of Turkey’s World War I allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as by the records of the Ottoman Courts-Martial of 1918-1920, and by decades of scholarship. A “commission of historians” would only serve the interests of Turkish genocide deniers.

The abundance of scholarly evidence led to the unanimous resolution of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Turkish massacres of over one million Armenians from 1915 to 1918 was a crime of genocide.

America’s Own Record

The Joint Congressional Resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide will honor America’s extraordinary Foreign Service Officers (among them Leslie A. Davis, Jesse B. Jackson, and Oscar Heizer) who often risked their lives rescuing Armenian citizens in 1915. They and others left behind some forty thousand pages of reports, now in the National Archives, that document that what happened to the Armenian people was government-planned, systematic extermination—what Raphael Lemkin (the man who coined the word genocide) used in creating the definition.

By passing this resolution, the U.S. Congress would also pay tribute to America’s first international human rights movement. The Foreign Service Officers and prominent individuals such as Theodore Roosevelt, Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, and Cleveland Dodge, who did so much to help the Armenians, exemplify America’s legacy of moral leadership.

The parliaments of many countries have affirmed the fact of the Armenian Genocide in unequivocal terms, yet H. Res. 106, a commemorative, non-binding resolution, has faced opposition from those who fear it would undermine US relations with Turkey. It is worth noting that, notwithstanding France’s Armenian Genocide legislation, France and Turkey are engaged in more bilateral trade than ever before. We would not expect the US government to be intimidated by an unreliable ally with a deeply disturbing human rights record, graphically documented in the State Department’s 2007 International Religious Freedom Report on Turkey. We would expect the United States to express its moral and intellectual views, not to compromise its own principles.

The Armenian Genocide is not a controversial issue outside of Turkey. Just as it would be unethical for Germany to interfere with the historical memory of the Holocaust, we feel it is equally unethical for Turkey to interfere with the memory of the Armenian Genocide. Elie Wiesel has repeatedly called Turkey’s denial a double killing, as it strives to kill the memory of the event. We believe the US government should not be party to efforts to kill the memory of a historical fact as profound and important as the genocide of the Armenians, which Hitler used as an example in his plan to exterminate the Jews.

We also believe that security and historical truth are not in conflict, and it is in the interest of the United States to support the principles of human rights that are at the core of American democracy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President
International Association of Genocide Scholars


EXECUTIVE BOARD:

President,
Gregory Stanton
Genocide Watch

First Vice-President,
Steven Leonard Jacobs
University of Alabama

Second Vice-President
Alex Hinton
Rutgers University

Secretary,
Marc I. Sherman
Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem, Israel

Treasurer,
Jack Nusan Porter, Newton, MA


ADVISORY COUNCIL:

Joyce Apsel
New York University, USA

Peter Balakian, USA
Colgate University, USA

Ben Kiernan, USA
Yale University, USA

Daniel Feierstein
U. of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Charli Carpenter
University of Pittsburgh, USA

Henry Theriault
Wellesley College, USA

Immediate Past President:
Israel W. Charny
Institute on Holocaust & Genocide, Jerusalem, Israel
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CARRY THE TORCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR

Join the Call for End to Genocide in Darfur: Olympic Torch Lighting, Relay and Rally Connecting Darfur-Yerevan-Boston

Please join the No Place for Denial team and friends and neighbors from throughout the region as Massachusetts Dreams for Darfur and calls on China to use its influence to help end the genocide in Darfur. On Sunday, October 7, residents of Massachusetts will "carry the torch" for the people of Darfur at a rally at Government Center.

Sunday, October 7 at 3:30 PM
Boston Government Center

Prior to the 3:30 PM gathering, Olympic-style torches will be lit and torch relays will be run throughout Massachusetts. The relays will all come together at the Boston Government Center for a torch lighting ceremony.

Featured Guests for the Culminating Torch-Lighting Ceremony include:

= Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, President, World Council of Churches, who will be accompanied by an Armenian Genocide survivor
= Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, MD, Co-founder, My Sister's Keeper
= Jill Savitt, Director, Dream for Darfur Campaign (Jill just returned from the International Torch Relay event in Yerevan, Armenia.)
= U. S. Congressman John F. Tierney (D-MA-6)
.....and other special guests

Less than one year before the much-anticipated Beijing Olympic Games begin, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and prominent human rights activists pointedly connected the government of China to the first genocide of the 21st century in a torch lighting ceremony at Dzidzernagapert, the site commemorating the first genocide of the 20th century.

On September 25 2007, Dream for Darfur hosted a symbolic Olympic Torch lighting at the Genocide Memorial site in Yerevan. The torch was lit from the eternal flame and passed among survivors of genocide and other Darfur advocates.

The torch that was lit in Yerevan will be arriving to Boston on Sunday, October 7.

For more information please visit http://www.madreamfordarfur.org/

This event is free and open to the public.

Armenian American organizations sponsoring this event include the Armenian National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.

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Northampton City Council Resolution Withdrawing from ADL Program

October 4, 2007

Upon the recommendation of Mayor Mary Clare Higgins

WHEREAS, the Northampton City Council on September 21, 2000 voted unanimously to endorse a mayoral proclamation’s intent that the City, through its Human Rights Commission, become an active participant in the “No Place For Hate” Campaign; and

WHEREAS, the Northampton Human Rights Commission joined in good faith with the sponsors of the “No Place For Hate” Campaign: the Anti-Defamation League® (ADL) and the Massachusetts Municipal Association, in order to take specific actions to combat bias and promote respect for people; and

WHEREAS, the Northampton Human Rights Commission has investigated the situation whereby the Anti Defamation League® continues to deny the facts of the horrific Armenian Genocide. From 1915 to 1923 the premeditated, systematic and deliberate murders of more that one and one half million Armenians occurred; and

WHEREAS, the Armenian people continue to be deprived of the right to their history through the denial that this genocide ever took place; and

WHEREAS, The City of Northampton must not continue its affiliation with such an organization as ADL that promotes such a grievous denial.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED

That the City of Northampton hereby rescinds its partnership in the "No Place for Hate" Campaign co-sponsored by the Anti Defamation League®; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that although it withdraws from the aforementioned program, the City of Northampton hereby proclaims that it shall continue to celebrate its citizens’ diversity and shall continue to honor its tradition of tolerance and respect for all people for which it has always been known.
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Lexington Minuteman Letters to the Editor: Published October 4 2007

Committee still gathering information

As a volunteer group within our community, the Lexington No Place For Hate (LNPFH) Steering Committee is in the process of formulating a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen concerning our association with New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
To clarify, our mission is to work with town citizens and employees to create a community-based shared vision for the town as a prejudice- and bias-free community where tolerance is the norm, where each individual is protected and respected for his/her unique characteristics, and respect and civility govern public discourse. We desire to recognize and celebrate diversity; to challenge bigotry, racism, discrimination, hate crimes, civil rights violations, and acts of bias; and to build inter-group understanding and respect.
As to our ongoing relationship with ADL, we are in the process of gathering information, which has so far included several meetings with members of the Armenian-American community, both informally and formally, as well as staff members of New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League, and by reading content and opinion in the public domain. We hope to bring more voices to this unfolding issue. We feel all views will serve us well in our responsibility to make an informed recommendation to the Board of Selectmen.
As stated publicly at the Board of Selectmen Meeting Sept. 24, the LNPFH Steering Committee recognizes the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th Century as one of the world's greatest atrocities.
Another issue on which everyone generally seems to agree is the recognition of the good and important work of the LNPFH Steering Committee. Consistent with our overall mission, we continue to listen carefully to the several voices on this issue, and we are working to gather information from our neighbors and friends in the community prior to making a final recommendation to the BOS.
We also recognize that what is at risk is Lexington's positive advancements to gain fuller knowledge and appreciation for others' backgrounds and views, and the progressive improvement of our environment over the past several years toward a community that has "no place for hate."

Judith Brain, Hathaway Road
Mary Haskell, Trotting Horse Drive
Larry Link, Massachusetts Avenue
Charlie Martin, Thoreau Road
Jill Smilow, Fletcher Avenue
(Members, Lexington No Place for Hate Steering Committee)



Do not delay ADL decision

On Monday, Sept. 24 I attended the Board of Selectmen's meeting. The board had decided up front it would not be making any decisions about its ties with the Anti-defamation League.
It is understandable that such issues are taken seriously and deliberated. What I do not understand is how the selectmen listened to the Armenian and Jewish voices of their residents and remained utterly apathetic at this great discrimination aimed at the Armenians by the Anti-Defamation League.
I am from Watertown. I am also from Belmont, Arlington and Newton. I used to believe I was from Lexington, having family and friends there, being part of a greater community that shares a set of common values.
One such value is standing up against injustice.
The Lexington board has failed to participate in the common value of our greater community by failing to stand up for the injustice done to its residents.
Genocide is a serious crime against humanity. Denial of genocide is a serious crime against what we know as civilization. Remaining apathetic is a crime of conscience.
Shame on Lexington town councilors for being so biased and apathetic.

Narini Badalian
Watertown



Selectmen faced with hard task

Editor's note: The following letter was written to the Lexington Board of Selectmen.
I am pleased at your beginning efforts of opening up your busy schedules to listen to relevant topics regarding the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) sponsorship of a town-supported program called No Place for Hate, brought to your immediate attention by American Armenians and other concerned citizens who are no longer comfortable with the status quo.
I would like to comment and bring to your attention that during the open meeting held last week, talk was directed to money matters and how the No Place for Hate program will suffer if ADL no longer acquaints itself with it. Yes, distribution of monies does matter and the board should most definitely be concerned.
Well, I'm sure my grandparents would not know whether they should cry or laugh at such ridiculous concerns. My grandmother didn't seem to mind handing over a ruby, gold coin and a few small diamonds for a cup of milk and a sip of water for her first-born son from a stationed Turkish soldier who obviously was a very generous man. God only knows what else she had to do to get herself, her husband and two infants alive and well into Syria.
I'm sure it was challenging for my grandparents to leave behind their 16-room stone mansion in Ottoman Aintab, several textile factories and mills, store fronts, and large quantities of land in the watchful eyes of their loving neighbors. It seems the world is not concerned for the stolen properties or the well-being of my grandparents' heirs and wishes this subject just disappears. I would strongly agree, there are some money concerns.
Ironically, if my grandparents were not evicted from their home on their homeland, I then consequently would have most likely been born into the family wealth and prominent Ottoman textile business as one of their 20-plus grandchildren possibly gallivanting about on summer excursions to the island of Aghtamar. We could hypothetically argue that my fathers parents may say that I, a current Lexington resident for over 24 years, am living in utter poverty. Perhaps you should strongly consider not speaking of money matters especially in front of last week's crowd.
I hope you and your honorable board present your answers and conclusions without succumbing to international pressures. You are faced with a difficult task. Please do not outsource this town's decision-making process. Let's work toward an obvious conclusion and excellent outcome that promotes No Time For Denial.

Nairi Havan
Concord Avenue



Decide now on ADL involvement

The Board of Selectmen needs to decide expeditiously to sever Lexington's ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). While the Board of Selectmen is engaging in process and discussions, Abraham Foxman and the ADL are actively doing harm. Each day that the decision is delayed, the Lexington community is associated with that
harm.
This week, Mr. Foxman, along with representatives from other Jewish organizations, met with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erodgan, who told them Armenian "genocide allegations had no basis and that they were not supported by any scientific or historical document … [and] Turkey expected the Jewish community in the U.S. to continue their
support, as it has done to date."
Thus, on Wednesday, Sept. 26, Mr. Foxman, working once more to prevent discussion of the Armenian Genocide in the U.S. Congress, told reporters that the Armenian Genocide "should not be debated at the U.S. Congress or the French National Assembly … U.S. congressmen are not historians. Therefore, they cannot judge what happened in
history."
I find these words ironic — indeed hypocritical — given the more than 600 resolutions on the Holocaust proclaimed by Congress. Even more egregious, Mr. Foxman is endeavoring to sow doubt about the already established facts of the Armenian Genocide, saying, "he hoped Armenians would somehow respond to calls from Turkey to set up a joint commission of academics to investigate what happened in the past." This is genocide denial in its most insidious form. According to the ADL's own Web page: The denier strategy is simple and familiar. They distort, even fabricate, history and then broadcast their creations. On the surface, Holocaust deniers portray themselves as individuals and groups engaged in a legitimate, dispassionate quest for historical
knowledge and "truth." Holocaust deniers seek to plant seeds of questioning and doubt about the Holocaust in their mass audiences.
Mr. Foxman knows very well that Turkish calls for joint commissions are ludicrous given that scores of Turkish historians, scholars, and writers have been charged under the country's notorious Article 301 of the penal code for "denigrating Turkishness" when they have written about the Armenian Genocide.
Further, Mr. Foxman cynically proposes this "scholarly examination" with the knowledge that such calls are nothing more than propaganda. The ADL not only continues to define the Armenian Genocide in a way that fails to meet the international legal definition of genocide, but it is actively aiding the Turkish government in its genocide denial by
advocating scholarly examination to create doubt about settled history — a tactic used by global warming deniers, tobacco companies, and intelligent-design advocates. Further, they continue to lobby against consideration and passage of the Congressional resolutions to affirm the Armenian Genocide.
Lexington should not delay a decision to cut ties with the ADL.

Michael Kouchakdjian
Idylwilde Road

Source: Lexington Minuteman
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Newton Tab Letters to the Editor: Published October 2 2007

Kudos to mayor and Human Rights Commission

As an Armenian-American and a public servant in Massachusetts, I would like to express my deep gratitude and humble thanks to the city of Newton's Human Rights Commission and Mayor David Cohen for demonstrating leadership while weighing the merits of the city's continued involvement in the Anti-Defamation League's "No Place for Hate" Program.

Both the mayor and the commission members allowed for an open and inclusive process during their deliberations, exercising an incredible amount of respect, tolerance and patience toward the many citizens who asked to have their voices heard on this issue.

I applaud their hard work, compassion and commitment to the truth.

Peter J. Koutoujian
State Representative
10th Middlesex District

Thanks to Cohen and the Human Rights Commission

Thank you to Newton's Human Rights Commission and to Mayor David Cohen for having the integrity and courage to end the city's relationship with the Anti-Defamation League's No Place for Hate program (Newton TAB, Sept. 19, 2007). While the program has clearly been beneficial to the city in the past, Cohen is correct when he says, "People of conscience need to stand up and acknowledge the historic fact of genocide." National ADL is playing games with words and what happened to Armenians; this is cynical, dishonest and hypocritical. We all must be more aware of what our words and actions do to others throughout the world.

So thank you, Commission members and Mayor Cohen, for helping to keep
Newton and ADL more honest and aware.

Angela Nielsen
Wood End Road


Uncompromising litmus test for ADL is a mistake

Mayor David Cohen and the Human Rights Commission for the city made a terrible decision when they decided to end Newton's involvement with ADL's No Place for Hate program. The ADL's No Place for Hate program encourages participants to learn to respect the differences among members of society, a message that the mayor and the commission have clearly failed to learn.
To start with, the ADL has always condemned the treatment of Armenians by the Turks during the World War I era despite TAB writer Chrissie Long's statement that the ADL was an organization that "rejected one of the greatest hate crimes in history." It is unfortunate that a professional writer would make such a false statement.

Further, after the ADL's position on the Armenian tragedy was criticized this summer, the ADL agreed to change its official statement on the issue. The ADL changed its position to state that Turkey's treatment of the Armenians was "tantamount to genocide."

The ADL's new statement might not be exactly what the mayor or the commission might like, but the mayor and the commission have taken a statement by the ADL that acknowledges genocide and instead has treated the ADL as if it rejected the term genocide.

It is sad to see the mayor and the commission establish an uncompromising litmus test for the ADL. Clearly the mayor and the commission's actions fail to demonstrate the respect and understanding of differences among members of society that a Human Rights Commission is supposed to embrace.

Neither the mayor nor the commission have brought any honor to the city of Newton through their actions. I am sure I am not the only one who will not forget the mayor's actions when the next election comes around.

Arthur Jackson
West Newton


Teaching diversity is only way to stop hate

I have recently been informed of and researched myself the Armenian Genocide, the Anti-Defamation League, and the No Place for Hate program, and I truly believe you need to rethink separating from NPFH organization for many reasons.

Firstly, I would like to say as a Jew that I am very informed about the horrors of the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide. I am able to understand the severity of 1.5 million people, and I truly believe that an attempted extermination of any peoples should never be overlooked. But in the horrors of today's world I believe that teaching children about anti-hate is far more important.

I am a sophomore at Newton North High School, and from personal experience, teaching children about diversity is the only way to stop hate. Every person, no matter what race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, economic status or any other trait that sets themselves apart from the views our society and government send us, has the same value in the world as the next person, and trying to get everyone to realize this at a young age is one of the most important things in the world. To advance as a civilization all types of people must work together, and to work together hate cannot be an issue in our
community.

"Who remembers the Armenians" by Chrissie Long is an article well worth reading. What I got out of it was that Peter Bilezikian, an Armenian Genocide survivor, wants to stop concentrating on the past and start looking towards the future. I believe that he acknowledges the genocide of his people, but dwelling in the past is no way to live in the future. We must look forward and stop the hate that shapes our society poorly today.

We as a community need to learn about caring for one another to create a better society, but what we must do most of all is prove that the tens of millions of people killed for being different have not died in vain.

Philip Kirschner
Newton North sophomore

Source: Newton Tab
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Letter of Support by National Office of Jewish Voice for Peace

Dear Massachusetts Human Rights and Relations Commissions,

In a recent letter to you, the Boston chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace stated its support for “those communities that have severed ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the face of their failure to support US recognition of the Armenian genocide.” I write today to reinforce this with the support of the entire national organization of Jewish Voice for Peace.

We are a nation-wide Jewish-American organization, with over 1,200 members and a supporter list of over 20,000. We speak for the many Jews who believe that “Never Again” applies to everyone, not just Jews.

While the Anti-Defamation League has unquestionably done some very important work in fighting hate groups and bigotry, their blind spot when it comes to Israel renders them an inappropriate choice for the “No Place for Hate” campaign. We applaud the many Massachusetts groups that have come to the same conclusion.

ADL has repeatedly conflated criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, severely undermining their credibility in this supremely important aspect of their work. But more to the point, their elevation of Israeli political interests above the ADL’s own stated values has led them to prioritize those political interests over a genuine recognition of the Armenian genocide.

While the ADL has finally recently come around to accepting that the Armenian people did suffer genocide a century ago, it continues to oppose a congressional resolution recognizing and commemorating that genocide.

The ADL says that such a resolution “…is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship between Turkey, Israel and the United States.” One wonders what the ADL would say if someone objected to a congressional resolution condemning a terrorist attack on Israeli civilians based on similar considerations. They would surely be as outraged as we would be and as we are at the ADL’s statement.

In fact, an American resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide protects Jews, including the 26,000 Jews in Turkey as well as all ethnic, religious and other minorities, as it places the world’s sole superpower firmly against such atrocities. It frankly boggles the mind that any Jewish group could possibly justify any sort of minimization of atrocities committed against another group.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Plitnick
Director of Education and Policy,
Jewish Voice for Peace
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Follow-up Letter to Lexington Selectmen

October 1, 2007

Dear Board of Selectmen:

We are writing on behalf of Lexington’s Armenian-American community to urge you, once again, to decide expeditiously to sever Lexington’s ties with the Anti-Defamation League.

While you are engaging in process and discussions, Abraham Foxman and the ADL are actively doing harm. Each day you delay your decision, we are associated with that harm.

This week, Mr. Foxman, along with representatives from other Jewish organizations, met with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erodgan, who told them Armenian “genocide allegations had no basis and that they were not supported by any scientific or historical document . . . [and] . . . Turkey expected the Jewish community in the US to continue their support, as it has done to date.”

Thus, on Wednesday, September 26, Mr. Foxman, working once more to prevent discussion of the Armenian Genocide in the US Congress, told reporters that the Armenian Genocide “should not be debated at the US Congress or the French National Assembly . . . US congressmen are not historians. Therefore, they cannot judge what happened in history.”

We find these words ironic – indeed hypocritical – given the over 600 resolutions on the Holocaust proclaimed by Congress.

Even more egregious, Mr. Foxman is endeavoring to sow doubt about the already established facts of the Armenian Genocide, saying, “he hoped Armenians would somehow respond to calls from Turkey to set up a joint commission of academics to investigate what happened in the past.”

This is genocide denial in its most insidious form. According to the ADL’s own web page:

The denier strategy is simple and familiar. They distort, even fabricate, history and then broadcast their creations. They have learned from Hitler that "a lie is believed because of the insolent inflexibility with which it is propagated." Smith and his cohorts are engaged in what historian Deborah Lipstadt has termed an "assault on truth and memory."

On the surface, Holocaust deniers portray themselves as individuals and groups engaged in a legitimate, dispassionate quest for historical knowledge and "truth."

Dressing themselves in pseudo-academic garb, they have adopted the term "revisionism" in order to mask and legitimate their enterprise. After all, the ongoing challenge to and revision of previously accepted historical interpretation is one of the hallmarks of the professional historian's craft.

Holocaust deniers seek to plant seeds of questioning and doubt about the Holocaust in their mass audiences.

Holocaust denial is a contemporary form of the classic anti-Semitic doctrine of the evil, manipulative and threatening world Jewish conspiracy. It was this doctrine that was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Holocaust. What is on the surface a denial of the reality of genocide is, at its core, an appeal to genocidal hatred.

Mr. Foxman knows very well that Turkish calls for joint commissions are ludicrous given that scores of Turkish historians, scholars, and writers have been charged under the country’s notorious Article 301 of the penal code for “denigrating Turkishness” when they have written about the Armenian Genocide.

Further, Mr. Foxman cynically proposes this “scholarly examination” with the knowledge that such calls are nothing more than propaganda. Indeed, addressing Holocaust denial, the ADL’s web page states:

Perhaps most significantly, in December 1991, the governing council of the American Historical Association (AHA), the nation's largest and oldest professional organization for historians, unanimously approved a statement condemning the Holocaust denial movement, stating, "No serious historian questions that the Holocaust took place." The council's action came in response to a petition circulated among members calling for an official statement against Holocaust-denial propaganda; the petition had been signed by more than 300 members attending the organization's annual conference. Moreover, in 1994, the AHA reaffirmed its position in a press release which stated that "the Association will not provide a forum for views that are, at best, a form of academic fraud."

Just as the American Historical Association condemned such movements as “a form of academic fraud,” the International Association of Genocide Scholars repudiated Turkish calls for such commissions as “propaganda,” not scholarship. The full statement to Prime Minister Erdogan is attached at the end of this letter. We believe it is highly unlikely that Mr. Foxman is not aware of this letter, and yet he advances the Turkish denialist line.

To conclude, the Anti-Defamation League not only continues to define the Armenian Genocide in a way that fails to meet the international legal definition of genocide, but it is actively aiding the Turkish government in its genocide denial by advocating scholarly examination to create doubt about settled history – a tactic used by global warming deniers, tobacco companies, and intelligent design advocates. Further, they continue to lobby against consideration and passage of the Congressional resolutions to affirm the Armenian Genocide.

Every day that Lexington delays a decision to dissociate itself from such actions is a day of deep pain for its Armenian-American residents.

Sincerely,

Laura L. Boghosian
Michael Kouchakdjian
Alan V. Seferian
Nora Aroyan
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VIDEO OF LEXINGTON SELECTMEN MEETING: RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2007

On September 24 2007, the Lexington Board of Selectmen held an open forum on the future of the ADL sponsored No Place For Hate program. Related links: 1) Watch in YouTube window. 2) Read Lexington Minuteman story. 3) Read ANCEM Press Release on Lexington. 4) Read Laura Boghosian's statement to LNPFH. 5) Read follow-up letter to Lexington Selectmen. 6) Read the Oct 8 letter to Lexington NPFH. 7) Take on-line poll at Lexington Minuteman. 8) Watch highlights from other public meetings.

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LEXINGTON NO PLACE FOR HATE COMMITTEE SHOWS BAD FAITH

Contradicts MA “Sunshine” laws; Shut Out Lexington Residents’ Participation in Closed Door Meeting with ADL New England Regional Chair

ANCEM Press Release

October 1, 2007

Lexington, MA – The Lexington, Massachusetts No Place for Hate Committee (LNPFH) blocked Lexington residents from a “closed” door unannounced meeting with the Anti Defamation League’s New England Regional Director Andrew Tarsy this morning, just one week after the Lexington Board of Selectmen held a meeting during which over 150 Lexington residents urged the town of Lexington to sever ties with the Anti Defamation League, reported the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts.

The LNPFH decision appears to be a direct contradiction to the state’s open meeting “sunshine” law which applies to all "governmental bodies" defined as "every board, commission, committee or subcommittee of any district, city, region or town, however elected, appointed or otherwise constituted.” The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law makes it clear that "a governmental body cannot circumvent the Law by delegating public business to a subcommittee."

The status of the Lexington NPFH committee is unclear and currently being debated. Although Lexington Board of Selectmen chair Jeanne Krieger stated at the September 24 meeting that NPFH is not a town committee, the town includes a full report of No Place for Hate in its annual report, it is listed on the town's official web site, they often meet in town hall, and the committee includes representatives from the Board of Selectmen, Lexington Public Schools, the Lexington Police Department, and the Town Manager's office.

Lexington residents Laura Boghosian, Michael Kouchakjian, and Nora Aroyan arrived for the 8 AM Town Hall meeting on time but were soon asked by a representative of the Town Manager’s office speaking for the LNPFH committee to leave the closed meeting, which they did, under protest, stating that they had a right as Lexington residents to be heard on an issue which affects their town.

“The closed door meeting today erodes the faith that we as residents of Lexington have in the process,” stated Lexington resident Bella Khachatourian, representing the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts. “Rather than listening to the residents of this town and resolving this issue once and for all by severing ties with the ADL, the Lexington No Place for Hate Committee has instead opted to turn to outsiders.”

“Many residents have called on LNPFH chairperson Jill Smilow, who is also a director of the Anti Defamation League--and who was at the Town Hall meeting this morning--to recuse herself from these deliberations because of conflict of interest issues. That request has been largely ignored,” continued Khachatourian. “And today, residents were not allowed to participate in an opportunity to continue to discuss and possibly resolve this important issue.”

Last week the Lexington Board of Selectmen moved their meeting at the last minute from Town Hall to the auditorium to accommodate the larger than expected number of local residents who wished to be heard on this issue.

Lexington resident Dr. Michael Kouchakjian urged the Board of Selectmen to “immediately sever its association with the No Place for Hate program of the Anti-Defamation League” stating that the “ADL has failed to unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and continues to abet Turkey’s genocide denial campaign and these actions place the ADL leadership in direct conflict with the very ideals that the No Place for Hate program aims to foster in our community. Genocide denial is the final stage of genocide. An organization that engages in genocide denial does not have the moral authority to sponsor a human rights organization in our town.”

Kouchakjian reaffirmed that the issue at hand was not with No Place for Hate, per se but with its association with the ADL. “Lexington’s No Place for Hate committee has accomplished valuable work in Lexington,” said Kouchakjian. “I would like to see these efforts continue.” He proposed that the Board of Selectman “reconstitute the group as an independent, town-sponsored committee. In this way, it would only be beholden to Lexington and not to the agendas of interests outside our town.”

Marlene Gebeyan, a Lexington resident and parent of two children, also addressed the Selectmen. "My children, all of our children, deserve to live in community that speaks up against hatred toward any individual. They deserve to live in a community that doesn’t discriminate against anyone and a community that teaches tolerance for everyone. They deserve to not relive the kind of hatred, discrimination, and intolerance that their great grandparents endured as survivors of the most horrific crime known: genocide.

Long time Lexington resident Laura Boghosian also asked the Selectmen to sever its ties to the Anti-Defamation League.

Reading from a statement she had presented directly to the LNPFH committee just three days prior, Boghosian declared that “an organization that engages in genocide denial simply does not have the moral authority to sponsor human rights, anti-hate, and anti-bias efforts.”

“For according to genocide scholars, not only is genocide denial the highest form of hate speech, it is the final stage of genocide. Elie Weisel calls it a ‘double killing,” continued Boghoisan

She further noted that "While courageous Turkish scholars and writers such as Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Taner Ackam, and Elif Shafak have faced trial, death threats and exile for raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey, the ADL shamelessly partners with the Turkish government in their multi-million dollar campaign of genocide denial.

Speaking on behalf of many local residents, Boghosian also noted that “this is not just an issue for or about Armenians. It is a moral issue for all people. Denying any genocide, anywhere, sets the stage for future genocides.”

Boghosian acknowledged the role of the New England Regional ADL while also reaffirming its limitations. “We recognize and appreciate that New England’s Regional ADL board has opposed the policies of its national leadership and called for an unambiguous recognition of the Armenian Genocide and for the ADL to support the Congressional resolution. But No Place for Hate is a national program, and as such, represents the policies of the national ADL, not the regional.”

Nairi Khachatourian, a senior at Lexington High School, asked the Board of Selectmen to sever ties with the ADL. "I am fortunate enough to live in a town and learn in a school that promotes tolerance and understanding," stated Khachatourian. "However, the ADL has betrayed the trust that our town had in it by refusing to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide and by actively lobbying against Armenian Genocide legislation in the United States Congress."

Sosse Beugekian, also a student at Lexington High School, later echoed that sentiment. "The Anti Defamation League has for too long refused to call the systematic extermination and deportation of Armenians from their ancestral lands by its proper name – genocide… The ADL not only refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but they also actively lobbied our own government to defeat formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide. For this reason, I urge you to sever ties between Lexington and the ADL. How can the ADL possibly teach me about tolerance?"

Vicki Blier, a town meeting member and a Jewish Lexingtonian also addressed the meeting. “The problem w/ the ADL is that they are a human rights advocacy organization but they are also an international political lobbying group. And, political lobbying makes for extreme bed fellows.”

“I don't think we would support in this town an organization that did good works but that was sponsored by another organization that denied the Jewish holocaust. I don't think we should continue the relationship with No Place for Hate,” continued Blier.

"I agree with Laura Boghosian," stated 'Children of the Holocaust' author Helen Epstein also of Lexington. "The situation boils down to what Elie Weisel had said. The situation of a double killing. First there is the genocide and then there is the denial of the genocide.”

Lexington resident Anny Deirmenjian asked that the board of Selectmen send a strong and clear message to the ADL. "I sincerely hope that the national ADL changes its position regarding the Armenian Genocide…but until then Lexington can not allow the ADL in our town.”

ADL New England regional board member Howard Brick also addressed the meeting reaffirming that he had no issue with the Board of Selectmen calling on the national ADL to properly and unambiguously recognize Armenian Genocide.

Stating that he was not present to "at all quarrel with or question the anger of ADL national's refusal or failure to unambiguously characterize what happened to the Armenians as a genocide. I am proud of the fact that the ADL New England regional board has pushed and continues to push to clarify that policy."

"I would submit to you that if you as a body want to make clear that you require an unambiguous statement from the ADL with respect to the Armenian Genocide, that's fine.” Brick found issue, however, with what he claimed was a "host of very complex political, geopolitical foreign policy issues" with the non binding Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution.

Dikran Kaligian, visiting professor of Armenian Genocide studies at Clark University and chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of Eastern United States as well as a graduate of Lexington High School, not only urged the town to help bring the ADL "back to the right side of the issue" but countered the claim that a non binding Congressional Resolution somehow put United States foreign policy at risk.

"A clear message must be made now…until the ADL repudiates its prior policy” that this town can not associated with the Anti Defamation League.

Chairperson of the LNPFH Committee Jill Smilow also addressed the board noting that LNPFH had met with local residents on this issue just three days earlier.

Smilow then read a statement from the LNPFH committee which noted that the committee recognized "the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th century as one of the world's greatest atrocities" but that they were not prepared to make a recommendation on severing ties, instead calling for " dialogue, discussion" and the “gathering of more information,”

Lexington resident and Armenian Assembly of America Board of Trustees Member Noubar Afeyan spoke of the irony in the discussion given that on that very day the news media was almost unanimously condemning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the holocaust, and “rightly so.”

Afeyan further argued that No Place for Hate “has now been compromised because of the ADL” and urged the Board of Selectmen to “reconstitute the good of it without having to save the bad of it” which he said would be easy to do if [Lexington’s No Place for Hate Committee].were willing.”

The Lexington Board of Selectmen will meet again on October 15. “We hope the Board of Selectmen will do the right thing and sever ties with the ADL and instead put forth a human rights and tolerance program that works for all of our residents,” stated the ANC’s Khachatourian.

The Armenian National Committee is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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Note to Editors: Photographs of September 24 meeting available upon request. Please email ancem@hotmail.com

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Letter of Complaint to Lexington Selectmen: NPFH Committee Holds Closed-Door Meeting, Excludes Residents

October 1, 2007

Dear Board of Selectmen:

As you are probably aware by now, this morning three of us were asked to leave a No Place for Hate committee meeting. We find it highly disturbing that a group that is supposed to promote inclusion for all our town members excluded us from a discussion in which we have a direct interest, while they met in closed-door session with a nonresident.

What happened today illustrates perfectly the contradictory status of the No Place for Hate program and the problems that can arise from such an ambiguous situation. Is the committee a town body representing the residents of Lexington or is it a subsidiary of the Anti-Defamation League?

Ms. Krieger stated at the Board of Selectmen's meeting last Monday that NPFH is not a town committee. Yet, it is included in the annual report, it is listed on the official town web page, it meets in the Town Office Building, and it has representatives from the Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager's office, Lexington Public Schools, and the Lexington Police Department.

Given this, should not open government laws apply here? At least in principle, if not legally?

We can not imagine why the committee members would have been unable to ask their questions had we been present. Why the secrecy?

We left peacefully, but under protest, and with a great disappointment in the NPFH committee. Surely you must realize that this will cause further resentment in the Armenian community.

We would like to ask formally that you place the issue of severing Lexington's ties to the ADL on the agenda of your October 15th meeting. We also ask that you vote on it that evening.

Thank you.

Laura Boghosian
Michael Kouchakdjian
Alan Seferian
Nora Aroyan

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Announcement: Community Public Forum on the Armenian Genocide and the ADL

Community Public Forum on the Armenian Genocide and the Anti-Defamation League

Tuesday, October 2 at 8:00PM

First Armenian Church

380 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA

Attend this important public forum to hear a community-wide perspective on recent events surrounding the Armenian Genocide, the Anti-Defamation League, and U.S. House/Senate Resolution 106. Presentations will include:

Henry Theriault, Center for the Study of Human Rights, Worcester State College

Noubar Afeyan, Board of Trustees, Armenian Assembly of America

Dikran Kaligian, Chairman, Armenian National Committee, Eastern U.S.

Peter J. Koutoujian, Mass. State Representative, Tenth Middlesex District

Video footage by the NoPlaceForDenial Team

Local Community Activists, including David Boyajian

This event is being hosted by the First Armenian Church and is jointly sponsored by individuals and organizations of the greater Boston Armenian community.

For more information, contact:
First Armenian Church at 617.484.4779
Lenna at 617.304.4901 or lenna.garibian@verizon.net

For more information on the NPFH issue, visit: http://www.noplacefordenial.com/
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