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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AYF HOLDS VIGIL IN FRONT OF ADL NEW YORK HEADQUARTERS
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
A 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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
Turkey condemns statement by ADL. Read Boston Globe article.
Turkey presses Israel over ADL's recognition of 'Armenian genocide.' Read Haaretz article.
August 25, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
Jewish-Armenian solidarity event at the Massachusetts State House. Read Boston Globe article.
August 31, 2007
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, 2007
Bedford Violence Prevention Coalition demands an explanation from the ADL. Read Armenian Weekly article.
September 5, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
The Belmont Board of Selectmen votes to sever ties with the ADL.
September 18, 2007
The Mayor of Newton severs ties with the ADL’s NPFH program. Read Boston Globe article.
September 19, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, reports the Boston Globe.
Read ANCEM Press Release.
October 17, 2007
The Medford, Mass., Human Rights Commission unanimously votes to suspend ties with the ADL. Read article.
October 19, 2007
The New York Times reports on the ongoing efforts in Massachusetts towns to sever ties with the ADL.
October 29, 2007
The AYF hosts a vigil in front of the ADL's national headquarters in New York City.
October 30, 2007
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, 2007
A rally is organized in front of the national headquarters in New York. Watch video.
November 2, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
Bedford Board of Selectmen votes unanimously to suspend the town's participation in the ADL-sponsored No Place for Hate Program.
December 1, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2007
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, 2008
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, 2008
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, 2008
Peabody, Massachussetts withdraws from ADL's No Place for Hate program. Read the Peabody Weekly News story.
April 8, 2008
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, 2008
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.
May 13, 2016
After a lengthy, unwavering grassroots campaign, the Anti-Defamation League unequivocally recognizes the Armenian Genocide and declares its support for United States affirmation of this crime against humanity. In a statement posted Friday, May 13, 2016, on the national ADL’s webpage, CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote, “Too often, the response to genocide has been global silence. So let me be crystal clear: the first genocide of the 20th century is no different. What happened in the Ottoman Empire to the Armenians beginning in 1915 was genocide. The genocide began with the ruling government arresting and executing several hundred Armenian intellectuals. After that, Armenian families were removed from their homes and sent on death marches. The Armenian people were subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre and starvation. What happened to the Armenian people was unequivocally genocide.”
October 28, 2019
The Anti-Defamation League called upon the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H. Res. 296, which affirms the United States record on the Armenian Genocide; it also endorsed S. Res. 150, the corresponding resolution in the U.S. Senate.
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