ADL recognizes Armenian genocide

Source: Ynetnews

Jewish organization makes dramatic U-turn four days after sacking regional director

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"The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has formally recognized the genocide of Armenians at the hand of Turkey in a statement released on Tuesday, marking a dramatic U-turn over the organization's position on the issue.

Between 1915 and 1918, some 1.5 million Armenians died in Ottoman Turkey. Many of them perished during - or were shot after - forced marches across hundreds of miles, commonly known as death marches.

Just four days ago, the ADL sacked its New England Regional Director, Andrew H. Tarsy, who blasted the organization for failing to recognize the genocide. During a phone conversation with the ADL's national director, Abraham Foxman, Tarsy said he found the ADL's position on the issue "morally indefensible".

Tarsy's sacking resulted in widespread condemnation across the American-Jewish community.

In a press statement released Tuesday, the ADL said: "In light of the heated controversy that has surrounded the Turkish-Armenian issue in recent weeks, and because of our concern for the unity of the Jewish community at a time of increased threats against the Jewish people, (the) ADL has decided to revisit the tragedy that befell the Armenians."




Read more: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3440382,00.html

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Armenians in Mass. town slam ADL over alleged genocide denials (August 1, 2007)

http://jewishreview.org/Archives/Article.php?Article=2007-08-01-3569

There are days...

...at least some part of the ADL does not seem to have a problem with the use of the word for other atrocities:

http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/spring_2005/spring_lesson_3_2005.asp?cc_section=lesson_3

...however there is a (shrinking, I hope) contingent of hardliners who do not want recognition of other "genocides" to occur, and will influence peddle to keep anything from competing with the Holocaust for mindshare. These are fringe elements, but they, just like the "christian" DC holy rollers, seek out power quite aggressively and are tenacious about holding onto it and have a tendency towards small, well coordinated elite cliques.

In the case of Turkey there are more political ramifications.

As an aside the government and U.N. are generally reluctant to use the word for current events, as it obliges action...

http://www.counterpunch.org/mariner09152004.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/dixon10052004.html

...so this is a step for the ADL. It means they are either shrugging off some old counterproductive ideas, or they are choosing to put historical accuracy over politics, or at worst they are just choosing between U.S. and Turkish loyalties, but at least they have now choked the words out.

Turkey/West relations are not as important as the truth. If you don't remember history or if you cover it up, you are bound to repeat it. Genocide of any people, whether Armenian, Jewish, Native Americans, African etc, must be exposed in all of its gory, bloody detail so that we see the human species as it really is and hopefully progress from there.

the possibility that Turkey may have an "Islamist" president?

Now that the ADL recognizes the Armenian genocide, will the anti Turkey rhetoric be amped?

The ADL was horribly wrong to take the stance they did, but why do their actions now have to be part of some dark and horrible conspiracy? The ADL's reversal of their position is a function of outcries by the Jewish community. The community let the ADL know they were acting like morons.

Time to put the tin foil away, thank you. :tinfoilhat:

Jewish.

Not all Jews support the ADL...some see them as too far to the right.

I don't remember how, but the Armenian genocide somehow came up. He was absolutely certain that no such thing had ever occurred. I was certain that it had, as I had a very close Armenian friend in high school (hi Rosette, wherever you are!), so I have been familiar with this for most of my life. He just kept saying, "do some research, you'll find out the truth!".

Well, I told him I would, and I did. Overwhelming evidence that the genocide did in fact take place. They must be indoctrinated from a pretty early age over there.

About freaking time, ADL!

Almost any discussion about the genocide I've seen in a relatively open place - Amazon reviews or Wiki talk pages are good examples - get drowned in Turkish folks and/or their sockpuppets ranting about how it's all anti-Turkish propaganda (the sanest ones), or that the Armenians committed genocide against the Turks (the least sane ones), etc.

It's completely absurd.

I worked with an Armenian American guy once who told me about it (his parents managed to survive and get here), and I rode a hotel shuttle once with some lovely ladies from an Armenian charity group who told me some. There's too dang much evidence out there that it happened. Of course, what the Turks did to the Greeks during the invasion and are still doing to Greek Turks there today leave no doubt in my mind that the Armenians were hurt. Look at what they're doing to our ecumenical patriarchate in Istanbul.

at an early age about the Genocide and I remember protesting in NY to the UN to get people to acknowledge the Genocide, and there is overwhelming evidence that genocide did happen, my grandparents exiled out of Armenia to Seattle Washington to escape. My grandmother told me about her escape. Genocide of any nationality is despicable, it gets me even sicker that our government is now exterminating Iraqis.

While on the bus with the Armenian American women, I asked them about the Turkish Toe, a sock knitting technique. They affirmed what I'd wondered in looking at socks knit from all over--it's an Armenian technique. It got named after the Turks because they not only started using the technique for themselves (common when knitters see a good thing) but also because British and American knitters saw them in Turkish museums and just assumed they were or Turkish origin.

We had a great knitting chat in the van. They gave me all sorts of tips, and we had a grand time. The driver just shook his head and laughed at us having our party in the back the whole way. :)

They haven't said, publicly at least:



He deserves it back, IMO.

by Atom Egoyan.

Thanks ADL, it's about time :applause:

National panel will weigh policy shift

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"Under pressure from local board members, the national Anti-Defamation League will reconsider its refusal to support a congressional resolution on the Armenian genocide, the organization's national director said yesterday.

The decision to reexamine this issue was made a day after the director, Abraham H. Foxman, issued a statement saying that the ADL believed the congressional resolution to be "a counterproductive diversion."

But the ADL regional board forced the issue to the forefront yesterday when it met at a synagogue in Chestnut Hill and voted in favor of bringing back its fired regional leader, Andrew H. Tarsy, as well as placing the congressional resolution on the national policy-making agenda.

Foxman declined to say yesterday if he would rehire Tarsy or if he even met with him during his daylong visit to Boston. But he said the ADL's national policy-making body would take up the issue of the congressional resolution at its next meeting, beginning Nov. 1 in New York City, as the regional board requested.

"All they had to do was ask," Foxman told the Globe. "That's our procedure."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/23/genocide_issue_still_in_flux_for_adl/

Another reversal of course by national rights group

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"The national Anti-Defamation League rehired its New England regional director yesterday, less than two weeks after firing him for publicly breaking with the national leadership and acknowledging the Armenian genocide that began in 1915.

The move to rehire Andrew H. Tarsy as regional director marked the second time in a week that the human rights organization reversed course under pressure from the Jewish and Armenian-American communities.

But Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL's national director, said he did not rehire Tarsy to appease critics. What mattered, Foxman said, was that the two men now "see eye to eye."

Tarsy's reinstatement was effective immediately, and both men said they were happy to be moving forward together.

"Andy's back," Foxman said, sitting next to Tarsy yesterday in a waterfront office in Boston. "Andy and I talked, and, after our conversation, I decided to take him back, to reinstate him. And I'm delighted he's back."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/28/adl_reinstates_regional_leader/

The Turkish government really needs to face facts about this matter.