Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
ancawr@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, February 16, 2007
Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANCA-WR PRAISES JEWISH WORLDWATCH FOR CALLING FOR CONGRESSIONAL
RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Los Angeles, CA – The ANCA-WR this week welcomed a letter authored by
Jewish World Watch in support of H. Res. 106 (the Armenian Genocide
Resolution). The correspondence, addressed to Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urges her to support the passage of H. Res. 106,
which affirms the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution.
ANCA-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian welcomed Jewish WorldWatch’s
letter in support of the Armenian Genocide resolution. "Jewish
WorldWatch’s letter to Speaker Pelosi is timely and important," Kzirian
commented. "Timely, because the genocide resolution is awaiting action
by the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-CA). Important, because this letter is proof that a large coalition
of support, from Armenian, Jewish, Rwandan, Greek, Cambodian and other
communities across America are coming together to rally behind H.Res.
106," added Kzirian.
Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis and Janice Kamenir-Reznik, co-founders of
Jewish World Watch expressed the critical importance of holding
perpetrators of genocide accountable for their acts of inhumanity.
Janice Kamenir-Reznik noted, "Accountability is a seminal factor in
deterring future genocides. As Hitler was designing his final solution
he was asked why he thought he would be able to murder millions of Jews.
Only twenty years after the Armenian genocide, Hitler responded by
noting that no one cared and no one remembered the Armenian genocide.
We all know what happened next. Our humanity and collective conscience
demand that we care and our very existence requires that we remember and
hold perpetrators responsible. We are proud to stand with the Armenian
community and with all people of conscience to insist that their
suffering and their history be acknowledged by the civilized world."
Jewish World Watch is a project of a coalition of synagogues working
together to mobilize synagogues, their schools, members and the
community to combat genocide and other egregious violations of human
rights around the world. Earlier this year, the organization held a
screening of the genocide film Screamers at Valley Beth Shalom in
California’s San Fernando Valley. Although Jewish World Watch currently
focuses on ending the genocide in Darfur, the organization’s letter to
Speaker Pelosi states that "it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge and
commemorate past genocides, in particular, the Armenian Genocide, which
has been denied for almost a century – we cannot criticize those who are
committing genocide today, without acknowledging and commemorating the
unacknowledged genocide of the Armenian community in 191[5]."
In October of 2006, then-Representative Pelosi stated that, "I have
supported legislation, including H. Res. 316, that would properly
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is imperative that the U.S.
recognize this atrocity and move to renew our commitment to eliminate
genocide whenever and wherever it exists. This effort enjoys strong
bipartisan support in the House, and I will continue to support these
efforts in the 110th Congress."
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) 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 ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress