NATIONAL ADL CHANGES STANCE ON GENOCIDE
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WBUR, MA
Aug 21 2007

BOSTON, Mass – August 22, 2007 – Host Intro: The unexpected reveral
of a long help policy on the Armenian genocide is the subject of
today’s Anti-Defamation League New England board meeting. The ADL is
now calling the killing of more than a million and a half Armenians
by Ottoman Turks in the early 1900’s –genocide. It’s still unclear
if Andy Tarsy, the Regional Director who was fired for challenging
the national policy, will be reinstated as many local Jewish leaders
want. WBUR’s Monica Brady-Myerov reports on reaction to the changed
policy.

Text: The news of the reversal was applauded by local Jewish leaders.

Former ADL board member Steve Grossman commended national director
Abraham Foxman for taking the moral highground.

STEVE GROSSMAN: I was very pleased that nationally the ADL recognized
that their position was no long tenable and no longer the morally
acceptable position to take. I give Abe Foxman a lot of credit it
takes a distinguished leader to recognize a mistake and to recognize
that a position has to change.

The sudden reversal was sparked by a controversy that started in
Watertown. Last week the town council voted to withdraw from an
anti-bigotry program sponsored by the ADL because it refused to
recognize the Armenian genocide. ADL Regional Director Andy Tarsy
broke ranks and called on the national organization to acknowledge
the genocide. He was fired. Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Boston’s Temple
Israel commends Tarsy for holding his ground.

RONNE FRIEDMAN: I think the regional board did absolutely the right
thing I can only image given their position that they must have gone
thru an extraordinary difficult period trying to persuade the national
director and the national board to modify its position.

The national ADL did not change its position on a Congressional
Resolution that would recognize the World War I era killings as
genocide. The ADL said yesterday they don’t support the resolution
because its quote "a counterproductive diversion." Rabbi Friedman
says the ADL should support the resolution.

RONNE FRIEDMAN: I think its half way there it was incomplete in
my eyes in that if we recognize a genocide as a genocide then as
citizens of this country we have an obligation to stand in support
of the recognition of that historical fact by our American government.

This also bothers many Armenian Americans, who say they don’t feel
satisfied with the change in policy.

Yesterday at an Armenian bakery in Watertown, where 8,000 Armenian
Americans lives, Lauren Arakelian was skeptical about the quick
turn around.

LAUREN ARAKELIAN: The ADL seems to be flip flopping about their
position and I don’t understand how they can say now that they agree
and acknowledge the genocide which they all agreed they support and
yet they won’t support the congressional resolution.

Watertown resident and Eastern Chairman of the Armenian National
Committee Dikran Kaligian says without supporting the resolution in
Congress, the reversal isn’t complete.

DIKRAN KALIGIAN: Its not a reversal, this is participating in
genocide denial and the very phrasing they use it the same phrasing
used by Turkish government in arguing why this resolution should not
be considered.

The ADL says it fears supporting it may put the Turkish Jewish
community at risk and hurt the relationship between Turkey, Israel
and the United States. It’s unclear if the regional board will further
press the national organization to support the resolution. In a letter
to board members, Regional Board Chair James Rudolph said the group
still has much work to do.