Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
Aug 22 2007

ADL to consider genocide position at national meeting

Published: 08/22/2007

The Anti-Defamation League agreed to put its position on a possible
congressional resolution on the Armenian to a vote of its national
governing body.

The move came Wednesday after a request from the league’s New England
regional board, which has been fiercely critical of National Director
Abraham Foxman’s stance on the issue and his firing of the
organization’s regional director. The ADL’s national commission will
meet in November.

On Tuesday, Foxman reversed himself and said massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks during World War I were "tantamount to genocide." He
continued to stand by his earlier position concerning the
Congressional resolution, which, along with other Jewish groups, ADL
has called "counterproductive."

Foxman earlier claimed he didn’t know whether the killings
constituted genocide, a position which generated tremendous anger
among Boston’s Jews who have strong ties to the city’s substantial
Armenian population.

Foxman refused to say whether the regional director, Andrew Tarsy,
would be reinstated, a move also requested Wednesday by the New
England board. Tarsy publicly broke ranks with the national ADL
position last week and was summarily fired.