ABRAHAM H. FOXMANADL’S FOXMAN SPEAKS OUT ON JEWS, GENOCIDE AND TURKEY
By Abraham H. Foxman
s_issue/news/?content_id=3556
Original mission but new position
Monday August 27 2007
The Anti-Defamation League was created in 1913 for the purpose of
combating anti-Semitism. At the same time, its founders enlarged the
goal to also "secure justice for all citizens alike." This language
suggested a wider agenda for ADL in addition to pursuing its primary
mission of fighting anti-Semitism. That wider agenda has at times been
interpreted to be instrumental, i.e. one of the key ways to secure
an America that is welcoming to Jews is to secure an America that is
welcoming to all its diverse communities. At other times, somewhat
later, it has been seen as important on its own as a moral imperative.
In general, the dual elements of our mission have been a source
of strength for the organization and pursuing one has furthered the
other. We have seen throughout the history of the 20th century that in
societies where Jews were persecuted it was a telltale indicator that
the broader society was in trouble. And, where values of equality and
freedom were broadly in jeopardy, one could be sure that Jews would
be targeted at some point. The interconnectedness of the elements of
our mission was real and telling.
Still, there have been times when the two parts of the mission could
be in conflict, where competing principles and moral imperatives come
into play forcing the organization to make difficult decisions. Indeed,
in the world of issues that ADL deals with on a daily basis, matters
are rarely simple and often involve choosing between competing
alternatives – each of which has merit.
Guiding us in this decision-making process is our understanding
of what we are about. First and foremost, our responsibility is to
protect the Jewish people. Particularly after the Holocaust and in
light of the ongoing assault, physical and otherwise, on the state
of Israel, the home of the Jewish people, ADL has become one of the
most significant, if not the most significant, voices on behalf of
endangered Jews anywhere in the world.
People everywhere primarily look to ADL to be that leader. As the
world and the situation of Jews has become even more perilous after
9/11, that role for ADL has grown still larger.
And so, when we are faced with issues beyond the Jewish community that
have the potential for conflict between our wider agenda and our goal
of protecting Jews, we know where our starting point and focus must be.
Having said that, we don’t stop there. We seek to minimize the
conflict.
We look for approaches that can serve our primary mission but still
be as true as we can be to the second purpose.
That is what has been taking place with regard to the controversy
over Turkey and the Armenians. We have been in close contact with the
Turkish Jewish community for decades. We have heard repeatedly from
its leaders how concerned they are about the impact of American Jewish
involvement in efforts to label as genocide Turkish actions against
Armenians during World War I. Through the years, we have discussed
this matter with them and as recently as two months ago heard the
same message of concern. For us, as a Jewish defense organization,
such concern cannot go unheeded.
Still, we had a dilemma. As an organization committed to educating
people on the dangers not only of anti-Semitism but of hatred of
all kinds, we could not ignore the terrible tragedy that befell
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. And we have not. In
meetings with high-level Turkish officials, we have pressed them
to come to grips with the past and speak to what happened. We have
done that again and again and we will continue to do so. We think
the Turkish government should address the moral implications of its
history with the Armenians, particularly because Turkey occupies the
critical spot in the great struggle of our time, the effort to see
a moderate Islamic model triumph over Islamic extremism.
Moreover, we have acknowledged that massacres and atrocities took
place. We have in no way been neutral on this subject; we have placed
the onus on Turkey to set things straight.
In light of the heated controversy that has surrounded the 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,
we decided to revisit the tragedy that befell the Armenians. On
reflection, we have come to share the assessment of former Ambassador
Henry Morgenthau, Sr., that the consequences of the painful events
of 1915-1918 were indeed tantamount to genocide. While 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, we will not hesitate to apply the term
genocide in the future.
We believe that we have been true to who we are in our approach. As
long as ADL is an organization committed first to the safety and
security of the Jewish people, we cannot in good conscience ignore
the well-being of 20,000 Jews in Turkey. We will, however, continue
to push the Turkish government in the right direction.
We hope people of goodwill understand our perspective, but even if
they do not, we deeply believe that we are being true to the core
values of our organization which have served Jews and the broader
society so well for many years.
Abraham H. Foxman is National Director of the Anti-Defamation League
and the author of "The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and The Myth
of Jewish Control," to be published in September by Palgrave Macmillan.