GROUPS BACKING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

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Published: 09/06/2007

An Armenian American group has lined up an array of Jewish groups to
back a congressional resolution recognizing the Ottoman-era genocide.

The Armenian National Committee of America had garnered the support of
at least 12 groups by Thursday including the Union of Reform Judaism,
Americans for Peace Now, the Zionist Organization of America and the
Progressive Jewish Alliance.

The effort comes in the wake of the Anti-Defamation League backing
down last month and recognizing the 1915-16 massacres as "tantamount
to genocide" after a number of Massachusetts towns threatened to cut
off the ADL because it refused to recognize the genocide.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a Jewish
congressman with a substantial Armenian American community, has
majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives but has yet to
come to a vote.

A number of Jewish groups including the ADL had quietly opposed its
passage, saying it could harm Turkey-Israel relations and jeopardize
the Jewish community in Turkey.