PRESS RELEASE
Date: September 10, 2007
Armenian National Committee of New York
P.O. Box 770-693 Woodside, NY 11377
Contact: Doug Geogerian
Tel: 646-468-9061
ARMENIANS, JEWS PROTEST ABE FOXMAN’S APPEARANCE IN NEW YORK
Activists join for rally in front of 92nd Street Y, call for
unequivocal ADL stance on Armenian Genocide
NEW YORK, NY-On Thursday, September 7, 2007, nearly 70 protesters
gathered in front of the 92nd Street Y here to protest the
appearance of Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-
Defamation League. Organized by the new Jewish youth publication
Jewcy.com, the rally also included dozens of Armenian activists who
joined in pointing out the ADL’s hypocrisy in its approach to the
Armenian Genocide.
For more than one hour, protesters waved placards such as "No Place
for Denial" along with cartoons of Foxman saying "It’s Not Genocide
Until I Say It Is." During this time, protesters loudly denounced
Foxman and called upon the ADL to reverse its position against H.R.
106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, which is now before
Congress. The rally took place directly across the street from the
92nd Street Y, where Foxman and former US Presidential Advisor
Stuart Eizenstat were appearing on a panel addressing "Modern Anti-
Semitism." Attendees entering the hall seemed often surprised at
the gathering, which vociferously denounced the ADL for its
equivocation on an issue it should be championing.
Following the rally, Jewcy.com Associate Editor Michael Weiss
addressed the crowd stating: "An organization founded to combat
bigotry and racism now denies one of the first genocides of the
20th century is beneath contempt." Weiss was joined by Doug
Geogerian, Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of New York,
who thanked JEWCY, the Jewish and Armenian communities for their
support on this important issue. Protesters also distributed
hundreds of flyers to attendees as they left the 92nd Street Y
following Foxman’s appearance.
In recent weeks, the ADL has been under pressure from a series of
grass-roots protests, led by the Armenian National Committee along
with progressive Jewish figures. As a result, last month it backed
away from its longstanding policy of complicity in Turkey’s denial
of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian and some Jewish leaders remain
concerned; however, as the ADL continues to use equivocal,
euphemistic phrasing, and has continued to openly oppose the
Armenian Genocide Resolution–H.R. 106–now under consideration by
the US Congress. At the same time, Mr. Foxman, has added to the
controversy by apologizing to the Turkish government for any
difficulty this turnaround has created for the Turkish government,
while failing to offer even a token expression of regret to
Armenians for the ADL’s longstanding, public record of genocide
denial.
To date, the rally has received coverage from several local and
international media outlets. For more information, please check
and .
####
Photo Caption:
Photo #1: Protestors at the demonstration
Photo #2: Eli Valley, JEWCY Magazine contributor