JCRC: ARMENIANS AND JEWS SURVIVED GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2008 13:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness of
the Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity, the Armenian
Assembly of America partnered with the Jewish Community Relations
Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston to support "Out of Darkness",
a performance dance exploring the tragic events of 1915.
The Assembly and JCRC co-hosted a reception for the March 22nd
performance, which featured the world-renowned Liz Lerman Dance
Exchange and Sayat Nova Dance Company, the internationally-known
Armenian troupe. Adapted from Lerman’s Small Dances About Big Ideas,
"Out of Darkness" explores mass violence in contemporary times and
provides a healing reflection on the scope of human compassion. Leaders
from the Armenian and Jewish communities, including Israeli Consular
General to New England Nadav Tamir, attended the pre-reception and
the performance.
In her remarks at the reception, Nancy K. Kaufman, Executive Director
of the JCRC of Greater Boston, reminded those gathered of the
special connection that both communities share and the importance of
remembering and acknowledging the genocides perpetrated against both
Jews and Armenians in the last century.
This came during the same week that Andrew Tarsy, former Director
of the Anti-Defamation League of New England, gave a major speech
at Northeastern University, where he expressed hope that the next
President of the United States will acknowledge the Armenian Genocide
by its proper name.
"When the term ‘genocide’ applies, as it does…in the case of the
Armenians, it is imperative that we be unhesitating and unambiguous
in applying it, regardless of the political consequences," said Tarsy,
who is now working for Facing History and Ourselves.
"Anything less facilitates the obfuscation of truth.
Anything less dishonors the memory of the dead, and anything less
ultimately imperils the safety of the living."
Tarsy also said that the common ground Jews and Armenians find as
victims of genocide makes them uniquely interested in understanding
each others’ historical experience. "Their mutual empathy can be
a source of healing, and their mutual efforts can produce wisdom,"
he explained.
"The opportunity for the Armenian community and Jewish community to
join in partnership projects to explore our common experience with
genocide does sensitize our communities to each others’ sufferings,"
said Board of Trustees Public Affairs Chair Anthony Barsamian. "It
is important that our communities continue to work together and draw
lessons from the past to prevent future crimes against humanity,
such as the current genocide in Darfur."