ADL HIRES DIRECTOR OF N.E. OFFICE
By Michael Levenson

Boston Globe
Aug 20 2008
MA

The Anti-Defamation League, which has been riven by conflict over its
refusal to fully acknowledge the Armenian genocide, turned yesterday
to a politically seasoned official from a prominent pro-Israel lobby
to help rejuvenate its New England office.

Derrek L. Shulman, who will take over as the ADL’s New England regional
director in October, worked for the past 5 1/2 years as political
director in the Boston office of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee and for nine years before that as a top official in the
state Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

He takes over at a time of turmoil for the ADL, a 95-year-old
organization that was founded to fight anti-Semitism and now has a
stated mission to combat "all forms of bigotry."

More than a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns have withdrawn
from one of the ADL’s signature initiatives, the No Place For Hate
program, to protest the national office’s refusal to acknowledge as
genocide the killing of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 in
present-day Turkey.

Shulman said he sees a "tremendous opportunity" for progress on the
issue, but declined to offer specifics.

"I’ll be looking to talk to a lot of people, to get input, to get
into look-learn-listen mode before I start to set a course," he
said yesterday.

The ADL has battled controversy since last August, when Watertown,
which has a sizeable Armenian community, pulled out of the No Place
For Hate program to protest the organization’s stance on the Armenian
genocide.

When Andrew H. Tarsy, the ADL’s New England regional director at the
time, spoke out and said the group should acknowledge the genocide,
he was fired by the national office. Local Jewish and Armenian leaders
reacted angrily, calling his firing vindictive.

Under mounting pressure, the national ADL modified its stance,
saying that the massacre was "tantamount to genocide" but that a
congressional resolution acknowledging it was counterproductive.

Two weeks later, Tarsy was rehired. But the conflict continued to
mushroom.

Late last August , Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the
ADL’s "tantamount to genocide" statement, calling it "an injustice to
the unique character of the holocaust, as well as to the memories of
its victims." Armenian-American leaders, meanwhile, expressed anger
at the ADL’s refusal to support the congressional resolution.

In December, Tarsy resigned, saying he made a "professional judgment
based on knowing when it’s your time."

Jewish leaders praised Shulman’s appointment, while Armenian leaders
said they would wait to see what action, if any, Shulman takes on
the genocide issue.

"Our concern has never been as much with the person who holds the
position, as with the policy of the ADL," said Aram Suren Hamparian,
executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America.

Ara Nazarian, spokesman for the No Place For Denial campaign,
which opposes the national ADL’s stance on the genocide, echoed
the sentiment.

"The ball is in their court at this point, and we’re waiting for them
to do the right thing," he said.

Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations
Council of Greater Boston, said Shulman has "got his eyes wide open
and he knows what his challenges will be."

"My guess is he will try to build bridges and do everything that he
can to get ADL back on the footing it once had in the community,"
Kaufman said. "It is a big job and it’s an important job, and he has
big shoes to fill."

The ADL selected Shulman, 40, from among several candidates identified
by a search firm. The Needham resident also teaches at Lasell College
in Newton.

"We think he’s got great leadership and political skills," said James
L. Rudolph, chairman of the New England board.

The national ADL declined to comment yesterday on the controversy
surrounding the Armenian genocide, but released a statement calling
Shulman "a terrific choice."

Steve Grossman, a past president of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee and a former member of the New England ADL board, said
Shulman would rebuild trust in the ADL and attract younger members.

"I’m thrilled that they brought in somebody of Derrek’s caliber and
experience, but who is comparatively untested in executive leadership,"
Grossman said. "They took a chance on Derrek, but I think it’s exactly
the kind of risk-taking that will pay off in days to come."