PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 22, 2015
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: [email protected]
Web:
JEWISH COMMUNITY RALLIES IN SUPPORT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AFFIRMATION
April 24th Marks 100 Years Since the Start of Atrocities that Claimed 1.5
Million Lives
WASHINGTON, DC – Around the world, the Jewish community is rallying in
support of official acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Jewish
leaders and organizations have joined the call for the U.S. government to
officially characterize the systematic murder of 1.5 million Armenians a
century ago as genocide. In the past 24 hours, Israeli President Reuven
Rivlin, the American Jewish Committee, and the editorial board of Jewish
Week condemned the atrocities of 1915.
`On behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America, I would like to thank the
Jewish community for its courage in standing with us as we approach the
commemoration day of the Armenian Genocide,’ said Bryan Ardouny, Executive
Director of the Armenian Assembly of America. `The Armenian Genocide was
the ghastly precursor to the Holocaust and is a tragedy that unites the
Armenian and Jewish people.’
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) today issued a statement of support for
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. AJC Executive Director David Harris
said that, `We hope that the U.S. will reverse its announced decision, and
publicly acknowledge this atrocity by its rightful name – genocide.’
President of Israel Reuven Rivlin recently reflected on the Armenian
Genocide with journalists. He told The Tower Magazine he agreed with Pope
Francis that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people during
World War I was `The First Genocide.’
A recent editorial, `The First Genocide, A Century Later,’
in Jewish Week
rightly pointed out that the Armenian Genocide `was the precursor to the
Holocaust. Its then-unprecedented cruelty to a defenseless people provided
a template for the leaders of Germany’s Nazi government in World War II…’
Yesterday, President Obama failed to use the term genocide to describe what
happened to 1.5 million Armenians a century ago, despite his statements
made while a U.S. Senator. `The President’s unwillingness to speak
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide is not what we expect from a world
leader on its centenary. His failure to use the term genocide represents a
major blow for human rights advocates and sets the clock back on genocide
prevention,’ said Ardouny.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR: # 2015-028
Available online at: