Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
Aug 19 2007
Pressure mounts on ADL
Published: 08/19/2007
The Anti-Defamation League is under mounting pressure over its
refusal to recognize the World War I massacres of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks as genocide. Andrew Tarsy, head of the ADL’s New
England office, was fired Friday after he publicly broke ranks with
the organization over the issue, the Boston Globe reported. On
Saturday, Boston Jewish Community Relations Council came to Tarsy’s
defense, issuing a statement of support and reiterating an earlier
position that the massacres constitute a genocide. `In light of the
current controversy between the ADL and the Armenian community, we
stand by that statement and applaud the N.E. Regional chapter of ADL
and its Director, Andrew Tarsy, for their bold and unprecedented
action of standing up to their National body,’ the JCRC said. `We
stand with them and in support of the local Armenian community which
has always recognized the Holocaust and been with us each and every
year to commemorate it.’ The ADL has been under fire since the
Armenian community in Watertown, Mass., one of the country’s largest,
began agitating to have the town rescind its participation in a
popular anti-bigotry program the ADL sponsors. On Tuesday, the Town
Council unanimously voted to end its relationship with No Place for
Hate and other Massachusetts communities are reported to be
considering similar moves. Tarsy initially defended the ADL, which
asserts that it doesn’t deny the genocide and that the matter should
be left to historians. But on Friday, Tarsy reversed himself in an
interview with the Globe. "I strongly disagree with ADL’s national
position," Tarsy said. "It’s my strong hope that we’ll be able to
move forward in a relationship with the Armenian community and the
community in general." The ADL responded with a statement, due to be
published as an advertisement in regional newspapers this week,
reiterating its opposition to an effort, vigorously opposed by
Turkey, to have Congress pronounce on the issue. "We believe that
legislative efforts outside of Turkey are counterproductive to the
goal of having Turkey itself come to grips with its past," the
statement said. "We take no position on what action Congress should
take on House Resolution 106."
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