WESTWOOD
‘No Place for Hate’ no longer
Town cuts ADL ties over genocide
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | October 21, 2007
No longer do signs welcome travelers to Westwood as a "No Place for
Hate" community. Those signs, located at four town lines, were taken
down last week.
Selectmen decided Monday night to suspend participation in the
antidiscrimination program because they don’t believe its sponsor, the
Anti-Defamation League, has gone far enough in recognizing the
Armenian genocide of nearly a century ago – an issue that remains a
sensitive matter today, especially for area residents of Armenian
heritage.
Westwood joins Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, Newton, and Watertown in
suspending or cutting ties with the ADL, believing its refusal to
directly acknowledge the historical genocide runs counter to the ADL’s
mission of fighting against hatred and fostering an atmosphere of
mutual respect. About 60 cities and towns across the state, including
many south of Boston, belong to the ADL’s local No Place for Hate
program.
"I think the community wished it didn’t have to come to this," said
Town Administrator Michael Jaillet. "We wish our sponsor had taken a
different position and stood up for the truth."
The ADL acknowledged in August that the Ottoman Empire’s massacres of
Armenians from 1915 to 1923 was "tantamount to genocide." But Westwood
and other critics want the ADL to use sharper language – dropping the
"tantamount to" – and push for congressional passage of a resolution
directly acknowledging the genocide.
Westwood, where some Armenian residents pushed for dropping the ADL
affiliation, will continue promoting cultural harmony, town leaders
say. But the No Place for Hate Committee will now go by a new name,
the Human Rights Committee.
"The town of Westwood has concluded that our ability to carry out the
founding principals of the No Place for Hate program is seriously
compromised by the ADL’s position on the Armenian genocide and the
House and Senate resolution," said Nancy Hyde, chairwoman of the Board
of Selectmen, reading from a letter the town sent to the ADL last week
about their vote.
Al Gordon, a spokesman for the New England region of the ADL, said the
town will find it difficult going it alone in its campaign for
tolerance.
"We think in the long run Westwood will not profit from its decision
to sever ties," Gordon said. "The ADL has internationally recognized
expertise in dealing with hate incidents and promoting cultural
awareness."
Since adopting the No Place for Hate program two years ago, the
committee has done such things as passing out literature on tolerance,
organizing panel discussions, and participating in local cultural
events. The ADL helped the group locate speakers and a choir of
Ugandan orphans for a Martin Luther King Day program this year.
Tom Viti, the town’s library director who cochairs the Human Rights
Committee, acknowledged it would be difficult to replace the
connections the ADL has.
"The ADL has been really involved in high-pressure volatile situations
in responding to hate crimes," he said. "The committee is going to
have to do a bit more work."
But he said the town’s new Human Rights Committee will probably seek
out guidance from other similar groups, and hopes to offer an
increased number of programs and events each year.
The ADL first came under fire this summer in Watertown. At that time,
the ADL did not acknowledge the Armenian genocide, outraging the large
Armenian population in that town. Watertown’s decision to cut ties
prompted other communities to follow and for the ADL’s New England
office to break from the national group’s position of not calling the
massacres a genocide.
Ultimately, the ADL’s national director, Abraham H. Foxman, in a
carefully worded statement, acknowledged the massacres was "tantamount
to genocide." The group, however, did not offer to support a
resolution in Congress that would officially call the massacres a
genocide. Support for that legislation, which had been building
momentum, appeared to be eroding last week as the Bush administration
worried it might offend the Turkish government, an ally of US military
troops in Iraq.
Westwood officials say they would restore the town’s affiliation with
the ADL if the group adopts sharper language and backs a Congressional
resolution acknowledging the genocide.
"We are looking for an unequivical statement," Viti said. "A word like
tantamount starts to qualify things."
James Vaznis can be reached at [email protected].
(c) Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
Source: icles/2007/10/21/no_place_for_hate_no_longer/