Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 24, 2007
Contact: Sevag Arzoumanian
Tel: 617-233-3174
NEWTON, MA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING, SENDS
STRONG MESSAGE TO ADL
— Arlington, MA ‘No Place for Hate’ Suspends Ties with ADL
NEWTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 2007: On Tuesday, Aug. 21, hours after the
release of a statement by Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recognizing
the Armenian Genocide but opposing the Genocide Resolution pending
in Congress, the Newton Human Rights Commission sent a strong
message to ADL executive director Abraham Foxman that anything
short of the unambiguous recognition of the genocide and full
support of the Congressional resolution would result in Newton’s
withdrawal from the ADL-sponsored No Place for Hate (NPFH) program,
reported the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts
(ANCEM).
Newton’s reaction comes a day after the Arlington NPFH Commission
voted to suspend its ties with the ADL for its denial of the
Armenian Genocide.
Over 40 community members attended the special meeting that was
called to discuss the issue. "The small side chamber in City Hall
could not hold the number of audience members present for that
evening’s meeting," reported the Newton Tab. "Residents of Newton,
Watertown, Cambridge, Needham and other surrounding communities
squeezed into that meeting room and trickled out into the hall."
Reacting to Foxman’s statement, Newton Mayor David Cohen said,
"Whenever I saw the word Armenian, in my mind I substituted the
word Jewish. And whenever I saw the word genocide, I substituted
the word Holocaust. And I said, would I be satisfied if this were
the response of my leaders? And the answer was no!" In order for
Newton to be satisfied and continue with the NPFH, said Mayor
Cohen, the National ADL has to "do the right thing, recognizing the
Armenian genocide and advocating for its recognition as they would
any other genocide."
Watertown Town Council vice president Mark Sideris was also in
attendance and thanked the City of Newton for standing in
solidarity with Watertown. Addressing the Commission, he said, "I
want to applaud your committee and the Mayor for the stand that
you’re taking. … I think a message has been sent and we should be
working together not only with Newton and Watertown but with many
communities to continue the pressure on the ADL. Mr. Foxman took a
step today but I don’t think it’s far enough."
The Commission acknowledged that progress has been made but that
the ADL’s proclamation does not go far enough. Commissioner Sona
Petrossian said that the Human Rights Commission has to be
comfortable under the umbrella of the ADL. At present, she said,
this was not the case.
"There’s no one here that would not support NPFH 100 percent, but
with the [ADL’s] backing, it’s becoming hypocritical," said
Commissioner Peter Brown
Members of the audience were then invited to address the Council.
Anatol Zukerman, candidate for alderman in Newton, said,
"Withdrawing from the program is the minimum that we can do to put
the pressure on ADL because the ADL has been doing this for years
and I don’t think Mr. Foxman is going to move another step forward
toward the resolution of this crisis." Commissioner Brenda Krasnow
agreed, saying, "If it becomes a swell and more than one town
withdraws, then I think you’ll see some action."
David Boyajian, the Newton resident whose letter to the Watertown
Tab ignited the NPFH/ADL controversy, commended the commissioners
for sending a firm message to the ADL. "We’re not asking this just
for ourselves," he continued, "but for the sake of genocide
prevention in general and as a human rights issue." He went on to
restate the two basic demands of the Armenian community: that the
ADL leadership unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
that it work for Armenian Genocide Resolutions in Congress. "We
don’t want the ADL to continue to lobby under the radar," Boyajian
stated. "We want an explicit statement by them so that members of
Congress understand where the ADL stands. An injustice has been
done for a number of years by the ADL in stopping Armenian Genocide
resolutions in Congress, and in working with Turkey over the years,
against Armenian issues. If this doesn’t happen we do request that
the NPFH sever ties with the ADL. But we hope it won’t come to
that."
"I’m here as a former ADL employee, someone who worked in the
national office in New York and someone who is frankly very
disturbed by what’s happening to a great organization with a really
misguided national leader," said Jonathan Shapira of Newton. "It’s
going to take a lot of pressure on the national leadership and
support for the regional board to get a change to happen."
The ADL must promote the Genocide Resolution, urged Narini Badalian
of Watertown. "When a country like America endorses Turkey’s denial
of the genocide, it is sending a message to the world that genocide
remembrance is selective and that private interests outweigh
morality," she said.
In calling the meeting to a close, Cohen stated, "Everyone in this
room is united by one common thread, that is, they want to see
justice for the Armenian people, they want to see a full and
complete recognition of the Armenian genocide by the ADL and the
ADL becoming one of the active supporters of legislation to have
the U.S. recognize the historic fact of the Armenian Genocide. We
are all prepared to go as far as we need to make sure that those
things are realized."
The Newton Human Rights Commission postponed a vote on the status
of the No Place for Hate program and decided instead to wait for
the outcome of the regional board meeting of the ADL to be held the
next day.
The commission voted instead to unanimously support a letter sent
to Abraham Foxman by Mayor Cohen in which he states: "I am in full
support of the actions taken by the New England Regional Board of
the ADL … in recognizing the Armenian Genocide. I am also in full
support of the legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Adam
Schiff calling on the United States to formally recognize the
Armenian Genocide."
"The City of Newton, much like the Town of Watertown, has stepped
up to the plate and put the ADL on notice that there is no room for
ambiguity or waffling when it comes to this issue," said ANCEM
representative Joshua A. Tevekelian of Watertown. "The general
public has spoken and will not tolerate politics over principle.
The ADL must practice what it preaches and support the Genocide
Resolution."
====================== ============================================
Arlin gton "No Place For Hate" Applauds New England ADL Calls for
Armenian Genocide Recognition; Support for Congressional Resolution
======================================= ===========================
During an emergency meeting of the Arlington "No Place for Hate"
Commission held Monday, August 20th, Committee Chairwoman Cindy
Friedman and the 12 member Executive Board members voted to suspend
the ongoing ADL NPFH certification process, citing the ADL’s
Armenian Genocide denial. In a written statement issued following
the meeting, the commission noted that "while we agree with the
program’s goals, we feel that recent statements and actions of the
national leadership have undermined its integrity and ability to be
effective." The letter went on to praise former Regional Director
Andrew Tarsy and the New England ADL "for their courage in standing
up to the national organization’s position. We support them in
their efforts to resolve this matter so that the Armenian genocide
is rightfully acknowledged and the integrity of the No Place for
Hate program can be restored." Tarsy was recently fired by the ADL
National for recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting
Congressional adoption of the Armernian Genocide resolution.
The Arlington decision follows in wake of a letter from the ANCEM
urging the NPFH Committee to reconsider their affiliation with the
ADL. The August 20th letter, delivered to Board Member Joseph A
Curro, Jr. by Arlington resident Lucine Zadoian-Kouchakdjian and
other ANCEM activists minutes before the briefing, stated that
"affiliation or acquiescence with Mr. Foxman and the ADL National’s
unconscionable position on the Armenian Genocide seriously
undermines the credibility of the NPFH in its efforts to battle
against bigotry and intolerance in Arlington." The letter went on
to urge the "Arlington NPFH leadership to sever its ties with the
ADL until such time as the ADL National leadership issues a public
statement acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and calling for the
adoption of Congressional legislation recognizing this crime
against humanity."
"The Armenian community and the Armenian National Committee would
like to thank Mayor Cohen, the Newton community and the Arlington
‘No Place For Hate’ Board for the outpouring of support it has
shown calling for the proper characterization of the Armenian
Genocide by the ADL. We have worked together for years to ensure
that human rights violations, past and present, are not allowed to
go unrecognized and unpunished, and the success we have had is
encouraging," reiterated Dikran Kaligian, chairman of the Armenian
National Committee – Eastern Region.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.