1956) A Point Of View: Explaining The Armenian Genocide Controversy

By Abraham H. Foxman & Comments: 61

A favorite subject for discussion at conferences between Israelis and American Jews is how little we truly understand each other. While there is a tendency at times to exaggerate the gap between us, different perspectives do exist. . .

One such example has surfaced in the starkly different reactions of Israelis and American Jews to the recent controversy over events in the Ottoman Empire during WWI. ADL became ensnared in the controversy in the New England area about how to describe those events. While we always acknowledged what befell the Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks at that time were massacres and atrocities, we did not use the term genocide. We also do not support a resolution on the Armenian Genocide currently pending in the US Congress

Armenian Americans in the Boston suburb of Watertown, angered by ADL’s position -- though ADL is just one of many Jewish organizations with the same position -- targeted us. They threatened to cancel our anti-bias program, “No Place For Hate,” if we didn’t change our position and they engaged in a public campaign accusing us of denial for not using the term genocide.

In light of the heated controversy and because of our concern for the unity of the Jewish community at a time of increased threats against the Jewish people, ADL decided to revisit the issue and came to share the view of Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel that the consequences of those actions against the Armenians were indeed tantamount to genocide. If the word genocide had existed then, they would have called it genocide.

Some have asked why it took us so long to say so. The answer is because over the years we had faced a dilemma. For us, there were competing moral principles at work. The security and wellbeing of Jews everywhere in the world is a priority for ADL. In this case it was listening to the views of the leaders of the Turkish Jewish community, a community that lives well in Turkey but is still a small community of 20,000 in a country of 65 million Muslims. A guiding principle for ADL is that when Jewish communities around the world appeal to us on matters that may have an impact on their lives, we don’t act as if we know better. We pay attention.

There was also our concern for the safety and wellbeing of Israel, whose relationship with Turkey is very critical. After the United States, Turkey is Israel’s most important ally.

On the other hand, we did not want to ignore the history of the Armenian tragedy. So, through the years we urged Turkish leaders to come to grips with the past in a way they had not. And, we referred to the events as massacres and atrocities. We just did not use the term genocide.

Our maintaining the equilibrium between two moral imperatives--concern for the wellbeing of Jewish communities and recognizing human injustice—was under attack. It wasn't that only Armenians protested against ADL's non-use of the word genocide, but that they were joined by some vociferous voices in the Jewish community

To be honest, I understood the passion behind these appeals but I was frustrated and disheartened that these critics were not taking seriously the dilemma we faced.

While some in the Armenian American community welcomed our change of position, they remain publicly critical of our not endorsing the Congressional Resolution, which we continue to believe is counterproductive.

This has been coupled with criticism from Turkish government officials (Prime Minister Erdogan called President Shimon Peres urging him to "do something" about ADL's decision). Turkish Jews, and many Israeli officials all wondering how ADL, which has been a leader in promoting Turkish-Israeli relations and working with the Jewish community in Turkey could do such a thing.

Therefore, it became apparent to us that at a time when the Jewish people faces its greatest challenges in decades--the Iranian nuclear threat, conspiracy theories about alleged Jewish power and disloyalty, boycott efforts against Israel--we were going to be interminably bogged down in an internal struggle over the Armenian issue, which would have had the effect of paralyzing us and making it impossible to focus on these other monumental challenges.

So we issued our statement. We used the term genocide for a tragedy that we always acknowledged. We have called on the Turks and Armenians to create a mechanism so they themselves can reconcile their differences over the past.

We are not apologetic about the way we have handled this sensitive subject. At each point of our decision-making we tried to be true to our principles and priorities.

We will continue to work on behalf of the Jewish people and in the process to create a more tolerant world for all.


COMMENTS
61. Hitler said it himself in 1938:"kill without mercy.kill men,women,children,it will all be forgotten,who remebers today about the armenian genocide?" The armenian genocide was the best lesson learned by the nazis,,Turks teached hitler how to kill by cold blood &then deny....imagine what would have been happened if Hitler won the war,he would have denyed the holocaust,& the holocaust would have the same destiny of the armenian genocide....denial.

i call all the jews in the US,Israel,&in the whole world:our brothers,ur the best that can feel our pain,we both were massacered & suffered & forced to be distributed all around the world away from our homeland ,we should work together for recognising past genocides & preventing the future ones,to avoid other nations to suffer from what we had suffered. I call the ADL & Foxman to do what htey know it's correcr, without thinking about political relationships that are always liable to changes.& DONT WORRY ON THE JEWS LIVING IN TURKEY ,WE AREN'T 1940-s ANY MORE.
Hrant, Egypt, Sep 11 12:09PM

60. Genocide ,if it is that than why Turks did not kill them all?They could have.,why go to extra affort to march them to Syria?,
why so many survivied?,

why all of a sudden Turks started killing them? .after 1000's of years living side by side,WHY NOW 1914?

becouse, they started the killing,look it up before Turks started and see how it came to that.

you can not blame to Turks to defand themselves,
This is not the same as what happaned to the Jews.
IT WAS NOT A GENOCIDE.
M.T., Los Angeles, Sep 11 10:09AM

59. The Armenian massacres were not genocide because the victims were not Jewish. This is the message that Foxman unfortunately seems to be giving but most people in the Jewish community do not agree with him. It's just that it is his perogative to maintain the uniqueness of the Holocaust and he probably feels that to do that, he has to deny other genocides. Not to mention that some people in the Turkish Jewish community were heavily involved in the Young Turk's movement at the time which sought to turn Turkey into a secular country - Muslims and Christians were all victims of this policy.
Miriam, Sydney, Sep 11 4:09AM

58. "Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens."
ADL Charter
October 1913

With his milquetoast "tantamount" declaration, Foxman thinks he has steered the ADL to moral high ground. What he has done, in fact, is further trivialize his organization. The ADL is increasingly being viewed by the world as weak, bigoted and narcissistic. If its leader engages in behaviour that is directly antithetical to the organization's mission, then he should be asked to step down. By aiding and abetting genocide denial, Foxman has failed the "ultimate purpose" of the organization that he leads.
IanSheinberg, london, u.k., Sep 11 2:09AM

57. Peres is the type of Jewish politician with no problem at all to sign a deal, even if he betrays old friends when he thinks he made new ones. That's why he never won an election by his own. He's always the one who had to lift, on the success of another Labor party leader!

It's not meant in an offensive way, as that is part of the truth about Peres!

And he's not the only one like that in Israeli politics. THAT is exactly why, while Israel keeps making old mistakes of the past, no politician's daring to bring about change in Israel. They got so used to the political system of not caring for anybody else but yourselves.

That's how DEEP Israeli society sank!!!

It's even WORSE than any of us thought it was (some years ago). Put into this new spotlight on Israeli politics, the only conclusion can be that the 'Peace Process' wan never meant to benefit an anxious Israeli society yearning for a peace that would never come. They knew the whole thing was CRAP, and destined to fail anyway. Still they allow other people's sons and daughters die to get what they want: an end to Oslo without them being blamed for what they always have know from the beginning (that any peace deal with Palestinians HAD to be one designated to fail, for real peace can never come without one of the two, or both, having to move outside Israel!

Betsy, NOYB, Sep 10 11:09PM

56. From the Turkish posts here, it is obvious we are dealing with a genocidal mentality that has gone unpunished, with the typical xenophobia and paranoia that leads to genocide. This is not just Anti-Armenianism but also Anti-Semitism. HR 106 and SR 106 are resolutions designed to fulfill a universal moral imperative and condemn genocide and genocide mentalities. These resolutions will pass sooner or later - and the sooner the better - with or without Foxman or AIPAC (shame on you!!!).

History will remember those Jewish organizations and Jewish officials who actively participated and promoted genocide denial -- the last stage of a genocide.
Dany Hanauer, San Diego, CA, Sep 10 10:09PM

55. I truly believe and acknowledge Mr. Foxman's measured and correct response to this firestorm. He should be commended for his candor ... even if it comes a bit late.
Walter, Sacramento, CA - USA, Sep 10 9:09PM

54. Turkish mass murderers deny Armenian Genocide because they want to get back and finish up the job...i.e. finally annihilate Armenians. Recently they killed in broad daylight the only Armenian voice in Turkey, Hrant Dink. Armed by NATO against RUSSIA they are as arrogant and unapologetic as Nazis were during the WW2. The Jewish "denyalists": ADL, AIPAC and the rest of the pack are terrible organizations, pretty much immoral and narcissistic. They do not represent the Jewish hearts and minds which is overwhelmingly supportive of the Armenian pain. RealPolitik is disgusting, wasnt it the main cause of the silence of Europenans when Nazis were gasing the innocent? How can Turks ask for help from Holocausted people to supress the Genocided people and getaway with it. Because of Foxmans and Pereses. Denying it you are participating in it. It's disgusting!!!
Vartan, Los Angeles, Sep 10 9:09PM

53. It is a shamefull act for Mr Foxman to accept the term Genocide of the Armenians by the Turks yet oppose the pending reslution. Shame on you Foxman
anoush, Canada, Sep 10 8:09PM

52. The ADL has an impressive history of fighting racism and building bridges between different groups. This latest act by someone who increasingly appears to be a roque element, is a shame. It is an enormous blot on an otherwise useful and commendable organization. Foxman should be fired before he does further damage. Every comment he has made on this issue over the past month has caused more damage than the one before.

What is most depressing is how he has apologized to the Turkish government and the Turkish people for the pain caused by ADL's belated acknowledgment of the TRUTH. Yet, he has never apologized to the Armenian people for the pain caused by his and ADL's denial of the Armenian Genocide. It truly shocks the conscience to hear such things.
Josh, Los Angeles, Sep 10 8:09PM

51. I cant believe it.
The jews siding with the smear campaing of the armenians against turks.
These jews and armenians are never grateful and forget how well they were treated in the turkish centuries of rule in the middle east and anatolia.
They even go so far to engage in perfidious lie machinerie against the turks.
It is important that these dogs get their adaquate respond. We turks should again turn to our muslim brothers in order to foil all their greedy plans, to destabilize the region.

Whenever a muslim nation becomes big and powerful, they develop a theory of guilt against these nations. May it be Iraq, and their mass weapons of destructions and the pretended killing of shias and kurds, may it be iran or in this case let it be turkey.

You have played enough games against the muslim world.
You earn what you seed.

hasan, istanbul, Sep 10 6:09PM

50. Armenians still live under the trauma, that their evil perfidious plan, to rob and ethnically clease great parts of eastern anatolia, while turkey was occupied by the imperialistic powers. In a time when the turkish armee fought for its existence at the borders in the caucasiens in the arab peninsula and at the western front, the armenian bandids (dashnaks), armed by the russians, ethnically cleansed great parts of the unprotected eastern anatolia, populated by older men, women and children. These so called victims!! were engaged in a war to eradicate all turks from "their" pretended wholy land. They saw it as a historic chance to backstabb the turks, in a time when it was faced by annihilation.

These murderers killed and slaughtered innocent people, because they were turks.
Of course, fearing turkish retaliation the fled out of anatolia to the hundredthousends.

We turks beat them again. And this frustrates these armenians again and again, they hate turks.
So they will do everything to portray turks as evil and murderers. Their only sense of live is to retaliate turks and to pretend living in diaspora, doing a lot of business spinning lies about systematic murders and genocide, in order to make some simple-minded western politician believe in their one sided victimology.

These bigoted honorless lyers, allways engaged in a smear campaign against turks, permanently begging for sympathy and pity, displaying themselves as the eternal victims, who never did wrong to others.

They have even turned our glorious war of independence into a matter of genocide.
The jews better come to their senses. When you really sided with theses armenian lyers and bandids, then the consequences for the existence and security of the israeli nation will be at stake.

When I am looking at this, I am convinced, that the israelies dont deserve to get a strategic importance in turkish foreign relations.

Without Turkey, Israel wont survive the next 10-20 years.

The Zionists should better think about that, than pay attention to the chuzpa of some neurotic armenians.
gökhan, Brussels, Sep 10 6:09PM

49. There is one important reason why the Armenian genocide has not been acknowledged for so many years -- it is that Turkey was never forced into doing that by a process similar to Nurenberg. Even though Turkey was an ally of Germany in World War I and again an ally of Germany in World War II, it managed to escape the punishment of the losing side and all the repentances that they should have made, by selling their services to their former war adversaries in the West as the "southern flank" against Russia, both in 1918, and again in 1945. That's just how loyal they are as allies! And Israel must not rely on their friendship blindly, since they will not think too long to sell out any ally if it is in their immediate interest, just as they shorted US when they were needed in the Iraq war. It is just sad that the long-overdue recognition of the Armenian genocide has become a political pawn in the grand games of East-West politicians, and it is very unfortunate that many Jewish organizations, including ADL, have shown a lack of moral clarity on such a litmus test issue. Standing up to your friends when they are clearly wrong does not diminish you as a friend, but sucking up to them does!
Abe, New York, Sep 10 5:09PM

48. Shame on Mr. Foxman, shame on the ADL. It seems the banner quote on the ADL's website "...to secure justice and fair treatment to all", only applies when it is politically advantageous, and not the morally correct stance.

The Armenian Genocide is an indisputable historic fact! In the wake of nationwide protests from Armenian groups and many in the Jewish community, the Anti-Defamation League decided to reverse its long standing policy of complicity in Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide. For Mr. Foxman to state, "...that the consequences of those actions against the Armenians were indeed tantamount to genocide. If the word genocide had existed then, they would have called it genocide. We also do not support a resolution on the Armenian Genocide currently pending in the US Congress." is hypocritical at best. To suggests that Armenians revisit these horrific events with revisionist Turks is perverse.


Carolyn , Belmont, Massachusetts, USA, Sep 10 5:09PM
47. The sheer “emotion” underlying the opinions of Mr. Foxman clearly shines through the lines in this article. Being an Armenian, I can only imagine what emotions run through the veins of my compatriots when reading such an engaging display of "cowardness". But owing to my respect of Mr. Foxman's previous displays of highly valued moral character, and emotions aside, what is most significant here is that as a human rights organization, the ADL has lacked the moral fortitude to do "what is right" - by not supporting House Resolution 106 which recognizes the Armenian genocide, the ADL is giving precedence to political considerations over moral principles, when it should be at the forefront of confronting genocide denial. The ADL's justification of concerns about the safety of Turkish Jews is a red herring; not only is it misleading, but it's actually the exact opposite of Turkish reality. Mher from Montreal gave a nice list of examples in post #41 below, so I won't repeat them here.
But I must say that Mr. Foxman should respect the fact that there can be no moral dilemma, whether "real" or "artificial", when it comes to Genocide Denial. As a decendant of a nation who witnessed Haulocost, Mr. Foxman should be the first to call the Armenian Genocide by it's real name...
Hagop, Montreal, Canada, Sep 10 3:09PM
46. Foxman should resign.All the double-talk is not going to change the the incident.Should we deny the Holocaust.You cant be a leader and profess bigoted statements. GOODBYE Abe.
Alex Postallian, Lebanon.Ohio, Sep 10 2:09PM

45. Someone (or the moderator) of this blogpage should tell M.Soykal to stop his hysteric denial machine and the copy/paste swarming of the space reserved for comments about A.Foxman's blog.And by the way, remind him the year is 2007 not 2005(see #14), Chirac is not the president of France anymore nor Sarkozy the interior minister of that country visiting Algeria...
Mher, Montreal, QC, Canada, Sep 10 2:09PM

44. This ISSUE is a POLITICAL one, not any historical question whether Armenians, just like Jews victims of genocide, do have right on compensation from Turkey.

POLITICALLY the implications of what's been a big sensitive national issue in Turkey's national politics are bigger, and therefor much more complicated too.

Israel, that ALWAYS wants to appease a military powerful country like Turkey, is certainly not going to take a stand that would jeopardize its relationship with Turkey! We have already seen how, some years ago, Israel was on Turkey's side, when it came to that struggle of the PKK for a free Kurdistan. Israelis have made it clear to the entire world that while they fight for independence they let down other people who want to be independent as well. As Simon Peres himself - as Israeli FM - made it very clear that Israel is not going to quit its old habit of betraying friends who were together with Israel for so long, if Israel's own international position might be at stake!! But the TREASON is already COSTING Israel, and it will do so in the decades to come! For the old issues have just started bouncing back right into Israeli face. As old issues ALWAYS keep coming back, Israel aswell will have to face its acts in the past.

Meshiva, NOYB, Sep 10 10:09AM

43. Peres recently promised Erdogan to "advocate Turkey's position on the (Armenian) issue in the U.S.". If Peres or Foxman should advocate Turkey's position on the Armenian Genocide not in the U.S. but in Switzerland, they could be arrested and face a possible jail sentence. Wake up guys. The rest of the world is wondering what in the heck you are doing. Genocide denial is not a morally defensible position. Ask your ally Turkey (the same ally you fear will exact revenge upon Turkish Jews if H.Res.106 is passed) to confess its sins and move on. The game is over.
Ehud, St. Louis, Sep 10 8:09AM

42. Mr. Foreman,

Reading through the string of thoughts expressed in this blog, the very “emotion” underlying the opinions is what is most significant. If the issue were simply one of, “it happened long ago, so let us move on” the public outcry would not be laced with the obvious anger and thoughts of betrayal attributed to your organization for not supporting the House Resolution of 106.

I am in a unique position of being neither Armenian nor Jewish. I am also not American. From my neutral perspective as a human being, I can understand that for Armenians a sense of closure for the atrocities is what motivates the passion. It is morally incorrect for a human rights organization such as the ADL not to be at the forefront of confronting genocide denial. It is morally the correct thing to do! Being a Canadian I watched a similar set of circumstances confront my nation, but Canada did indeed deal with the situation and in so doing, still seem to maintain a co-NATO relationship with Turkey. I am a proud Canadian for this gesture towards the Armenians, and towards mankind.

In addition there are over 30 nations world-wide, particularly in Western Europe, that have stood up to confront this issue and passed legislation acknowledging the term “genocide”. Are they all wrong? On the contrary, they have done what is morally and historically correct in a world where we must live together as human beings. After all how can we truly believe in the power of the term, “NEVER AGAIN” if we do not acknowledge the event itself, and allow political considerations to cloud our judgment.

Zsolt Patakfalvi
Montreal, Canada

Zsolt Patakfalvi, Montreal Canada, Sep 10 6:09AM

41. Questions that beg for an answer:
How would Mr. Foxman feel about creating "mechanisms...to reconcile differences" (that he suggests) with Holocaust-deniers or entities or states that advocate the annihilation of the Jewish people, be it in the past, present or the future?

"Equilibrium between two moral imperatives"? What 'equilibrium' when the scales were tilted from the beginning, with the silence of the ADL about the veracity of the Armenian Genocide or its collaboration with the Turkish state to block resolutions of recognition in the US Congress,which is, using his own words, 'tantamount' to denial and complicity?

The security of the Jewish community in Turkey? Was ADL blackmailed by a staunch ally of Israel or Mr. Foxman doesn't trust the Turkish state and knows too well that in the 1950s that same state didn't need any excuse to provoke "pure-blood" Turks to commit acts of hatered against the Greek, Jewish and Armenian minorities in Turkey? And how about the Excess Tax on the businesses of those minorities, which resulted in the bankrupcy of thousands of Jewish families and their exodus from Turkey? With allies like this...

Mr. Foxman knows very well that when it comes to Denial or two-faced declarations about a Genocide, you can't, shouldn't and must not have ANY real or artificial moral dilemmas.
Mher, Montreal, QC, Canada, Sep 10 5:09AM

40. If Israel denies the Armenian Genocide, what credibility does it have left? If Jews - of all people - are complicit in denying the Armenian Genocide, what does that make them? If Jews are not at the forefront of genocide affirmation and condemnation, then who is?
Elvis Pressman, tel aviv, Sep 10 4:09AM

39. There is not an Armenian on the face of this earth, whose family was not touched by the Horrors of the Turkish blood-thirsty slaughter of well over a million Armenians.

History has demonstrated that the Ottomans had pogroms every 15-20 years in various parts of Historic Armenia..."to control the Armenian population increase".

With the thousands of churches, monasteries, schools, cities, towns and villages of Armenians that existed in "Western Armenia" for over 2000 years....it is difficult to believe that there were any less than 3.5 to 4 million Armenians there during the Genocide. Well over 2 million were slaughtered and/or driven into the deserts to die. Well over another MILLION were enslaved, Islamized or quickly identified themselves as TURKS.....even to this day....to escape the Horrors.

THERE ARE NO "IFs" "ANDs" or "BUTs".....Well over 3 million "Armenians" PERISHED either by slaughter, enslavement, Islamization, or .....yes......insanity and suicide.

I'm sick and tired of reading "reduced" casualty figures.

Let's check the WWII figures of WHO and HOW MANY died during the Nazi Holocaust. The Germans and the western powers did not ask for further proof of the Holocaust!!! So do all the historical facts of the Armenian Genocide!!!
The Turks wouldn't permit Westerners into the provinces. The West had no open access to historic Armenia....as they did in Germany and elsewhere in WWII.

The Armenians were isolated...cut off..."submerged in poverty and an almost aboriginal existence" in the provinces....by their Turkish masters who used and abused them as they wished.
CAN YOU IMAGINE living in a country run by BEASTS and MURDERERS?!?!?!

Melkon Yessaillian, Westwood, MA, Sep 10 4:09AM

38. Dear Mr. Foxman:
...
How about the Armenians in Turkey? Should Armenians all over the world keep their mouths shut? A respectable and responsible person like you MUST REFOCUS and lead your people in such a way as a true leader should. You have misplaced your moral compass. You and all your representatives in the US especially in Washington MUST ENSURE the passage of the Genocide Bill and reparation the same way the Jews settled by holding the Germans accountable. Today a Neo-Nazi group of eight youths were apprehended in Israel. That such racial hatred still exists is unacceptable.
The Jews, of all people, should understand and support the Armenians because of our similar, unimaginable experience as two races. THE TRUTH NO MATTER WHAT REMAINS THE TRUTH. How can you “A Point of View: Explaining the Armenian genocide controversy Posted by Abraham H. Foxman “ explain the truth?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963 wrote: “INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE.” That was half a century after the Armenian Genocide of April 24, 1915, ironically the same month. And now almost fifty years later the world is still deciding whether it was Genocide. The First Genocide of the twentieth century.

In this day and age of instant information you and all your followers alike are unfortunately major contributors to the deniers of THE FIRST GENOCIDE OF THE TWENTIENTH CENTURY.

Although my name appears in this comment, rest assured I represent at least hundreds of family and friends and thousands of acquaintances and millions of Armenians all over the world.

Ovsanna Kadian, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Sep 10 3:09AM

37. Mr. Soykal, please tell the truth regarding the Mardin grave. The Turkish Daily News in April, 27 this year reported the following:

"Professor David Gaunt of Soderton, accompanied by Yusuf Halaçoglu, the President of the Turkish Association of Historians (TTK), arrived at the burial site together last Tuesday, April 24. The date is a symbolic day for Armenians who commemorate "genocide" on that day, a characterization disputed by most Turkish and many international scholars.

On examining the grave, Gaunt refused to collaborate with the Turkish historians. It had been tampered with since it was first uncovered, making it impossible to conclusively establish its origins or the circumstances of the human remains."
Vahe, Ottawa, Canada, Sep 10 1:09AM

36. M. SOYKAN hasn't learnt his lesson , Denying the Armenian Genocide will always back fire on the Turks . But I’m sure he will change his mind when his house up for Auction.
Sam, Australia, Sep 9 11:09PM

35. If the German Govt to this day (+25 years)was continually denying the Holocaust and lobbying around the world to prevent its recognition, the Jewish people would have an idea at just how incensed and outraged we are for this crime against humanity. We Armenians (like you) have been scattered all over the world and have attained success and influential positions in our adopted countries.Israel made a grave error in not supporting us (though we have steadfastily supported the Jewish people)and with our friends worldwide who are educated in our Genocide, form one of the most powerful forces in lobbying our governments on both of our behalfs. Turkey has proven to be an unreliable and duplicitous "Ally" to the US and our friendship is now being forged with the Kurds (not pkk)-who appreciate our help and who Turkey is also trying to erradicate and supress. When "Armenian Terrorists" started assasinating Turkish diplomats out of frustration in the late 70's, it was the Armenian community who put a stop to it because it was wrong and damaging to our image. We would not believe one forged document from the Turks who actually sent agents around the world to remove pages from archives containing the truth about their mass-murder (including the library of Congress) and contuinually lobby to prevent Governments and media worldwide from exposing their crime. We are prepared to pursue justice for another 100 years and will step-up our efforts-not through violence-but through economic, Governmental and lobbying channels. We also sympathize with the Greeks, Assyrians and Maronites who were also mass-murdered by them and the victims of all Genocide- whether they be Jewish, Cambodians, Darfurians, Africans and yes, Native Americans. Until Turkey is willing to face the ugly truths about its past- it will have no future and we will not relent until justice is served. Thanks to all good people (including educated Turks)who know the truth and support us-we will support you in your time of need.
Steve Darian, Seattle-USA, Sep 9 10:09PM

34. www.noplacefordenial.com

To all those of you who want to urge the ADL to remain faithful to its mission and support congressional affirmation for the Armenian genocide, please visit www.noplacefordenial.com
Garen, Toronto, Canada, Sep 9 10:09PM

33. Mr. Foxman, your last sentence says it all. Firstly, you must understand that you represent the ADL and not the Jewish community. Secondly, your miserable attempt at "creating a more tolerant world for all" failed when you placed political considerations over moral principles. Unfortunately Mr. Foxman, it is impossible to support denialist regimes and encourage or expect a more tolerant world.
Paul, Canada, Sep 9 10:09PM

32. Foxman, your actions and rationalizations disgust me.
Alice, New York, Sep 9 9:09PM

31. Shame on you Mr. Foxman. You have irreparably tarnished the ADL's reputation. Your "logic" for not supporting H.R. 106 recognizing the veracity of the Armenian Genocide is perverse, intolerable and frankly irrelevant.
H.R. 106 is a noble and long overdue resolution that will pass despite your organizations best efforts to block it.
Larry K., CANADA, TORONTO, Sep 9 7:09PM

30. "Never again. Never forget" It is because the Armenian Genocide was ignored and forgotten that genocide happened again. Hitler said it himself. Foxman seems to be seeking to destroy any credibility or moral authority left in the ADL by his weak deference to realpolitik. He is a cartoon character, and not even a nice one.
ajh, memphis, Sep 9 7:09PM

29. Mr. Foxman
with all due respect (of which I have none left for you),
you have proved that you are morally unfit to lead a human rights organization such as the ADL.

You say that the resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide by the US congress is counterproductive. You seem to think that a resolution would harm the reconciliation process between Turks and Armenians.
Let me make one thing clear: There will be NO reconciliation between Turks and Armenians until Turkey acknowledges the Armenian genocide. There can be no reconciliation without truth.
With every country recognizing the Genocide, we are getting one step closer to Turkey doing the same. When the US congress recognizes the Genocide we will be even closer to that day. This makes the resolution anything but counterproductive.

On August 23, you shamelessly stated that:
"Although independent scholars may have reached a consensus about the genocide… there is room for further dispassionate scholarly examination of the details of those dark and terrible days."
Your opinion about the Armenian genocide sounds eerily similar to the one held by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about the Holocaust, when the latter states that “Holocaust events need to be further investigated by independent and impartial parties�.

Both statements are unacceptable and are rejected by anyone who cares about the human rights of all people. You are not one of them.

By your statements and your actions, you have exposed yourself as a shrewd politician and not a human rights advocate. Therefore, we will not allow you and your organization to sponsor any human rights program in any town until your organization reverses its position 180 degrees by unambiguously recognizing the Armenian genocide, and without casting any doubt on its historical truth, by apologizing to the Armenian people for not having done so earlier, and by expressing support for efforts seeking congressional affirmation of the Armenian genocide.

I am not expecting anything from you, as it is too late for that. You should be fired from your organization and I am sure you will be.

Alik, Cambridge, MA, USA, Sep 9 7:09PM

28. M. SOYKAN is a shill for the Turks. Listen everyone! there is no way to rationalize Genocide. Just read about the life of the great artist Arshile Gorky
terry, detroit, Sep 9 6:09PM

27. Mr Foxman needs to read a lot of facts from German,Austrian.USA,and Turkish sources as his history seems very poor for a leader who represents ADL,but of course he fully knows the true history but in order to avoid the full recognition of the Armenian Genocide he deliberately brings up such ideas as commission to look in the case and so on which now is the official policy of denialist Turkey where millions are being spent in order to falsify the facts and thus avoid justice. Its people like Foxman who have given advice and encouragement to Turkey in order to peruse its denialist course and policy thus making the jewish holocaust a monopoly and all the rest of the genocides don't count or are not the same, what a load of rubbish coming from a person who knows the full effects of the genocide, you are a disgrace to humanity Mr Foxman you can go and get lost for all I care.
Mary Mimik, UK, Sep 9 5:09PM

26. The ADL argues that concerns over the safety of the Jewish community in Turkey were the main reason for the organization's equivocation on the issue of the Armenian genocide. I find this claim to be quite disingenuous.

The sizeable Greek community in Istanbul continued to live in peace after when, in 1996, the Greek parliament designated April 24 as a day of remembrance for the Armenian genocide. In recent remarks to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Nabi Sensoy himself assured that "the Turkish Jewish community [had] nothing to fear".

Clearly, in the context of this argument, ADL's reference to the security of the Turkish Jewish community is a red herring. The focal issue, rather, is the strategic alliance between Israel and Turkey, and the ADL's reluctance to negatively impact these relations. Thus the ADL's stance vis a vis the recognition of the Armenian genocide and the related resolution pending in congress involves not a choice "between two moral imperatives", but a decision to whether or not give precedence to political considerations over moral principles.

The ADL's long overdue recognition of the Armenian genocide is commendable; its continuing policy to oppose the Armenian genocide resolution, however, while politically expedient, is evidently morally bankrupt.

Garen, Toronto, Sep 9 4:09PM

25. "The security and wellbeing of Jews everywhere in the world is a priority for ADL. In this case it was listening to the views of the leaders of the Turkish Jewish community, a community that lives well in Turkey but is still a small community of 20,000 in a country of 65 million Muslims. A guiding principle for ADL is that when Jewish communities around the world appeal to us on matters that may have an impact on their lives, we don’t act as if we know better."

I know you probably won't read these comments Mr. Foxman, but I want to express my intense frustration with this commonly-made assertion on your part. Recognition of the ARMENIAN Genocide will make it difficult for JEWS in Turkey? And why is that? What do Turkish Jews have to do with Armenia? Are you saying that if Jewish groups don't continue to fight against Armenian bills Turkey will turn on it's Jewish minority? Whether you intend to or not, that is what you are implying- and it's even worse when it's Turkish officials making these assertions. I find it extremely odd that the Anti-Defamation League which serves to combat threats against Jews everywhere actually accedes to those very threats by Turks! You should be fighting those threats against Turkish Jews as boldly as you've fought so many other anti-semites in the past, whether perceived or real. In this case saying 'everyone keep quiet or they'll abuse us' is totally hypocritical.

"We are not apologetic about the way we have handled this sensitive subject. At each point of our decision-making we tried to be true to our principles and priorities."

Maybe I'd come close to believing you if you hadn't fired Andrew Tarsy. That was just completely uncalled for and utterly indefensible. To then go and write this line unapologetically after what is a universally-perceived wrong (even by you, since you rehired them) once again is hypocritical.
Paul, Philadelphia, Sep 9 4:09PM

24. In response to #14 - no, it is not because Jews in Turkey are being threatened. But your apparent enthusiasm to jump to this conclusion is telling.

Here are exceprts of a letter written to the ADL by a prominent Turkish Jew, Jak Kamhi, which is about as intelligent a commentary as you will read on the issue:

Dear Abe, I write to you concerning the “ADL Statement on the Armenian Genocide” dated Aug. 21, 2007, in which you add the prestige of the ADL to those who, for all sorts of reasons, have long lobbied for acceptance of the much-disputed claim that the historical events in question constituted a “genocide.” The purpose of this letter is to explain to you the depth of my disappointment and my foreboding. The Statement’s assertion that there is any “consensus” of historians on this matter is absolutely untrue. If there were, this matter would have been closed a long time ago. In fact, reputable and serious historians, having studied the available literature and archival data as professional experts, do not accept that the events of 1915 can properly be described as genocide. Has no one at the ADL read these works?

Contemporary accounts of that time are replete with examples of massacres committed by Kurds against Armenians, and by Armenians against Moslem Turks. Is the ADL not aware of these historical facts? Such chaos and horror marked the ends of other Empires: it was the British who invented the term “concentration camp” in the Boer War; hundreds of thousands were killed in massacres in India and during the Partition. Similar tragedies befell literally millions of people in French and Italian North Africa, in the Belgian Congo, and on every continent in European wars of expansion and colonialism. Rivers of blood have repeatedly flowed in the Balkans. Does the ADL intend to issue Statements and pronouncements declaring all these events as genocides?

By accepting this false comparison between the uniquely indisputable genocide for which the term was coined -- the Holocaust -- and the events of 1915, the ADL has committed an act of the most inexplicable injustice against the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, as well as against the sensitivities and pride of the Turkish people, who deserve your praise for their centuries-long tradition of compassion and their culture of humanity and cohabitation that remains an example to the world.

In time, the ADL may understand and accept that you have committed a very great injustice to the memory and status of the Holocaust, to the people and government of my country, and to all those who continue to share our common vision and struggle for reconciliation and for the avoidance of absolutely unnecessary complications in the relations between our countries.

Yours Sincerely, Jak V. Kamhi

Philip, Istanbul (ex-pat), Sep 9 3:09PM

23. The silly made-up idea that the Armenians sided with the russians and therefore justified the uprooting and systematic murder and looting of property, of 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women and children, is absurd at best and really just another way to avoid any justice. By the way Mr. Foxman, the idea for a joint commission is equally absurd and insulting at best. You cannot do business with genocide perpetrators or deniers. Period.
Joe, u.s.a., Sep 9 3:09PM

22. If Armenian slaughter by the Turks is in fact genocide, why then say it is "tantamount," akin or comparable to genocide? Why not support the Congressional Resolution calling it what it is? Genocide.

Mr. Foxman says he was frustrated and disheartened that his critics were not taking seriously the dilemma he faced.

Abraham Foxman says he is maintaining an equilibrium between two moral imperatives--concern for the well being of Jewish communities in Turkey and recognizing human injustice.

But I ask Mr. Foxman, what is the difference between your rationale for indifference and silence and that of Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli -- pope during the second world war) in that he likewise refused to unequivocally condemn Hitler's genocide, the Holocaust? Pius and his defenders maintain he was concerned for the well being of Catholics in Germany.

For this and for other pragmatic reasons, Pius fell silent all those murderous years.
Steve, US, Sep 9 3:09PM

21. I am support the bill. My Armenian relatives and our whole family has suffered our entire life times for what happened to them in Turkey, which today would be considered a genocide.
Ethel Rochlin, Chicago, Sep 9 2:09PM

20. Turkish professor heralds critical documents on Armenians

Well-known Turkish historian Professor Turkkaya Ataov has brought forth two documents which he claims will undermine Armenian claims of genocide earlier in the century. The documents, say Professor Ataov, prove that up to 200,000 Armenians fought with allied troops against the Turkish army during the first World War. According to Ataov, "if I revealed the name of these documents, the Armenians would either destroy them or have them destroyed."

Noting the extremely high numbers of Armenian soldiers admitted to in these documents, Professor Ataov says "200 thousand is a serious number. It is atleast 65 thousand more than the American soldiers found in Iraq today."

Speaking about where he found the documents, Ataov said he had come across them in foreign libraries and archives. The professor noted that he could not reveal the exact locations where he came across the documents, as he feared Armenian sources would attempt to destroy them
M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 2:09PM

19. Retired professor slams Armenian claims of genocide

Speaking at a conference in Mugla called "Turks, Armenians, and the Truth in History," Professor Turkkaya Ataov, noting that many Turkish intellectuals have been killed for their stance on the so-called Armenian genocide, said "We have put on our grave shrouds. We are determined to go down this path, and whatever happens doesn't matter, since we'll die anyway. We might as well fall as fighters for our country."

"1,000 years of peace with Armenians"

Grabbing the microphone out of turn during the symposium to speak to the audience, retired Professor Ataov also said the following: "I want to bring the end point to the beginning in what I say: The Turks did not commit genocide against the Armenians either before or after World War I. The truth is that Turks, beginning from the time of the Selcuks, have had peaceful relations with the Armenians for one thousand years. The reason for the tension in 1915 was that the Armenians, despite promises that had been made, joined in the Russian army in attacks on Muslim villages."

Comments greeted by applause from audience members

Speaking further, Professor Ataov said "We continue our struggle against these allegations. In 40 years, we have published 137 books on this subject; only a madman would attempt this. We are determined to go down this path." Noting that Turkey had only recently awoken to the severity and seriousness of the Armenian claims of genocide, Professor Ataov's comments were applauded at length by the approximately 700 audience members filling the salon.
M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 2:09PM

18. Historical truths sit clearly, right in the middle for everyone to see. But for some reason, we don't seem to be able to convey them or explain ourselves. Why? It always happens this way: first of all, disaster befalls us, or is made to befall us (read: the Armenian genocide bill in France). Then we start to feel the aches and pains. But from time to time, the reactions we show are actually funnier than the events themselves.


For days now we have been talking about the French genocide denial bill. Developments in France and Holland brought this whole issue onto our agenda again. We are a people who forgets fast though. Otherwise, those who even slightly followed history would know that: genocide allegations do not stick to us, and cannot be made to stick to us.

The events of 1915 were mutual slaughter. Turks and Armenians died. But the individual Armenian terror which began in 1973 turned into organized terror by 1975, and since then, 42 of our diplomats and 4 foreigners have lost their lives as a result of it all.

***

Does it always take a catastrophe to bring us to our senses? We should know by now which "headaches" will appear before us from time to time. And we should really be prepared. And armed with knowledge.

Known as a faithful sector of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians were provoked by the West in 1915, as they being provoked by the West today. By which I mean, in 1915, the West was a supporter of the mutual slaughter, and today, is a partner in the baseless accusations.

Speaking to journalist Can Dundar, Ismail Cem pointed out recently "Chirac's apology to Erdogan was like a joke. Chirac seems to see Turkey, the Turkish public, our press, but mostly Prime Minister Erdogan, as 'naive.' If he was even in the slightest bit genuine, he would have spoken these words of apology not in a private telephone call, but in front of the world." Don't you think Ismail Cem is right about this?

***

Today you will read in the Turkish newspapers about a response appropriate for Chirac: that Tezic, the president of the Turkish Board of Higher Education, has decided to return his medal of honor to France. It had been awarded to him in 2002. In his letter to Chirac, Tezic underscores the problem, as he sees it, with Chirac's quick rush to deny support of the recently accepted "genocide denial" bill:

"In statements, you bring to attention over and over again that the French government was outside of and not involved in this initiative by parliament members to approve the bill. But during an official visit to Armenia at the start of October, you expressed the view that 'Turks did commit a genocide against the Armenians.' In saying so, you clearly made this issue French state policy.....I can no longer carry the 'Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur' medal which was awarded to me."

Tezic, in returning his Legion d'Honneur, has become the first person ever to do so. These actions need no more words to explain them; when you say 'protest,' this is the way to do it.

M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM
17. US MAY DO THEY OWN HOME WORK INSTEAD !!

Algerian Prime Minister Abdulaziz Belkadem has called on France to "accept that it carried out genocide" in Algeria, an announcement that carries particular weight as French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy leaves today from France for a 2 day visit to Algeria.

Belkadem recalled French President Jacques Chirac's statement that "Countries are called on to accept the dramas and mistakes that they have led the way to" in reference to Armenian claims against Turkey, and said "We call on France to accept that what it carried out was a genocide during the years between 1830 and 1962 when it occupied Algeria. This identification of genocide includes not only genocide itself, but the attempt to wipe out our cultural and national identity. They need to remember that in addition to massacring people, they also erased the cultural wealth of a country."

Meetings between the central-right Sarkozy, who is seen as a likely candidate for president next year, and Algerian officials are now expected to take place in the shadow of these calls for genocide recognition on the part of France

M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM
16. French historian Thibaux to become "Atakan Turk"

French historian and writer Jean Michel Thibaux, who announced he was applying for Turkish citizenship following the French Parliament's decision to approve the bill making it a crime to deny Armenian allegations of genocide by the Turks, has had his application approved by the Interior Ministry in Ankara.

Following the initial approval by the Interior Ministry, Thibaux's application has been presented to the Council of Ministers. Following approval by the ministers, Thibaux will reportedly take the Turkish name "Atakan Turk
M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

15. What a Bunch of "Gobledeegook"

Mr. Foxman says (excerpted)"it was listening to the views of the leaders of the Turkish Jewish community..." What are you not telling us? That the Turkish Jewish community is being threatened? That the Turks will take it out on the Jews? Well Mr. Foxman welcome to the real Turkey. These are supposed to be your Allies. They wouldn't do anything to the Turkish Jewish population. Would they? No of course not. They are your Allies. Are you saying that you are not permitted to disagree with your Allies? Are you not permitted to express your real feelings and tell them the truth? Of course not. They are your Allies. Why is it against the law in Turkey to discuss or accept the Armenian Genocide? Can you ask them that, or are you not permitted? But they are your Allies.

Alex Van Zantwyk, New Jersey, U.S.A., Sep 9 1:09PM

14. Comments made by Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian that "Armenian is prepared for unconditional diplomatic relations with Turkey" have elicited a sharp response from Ankara.

Foreign Ministry officials in the Turkish capital referred to Kirakosian's comments as "exploitation of feelings," noting that they came in the wake of national sorrow over the death of journalist Hrant Dink, and that the "unconditional diplomatic relations" part of the comment was the same as the phrasing used in a letter from Armenian President Robert Kocharian to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in April of 2005. Yesterday evening in Ankara, PM Erdogan referred to the Yerevan administration's refusal to consider the Ankara suggestion of a joint commission to investigate Armenian claims of genocide, saying "First they need to answer our suggestion. They have still not offered an answer. This is not a show of good intention. I do not find this stance of theirs sincere."

M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

13. Big difference between the Holocaust where innocent Jews were killed in concentration camps for just being Jews versus Armenians who cooperated with the Ottoman Empire's enemy the Russians, formed gangs attacking Turkish villages with the hope of carving a country for themselves as from Turkish Land. Turks did not create concentration camps - they forced Armenians to relocate to save their lands from becoming a part of Armenia. Wasn it right a wrong - YES. Was it comparable to the Jewish Genocide - NO. The reason Armenia does not want to jointly investigate the Ottoman Archives and other historical facts is because they are afraid that they will discover how they cooperated with the enemy, how their gangs attacked Turks and how the alleged number of Armenias is well below what they claim.
John, Philadelphia, Sep 9 1:09PM

12.

Assertions made in an article in the Turkish magazine "Nokta" last year that mass Armenian graves could be found in the town of Nusaybin outside of the city of Mardin were taken up by Swedish professor David Gaunt, who then brought these assertions to the attention of the Swedish Parliament.


Gaunt's accusations have elicited a response from the head of the Turkish History Foundation (TTK), Professor Yusuf Halacoglu, who has invited all interested parties to come to Turkey and participate together in an opening up the gravesite in question. Professor Halacoglu, who subsequently received an affirmative answer from Professor Gaunt, said the following regarding the situation:

"Professor Gaunt has said that he would be pleased to cooperate in the opening up of the gravesite in the Mardin area town of Nusaybin. However, he has some preconditions: During digging, he wants complete freedom in the region. In addition, he is requesting the opportunity to speak with anyone in the area who claims to know something about these mass graves....We have naturally accepted all of these demands. In fact, we have said that we are prepared to meet any needs that his delegation may have while in Turkey. We suggested that March would be a good time, as the weather would be perfect. Now we are waiting for the confirmation that they will in fact come."

Professor Halacoglu noted that if the mass grave in question does in fact turn out to hold the bodies of Armenians and/or Suryanis, he will be prepared to apologize in a public press conference, but if not, he is expecting that Professor Gaunt will apologize.

M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

11. Asserting that Armenia's aim in backing bills calling for the official recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide was to receive monetary recompensation, Kilic noted that certain American insurance firms had already begun to pay out recompensation to Armenians claiming loss as a result of genocide, and that these payments would continue. Kilic maintains that the large insurance firms paying out Armenian claims even now will later turn to Turkey for recompensation for their financial losses. Kilic also indicated that applications from Armenians to web sites such as www.armenianinsurancesettlement.com were already flowing in, and that the inevitable result would be pressure by banking and insurance lobbies on Turkey to back these claims.

M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

10. Through its Washington, DC embassy, Turkey has sent full page ads to 5 important newspapers across the US calling on Armenia to "bring to light together along with Turkey the events of 1915."

The ads will reportedly run in the New York Times, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Politico and Roll Call newspapers, which are both important within Washington political circles.

The ad calls on Armenia to agree to form a joint commission with Turkey to look into and research the events of 1915, also noting that if appropriate, third party countries could be involved. The ad also underlines that all archives must be made available and used in the possible research done by a joint commission. Included in the ad are quotes from US President George W. Bush, former US President Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and current Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, Mesrob II. Each of one of these figures calls on Turkey and Armenia to work together on the controversial matter of the Armenian allegations
M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

9. THIS IS NOT APOLITICAL ISSUE !!!

Through its Washington, DC embassy, Turkey has sent full page ads to 5 important newspapers across the US calling on Armenia to "bring to light together along with Turkey the events of 1915."

The ads will reportedly run in the New York Times, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Politico and Roll Call newspapers, which are both important within Washington political circles.

The ad calls on Armenia to agree to form a joint commission with Turkey to look into and research the events of 1915, also noting that if appropriate, third party countries could be involved. The ad also underlines that all archives must be made available and used in the possible research done by a joint commission. Included in the ad are quotes from US President George W. Bush, former US President Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and current Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, Mesrob II. Each of one of these figures calls on Turkey and Armenia to work together on the controversial matter of the Armenian allegations
M. SOYKAN, USA, Sep 9 1:09PM

8. Doubletalk. Lawyer-like excuses. A true Bull-artist.
terry, detroit, Sep 9 12:09PM

7. Mr Foxman's comments are so hypocritical and outright lies that he is not fit to represent and organisation such as ADL.All active members have a duty to get rid of such a person from their leadership as a nation that has hone through a holocaust perpetrated by Hitler has a moral duty to defend and protect the Armenian nation from such people who want no good towards the Armenians and they deliberately come out by bringing in denialist reasons which is all nonsense.

Either you are with us or you are against us make up your mind Mr Foxman,you cant be both on this issue.
Mihran Key, UK, Sep 9 12:09PM

6. What happened to the Armenians is inconceivable and unimaginable, The Holocaust was one of the most tragic Events in all off time, but the anguish the Armenians went through goes beyond Holocaust, when innocent women and children are butchered and raped , burnt and thrown in to the sea because they are a SO CALLED THREAT to the Empire. Can not be put in to terms if ever one is created.

Mr. Foxman you are wrong and your apologies do not heal our wounds you are still a Denier and until you do not go to Armenia and lay flowers on the fallen Martyrs and change your stance on the Armenian resolution you will be made accountable for .

To our Friends who have stood beside us during these weeks we are great full but it is not enough when you still have Deniers of Genocide amongst you. The facts are facts and you can not ignore them and your leaders must be made accountable for their Unjust moral stance and choice of words.

Sam, Australia, Sep 9 12:09PM

5. Jews who actively deny the Armenian Genocide to supposedly protect the Jewish community in Turkey are a disgrace to their own people and to humanity as a whole. This tiny community is actually being exploited to further commercial and geopolitical interests between Israel and Turkey. It's one thing for a neonazi to deny a genocide, it's an entirely other thing for a survivor of the Shoah to do so! I cannot think of a bigger shame on Israel and the Jewish people. Peres should be stripped of his Nobel Prize!
dudemeister, Austin, TX, Sep 9 11:09AM

4. ADL = ARMENIAN DEFAMATION LEAGUE
dudemeister, Austin, TX, Sep 9 11:09AM

3. Saying the Armenian Genocide did not occur is like saying what happened to the Jewish people was not a holocaust. Please do a little more homework to get your facts straight, I would recommend a movie which recently came out (I am not sure if it’s out on DVD yet but hopefully it will be soon), called SCREAMERS (2006). What happened to the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire was a perfect example of GENOCIDE.
Nick, los angles , Sep 9 11:09AM

2. What a hypocrite? Then why Mr. Andrew Tarsy was fired? The more you talk the more lies you have to make to cover your behind; the best is to keep your mouth shut or just admit you were wrong.
Joe, Canada, Sep 9 10:09AM

1. Mr. Foxman you don't represent the Jewish Community, you only represent the organization to which you belong.

Don't misrepresent the Jewish Community, it was you and your organization facing moral judgement, as well as principled challenges.

Seems the ADL's priorities are above it's principles.
Rich, Fresno, Sep 9 10:09AM

September 09 2007
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