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| Israel Submits Resolution Opposing Holocaust Denial | |
 by Joey Kurtzman, October 16, 2007
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You have got to be kidding me.
The [Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs] has presented UNESCO with a draft resolution for the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust and prevention of its denial.
Oh, stuff it.
The historic proposed decision, concerned with preservation of the memory of the Holocaust and prevention of its denial, is part of a campaign conducted for the past three years by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with international communities in general and with the United Nations[.]
Why is the ministry of foreign affairs doing this, and why is the UN indulging this juvenile "politics of gesture"? Relations with Iran are exquisitely sensitive at the moment, and as we know, Iran does not recognize the Holocaust. It is foolish and pointless to antagonize Ahmadinejad and the mullahs over something that happened sixty years ago. However regrettable the events of WWII may have been--and make no mistake, they were regrettable--we need to focus on today, and not waste our energies revisiting old tragedies. </satire>
The MFA has managed to harness 70 countries from all continents to the initiative, including one Arab state. Voting on the decision will take place at the 34th session of the UNESCO General Conference, to be held in Paris from 16 October to 3 November 2007.
So voting starts today. I hope everyone votes yea, but only after insisting on a brief amendment stating the obvious: that it is equally imperative to preserve the memory of other genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide, and to prevent their denial.
Meanwhile, in other news, Armenian-Americans continue to plead with Jewish- American organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, as well as with the foreign ministry of Israel, to stop abetting Turkish efforts to destroy the memory of the Armenian Genocide.
Alik Arzoumanian, a granddaughter of survivors of the genocide, delivered this speech to the Massachusetts Human Rights Association last Friday:
------------------------I do not know what horrors my great grandmother went through during the summer of 1915, because I have been told that every time she tried to tell what happened, she became sick for three days, so she rarely spoke about it. All I know is that her first newborn, a baby girl called Angel, died in her arms in the Syrian desert, and that a kind horseman saved her from drowning in the Euphrates.
Two days ago, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution that acknowledges what happened to my great grandparents and countless others as genocide. As Turkey frantically multiplied its threats to discourage Congress from doing the same, in the face of such shameless bullying and blatant denial, I thought, for a moment, that I was exhausted of being Armenian.
I am exhausted of witnessing the denial of my history.
I am exhausted of being denied justice for so long.And I am frankly exhausted of having to go town to town explaining how Abraham Foxman and the national ADL are complicit in Turkey’s denial campaign, and asking Human Rights Commissions to sever their ties with a human rights organization that has denied us, Armenians, our human rights.
On its website, the ADL correctly states that:
“On the surface, Holocaust deniers portray themselves as individuals and groups engaged in a legitimate, dispassionate quest for historical knowledge and truth" and that they “seek to plant seeds of questioning and doubt about the Holocaust”.
In his August 23 statement, Mr. Foxman stated:
“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.”
He means the Armenian genocide is open to debate.
By the ADL’s own standards, this constitutes genocide denial.
Mr.
Foxman’s 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 are unacceptable and to be
rejected by anyone who cares about the
human rights of all people.
What outrages me most are Mr. Foxman’s repeated calls on Armenians to take up Turkey’s offers of a commission that will “re-examine the shared past of both peoples”.
On September 27, Turkey’s Prime Minister met with Mr. Foxman – among others - "to reject allegations the Ottoman Empire committed an act of genocide against its Armenian citizens in 1915."
After the meeting, Mr. Foxman reiterated his opposition to congressional affirmation of the Armenian genocide.
He also repeated that Armenians should respond to calls from Turkey
for a joint commission to investigate the past, knowing very well
that,
1. The debate on the Armenian genocide has long been over.
2.
Turkish historians on such a commission would be on the payroll of the
Turkish state which does not only deny the Armenian genocide, but also
suppresses attempts by Turkish intellectuals and human rights activists
to speak the truth.
Just yesterday, Arat Dink, the son of
Hrant Dink, the journalist murdered earlier this year because he dared
to write about the Armenian genocide, was convicted of “insulting
Turkishness” for republishing his father's remarks.
Armenians will only rest when Turkey recognizes the Armenian genocide and Ottoman Turkey’s role in perpetrating it.
As
a human rights organization, the ADL has no right to stand in our way,
alongside with Turkey, as we work to recover our human rights and
dignity.
The ADL charter states that "its ultimate purpose
is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike". As an
Armenian-American, I am deeply offended that the ADL does not deem us
worthy of justice and fair treatment.
As human rights
commissioners, I am sure you believe, unlike Mr. Foxman and the
national ADL, that Armenians DO deserve justice -- like any other
people.
Therefore, I respectfully urge you to follow the
example of Watertown, Belmont and Newton, and to withdraw from the ADL
sponsored NPFH program in your towns, until the ADL 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 community for not having done so earlier,
and by expressing support for efforts seeking congressional affirmation
of the Armenian genocide.
Until then, I think there should be no place for any ADL sponsored human rights program in any of our towns.
Alik Arzoumanian
Cambridge, MA
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Joey Kurtzman is president of Jewcy Partners, LLC, and co-founding editor of Jewcy.com. Prior to joining Jewcy he was an on-air contributor to Ireland's political and cultural radio program, The Wide Angle. He lives in Los Angeles with More... |
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Anonymous
Joey Kurtzman
Is this blog entry some kind of joke of yours?
You take the concept of the 'Galut Jew' to new levels.
Anonymous
Never mind that previous post
I missed the /Satire entry.
I read the rest of your entry and I agree.
Joey Kurtzman
Another tagline winner!
"Taking the concept of 'Galut Jew' to new levels" is another winner in our tagline contest. That'll go at the top of the page underneath the Jewcy logo some time today.
Anonymous, please elaborate. What about this post do you find unreasonable?
UPDATE in light of your second comment: gotchya. That's still a winning tagline.
Anonymous
Thank you!
I've never won anything in my entire life, not even a lotto ticket. I have now finally won something and my life is complete.
I accept being the tagline contest winner as a great honor.
Thank you Joey.
Joey Kurtzman
You're welcome
Garen Megerditchian
RE: Genocide denial and the National ADL
Many thanks to Joey Kurtzman for pinpointing the irony of the Israeli MFA's actions and for posting Ms. Arzoumanian's speech. I would like to note that even if morally bankrupt, the non-committal stance of the Israeli government vis a vis the Armenian genocide is somewhat understandable, given Israel's strategic alliance with Turkey. What boggles the mind is the national ADL's disturbingly hypocritical position of actively opposing efforts to fight genocide denial. I mean, which human rights organization can abet genocide denial and still take itself seriously? Up to now, efforts to try to bring the ADL to the right side of the issue have been confined to New England - I can assure your readers, however, that hell will break loose if the organization does not change its stance at its national convention come November. I personally will leave my igloo in Toronto, cross the border and picket ADL's national headquarters. Garen Megerditchian, Toronto, Canada
Anonymous
Garen
I have to agree with you. As a Jew, I am embarrassed about Foxman's position position on this. I'm not sure how the ADL stands on this though.
The thing is the rationale which Foxman is using to justify his stance is a big What the F*ck!?
He actually believes he's saving Jews in Turkey and Israel by supporting Turkey.
The fact is he's damaging Jewish interests here in the United States.
Anonymous
Joey, you rock.
The other day I read an article dated 10/15/07 in the Jerusalem Post by Eve Price that quoted that Fat Fool Foxman stating to the Forward that
"No Armenian lives are under threat today or in danger," Foxman maintained. "Israel is under threat and in danger, and a relationship between Israel and Turkey is
vital and critical, so yeah, I have to weigh [that]."
Really? I mean how dumb does Fatf-ck think we are and how dumb is he?
Azerbaijan hates Armenia, destroys Armenian artifacts and cemeteries containing Jews and Christians (Armenians and others) and continues to rattle its swords at Armenia. All the while receiving financial, strategic and material aid from Turkey and Israel. They have twice the population as Armenia.
Then, of course, we have Turkey - read Armenia's best friends. They just want us to come over for dinner so they can eat us. They have almost 20X the population of Armenia. Funny, I didn't hear about Turkish Jews being detained after HR106 passed muster in the HFAC last week.
Look, in 2003, when Al Qaeda allegedly bombed Jewish shuls in Turkey, did they have our backs in the War on Terror? No. We were not allowed to use our airbases there to invade Iraq.
Do you think they'll let us use them if the neocons push us into war with Iran. Rather unlikely as they will be open on the other side of the country and from above.
And, if the US cowers to Turkish threats, do you really think that is going to help us eradicate the 'terrorists'. No, the terrorists will probably seek to strike again in Turkey. Then, what, the US is up the river with no paddle as Turkey shuns us for their own national security. As Pakistan does. Its enough already.
Our allies do not threaten us. Our friends do not threaten us. And, they don't lie to us either. With allies like Turkey, who needs enemies?
Joey, you sure are a funny mensch. The tribe needs more members with your sechel. The satire was poignant. Don't ever stop. For noone or nothing.
Mahler
my two agurot
It's worth considering the possibility that congressional democrats are cynically using the Armenian genocide to antagonize Turkey so that it makes its airspace unavailable to the US. This would be a backdoor way to making the US military presence in Iraq harder to sustain. Consider the timing of this resolution. We've had over 90 years to condemn what happened there.
Does anyone know if the resolution is condemning the genocide itself or Turkey's supression of acknowledgement and scholarship of it?
Xavier Vallat
While I agree that the
While I agree that the events of 1915 constitute genocide, I am wondering why Kurzmann feels that Foxman is a greater danger to the Jewish people than Ahmadinejad. There were protests from Jewcy on Foxman, but not on Ahmadinejad. While Iran pursues nukes and Jerusalem is being divided by the sex offender Haim Ramon and the corrupt real estate agent Olmert, and while Qassams based on the Temple Mount will put all of Jerusalem under bombardment, Kurzmann uses all of his energy on Foxman. Perhaps Kurzmann and Ahmadinjad have the same goals-the end of Jewish peoplehood. Both have written about this
Anonymous
Xavier and Vallat
you need to read and think before you write.
As to Mahler, who needs Turkey when you have Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Aren't they also U.S. allies on the war on terror. The US will never win the war on terror if it cowers to its Muslim 'allies' by fear or threat. If our muslim 'allies' can extort us in this manner, what message do you think that sends to the 'terrorists'.
As to Xavier, how many Jews live in Iran, Armenia or the U.S.? How many non-jews live in those countries? Where is Foxman? Foxman is not worried about Iranian Jews when he attempts to flame Iranian leaders. Iranian jews that remain there do so because the running punch line amongst them is "why go to Israel, to make no money?"
After Foxman blasted Ahmadenijad for debating the Holocaust through a scholarly examination and equaling him to Hitler, Foxman gave new life to Hitler's quip about remembering the Armenians and engaging in the same covert genocide denial that the ADL warns against - i.e. leaving genocide to dispassionate scholarly examination - and opining that resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide are counterproductive, genocide is not a matter for political recognition and that the parties should be left to themselves to reconcile.
It seems like you also have some other bones to pick that are completely off-topic.
Joey rocks, you guys suck!!!
Alamity
They've done it again
This keeps getting better and better...
Israel submits resolution (Yes, another one)... Bush meets with Dalai Lama in the White House prior to the presentation of the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to his Holiness. And when the Chinese reacted negatively to this recognition, Bush basically told the Chinese to go F themselves.The following is an excerpt from an article:
China has demanded that the United States
cancel this week's celebrations. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi
in Beijing said the events "seriously wounded the feelings of the
Chinese people and interfered with China's internal affairs.""China
is strongly resentful of and resolutely opposes this and has made
solemn representation to the U.S. side," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu
Jianchao said in a comment carried Wednesday by the official.
Bush is not only a hypocrite, but also a coward . He tells the Chinese to go take a hike but his knees buckle when it comes to the Armenian Genocide resolution.
These bozos are all the same. Bill Clinton and Bush senior were no better either. They used similar tactics to double-kill the genocide victims by denying them a simple non-binding resolution, which by the way has the support of house majority... When will this duplicity end?
The Lost Tribe
Stimulating Dialogue
...enjoy reading your language. Armenians are non-factors on a geopolitical level and without Isreal's support or key Jewish organizations lining behind the resolution, kiss it bye bye. We share common history, but we're isolated and have zippo leverage except forwarding the truth; however, that and 2 bucks gets you a venti at starsucks. Turkey's extortation tactics are beyond you. We could be one of the Ten Lost Tribes and then what. Shout out to all Jewish orgs that smoke turkish pipe, you will regret trusting them, but we will never deny the Holocaust at any cost!!
God Bless Isreal ... God help the Armenians...
lindaras
Full text of H. Res. 106 for Mahler
Mahler, here is the full text of the resolution.
I don't see anything condemning the modern Turkish government.
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