Only a few days ago, Andrew Tarsy, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, backer of the "No Place for Hate" program, tried to defend the ADL's stance on the Armenian Genocide at the Watertown City Council meeting. The ADL refused to recognize the genocide, Watertown residents - including a large Armenian population - was furious, and Watertown kicked the ADL out of its borders.
Then, presumably influenced by Watertown's decision to remove hate from its city limits by removing the "No Place for Hate" program, Tarsy said it is high time for the ADL to recognize the genocide and told ADL head Abraham Foxman that the ADL's position is "morally indefensible."
How did the ADL thank him for him for fighting against hate and promoting a worthy cause? They canned him.
Firing Tarsy is not going to make the existence of the Armenian Genocide go away. In fact, it has raised more awareness of why it is so important to acknowledge the genocide, and people who probably never knew about the Armenian Genocide certainly know about it now.
The ADL has lost much of its reputation on this matter. Do the words "Anti-Defamation" apply to only a few groups? And why are the Armenians left out? In a long letter the ADL plans to run in papers next week, Turkey is one of the only Middle Eastern nations that accepts Israel, so they don't want to alienate Turkey, but every nation needs to be called to account for its errors.
What exactly is the purpose of the Anti-Defamation League? If they insist on not recognizing the genocide, then they should change their name because "Anti-Defamation League" clearly doesn't apply to everyone.
Other towns are moving to get the ADL out, and leaders are moving to distance themselves from the ADL. The ADL's regional board has called on the national group to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. And, eventually, the ADL will be left standing all alone with a bowdlerized history that they don't share with anyone.
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