Thumbs up to Anti-Defamation League
Some of the greatest advocates for Armenian genocide justice have been Jews, most notably Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. He sounded the first alarms of unprecedented catastrophe in 1915 when he proclaimed the actions of the Young Turks to be a “death warrant to a whole race.”
The Anti-Defamation League, under Abraham Foxman’s recent rule, was rarely supportive. Fortunately, the new leadership of Jonathan Greenblatt has brought change. He recently said, “What happened to the Armenian people was unequivocally genocide. We believe that remembering and educating about any genocide – Armenian, the Holocaust, and others – is a necessary tool to prevent future tragedies. That is why we would support U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide.”
Recognition is a nice start. Former ADL regional director Andrew H. Tarsy stated “They (ADL) ought to lead the conversation about reparations. … The recovery of assets. … Everything that Holocaust reparations … has represented should be on the table.”
Justice is a broad concept – recognition, reparations and ultimately reconciliation. The survivors and descendants of the Shoah know this well. Kudos to Mr. Greenblatt and the ADL for helping bring justice for the Armenians.
Nelsene DeRanian, Fresno
This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Thumbs up to Anti-Defamation League."