The Forward is reporting today that Jewish-American groups have been backing off on their support for a bill currently in Congress that would publicly and officially recognize the 1915 Ottoman Empire attempted genocide of the Armenian people. The groups cite their concern for Turkish-Israeli relations which at present is strained. Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman Empire, vehemently denies any reports of genocide and claims that the upwards of 500,000 Armenians murdered was part of a war and not a systematic attempt to wipe out a people based on their race or ethnicity. This assertion, however, is disputed by a wide consensus in the academic community. The Ottomans did indeed attempt genocide against the Armenians. Jess Hordes, Washington Director of the Anti-Defamation League is quoted as saying in the article: "Inevitably, for some people the enthusiasm isn’t as great as it was in the past, because of concerns about Turkey’s policy on Israel." This is utterly and unequivocally unacceptable. We as a Jewish community need to rally behind those who have been oppressed by the hands of others. The continued denial of the Armenian genocide on behalf of world governments has led to a demoralizing condition amongst the Armenian people. Would we as a Jewish community tolerate our vivid memories of persecution being denied internationally?
Israel has very real needs and benefits greatly from a positive relationship with Turkey. However, our moral conscience must not be sacrificed on the altar of Israel's strategic needs. It is time for the Jewish community to stand with the Armenian people and shout from the rooftops, "Never Again!"
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