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Third town severs ties with ADL

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Published: 09/07/2007

A third town moved to sever ties with a popular Anti-Defamation League
program to protest ADL's position on the Armenian genocide.

The
Belmont Human Rights Commission, in Massachusetts, voted unanimously
Thursday to recommend quitting the ADL's No Place For Hate program until
the organization supports congressional legislation recognizing the
Armenian genocide, the Boston Globe reported.

"If you have an
organization that states that their purpose is to defend people, you can't
choose only one," said Janet Boswell, a commission member.

In
moving to break with the ADL, Belmont follows the lead of Arlington and
Watertown, two suburban Boston communities that have severed ties with the
group over the Armenian issue. Amidst the initial outcry, the ADL reversed
itself and recognized the World War I massacres of Armenians as
"tantamount to genocide," but the ADL maintained its refusal to support
legislation recognizing as much.

Along with other major Jewish
groups, the ADL has refused to support the legislation out of concern for
U.S.-Turkey and Israel-Turkey ties, as well as for the security of the
Turkish Jewish community. Turkey has lobbied intensely to defeat the
legislation, which has majority support in the House of Representatives
but has not yet come to a vote.

Twelve Jewish organizations --
including the Union for Reform Judaism, Americans for Peace Now, the
Zionist Organization of America and the Progressive Jewish Alliance -- are
supporting the legislation.

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