Unrecogniz ed
Tragedy

Armenian Genocide commemoration
speakers draw parallels to Jewish community.

DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

LI

Above:
The Rev.
Father Daron
Stephanian
talks with
Rabbi Daniel
Syme at the
commemoration.

Right:
Dr. Yair Auron,
an Israeli scholar,
denounces the
denial by Israel
of the Armenian
Genocide.

5/ 9
2003

24

three successive Turkish regimes car-
ried out a genocidal policy against the
Armenian people, killing 1.5 million
people and conscripting a quarter of a
million into the Turkish army.
Successive Turkish governments have
denied the charge of genocide, and most
of the world — including the American,
British and Israeli governments — have
rarely challenged the denials.
A number of the speakers comment-
ed on the similarities between the
Armenian and Jewish people.
"The Armenian and Jewish commu-
nities are bound together through his-
tory," noted Beth El Rabbi Daniel
Syme in his invocation. "We remem-
ber that terrible chapter in history
when so many lost their lives as the
world stood by in virtual silence."
Program co-chair Ned Agapian, in
thanking Rabbi Syme and Temple
Beth El for their hospitality, said that
Armenians "are much like the Jewish
community: people of the East that
are easily Westernized."
The emotional highlight of the
almost three-hour program came when
20 "honored survivors" were recog-
nized by name and received a standing
ovation. They make up almost half of
the 48 local survivors recognized by
the metro Detroit Armenian commu-
nity of about 50,000.

IVIT e have been unable to
bury our dead. They
have been entombed in
our minds until the
world recognizes them," said Armenian
scholar Dr. Agop Hacikyan. He spoke
at a Bloomfield Township event April
27 marking the 88th anniversary of the Denial Unacceptable
Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman
Keynote speaker Dr. Auron, senior lec-
Turks.
turer of contemporary Judaism and
Israeli scholar Dr. Yair Auron agreed.
genocide of the Open University of
"For you Armenians, there is also the
Israel and the Kibbutzim College of
painful fact that your genocide is,
Education, has studied the Armenian
unfortunately, not recognized. By
experience for almost 15 years. He is
denia, you have been victimized twice." the author of The Banality of
Such was the feeling of hurt, pain,
Indifference — Zionism and the
defiance and determination among the Armenian Genocide and a new book
600 people gathered at Temple Beth
The Banality of Denial — Israel and
El for the event, titled "88 Years of
the Armenian Genocide.
Denial and Injustice."
Dr. Auron said he is "troubled by the
The desire to highlight the common-
evasive behavior, verging on denial, of
alities between the Armenian and Jewish
the various governments of Israel
communities as well as the inclusion of
regarding the memory of the Armenian
an Israeli scholar prompted holding the
genocide." He termed it "morally
annual commemoration at a Jewish
unacceptable, particularly since we
institution for the first time. That very
Jews were victims of the Holocaust."
few non Armenians attended the pro-
He quoted from a 1918 article
gram reinforced the contention of many
approved by Zionist leader Chaim
of the speakers that the genocide of the
Weizmann that said, "We Zionists look
Armenian people has not entered the
upon the fate of the Armenian people
Jewish or public consciousness.
with a deep and sincere sympathy ...”
The annual program marks the
and asked, "Is there a people whose
events of April 24, 1915, when the
record of martyrdom is more akin to
Armenian political, cultural and busi-
ours than that of the Armenians?" He
ness leadership — about 300 persons
also contended that a 1933 historical
— were rounded up and murdered by
novel about the Armenian genocide
Turkish authorities. According to pro-
was influential among Jews in Israel.
gram organizer David Terzibashian,
However, now Dr. Auron finds little
between the late 1890s and 1923,
recognition of the Armenian Genocide