Activist Hilda Silverman has a wonderful letter in the Boston Globe, attacking the Anti-Defamation League for refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide by the Turks in the First World War. Silverman points out that the ADL position springs from support for Israel and fear of alienating Turkey, an Israeli ally:
In addition to what amounts to genocide denial, [the ADL] has, under the rubric
of fighting anti-Semitism, long fomented fear, anger, and, yes, hatred
mainly against Arabs (especially Palestinians), Muslims, and anyone who
would seriously criticize the policies of the state of Israel.
In its editorial on the issue, the Globe acknowledges the Turkey/Israel problem, but sermonizes: "[T]he ADL is not an arm of Israel, and whatever it does will not affect Turkish foreign policy."
This seems to me a naive statement. The ADL is clearly worried that it could hurt Israel in Turkish eyes. ADL recognition of the Armenian genocide would allow the Turks to say, "Jewry is on the side of the Armenians. Those bastards! We will take this anti-Turkey position into account in our dealings with Israel."
This is a realistic stance by the ADL, which if it isn’t "an arm" of Israel is its ceaseless apologist. And this is why so many Jewish anti-Zionists, including cultural Zionists, opposed the foundation of a Jewish state: They anticipated that it would call on the loyalty of Jews in other nations–as it has–and anticipated that the business of supporting a state created in defiance of the wishes of the Arabs on the same land would transform Jewish identity, turning the people of the book into advocates for power and regime and realpolitik–needing to defend all the nasty stuff that such a state has to do, like turn a blind eye to its allies’ atrocities. Which is why the ADL is today selling out its own program, "No Place for Hate": because when it comes to a state, there is a place for hate.
Hilda Silverman is upholding a great old definition of Jewishness: We stand against human rights abuses, wherever they occur, at whoever’s hands…
