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MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE PROMISES TO DEBUT MAJOR EXHIBIT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY JULY 1, 2003
The Armenian American community's disappointment with the Museum of
Tolerance's past failure to properly address the Armenian Genocide culminated in April of this year when members of the Armenian Youth Federation held a dramatic six day hunger strike in front of the Museum. That protest drew local and national media attention.
In March of 2003 Museum Director Liebe Geft sent an email form letter to many ANCA WebFaxers that fell short of addressing the Armenian American community's concerns about the Museum. Most insulting was that the letter she issued avoided the direct use of the proper term- the Armenian Genocide - to describe Turkey's systematic destruction
of its Armenian population between 1915 and 1923. In her correspondence, Geft also failed to respond to the request for a full explanation as to why the Armenian Genocide is absent from the
Museum.
In an article that appeared in The Los Angeles Times earlier this year, the
issue of the absence of the Armenian Genocide in the Museum was raised. In the article, written by Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds, the point was made that "The museum has backed away from its own pledges to include the first genocide of the 20th century -- the Armenian genocide of 1915 -- as a part of its permanent exhibition. That genocide
is effectively absent, some of those critics suggest, because of a 21st
century political alliance between Jewish leaders and the Turkish government whose predecessors carried out that genocide."
The Times quoted Ardashes Kassakhian, ANCA-WR's director of governmental relations as saying, "It's kind of ludicrous, if you're going to talk about the 20th century, not to mention it. It's like teaching
U.S.history and beginning with the Civil War."
The ANCA- WR and the AYF encourageArmenian Americans to visit the Museum of Tolerance by July 1st to view the Museum's new exhibit on the Armenian Genocide and learn whether the Museum of Tolerance has truly honored its pledge to establish a proper exhibit covering the first genocide of the 20th century.
Individuals who would like more information on the Museum or directions
are encouraged to call the ANCA-WR at
(818) 500-1918.
The Armenian American community's disappointment with the Museum of
Tolerance's past failure to properly address the Armenian Genocide culminated in April of this year when members of the Armenian Youth Federation held a dramatic six day hunger strike in front of the Museum. That protest drew local and national media attention.
In March of 2003 Museum Director Liebe Geft sent an email form letter to many ANCA WebFaxers that fell short of addressing the Armenian American community's concerns about the Museum. Most insulting was that the letter she issued avoided the direct use of the proper term- the Armenian Genocide - to describe Turkey's systematic destruction
of its Armenian population between 1915 and 1923. In her correspondence, Geft also failed to respond to the request for a full explanation as to why the Armenian Genocide is absent from the
Museum.
In an article that appeared in The Los Angeles Times earlier this year, the
issue of the absence of the Armenian Genocide in the Museum was raised. In the article, written by Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds, the point was made that "The museum has backed away from its own pledges to include the first genocide of the 20th century -- the Armenian genocide of 1915 -- as a part of its permanent exhibition. That genocide
is effectively absent, some of those critics suggest, because of a 21st
century political alliance between Jewish leaders and the Turkish government whose predecessors carried out that genocide."
The Times quoted Ardashes Kassakhian, ANCA-WR's director of governmental relations as saying, "It's kind of ludicrous, if you're going to talk about the 20th century, not to mention it. It's like teaching
U.S.history and beginning with the Civil War."
The ANCA- WR and the AYF encourageArmenian Americans to visit the Museum of Tolerance by July 1st to view the Museum's new exhibit on the Armenian Genocide and learn whether the Museum of Tolerance has truly honored its pledge to establish a proper exhibit covering the first genocide of the 20th century.
Individuals who would like more information on the Museum or directions
are encouraged to call the ANCA-WR at
(818) 500-1918.