Chief Rabbi of Israel Recognizes the Armenian Genocide

[phantom]

JEWISH RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 22. ARMINFO. The Jewish religious community
recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger
said at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan today.

He said that despite the position of the Israeli authorities the
Israeli religious community acknowledges the fact of the Armenian
Genocide and mourns for its innocent victims together with the
Armenian people.

Metzger laid flowers to the memorial and sang a Jewish prayer. Then he
visited the Armenian Genocide Museum and left a note in the guests'
book.

Metzger is visiting Armenia on the invitation of the president
of the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamyan who believes that
Armenian-Israeli relations need intensification especially in the
economy.

[Tongue]

That's a big step!

Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger referred to the 1915-1918 massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide and prayed for its estimated 1.5 million victims at the end of a two-day visit to Armenia on Tuesday.

Metzger, the first Israeli religious leader to set foot on Armenian soil, spoke of deep emotion and pain as he visited the genocide memorial complex in Yerevan together with Garegin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Standing by its eternal fire, Metzger said a prayer in remembrance of the dead.

“I would definitely use the term genocide,” he told reporters at the Tsitsernakabert memorial. “The photographs and documents that we saw at the Genocide Museum say it all. And the tears that we barely held back as walked through the museum were not contrived.”

“Nobody can feel the pain of the Armenians more deeply than we Jews,” he added.

Metzger, who was elected chief rabbi in April 2003, arrived in Armenia at Garegin’s invitation on Monday. The two men met at the Echmiadzin headquarters of the Armenian Church later in the day.

A statement by Garegin’s office said they exchanged information about religious affairs and discussed historical links between the Armenian and Jewish peoples. “It was noted during the meeting that historical developments fraternized the Armenian and Jewish peoples, leading them to develop mutual affection and respect,” said the statement.

Metzger stressed at Tsitsernakabert that religion is strictly separated from the state in Israel, implying that his view on the Armenian genocide should not be associated with the Israeli government’s position on the subject. The Jewish state refuses to recognize the 1915 mass killings as genocide, anxious not to alienate Turkey with which it maintains close political and security ties.

But a growing number of Israeli politicians and especially scholars are calling for a change in this policy. Among them is Yuri Stern, a member of the Israeli parliament who accompanied Metzger on the Armenia trip. He drew parallels between the Armenian genocide and the Jewish Holocaust.

“Hitler’s remark that the world didn’t care about the Armenian tragedy was not accidental,” Stern said. “For those assassins who exterminated one third of our people, the fact that the world was silent when Armenians were being killed was a sort of license to kill Jews. We know this and must not place political expediency above everything else.”

[phantom]

This is for some of our Turkish members who seem to think that Israel's official position is based on some righteous neutrality. It is not; it is based on political expediency and nothing more!

[Kharpert]

Bravo! This is one step forward in universal reconigition.

news link

[Reincarnated Am]

Chief Rabbi Of Israel: Armenians And Jewish Have Many Common Things In Their Fate And

CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL: ARMENIANS AND JEWISH HAVE MANY COMMON THINGS IN THEIR FATE AND HISTORY, WHICH MAKES RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR NATIONS FRIENDLY

YEREVAN, November 23. /ARKA/. Armenians and Jewish have many common things in their fate and history, which makes relations between our nations friendly, as the Chief rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger said in the course of the meeting with the Premier of Armenia Andranik Margaryan. According to the RA Government's Press Service Department, the Chief rabbi expressed his gratitude to the Armenian side for warm reception.
According to the press release, Metzger agreed with the opinion of the Premier that thrre is no anti-Semitism in Armenia and expressed his firm belief that both the Armenian community in Israel and the Jewish community in Armenia "will live quietly and peacefully, strengthening the relations between the nations".
Metzger noted that he understands the problems of our state, which is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors, and he emphasized that notwithstanding this, in his opinion, Armenia undergoes economic and progress. A.H. --0--

http://www.arka.am/en/archive/n11/n2211/221107.html

[Reincarnated Am]

It is coming down! Yes it is...!

Dear Turkey (Erdogan) I’m so sorry to give you this bad news (of course happy for Armenians) but “Your pants is coming down gradually” pretty soon your (Dashakhlar ) is going to be exposed in front of the whole world and you’re going to be embarrassed

[ahıskalı]

Dear Turkey (Erdogan) I’m so sorry to give you this bad news (of course happy for Armenian) but “Your pants is coming down gradually” pretty soon your (Dashakhlar ) is going to be exposed in front of the whole world and you’re going to be embarrassed

You rude man shame on you! Can't u please use a kind language???

[Reincarnated Am]

You rude man shame on you! Can't u please use a kind language???

OK....Dear Turkey (Erdogan) I’m so sorry to give you this bad news (of course happy for Armenians) but “Your pants is coming down gradually” pretty soon your (thing? or "beechimseez?" ) is going to be exposed in front of the whole world and you’re going to be embarrassed

[Hovik]

It would be interesting to know how these recent developments fit into some of the Jewish conspiracy theories we've heard about...

[Reincarnated Am]

It would be interesting to know how these recent developments fit into some of the Jewish conspiracy theories we've heard about...

Let’s not be confused between “Jews or Jewish” (Politicians and business men) and “Israelites” the real “God loving” and “the religious” humanitarian human beings.