Stumbling blocks Geopolitics, the Armenian Genocide, and the American Jewish community Jason Harris Master’s Thesis, April 2008 Brandeis University, Hornstein Class of 2008 Stumbling blocks Geopolitics, the Armenian Genocide, and the American Jewish Community Jason Harris Master’s Thesis, April 2008 Brandeis University, Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership, Class of 2008
[email protected] 2 I was cold and said, “We are doing nothing to you that you have not been doing to us,” and he said, “And we have done nothing to you that you have not been doing to us.” Then I pulled out the bayonet suddenly, and he staggered forward a couple of paces and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach, and it looked as if he were about to pray, and before he fell on to his face he looked up at me and said, “As for me, I never harmed anyone in my life.” -- Louis de Bernières, Birds Without Wings Cover photo: Mount Ararat as viewed from Armenia. From www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/turkey/images/mt-ararat-500.jpg 3 Contents Timeline Introduction Part One: History Ancient and medieval Armenian history . page 13 The Hamidian massacres and the American Jewish response . page 26 Part Two: The Armenian Genocide Historical background and the American response. page 51 The Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide . page 84 Turkish Denial . page 98 Part Three: House Resolution 106 and the American Jewish community The San Francisco JCRC and H.Res. 106 . page 118 Israel, Turkey, and Genocide recognition . page 145 Turkey’s anti-resolution lobbying campaign . page 153 Voting on H.Res.