26 04 2008 - Bernard-Henri Levy ribadisce che "riconoscere il genocidio sarebbe una terapia della verità per il popolo turco.

http://www.forward.com/articles/12790/
Q&A
By Gabriel Sanders -Thu. Feb 28, 2008

Lévy: ‘The Jewish code taught me that you have to take care of both the living and the dead. And when it comes to the dead without graves, the demands are even greater.

This past fall, despite objections from both the White House and some in the organized Jewish world, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to allow a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide to go before the House of Representatives. When the move led to mass protests in Turkey and threats from Ankara to disrupt the American war effort in Iraq, however, House leaders decided to table the measure.
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy recently sat down with the Forward’s Gabriel Sanders to discuss the question of Jews and the recognition of the Armenian genocide — one of the topics the thinker plans to cover in an upcoming lecture on the “state of world Jewry.”
GABRIEL SANDERS: What is it that prompted you to turn your attention to the question of the Armenian genocide?
BERNARD-HENRI LEVY: I was shocked by the withdrawal of the resolution and was shocked that some Jews, because of fears connected to the wellbeing of the State of Israel, were unwilling to endorse it. This unwillingness on a matter where we Jews should be on the front lines is for me a real heartbreaker. In my upcoming lecture, I will speak about the meaning of the message of Judaism, which implies that we are not only open to, but forced to be helpful to those like the children of the survivors of the Armenian genocide.
GS: As we reported in the paper last fall, the French public is not unaware of the difficulties surrounding the question of genocide recognition. In 2006, the French parliament passed a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide, and Turkey then too threatened to sever military ties. How did the French Jewish community react at the time?
BHL: As with the American Jews, there was a concern for Israel. Turkey is an ally and Israel does not have many allies. There is also the tendency to believe in the singularity of the Holocaust. But singularity does not mean that it was the only genocide, and precisely because we — our parents — had to suffer the worst, we are obligated to pay attention to the suffering of those in Rwanda and Armenia.
GS: When it comes to Israel, would you say that the French Jewish community is universally supportive?
BHL: We may have our Noam Chomskys, but there is a real support — a support that is as strong as in America, with perhaps a greater sense of freedom when it comes to criticizing this or that government. I myself am the greatest supporter of Israel you can imagine. Since ’67, when as an 18-year-old I signed up as a parachutist, I have gone to Israel during every one of its wars. And yet, 10 years ago, I felt free to write, in a newspaper article that made some waves when it appeared in France, that Israel’s two worst enemies were Arafat and Netanyahu.
GS: It seems to me that Jewish opinion on the genocide question falls into two schools: those who feel that, when it comes to moral questions, Jews are answerable to a higher standard than the world at large and those who argue that Jews should be held to standard no more high than the rest. Those belonging to this second group will say that when Armenian allies — like, say, Iran — deny the truth of the Holocaust, no one calls on the Armenians to speak up in the Jews’ name. And yet, when the roles are reversed, the Armenians expect the Jews to support them. What do you make of this tension?
BHL: I don’t care what the Armenians expect. What I expect from myself is faithfulness to the Jewish message, which is a message of universality, and my neighbor’s lack of faithfulness in the idea of universality does not give me the right not to be faithful myself. It is the truth to say that there was a genocide in Armenia. It is the truth to say that the denial of the Armenian genocide by Turkey is a reason for despair. It is the truth to say that I feel a kinship with the sons and grandsons of the survivors of the Armenian genocide. I’m not engaging in politics; I’m just trying to be faithful to the message of my ancestors and the books in which I believe.
GS: There is an Armenian community in the United States. It is, to a large extent, they who pushed for the genocide recognition bill. Among the Armenians in America there is significant antisemitic sentiment. What are we to make of that?
BHL: The black community in America can sometimes be antisemitic. Does this mean that we Jews have to become anti-black? Does this mean we have to regret the part we played in the civil rights movement? The sense of my life, personally, is to refuse the clash of memories, the clash of victimhoods. ‘I am a victim. You are not a victim. I am more a victim. You are less a victim.’ I hate that. First of all, we must break the competition of victimhoods. Number two, you criticize the fascists wherever they are and fight them, whether in the black community, the Armenian community or anywhere. They are my enemies. But we must refuse the perverse theory that because we are victims, they cannot be. Compassion is not a cake, from which nothing is left for others if you take too big a piece.
GS: To a certain degree, one could say that the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman, the Jewish figure who most vociferously opposed the congressional resolution, found vindication. Though many were surprised by the ferocity of Turkey’s response, he was not. Now, is it your position that Turkey’s denial of the genocide is such an affront that we need to challenge it regardless of the consequences? Let’s say the resolution had gone forward, what is the worst that could have happened?
BHL: The worst that would have happened would have been a cure, a therapy of truth for the Turks. We have to explain to the Turks, who are a great people, who are our friends, that they are not guilty of the crimes of their great-grandfathers, that recognizing the crimes would not weaken them but reinforce them. What would Germany be if it were to deny the Holocaust?
GS: This is the great mystery. Why is it that the Germans have reckoned with their past so differently than the Turks have — even as Turkey is looking, in some ways, to draw closer to the European realm?
BHL: What Turkey lacks are the kinds of friends who are willing to explain that the best way to enter into Europe, the best way to enter into modernity, is to recognize the genocide.
GS: And who would such a friend be?
BHL: America. That’s why it was a mistake to withdraw the resolution. Turkey’s American friends should have said, ‘Wait a minute. It’s a win-win. You don’t lose anything; you win credibility, you win nobility, you win honor.’
GS: One of the arguments that the Anti-Defamation League used in its fight against the genocide resolution was that Turkey’s Jews were pleading with them to keep the American government from passing the bill.
BHL: It’s not true. They are a minuscule minority in a country sliding toward Islamism. Every word they utter is chosen carefully. They are like hostages. Have you ever seen a hostage speaking freely?
GS: Another of the Anti-Defamation League’s arguments was that this is a 90-year-old tragedy and no lives will be saved through its recognition. Israel, on the other hand, is very much at risk. On this basis, the ADL argued, Israel’s needs trump those of the Armenian fallen.
BHL: The Jewish code taught me that you have to take care of both the living and the dead. And when it comes to the dead without graves, the demands are even greater. We — not us Jews, but we human beings — are the protectors of the graveless, and the Armenians are such dead. This is not an either/or. The Talmudic wisdom teaches us to oppose just this sort of false choice. I will make one other point: If we don’t stand very firmly on this question, we will be disarmed and weak in the face of a most urgent issue. Holocaust denial is today not just a political stance, but a world religion. We cannot afford to be anything but rigorous on the general topic of genocide. For the sake of the Jewish people, for the sake of Israel and for the sake of the fight against antisemitism, this is a crucial question.
Bernard-Henri Lévy will deliver the annual Francine and Abdallah Simon State of World Jewry Lecture at New York’s 92nd Street Y on March 5 at 8 p.m.
Thu. Feb 28, 2008
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Comments
Pat Lamish said:
Let us be clear, Mr. Sanders: Turkish, Israeli and American Jewish politicians and organizations have worked to lobby against the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress and to deny the Armenian Genocide. By contrast, no Armenian politician or organization the world over has worked to deny the Jewish Holocaust....with Nazis, with Germans, with anyone. And Armenians continue to speak out against Holocaust denial. See: noplacefordenial.com
Thu. Feb 28, 2008
Vartan Arshakian said:
Mr. Levy, I like to thank you for your thoughtfulness, wisdom and your courage. The world needs more people like you. I don't say this because I'm Armenian, but because I'm the citizen of this world, who believes and wishes for ONE WORLD. A world where we can all live together, care for one another and help each other for the sake of our children and the future of humanity. There is no other way but to cooperate. And you Mr. Sanders, I like to thank you for your interview with Mr. Levy. In regards to your question why is Armenia friends with Iran, may I say Armenia although friends with Iran, would never agree with the Iranian Government that the Holocaust never happened. You can have friendly relations without compromising your principals. Armenians are not antisemitic, it's just that Armenians are astonished at the response of Israeli government and Jewish organizations. Most Jewish people I know are in complete agreement with Armenians in regards to the Genocide and most have said they will withhold their contributions to ADL and AJC and any other organization that will deny the truth. Just because a crime has happened so long ago it does not make it right. Time does not heal OPEN wounds. How can the Jews deny the Armenian Genocide while they are still collecting property in Germany, gold from the Swiss, artworks from Germans etc. etc. etc., Isn't 60 years a long time too? My answer is, more power to you. You should collect everything your ancestors lost and then some. Why, because you were the victim of a horrible crime and if we don't ban together and stand against evil their will be another Pasha and another Nazi. After all, Hitler used the Armenian Genocide as an example to convince his generals to carry out the Holocaust. Saying "who remembers the Armenians". My passion for this topic could make me go on and on, however I believe I have made my point. Sincerely, Vartan Arshakian
Fri. Feb 29, 2008
Djamboulian Berj said:
I cannot add any single word to what has been written in this paper. A direct decendant of survivors I can only appreciate such Free and Open Minded thoughts. I only do hope that Turkey will come to face his History either way.
berj.
Sat. Mar 01, 2008
gila perach said:

Excellent interview. Thank you both. Mr. Levy, your stance is morally correct. To give the ADL and AJC the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the timing is not right in the present constellation. In the end, justice will prevail, and it will be no small thanks to courageous voices such as your own.
Sat. Mar 01, 2008

gagik from spain said:

the turks mast to change youre mindes.the armenian genocide recognize oll the civilezeted world.
Sun. Mar 02, 2008
Susan Markarian said:
As the granddaughter of an Armenian Genocide survivor, I was very hopeful when I read Mr. Levy's responses. He cuts to the chase and says what needs to be said. Many people feel an issue that is almost a hundred years old can be forgotten, but Mr. Levy understands the morality of protecting the graveless Armenian dead. With the courage of people like Mr. Levy, the truth of the Armenian Genocide will prevail and there will truly be a kind of justice and respect for the 1.5 million Armenian victims of the genocide.
Mon. Mar 03, 2008
Garen said:

American Jews and Jewish American organizations have every right to defend Israeli and Jewish interests whether in the US or abroad. But recently major American Jewish organizations, including the ADL, have crossed the red-line that distinguishes political lobbying from mercenary activity being carried on behalf of a foreign government.
In October of 2007, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, himself assured Turkish leaders that the major US Jewish organizations were by-and-large supportive of Turkey's genocide denial campaign in the US. And if this is what's left of the legacy of the Holocaust, I pity the memory of its victims.
It is heartening to read a public figure as respected as Mr. Henri-Levy condemn the morally indefensible stance of the Jewish American establishment. We have yet to see major public figures from the U.S. Jewish community take a principled stance on this issue and call the leaders of these organizations to account.
Mon. Mar 03, 2008
Alain said:
> When in 1933 Hitler took over Germany, he was seen as a > geopolitical > prospective ally because he was going to counter the > Communists. It was many of > those same military soldiers who supported the Ottoman Empire > who became the > standard bearers for the Nazis since there had never been any > responsible > accountability nor justice for those initial crimes. > > In the first World War, the allies were not able to monitor the > defeated > Ottoman and its hereditary Republic. > During the Second World War, the allies did monitor defeated > Germany, thus > the reason why "Never again" > had success". > > On it's own, Turkey cannot get off the merry go round of > denialist > propaganda and it's closest allies are feeding this frenzy of > military alliance and > geopolitics.. > > In following this type of rationalization are we not putting our > own > Humanity in jeopardy when we allow politics to overcome Truth > and Social Justice, > yet along our own personal peace? > > If Secretaries Allbright and Cohen, are really serious about > selective > Genocide Prevention, perhaps they should emphasize in the early > years of > education, courses in GEO- POLITICS instead of Morality, Truth, > and Right from Wrong. > > This will put their youngsters and their parents on the same page. >

>Mon. Mar 03, 2008
giovanni pazzo said:
Sanders: "Among the Armenians in America there is significant antisemitic sentiment."
Have I been sleeping? Living in another country? Significant anti-semitic sentiment? That's a provocative statement, and I'd like to hear Gabriel Sanders qualify that.
Tue. Mar 04, 2008
Zoudi said:
Thanks, BHL, for taking the path of moral righteousness. Gabriel Sanders, since when is aiding and abetting holocaust / genocide deniers acceptable under certain circumstances?
Tue. Mar 04, 2008
Duke Ficino said:
Good interview with the Vain Mr. Levy
Anon
Duke Ficino
Wed. Mar 05, 2008
Haq Farishta said:
I was very impressed with Levy's principled stand. However, why is it that his principled stand does not extend to the Palestinian victims of genocide? Does the Jewish code that he believes in exclude justice for the Palestinians? Not in my standing of Judaism. So how can he continue to support Israel's murderous activities? If he IS actually principled, he should making a strong statement now about the holocaust in Gaza.
Wed. Mar 05, 2008
Bernard Katz said:
Pat Lamish says: "... no Armenian politician or organization the world over has worked to deny the Jewish Holocaust.... And Armenians continue to speak out against Holocaust denial."
On the other hand, Yerevan State University presented Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with an honorary doctorate, as well as a gold medal, when he visited Armenia recently. Honoring Ahmadinejad in this manner is an odd way of speaking out against Holocaust denial.
Wed. Mar 05, 2008
Rafaela said:
"Two Armenian American newspapers, the Armenian Weekly and the Armenian Reporter, in their editorials last week rightly criticized YSU for giving an award to Ahmadinejad. However, both newspapers should have also condemned the ADL and the American Jewish Congress for honoring Turkey’s denialist Prime Minister."
-- Harut Sassounian, California Courier
Complete article: http://armenianpundits.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/genocide-and-holocaust-deniers-must-be-condemned-not-honored/
Wed. Mar 05, 2008
Kevin Snapp said:
Thank you, Mr. Levy, for taking a stand for speaking truth and confronting evil, and for the kiddush-ha-Shem [sanctification of God's name] of doing so as a Jew. The reverse goes for Mr. Foxman and his ADL, which by his/its hypersensitivity to parochial Jewish interests and insensitivity to the larger Jewish message is making the ADL a source of the antisemitism it was created to fight.
Wed. Mar 05, 2008
Arsen said:
Jews, Armenians : « Solidarity for the befallen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Pv89pykC0 This document forcefully cries out "Solidarity for the befallen" and reminds citizens of the world that the moral values of democracy cannot cohabit with geographic strategies at the risk of seeing other crimes against humanity, such as the recent ones in Rwanda and Darfur, repeating themselves.
Mon. Mar 10, 2008
Garen said:
Letter-to-the-Editor
RE: " Protecting the Graveless” (February 28, 2008)
Dear Editor,
It is with great interest that I read Mr. Sanders’ interview with Bernard-Henri Lévy. It is heartenting to see such a respectable figure as Mr. Lévy argue for the cause of human rights and eschew the cynicism of realpolitik. It is with great dismay, however, that I noted the stark contrast between Mr. Lévy’s principled stance on the Armenian genocide and his interlocutor’s efforts to exonerate the morally indefensible stance of some, if not most, Jewish organizations on the issue of the Armenian genocide.
In his introductory paragraph, Mr. Sanders refers to the objections of “some … in the organization Jewish world” to efforts in Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide. This is factually wrong, as most leaders of major American Jewish organizations were opposed to the passage of the resolution on the Armenian genocide. In fact, in October of 2007, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, himself assured Turkish leaders that the “organized community” was by-and-large supportive of Turkey's genocide denial campaign in the U.S.
Secondly, Mr. Sanders attempts to draw a parallel between Isreal’s alliance with Turkey and Armenia’s close relationship with Iran. Yet Mr. Sanders' reference to the Iran / Armenian relationship is misplaced to say the least, as neither the Armenian government nor Armenian organizations have ever bartered the memory of the Holocaust to score political points with Tehran, as have done the Israeli government and most major American Jewish organizations, including the AJC and the ADL, with respect to the Armenian genocide.
Finally, for le comble des combles as the French would say, Mr. Sanders goes on to accuse Armenians of anti-semitism, claiming that among “the Armenians in America there is significant anti-Semitic sentiment”. Mr. Sanders brings this unsubstantiated charge out of the blue, almost veering on the verge of engaging in libel. If Mr. Sanders takes the liberty to confuse with anti-semitism the frustration that Armenian-Americans feel vis à vis the consistent efforts of major U.S. Jewish organizations to disallow them to even remember their dead, then, judging from the tone and content of his questions, one could easily accuse him of a serious anti-Armenian bias.
Sat. Mar 15, 2008
Edward Demian said:
I would like to believe that all jews aspire to the high level of morality that this man espouses. Bernard Henry Levy deserves recognition in the pantheon of righteus Jews. If there was such a thing. Some Armenians flirting with antisemitism need to learn something from this man.
Fri. Apr 11, 2008

Annette Melikian