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ADL Hires Director Of N.E. Office

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  • ADL Hires Director Of N.E. Office

    ADL HIRES DIRECTOR OF N.E. OFFICE
    By Michael Levenson

    Boston Globe
    Aug 20 2008
    MA

    The Anti-Defamation League, which has been riven by conflict over its
    refusal to fully acknowledge the Armenian genocide, turned yesterday
    to a politically seasoned official from a prominent pro-Israel lobby
    to help rejuvenate its New England office.

    Derrek L. Shulman, who will take over as the ADL's New England regional
    director in October, worked for the past 5 1/2 years as political
    director in the Boston office of the American Israel Public Affairs
    Committee and for nine years before that as a top official in the
    state Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

    He takes over at a time of turmoil for the ADL, a 95-year-old
    organization that was founded to fight anti-Semitism and now has a
    stated mission to combat "all forms of bigotry."

    More than a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns have withdrawn
    from one of the ADL's signature initiatives, the No Place For Hate
    program, to protest the national office's refusal to acknowledge as
    genocide the killing of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 in
    present-day Turkey.

    Shulman said he sees a "tremendous opportunity" for progress on the
    issue, but declined to offer specifics.

    "I'll be looking to talk to a lot of people, to get input, to get
    into look-learn-listen mode before I start to set a course," he
    said yesterday.

    The ADL has battled controversy since last August, when Watertown,
    which has a sizeable Armenian community, pulled out of the No Place
    For Hate program to protest the organization's stance on the Armenian
    genocide.

    When Andrew H. Tarsy, the ADL's New England regional director at the
    time, spoke out and said the group should acknowledge the genocide,
    he was fired by the national office. Local Jewish and Armenian leaders
    reacted angrily, calling his firing vindictive.

    Under mounting pressure, the national ADL modified its stance,
    saying that the massacre was "tantamount to genocide" but that a
    congressional resolution acknowledging it was counterproductive.

    Two weeks later, Tarsy was rehired. But the conflict continued to
    mushroom.

    Late last August , Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the
    ADL's "tantamount to genocide" statement, calling it "an injustice to
    the unique character of the holocaust, as well as to the memories of
    its victims." Armenian-American leaders, meanwhile, expressed anger
    at the ADL's refusal to support the congressional resolution.

    In December, Tarsy resigned, saying he made a "professional judgment
    based on knowing when it's your time."

    Jewish leaders praised Shulman's appointment, while Armenian leaders
    said they would wait to see what action, if any, Shulman takes on
    the genocide issue.

    "Our concern has never been as much with the person who holds the
    position, as with the policy of the ADL," said Aram Suren Hamparian,
    executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America.

    Ara Nazarian, spokesman for the No Place For Denial campaign,
    which opposes the national ADL's stance on the genocide, echoed
    the sentiment.

    "The ball is in their court at this point, and we're waiting for them
    to do the right thing," he said.

    Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations
    Council of Greater Boston, said Shulman has "got his eyes wide open
    and he knows what his challenges will be."

    "My guess is he will try to build bridges and do everything that he
    can to get ADL back on the footing it once had in the community,"
    Kaufman said. "It is a big job and it's an important job, and he has
    big shoes to fill."

    The ADL selected Shulman, 40, from among several candidates identified
    by a search firm. The Needham resident also teaches at Lasell College
    in Newton.

    "We think he's got great leadership and political skills," said James
    L. Rudolph, chairman of the New England board.

    The national ADL declined to comment yesterday on the controversy
    surrounding the Armenian genocide, but released a statement calling
    Shulman "a terrific choice."

    Steve Grossman, a past president of the American Israel Public Affairs
    Committee and a former member of the New England ADL board, said
    Shulman would rebuild trust in the ADL and attract younger members.

    "I'm thrilled that they brought in somebody of Derrek's caliber and
    experience, but who is comparatively untested in executive leadership,"
    Grossman said. "They took a chance on Derrek, but I think it's exactly
    the kind of risk-taking that will pay off in days to come."
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