The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide

The genocide of Armenians by Turks during the First World War was one of the most horrendous deeds of modern times & a precursor of the genocide acts that have marked the rest of the twentieth century. Despite the worldwide attention the atrocities received at the time, the massacre has not remained a part of the world's historical consciousness. The author explores the parallels between the Jewish & Armenian situations & the reactions of the Jewish community in Palestine (the Yishuv) to the Armenian genocide. Author raises theoretical, philosophical, & moral questions about concepts of genocide & the uniqueness of the Holocaust. Following a brief survey of Armenian history & the events leading up to the massacre, the author discusses the reaction within the Yishuv in terms of practical assistance for identification with the Armenians. The Jewish position was unquestionably difficult during the period of the First World War; Palestine was under Ottoman control & some Zionists as a potential source of support looked to Germany, a Turkish ally. Consequently, the official Yishuv reaction was muted & largely self-interested: there were no condemnations in journals, internal protocols, or letters. Author records instances of support: the Nili group, an underground intelligence organization, actively sought to aid the Armenian victims; Chaim Weizman & Nahum Sokolov publicly condemned the killings; & other Zionist writers & journalists expressed outraged identification with the Armenians & tried to arouse the conscience of the world. In attempting to assess & interpret these disparate reactions, the author maintains a fair-minded balance in assessing claims of altruism & self-interest, expressed in universal, not merely Jewish terms.

Yair Auron is senior lecturer at The Open University of Israel and the Kibbutzim College of Education