The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis issued a statement in support of universal recognition of the Armenian Genocide, in commemoration of its centennial.

“The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis reaches out in solidarity and sorrow to Armenians everywhere on the one hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“We call on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Heirs to the Ottomans, Turkey’s burden is also an opportunity to insure that what happened one hundred years ago will no longer define the relationship today between descendants of the victims and descendants of the perpetrators.

“We call on the United States to unequivocally recognize the Armenian Genocide, affirming our commitment to justice and giving meaning to annual expressions of condolence and sorrow.

“We call on Israel to unequivocally recognize the Armenian Genocide, giving voice to the moral legacy of its own emergence from the ashes of the Holocaust,” the statement specifically reads.

“On the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, our resolve is reinforced knowing that we have the support and solidarity of our friends in the Jewish community,” stated Armenian Assembly of America’s Massachusetts State Chair Herman Purutyan. “The Assembly has been working with leaders from various Jewish organizations here in Boston and across the US for a number of years now, with the common goal of shining a light on injustice anywhere. We appreciate the eloquent statement of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis and their contribution to efforts to advance US reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide,” Purutyan said.