ENCINO, CA — Jewish World Watch (JWW), an anti-genocide organization based in Los Angeles, applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Representative Adrin Nazarian for signing into law a bill that establishes April 24 as Genocide Awareness Day. This bill signals California’s recognition of all genocides and allows Californians to memorialize those who suffer.
“Genocide commemoration is more than a history lesson,” Jewish World Watch Executive Director Serena Oberstein said, “It is an opportunity to expand understanding of the consequences of dangerous speech and how othering can pervade societies.”
The Armenian Genocide was the first modern genocide on record, although it took 106 years to recognize the grave atrocities perpetrated against the Armenian people.
This may be why unprovoked aggression and threats from Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders continue to be a reality for the Armenian people to this very day. It has been the roadmap for many ongoing genocides JWW combats today, from the Uyghurs to the Rohingya and many others across the globe.
Genocide denialism is more than a simple denial of facts and is perpetuated by a lack of understanding. This can result in a lack of accountability and creates the framework for future conflict and persecution. By erasing the past – oppressors and extremists are better able to foment hate among an unwitting public.
In 2007, Rabbi Harold Schulweis, co-founder of Jewish World Watch, recognizing the 92nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, said, “Memory is an essential ingredient to develop moral sensibility. Amnesia of the past slides into amnesia of the future. To deny yesterday is to forget tomorrow … It is an insult to yesterday’s victims and today’s.”
Genocide Awareness Day will be a powerful tool to engage people across generations in discussions about human rights, the nature and dynamics of atrocity crimes, how to prevent them, and provide necessary opportunities for healing.