The Banality of Denial: Israel and the Armenian Genocide

by Julian Simon

The Banality of Denial examines the attitudes of the State of Israel and its leading institutions toward the Armenian Genocide. Israel's view of this issue has special significance and deserves an attentive study, as it is a country composed of a people who were victims of the Holocaust. The Banality of Denial seeks both to examine the passive, indifferent Israeli attitude towards the Armenian Genocide, and to explore active Israeli measures to undermine attempts at safeguarding the memory of the Armenian victims of the Turkish persecution.

Such an inquiry into attempts at denial by Israeli institutions and leading figures of Israel's political, security, academic, and Holocaust "memory-preservation" elite has not merely an academic significance. It has considerable political relevance, both symbolic and tangible.

In The Banality of Denial--as in Auron's previous work--moral, philosophical, and theoretical questions are of paramount importance. Because no previous studies have dealt with these issues or similar ones, an original methodology is employed to analyze the subject with regard to four domains: political, educational, media, and academic.

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Վարդուհի · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book examines the current attitudes of the State of Israel and its leading institutions toward the Armenian Genocide. While numerous Jewish scholars in and outside Israel affirm the Armenian Genocide without reservation, the book explores both passive, indifferent attitudes of Israeli institutions and government, as well as active measures to undermine attempts at safeguarding the memory of the Armenian Genocide.

The book describes Israeli attitudes toward the phenomenon of genocide in general, including Biafra, Tibet, the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Taken together with his earlier work, The Banality of Indifference: Zionism and the Armenian Genocide, both works offer an opportunity to explore a subject of great contemporary relevance. "The book is the product of years of research," commented Levon Chorbajian, Chairman of the Institute's Academic Board, "and I am glad that the fruits of Dr. Auron's careful work will finally see the light of day."

[John Missirlian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stated, one would think that given the similar persecution of the Jewish people and the Armenians over the centuries (especially in the 19th/20th), Israel SHOULD be leading the way in recognizing the attempted extermination of the Armenians as a “Genocide.” Unfortunately, the recognition has still (as of 2023) not been given, for a Genocide that reached its apex around 1915.

The author explores some reasons the recognition is not forthcoming. He finds those reasons indefensible and unjustifiable.