ADL hires replacement for former leader who broke ranks

August 19, 2008 12:19 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

The Anti-Defamation League announced today that it hired a New England regional director to fill the position vacated by Andrew H. Tarsy, who broke ranks with the organization's national leadership last year over the acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide.

Derrek L. Shulman, the former chief of staff for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, will begin serving as ADL regional director in early October, according to a statement. The post had been filled by an interim person since December, when Tarsy resigned.

"We conducted an exhaustive search and are fortunate to have found a leader of Derrek’s caliber," said James L. Rudolph, chairman of the ADL's New England Regional Board, in a statement. "This is an exciting time for ADL New England, and Derrek has all the qualifications, contacts and leadership skills to ensure our organization performs its crucial mission of fighting anti-semitism and hate."

Tarsy was fired in August 2007 after he spoke out against the national ADL's refusal to acknowledge that the Ottoman Turks committed genocide when they slaughtered as many as 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923. It became an issue when Watertown, which has a sizeable Armenian-American community, pulled out of the ADL's No Place For Hate Program in protest.

Tarsy spoke publicly against the national ADL's position and was fired. Under pressure, the National ADL changed course and said the massacre was "tantamount to genocide." Tarsy was rehired two weeks later but resigned in December. In an interview at the time, Tarsy did not share why he was leaving but said it was "professional judgment based on knowing when it's your time."

The hiring of Shulman will strengthen the ADL in New England as it moves forward, the organization said in the statement.

"We are entering a growth period at ADL, and Derrek is the perfect choice to lead us through it," said Esta Gordon Epstein, chair elect of the ADL's New England Regional Board. "Derrek has the vision, people skills, and experience to enhance our ability to build bridges between ADL and other groups and communities, and to promote diversity and appreciation for our differences."