Hye Sharzhoom, January 1980

              January 11,1980
Hye Sharzhoom
Page 9
Assimilation: Will Hyes fall into the 'melting pot'?
From Page 2
Of course, there are many instances when Armenian and American interest
coincide, but this is not always the case. Only recently, Armenians watched
helplessly as President Carter betrayed a campaign promise and won resumption
of*arms' sales to Turkey. Sensing the strategic position of Turkey in superpower
relations, the State Department has consistently opposed Armenian aims. To be a
good Armenian is not always to be a good American.
Rather than confront this identity crisis, many Armenian-Americans have
chosen to become even "better" Americans. And, of course, to be a better
American, one must participate fully in the American democratic process.
Thusly, the "Armenian Question" is now being presented by a bonafide
Armenian "special interest" group. Armenians now vie for Presidential attention
along with Texas oilmen and publicity-conscious environmentalists. Long-term
goals, however, are easily obscured in the daily political skirmishes of
Washington.
No one has asked if there will still be Armenians in America to hear of these
great triumphs two, three, or four generations from now? Much of the Armenian
resurgence is linked to recent immigration from the Middle East and Soviet
Armenia. But what happens when the immigrants stop coming?
Will  Armenian-Americans  in  2080,  perhaps one-quarter and one-eighth
Armenians, gather in churches, social halls and public parks as Armenian-
Americans do today? Is it realistic to expect children six or seven generations
removed from their motherland, with no hope of returning, to be anything more
than American?
The Armenian-American community, now numbering more than 500,000, has
assumed a growing importance in the diaspora. Armenian-Americans are
beginning to sense their mission. The result has been a proliferation of Armenian
organizations. But in this myriad of interests, few groups have proposed how
Armenian-Americans will succeed in perpetuating their proud spirit of
independence when other ethnic groups have failed. Armenians may respond
with more organizations, more dances, more picnics—a veritable deluge of shish
kebab, pilaf, boorma, media workshops and good will, but, ultimately, time is
against the Armenian. Only in Armenia is he secure in his heritage.
If Armenians are to survive they must survive as a people. Armenian
organizations must be oriented toward future generations. Positive steps have
already been taken. Fifteen Armenian schools, educating over 3.000 students,
have opened in the United States since 1964. Five American universities now
offer an Armenian Studies Program. The resurrection of Paragraph 30 and its
inclusion in the Rapporteur's final report was a great victory—an Armenian
victory. The final victory, though, cannot be won in America. Victory can only be
a free and independent Armenia.
An Armenian is an Armenian, regardless of his present country, because his
past is rooted in a rugged and awe-inspiring land that today awaits the return of
her people. The Jews say "next year in Jerusalem" to express their loyalty to the
motherland but the Armenian-American national spirit is mute. Hayastan
survives in the mournful wailings of old men, but the lamentations clearly
indicate it is a land lost forever. Three thousand years of Armenian history have
been abruptly severed by a swift and savage blow from the Turkish sword. The
Jews wandered the earth for nearly two thousand years before reclaiming Israel;
are Armenians to consider their homeland lost after only a few decades? The
Armenocide, then, would be complete. The Turk will have finally solved the
"Armenian problem."
The focus of the Armenian-American community, then, is clear. Armenian-
Americans must recognize themselves as refugees, displaced persons, a people
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without a home. Suddenly, though, America becomes only a way station and,
tragically, the Armenian-American is torn in two. What people could abandon
the tremendous wealth, security and freedom Armenians have earned in this
country?
The task confronting the Armenian-American is a difficult one. To survive as an
Armenian he must be something less than a complete American. He has invested
a lifetime entering the American system; now he must somehow detach himself.
The Holocaust taught the Jew his inescapable identity, even if his passport is
marked French, or German, or Russian. American Jews share a wide variety of
opinions but they respond with a single voice when the subject is Israel. Israel is
the focus of the Jewish diaspora and few Jews underestimate its importance. The
Armenian-American took a path different from his Jewish counterpart. He fled
his homeland and never looked back. He converted tears into hard work and
burrowed deep within his new country. A genocide, though, is not easily
forgotten. Today the Jew has Israel but for the Armenian—only unrequited pain.
Armenians are survivors. History has shown them only malice and still they
endure. One finds Assyrians, Babylonians and Phoenicians only on library
shelves but, somehow, the Armenian has defied the ages. He is an enigma in an
era of superpowers but well-versed in the epic struggles of great giants. Greek
against Achaemenid, Roman against Parthian, Byzantine against Sassanian, Turk
against Russian—Armenians have often been trampled beneath many of
history's colossal encounters. And they have watched the greatest of powers
crumble and have always managed to avoid these falling giants.
Even in the Soviet Union,Armenians live on the periphery of Russian society.
The collapse of the U.S.S.R. poses no threat to their existence. Armenians could
easily extricate themselves from the carcass of the Russian bear. Likewise other
Armenian communities throughout the world are buttressed by a framework of
Armenian schools, churches, organizations and political parties. Armenians,
particularly in the Middle East, have maintained their sense of purpose. They are
aliens in foreign, and often Moslem, environments. Conversely, Armenian-
Americans may soon be consumed by their host.
One cannot be angry with America, for America has shown mostly kindness
and generosity. But one must feel sadness and frustration for the generation of
our grandparents—those who cannot escape the past. I myself have listened
eagerly as the old men have told their stories. Their eyes twinkle and renewed
vigor enters their voices as they drift back into time, recounting their Armenian
youths. But there is always a tragic quality to their tales. They suffered so much to
preserve their people and now they sit surrounded by American children.
The grandfather and his grandchild live in separate worlds, severed by time,
space and dreams. Armenia—faded, blurred but still very much alive—is home
for the old man. "Home," the child asserts. "Of course, I have a home—I am
American."
The child will never know the land the old man speaks of, he will never
understand his foreign tongue. The Armenian name he bears only gives the
tragedy an added twist.
In Eastern Europe there are also people with Armenian names. Armenians
have lived in Eastern Europe since the 11th century. They remained a viable
community for a number of centuries but in most areas they were eventually
assimilated.
Armenians have always been a clannish people and it is common for an
Armenian visitor of a foreign city to consult the phone book in search of his
countrymen. The visitor to Eastern Europe, however, will quite often meet not an
Armenian but, rather, a Pole, Czechor Hungarian who, largely by accident,
inherited an Armenian name. "Where did the Armenians go," one may ask? If
the visitor is an Armenian-American, however, he doesn't need to ask.
The future is painfully clear.
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