|
2,000-Strong Jewish Community in Armenia Struggles to Retain Identity
ARMENIA - After two thousand years, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world is under threat of extinction. Ironically, it's not because of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian neighbors, but because it's been all but forgotten by more fortunate Jews around the world.
Jews arrived in Armenia as early as the first century, when Armenian King Tigran I resettled 10,000 Jews after his retreat from Palestine. The community has managed to survive and thrive under Christian rulers, Muslim conquerors, even the Soviet Communist era. Historically, there has always been tolerance toward Jews in Armenia, and a large influx occurred during World War II when Armenia offered safe haven for Jews driven away from Nazi-occupied Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
In past decades, a significant percentage of the community has emigrated to Israel, but some 2,000 Jews still remain in Armenia, living mostly in the capital of Yerevan.
My wife and I got to know the community during a recent one-month stay in Yerevan, where I was working on a project to help the independent media in Armenia. Headed by a dedicated woman named Rimma Feller Varzhapetyan, the Jews are formally organized in a group called the Jewish Community of Armenia. (JCA), with the single goal of keeping the Jewish heritage in Armenian alive.
It's impossible not to be moved by their strong desire to preserve their Jewish identity, observe Jewish traditions and learn the Hebrew language. There is little money in this country, where the average monthly salary is only $10, and those few making $100 a month are considered millionaires.
The Jewish community barely scrapes together enough for bare-bones operating expenses and rent for a small apartment that serves as their community center and school.
We went to the "center" on a Sunday to visit a class of 20 children, taught by a volunteer about Jewish history, and later we saw another class of adults learning Hebrew. They have few books, no paper or writing instruments, but they refuse to let anything discourage them in their eagerness to retain their Jewish heritage. One of their biggest wishes is to save up for a Torah.
Most of the members of the community come from mixed marriages, with spouses who are not committed to any organized religious group. The majority are intellectuals and professionals, some working for government agencies, but still making meager earnings in Armenia's depressed economy. Despite a lean tzedakah box for charity, the community manages to scrape together enough to help the elderly citizens (the average pension is $7.50 a month!), the disabled, the unemployed and the sick.
The community needs about $300 per month to survive. They receive $100 a month in aid from Israel, but they still come up short each month, and they have no savings.
When my wife and I left them a contribution, they were surprised, grateful and moved that anyone cared.
A few dollars more would allow then to save for a Torah.
Printed in the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, June 27,1998
2,000-Forgotten Jews in a country forsaken by the nabobs of the media and the barons of finance!
by Haik Marcar
In the Heritage Southwest Jewish Press of May/June, 1998, Mr. Sydney Galanty writes, "After two thousand years, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world is under threat of extinction. Ironically, it's not because of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian neighbors (Armenians), but because it's been all but forgotten by more fortunate Jews around the world."
Today most Jewish communities throughout the world are messianically dedicated to the mission of erecting Holocaust Memorials in honor of Jews long dead, while live Jews in Armenia, like the rest of the Armenians, are starving because of Turkish and Azeri blockades. At the same time, the world's so called FREE PRESS, enamored with politics, ignobly adopts the philosophy of the three monkeys: hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil. In another paragraph Mr. Galanty explains, "Jews arrived in Armenia as early as the first century, when Armenian King Tigran I resettled 10,000 Jews after his retreat from Palestine. The community has managed to survive and thrive under Christian rulers, Muslim, conquerors, even the Soviet Communist era. Historically, there has always been tolerance toward Jews in Armenia, and a large influx occurred during World War II when Armenia offered safe haven for Jews driven away from Nazi-occupied Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. "
The one and only country in the world that has treated the Jews as equals and never discriminated against them, is now, in the hour of their desperate need, being shunned and ignored by Israel and influential Jews throughout the world. As if, that ingratitude wasn't enough, now she (Israel) is in bed with Turkey, the mortal enemy of Armenia.
Just where are the voices of justice and fair play? Where are the cries of the mythical Jewish sense of justice? It must be buried within several layers of unmitigated gall. Only recently the media announced that Israel is spending $600,000,000 of our tax payers money (that's yours and mine) to upgrade the Turkish Air Force so that they can kill more Kurds and starve out Armenia. The economic blockade of Armenia by Turkey and Azerbaijan has caused untold human suffering in Armenia. Both Christians and Jews in Armenia are suffering because of your silence.
In the beginning there was LIGHT, then there was God, who begot man, who acknowledged that God was good. So, man swore by God's name. And this is how man has claimed every vice, disguised as paragon of virtue, in the name of God. But soon God was replaced with more profitable and recognizable objects, instead of "in the name of God", we called it "in the name of the king." Then," The king" was replace with " The country" and soon after that," we substituted "country" with the word "people." And finally that too was exchanged for new and more powerful icons or gods. Now we swear by, "According to The New York Times" or according to "The Washington Post. " Yes, my friends, we have sold our heritage for a mess of pottage and we are not our brother's keepers.
Now, just where are the JDLs, the ADLs, the Jewish Congress, and the myriads of Jewish organization, who swarm upon you waspishly when you disagree with them and instantly nail you to the cross of anti-Semitism? Perhaps they are either too busy in search of old Nazis or too involved with befriending the Turk and helping him to keep denying the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians. After all, the sufferings of 2,000 Jews in Armenia is insignificant when you calculate and compute the political and commercial benefits of such an alliance. Glory to Israel for befriending Turkey at our expense.
Of course, let us not rush to judgment. It may be that the devout, and religious Jew, whether in New York or Tel Aviv, has never heard of Armenia and least of all Jews in a poor country! God forbid. But, what's the excuse for the sophisticated Zionist and the Mossad of Israel? Is it ignorance, apathy, greed, or power?
Weren't these same inhuman attributes charged against the entire German People by World Jewish Organizations for the crimes committed by Hitler and his gang? So, ignorance and tolerance of inhumanity by one group of people on another is no excuse.
So, I urge all decent and devout Jews of all political and social stripes to unite and help the 2,000 Jewish of Armenia. And by all means write to your Congressmen in Washington and request to withhold all aid to Turkey and Azerbaijan until they lift the economic blockades of Armenia.
Haik Marcar 733 Piercy Rd. San Jose, CA 95138
Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives