SEPARATED AT BIRTH: VISITING ARMENIA AS AN ISRAELI
Friday, March 16 2012
How can a nation that seems to share Israel’s history be friends with
Iran? How can it not.
I’ve heard it being said that if there is one thing Israel would have
enjoyed, it is having another Hebrew-speaking country somewhere in the
world to break its loneliness. The exchange of ideas and attitudes
between two different societies that share a common language is a
powerful catalyst for growth of all kinds.
Language isn’t the only thing people share, however, and indeed
there is one nation out there that seems to share our history: It
traces back its roots to Biblical times, it has known an atrocious
genocide over the past century and finds itself at odds with its
mainly Muslim neighbors.
The country these people inhabit, known to them as Hayastan, to us
as Armenia, is only slightly larger than Israel. Like Israel, it
shares borders with four other countries, and as is the case here,
only two of those borders are open for travel. Besides all that there
remains the complex relationship with a vast worldwide diaspora,
and of course the love of kebab.
Republic Square in central Yerevan
Upon arrival in Armenia I instantly noticed another, more symbolic
common denominator, which may in fact be said to be shared by three
nations. From the airplane’s window I could clearly see mount Arart,
its highest peak a full 5168 meters above sea level. This mountain,
a symbol of the Armenian nation, is located across the border,
inside Turkish territory. Following the 1923 treaty of Lausanne,
which established post WWI regional borders without the participation
of Armenian representatives.
Since then, the ever visible Ararat, the tracitional landing place
of Noah, from whom Armenians trace their ancestry, that snow-white
manifestation of a national identity which appears clearly over the
rooftops of Yeravan, which is so frequently used in Armenian brand
names, which decorates Armenian walls, book covers and gravestones,
is only barely reachable for Armenians.
Ararat’s highest peek, known as “Masis”, photographed upon landing
in Yerevan.
The sight instantly brought to my mind the Jewish longing for Jerusalem
as a symbol, one that remained ever so strong so long as it was out of
reach. Only later did I think of actual Jerusalem’s lights, so visible
from the environs of Amman and even from central Ramallah. Not only
Israelis may identify with the Armenian fate.
Palestinians would likely find something of a mirror image here too.
Even without Ararat, Armenia is a land is full of marvels: such
as the ancient Noravank monastery, perched omong rocky cliffs, the
spectacular pagan temple at Garni, and Yerevan’s peculiar “Cascade”
monument. All monuments mentioned above were renovated in recent
decades thanks to donations of affluent Armenians living worldwide.
Diaspora Armenians tend to experience a strong connection to their
heritage, and yet very few have ever visited the historical homeland.
Take Californian rock band “System of a Down”, whose four members
are of Armenian origin, and which is seen here as another symbol
of Armenian success (others include composer Aram Khacheturian,
novelist William Saroyan and chess master Gary Kasparov). The band
never played Yerevan, and its local fans are still waiting.
In a meeting with Armenia’s prime Minister, Tigran Sargsyan, at
his office on Republic square in Yerevan, I brought up Israel’s
“Taglit-Birthright” program, and asked him what his government does
to maintain contact with the diaspora, particularly with the younger
generation. Sargsyan admitted that 95% of Ethnic Armenians have never
been to Armenia, but claimed that his administration is investing
heavily in changing this reality.
[Armenia-1-141.jpg]
The author with Prime-Minister Sargsyan at his office.
“We established a diaspora youth organization, as well as a foundation
supporting bright Armenians in the best universities of the world,”
the Prime Minister said, “This way, young Armenians interact with
each other. The ministry of education organizes summer schools,
as well as a program entitled ‘come home’. Young Armenians come and
live for a year in Armenia, we make them familiar with it.”
Do they stay? rarely. but one could hardly expect a wave of
Armenian “Aliyah”. At present the economic state of the country
is difficult. The scars of Soviet times are so visible, that they
can hardly be describes as scars. They are, indeed, the rule,
out of which exceptions like the pleasant center of Yerevan are
rising little by little. the median monthly income stands at about
300 $US, and the countryside is exceedingly poor, as are many urban
neighborhoods. Armenia is working hard on developing a brighter future,
but the process is a slow one.
A typical street in Areni, a village in Vayots Dzor province,
southern Armenia.
One factor that greatly stalled Armenia’s development so far are
the struggles with its neighbor Azerbaijan. A peace treaty between
the two was signed already in 1993, nearly twenty years ago, but
bitterness remains.
On my visit, I obtained a booklet describing desecration of Armenian
religious monuments in the Azeri-controlled region of Nakhchivan,
where no Armenians remain. The images included would have appeared
familiar to Palestinians, so much do they recall the memory of the
Nakba. One shows a wrecked village, where Armenians once lived.
Another shows a church steeple of which the cross was removed and
replaced with an Azeri flag. The booklet fails to mention the condition
of mosques in the currently Azeri-free region of Nagorno Karabach.
The biggest historical scar, however, remains that of the Genocide
committed against the Armenians during the first two decades of the
20th century by Ottoman Turkey. Israel, like all but an handful of
nations, refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
It is the need for maintaining a good relationship with turkey
prevented such recognition so far. Would Israel go ahead and show
Armenia the solidarity of another wounded nation, now that this
relationship is anyhow damaged? It is left to be seen. In the
meantime the little a visiting Israeli can do is to pay respect to
approximately 1,500,000 at the monument and museum placed on a hill
overlooking Yerevan.
The site is much like a small Yad Vashem, and while photographic
evidence of the horrors is scarce, and the communication with visitors
who are less versed in the history somewhat flawed, it communicates
a great grief.
Eternal flame at Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide memorial,
Yerevan
Having explored the similarities, one difference must be
acknowledged. While Israel seems to be gearing itself for a potentially
disastrous war with Iran, Armenia enjoys particularly good relationship
with its southern neighbor. It is, indeed, expecting thousends of
Iranian tourists to arrive this coming week and spend their annual
Nowruz vacation drinking good brandy and eating forbidden pork
in Yerevan. During my visit I enjoyed several pleasant chats with
visiting Iranians (we preferred football to politics, for obvious
reasons) and saw a great deal of commercial traffic moving down the
road leading to the border in both Armenian and Iranian trucks.
When asked about Iran, Prime Minister Sargsyan emphasized Armenia’s
landlocked situation. “We are relying on our neighbors, particularly on
Georgia, to provide us contact with the world, and we must be sure to
keep our gateways diverse. This is why maintaining a good relationship
with Iran is important to us. We also remember that Iranians have been
historically friendly with our nation, especially in times of need,
and have sheltered Armenians during the time of the Genocide.”
An Iranian truck heading south from Yerevan
The Prime Minister said sharply that Armenia “Is opposed to an Israeli
attack on Iran, which is sure to cause destabilization in the entire
region.” This is not the warning of an estranged twin, but of a true
friend and a neighbor down the block. As the plane took off over the
Ararat back to the highly explosive homeland, I could only wish our
countries were similar also in holding this position.
http://972mag.com/separated-at-birth-visiting-armenia-as-an-israeli/38104/