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Anti-Semitism in Armenia: a clear and present danger
By By Arye Gut/JNS.org
Dec. 8, 2014
The conflict in Syria has forced millions to leave their homes, among
them many of the country's Armenian minority. Many have fled and
returned to Armenia, a safe haven for ethnic Armenians'much as Israel
is for Jews around the world. So it is ironic, given this shared need
for a homeland free of religious intolerance, that Armenia's own
Jewish community has been pressured and intimidated since the country
attained independence.
Anti-Semitism in Armenia is an unfortunate and little-acknowledged
fact. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the country's Jewish
minority and Jewish heritage'the products of a more tolerant time'have
shrunk dramatically. The end of Soviet rule removed constraint, and
anti-Semitic attacks rose dramatically. That, and Armenia's ongoing
economic collapse, drive the Jews of Armenia to flee the country. In
just 20 years, Armenian Jewish population has shrunk from more than
5,000 to just a few hundred.
And the cultural violence has continued. Anti-Semitic books are
published and TV programs aired, and the Holocaust memorial in the
capital of Yerevan has been repeatedly defaced. Of course, many
countries have suffered such unfortunate incidents, the product of an
ignorant populace. But in Armenia such views have been espoused even
by mainstream politicians and media personalities. In 2004, a
pro-government radio presenter expressed anti-Semitic views for months
on end. A nationalist politician was also allowed to freely make lurid
slurs against Jews before public pressure forced the government to
arrest him.
The dwindling Jewish community in Armenia has complained about these
attacks'the head of the Jewish community expressed her concern that
`this [anti-Semitism] has the backing of people in power.' But appeals
have fallen on deaf ears, which is hardly a surprise when such
attitudes are shared by much of Armenian society. The Anti-Defamation
League's latest survey in June 2014 showed that the rate of
anti-Semitism in Armenia (at 58 percent) was the third-highest in all
of Europe, and the highest in all of the former Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe. Thus, around 1.3 million out of 2.2 million adults in
Armenia expressed anti-Semitic attitudes. Armenia's closest
comparisons were with virulently hostile countries in the Middle East.
Sixty-three percent of Armenians surveyed believe that Jews are hated
`because of the way Jews behave;' 60 percent claimed that `Jews don't
care what happens to anyone but their own kind;' 45 percent think that
`Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the
Holocaust;' and 38 percent consider that `Jews are responsible for
most of the world's wars.'
Also disturbing, and of concern to Jews around the world, is that in
1988 some 49,928 families (250,000 Azerbaijanis) were forced to flee
their places of origin in 172 Azerbaijani inhabited villages, 89
villages with mixed ethnic population, and six cities from Armenia.
During the deportation, 226 Azerbaijanis were killed by Armenians and
scores horrifically injured. Their houses and properties were burned
as well.
The Khojaly massacre, committed by current Armenian leadership with
incredible brutality, was one of the worst tragedies of 20th century.
It is a historical fact that the Armenian armed forces and gunmen
spared none of the Khojaly residents, who had not managed to leave the
city and its surroundings. As a result of the atrocities of the
Armenian armed forces, 613 people were killed, 487 people were
crippled, and 1,275 people'the elderly, children, and women who were
captured'were subjected to unprecedented torture, abuse, and
humiliation.
In addition, Armenia, the aggressor, illegally occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts.
This caused a refugee crisis numbering nearly 1 million innocent
Azerbaijanis, as they attempted to ethnically cleanse the region.
Today, this remains a threat to peace and security in the South
Caucasus region. Encouraged by intense Armenian lobbying efforts in
the U.S. and other key nations, as well as by strong and ongoing
Russian military, economic, and political aid, Armenia has ignored
four United Nations Security Council resolutions associated with the
occupation of Azerbaijani lands and treatment of civilians.
Perhaps this is not so surprising considering that one of Armenia's
closest allies is theocratic Iran, which has always opposed Israel's
right to existence. This strange relationship has been very beneficial
for Iran, which has used Armenia as a conduit for smuggling and other
illicit activities, often with serious consequences for U.S. national
security.
The last point also has unnerving overtones for Armenia's Jewish
community, which has never forgotten the participation of the brutal
20,000-strong Armenian Legion as part of Wehrmacht in the Second World
War. The Legion, led by the nationalist warlord known as General Dro,
was tasked with rounding up Jews and other `undesirables' behind the
German army as it swept across Russia, and organized their death
marches to the concentration camps.
In such an environment, it is hardly surprising that most of Armenia's
Jewish population has either fled or intermarried to avoid attracting
attention. Regrettably, the government of Armenia does almost nothing
to curb the growing anti-Semitism in the country. Until Armenia
realizes that narrow-minded nationalism and blaming the country's
economic and political problems on outsiders will never solve
anything, the Jews of Armenia will continue to suffer.
Arye Gut is a board member of the Israeli-Azerbaijani International
Organization, official coordinator of the `Justice for Khojaly!'
international campaign in Israel, and an expert in international
relations.
From: A. Papazian
Anti-Semitism in Armenia: a clear and present danger
By By Arye Gut/JNS.org
Dec. 8, 2014
The conflict in Syria has forced millions to leave their homes, among
them many of the country's Armenian minority. Many have fled and
returned to Armenia, a safe haven for ethnic Armenians'much as Israel
is for Jews around the world. So it is ironic, given this shared need
for a homeland free of religious intolerance, that Armenia's own
Jewish community has been pressured and intimidated since the country
attained independence.
Anti-Semitism in Armenia is an unfortunate and little-acknowledged
fact. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the country's Jewish
minority and Jewish heritage'the products of a more tolerant time'have
shrunk dramatically. The end of Soviet rule removed constraint, and
anti-Semitic attacks rose dramatically. That, and Armenia's ongoing
economic collapse, drive the Jews of Armenia to flee the country. In
just 20 years, Armenian Jewish population has shrunk from more than
5,000 to just a few hundred.
And the cultural violence has continued. Anti-Semitic books are
published and TV programs aired, and the Holocaust memorial in the
capital of Yerevan has been repeatedly defaced. Of course, many
countries have suffered such unfortunate incidents, the product of an
ignorant populace. But in Armenia such views have been espoused even
by mainstream politicians and media personalities. In 2004, a
pro-government radio presenter expressed anti-Semitic views for months
on end. A nationalist politician was also allowed to freely make lurid
slurs against Jews before public pressure forced the government to
arrest him.
The dwindling Jewish community in Armenia has complained about these
attacks'the head of the Jewish community expressed her concern that
`this [anti-Semitism] has the backing of people in power.' But appeals
have fallen on deaf ears, which is hardly a surprise when such
attitudes are shared by much of Armenian society. The Anti-Defamation
League's latest survey in June 2014 showed that the rate of
anti-Semitism in Armenia (at 58 percent) was the third-highest in all
of Europe, and the highest in all of the former Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe. Thus, around 1.3 million out of 2.2 million adults in
Armenia expressed anti-Semitic attitudes. Armenia's closest
comparisons were with virulently hostile countries in the Middle East.
Sixty-three percent of Armenians surveyed believe that Jews are hated
`because of the way Jews behave;' 60 percent claimed that `Jews don't
care what happens to anyone but their own kind;' 45 percent think that
`Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the
Holocaust;' and 38 percent consider that `Jews are responsible for
most of the world's wars.'
Also disturbing, and of concern to Jews around the world, is that in
1988 some 49,928 families (250,000 Azerbaijanis) were forced to flee
their places of origin in 172 Azerbaijani inhabited villages, 89
villages with mixed ethnic population, and six cities from Armenia.
During the deportation, 226 Azerbaijanis were killed by Armenians and
scores horrifically injured. Their houses and properties were burned
as well.
The Khojaly massacre, committed by current Armenian leadership with
incredible brutality, was one of the worst tragedies of 20th century.
It is a historical fact that the Armenian armed forces and gunmen
spared none of the Khojaly residents, who had not managed to leave the
city and its surroundings. As a result of the atrocities of the
Armenian armed forces, 613 people were killed, 487 people were
crippled, and 1,275 people'the elderly, children, and women who were
captured'were subjected to unprecedented torture, abuse, and
humiliation.
In addition, Armenia, the aggressor, illegally occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts.
This caused a refugee crisis numbering nearly 1 million innocent
Azerbaijanis, as they attempted to ethnically cleanse the region.
Today, this remains a threat to peace and security in the South
Caucasus region. Encouraged by intense Armenian lobbying efforts in
the U.S. and other key nations, as well as by strong and ongoing
Russian military, economic, and political aid, Armenia has ignored
four United Nations Security Council resolutions associated with the
occupation of Azerbaijani lands and treatment of civilians.
Perhaps this is not so surprising considering that one of Armenia's
closest allies is theocratic Iran, which has always opposed Israel's
right to existence. This strange relationship has been very beneficial
for Iran, which has used Armenia as a conduit for smuggling and other
illicit activities, often with serious consequences for U.S. national
security.
The last point also has unnerving overtones for Armenia's Jewish
community, which has never forgotten the participation of the brutal
20,000-strong Armenian Legion as part of Wehrmacht in the Second World
War. The Legion, led by the nationalist warlord known as General Dro,
was tasked with rounding up Jews and other `undesirables' behind the
German army as it swept across Russia, and organized their death
marches to the concentration camps.
In such an environment, it is hardly surprising that most of Armenia's
Jewish population has either fled or intermarried to avoid attracting
attention. Regrettably, the government of Armenia does almost nothing
to curb the growing anti-Semitism in the country. Until Armenia
realizes that narrow-minded nationalism and blaming the country's
economic and political problems on outsiders will never solve
anything, the Jews of Armenia will continue to suffer.
Arye Gut is a board member of the Israeli-Azerbaijani International
Organization, official coordinator of the `Justice for Khojaly!'
international campaign in Israel, and an expert in international
relations.
From: A. Papazian