NORAYR EBLIGHATIAN
In the last two posts, I focused on the structure of Diaspora-2. With this post my spotlight is the inter-relationship of Armenia and Diaspora in general and two items in particular:
- Armenian Birthright: What is being an Armenian and how can we define the birthright of an Armenian?
- ‘Veratarts’ process: How can we establish an institutionalized ‘nerkaght’ process for the 21st century?
In the past we have had problems with the characterization of being an Armenian. Some have emphasized the use of the Armenian language as the primordial factor, others have stressed religion (Armenian Orthodox, or Christian). I remember vividly when one of my prejudices was shattered by encountering a Black student in our High School. He spoke Armenian and his father was a renowned Armenian benefactor.
From the literary movement of “Menk” in Paris in the 1920s & 1930s, to present day dialogue about who are the Hamshen; collectively we have grappled with these identity issues. But, instead of focusing on different Armenian attempts of constituent identification, let me give another example as a food for thought:
- The Law of Return: In 1950, the Israeli Knesset passed “the Law of Return” which basically said “Every Jew has the right to immigrate to this country as an oleh (immigrant)…”.
- Aliyah “ascent”: Has been a national aspiration of the Jewish people to return to the Land of Israel for centuries. In contrast, emigration from the land of Israel was called Yerida (“descent”). Very rough equivalent of Armenian concepts of ‘Ner-Kakht’ and ‘Arda-Kakht’.
Aliyah is a detailed process that describes:
- The principles of success:
- Clarifying your needs
- Researching everything
- Begin to network even before you arrive
- Weighing out the risks
- The benefits of Aliyah:
- Rental assistance and assistance in getting your first home
- Learning Hebrew
- Health Insurance
- Higher Education expanded assistance
- Customs Taxes and Income tax
- Child allowance and others
Furthermore, there is plenty of practical information after arriving to the country; like useful addresses, dealing with government offices, driving, opening a bank account, etc.
There is no need for further details as all this information is available on the internet. What is remarkable is that all this process has resulted in gathering approximately 42% of the Jewish population in Israel and adjacent territories. In other words, the Jewish Diaspora still constitutes the place where the majority lives.
Let me immediately stress that my interest in the above topics is about ideas and processes, not the ideology of Zionism.
As it relates to the Armenian experience; here are some thoughts:
- It would be ideal to have a legal basis for Birthright in the Armenian Republic (like the Law of Return). This is a much better dialogue between the Diaspora and the Republic as opposed to all the discussions about the need for a ministry of the Diaspora or a sub-ministry.
- Past that we need a clear understanding of the existing laws of immigration that are currently active. This is a void that needs attention; for example, there is a process called “krantsevil” (registration as an immigrant). I asked about it to several government agencies in Yerevan and elsewhere. Every one of them gave me a different response. The consulate of Lebanon was the only one that gave a clear response.
- Once the existing laws are clear AND published through websites, booklets or otherwise, we can work on: a. Additional complementary laws to help immigrants. b. A partnership of governmental and private programs to Assist immigrants with clear goals and processes. These programs would be divided between pre-arrival and post-arrival processes. They would include informational and instructional sections. Finally, they should be published (web and hard copy) and publicized to ensure every immigrant is fully aware of them. I know that there is a booklet that the Armenian consulate distributes (The Constitution of the Armenian Republic), but that does not address the immediate needs of the immigrant.
- After arriving to Armenia, there are a number of requirements that need attention: a. Intensive language courses geared towards immigrants and their children (a combination of e-learning and elocution courses) should help them get socialized within 3-5 months. b. Job sites and help-wanted portals can ease the search for employment. Cross-national unions can also help in this regard. c. Vocational and technical schools can train and upgrade the skill level of immigrants. d. Government assisted child care centers (or, even host family child care) can free both parents to find employment.
- There are some examples of websites that are helpful: a. repatarmenia.org is an interesting site and I suggest anyone who needs information to check it out. If you do not find the information you seek, please write to the editor to research and include that information on the site. In addition, our organizations in the Diaspora can organize Zoom meetings where a representative of repatarmenia.org would do a presentation, plus a Q&A session to people interested in immigration. b. Birthrightarmenia.org has a narrow focus of youth internships and is of little use in the immigration domain. c. List.am (Classified ads) is a good attempt but is rudimentary and needs serious improvements in its search capabilities.
This is a vast topic and a single post cannot cover it exhaustively. However, I hope there were some thoughts that sparked interest.