Poland

Visitors familiar with the Poland of a decade ago express shock and wonder at the changes that have occurred in recent years.   Gone are the days when foreigners could only find a meal in two or three hotel restaurants, and even then , only if they were guests of the hotel. Now, besides dozens of restaurants specializing in Polish cuisine, you can treat yourself to anything from Tex-Mex to Thai, vegetarian to Vietnamese, and Syrian to Spanish. 

The Armenians of Poland are very proud of their heritage. After all/ they have been part of the Polish landscape for nearly 800 years, and despite assimila­tion, many still see themselves as Armenians or at least Poles of Armenian origin.  Historians differ on the date when the first Armenians began settling in what was once called Red Ruthenia which later became Poland. The difference, however, is only a matter of decades—between the middle of the 11th century and the early part of the 12th century. 

They often call themselves the new gypsies of Europe, but in fact they are Armenian illegal immigrants, searching for an elusive, better life in Poland, thousands of miles away from their homes and families in Armenia.  They have no work permits, and no healthcare. Most of their children stay at home, because parents—despite assur­ances to the contrary by the Polish authorities—are afraid to be caught and deported. 

Leon Ter Oganian speaks five languages, but his native Armenian is not one of them. He is a Polish citizen by choice and an Armenian Pole by his own definition. He is also a man with a singular mission: keeping the Armenian heritage alive in a country where Armenians have long been assimilated into the local culture. “Armenian blood is very strong . Even 10 percent is enough to keep someone Armenian,” the 88-year-old writer and retired teacher said during an emotional meeting in his Warsaw apartment. “I am 50 percent Armenian, so I have to be more active than others.”

It is not easy to stop an integration process which started more than 350 years ago, but thanks to their strong Armenian roots, Europe’s oldest Armenian community is fighting back to stop the tide of total assimilation. For the first time in decades, young professionals are trying to learn their native tongue and initiating contacts with Armenian communities outside Poland.