It's "lahmadjun" Armenian pizza night at the church hall in Cologne but the group of twenty something university students and young professionals are more interested in what other Armenians in their age group are doing to keep their ethnicity alive in the Diaspora. They want to know how clubs and activities are organized, how the language is kept alive and how Armenians of different backgrounds integrate not just in their adopted countries but among themselves.
They want to know how teenagers are prevented from drifting away from their Armenian communities. Is it just the language? Is it the church? Is it the traditionally established political parties and so called old country organizations that keep Armenians together?
They have no specific answers to these questions, but one thing is clear at least with this group of university students they want more than what they have. It is no secret that Armenian immigrants in Germany who come from the various parts of the world don't mix much. It is also true that distances keep them apart, but is there a common denominator which will change all that?
"We need to know what others are doing. We don't get occasions like this when someone from a larger and more established community visits us here," said a young engineering student.
"We need to know more about Armenian organizations which have a universal appeal. Organizations which have brought together Armenians not in just one city, or country but the whole world. Organizations like the Armenian General Benevolent Union," said another young student.
"Everything we do here seems to revolve around the same group, and it’s no coincidence that we are all Turkish Armenians.
An on-the spot survey explains why "integration" among fellow Armenians and particularly the youth is such an important issue for the group. Out of the 30 or so present that evening, all except one had parents who were born and raised in Turkey. The exception was a young girl of Iranian Armenian origin who was engaged to a Turkish-Armenian student.
"Our individual backgrounds play such an important role in our social lives. We are all born in Germany, but have such different cultural roots that unfortunately makes it difficult to mix with other Arm anions," explained another young engineering student.
It may sound strange to second or third generation Armenian youth in the Unites States, but the question of "where your parents come from" is still an issue for the Armenian youth in Germany.
Those whose parents were born in Turkey generally speak little or no Armenian unlike others whose parents are from Iran or the Middle East.
True that German has become the common language for the younger generation, but still family background remains an important factor in how much they interact with other fellow Armenians. "We have tried to attract others, but for some reason or another, we have not been very successful. Just being ethnic Armenian does not seem enough of a bonding factor. We all speak German when we meet, but still we don't seem to mix as much as we ought to with other Armenians," explained a young student.
"We don't seem to have a specific focal point around which the whole community can get together. The church remains the only institution which brings the masses together, and even that is not always effective," he said.
Armenians are scattered across the country, where more than 30 cultural, social and sports organizations try to keep community life alive.
There is little statistics on their membership, but one thing is clear -- most of them function separately and often have little or no contact with each other.
"A lot of good work is being carried out on many fronts, but we wish there was more coordination. A lot of energy is being wasted," a university student said.
The group that this reporter met in Cologne is part of the Armenian Apostolic Church which provides them with a venue where they hold their regular meetings and socialize.
It is around the church that the youth of Cologne has organized a choir and a dance group. The church also has weekly Armenian language classes and other activities.
But as much as both the church and the local youth have tried, few outside the Turkish-Armenian community have gotten involved in these activities.
The same seems to be true in almost all other German towns and cities where the estimated 30,000 to 35,000 Armenians live.
After dinner, the group invited this reporter to join them for a round-table discussion which much to the surprise of all present lasted more than two hours.
"How can we make the youth more involved in Armenian issues," one asked.
Ideas were tossed around, but soon it became clear that social functions were the most attractive.
"The vast majority is not interested in politics—and particularly traditional Armenian political parties. It is no secret that we have an identity crisis too," explained one of those present. "If we organize a social evening or a dance, we get a large crowd, but if we try a lecture or something more intellectual, participation suddenly shrinks to a few dozen," he explained.
"We have an Armenian dance group and a choir and we organize trips to neighboring countries. Even for activities of this nature, we cannot bring together all of the estimated 300 or so young people in our community," he said.
Turning to the identity crisis, many of those present at the round table seemed confused, especially with the term German-Armenian.
"Our parents are more at ease with the Turkish culture. Many of them speak little German. At home the language of communication is mostly Turkish.
"I don't know how to describe myself. Am I a German-Armenian? A Turkish-Armenian? Or just an Armenian—I don't know," another said.
All of those present at the gathering were born in Germany, and yet, after spending their entire life in the country still found it difficult to assimilate.
"Integration into this society is not difficult for the younger generation. The schools, television and the local culture take care of that situation. "But even if we are born here, we are not considered Germans. Maybe things are different in the United States where the American identity is a much wider concept. Ethnicity is not the key defining factor for being an American, but it is here. An immigrant is not a German. It will take a few generations and a lot of inter marriage before a third or fourth generation Armenian is accepted as a German—and that's not a sure thing either," another explained.
Another problem facing the young adults is its inability to attract the younger crowd.
"We have a problem with the generation gap. We need activities for teenagers because our experience shows that once they reach a certain age they begin to drift away. We need special programs for young children. If we lose teenagers, we cannot get them back into the community mainstream," one explained.
The discussion continued for several hours. The "lahmadjun" was cold, but at least new ideas were brought forward. The audience thanked this reporter for his input and the group dispersed.
"We have so much to do. We cannot let things slide," one said as he bid me farewell. "We can always use fresh ideas and can learn from the experience of others."
