COMMENTARY 4/27/04

Since Moorad Mooradian focussed on assimilation in his commentary, "Birthright Armenia," which
 appeared in the April 10,, 2004 issue of TAR Int'l, I felt it appropriate to submit a copy of
 a speech I gave at the Philadelphia Union League House on April 9, 1988. It was at an annual 
dinner meeting of our Armenian physicians and attorneys to which both myself and the late John
 Hoplamazian were invited to address.  Both John Hoplamazian and myself were actively involved 
with the Coalition for Church Unity at the time, and to this day I consider the continuing 
disunity of our Armenian Apostolic Churches in North America as one of the greatest failings 
of our Armenian Apostolic faith in its seventeen-hundred-year history. And with an independent
 Armenia, I believe it is an even greater failing today than it was sixteen years ago.  
Joseph Vosbikian

SPEECH GIVEN TO PHYSICIANS & ATTORNEYS - 4/9/88 

As Armenians, the most powerful force we face in America today is assimilation. We sometimes 
refer to it as the "white massacre." Unfortunately, instead of confronting these forces head 
on, we find ourselves divided over issues that should have been resolved years ago.  The 
bridge to our Armenian future are our youth. Without them, ere is no future. We must get them 
interested.  To do this, we must rebuild our communities around them keeping in mind that the 
young thrive on challenges and incentives. This is why I am a part of the coalition for church
 unity.
As far as I'm concerned, it's the only game in town.  But, even if our churches became united, 
it would not mean that our problems are over -- not by a long shot. Church unity is only a part
 of the answer; it's a start in the right direction. Its advantages?  Financially, it would put
 an end to the senseless duplication of churches and facilities which for fifty-five years has
been depriving our communities of much needed resources.  Intellectually, it would give us a
 larger pool to draw from.  Socially, we would know each other better -- and most especially 
our youth.  Instead of being fragmented, we would become a part of a total community.  
Everyone's been talking about a community center; instead of separately building three small 
ones, we'd build one large one. We might even build a senior citizen complex to go along with
 it.  For our new community, we would have a full schedule of festivals, cultural, social, 
and athletic programs.  We might even bring the old hanteses and picnics back, always
 encouraging total family participation. We would have evening programs for the community, 
offering library use and lectures along with cultural programs offering lessons in Armenian
 cuisine, music, dancing, and whatever else our imagination allows.  In the area of education,
 we would support our Armenian day schools, offer student counseling, set up a student loan 
program, and even offer a few scholarships.  I'm sure once we got into the flow and spirit of 
it, there would be no stopping us.  The reason that things look difficult and insurmountable 
today is because we've lost our momentum. We must get it back.  As American-Armenians, we have 
a major decision to make. Either we get involved and take hold of our future or we let things 
alone and allow time and assimilation to complete the job.  If we decide to get involved, we 
must learn to work for the common good, regardless of our differences.  As for our politics, 
it goes without saying that politics has a place in our society, but it should not be in our 
churches.  I   think our Lord said it best: "Render, therefore, unto Caesar, the things which
 are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."