JUNE 2019

VOL. 16 ISSUE V 

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY JUNE 2019 

$ 

3 

www.chaldeannews.com 

TALENTED 

TEENS 

EXCEPTIONAL 

STUDENTS 

GIFTED IN 

MANY AREAS 

INSIDE 

GOVERNOR WHITMER ADDRESSES 

CHALDEAN CHAMBER 

ONE ON ONE WITH RAAD KATHAWA 

FORT REPORT: 

CLOSURE IN IRAQ

Can one card 

bring you peace 

of mind? 

Count on it. 

Confidence comes with every card. ® 

Count on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network to give you the peace of mind that 

comes with knowing you’ll have access to health care that’s right for you. For 80 years, Blue Cross has been 

doing more to bring you the choices, access and expertise that allow you to move forward with confidence. 

Learn more at mibluesperspectives.com 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. 

BCB142471_COI_DivPrint_ChaldeanNews_Confidence_9x12_F1.indd 1 

JUNE 2019 CHALDEAN 5/17/19 NEWS 1:18 PM3

There’s a reason 

your primary 

care doctor 

is primary. 

DMC Advanced Internal Care 

of Commerce. 

Whether it’s infancy to geriatrics, good health 

starts with your primary care provider. The person 

who knows your history, your family and your 

health needs better than anyone. Someone who 

can coordinate care with a specialist if you need 

one. So take the smartest approach to your health. 

Let us help you find one that’s right for you. 

A COMMUNITY BUILT ON TRUST 

Sleeth Rd. 

Adil Arabbo, M.D. 

Internal Medicine 

Fluent in Chaldean 

and Arabic 

Benstein Rd. 

Glenary Rd. 

S. Commerce Rd. 

Newton Rd. 

S. Commerce Rd. 

Commerce Rd. 

Richardson Rd. 

Oakley Park Rd. 

Schedule an appointment today. 

DMCMedicalGroup.com 

248-366-3700 

Welch Rd. 

5 

4123 Martin Road, Suite 102 

Commerce Township, MI 48390 

Martin Rd. 

Union Lake Rd. 

Haggerty Rd. 

Green L ake Rd. 

Pontiac Trail 

Wal 

DETR 06.00.19 TCN PC.ANYAGE1.indd 1 

4 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2019 

DETR 06.00.19 TCN PC.ANYAGE1 

5/20/19 1:28 PM

CONTENTS JUNE 2019 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 16 ISSUE V 

21 

38 36 

departments 

6 FROM THE EDITOR 

BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO 

Proud mama moment 

8 YOUR LETTER 

BY DR. RAMSAY F. DASS 

Helping Middle Eastern Christians 

10 GUEST COLUMN 

BY U.S. REP. JEFF FORTENBERRY 

Fort Report: Closure in Iraq 

11 IRAQ TODAY 

BY LOUISA LOVELUCK AND MUSTAFA SALIM 

Iraq is pushing to build an isolation camp for 

30,000 Iraqis who lived under ISIS in Syria 

12 NOTEWORTHY 

14 CHAI TIME 

16 ECRC CORNER 

18 OBITUARIES 

29 CHALDEAN ON THE STREET 

BY HALIM SHEENA 

Thoughts on continued threat of deportation 

32 ONE ON ONE 

BY STEVE STEIN 

One on One with Raad Kathawa 

36 EVENTS 

Annual Awards Gala 

Chaldean Voice Cultural Evening 

on the cover 

20 AN APP FOR EDUCATION 

BY LISA CIPRIANO 

21 PIANO PRODIGY RAISES SPIRITS 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

22 A PARTING GIFT 

BY MONIQUE MANSOUR 

features 

24 THE ROAD TO OPPORTUNITY 


Governor Whitmer outlines her path to 

fix the damn roads and more 

25 BEFORE THERE WERE 

BORDERS: REVIEW 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

26 A SWEET TASTE OF HOME 


27 HOPE FOR A HOME 


The need for foster care parents continues 

28 IN THE GARDEN OF MINT 

BY SALLY WENCZEL 

30 DEALING WITH DIVORCES, 

ANNULMENTS 


JUNE 2019 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

from the EDITOR 

PUBLISHED BY 

The Chaldean News, LLC 

EDITORIAL 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Vanessa Denha Garmo 

MANAGING EDITORS 

Denha Media Group Writers 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Lisa Cipriano 

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry 

Monique Mansour 

Paul Natinsky 

Ashourina Slewo 

Halim Sheena 

Sally Wenczel 

ART & PRODUCTION 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Alex Lumelsky 

Montez Miller 

Razik Tomina 

OPERATIONS 

Interlink Media 

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 

Martin Manna 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Ashourina Slewo 

SALES 


Tania Yatooma 

SALES REPRESENTATIVES 


Sana Navarrette 

MANAGERS 

Vanessa Denha Garmo 

Martin Manna 

Michael Sarafa 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $25 PER YEAR 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS 

30095 NORTHWESTERN HWY, SUITE 101 

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334 

WWW.CHALDEANNEWS.COM 

PHONE: (248) 851-8600 

Publication: The Chaldean News (P-6); Published 

monthly; Issue Date: June 2019 Subscriptions: 

12 months, $25. Publication Address: 30095 

Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101, Farmington Hills, 

MI 48334; Application to Mail at Periodicals 

Postage Rates is Pending at Farmington Hills Post 

Office Postmaster: Send address changes to 

“The Chaldean News 30095 Northwestern Hwy., 

Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334” 

Proud mama moment 

I 

had a very proud mama 

moment this past May. 

I watched my daughter 

perform in the school 

play. It was her 4th St. Fabian 

School production, 

her 6th or 7th play in her 

life but her first time garnering 

a main role. She played 

Violet in Willy Wonka, Jr. 

which is an Off-Broadway 

production. 

St. Fabian Catholic 

School in Farmington Hills 

has a dedicated Theater Department 

and along with stellar academics, realizes 

the importance of the arts. It is 

a STREAM school – Science, Technology, 

Religion, Arts and Math. 

As someone who has performed 

in other plays and seven ice shows 

as a figure skater, Elayna has learned 

that no matter what happens during 

a performance, the show must go on. 

During the first two of the five 

Willy Wonka shows, she experienced 

a costume malfunction – not 

exactly like Janet Jackson during the 

Super Bowl in 2003 – thank God – 

but it was a mishap regardless. Elayna 

didn’t miss a step or beat. She continued 

on during the scene and waited 

until the end of the show to express 

her frustration. Even on the last day 

when all the gum chewing caused a 

baby tooth to crack in half, resulting 

in pieces of tooth to wedge into her 

VANESSA 

DENHA-GARMO 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

CO-PUBLISHER 

gums causing severe pain, 

she stayed in character and 

finished the scene. 

I was worried about her 

keeping up with school work 

and memorizing her lines 

but not only did she do both, 

she truly emerged into character 

on stage and wowed us. 

It was a proud mama 

moment for sure! 

This cover story features 

some very talented teens 

whose moms I am sure are 

just as proud of their kids as I am of 

my own. One high school student 

created an APP, another teen is being 

dubbed a piano prodigy while another 

is being highlighted by her teachers 

for a very poignant biographical essay. 

As parents, we are called to help 

our children hone in on their Godgiven 

talents and develop those into 

skills for the greater good and hopefully 

one day to “Glorify God.” Our 

kids are not only resilient but each 

has his or her own gifts that as adults 

we need to nurture. 

A related story includes dozens 

of girl scouts who are selling boxes of 

cookies that are ultimately being sent 

to military troops; it was a collaborative 

effort between a local orthodontist 

and multiple Girl Scout troops. I, personally, 

am not a big fan of the Girls 

Scouts because of some troops being 

aligned with Planned Parenthood but 

I do think their work with the military 

is a worthy cause and wished they 

focused their efforts on organizations 

NOT affiliated with abortion. 

While many of us are proud mamas, 

there are so many kids who don’t 

have parents to pat them on the back 

and say, “job well done.” These are 

kids in the Foster Care Program and 

recently have included Chaldean 

children. Writer Monique Mansour 

shares that story in this June issue. 

It is a fact that surprised me to hear. 

I had no idea we had Chaldean kids 

in foster care. There are more than 

13,000 kids in Foster Care today and 

yes that includes Chaldeans. These 

kids are children of God and have 

their own gifts and talents but lack 

the support to see them flourish. 

I pray each and everyone of these 

13,000 find families to love and care 

for them. 

They all deserve to have a mama 

who is proud of them! 

Alaha Imid Koullen 

(God Be With Us All) 

Vanessa Denha-Garmo 

vanessa@denhamedia.com 

Follow her on Twitter @vanessadenha 

Follow Chaldean News on 

Twitter @chaldeannews 

BAN MANNA 

EXAMINER 

STEVE SUOLAKA 

EXAMINER 

InternationalDriverTesting.com 

AUTOMOBILE & MOTORCYCLE TESTING 

Road Skills Testing for Adults and Teenagers 

30095 NORTHWESTERN HWY, SUITE 65A • FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334 

DRIVER’S EDUCATION (SEGMENT 1 & 2) • TEENS & ADULTS 

WEST BLOOMFIELD HIGH SCHOOL 

4925 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD • WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 48322 

248-535-5855 • BanManna18@yahoo.com 

• FREE MARKET ANALYSIS 

ON YOUR HOME 

• FREE HOME WARRANTY 

• AGENT-OWNED VIRTUAL 

BROKERAGE 

JIM MANNA Broker/Owner 

C.R.S., G.R.I., A.B.R. 

(248) 763-2622 

CONTACT US TO JOIN OUR TEAM! 

6 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2019


your LETTERS 

Helping Middle Eastern Christians 

What is Integrative Medicine? 

At Comprehensive Integrative Health Care our approach to treating 

a person with mental and emotional challenges such as depression 

and anxiety, is to provide alternative methods to assist with recovery, 

healing, and long-term maintenance of positive mental health. 

When first evaluating a patient that exhibits emotional challenges 

that impact their daily life, we determine whether conventional or 

alternative treatment would appropriately address the symptoms of 

the individual. For example, when treating a patient with anxiety, we 

first determine whether the emotion is caused by everyday life issues 

such as health, school or finances. We obtain blood work to rule out 

if the anxiety is caused by any underlying medical condition, such as 

an overactive thyroid. 

Once we have assessed the patient by interview, physical examination 

and any essential studies that we feel is appropriate, we then work 

together with the patient to determine the plan of action best suited 

for their needs and type of challenge so that they can start on the 

path to balanced mental health. Our first line of therapy, may not 

be prescribing medication, often we find that guiding patients to 

adapting changes in their lifestyle can remedy much of their brain 

chemistry. Research has demonstrated that changes such as eating a 

clean and well-balanced diet, incorporating exercise, a healthy sleep 

regimen, and the use of supplements can often modify and even 

alleviate symptoms. We work closely with the patient to track their 

symptoms and determine if another plan of action is needed which 

may include medication in addition to alternative methods. If you 

or a family member is suffering from mental illness, please do not 

hesitate to make an appointment at our office. 

Dear Friends, 

As we are celebrating the Triduum of Easter with the resurrection of 

Jesus Christ, we were saddened by the continuation of terrorist attacks 

against Christians in the world, especially on Easter day in Sri Lanka. 

The past year has shown continued positive changes towards the Christians 

and Christianity in the Middle East, such as in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, 

Lebanon, and Egypt. 

There is a better understanding of the Interfaith with meetings between 

the Pope and Middle Eastern countries. The United States government 

is showing an increased positive response to the plight of the 

Middle Eastern Christians. We are hoping that the European governments 

will advance the cause of the Middle East Christians and assist 

them in protecting their civic and civil rights to stop the persecution 

and prosecution. Other Middle Eastern faiths have established governments 

to protect them and support them morally and financially. The 

Middle Eastern Christians lack these two resources so it is left to other 

countries to do the correct and moral things by sponsoring, supporting, 

and protecting the Middle East Christians politically, financially, and 

diplomatically. We are monitoring their policies in words and in action. 

We wish you a Happy Easter, and may its message of hope to humanity 

resonate. 

Sincerely yours, 

Dr. Ramsay F. Dass, MD 

President, American Middle East Christians Congress 

Director of Iraq American Christians Endowment Center 

Comprehensive Integrative Health Care is located in Novi: 

30880 Beck Rd. Novi, MI 48377. Website: CIHcmed.com 

Heather Koza, MD and Sung Park-Davis, MD: Specialties 

in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Family Medicine 

MADE IN 

Subscribe today! 

ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION: $25 

❏ 1 YEAR 

❏ GIFT SUBSCRIPTION 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

NAME 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

ADDRESS 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

CITY / STATE / ZIP 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

E-MAIL 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

PHONE 

PLEASE MAIL THE FORM, WITH A CHECK PAYABLE TO: 

CHALDEAN NEWS, ATTN: SUBSCRIPTIONS 



PHONE: 248-851-8600 FAX: 248-851-1348 

It Matters to Us… 

At American House West Bloomfield, we build lasting 

relationships with residents, their families and our caring 

staff, because what matters most to you, matters to us 

too. Stop in to our newly renovated community, enjoy a 

chef-prepared meal, and experience the American House 

lifestyle for yourself. 

For OPEN a limited HOUSE time, we’re JUNE offering 22, 11:00 one month’s AM—2:00 FREE PM rent. 

Give us a call or stop in for a tour today! 

(248) 438-8862 

West Bloomfield 

5859 W. Maple Rd. 

West Bloomfield | MI | 48322 

Independent Living | Assisted Living 

AmericanHouse.com 

Building What 

Matters for 

Those Who 

Matter Most.TM 

LIVING 

That your home is Comfortable. 

18-WB-1977 


Like teachers love 

summer. 

We love to help. 

How can we help you? Woodward north of 14 Mile 248.723.7200 boaa.com 

BIRMINGHAM 

Member FDIC 

Ad Number: PP-BOAA-20995B Trim: 9" x 5.875" 

PROTECT 

Perich Job No: 20884 

Bleed: NA 

Colors: 4/C Live: NA 

Format: Half-page horz. 

Version: 5.16.19 

YOUR 

PROJECT 

Call 811 at least three 

days before doing any 

construction or digging. 

DTE Energy’s partner, MISS DIG, will come out to mark 

underground natural gas lines to help keep your workers 

safe and your project running smoothly. DTE is working 

hard to keep you safe, but you can help too. 

Contact MISS DIG 811 before any excavation. 

It’s free, it’s fast, and it’s the law. 


GUEST column 

Fort Report: Closure in Iraq 

U.S. 

REPRESENTATIVE 

JEFF 

FORTENBERRY 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

Decisions in government 

are not 

always about nice 

programs. Sometimes, it’s 

about life and death. The 

other night in my DC office, 

I stood in front of framed 

photos of young men and 

women from Nebraska who 

died in Iraq. Some of their 

families I know. Some I 

have never met. We have 

given so much, lost so much 

in Iraq, it’s hard to understand 

why further engagement 

is necessary. 

Here’s the hard reality: 400,000 

Yazidis from Northern Iraq are still 

trapped in tent structures unable to 

safely return home. Iraq used to be 

home to over 1.5 million Christians. 

Now, around 250,000 hold on. Militias 

control large areas of Northern Iraq. 

Last week, I appeared on Nebraska 

Educational Television with 

Nibras Khudaida, one of Nebraska’s 

3000 Yazidis, the largest such community 

in America. I first met Nibras 

over two years ago in Lincoln after 

she wrote me a passionate letter, in 

broken English. Subsequently serving 

as an intern in my office, Nibras 

quickly advanced. She became a 

high school debate champion and 

gave the class commencement address. 

She is now an honors student 

at Omaha’s Creighton University. 

Nibras is one of the beneficiaries 

of a program I helped introduce in 

Congress that enabled her father, 

and others who courageously served 

American forces in Iraq, to gain entry 

into the United States. It was for 

persons like the Khudaidas—facing 

imminent, diabolical 

death at the hands of a 

genocidal force—that our 

refugee and asylum programs 

were established. 

As an international community, 

we should seek to 

create secure conditions 

on the ground so that displaced 

persons can repatriate 

to their homelands. For 

Yazidi refugees receiving support from the International Rescue Committee 

Nebraska’s Yazidis––now 

patriotic Americans who 

remain closely tethered to 

their ancient faith and cultural 

traditions––that is also 

what they want for their friends and 

family back home in Iraq. 

The story of closure in Iraq involves 

several key dynamics. First, 

ISIS is largely defeated, but not extinct. 

With U.S. government leadership 

in support, and a coalition of 

international partners, the Iraq army 

has fought valiantly and is now a 

serviceable force. Second, we have 

transferred funds from multilateral 

institutions into targeted relief for 

the most besieged peoples. Third, 

the sustainability of this solvency 

depends upon security. That was my 

clear finding based on the evaluation 

I undertook on behalf of Vice President 

Pence last summer in Iraq. 

At this year’s State of the Union, 

my guest of honor was Nobel Peace 

Prize winner Nadia Murad, who had 

been sold into sexual slavery by ISIS 

and eventually escaped with the help 

of a Muslim family. Before Nadia arrived 

at my office, I told a Washington 

Post reporter that the most important 

need for Northern Iraq was 

a security settlement to protect religious 

minorities. Upon her arrival, 

and with no advance coordination 

from me, Nadia affirmed the same 

conclusion. 

In support of this goal, my friend 

Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and I recently 

introduced the bipartisan H. Res. 

259, informally known as The Security 

Resolution for Northern Iraq, 

which: 

• Makes it a policy priority of the 

United States to support the safe return 

of the displaced indigenous people 

of the Nineveh Plain and Sinjar 

to their ancestral homeland; 

• Calls upon the Iraqi Government 

and Kurdistan Regional Government 

to better integrate religious 

minorities into the Iraqi Security 

Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga; 

• Stresses the importance of 

working with international partners 

to accomplish these goals. 

The Security Resolution for 

Northern Iraq represents a modest 

commitment with enormous implications. 

I am hopeful the United 

States Congress will agree. If this 

Iraqi-led security settlement does 

not come to fruition, Iranian-backed 

militias will continue to meddle in 

Northern Iraq, religious and ethnic 

minorities will continue their mass 

exodus to Europe, and permanent 

refugee camps will dot the landscape. 

Nothing will ever compensate 

for the tremendous loss of life and 

limb that Americans endured to ensure 

that Iraq could have a glimpse 

of normalcy, a glimmer of possibility, 

a chance for permanent peace. Performing 

this last act of duty is not going 

to fill the hole in their family’s 

hearts or our hearts. It will, however, 

help provide closure to America’s 

decades-long involvement in Iraq, 

while ensuring justice for the oppressed, 

stability for Iraq, and the 

preservation of Iraq’s rich tapestry 

of religious pluralism so essential for 

peace in the Middle East. 

Jeff Fortenberry is a U.S. 

Representative, representing 

Nebraska’s first congressional district 

since 2005. 

New York Life Congratulates 

Gabriel H. Sinawi CLU®, ChFC® 

for 40 Years of Service 

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED: 

Individual Life Insurance, IRAs , SEPs and 529 Plans # , Fixed Immediate and, 

Defferred Annuities * , Variable Annuities # , Mutual Funds # , Health Insurance ** , 

Medicare Supplemental Insurance ** 

CONTACT: 

Gabriel H. Sinawi CLU®, ChFC® 

Agent, New York Life Insurance Company 

Registered Reppresentitive of NYLIFE Securities LLC 

Member (FINRA/SIPC), a Licensed Insurance Agency 

EMAIL: gsinawi@ft.newyorklife.com 

PHONE: 248-357-8971 

FAX: 248-286-6304 

ADDRESS: 27777 Franklin Dr, Suite 2220, Southfield, MI 48034 

*Issued by New York Life Insurance Company or New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corperation #Securities offered 

through NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC). **Products available through one or more carriers not affiliated 

with New York Life, dependent on carrier authorization and product availability in your state or locality. SMRU 522091 


IRAQ today 

Iraq is pushing to build an isolation camp for 30,000 

Iraqis who lived under ISIS in Syria 

BY LOUISA LOVELUCK AND MUSTAFA SALIM 

IRBIL, Iraq — Senior Iraqi officials 

are pressing to establish a special detention 

camp to isolate as many as 

30,000 Iraqis who lived in the Islamic 

State’s final stronghold in Syria, captured 

in March by U.S.-backed forces. 

But as Iraq prepares to repatriate 

citizens now held in Syria, humanitarian 

groups have been resisting efforts 

to move them to a single detention 

facility, fearing this could create 

prison camp conditions that would 

prevent them from reintegrating into 

society and further radicalize them. 

Objections from humanitarian 

groups have already scuttled a proposal 

to set up a new camp near Tal Afar in 

the northern province of Nineveh. 

Senior Iraqi officials, however, remain 

opposed to the idea of scattering the 

Islamic State returnees among existing 

displacement camps around the area. 

“The goal is to select a special 

place to contain those people,” said 

one Iraqi official, who spoke on the 

condition of anonymity because he 

wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue. 

“It’s for security reasons, but also to 

keep them alive.” 

The Islamic State committed 

atrocities in Iraq and Syria during 

the nearly five years it controlled territory 

there. But its rise to power was 

made possible, in part, by its success 

in selling itself as a protector and liberator 

of disaffected Sunni Muslim 

communities, which felt marginalized 

by the governments and security 

forces of those countries. How the 

Iraqi government proceeds in the 

coming weeks could have far-reaching 

consequences. 

Officials in Baghdad have spent 

months negotiating a deal to repatriate 

just more than 30,000 civilians who 

are now under the control of Syrian 

Kurds who have neither the means nor 

desire to continue holding them. 

The Iraqi families had spent years 

living under the Islamic State’s selfdeclared 

caliphate, moving to Syria 

as the militants lost their Iraqi foothold 

and then leaving the protostate 

only as it crumbled. Now, they 

are packed into the teeming al-Hol 

displacement camp in northern Syria 

as Iraqi officials decide their fate and 

aid groups look on with alarm. 

The Khazir camp near Irbil, Iraq, already holds thousands of internally displaced Iraqis. 

About 20,000 Iraqis have voluntarily 

returned to Iraq since the start 

of the fight against the Islamic State, 

humanitarian officials say. More than 

1,700 families at al-Hol have also 

registered with the United Nations 

for voluntary repatriation, according 

to humanitarian agencies. 

Humanitarian groups are urging 

that the returnees be placed in four existing 

camps, where the U.N. provides 

food, medical care, and other services. 

Fear and resentment 

The challenge is how to map out a 

future for the returnees that does 

not involve indefinite confinement. 

In existing camps in northern Iraq, 

families displaced by previous waves 

of fighting already fret that they cannot 

go home, citing fears of violent 

retribution by militias or neighbors 

the Islamic State had displaced. 

Tens of thousands of Iraqis with 

alleged links to the Islamic State 

have been languishing in those 

camps for several years. Their experience 

underscores the dangers of a 

prolonged stay in the camps. It also 

highlights the barriers to leaving or 

reintegrating into Iraqi society. 

“The biggest concern for us now 

is that some of our camps are fostering 

the best environment for a new 

extremism,” said an Iraqi aid worker. 

“Even if a family is innocent, it is 

now being looked at with hatred by 

[Iraqi] society accusing them of being 

ISIS families. The government 

achieves the same by not issuing 

them papers or giving them proper 

schools. . . . Organizations will recruit 

them selling the idea of revenge.” 

In the sprawling Khazir camp near 

Irbil, families with ties to the militant 

group see no good options. They say 

that staying in the camp would leave 

them permanently displaced and 

vulnerable to exploitation by armed 

groups and predatory camp officials. 

Inside the camps, women who 

lost their husbands to airstrikes or 

prison say they are targeted for sexual 

violence, by militiamen and camp 

guards, or forced marriage. Kawakip, 

40, who now lives in the Khazir camp, 

said that two of her daughters had recently 

been coerced into short-lived 

marriages with camp outsiders after 

guards let them in to choose a wife. 

“These marriages are just sex marriages, 

but you can’t say no,” said 

Muntahar, a girl who looked younger 

than her 16 years. “Then they take you 

for a week, or for a few months, before 

throwing you back into the camp.” 

After visits to the camps last 

year, researchers from Amnesty International 

said they had witnessed 

a deepening sense of resentment 

among families accused of links to 

the Islamic State. 

Dangers of going home 

But leaving the camps can be daunting 

and expose families to violence 

PHOTO BY MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/GETTY IMAGES 

by mostly Shiite militias that had 

battled the Islamic State, a radical 

Sunni group. 

“We were told that the Hashd 

would rape our daughters if we tried to 

go home,” Kawakip said. “I tried to cross 

a checkpoint to get to the documentation 

office so I could get permission to 

return home, but they stopped me at a 

checkpoint. They told me they’d kill 

me if I came back and tried again.” 

A variety of armed groups, including 

Sunni tribal and Shiite militias, 

control territory that many of 

the returnees would have to traverse 

to get home. Many of these militias 

have escalated their threats to block 

people with a “first degree” connection 

to the Islamic State from going 

back to their areas of origin. 

Moreover, babies born in the 

time of the caliphate lack official 

Iraqi birth certificates, meaning the 

children have no government recognition 

and could be shut out of Iraq’s 

education system forever. 

During visits to four displacement 

camps, members of every Islamic 

State-connected family interviewed 

said they had been threatened by 

Iraqi officials when trying to procure 

documentation for children born in 

areas controlled by the group or to 

replace documents that had been 

damaged or stolen. 

A senior aid official at al-Hol said 

Iraqi officials are becoming increasingly 

suspicious that returnees from 

Syria pose a hostile threat. For their 

part, many Iraqis at al-Hol, after 

years of Islamic State indoctrination 

and menacing statements by Iraqi 

militias, fear they could be killed if 

they go back across the border. 

Human rights activists and Western 

diplomats say that returnees who 

remained with the Islamic State until 

its final stand are those most likely 

to be treated as social outcasts by 

other Iraqis. Any camp built explicitly 

for repatriated families, risks fueling 

the same grievances that aided 

the group’s rise in the first place. 

Erin Cunningham in al-Hol, Syria, 

contributed to this report. 

Erin Cunningham in al-Hol, Syria, 

contributed to this report. 


noteworthy 

Left to Right: U.S. Representatives John Moolenaar, Elissa Slotkin, Andy Levin, and Haley Stevens 

Congressional Delegation Comes Together for Iraqi Nationals 

On Friday, May 3, members of the 

Oakland County Congressional Delegation 

came together before the 

Chaldean American Chamber of 

Commerce’s 16th Annual Awards 

Gala at Shenandoah Country Club 

in West Bloomfield to introduce a 

bill intended to protect Iraqi nationals 

at risk for deportation. 

Introduced the following Tuesday, 

details for the bill were discussed at 

the press conference on May 3. The 

delegation included U.S. Representatives 

Andy Levin, Elissa Slotkin, 

Brenda Lawrence, and Haley Steven. 

The delegation was also joined by 

Congressman John Moolenaar and 

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. 

The bill would protect Iraqi nationals 

at risk of deportation by deferring 

removal for two years for nationals 

who were ordered removed from 

the country any time before the bill’s 

enactment, and who were living in 

the U.S. on or before January 1, 2014. 

The bill would exclude deferral for 

those who are a threat to national security, 

have voluntarily chosen to return, 

or are subject to extradition. Under 

the bill, authorization and documentation 

for employment purposes would 

be valid for the duration of the deferral 

to nationals who apply to the Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS). 

DHS would also be prevented 

from detaining individuals protected 

by the deferral for the two year period. 

The introduction of this bill 

comes after an unfavorable ruling 

from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, 

who decided to not take a look 

at the Hamama v. Adducci class action 

lawsuit brought by the American 

Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

This ruling prompted U.S. Representatives 

Andy Levin and John 

Moolenaar to pen a letter to DHS, 

requesting the deferment of the mass 

detention and deportation of Iraqi 

nationals. This letter of support was 

signed in support of those at risk by 

23 other lawmakers. 

Selfies with 

the Bishop 

Mariann Sarafa snaps a 

selfie with the beloved 

Bishop Ibrahim and her 

cousins Tammy Binno 

Jonna, Nesreen Binno 

Denha and Jeanine Binno 

Ammori at the Chaldean 

American Chamber 

of Commerce’s annual 

awards dinner. 

Our Lady of The Fields Camp and Retreat Center 

Located in Brighton, Michigan, the 

164 acres offers the feel of up north 

living surrounded by trees and with a 

serene waterfront. 

The camp’s mission is to live the 

Gospel and to practice the Golden 

Rule. From this camp experi ence you 

have the opportunity to come to know 

the Lord more closely. You also, have 

a great opportunity to meet many new 

people and of course have fun. 

Boys and girls camps are offered 

in addition to family camps. Additionally, 

the camp offers their camp 

grounds for everything from religious 

retreats to corporate gatherings. 

Many amenities are offered, including 

updated living quarters and a 

new ropes course. 

Our Lady of the Fields Camp and 

Retreat Center will be hosting an 

open house on Saturday, June 1 from 

1:00 to 4:00 p.m. All are welcome to 

see what the camp and retreat center 

have to offer. Mass with Bishop Francis 

to follow. 

Willy Wonka Jr. 

Several Chaldeans performed in the Off Broadway Production of the Spring 

Musical at St. Fabian Catholic School. This year was Willy Wonka Jr. 



CHAI time 

CHALDEANS CONNECTING 

COMMUNITY EVENTS IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT JUNE 2019 

Saturday, June 1 

Annual Rent Party: This year marks the 

fourth annual Rent Party to support the 

new Lighthouse who serves the homeless 

and those living in poverty in Southeast 

Michigan. The Rent Party tradition 

dates back to the 1920s as they offered 

a creative solution to families facing 

eviction while also playing a major role 

in the development of jazz and blues 

music. Hosting this event, Lighthouse 

board member Paddy Lynch graciously 

opens his recently renovated home at 

the historic Stanley Kresge estate in the 

Arden Park-East Boston Edison Historic 

District of Detroit. The night will feature 

special pre-party Arden Park estate 

tours for sponsors, three stages of jazz 

with top local performers, a strolling 

dinner, and an open bar. To date, The 

Rent Party has raised $150,000 to help 

individuals and families experiencing 

homelessness in the region. For more 

information about tickets or sponsorship, 

visit www.therentparty.org 

Monday, June 3 

Drive for Life: Presented by AIREA and 

Haworth, Beaumont Health’s Drive for 

Life Invitational on Monday, June 3, supports 

oncology patient programs and services 

at the Walter and Marilyn Wolpin 

Comprehensive Breast Care Center 

in Beaumont, Royal Oak and the Wilson 

Cancer Resource Center in Beaumont, 

Troy. 760 WJR News Talk Radio 

will broadcast live throughout the event. 

Beginning with registration at 8:30 a.m., 

golfers will enjoy playing on one of the 

two elegant and prestigious golf courses 

of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield 

Hills with golf tip highlights from pro- 

Rick Smith and elite academy instructor 

Bret Hartman. Networking breakfast, 

lunch, dinner, silent auction, and awards 

are all part of the event. Sponsorships 

are available and begin at $2,500. For 

Drive for Life Invitational event details 

and registration, visit Beaumont.org/giving/foundation-events. 

Thursday, June 6 

The Great Big Auction: The Great 

Big Auction is a signature fundraising 

event for Big Brothers Big Sisters 

of Metro Detroit to support mentoring 

for at-risk youth on Thursday, June 6. 

This high-energy event draws a diverse 

crowd from across Metro Detroit and 

will include various raffles and an auction 

with once-in-a-lifetime trips and 

experiences. A new location for the 

event, Detroit Shipping Company, will 

put guests right in the heart of Detroit’s 

Midtown resurgence with complimentary 

valet parking right at the front 

door of this cool, hip event venue. Rick 

Hampson, president of Citizens Bank, 

will serve as the event chair; Maurielle 

Lue, Fox 2 News anchor, will emcee; 

and Chuck Bennett, Detroit News 

lifestyle columnist, named one of the 

country’s top event hosts, will serve as 

host. For tickets and sponsorship information, 

please contact katie.koch@ 

bbbsdetroit.org. 

Friday, June 7 

Building Champions Gala: The Building 

Champions Gala is a powerful and 

heartwarming evening, including an 

excellent silent auction, and a delicious 

dinner. In one night, an incredible impact 

is made as guests come together 

to support the precious boys and girls 

of the state’s inner-cities. Supporting 

this event is an investment in the lives 

of thousands of children living in the 

underprivileged neighborhoods of Detroit 

and Pontiac. Tickets are priced at 

$100 each, and tables of eight can be 

purchased for $700. For more information 

or to register for this event, visit 

https://www.powercompanykidsclub. 

org/2019gala 


Dress for Success: Detroit’s socially 

innovative community & community 

hub, Femology HQ will host the historic 

and groundbreaking experience for 

current and aspiring Female Founders 

in partnership with the legendary Saks 

Fifth Avenue department store. The 

event will not only empower women, 

but it will inspire women to catapult and 

scale their entrepreneurial endeavors. 

Included in the programming will be an 

entrepreneurial panel series of women 

trailblazers, curated fashion showcase, 

and action focused networking. The 

event will honor and benefit one of 

Michigan’s most impactful organizations, 

Dress for Success. The event 

will host more than 200 attendees 

comprised of the Femology community, 

Saks V.I.P’s, social media influencers 

and more. Tickets are priced between 

$55 and $75. 


Sunset at the Zoo: Join the Detroit 

Zoological Society (DZS) and event 

chairs Shannon and Terry Harvill for the 

spectacular, annual 21-and-older fundraising 

gala Sunset at the Zoo “Asian 

Forest,” 7-11 p.m. Friday, June 7. Sunset, 

presented by Strategic Staffing 

Solutions, will provide a sensational 

evening complete with exquisite cuisine, 

delectable drinks, magnificent live 

entertainment, dancing under the stars, 

and “zoonique” prizes. This year’s 

event will support the major renovation 

and expansion of the tiger habitat, located 

in the Detroit Zoo’s Asian Forest. 

Once complete, the Devereaux Tiger 

Forest will be triple the size and feature 

many naturalistic elements important to 

these captivating felines. Have a roaring 

good time at the wildest event of 

the summer! Sunset at the Zoo is more 

than a great party. When you partner 

with us at Sunset, you are providing 

critical support for the DZS’s mission 

of “Celebrating and Saving Wildlife.” 

For more information or to purchase 

tickets, visit detroitzoo.org/sunset. 

Sunday, June 9 

Garden Party: The Garden Party Foundation 

celebrates its 11th annual charity 

event from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, 

June 9, at Meadow Brook Hall in 

Rochester. The event will raise money 

for Oakland Community College’s Culinary 

Studies Institute and other professional 

trade programs. The Garden 

Party will feature fare from close to 30 

of Michigan’s best restaurants paired 

with 100 of the finest wines. Tickets 

cost $150 per person, with guests enjoying 

fine food and wine, classic cars, 

and live entertainment by Tosha Owens. 

The attire is garden party chic and 

ladies are requested to wear hats. To 

purchase tickets or for more information, 

visit thegardenpartymichigan.org. 

Wednesday, June 19 

Cruise for a Cause: Summer kicks 

into high gear from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. 

on Wednesday, June 19, from aboard 

Ovation at Summer Cruise Series’ 

“Summerfest: Reggae on the River.” 

This event will stir guests’ souls with 

tropical cocktails and a Jamaican inspired, 

four-course strolling dinner. 

Amplifying the island-vibe experience 

with authentic reggae and contemporary 

island tunes by Roots Vibration, 

whose members hail from the Caribbean 

and the funky streets of Detroit. 

The event’s charity partner, Brain Injury 

Association of Michigan, a nonprofit 

dedicated to providing services 

and support for people with brain injuries 

and their families, also works to 

reduce the incidence and impact of 

brain injury through education, advocacy, 

support, treatment services, and 

research. A portion the proceeds from 

ticket sales will benefit BIAMI and its 

efforts. Additional donation at checkout 

will provide more support. Arrive 

at The Port Authority Dock in downtown 

Detroit at 6:30 p.m. sharp for this 

cruise. Tickets are priced at $105 per 

person and must be booked online at 

SummerCruiseSeries.com. For more 

information, call 586-778-9060. 

Thursday, June 20 

Shimmer on the River: Kick off summer 

in style at the Detroit Riverfront 

Conservancy’s ninth annual “Shimmer 

on the River,” an exclusive preview to 

River Days. This year, West Grand 

Boulevard meets West Riverfront Park 

as we celebrate 60 years of the Motor 

City’s signature sound. On June 

20, we’ll welcome Motown legends 

The Four Tops to the stage for an unforgettable 

live performance, and will 

treat guests to a food truck rally, live 

piano karaoke, games, refreshments, 

and all-ages activities. This year, we’re 

proud to recognize Nettie Seabrooks’ 

commitment to the revitalization of the 

Detroit Riverfront with the Shimmer 

Award. Join us at the VIP Reception 

to raise a glass to her unwavering support 

and toast the beginning of another 

great summer along the river. Visit Detroitriverfront.org/shimmer 

to purchase 

tickets and for more information. 

Saturday, June 20 

Stroll for Epilepsy: The Stroll for Epilepsy 

takes place at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 

June 22, at the Detroit Zoo. It Is an 

inspirational morning walk that brings 

people together to raise vital funds 

needed to provide the necessary programs 

and services offered by the Epilepsy 

Foundation of Michigan. As the 

largest fundraiser of the year, this walk 

provides funding for everything the 

Foundation offers, such as our Here 

for You Helpline, our Learn and Share 

Conference Calls, Camp Discovery, 

school and workplace seizure recognition, 

and first-aid training, just to name 

a few. In addition, it’s a wonderful way 

to raise epilepsy awareness! One in 26 

people will be diagnosed with epilepsy 

over the course of their lifetime, and 

it is the goal of the Foundation to be 

there for everyone affected by epilepsy 

in the state of Michigan. To register, go 

to epilepsymichigan.org/stroll or call 

1-800-377-6226. 


Hair Restoration 

CONVENTIONAL 

FUE METHOD 

WITH NO LINEAR SCARRING 

Ciao 

Italian Bistro & Wine Bar 

6199 Orchard Lake Road 

West Bloomfield MI 48322 

T / 248-862-6374 

F / 248-862-6389 

www.ciaoitalianbistro.com 

Our philosophy is simple… “Manja Bene” (Eat well). 

FUE Hair Transplant Advantages 

• No visible scars 

• Transplantation one hair follicle at a time 

• Swift recovery & short healing time due to 

minimal invasive extraction of single units 

• No numbness around the donor area 

• No reduction in skin elasticity 

• No unnecessary discomfort 

At Venus Cosmetic Center we use a smarter 

option for both men and women searching for 

permanent solutionto hair loss. It’s called FUE. 

What is FUE? 

FUE is the most advanced minimally invasive hair 

restoration device for both men and women. 

Developed by physicians, medical scientists and 

engineers, FUE allows physicians to perform hair 

restoration procedures more efficiently, safely, and 

in less time. All the while delivering natural and 

permanent results. 

WE ALSO OFFER BOTOX FILLER AND PRPS 

OUR BANQUET 

HALL HOLDS 

120 PEOPLE 

Monday – Thursday 11 am - 10 pm 

Friday 11 am - 11 pm 

Saturday 12 pm - 11 pm 

Sunday 12 pm - 9 pm 

28521 Orchard Lake Road, Suite B | Farmington Hills MI 48334 

CALL 248-310-3170 


LET US DESIGN YOUR DREAM KITCHEN 

ECRC corner 

Inspiring faith in family 

Full Remodeling Services 

FREE In-Home Estimates 

LaFata Cabinets manufactures high quality 

custom cabinets right here in Southeast Michigan 

www.lafata.com • 800.LAFATA.1 

Shelby Township • West Bloomfield 

Whether your faith 

is the size of a 

mustard seed or 

as large as a giant sequoia, 

summer activities can fizzle 

out a family’s faith life. Here 

are some practical ways to 

infuse, inspire, and increase 

your family’s Catholic faith 

in your summer “to do” list. 

Summer Camps 

Sign up for Vacation Bible 

School (VBS) or the 

summer camps at one of our Chaldean 

churches. Many of them fill 

up quickly, so if you weren’t able 

to get into any of them, check out 

the VBS programs in a Latin Rite 

church near you. 

Sign up for Chaldean Youth 

Camps (CYC) at Our Lady of the 

Fields Camp and Retreat Center in 

Brighton, Mich. Ages range from 

6-14 for campers and range from one 

day camps, overnight camps, father/ 

son and mother/daughter camps. 

Visit chaldeanyouthcamp.org or ourladyofthefieldscamp.org. 

Encourage your teens and young 

adults to volunteer or get a summer 

position at Our Lady of the Fields 

Camp and Retreat Center. 

CHRISTINE 

JIDDOU 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

Travel 

Heading “up north” this summer? 

Stop at the National Shrine of the 

Cross in the Woods in Indian River, 

Mich. Read about the shrine on the 

way. Visit the six shrines and take 

the steps up to the cross. Stop by the 

doll museum next to the gift shop. 

Also up north is Our Lady of 

the Woods Shrine in Mio, Mich. 

Enjoy the shrines among the scenic 

grounds and say a prayer at the 

Family Shrine. 

Visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, 

Kentucky and the Creation 

Museum in Petersburg. Both 

are located just south of Cincinnati, 

Ohio. 

Headed to Chicago? Stop at the 

Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, 

Indiana. This amazing shrine is a 

half mile pathway of life size sculptures 

of the Stations of the Cross. 

Take a day to visit Catholic 

churches in Detroit. Favorites include 

Old St. Mary’s in Greektown, 

St. Josephat, Sweetest Heart of 

Mary, St. Aloysius, St. Anne de Detroit, 

and Cathedral of the 

Blessed Sacrament. Check 

out their websites for local 

events and mass times. 

Visit the Solanus Casey 

Center in Detroit. Take 

a tour of the museum and 

gift shop, place your intentions 

at his tomb, and light a 

candle from the glass votive 

candle chapel. Go to the 

website’s “Plan a Visit” section 

for activities and prayers 

to do with your children. 

Don’t miss Sunday mass while on 

vacation! Use masstimes.org to find a 

local parish’s mass times. Children are 

often inspired by attending a mass at 

different churches when they travel. 

Take a day to visit 

Catholic churches 

in Detroit. Favorites 

include Old St. 

Mary’s in Greektown, 

St. Josephat, 

Sweetest Heart of 

Mary, St. Aloysius, 

St. Anne de Detroit, 

and Cathedral of the 

Blessed Sacrament. 

Social Media 

Both you and your children can use 

social media to increase your faith 

individually and as a family. 

Visit chaldeanchurch.org for the 

St. Thomas Chaldean Diocese page. 

Follow them and all the Chaldean 

parishes on Facebook, Instagram, 

Twitter, and YouTube. Events and 

information are often posted on the 

sites and are a great way to keep in 

touch with the parishes. 

Visit catholicmom.com for great 

Catholic resources on family prayer, 

activities, kids’ section, and books. 

Download Catholic apps! 

Holy Martyrs has an app. St 

George and St Joseph use myParish 

for their apps. 

Use Team Novena to say a no- 


Salwan Noori Attisha was born 

on February 18, 1965. Salwan 

was taken suddenly and called 

up to Heaven on May 6, 2019. 

He will be deeply missed by all 

who knew him. Like most 

Chaldeans, Salwan immigrated 

to the United States with his 

family in search of a better life 

and was able to work his way 

towards opening a business. 

He worked tirelessly day and 

night, open and close, to provide 

for his family. 

Salwan asked for nothing and 

gave everything he had to his family and friends. He was a kind and 

generous man who sought to help anyone in need. He dedicated his 

life to his family and no matter the difficulties that came his way he 

faced every obstacle with a smile on his face. 

Salwan is survived by his wife Sanar and four children, Matthew, Emily, 

Patrick, Brandon, his parents Noori and Khayria and six siblings, Basil, 

Maysoon, Ghazwan, Wesson, Sawsan, and Nashwan. 

John 14:1-3 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in 

me. My Father’s house has many rooms,; if that were not so, would I 

have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I 

go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with 

me that you also may be where I am.” 

Uncle Sam was a hero to his nieces and nephews and will be missed 

dearly, but we know that one day we will meet again in the Kingdom of 

God. 

vena together as a family. 

Use Laudate or iRosary for 

prayers, bible readings, and more. 

Emmanuel Chaldean app from 

the Chaldean Diocese of St Peter 

has many of our Chaldean prayers in 

English and Chaldean. 

Use the Video on Demand section 

of the EWTN app for lots of 

great animated episodes for younger 

kids, and Truth in the Heart episodes 

for older kids. 

Other 

Pray the rosary as a family. Say it 

weekly, the night before a vacation, 

on a feast day, or around a bonfire. 

Go to a daily mass. There’s mass 

every day of the week! 

Attend adoration as a family. 

Let the kids pick out a coloring/activity 

book, fiction book, toy, 

DVD, or trinket at a Catholic gift 

shop. 

Read as a family. Children’s bible, 

Theology of the Bible for Tots/Kids, 

Will Wilder series for young readers, 

The Adventures of Nick and Sam, 

Chime Travelers series, and more. 

Host a play date/movie night 

and watch a family friendly DVD 

like Catholic Heroes of the Faith or 

Brother Francis series. 

Get a subscription box from 

massbox.com. These family friendly 

crafts, magazines, and videos are for 

4-8-year-olds to help them get excited 

about their faith! 

Parents are a child’s primary 

teacher. They learn by our example. 

Be the light that shines brighter than 

the sun this summer. Help them 

(and yourself) grow in the Catholic 

faith. God bless! 

CUSTOM 

PRICING 

SHELF 

MINIMUM 

• Choose Retail Pricing 

• Order Confirmation (emailed) 

• Review Previous Orders 

• Scan, Type, or In-Put Vendor Number 

• UPC Scanning 

• Customize Tag Pricing (labels) 

ANDROID AND iPHONE APP DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE 

Liqord LITE 

Liquor ordering & shelf tags made easy 

LIQUOR 

SCANNING 

David Arafat 

Founder / CEO 

248-277-2554 

www.liqord.com 


obituaries 

RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

Moufaq 

Qala 

July 1, 1954 – 

May 22, 2019 

Faize Adel 

Dabish 

May 19, 1949 – 


Sabah Sadek 

Jan. 1, 1946 – 


Shamaya Bajoua 

July 1, 1923 – 


Salem Tolla 

March 1, 1929 – 


Victoria Zoma 

Malek 

Oct. 1, 1922 – 


Rianna Salem 

Aug. 26, 2009 – 


Hasib Dado 

July 1, 1941 – 


Rijo Yakou 

July 1, 1930 – 


Roza Hanna 

July 1, 1927 – 


Shakir Bacall 

July 1, 1941 – 


Maggie Hermiz 

Kassyounan 

July 1, 1927 – 


Sarkis 

Youska 

May 10, 

2019 

Salwan Noori 

Attisha 

Feb. 18, 1965 – 


Edmoon Samaan 

Hababa 

July 1, 1932 – 


Yousif Dawood 

Kellow 

July 1, 1937 – 


Sabah Asmar 

July 1, 1937 – 


Sabah Bahnam 

Jan. 17, 1935 – 


Putros Saka 

July 1, 1926 – 


Souad Salmo 

July 1, 1937 – 


Nazhat Naami 

July 16, 1938 – 


Wadia Bajoka 

July 1, 1939 – 

April 30, 2019 

Beno Zara 

July 1, 1936 – 


Rjo Maqo 

July 1, 1940 – 


Virginia Regina 

Essa Wahab 

Nov. 06, 1923 – 


Dr. Adel Askar 

July 09, 1924 – 


Viktoria Aziz 

Poota 

March 15, 1927 – 


William “ Bill “ 

Murad Thomas 

Jan. 19, 1943 – 


Musaab Mansoor 

Brikho 

Aug. 13, 1941 – 



WILLIAM “BILL” THOMAS 

BORN: JANUARY 19, 1943 ENTERED ETERNAL LIFE: APRIL 27, 2019 

William “Bill” Thomas was born on January 19, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan. He was the third of five 

sons to Murad and Jamila Thomas. He is survived by his devoted wife, Majdolin (Kalasho) of 

40 years and his three sons Steven (Julianne), Matthew (Megan), and Mark (Stephanie). He was a proud 

grandfather to Grace, Simon, Margo and Vincent. 

Bill will be dearly missed by his brothers Frank, Tommy and Peter as well as his 15 nephews and nieces. 

Bill was proceeded into Heaven by both his parents as well as his older brother Alex. 

In 1966 Bill earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the Detroit Institute of 

Technology and a Masters in Education from Wayne State University in 1970. He became a business 

teacher at Murray Wright High School and then left his teaching position to take over a bankrupt 

grocery store. He very quickly 

achieved record sales and profits at 

his supermarket, Safeway Foods. In 

1986, Bill became a licensed Real 

Estate Broker and soon became 

heavily involved in the investment, 

development and management of 

residential and commercial real estate. 

In his 76 years on Earth, Bill touched 

the lives of countless people. He was 

a loving husband, father, grandfather, 

son, brother, uncle and friend. Bill was 

most devoted to God and the Catholic 

Church. He was a humble and faithful 

man who always put the needs of 

others over himself. He was also a 

generous philanthropist and even 

volunteered his time at soup kitchens 

to help the needy. This loving and 

honest man will be dearly missed by 

all those whose lives he touched. We 

celebrate his passing from this life to 

join the Lord our God in heaven. 


talented TEENS 

An APP for education 


Most 16-year-old boys are focused 

on girls, homework, 

getting a driver’s license 

and goofing off with friends. Detroit 

Country Day sophomore, Michael 

Jonna is no different. Except, he is 

also focused on revolutionizing the 

online tutoring world. 

Ruru is a name for the Tasmanian 

spotted owl. It’s also the name of a 

creative, new tutoring app created by 

the budding entrepreneur. 

“I really feel like the owl, a wise 

owl, corresponds to education. It 

think it has a good flow and is easy to 

remember,” explained Jonna. 

Jonna, himself, is very wise at such 

a young age. He saw the need in the 

marketplace for an on-demand tutoring 

application and has set out to fill it. 

For those who may not know, 

an application, or app, is a computing 

term for a program or piece of 

software (most often used on smartphones) 

designed and written to fulfill 

a particular purpose for the user. 

Jonna realized the need for his fellow 

high school students to have instant, 

quality, affordable tutoring help 

at their fingertips. And like any entrepreneur, 

he went about creating it. 

“Most other online tutoring services 

involve scheduling tutoring appointments. 

Some are done through 

texting which is more like paying for 

the answer instead of learning. There 

is definitely nothing out there like us 

with instant, quality, video chat tutoring,” 

Jonna said. 

He has thought of every detail when 

it comes to his app: pricing, levels of service, 

marketing and making sure that 

tutors are all properly screened through 

background checks, credentialed and 

given competency tests. 

Jonna always has been impressed 

with the way that the Uber application 

has completely revolutionized 

ride sharing and used it at an inspiration 

for his tutoring app. 

“I feel like it’s a really good model 

for the on-demand trend happening 

with apps these days. No one really 

wants to wait anymore. And with 

something like tutoring, you need it at 

a specific time, especially if you have 

a test the next day,” Jonna explained. 

Much like Uber offers different 

quality of cars, Ruru offers quality 

levels of tutors with three different 

tiers: RURUONE, RURUPLUS 

and RURUPRO. 

It’s not only homework help, RU- 

RUONE is also great way for high 

school students, who are especially 

proficient in a particular subject, to 

make some money. 

“We felt like student tutors would be 

comfortable with $15 dollars per hour 

because it’s hard to get that at a normal 

job at our age,” said Jonna. There is a 

75/25 split, meaning that 75 percent of 

the cost will go to the tutor and 25 percent 

will go to Ruru,” he added. 

The higher levels of Ruru will be 

more costly, but the help will come from 

experienced teachers and professors. 

Along with having things ondemand, 

customization is also key in 

this smartphone age. And, of course, 

Jonna has thought of that, too. 

Students can choose different 

lengths of tutoring depending on 

their specific needs at the time: 15 

minutes, 30 minutes or one hour. 

Jonna was able to take his idea and 

bring it to fruition with the help of a 

Detroit-based, web/application development 

company called, Novocan. 

“I had all of the ideas in my head 

and worked alongside them to help put 

the pieces together like the video chat 

system and the payment system. They 

definitely helped a lot. I couldn’t have 

done it without them,” said Jonna. 

Currently, Jonna’s Ruru tutoring 

application is only available for 

high school students, but he plans on 

eventually expanding it to help elementary, 

middle school and college 

students. He also already has ideas 

on updating it and keeping it fresh, 

which is another important element 

in the world of applications. 

Jonna, who plans to study business 

in the future, is eying the University 

of Michigan as a possible place to do 

so. But, right now, his main focus is 

on taking the online tutoring world 

by storm with his Ruru application. 

Jonna attributes much of his drive 

to being Chaldean. 

“I was raised in an all Chaldean 

home and my dad has really inspired 

me to go after my dreams and ignore 

the people who try to bring me 

down,” he said. 

And, Jonna dreams big. 

“In ten years, theoretically, I see 

myself running one of the biggest tutoring 

companies in the world,” concluded 

Jonna. 

For information on Jonna’s recently 

launched Ruru tutoring application 

including where you can download 

it, pricing, levels of service, tutoring 

subjects and how to become a tutor, 

visit: www.rurututor.com 


Piano prodigy raises spirits 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

The idea of a traveling musician 

conjures images of 

gaily-clad troubadours or 

fedora-wearing itinerant bluesmen, 

not 16-year-old piano prodigies. Enter 

Michael Najor, a sophomore at 

Bloomfield Hills High School. 

Michael, who trains at Axis 

Music Academy in Birmingham, 

in April played a surprise birthday 

mini-concert at a local nursing home 

for 95-year-old WWII veteran Hal, a 

celebration arranged by his daughter 

Teresa Price. Hal’s “concert” featured 

such tunes as “Moonlight Sonata in 

D-Minor” and “Gymnopedie in D- 

Minor.” 

“It was a highlight for both of us, 

it was very emotional, it was very 

well received,” said Michael’s mom, 

Cheri Najor. She said Michael will 

play almost anywhere for anyone. He 

has tickled the ivories at his church, 

Renaissance Unity, as well as various 

farmers markets and charities for 

multiple sclerosis and cancer. 

“It’s a great feeling to entertain,” 

said Michael. “I love seeing people 

enjoying what I’m playing. It’s an 

awesome experience.” 

“Michael has been identified not 

only as a talented musician, but as 

a musician with a big heart,” said 

Cheri. “So when things like this 

come up, he is often asked to play.” 

Cheri played piano as a child and 

insisted that Michael take lessons 

beginning at age 5. She said there 

were difficult periods when he was a 

young child and learning the complex 

instrument became emotionally 

frustrating. Michael pushed through 

that with Cheri’s help. By the time 

he was 13, he was fully committed. 

This summer, Michael will head 

for Interlochen, the northern Michigan 

camp for musicians, actors and 

artists that boasts scores of graduates 

working professionally in the arts. 

In addition to performing, Michael’s 

interests include music theory, 

composing original music and 

original arrangements of existing 

tunes. 

The popular television series, 

“Game of Thrones,” along with its 

now-classic theme song, proved a 

temptation for Michael, who rearranged 

it as a ragtime tune. To 

Cheri’s delight, the arrangement 

acted as a salve to lighten the blow 

of the less-than-spectacular final 

episode. Cheri, like many GOT 

fans, found the show’s end, widely 

regarded as ham-handed storytelling, 

disappointing. “I’m in depression 

along with the rest of the world,” 

said Cheri. “I’m hanging my head 

and just shuffling along the road with 

how the series ended.” 

Cheri said Michael has perfect 

pitch and can play almost anything 

after hearing it, a trait he shares with 

Cheri. He is also able to identify 

notes by name upon hearing them, 

something Cheri cannot do. The 

pair are the only ones with musical 

talent in their family. 

Other than music, Michael’s full 

focus is on academics. He maintains 

a 3.9 grade point average and plans 

to attend the University of Michigan. 

It is not yet clear if Michael will 

pursue a career in music through his 

college days or beyond, said Cheri. 

Michael dabbled in sports and enjoys 

playing basketball recreationally, but 

he always finds himself returning to 

music. 

“He likes his dog, he likes piano, 

he likes basketball and he loves his 

mother,” said Cheri. 

Michael is very proud of his Chaldean 

heritage, said Cheri. “He’s a kid 

who helps raise money and raise spirits,” 

she said. 

Cheri is glad that she encouraged 

Michael to pursue playing music at 

an early age. She regrets not staying 

with it when she was a kid, although 

she still remembers how to play all of 

the songs she learned back then. 

“I just wanted him to have the 

gift of music for a lifetime. There’s a 

lot of things you can give your kids, 

but you want to give them something 

that will last forever; and I truly knew 

that music is forever.” 

She advises parents to make sure 

their kids stick with music. “If they 

have the most remote interest, have 

that be the one thing that you require 

them to fulfill because there’s 

never been an adult in the history 

of the world that has said, ‘I’m glad I 

quit playing.’” 

“When Michael was little, I 

would come behind him and he 

would cry. He would say, ‘I can’t do 

it, it’s too hard, I can’t, I can’t.’ I 

would sit with him and I would say, 

‘just so you know, it’s not about the 

music anymore, now it’s about your 

ability to stick with something and 

get through your feelings. So, let’s do 

this together.’” 

Judging from the course of events 

after those early days, Cheri turned 

out to be right. 


talented TEENS 

A parting gift 


Maryam Ramzi recently 

turned 14. She’s nearing the 

end of her seventh grade 

school year, is the eldest of three siblings, 

adores her two younger brothers, 

and loves reading mystery books. 

She’s invested in her hobbies and is 

excited about meeting and making 

new friends. From the looks of it, it 

seems as though Ramzi is an ordinary 

teenager. She is an ordinary teenager 

with an extraordinary story, and extraordinary 

abilities. 

Ramzi was born and raised in 

Baghdad, Iraq. Her father, Amir, was 

a writer, and Ramzi often marveled 

at his work ethic. The time and dedication 

he took to hone his craft was 

not lost on her, even from a young 

age. Some of Ramzi’s other memories 

of the old country are of food, family 

gatherings, and of belonging; there 

were always people to come home 

to in Iraq, always people over at 

your house or you over at theirs. Life 

seemed grand, until an unexpected 

tragedy struck the Ramzi household 

when little Ramzi was just five years 

old. 

Amir suffered a heart attack and 

passed on as a result of the trauma. 

Ramzi, her mother, and her two very 

young brothers were left scrambling 

with the pieces…no father, and a 

country which was becoming increasingly 

less safe with each passing 

day. Ramzi’s mother made a decision 

and first moved her family to Jordan, 

and then eventually all came to 

Michigan, where they have recently 

celebrated their seven-year anniversary 

of immigrating to the United 

States. 

Ramzi plugged into her new life 

in the best way she knew how. She 

was going through the motions of 

school, home, and family until her 

fourth-grade teacher took her 

aside to tell her something. 

“I took a test on a computer 

and the results showed that I 

was at a college level of reading 

and writing,” said Ramzi. “I 

knew from then on that this was 

a gift from my Dad, and that I 

wanted to do everything to 

make him proud and to continue 

on from where my Dad left 

off. I write not only for me, but 

for him as well.” 

It wouldn’t take very long for 

another teacher of hers to stop 

and marvel at Ramzi’s work. 

Ms. Yaldo at Grissom Middle 

School in Sterling Heights noticed 

Ramzi’s storytelling abilities 

after students were asked to 

write a piece about a significant 

moment in their lives. Ramzi 

wrote about her father’s untimely 

death, and how her life 

changed afterwards. 

“I think the fact that Ms. 

Yaldo is of Iraqi descent herself 

is really what made me more 

comfortable to share my ideas 

and my story. She’s really helped me,” 

said Ramzi. The first time Ramzi read 

her story out loud to the class was a 

formative moment for her. 

“I don’t like pity, and I was worried 

about that, but my classmates 

didn’t give me pity. Only love and 

support,” she explained. “It felt good 

to show my peers where my anxiety 

comes from, so that they understand. 

I’ve come away from this experience 

stronger and more confident in myself 

and in my writing abilities.” 

Ramzi credits her old soul as helping 

her to write. “I’ve always been an 

old soul; I’ve always loved to give 

advice to others. I like to tell people 

that bad times and bad moments 

happen to us all. Everything happens 

for a reason. My Dad never wanted 

to leave Iraq, he always said this, and 

after he passed and our country became 

a more dangerous place to live 

in my family and I made our way to 

the United States. I want everyone 

to know that your problems 

are never too small for anyone. 

Tell people how you are feeling. 

For kids and teenagers…if you 

can’t talk to your parents, talk 

to your school counselor. Talk 

to someone.” 

Not only is Ramzi a writer, 

but she is also a budding public 

speaker. She has now read her 

essay twice out loud to her class. 

“I used to get nervous about 

speaking in front of others, but 

then when people come up to 

me afterwards I’ve realized that 

my words help others so now I 

don’t get nervous.” 

Not only has this experience 

reminded Ramzi of what 

she wants to do with her life – 

write – she wants to major in 

English in college and minor in 

criminal justice, but it has also 

strengthened her relationship 

with her mother and her family. 

“This experience has given me 

new ways to talk to my family 

about what has happened to us, 

and how we can all move forward.” 

One of the first lines in Ramzi’s 

memoir essay is, Thus, I have learned 

one lesson, life is certainly unpredictable. 

“But it still moves on,” said 

Ramzi. 


SOCIAL SECURITY 

DISABILITY 

Attorney Randall Mansour 

Social Security Disability and 

Veterans Benefits Attorneys 

LAW OFFICES OF 

Kelly, Riggs, & Mansour 

625 E. BIG BEAVER STE. 204, TROY, MI 48083 

• Specializing in Social Security Cases (SSI/SSD) & VA Benefits 

• We’ve won thousands of cases 

• Assistance with the initial application process 

• Help from start to finish with the entire claim 

• Free Consultation 

• No fee unless we win 

• Fluent in both Arabic and Chaldean at our office 

DISABILITYLAWGROUP.COM 

248-838-3000 

TOLL FREE 

800-838-1100 

Subscribe today! 

ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION: $25 

❏ 1 YEAR 

❏ GIFT SUBSCRIPTION 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

NAME 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

ADDRESS 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

CITY / STATE / ZIP 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

E-MAIL 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

PHONE 

PLEASE MAIL THE FORM, WITH A CHECK PAYABLE TO: 

CHALDEAN NEWS, ATTN: SUBSCRIPTIONS 



PHONE: 248-851-8600 FAX: 248-851-1348 


The road to opportunity 

Governor Whitmer outlines her path to fix the damn roads and more 


As soon as she was elected the 

49th Governor of the State 

of Michigan, Gretchen 

Whitmer hit the ground running as 

she transitioned her campaign stump 

speech to her first year in office tour 

to “Fix the Damn Roads.” 

Along the way, she made a stop at 

the Shenandoah Country Club in West 

Bloomfield to address the Chaldean 

American Chamber of Commerce. 

“The Chaldean community is incredibly 

important to the health and 

welfare and future of the economy 

of the state and that is why I wanted 

to have this conversation with you 

about where we are headed as a state,” 

said Whitmer. “The first year of the 

first term, the governor has about 2 ½ 

months to write a budget which really 

takes about five months to write.” 

She outlined the problem and her 

reasoning behind the ask for the 45- 

cent gas tax increase. “We stopped 

investing in the foundation of our 

state,” she said, “the literal foundation 

and the figurative foundation.” 

She continued to say that the 

state of Michigan stopped investing 

in education, roads, bridges and 

clean drinking water. 

The total budget in Michigan is 

$60.2 billion. The discretion is in 

the general fund. Other funds are 

restricted. The general fund is more 

than $10 billion. It funds a variety of 

state programs. 

It has not grown in 20 years but 

the costs of services have increased. 

The state’s ability to pay for these 

services have not grown. 

“Had that fund kept up with inflation, 

it would have more than $5 

billions more in it,” she noted. “We 

have a state infrastructure that is literally 

crumbling.” 

She described a legislature that 

kept moving money around from 

fund to fund to do short-term fixes 

on roads, water and education. 

Whitmer’s budget plan to fix the 

crumbling and dangerous roads goes 

beyond the pothole patches and 

could also impact her plans to significantly 

boost spending on education 

and environmental improvements. 

The national standard for roads is 

that the 90 percent of them should be 

in good to fair conditions at all times. 

In Michigan, 78 percent are in good 

and fair condition. “In terms of Infrastructure, 

if you are not rebuilding, 

you’re deteriorating,” said Whitmer, 

“There is no such thing as status quo.” 

If we don’t invest in roads, in 

three years the 78 percent of roads in 

good to fair conation will be at only 

60 percent, according to Governor 

Whitmer. 

“Study after study has shown that 

we have the worst roads in America,” 

said Whitmer. “The state that put 

the world in cars has the worst roads 

in America right now.” 

On the large screen, the Governor 

showed a map of where we have 

bad roads in America, that the dots 

are everywhere. 

She also showed photos of potholes 

that included a pothole patching 

truck stuck in a pothole. 

The state has taken money from 

the school aid fund to shore up the 

general fund diverted to fill potholes. 

Michigan is dead last in educating 

children in literacy proficiency. 

“If we don’t get education of our 

children right, our economic future 

and their standard of living is all 

compromised.” 

She is focused on what she has 

deemed fundamental. She is also focusing 

on talent and education. Only 

44 percent of adults Michigan residents 

have a post-secondary degree 

or a certification. 

Today we have PFOSS leaching 

into drinking water systems across 

Michigan. It is a fundamental issue 

that the Governor is focused on. 

She plans to fix roads, education 

and drinking water. Her goal is 

to have 90 percent of our roads in 

good to fair condition by 2030. She 

plans to clean up drinking water. She 

wants 100 percent of communities 

to have good drinking water. Close 

skills gap by bringing down the cost 

of a college degree, which will enable 

companies to fill good paying jobs. 

She wants Michigan to be a top 

ten state in education by focusing 

on literacy. 

The state has a 2.5 billion infrastructure 

problem and she is proposing 

a 45-cent gas tax. She plans to 

ramp it up in a series of increases. 

She also outlined why other proposed 

solutions don’t work including 

taxing marijuana which was a question 

from the audience. 

“Pot for potholes,” she joked. 

“This question comes up all the time.” 

The Governor even shared a slide 

on this issue. “Our roads is a $2.5 billion 

problem. It is so big it is hard to 

get your head around. Marijuana at its 

height is predicted to leverage 42 million 

in taxes to go to infrastructure….,” 

she explained. “Every man, woman and 

child would have to consume $2,500 

in marijuana every year to raise those 

kinds of revenue. At that level, no one 

is going to care about the roads.” 

She contends that there are not 

a lot of mechanisms to raise 2.5 billion 

dollars. Some have suggested to 

raise the corporate income tax. Gas 

tax would be dedicated to the roads 

under the constitution. Other increased 

taxes are not earmarked for 

roads. Others suggested raising the 

income tax which would include a 

vote of the people and hope the legislature 

appropriates the money for 

roads. This is the same for sales tax. 

Some feedback included taking 

money from various tax increases, 

however, the fact remains that the 

only tax that can be solely used for 

the roads is the gas tax. 


BOOK review 

Before There Were 

Borders: Review 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

Written by first generation 

Assyrian-American sisters 

Josephine Attisha and 

Mary Zomayah, “Before There Were 

Borders” is a “coming of age” story 

about Sara Georges, a young Assyrian-American 

woman who shares her 

story of growing up in Iraq with her 

American-born granddaughter. Sara 

tells her granddaughter about how 

she dealt with Iraq’s culture, patriarchy, 

and limitations. Unaware of 

the harsh truths of her grandmother’s 

homeland, Sara’s stories are eyeopening 

for her granddaughter. 

Taking place in Christmas eve in 

present-day America and in Iraq during 

the 1950s, “Before There Were 

Borders” sets out to paint a picture 

of a time when Christian and Muslim 

neighbors lived in harmony. The 

book includes everything from romance 

and drama to magic and superstitions. 

As a first generation Assyrian- 

American, I was excited to read 

“Before There Were Borders”, especially 

considering it is written from 

the perspective of a woman. It is no 

secret that women in Iraq, and the 

Middle East, were not always highly 

regarded and I believe the book 

does a good job of addressing this. 

Early on, Attisha and Zomayah 

tackle this with Sara, their lead 

character, discussing marriage and 

how she would rather pursue her 

education first. 

Unsurprisingly, Sara recalls her 

mother being taken aback by this 

statement. “Please don’t think like 

that. If people hear you talk like this, 

they will think something is wrong 

with you,” her mother said. 

The idea that all women were 

called to marriage and that ultimately, 

that is all their life really is about, 

is a theme that is prevalent in the 

stories of all the women in the book. 

While slow to start, as the book 

progresses, we see the story go from 

being Sara’s story to Hayat’s story. 

Hayat was the Muslim woman 

who Sara eventually grew to become 

very close friends with. The unlikely 

friendship between the two started 

when Hayat was set to marry Sara’s 

neighbor, Lieutenant Colonel. An 

anomaly in those times, Hayat was 

25 years old and still had not been 

married. Even more unusual to Sara 

was that Hayat would be marrying 

a married man who already had six 

children. 

She would eventually learn from 

her mother that marrying multiple 

women while still being married was 

a normal practice among the Muslim 

community in those times. 

As I mentioned, the book was 

slow to start. I found myself really 

trying to push through the first 50 

pages or so. It was not until the story 

totally took Hayat’s perspective that 

I got lost in the book. Hayat’s story 

is beautifully written and compelling 

from start to finish. I didn’t realize 

just how enthralled I was by her story 

until an hour later when I reached 

the end. 

Reading the description for “Before 

There Were Borders”, I thought 

the book’s goal was to illustrate the 

then harmonious relationships between 

two religiously different groups 

of people, Christians and Muslims. If 

that was the goal, I’m afraid the writers 

did not achieve it. The book was 

largely about Hayat’s journey, with 

two or three brief moments that allude 

to her friendship with Sara even 

though Sara ultimately leaves Iraq 

with Hayat. 

Above all else, though, the Attisha 

and Zomayah accomplished so 

much more. Through their captivating 

style of writing, they have given 

a fresh, and more importantly, unbiased 

look at what Iraq used to be. 

And, along the way, they told the 

stories of several very different women, 

all strong in their own way. Except 

Fatima. I think anyone who has 

read “Before There Were Borders” 

can agree that Fatima was a deplorable 

human. 

I commend Attisha and Zomayah. 

As a first generation Assyrian-American, 

it can be hard to have a firm 

understanding of your identity, let 

alone a country, as you grow up between 

two worlds. They have done 

a stellar job in laying both out for 

everyone, Middle Eastern or not, 

to understand. I highly recommend 

“Before There Were Borders”. 

America's Largest 

Exterior Remodeler 

Local Owners 

The Sheena Family 

For Free In Home Estimate, call 

248-940-1532 

Showroom 

2873 Haggerty Road, Commerce MI 

WindowWorldDetroit.com 

JOIN OUR 

GROWING TEAM. 

The Chaldean News is looking for motivated 

candidates to fill full-time salaried sales 

positions. Qualified candidates should email 

a resume to info@chaldeannews.com. 


A sweet 

taste of 

home 


Local orthodontist Dr. Brandon 

Shoukri is considered a real gogetter! 

But, he’s also a self-proclaimed 

“go- giver”. These two valuable 

traits, he says, he learned from 

growing up in a Chaldean home. 

Dr. Shoukri is a Board-Certified 

Orthodontist who graduated first in 

his class with a Doctor of Dental Surgery 

degree from the University of 

Michigan School of Dentistry. He is 

active in the American Association 

of Orthodontists, the Great Lakes 

Association of Orthodontists, the 

American Dental Association, and 

the Michigan Dental Association. 

“I absolutely love what I do,” 

Shoukri said. 

But, what he equally loves to do is 

give back to the community through 

mentoring, teaching at the University 

of Michigan and also through 

the ‘Cookies for Courage’ initiative 

at his Commerce Township practice, 

Outstanding Orthodontics. 

“Dr. Mark Berkman, Dr. Lainie 

Shapiro, and I have always been 

committed to giving back to the 

community along with educating 

and empowering the young generation,” 

said Dr. Shoukri. 

The doctors look for ways to do 

that any way they can. And, one of 

the ways they discovered, is through 

the Girl Scouts. 

“Every year, the other doctors, the 

office team, and I would always look forward 

to cookie season. While Dr. Shapiro 

was a Girl Scout herself; Dr. Berkman 

and I are inspired by how much 

work goes into preparing and selling 

the cookies. They are learning essential 

entrepreneurial skills at a young age 

like providing customer service, managing 

inventory and income, and most 

importantly setting goals,” explained 

Shoukri. “We felt that as a practice we 

could do more to help the Girl Scouts. 

So, we created the ‘Cookies for Courage’ 

program,” he continued. 

The initiative is a brilliant way to 

help these business-minded girls and 

young women reach their sales goals, 

learn a little about orthodontics and 

provide a big, loving taste of home to 

our troops. 

“When a troop of Girl Scouts 

would come to our office, we’d always 

buy two cases of cookies from them. 

This would allow them to get closer 

to their goals in raising money for 

trips and community projects. We’d 

also open the doors for them to ask 

questions, to see what goes on during 

a normal day at an orthodontic office, 

and hopefully be inspired to become 

an orthodontist,” Dr.Shoukri said. 

But, while they were doing their 

part in helping the Girl Scouts reach 

their sales goals, they’d quite often 

end up with a lot more cookies than 

they could handle. 

That sparked the rather sweet 

idea to help the Girl Scouts and give 

a little boost to our troops’ morale. 

“With a number of our patients 

having families who are active in 

the military, we thought it would 

be a great opportunity to give our 

troops stationed at bases in the U.S. 

and around the world a taste of great 

American made cookies,” he explained. 

So, the doctors at Outstanding 

Orthodontics took their idea for 

‘Cookies for Courage’ to the best 

place they knew of to gather support: 

social media. 

“We asked the community to 

send us addresses of loved ones who 

are in the military, so we could ship 

the cases of cookies over to them. 

We were overwhelmed with responses 

and just amazed by the positive 

feedback,” said Dr. Shoukri. 

As the names of service members 

came rolling in, so did uniformed 

Girls Scouts with their boxes of 

cookies. Boxes continued to fill their 

office as the doctors bought two cases 

of cookies from each troop. 

The Girl Scout troops from cities 

such as Canton, Commerce, Brighton, 

Northville, Wixom, Warren, 

Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, 

Clarkston and Berkley so far have 

taken part in ‘Cookies for Courage’ 

through the caring doctors at Outstanding 

Orthodontics. 

The hundreds of boxes of cookies 

they have purchased are being sent 

to training bases, VA hospitals, as 

well as to military members serving 

both locally and abroad as a sweet 

thank you for all they are doing and 

have done. 

The welcomed taste of home is 

also being sent to U.S. troops as far 

away as the Middle East, Japan, Italy, 

and even Thule Air Base in Greenland, 

750 miles north of the Arctic 

Circle! 

‘Cookies for Courage’ not only 

has put a smile on the faces of several 

military troops, it has also done so for 

the Girl Scouts troops. 

“My troop loved visiting the office 

and selling so many boxes! We 

earned our Troops-to-Troops badge 

because of it too!” explained Abby 

Berkheiser,14, of Commerce Troop 

70451. 

“We love for the girls to feel a 

connection to all the good they do. 

This was a great program because of 

that. We also used the trip to teach 

the girls a lot about career choices because 

of the visit to a professional office. 

It was a win-win all around,” added 

Christine Berkheiser, troop mom of 

Commerce Troop 70451. 

For the doctors at Outstanding 

Orthodontics, and “go-giver” Dr. 

Shoukri, you can add another win to 

that. 

“We are forever grateful for everything 

the individuals in the military 

forces of the United States do to 

protect our freedom. This is a sweet 

thank you from us and the Girl Scouts 

to them,” Shoukri concluded. 

To learn more about Outstanding 

Orthodontics and their ‘Cookies for 

Courage’ initiative and now to become 

involved next cookie season, go to: 

https://outstandingortho.com/ 

cookies-for-courage/ 

Or, follow them on Facebook 

and Instagram at: 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

BerkmanAndShapiroOrthodontics/ 

https://www.instagram.com/ 

outstandingortho/ 


PATIO 

NOW OPEN 

PRIVATE ROOM 

FOR 10-150 

PEOPLE 

Hope for a home 

The need for foster care parents continues 


According to the Michigan 

Department of Health and 

Human Services, there are 

approximately 13,000 children in 

foster care in the state of Michigan. 

“We have 612 children in foster care 

in Macomb County currently,” said 

Kim Borja. 

Borja has been the Macomb 

County Child Welfare Director since 

August of 2018. She holds 16 years of 

experience working with the state of 

Michigan in various capacities. Her 

journey began first as a foster care 

worker and as an adoption worker 

before she moved her way up into 

management. She’s a proud Michigan 

native from Macomb County. She 

earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology 

and child development from 

Central Michigan University and 

her Master’s degree in Family Studies 

from Spring Arbor University. 

“We have 56 licensed foster 

homes. We also work with private 

agencies who have their own foster 

homes that they’re licensed with, 

but we’re always recruiting for foster 

parents.” Some ways Borja and 

her department spread the message 

about foster care families and foster 

care parenting is through state-based 

organizations, public events, fairs, 

hospitals and schools. 

But the biggest recruitment tool 

comes straight from the heart. “A 

lot of recruitment is done by word of 

mouth from current foster care parents 

to future foster care parents,” 

said Borja. 

Several things are considered 

before a child is placed with a foster 

family. “We always look for relatives 

first. Some relatives are already licensed 

and some are not,” said Borja. 

“For our children that have more 

significant needs, such as behavioral 

or mental health needs, we look into 

placing them in residential care so 

that they can get the treatment that 

they need.” 

The wishes of the child are always 

taken into consideration before 

a home placement is made. “If there 

are any religious beliefs or cultural 

customs in place that are important 

to a child, we look to see if there is 

a foster parent or foster parents that 

can best meet their needs and support 

them,” said Borja. “We also take 

into account the wishes of the foster 

parent or parents.” 

Because children from a wide 

variety of backgrounds are currently 

in foster care, it is always helpful to 

have foster care parents who also 

come from a wide variety of backgrounds. 

“We’ve reached out to the 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

for help with recruitment. We do 

have a small number of Chaldean 

children in foster care.” 

Interested individuals who want 

to learn more about becoming a foster 

parent in Michigan can contact 

the Foster Care Navigator Program 

for the State of Michigan at 855- 

642-4543 or by visiting FCNP.org. 

Another resource which offers more 

information on foster care and the 

foster care application process is www. 

michigan.gov/hopeforahome. 

Private Banquet Rooms Available, 

Specializing In All Occasions: 

• Small Weddings 

• Rehearsal Dinners 

• Bridal & Baby Showers 

• Communions 

• Baptisms & More 

* MENTION THIS AD AND WE WILL WAIVE ROOM CHARGE 

West Bloomfield School District 

www.wbsd.org (248) 865-6420 #onlyWB 


Garden Mint 

In the garden of mint 

BY SALLY WENCZEL 

“ 

Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram; 

The marigold, that goes to bed wi’ the 

sun.” Shakespeare’s description of summer 

triggers my sensory memory: fragrant, oil filled 

leaves cooking in the hot sun, the kids sampling 

lemon balm and mint in one green-mouth-filled, 

smiling bite, proud that they know how to identify 

one leaf from another in the herb garden. A brush 

of a leg or stroke of the hand and you’re wearing 

summer’s minty perfume. 

Tis the season of hot lavender and mints, and 

making memories with friends and family over long 

set tables. Fresh, cooling mint harvested straight 

from the garden is chopped into grandmother’s 

cucumber salad or muddled in sweet, cold lemonade. 

Lee Sharkas and his crew at Shanendoah chop 

loads of mint every day to keep up with demand for 

guests’ favorite dishes. The general manager and 

head chef at the club’s fine dining restaurant said 

that tabbouleh is his favorite minty Shenandoah 

dish and a favorite of the guests as well. “Fresh 

Mint is a must in tabbouleh,” said Sharkas. 

Mint was finding its way onto our plates and 

into our goblets many generations ago. The art of 

cooking evolved right along side the art of herbalism 

over the centuries and according to people’s 

needs. Middle Eastern culture from the 7th century 

onward translated and preserved precious volumes 

of Greek medical knowledge, thereby plunging itself 

into a unique period of scientific breakthroughs 

Wild Michigan mint 

that shaped modern culture today. What we call 

“holistic medicine” or “alternative medicine” in 

our modern world was just medicine to our ancestors 

and mint certainly had its place in the family 

garden and on the apothecary shelf. 

Ever farther back in time, mint was probably at 

the table of Jesus. It was definitely grown and used 

in the lands of St. Matthew, as scripture says: 

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and 

Have omitted the weightier matters of the law, 

Judgement, mercy and faith. 

– Matthew, 23 

I’d love to see a table setting from that age and to 

hear the conversations filling the room, the garden 

just outside the kitchen, the smell of herbs and oils 

in the medicine cabinet. Essential herbal oils were 

widely used and prized in the days of old and are still 

today. The small bottle of mint essential oil I keep 

inside my purse has saved me a few times, when a sinus 

headache strikes; I just use a drop on my temples 

or the back of my neck and sweet cooling relief! But 

be careful not to get it in your eyes! Just a deep inhale 

of the refreshing oil or a little dab under my 

nose helps me to stay awake while driving long distances 

in the night. But remember, before you start 

bathing yourself in mint oil be sure to check for any 

contraindications with any health conditions. 

Mint Lemonade: 

2 cups crushed ice 

4 cups water 

2 large lemons (or limes), washed, unpeeled, 

cut into small pieces and seeds removed 

Juice of one large lemon 

1 bunch fresh mint leaves, stems removed. Set 

some aside for garnish. 

1 cup sugar 

Add all of the ingredients to the pitcher of a 

high quality blender. Cover and push blend 

or liquefy until you achieve the desired drink 

consistency. Pour lemonade into a serving 

pitcher through a mesh strainer. Add fresh 

mint leaves to the pitcher for garnish. Cover 

and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. 

Yogurt Cucumber Dip: 

2 cups plain yogurt 

1 large cucumber, seeded and grated 

10 large leaves of mint, minced 

1 clove of garlic (crushed) 

½ tsp salt 

¼ tsp cumin powder 

Mix all and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

As you probably have heard, mint has the ability 

to spread and take over a garden. It’s best to 

plant it in a container or buy a large clay pot and 

bury the pot in the ground, where it can be nestled 

amongst your flower garden or other herbs. Unless 

you want a mint farm, then just let it go! 

Right in the middle of mint farm country a 

few hours north, is the St. Johns Mint Festival. It 

happens in August and I absolutely cannot wait to 

check it out. There’s a quilt show, beauty queens, 

a parade, live music and Minty The Green Bear, 

according to the Facebook page. Some of the large 

mint farms in the surrounding area are open for 

tours during the festival. A friend of mine, who has 

attended, said the whole county smells of mint in 

the warm summer months. I’m already planning 

my weekend! 


chaldean on the STREET 

Looking back at the raids 

BY HALIM SHEENA 

June 11, 2017 is a day that will stay with the community for many years to come. Hundreds 

of Iraqi nationals, including members of the Chaldean community, were caught up 

in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and detained while they awaited 

deportation. With the intervention of the ACLU, those at risk were given a fighting chance. 

Two years later, they continue to fight. We asked community members how they felt about 

the continued threat of deportation. 

With the two-year anniversary of the raids coming 

up, I’m filled with sadness and frustration that such 

a strong threat exists. Thankfully, with the election 

coming up, we have a chance to elect change that 

will benefit our community and reduce this threat. We 

must remember there are more than two issues that 

we should base our votes on. 

– Azal Arabo, Walled Lake, 22 

The issue here is not whether these immigrants 

should be given second chances. The issue is how 

to fix a broken, inefficient immigration system which 

makes the path to citizenship unduly difficult. The 

solution here is not compassion. The solution is to 

take control away from the power-hungry bureaucrats 

who we continue to vote into office, buying into their 

empty promises as they are enriched by our naivety. 

Vote accordingly, my friends. 

– Samer Paulus, Detroit, 25 

I would say when it comes to the subject of deportation 

in general, I feel like America should pay more 

attention on the intentions of the families that want to 

live in this country. With parents that were once refugees, 

it was very difficult for them to adapt to a new 

lifestyle in America. What made their journey harder 

was the years they had to wait to earn their citizenship. 

In my opinion, families and individuals that want 

to start a life in America are people who are living in 

a poor, dangerous environment and want a chance 

get jobs and live a happy life. When ICE threatens 

individuals to go back to their homeland with scarce 

food, water, and shelter they are putting their lives in 

danger. With citizenships being so difficult to get, it 

makes it a longer process for refugees and immigrants 

to be safe from ICE. Therefore, I believe there 

should be a system of some sort for people that are 

trying to get their citizenship and for them to be safe 

from getting deported. 

– Malanda Malan, Sterling Heights, 22 

With the continued threat of ICE; I believe that it 

is an advantage to our community in many ways. It 

should no longer be a threat rather an opportunity of 

how, we as individuals, can use our own experiences 

and resources to help one another. It has ignited the 

passion in many people’s hearts to represent those 

individuals through law and ethical practices. It is a 

chance to prove the strong roots we hold as Chaldeans. 

We cannot give up now! 

– Susan Arrow Musielewicz, 

Ann Arbor, 30 

Deportation is something that has taken such a 

big toll on our community. Breaking up families is 

injustice. The individuals facing deportation fear for 

their life and losing everything and everyone due to 

mistakes that they have already served time for. This 

isn’t making our country better, it’s just breaking 

households and breaking hearts of people who don’t 

deserve the treatment they’re getting. Our country 

needs to focus on the present, rather than the past 

with the individuals facing deportation. 

– Lavrena Kenaya, West Bloomfield, 22 

I feel many different emotions thinking about the anniversary 

of the ICE raids, the strongest one is anger. 

Anger in our community’s judgement towards these 

individuals and their families. Anger in people being 

completely one-sided on deportation issues and refusing 

to learn more about this specific situation. And 

anger in this administration for using these individuals, 

inflicting trauma on them and their families, for 

their own political benefit. Thankfully, the majority of 

them are released from detention and able to await 

their individual trails at home and with their family. 

– Hillary Sesi, Sterling Heights, 28 


Dealing with divorce, annulments 

LISA CIPRIANO 

Nobody who is getting married 

ever plans on getting 

a divorce or an annulment. 

But, sometimes well intended marital 

unions simply don’t work out. 

The national divorce rate lingers 

at about 50 percent. And, the Chaldean 

community is not immune, despite 

the heavy religious and social 

implications. 

Divorce and annulments are a 

complicated issue legally, spiritually 

and emotionally. It can be even more 

challenging within the confines of 

the Chaldean Catholic church. 

The February 20, 2019 episode 

of The Mom-to-Mom Show hosted 

by Lisa Denha and produced by the 

Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization 

Center, touches on all of these complicated 

angles. 

The live show, featuring Iklas Bahoura-Bashi, 

Lubna Seba and Channelle 

Kizy-White, explored how the 

Chaldean Church views divorce and 

annulments, explains some of the legal 

issues involved in these processes 

and talks about the resources available 

through the ECRC’s newly developed 

divorce ministry program. 

Until recently, there were little 

to no emotional support resources 

specifically tailored to members of 

the Chaldean community who are 

dealing with the emotional process 

of divorce or marriage annulments. 

Bahoura-Bashi, a licensed therapist 

and Christian life coach, explains 

how she developed ECRC’s 

divorce ministry program after a 

member of the Chaldean community 

who had went through a divorce, 

told her of the healing that 

she had experienced through a divorce 

care program offered by the 

protestant church. 

After realizing that there were no 

similar resources available to Chaldeans 

going through divorces and 

annulments, Bahoura-Bashi said she 

consulted with the church and developed 

the ECRC divorce ministry 

support group program based on a 

Catholic program on surviving divorce. 

So far, they have held three 

successful sessions. 

She explained the importance of 

seeking psychological support after 

a failed marriage, reflecting on mistakes 

made, working on correcting 

them, grieving the loss of a marriage 

and healing before moving forward 

into another relationship. 

Kizy-White, a family lawyer, 

touched on the often complicated 

legal process involved in divorces 

and annulments including financial, 

property, and custody issues. 

She discussed how these issues often 

re-emerge post-divorce when 

entering into a new relationship 

and creating new families. Kizy- 

White also explained the effects 

that she has seen divorces have on 

children and the conflicts that can 

arise between families. 

The church’s annulment process 

is a detailed, complicated and often 

confusing one that many have questions 

about. 

Seba, who is the annulment coordinator 

for the St. Thomas the Apostle 

Chaldean Diocese, explained 

how the Chaldean Catholic Church 

views divorces and annulments, how 

to apply for an annulment and the 

in-depth and often lengthy process 

in which an annulment is granted. 

She also outlined some of the 

church’s views and specific teachings 

on how to move forward spiritually 

within the church and in 

relationships after a divorces and 

annulments. 

The panelists also discussed the 

sensitive subject of infidelity from 

their own unique, professional 

viewpoints after a viewer of the live 

show submitted a question about 

the common misconception that 

cheating in a marriage is automatic 

grounds for annulment. 

Seba quickly cleared that up for 

viewers by explaining that the annulment 

process is only based on 

what happens in the relationship 

prior to marriage and gave a number 

of examples of what the church 

looks for in its annulment application 

questionnaire. 

From a therapist’s standpoint, Bahoura-Bashi 

explained how couples 

actually can and do move past infidelity 

and their marriage can emerge 

even stronger with proper counseling 

to help regain trust. 

As a family lawyer, Kizy-White 

agreed that, although it is no excuse 

for cheating, there are underlying 

problems in a marriage that lead to 

infidelity. She agreed that couples 

can successfully work through their 

problems through counseling and has 

even seen it happen in her practice. 

The importance of pre-marital 

counseling was also addressed in this 

informative and comprehensive episode 

of The Mom-to-Mom Show. 

The Catholic Diocese has responded 

to the increased need for 

couples to learn, before walking 

down the aisle, about possible issues 

that could arise in a marriage. 

Seba explains how ECRC is working 

to bring more awareness of the 

sacrament of marriage and what 

it means through its pre-marital 

counseling program. 

Despite its title, The Mom-to- 

Mom show is not just for moms. It 

covers a range of important topics 

for parents and members of the 

Chaldean community in general. 

You can watch it and learn by 

becoming a member of The Chaldean 

Moms of Metro Detroit Facebook 

page at: https://www.facebook.com/ 

groups/2208482049379404/ 


CHALDEAN COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

Help Wanted! 

Please consider hiring one of 

our many new Americans. 

More than 30,000 Chaldean refugees have migrated to Michigan since 2007. Many 

possess the skills and determination to work hard for you and your organization. 

The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) has a bank of resumes 

of candidates qualified to do a variety of jobs. To inquire about hiring a 

New American, call or email Elias at 586-722-7253 or 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org. 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Sterling Heights Office 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

586-722-7253 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org 


ONE on ONE 

One on One with Raad Kathawa 

The newly remodeled dining 

room at Shenandoah Country 

has created quite the 

buzz. Recently, Chaldean News Copublisher 

Mike Sarafa sat down with 

Shenandoah President Raad Kathawa 

to discuss that and other happenings 

at the club. 

CN: What has been the feedback on the 

newly remodeled dining room? 

RK: Great, and very positive. The 

feedback from our members has been 

very complimentary. Many people 

have been very surprised by the difference 

the renovations have made. 

Since the new dining room opened, 

we have experienced a tremendous 

increase in revenue of almost 100 

percent, and Fridays and Saturdays 

have been booked solid. 

CN: The menu has changed and the 

wine list has been substantially upgraded. 

What is the thinking behind those 

decisions? 

RK: The management and Board of 

Directors felt that because of our recent 

renovations, this was an appropriate 

time to come up with a new 

menu, as change can be good. They 

also thought the fine dining room 

menu should be somewhat different 

from the menu that is available in 

the club’s activity rooms. The seafood 

and Prime Angus steaks we prepare 

and serve are second to none. 

As far as the changes in our wine 

list, members were asking for more 

Raad Kathawa 

variety. Thanks to the new, temperature-controlled 

wine cellar that 

was added as part of our dining room 

renovation project, we had an opportunity 

to expand our wine offerings. 

CN: What are the plans to improve the 

food service in the pool area with respect 

to the outdoor grill that is being built? 

RK: We are planning to start our 

outdoor project the first week of 

September, God willing, so we will 

do our best this summer to provide 

better and faster service to members 

who are enjoying the pool area. As 

part of the outdoor improvements, 

a full kitchen will be built outside, 

and all food served poolside will be 

prepared in and served from that 

kitchen. A new pavilion will feature 

a much more spacious seating area, 

which will make a world of difference. 

As a result of these changes, 

service and variety will no longer be 

an issue of concern to our members. 

CN: Are there changes being made to 

the pool area? 

RK: Yes, there are many changes being 

made to the pool area! To begin 

with, we are adding a splash pad 

that’s geared to children 10 years old 

and younger. We are also improving 

the surfaces in the pool area, which is 

a much-needed fix. Finally, a larger 

seating area will make the area much 

more comfortable for anyone who is 

enjoying the pool. 

CN: What are the plans to enhance the 

outdoor recreational opportunities for 

the members? 

RK: In addition to the things I’ve already 

mentioned — the new kitchen, 

a beautiful pavilion and improved 

seating area, the addition of a splash 

pad, and improvements to the pool 

area — we will have a second phase 

of changes that will include building 

two tennis courts and adding an outdoor 

volleyball court that members 

will be able to enjoy. 

CN: The banquet business is at an alltime 

high. What do you think accounts 

for that? 

RK: We have the very best of everything. 

We offer consistency, and we 

have a beautiful banquet hall and 

pre-function space that was renovated 

two years ago. Our members 

can expect that they will always 

experience top-notch quality, excellent 

service, and a five-star banquet 

hall and pre-function space. Also, 

keep in mind that we serve nothing 

but Prime Angus beef, fresh Amish 

chicken, and a great selection of seafood. 

We can seat 700 people comfortably 

in our banquet hall, with 

plenty of space for a nice dance floor, 

plus we have a state-of-the-art sound 

system. 

CN: With the newly approved dining 

room came some new rules with respect 

to reservations, the number of people at 

a table, and seating people before their 

entire party arrives. What are the purposes 

behind these changes? 

RK: These new rules are long overdue. 

People should always make a 

reservation when going to any fine 

dining establishment. Like any fine 

restaurant, what can we do if the 

room is already full and more parties 

are arriving expecting to be seated? 

Making reservations ahead of time 

allows us to be more flexible and anticipate 

what type of scheduling we 

need as far as kitchen staff and waitstaff, 

so that our service is prompt 

and we do not keep people waiting. 

Seating a group only when the 

complete party arrives is not required, 

but we do prefer that most of 

the party is in attendance before the 


group is seated. The reason for this is 

simple: It allows us to provide better 

service to the entire group. 

We have also implemented a policy 

of not moving tables to accommodate 

large groups, as it interferes 

with the flow and comfort level of 

the dining room. If there is a party of 

12 diners or more, they will be seated 

in an overflow room that is beautifully 

decorated and part of the dining 

room. It has the larger tables to better 

accommodate larger groups. 

CN: Recently, a group of Shenandoah 

members purchased Wabeek Country 

Club. What impact, if any, will that 

have on Shenandoah? 

RK: Members of our club are buying 

businesses every day, so the fact that 

a group of members purchased Wabeek 

Country Club has absolutely 

no impact on CIAAM/Shenandoah 

Country Club. 

Shenandoah is a Chaldean institution 

with 1,280 members, and it is 

home to the only Christian Chaldean 

museum in the world. We have great 

activity rooms, a fabulous banquet 

hall, a beautiful dining room and an 

18-hole golf course, so this purchase 

has no impact on us. And, in addition 

to everything Shenandoah currently 

offers, we may have a few more 

surprises added to our property in the 

future. 

Having said that, we wish all of 

our members the very best in all of 

their business endeavors. 


Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C. 

Attorneys and Counselors at Law 

Ronald G. Acho 

racho@cmda-law.com 

Robert L. Blamer 

rblamer@cmda-law.com 

Strength AnD exPerienCe to 

fight for your rightS 

• Automobile accidents 

• Wrongful death claims 

• Truck accidents 

• Motorcycle accidents 

• Insurance claims 

• Dog bites 

• Pedestrian accidents 

• General negligence 

• Liquor liability injuries/ Dram Shop 

• Construction site accidents 

• Burn Injuries 

• Slip-and-fall injuries 

• Social Security Disability claims 

• Workers’ compensation claims 

A TTORNEYS & C O UNSELORS AT LAW 

(734) 261-2400 • www.cmda-law.com • racho@cmda-law.com 

Content Creators & Communication Strategists 

Our team will create your communication 

strategy; we will clearly and concisely pen 

your message for your various platforms. 

• Websites 

• Newsletters and Publications 

• Blogs 

• Op-eds 

• Press Releases and Advisories 

• Social Media Sites 

• Speeches, talking points or 

brief remarks for events 

• Presentations and reports for 

sales people, experts and CEOs 

• Brochures, programs, marketing 

and public relations material 

• Multi-media production such as 

marketing videos, commercial scripts, 

podcasts, on-hold messages and voice-overs 

As an award-winning 

journalist for both 

broadcast and print, 

founder of Denha Media 

Group, Vanessa Denha 

Garmo has an adaptable 

writing style and has 

trained members of her 

team on various writing 

techniques. 

“You have to know how 

to tell your story if you 

want others to care 

about your story and if 

you want the media to 

cover your story.” 

— Vanessa Denha Garmo 

FREE 30-MINUTE MEDIA MAKE-OVER 

Vanessa Denha-Garmo is offering a free 30-minute consultation for any subscriber to the 

Chaldean News. It’s a Media Make-over, customized to provide feedback on a wide-range 

of areas including your company’s website, blogs, newsletters, as well as how to get an 

interview and how to be interviewed. Denha Media Group specializes in content creation 

and content marketing. To set up a meeting, please contact Vanessa at 248-702-8687 or 

send an email to: vanessa@denhamedia.com 

info@denhamedia.com 248.702.8687 

It’s a great time 

to purchase 

or refi nance 

your home. 

INTEREST RATES ARE 

AT AN ALL TIME LOW! 

Experience the difference with 

someone experienced. 

Always the lowest rates, 

best service and most trusted! 

Sally Denha LaFave 

Mortgage Lender 

NMLS ID 140725 

Offi ce: 248 593-9900 Ext 222 

Cell: 248 752-1722 

Email: slafave@yorkloan.com 

Serving the Chaldean Community Since 1990 

CALL TODAY! 

248 593-9900 

Ext 222 


PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS 

Your Home 

Guaranteed 

or I’ll Buy It! 

844-SOLD-BY-Z • SoldByMarkZ.com 

Phone: (248) 851-2227 

(248) 851-BCBS 

Fax: (248) 851-2215 

rockyhpip1@aol.com 

ROCKY H. HUSAYNU 

Professional Insurance Planners 

Individual & Group Health Plans 

Medicare Supplement Plans 

31000 Northwestern Hwy. • Suite 110 

Farmington Hills, Ml 48334 

Over 39 years of experience. 

Palladium 

Financial GrouP, llc 

MOrTGaGE brOKEr NMLS 128686 

GabE GabriEl 

NMLS 128715 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, ste. 103 

Farmington Hills , Michigan 48334 

Office (248) 737-9500 

Direct (248) 939-1985 

Fax (248) 737-1868 

Email MortgageGabe@aol.com 

www.palladiumfinancialgroup.com 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

TOP 1% OF REALTORS 

TOP 

TOP 

1% OF 

1% IN OAKLAND REALTORS 

OF REALTORS 

IN 

COUNTY IN OAKLAND 1993 – 2015 

OAKLAND COUNTY 2018 

COUNTY 1993 – 2015 

2015 REAL ESTATE 

ALL2015 STAR 2018 

REAL - REAL 

ESTATE 

ESTATE 

HOUR MEDIA ALL ALL STAR STAR - – 

HOUR MEDIA 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Bloomfield, Proudly Farmington serving Birmingham, Hills, Bloomfield, 

Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, the 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Each office is independently 

West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Bloomfield, Lakes and Farmington surrounding areas. 

Owned and Operated Brian S. Yaldoo and surrounding areas. Hills, 

Each office is independently Associated Broker West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Owned and OperatedBrian BrianS. Office (248)737-6800 • Mobile Yaldoo 

(248)752-4010and surrounding areas. 

Toll Associated Free (866) 762-3960 

Broker 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Office Office (248) www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

(248)737-6800 • Mobile (248)752-4010 

752-4010 

Toll Free (866) 762-3960 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.net Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

Each office is independently 

Owned and Operated 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

SANA NAVARRETTE 

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 

CELL (248) 925-7773 

TEL (248) 851-1200 

FAX (248) 851-1348 

snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanchamber.com 


ELIAS KATTOULA 

CAREER SERVICES MANAGER 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

TEL: (586) 722-7253 

FAX: (586) 722-7257 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org 


SANA NAVARRETTE 

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER 

30850 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 200 

BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025 

TEL: (248) 996-8340 CELL: (248) 925-7773 

FAX: (248) 996-8342 

snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanchamber.com 


Twitter: @ChaldeanChamber 

Instagram: @ChaldeanAmericanChamber 

ANGELA KAKOS 

Ranked In The Top 1% Nationwide! 

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 FOUR YEARS IN A ROW 

Call to get PRE-APPROVED now! 

248-622-0704 

2456 Metropolitan Pkwy, 

Sterling Heights MI 48310 

(16 & Dequindre) 

Dr. Scott Samona, M.D. 

Hand, Wrist and Microvascular Surgeon 

Dearborn 

22731 Newman 

Street, Suite 100A 

313 561-4910 

www.msspc.org 

Brownstown 

19725 Allen Road 

Building 1 Suite A 

855-450-2020 

Jaguar Land Rover Troy 

Sammi A. Naoum 

1815 Maplelawn Drive 

Troy, MI 48084 

TEL 248-643-6900 

MOBILE 248-219-5525 

snaoum@suburbancollection.com

event 

Annual 

Awards Gala 

PHOTOS BY MONTEZ MILLER 

The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce hosted their 

16th Annual Awards Gala on Friday, May 3 at the Shenandoah 

Country Club in West Bloomfield. Guests enjoyed a lively evening. 

Honored at this year’s gala was Zaid Elia as Business Person of the 

Year and John and Ann Mansour as Humanitarians of the Year. 

Receiving a special tribute for his contribution to the Chaldean 

community was West Bloomfield Supervisor Steve Kaplan. 



event 

Chaldean Voice 

Cultural Evening 

PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA 

The Chaldean Voice Radio Show hosted a Chaldean 

Cultural Evening on Wednesday, May 16. Members of 

the community gathered for the Chaldean centered event 

at Regency Manner on Southfield. The evening featured 

storytelling, music, and poetry readings. 


PRESENTS 

TITLE SPONSOR 

DINNER SPONSOR 


FOUNDATION 

16th Annual Community Golf Outing 

JUNE 13 AT SHENANDOAH COUNTRY CLUB 

You Don’t Have to Golf to Help! 

This annual fundraising event supports the Chaldean Community 

Foundation (CCF), raising nearly $900,000 for a variety of programs 

since its inception a decade ago. Join nearly 150 golfers at this casual 

event on June 13. The event offers participants a fun-filled day while 

raising awareness and critical funding for a variety of services many 

of us take for granted. The CCF provides services to more than 

31,000 annually. With your support the CCF can serve more. 

BUY DINNER TICKETS 

Tickets for the 6:00 PM dinner at Shenandoah Country Club 

are $50 each or $500 for a table of 10 and include cocktails, 

networking (beginning at 5:00 PM), and an opportunity to 

participate in a raffle and live auction. 

BUY RAFFLE TICKETS 

A $100 ticket for the 50/50 raffle could score some serious cash! 

You could win thousands! 

CONTACT INFO 

To purchase tickets for dinner (dinner is casual attire) or 50/50 raffle tickets, 

call 248-851-1200 or visit chaldeanchamber.com. 

We hope to see you June 13th. This event is supported by:

JUNE 2019

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?