JULY 2020

VOL. 17 ISSUE VI
METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY JULY 2020
$
3
www.chaldeannews.com
FREEDOM
RIDER
THE CHALDEAN
FLAG KID
INSIDE
COPING WITH COVID
CHALDEANS RUNNING
FOR OFFICE
A LETTER ON RACISM

It’s been a great honor serving Oakland
County’s beautiful, faithful and growing
Chaldean Community as State Representative
and County Treasurer. Today,
I am asking for your vote for Oakland
County Executive in the Democratic
Primary Election August 4th.
Absentee Ballots are coming soon.
Your friend,
ANDY
Official Ballot
Primary Election, Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Oakland County, Michigan
Addison Township, Precinct 1
Congressional
Congressional
DEMOCRAT FOR OAKLAND COUNTY
United States Senator
United States Senator
Vote for not more than 1
Vote for not more than 1
Vote for not more than 1
Gary Peters
Representative in Congress
8th District
Vote for not more than 1
Elissa Slotkin
Alan T. Hoover
FIGHTING FOR Paul Junge OUR FUTURE
Legislative
Representative in State Legislature
46th District
Vote for not more than 1
Jody LaMacchia
County
County Executive
Vote for not more than 1
David Coulter
Andy Meisner
County Executive
Term Ending 12/31/2020
Vote for not more than 1
David Coulter
Andy Meisner
Prosecuting Attorney
Vote for not more than 1
Jessica R. Cooper
Karen McDonald
John James
Representative in Congress
8th District
Vote for not more than 1
Mike Detmer
Kristina Lyke
Legislative
Representative in State Legislature
46th District
Vote for not more than 1
Your ballot will look like
this. Please be sure to
County
County vote Executive for both terms.
Vote for not more than 1
VOTE Andy Meisner
for County Executive
for the Full Term
County Executive
AND Partial Term
John Reilly
Mike Kowall
Jeffrey G. Nutt
Term Ending 12/31/2020
Vote for not more than 1
Mike Kowall
Jeffrey G. Nutt
Judicial
Judge of Circuit Court
6th Circuit
Non-Incumbent Position
Clarence Dass
Maura Battersby Murphy
Lorie Savin
Paid for by Andy Meisner for Oakland County’s Future.
49378
Prosecuting Attorney
Vote for not more than 1
AMOCE_Chaldean News Full page ad_final.indd 1
Sheriff
Vote for not more than 1
Vincent Gregory
Barnett Jones
Randy Maloney
Lin Goetz
Sheriff
Vote for not more than 1
Michael J. Bouchard
6/24/20 10:22 AM

JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 3

CONTENTS JULY 2020
THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 17 ISSUE VI
28 16
departments
6 FROM THE EDITOR
BY PAUL JONNA
Let’s Be Honest
22
on the cover
22 FREEDOM RIDER:
THE CHALDEAN FLAG KID
BY RUTHANNE ASHKAR
Christian Mansoor is a (soon-to-be) tenth grader
on a mission: to draw attention to the plight of Iraqis
still living in persecution
features
24 COPING WITH COVID:
BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONALS
FACE UNEVEN IMPACT
BY PAUL NATINSKY
A balanced look at the impact of staying home
versus opening for business
26 RUNNING FOR OFFICE
BY ASHLEY ATTISHA
Meet the Chaldean candidates running for office and
learn how to find out more about them
28 WHO IS THAT MASK MAN?
BY STEVE STEIN
Trevor George inherited his father’s company,
yet found a way to make it uniquely his own
30 THE DOCTOR IS IN
BY SARAH KITTLE
There’s a new clinic in town, and it’s
at the Chaldean Community Foundation
7 GUEST COLUMNS
BY FR. JOHN JADDOU
A Letter About Racism: Black Lives Matter
BY JOSEPH HURSHE
What’s Up With COVID?
10 FOUNDATION UPDATE
Highlight: Sharon Hannawa
12 NOTEWORTHY
BY SARAH KITTLE
Steve Francis is added to the MSU Alumni Hall of Fame
14 CHALDEAN DIGEST
16 FAMILY TIME
BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER
How Families Can Spend Summer Vacation
18 RELIGION
Meet the Deacons: Get to know the newly
ordained Deacons through a Q&A
20 OBITUARY:
REBECCA HALLAHAN HURIN
20 IN MEMORIAM
32 CHALDEANS AROUND THE WORLD
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
Chaldean Communities in the American Southwest:
California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas
34 CHALDEAN ON THE STREET
36 ECONOMICS & ENTERPRISE
BY SARAH KITTLE
Life by Design with Design by Liv
38 FLASHBACK
Chaldean American Youth Club Through the Years
40 KUWTC
41 EVENTS
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

from the EDITOR
PUBLISHED BY
Chaldean News, LLC
Chaldean Community Foundation
Martin Manna
Let’s Be Honest
EDITORIAL
ACTING EDITOR IN CHIEF
Paul Jonna
MANAGING EDITOR
Sarah Kittle
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Danielle Alexander
Ruthanne Ashkar
Ashley Attisha
Joseph Hurshe
Fr. John Jaddou
Sarah Kittle
Adhid Miri
Paul Natinsky
Marcus Shammami
Halim Sheena
Steve Stein
Kevin Yono
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Empathy is hard. It
forces you to question
your beliefs in order to
understand another viewpoint.
This doesn’t mean
that you must change your
viewpoint; it only allows
you to understand the driving
force of the other. Let’s
be honest, isn’t that scary?
As a country and as a
people, we are striving to
determine who we are and
what we stand for. The
days in which cordial conversation
about differing
opinions occur are gone.
Politics now determine how
we feel about every topic.
The lack of empathy for
one’s position is causing the
breakdown of our country
but more importantly, the
breakdown of our most intimate relationships.
Let’s be clear, the issues in
our country are present in our daily
lives. This is more than an economic
issue, more than a political issue. It is
a breakdown of community and communication
along with empathy for
what another is feeling.
Let’s be clear, a person’s feeling
must be validated regardless of the
logic or truth behind such feeling.
We cannot help what we feel, only
how we react. Feelings aren’t “correct”
or “appropriate.” Many people
feel that they are not accepted, or
children feel they will never live up
to their parents’ expectations. They
may not even know why they feel
that way – they just do.
I am reminded of an Oprah (yes,
l watched for a season while studying
PAUL JONNA
ACTING EDITOR
IN CHIEF
for the bar exam) episode in
which she said that every
person she interviewed had
one thing in common – a
need to be validated. We all
want to be understood and
to be accepted for our beliefs.
We want to be heard.
Why is it so hard to admit
that a breach of trust is
wrong, or a murder is wrong
regardless if the person is
The lack of empathy for one’s position is
wearing a bandana or a badge or is
a Democrat or Republican? Is it possible
to be socially liberal while fiscally
conservative?
Let’s be honest, if we truly listen
to our kids, our friends, our spouses,
even our ‘haters,’ then we will be
able to understand their viewpoint.
This is not to say that you must agree
with it — only that you hear why
they feel a certain way. Understanding
brings empathy. Without such
empathy, we find ourselves in toxic
relationships or blind to deeper relationships
in which we can learn and
better ourselves.
Let’s be honest, if you are not
open to another perspective, how
will your child, spouse, friend, coworker
feel that they can confide in
you? You don’t have to agree with
them — you only have to be available
to understand how they feel.
Let’s be honest, isn’t that what you
want? Just to be heard, to be understood,
for someone to listen.
Many will say that the break
down in discord comes from the
deterioration of the nuclear family,
but maybe it is the deterioration of
communication and empathy to understand
each other that causes such
break down. It is my hope that we as
causing the breakdown of our country but more
importantly, the breakdown of our most intimate
relationships. Let’s be clear, the issues in our
country are present in our daily lives.
a human race have the courage and
the strength to be honest and acknowledge
what must be changed.
We won’t make it otherwise.
With Gratitude,
Paul Jonna
Acting Editor in Chief
Correction
In the June print edition, we incorrectly
identified Adrianna Kallabat's
school as West Bloomfield
High School. It should have been
Bloomfield High School.
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6 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

GUEST columns
A Phone Call about Racism and Black Lives Matter
“
We hold these
truths to be
self-evident,
that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed
by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights;
that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.” TRUTH! Or as
some teenagers would say…
FACTS!
At the height of the
protests and riots following
the death of George Floyd, I received
a phone call from a young Chaldean
woman asking if the Chaldean
Church could address racism and support
the black community and the
Black Lives Matter movement. It was
a cordial call that I appreciated very
much because it seemed to be rooted
in a sincere solidarity and care for the
systematic injustices experienced by
the black community. I was first very
humbled by the fact that this young
woman wanted the Church and one
of her priests to speak about these issues;
and I realized the grave responsibility
a priest, and any leader for that
matter, has to guide the community
toward living the truth in a socially
responsible way.
I first expressed my own solidarity
with the black community and the
hardships they face. Putting aside
any media skepticism, the reality is
that there is a lot of pain and anger
in those protesting. I reinforced
the truth that all people are created
equal, in the image of God; regardless
of race, ethnicity, religion, etc.
The Bible is very clear as Genesis
1:27 reads “God created mankind in
his own image, in the image of God
he created them; male and female he
created them.” The United States
Catholic Bishops express it perfectly
by stating, “Racism is a sin; a sin that
divides the human family, blots out
the image of God among specific
members of that family, and violates
the fundamental human dignity of
those called to be children of the
same Father. Racism is the sin that
says some human beings are inherently
superior and others essentially
inferior because of races. It is the sin
that makes racial characteristics the
determining factor for the exercise
of human rights. It mocks the words
of Jesus: “Treat others the way you
FATHER
JOHN JADDOU
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
would have them treat you.”
Jesus calls us to love and
to recognize the inherent
dignity of each human person.
Furthermore, Jesus calls
us to compassion for those
suffering around us. Compassion
comes from the Latin
word “compati” which
means “to suffer with” and
so as followers of Christ, our
call is to walk with those
bearing burdens and struggles.
Amen? AMEN!
Now here is where the phone call
transitioned to a more difficult conversation
that was necessary but still
sensitive. We spoke about how I did
not feel comfortable advocating for
the Black Lives Matter movement
because of the political nature it assumes.
In bringing up the Black Lives
Matter movement, the young woman
was moving away from speaking about
the truth and dignity of each human
person, and more about the politics
that surround this issue. Do black lives
matter? Of course they do! As a priest,
I desire to advocate for the truth and
live in solidarity for those who experience
injustices. I wholeheartedly
proclaim that black lives matter, just
as I affirm that all lives matter. Some
will say that in my affirmation that
“all lives matter,” I am belittling the
Black Lives Matter movement and
driving attention away from it. That
is not my intention at all – but simply
another affirmation of the truth. No
political party or organization has dominion
over the truth, but I have noticed
that racism has been politicized
in a way that has made us lose sight of
the truth that Jesus Christ desired to
proclaim. You are made in God’s image,
“fearfully and wonderfully made”
(Psalm 139:14). Presently though, the
country is in a time where it is important
to be in solidarity with our black
brothers and sisters and to proclaim
that black lives do in fact matter. Although
I don’t support the entire platform
of the socially progressive Black
Lives Matter movement, in solidarity
with my black brothers and sisters, I
proclaim that black lives matter.
What this country needs, and
what our Chaldean community
needs, is a devotion to the truth, and
not a political platform. As Jesus was
asked by Pontius Pilate before being
condemned to death on a cross,
“Quid est veritas?”, “What is Truth?”
we also need to ask this question.
And yet the answer is not what, but
who. Jesus says, “I am the way, the
TRUTH and the life” (John 14:6).
As a Chaldean community, I pray we
do not lose sight of Jesus when advocating
and peacefully protesting for
justice in truth.
Father John is a Chaldean priest at St.
Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in
Troy, MI.
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 7

GUEST columns
What’s Up with COVID-19?
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Any kind of crisis, but
especially a health
crisis, calls for pulling
together into a team.
Uniquely skilled, compassionate
people are called to do this
work, even with the personal
sacrifice that comes with it for
the betterment of our greater
community. During this CO-
VID-19 pandemic they are
working in intense circumstances,
caring for very sick
patients, and are often staying
separated from their families in order to
lower the risk of possible transmission
to their loved ones. They show up each
and every day, strong and determined,
to continue to fulfill the mission of caring
for those most in need. There are no
words for how proud I am of our entire
Ascension Michigan family, the Michigan
healthcare system as a whole, and
the community that rallies around us.
From car parades around our hospital
entrances where members of
the community are waving and providing
encouragement for our caregivers,
to food drop offs and personal
protective equipment (PPE) donations;
thank you signs and cards and
hundreds of other kind gestures, we
feel the support. Please know that we
see it and it all makes a difference.
The Chaldean community has been
very generous. Please keep the support
coming, along with your prayers.
We have been working closely
with the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and the
Michigan Department of Health and
Human Services (MDHHS) to monitor
and ensure the best possible care
for patients with potential or confirmed
cases of COVID-19. Please
remember that although the “Stay
Home” order is no longer in effect,
COVID-19 certainly is.
At Ascension, we instituted an
incident command structure at the national,
state and regional levels quite
some time ago. We’ve also taken proactive
steps with our distributors and
suppliers to ensure access to PPE and
supplies. Many hospitals were overwhelmed
because they didn’t have the
necessary equipment; we arranged expedited
shipments directly from manufacturers,
assessed alternative products
and took advantage of our abilities as a
national system to make intra-hospital
inventory transfers when appropriate.
JOSEPH
HURSHE
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
Our hospitals, ambulatory
sites of care and clinics
have fully resumed all urgent
procedures and medical
visits. Safety measures are in
place in order to protect patients,
as well as to preserve
staff, personal protective
equipment and patient care
supplies. Those system-wide
strategies are designed to
help ensure patient and staff
safety, while expanding available
hospital capacity. As of
June 1, patient volumes are back up to
50 percent of pre-COVID-19 activity.
Just because we are reopening businesses
and seeing patients again doesn’t
mean that we are out of danger. We will
get through this by working together to
slow the transmission of COVID-19
and caring for all those in need. I cannot
stress enough the importance of
following social distancing practices.
For all the ways we can stop the spread,
keeping your distance and washing
your hands remain the most effective.
It’s also important to stay updated
about the current situation from reliable
sources. We, like many others,
continually update our website with
useful information, and we link directly
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) website. It’s the
authoritative guide to best practices,
which are our best hope for mitigating
the loss of life due to this pandemic.
It is my hope that each of us becomes
even more aware of our individual
health status and the things we
can do to follow a healthy path in life.
Knowing your personal health risks
(high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.)
and working to reduce the factors that
you have control over has always been
a “best practice” and continues to be
important - now more than ever.
As healthcare providers, we recognize
that it is both our duty and
responsibility during this time of
need to care for the community with
compassion. It is our honor and pleasure
at Ascension to partner with the
Chaldean community to ensure services
for all are fully accessible.
Joseph Hurshe, FACHE, is President
of Ascension Providence Hospital Novi
and Southfield Campuses and Chief
Operating Officer of Ascension Michigan.
He also serves on the Board for the
CACC and CCF.
8 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 9

FOUNDATION update
CCF Expansion Update
The 19,000 square foot addition to the CCF center is nearly complete. Construction
is on track to finish in the third week of July and a private ribbon-cutting
ceremony is scheduled for July 31. The more-than-double floor space includes an
Ascension Primary Care Clinic, Konja Family Art Studio, Leila & Johny Kello
Courtyard, Level One Bank, Supercuts Salon, Thomas Denha Main Street, Wild
Bill’s Café, and Wireless Vision Center, a full-sized gymnasium.
Census 2020
The City of Sterling Heights wants to be number one in the country in Census
responses and the CCF is helping them get there! The City of Sterling Heights was
able to utilize census information to target those in Sterling Heights who haven’t
completed their census yet. Using a virtual phone bank, the CCF has made nearly
1,000 follow up calls to Sterling Heights households that have not filled out the
Census. For every person not counted, Michigan stands to lose $3,000/per person
per year. Visit 2020census.gov to complete your Census, if you haven’t already.
CCF Awarded
Ralph Wilson Grant
The CCF has been awarded a $20,000
grant in the category of Caregiving
from The Community Foundation
for Southeast Michigan through the
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds.
The majority of this year’s grants
were designed to support organizations
as they adapt and adjust during
the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing
them to continue their critical work
on current projects or address urgent
needs as they arise within the seven
counties of southeast Michigan:
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe,
Washtenaw, St. Clair, and Livingston.
The CCF is pleased to be recognized
as caregivers as well as supported
in their efforts. Applications were accepted
through an open, competitive
process. Information on next year’s
grants will be made available in the fall.
Preserve Our
Language
Learn to speak Chaldean Aramaic
with Mango Languages! In an effort
to preserve the Chaldean language,
the Chaldean Community Foundation
has partnered with Mango
Languages to create the Chaldean
Aramaic online language tutorial.
This language preservation is a
documentation project in preserving
and revitalizing the indigenous
language of Jesus Christ — Aramaic
— commonly known as Chaldean or
Syriac. Create your free profile today
at mangolanguages.com.
Chaldean Community Foundation 2020 Academic Scholarship Program
2019 CCF
Scholarship
Recipients
The Chaldean Community Foundation’s
(CCF) Academic Scholarship
Program is a collaborative effort between
private philanthropic ventures
and the Foundation to help Chaldean
students meet the escalating costs of
education. Through support from w3r
Consulting, Drs. Nathima and Peter
Atchoo, the Nona Family and the
Abdulkarim and Jamila Sesi Memorial
Scholarship Fund, the CCF will
award more than 15 scholarships this
year. Students can apply online beginning
in mid-July. Follow the Foundation
on social media or visit chaldeanfoundation.org
to stay in the loop!
Sharon Hannawa
CCF Profile
Sharon manages
the CCF’s RAST
Program, which
assists more than
30,000 individuals
annually
Meet Sharon Hannawa. Sharon
began as a Board member of the
Chaldean American Chamber
of Commerce, serving from January
2006 until October 2010,
when she resigned to work for
the CCF. She celebrates her 10
-year anniversary at the Foundation
in November.
Sharon manages the CCF’s
Refugee Acculturation Sustainability
and Training (RAST)
Program, which continues to
provide more than 30,000 individuals
annually with a variety
of social services including immigration
assistance, job placement,
access to health care, English
as a Second Language, and
access to basic needs support.
Sharon is extremely passionate
about advocating on behalf
of members of the refugee and
low-income immigrant community
to resolve issues related to
acculturation. She’s a Department
of Justice partially accredited
representative — which
means Sharon can represent
aliens before the Department of
Homeland Security.
Sharon received her BA from
Wayne State University, is a graduate
of the New Detroit Multicultural
Leadership Series (2009), a
recipient of the City of Sterling
Heights Diversity Distinction
Award (2012) and was recognized
as a local Quiet Hero at the
Ford Freedom Award Celebration
(2013). The Chaldean Community
Foundation is lucky to have her.
10 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
RESPONSE TO COVID-19
TRANSITIONED NEARLY 50 STAFF
TO A REMOTE WORK MODEL
ANSWERED
AND PROCESSED
MORE THAN
5,000
CALLS
PERTAINING
TO
DHHS
CENSUS
IMMIGRATION
UNEMPLOYMENT
CAREER SERVICES
BASIC NEEDS SUPPORT
PROVIDED SERVICES
FOR MORE THAN
350 SPECIAL NEEDS
CLIENTS AND FAMILIES
16
25
34
217
41
KEEPING THE COMMUNITY
INFORMED
NEWSLETTERS
PUBLISHED
VIDEOS
PRODUCED
DOCUMENTS
TRANSLATED
SOCIAL MEDIA
POSTS SHARED
NEW RESOURCES
ADDED TO WEBSITE
KEEPING THE COMMUNITY
HEALTHY
72
CLIENTS
PROVIDED
ACCESS TO
HEALTHCARE *
VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
REACHING NEARLY
100,000
LAUNCHED VIRTUAL CENSUS DAY
CAMPAIGN REACHING NEARLY
29,000
RADIO INTERVIEW
REACHING NEARLY
20,000
96
TELEHEALTH
THERAPY
SESSIONS
CONDUCTED
11
SUPPORT
GROUP
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CONDUCTED
*THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHALDEAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (CAAHP)
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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 11

noteworthy
MSU Wall of Fame 2020: Steve Francis
Each year, the School of Criminal
Justice at Michigan State University
chooses outstanding alumni to
be placed on the Wall of Fame. Included in
2020’s inductees is Steve Francis. Francis is
the Assistant Director for Global Trade Investigations
Division with Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI) and the Director
of the National Intellectual Property Rights
Coordination Center. Previously, Francis
served as the Special Agent in Charge for
HSI Detroit with an area of responsibility
that included the states of Michigan and
Ohio. He graduated from MSU’s School of
Criminal Justice in 1997.
The School of Criminal Justice at Michigan
State University conducts cutting-edge
research to understand some of the most challenging
problems posed by crime and emerging
risks – firearms violence, cybercrime, environmental
crime, product counterfeiting,
terrorism, gender-based violence, and youth
violence – and then engages with policy makers
and practitioners to advance justice. They
are home to one of the oldest continuous degree
granting programs in Criminal Justice in
the United States. Their graduate programs are
ranked in the top 10 nationally by US News &
World Report. The valued alumni base numbers
over 12,000.
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Friends,
More than ever, we need collaborative leaders who can
bring people together to keep people healthy and move
Oakland County forward.
As County Executive, I was proud to make Oakland a
“Welcoming” community – a place where immigrants
and refugees are welcome, supported and celebrated.
I will always fight any hateful agenda that divides our
people, communities and nation.
It’s one reason why I’m endorsed by our friend former
Congressman Sandy Levin – a true champion of
refugees and the Chaldean community.
When COVID-19 hit, I took decisive and swift action,
relying on experts and science to guide our decisions to
keep people healthy.
Through it all, I passed 3-year balanced budget
unanimously and have kept our AAA Bond rating.
On August 4, I will be on the ballot and ask for your
vote to stay your Oakland County Executive. I know
that, together, we can move Oakland County forward!
Stay safe and be well-
Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive
www.davecoulter.com --- info@davecoulter.com
Paid for by Friends of Dave Coulter, P.O. Box 201073, Ferndale, MI 48220
12 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

chaldean DIGEST
What others are saying about Chaldeans
Cardinal Sako: More solidarity should come from
COVID-19 emergency, not only changes in the liturgy
Bishops and priests must not be upset
by what has been said against the
temporary changes to the liturgy adopted
by the Church to counter the
novel coronavirus pandemic, notes
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako in a
message to the faithful.
In his statement, the Chaldean
Patriarch looks at what Cardinal
Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation
for Divine Worship, said
in an interview which sparked a debate
among the Chaldean clergy, in
particular over certain practices in
streamed Masses, like priests “looking
at the camera” rather than God.
The African prelate is also critical
of the “take away” communion
and priests wearing gloves and masks.
Muslims too have had to change old
rituals, notes Cardinal Sako, especially
during Ramadan and the Eid
al-Fitr. The pandemic has strengthened
the faith of the church community
and Masses online and on social
media are a source of consolation
amid fears. Besides, they are only
temporary. And the congregational
feedback has been overwhelmingly
positive.
Patriarch Sako goes on to say
that all eyes are on the Eucharist,
that Christ’s presence is sacramental
rather than biological, and that
handheld communion is an ancient
tradition. He sees this time in history
as an opportunity for human solidarity
and asks for clergy to lead the way.
Herald Malaysia Online
by Cardinal Raphael Sako
PHOTO CREDIT CARDINAL SAKO
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako celebrating mass in the Chapel of the Patriarch with four sisters, two coadjutor bishops, and a priest.
Michigan GOP, Democratic reps seek hearing on Iraqi deportations
Thirteen members of Michigan’s delegation
in the U.S. House are asking
the Judiciary Committee for hearings
on the deportation of Iraqi nationals,
including Christians potentially facing
religious persecution.
The bipartisan letter — led by
U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Midland,
and Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield
Township — also requests that the
panel take up their bill to delay deportations
for Iraqi nationals for two
years until their cases have been
heard in immigration court.
The letter comes more than
four months after President Donald
Trump’s promise while in
Warren to offer relief for Iraqi
nationals who have been fighting
deportation for three years, fearing
their religion, ethnicity or ties
to America would make them targets.
No action has been made on
that promise.
Levin and Moolenaar have previously
written to the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security asking
for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
to refrain from wholesale
detention and deportation of the
Iraqis, and have appealed to Vice
President Mike Pence and Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo.
Other Michigan members who
signed the letter are Reps. Justin
Amash, L-Cascade Township; Jack
Bergman, R-Watersmeet; Debbie
Dingell, D-Dearborn; Bill Huizenga,
R-Zeeland; Dan Kildee, D-
Flint Township; Brenda Lawrence,
D-Southfield; Elissa Slotkin, D-
Holly; Haley Stevens, D-Rochester;
Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit; Tim
Walberg, R-Tipton; and Fred Upton,
R-St. Joseph.
The Detroit News
by Melissa Nan Burke
14 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

PHOTO BY AMMAR SALIH/EPA,/ SHUTTERSTOCK
Six years after IS
imposed its rule on
Mosul, Christians are
full of hope for the
city’s rebirth
Mosul - Six years after the Islamic
State (IS) group took Mosul, the
archbishop’s visit to the city is a way
to “bear witness to the presence of
Christians and show that not only
did they did not abandon the city,
they intend to contribute to its rebirth,”
said Father Thabit Mekko,
head of the Christian community in
Karemlash, Nineveh Plain.
PHOTO COURTESY CHALDEAN PATRIARCH
Early in June, the Mosul archbishop,
along with Muslim leaders and tribal
dignitaries visited the old city.
Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi, center, in the black gloves, visiting Al Nuri Grand Mosque.
In Iraq, a New Prime Minister
Takes Stock of His Bloodied Land
MOSUL, Iraq — From the moment
Iraq’s new prime minister stepped off
the Iraqi Army MI-17 helicopter for
a tour of Mosul, the city most damaged
by the Islamic State’s takeover
in 2014, he plunged into a landscape
of loss.
Everywhere there were wrecked
buildings, communities shredded,
and the shadow of “the disappeared”
— people taken by the Islamic State
and never found, and those killed or
imprisoned by Iraqi forces or militias,
whose families never learned what
happened to them.
Twelve hours and scores of conversations
later, Prime Minister Mustafa
Kadhimi returned to Baghdad,
still looking crisp in his light shirt
and dark jacket, but visibly trying to
organize his thoughts.
If ever there were a place where
the stones have voices, it is Mosul.
The destruction is almost audible.
Whole blocks are piles of debris,
chunks of concrete are massed three
and four stories high, and clinging
to them are shacks, tacked together
out of scrap metal and canvas. This is
what passes for homes today in Mosul.
The prime minister only glimpsed
this chaos as he swept through the
city in a motorcade of cars and army
vehicles, tearing down streets emptied
of people to ensure his safety.
After meeting with the leaders of the
security forces, Mr. Kadhimi held a
forum in the provincial governorate
building and met with religions leaders
from the different communities,
listening to their requests and then
reminding them of the realities.
“We are witnessing the worst economic
situation since the formation
of the Iraqi state,” he said more than
once throughout the day. The prime
minister recited his own list of needs:
money, which the new government
does not have; a reconstruction ethos
that is free of corruption, which will
take time to put in place; and reconciliation
between tribes, sects, faiths
and ethnicities, which will take effort
from everyone.
As for the “disappeared?” They
are a top priority, Mr. Khadhimi
promised. Iraqi and international
human rights organizations estimate
there are thousands of people missing
in Iraq from the ISIS era.
New York Times
by Alissa J. Rubin
The Islamic State, which ruled
through violence and terror, was
routed in the summer of 2017 after
devastating some of the city’s most
iconic places of worship, like the al-
Nouri Mosque and the Al-Saea (Our
Lady of the Hour) Church. The two
places of worship, one Muslim and
one Christian, today symbolize Mosul’s
rebirth thanks to a reconstruction
project financed by UNESCO
and the United Arab Emirates.
For many years, the Chaldean
priest has been caring for thousands
of families who fled in the summer of
2014 following the rise of the Islamic
State group. He reports that, “we are
just at the beginning”.
The presence of the archbishop is
a source of encouragement for Christians
and for the whole city, and represents
a message that invites us to
go forward. From this perspective, it
is crucial to further coexistence between
different religions. Security, development,
guarantees of stability and
trust are needed because Christians
“feel betrayed by [some] Muslims who
collaborated with the Islamic State in
expulsions and violence.”
AsiaNews
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 15

FAMILY time
How Families Can Spend
Summer Vacation
BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER
Michigan’s stay-at-home order lifted right
before when most families tend to vacation.
However, even though air travel is
back on the rise again, many in the community feel
safer traveling by car or even forgoing overnight
trips to stay local this summer.
Traveling by car
“I would actually love to travel once things settle
down more but nothing far,” West Bloomfield
resident and regular traveler Vanessa Tillo said. “I
would hold off on planes for a bit but would definitely
drive up north or even somewhere warm like
Florida.”
Tillo just had a baby in February and said she
would be nervous to use public transportation with
her daughter still being so young and not having all
of her vaccinations yet.
Bianca Boji of Farmington Hills agreed: “As
long as things don’t take a turn for the worse, my
family and I are planning to travel up north. We
are dying to get away and feel comfortable going
to a destination that allows us to be outdoors the
majority of the time.”
Dr. Peter Sabbagh, a McLaren Health Care
medical physician who specializes in critical care,
pulmonology and sleep disorders, said even though
things are improving, he thinks public transportation
is still too high-risk for the summer.
“I don’t see a problem with traveling,” Dr. Sabbagh
explained in May, “but if you’re going to
travel, you still have to maintain social distancing.
This means traveling by car with your own family
but not anyone who is elderly or immunosuppressed,
and if you do go out in public at any point,
make sure you’re wearing a mask.”
With a good portion of the community interested
in safe travel this summer, Raquel Jalou Orow,
owner of Pure Star Travel in Troy, planned a fivenight,
four-day itinerary to the Smoky Mountains
in Gatlinburg, Tennessee among several other
driveable trips.
“There’s so much we can offer to our children
and family by just getting in a car and driving, and
right now, that’s probably our best bet as far as what
the CDC wants us to do,” Orow said in May. “I’m
not comfortable telling someone to go on an airplane
yet, so I planned out enjoyable trips for families
that are not only driveable but ones where they
won’t have to be exposed to other people.”
Orow said the cabins would have everything
travelers need from game rooms to theaters to
pools, and lists of restaurants with carryout and delivery
options will also be provided upon arrival.
Additionally, with recreational access increasing,
travelers will be able to spend time hiking, fishing
and partaking in other outdoor activities that they
may not always have time for or appreciate when
life is “normal.”
“We all need a break from being trapped at
home, and road trips are a creative way to get out
in the world while still staying safe,” Orow said.
Staying local
If overnight traveling seems too risky at this point,
there are plenty of local day trip destinations that
are now open:
Zoos/Farms: Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak), Toledo
Zoo (Toledo, OH), Maybury Farm (Northville),
Domino Farm (Ann Arbor), John Ball Zoo (Grand
Rapids), The Reptarium (Utica), The Creature
Conservancy (Ann Arbor) and Indian Creek Zoo
(Lambertville)
Drive-In Movies: USA Hockey Arena (Plymouth)
and Canterbury Village (Lake Orion)
Parks: Kensington Metropark (Milford),
Frederik Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park (Grand
Rapids), Indian Springs Metropark (White Lake),
Stony Creek Metropark (Shelby Township) and
Lake St. Clair Metropark (Harrison Township)
Other: Fairy Door Tour (Northville), TreeRunner
Adventure Park (West Bloomfield), BBQ at
the Ballpark (Utica), Disc Golf (Dexter/Milford/
Shelby Township/New Boston), Sportsway (Westland
and Brownstown), Midway Sports and Entertainment
(Taylor) and Royal Oak Golf Center
(Royal Oak)
This list will continue to grow over time but
be sure to always do an online search or call each
venue before planning your visit as each destination
will have its own visitor guidelines.
Dr. Sabbagh believes the community is doing a
good job keeping the cases low; nevertheless, he still
wants everyone to be very careful whether people
decide to travel or stay close to home this summer.
“It is still a very dangerous disease with people,
even young ones, dying every day, and we really
don’t have a good grasp on treatment yet,” Dr. Sabbagh
said. “I appreciate those trying to find a cure
and those maintaining the social distancing.”
The CDC recommends that if you do decide to
travel, you need to protect yourself and others during
your trip by cleaning your hands often; avoiding
touching your eyes, nose or mouth; avoiding
close contact with others and maintaining six feet
of physical distance; wearing a cloth face covering
in public; covering coughs and sneezes; and picking
up food at drive-throughs, curbside restaurants
services or stores (cdc.gov).
Danielle Alexander is the owner of Edify LLC, a
metro Detroit tutoring, editing and freelance writing
company, as well as the editorial coordinator for
both West Bloomfield Lifestyle and Birmingham Life
magazines. She is looking forward to taking a safe
road trip to Gun Lake later this summer.
16 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 17

RELIGION
Meet the New Priests
Kevin Yono
Ordained by Bishop Francis, July 4
Age: 33
Parents: Karim and Nahla Yono
Home Parish: St. Thomas Chaldean
Church (West Bloomfield, MI)
First Assignment: St. George Chaldean
Church (Shelby Township, MI)
Mass of Thanksgiving (First Mass):
Sunday, July 5, at 10:00 AM (English
Mass) at Mother of God Cathedral in
Southfield, Michigan.
Who is your favorite Saint and why?
The Blessed Virgin Mary is my favorite
Saint because she has always
made her presence strongly known
to me since I was a child. I see her
strong intercession and motherly
care for my vocation. No other Saint
has brought me closer to Jesus the
way she does. I truly can say she is
my Mother and Jesus has revealed
His love for me through her.
What were you doing before you entered
the seminary?
I worked in the family dollar store for
many years before entering the seminary
and went to college for about a
year. It wasn’t until a few years of having
a deeper conversion to my Catholic
faith that I began to discern more fully.
When did you first start to think about
the priesthood?
I started thinking about the priesthood
around the age of 13 after
Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim spoke about
vocations and God put it in my heart
that day. It wasn’t until my deeper
conversion around the age of 22 did
I more fully seek to know God’s will.
How did your parents/family react
when you entered the seminary?
Most of my family was supportive
from the beginning. My parents were
not initially on board but they came
around after some prayer and discernment,
realizing it was God’s will. I have
a very close relationship with my family
and am blessed by God to have so
many people who love and support me.
What will you miss most about the seminary?
I will miss the people at Sacred Heart
Major Seminary who have prayed for
and supported me all these years. I
will especially miss the beautiful oratory/chapel
to pray in. Sacred Heart
has been a home to me for the last 7
years, but at the same time, I’m excited
about ministry.
What do you think is the greatest challenge
facing the Chaldean community in
America?
I think one of the greatest challenges
for the Chaldean community is that
many families have done a lot to fit in
economically in America but when it
comes down to handing down their
faith, we at times fall short. The majority
of Chaldean families do not go to
Sunday Mass, even though they would
consider themselves to be Catholic. I
think more families need to take time
to reflect on their faith and stir up the
grace they received at their Baptism
and follow Christ more closely.
Before being able to address serious
moral topics such as drugs, natural
family planning, sexual immorality,
abortion, lack of Father’s spiritual
leadership in the home, and all the
other social issues, we need to first
go back to basics of, “who is Jesus to
me? What does it mean that He is my
Lord and my savior? Have I reflected
on my Baptismal vows that my Godparents
made in my name as a baby?”
If I haven’t entrusted my life to
Jesus Christ and begun to learn and
experience what he has done for me
on the cross, everything else will just
sound like noise and won’t resonate
with us. Our hearts need to be become
unhardened by Jesus’ grace before
we can face serious moral issues.
What excites you the most about becoming
a priest?
I’m looking forward to celebrating
Mass the most. God has truly humbled
me with the honor of one day being
able to change bread and wine into
the Body and Blood of Christ through
His Holy Spirit. I’m truly looking forward
to doing my best to reflect Jesus
in my life to others. If God uses me
to help one person get closer to Jesus
then I will be a happy priest.
Marcus Shammami
Ordained by Bishop Francis, July 4
Age: 26
Parents: Khalid and Muna Shammami
Home Parish: St. Thomas Chaldean
Church (West Bloomfield, Michigan)
First Assignment: Holy Martyrs Chaldean
Church (Sterling Heights, Michigan)
Mass of Thanksgiving (First Mass):
Sunday, July 5, at 10:30 AM (English
Mass) at St. Thomas in West Bloomfield,
Michigan.
Who is your favorite Saint and why?
One of my favorite saints is St. Isaac
of Nineveh. He was a monk-hermit
who lived in southern Mesopotamia
during the 7th century. One of the
early Chaldean Church patriarchs,
while visiting his region, met Isaac
and was struck by his holiness, so he
brought him back to be the bishop of
Nineveh. He only remained bishop
for a few months, leaving his seat to
return to the mountains in solitude
once more.
His writings and homilies are filled
with much spiritual richness and wisdom,
often speaking of the mystery
of God and about the all-enveloping
love that God has towards creation.
What were you doing before you entered
the seminary?
I was a student at Wayne State University
studying History while working
as a waiter at a steakhouse. After
three years at Wayne State, I stopped
pursuing my degree and entered the
seminary.
When did you first start to think about
the priesthood?
It was a gradual process, but I first
started thinking about the priesthood
late in high school when I began
to explore my faith in a deeper
way and became more involved with
the Church. The more I began to
know the person of Jesus Christ, the
more I wanted to give my all and
serve Him.
How did your parents/family react
when you entered the seminary?
They weren’t as receptive to the idea
at first, especially considering that I
am the only son in the family, but
now they’re really happy about my
decision and have come around full
circle.
What will you miss most about the
seminary?
I enjoyed the community aspect of
seminary life, including the friends
I’ve made, the classes, and the
structured lifestyle. I am going to
miss seminary a great deal but at
the same time, you’re not called to
be a seminarian, you’re called to be
a priest.
What do you think is the greatest challenge
facing the Chaldean community
in America?
One big challenge facing our
community in America is losing
our cultural uniqueness in the
midst of “American Culture.” It’s
one of the side effects of becoming
more Americanized. If we
don’t preserve our heritage and
traditions in the United States
and abroad, we may risk losing
that which binds us so closely to
our Church and faith. We must
understand what the Chaldean
Catholic Church is, what makes
it unique, and to keep fast and
close to those traditions.
What excites you the most about becoming
a priest?
I am most excited about being able to
celebrate the Sacraments, especially
celebrating the Order of the Divine
Mysteries (Mass) and the sacrament
of reconciliation (confession). These
are two Sacraments which helped me
to realize the love and mercy of God
in my own life.
18 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 19

in MEMORIAM
Rebecca Hallahan Hurin
Jan 30, 1970 - Jun 2, 2020
Rebecca was the cherished wife of John Hurin, stepmother of
Gabei Hurin, daughter of Julie Hallahan Najor, sister of Gerald
Hallahan, Laura Hallahan, and her beloved twin Rachel
Hallahan Karagozian, niece of Dr. George D. Najor and aunt
(called “Mommy 2”) of Marcus, Alec, Nicholas and Patrick.
Rebecca graduated Magna Cum Laude in Sociology and
Anthropology from Oakland University, working tirelessly
as an opioid addictions counselor and skilled as patient advocate for patient
treatment and recovery. Her warmth, knowledge and insight into human behavior
were her strengths. Our lives were better because of our effervescent and
beautiful Rebecca. All who knew her were enriched by her sincere benevolence.
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Ablahed Ablahed
Jul 1, 1932 –
Jun 21, 2020
Manuel Behnam
Dec 22, 1930 –
Jun 20, 2020
Maria Casab
Dalaly
May 22, 1929 –
Jun 19, 2020
Jamil Isreal
Jan 21, 1961 –
Jun 17, 2020
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Esmet Elias
Chika
Dec 23, 1944 –
Jun 16, 2020
Abdulahad Isho
Sana
Jul 1, 1934 –
Jun 16, 2020
Sajid Orow
Jan 27, 1957 –
Jun 15, 2020
Nahid (Nicholas)
Yako Shada
Nov 21, 1966 –
Jun 13, 2020
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Violette Gauge
Aug 8, 1932 –
Jun 11, 2020
Joseph Kaka
Feb 10, 1951 –
Jun 10, 2020
Najiba Bahura
Jul 1, 1934 –
Jun 9, 2020
Jamila Jabero
May 5, 1926 –
Jun 9, 2020
Instisar Kinaya
Apr 14, 1959 –
Jun 9, 2020
Nakia Arabo
Mar 29, 1946 –
Jun 8, 2020
Samiran
Shamam Ayar
Jan 18, 1929 –
Jun 7, 2020
Edward Dabish
Dec 7, 1939 –
Jun 7, 2020
Kamal Akrawi
Jul 1, 1954 –
Jun 6, 2020
Frank Thomas
Sep 1, 1938 –
Jun 5, 2020
Sharbel Shebli
Oct 28, 2015 –
Jun 4, 2020
Anthony Wardia
Aug 29, 2000 –
Jun 3, 2020
Zaher Salama
Dec 23, 1974 –
Jun 2, 2020
Shoni Akrawi
July 1, 1932 –
Jun 1, 2020
20 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

TOBACCO USE & CORONAVIRUS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
1
2
3
4
5
Tobacco use results in
more aggravated symptoms
of Coronavirus.
Young and healthy people
who regularly inhale tobacco
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Vaping could be the reason
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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 21

Freedom Rider:
The Chaldean Flag Kid
BY RUTHANNE ASHKAR
If you live or drive in the Macomb/Oakland
County area of Southeast Michigan, chances
are you may have encountered young
Christian Mansoor weaving his way through
traffic on a bicycle adorned with a large Iraqi
flag proudly fluttering in the breeze.
Christian, a first-generation American who
will be entering 10th grade in the fall, says he first
thought of attaching a flag to his bicycle when he
was about 12 years old. His original flag wore stars
and stripes to display his love for his homeland
and support for all who serve in its military.
Eventually Christian’s knowledge of the
plight of Chaldeans still suffering in the Middle
East inspired him to substitute the national flag
of Iraq for its American counterpart. Although
Christian was born in the U.S. and is proud to
be an American, he feels a strong emotional
attachment to the war-torn country where his
father was born and then left as an immigrant
with his family when he was still a child.
For Christian, his flag-bearing bicycle is not
only a show of support for suffering Iraqis, but also
a vehicle for increasing awareness of their plight
and facilitating important dialogue that serves to
educate his fellow Americans about foreign issues
not usually covered by mainstream media.
Chaldeans living in the Middle East have
experienced several major upheavals in the years
since Christian’s grandparents left Iraq to settle
in the United States. In order to fully understand
what fuels Christian’s passion for their plight, you’d
have to be aware of the tumultuous history and turbulent
events that have taken place in the country
of Iraq during his own short lifetime.
Prior to the U.S. invasion in 2003, Chaldeans living
in Iraq had benefited from an amicable relationship
with Sunni president Saddam Hussein. The situation
became far more tenuous when U.S. President
George W. Bush made a conscious decision to ignore
U.S. intelligence warnings from the CIA about a guy
named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian criminal
who had been radicalized in prison and went on to
create a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.
CIA agents, who had been observing al-Zarqawi’s
activities after his release from prison, became
alarmed as they saw him begin to assemble an increasingly
larger group of jihadis committed to a
radical Islamic ideology. In the wake of the 9/11
terrorist attack in New York City, those in charge
dismissed the CIA’s concern regarding the potential
threat posed by al-Zarqawi and focused instead
on going after Saddam Hussein.
Al-Zarqawi saw the Iraq War as the perfect opportunity
to make a name for himself by moving his
operation to Baghdad ahead of the U.S. invasion,
joining al Qaeda and proceeding to orchestrate a
series of bombings, beheadings, and attacks that resulted
in “turning an insurgency against U.S. troops
into a Shia-Sunni civil war.” Unfortunately, Christians
and other minorities got caught in the crossfire.
By 2004, the year that Christian Mansoor was
born, the ISIS attacks on Iraq’s tiny Christian minority
had steadily increased and eventually led to
the bombing of five Christian churches in Baghdad
and Mosul. The United Nations Refugee Commission
announced at the time that Iraqi Christians
had begun to flee the country in record numbers.
Some Chaldeans who fled as refugees told stories
of having their children kidnapped and held
for ransom by gangs of radical Islamists whose reign
of terror went unchecked in the lawlessness that
followed in the wake of the toppling of Saddam
Hussein’s government.
Al-Zarqawi was eventually eliminated in
2006 by joint U.S. Forces but by then the country
was in so much chaos that his absence did
little to reign in the terrorist activities of his ardent
followers who changed their name to the
Islamic State (IS) after his death.
In the spring of 2011, when Christian was six
years old, the youth in neighboring Syria rose up
against the ruling regime during what came to
be known as the Arab Spring. By 2013, the year
Christian turned nine, militarized IS combatants
from Iraq had crossed the border into Syria and
changed their name once again, this time to the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, better known as
ISIS. In Syria their numbers continued to grow
as online recruiting tactics lured foreign radicals
into joining them from a variety of countries including
Britain and the United States.
The expansion of ISIS into Syria struck a
second blow to Iraqi Christians who had found
refuge in Syria after fleeing from persecution
in Iraq. Many who had been waiting for the
U.S. Embassy in Damascus to issue the visas
they had been promised had already seen their
hopes dashed when the Embassy was forced to
close because of the Syrian revolution. Now
they found themselves face to face once again
with the militant jihadis who had forced them
into leaving Iraq in the first place.
By June of 2014, when Christian was still
nine years old, ISIS in Iraq had taken control
of one third of the country with leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring the creation of
an Islamic State in Mosul and naming himself its
caliph. The reign of terror that followed included
rape, abductions, executions, mass murder, pillaging,
extortion, seizure of state resources and smuggling,
forcing Iraqi Christians who chosen to stay
in northern Syria to flee to Erbil in the south.
About the time young Christian Mansoor decided
to attach an Iraqi flag to his bicycle in the U.S.,
allied forces were already earnestly pursuing the
elimination of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. In December
of 2017, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared
the mission that had begun in 2015 complete.
Since then the nation of Iraq has made slow but
steady progress towards reclaiming their ravaged cities
and establishing a government that will hopefully
do its best to meet the needs of all of its people.
When asked what message he would like to
convey to CN readers Christian said he hoped
that he would see a time when “all ethnicities are
treated equally.”
Although Christian may not understand all of
what transpired in Iraq, or the politics involved, he
does understand the need for education and dialogue
and will continue to exercise his freedom to
wave his flag in support of those ideals.
22 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 23

Coping With COVID:
Businesses and Professionals Face Uneven Impact
BY PAUL NATINSKY
The coronavirus crisis ushered
in a crazy quilt of regulations,
ever-shifting medical science
and chaos of different degrees for
businesses.
In Michigan, experiences under
quarantine and reopening are as varied
as the myriad theories about how
COVID-19 is transmitted.
Mike Sarafa is part owner of a
company that operates almost 400
SuperCuts salons in seven states, including
80 stores in Michigan. The
late March government-imposed
lockdown temporarily shuttered
Michigan operations and forced the
company to furlough thousands of
employees companywide.
SuperCuts provided health insurance
benefits to its 98 percent
female workforce—many of them
moms—during the shutdown. The
company also provided a small bonus
in March and paid a similar returnto-work
bonus June 22, when employees
returned to work. Sarafa said
90 percent of his Michigan workforce
was expected back, a similar return
rate to Ohio, where 85 percent
of employees were back on the job in
late May.
“We have spent a lot of time and
resources building the culture that
we’re proud of,” says Sarafa.
The company drew on a combination
of credit lines and PPP (Paycheck
Protection Program) loans to
weather the crisis. Still, with reduced
capacity to accommodate social distancing,
the cost of personal protective
equipment and zero revenue
during the shutdown, Sarafa says the
company has suffered.
“If we’re lucky and business goes
as we hope, we think we can dig out
of it in the next 12 months. It’s a
huge hole, about 30 percent of our
revenue for the year,” he explained.
Enduring changes attributable
to COVID include eliminating the
waiting area and banning cash payments.
Customers wait for their appointments
in cars and can only use
plastic in the store to avoid using
germ-laden currency.
“This thing is real,” Sarafa said of
the coronavirus. “I don’t want (the
Ashley Audisho (left) and Lindsey Wydick on the front lines at Beaumont Hospital
Chaldean community) to be too cavalier
about it. A lot of people think
that there was something not exactly
true about what was going on, and
I think that’s a mistake. There’s too
many scientists and too many medical
professionals on the frontlines of
this stuff that understand very clearly
what we’re up against and we should
listen to them.”
Sarafa said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
was right to respect the seriousness
of the pandemic, but wishes she
had been better about transparency
and communication.
“It was very unclear and very hard
to know in Michigan what we were
up against, what kind of timelines we
were talking about, what they were
measuring for, what they were looking
for,” he said. He pointed out that
dental offices and dozens of other
personal contact businesses reopened
weeks before hair salons.
Sarafa said Ohio, where the company
also does business, was more
clear about what was expected, resulting
in a quarter of the deaths
and half the infections occurring in
Michigan, and enabling businesses to
reopen weeks earlier.
Double Whammy
Ashley Audisho works as a medical/
surgical nurse at Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak. In addition to being
a frontline worker, she has scheduled
a wedding for September in front of,
originally, 700 guests. The guest list
is now 300. Families will sit together
and hand sanitizer passed around to
accommodate COVID concerns. A
June 2021 backup date provides her
peace of mind against unpredictable
changes in the course of the pandemic.
Audisho works on the only floor
in the hospital that is a non-COVID
floor. Still, she has been pressed into
service on coronavirus areas four or
five times. In addition to the stress of
risking infection, she says it takes five
minutes to gear up for COVID patient
contact and another five minutes
to safely gear down and dispose
of contaminated PPE. And that is
every time a nurse leaves and enters
a COVID patient’s room.
“People now kind of see what you
do. A nurse’s job is hard as it is before
COVID, but I think now because of
everything that is going on, people
have a better appreciation for nurses,”
she says. “But also UPS workers,
people who work in grocery stores.
You appreciate people so much more
because they don’t have a choice,
they don’t have the ability to stay
home and work from home.”
As nice as it is to be considered a
hero, Audisho says healthcare workers
often receive tentative reactions
when they are in public and sometimes
feel obligated to notify those in
contact with them that they work in
healthcare.
Mixed Bag
Real estate was completely shut
down from mid-March through May
7, said Tammy Jonna, a real estate
agent with DOBI Real Estate.
Jonna has been in residential real
estate for a little more than five years.
“When my three boys were getting
older and in school full-time, it felt
like a natural path for me with a background
in sales and customer service.”
“Initially, we had several restrictions
such as PPE requirements and
limited people at each showing—no
more than four people in a property
at one time,” she said. “We were not
allowed to hold any open houses.
People were still very nervous to
allow showings or to go see other
homes. The restrictions were lifted
in early June. We are now allowed to
conduct open houses and the number
of people at a showing is no longer
limited.”
Still, business is not as usual. “I
take every necessary precaution when
it comes to social distancing,” said
Jonna. “It is critically important that I
set a good example for my clients, and
that they see that I take their health
and wellbeing seriously. My brokerage,
DOBI Real Estate has provided
24 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

DOBI Real Estate provides their agents safety kits with for use at appointments and showings
all of the agents with PPE kits that
include branded masks and hand sanitizer.
I keep kits in my car for listing
appointments and showings.”
The initial impact was jarring
and the industry overall saw a massive
decrease in activity, said Jonna.
However, being under quarantine for
nearly three months made people
realize that their needs and expectations
have changed.
“I saw a funny meme in April that
said ‘How do you like that open floor
plan now?’ It’s funny but true! Most
families can relate to this. The wants
and needs of a home have changed
due to COVID. For example, the
home office is a popular request
these days now that offices are having
their employees work more from
home. Several families have decided
they need more space, or just the opposite,
people need to downsize. Either
way, the pause in the industry
created a pent up demand and with
interest rates being so low, affordability
is going up. We are seeing several
multiple offer situations in the
market right now because sellers are
selling at a more realistic price.”
Silver Lining
Entrepreneur Brandon Kammo
started The Beverage Cart (thebeveragecart.com)
in February of 2019,
partnering with liquor stores to provide
local delivery within an hour
through an online portal. Taking
advantage of a 2017 change in the
law that allows liquor delivery, The
Beverage Cart serves as the online
marketing and processing arm for
20 liquor stores covering territory
between Ann Arbor and Warren,
Royal Oak and Sterling Heights and
beyond. Kammo figures it will take
50 to 100 store/partners to provide
“blanket coverage” so that no one
entering an address is out of range.
“We’re just starting out, but
this COVID crisis has lifted us to
a whole new level,” said Kammo.
While shopping and delivery apps
are trending up, Kammo says TBC’s
60-minute delivery window sets his
service apart. He takes particular
pride in fact that alcoholic beverage
delivery expands the universe
of products that can be had without
leaving home, allowing those adhering
to coronavirus precautions to
refrain from in-store purchasing and
reducing their risk of contracting or
spreading the virus.
As the course of the pandemic
continues on its confusing and uneven
path, people press on, finding
innovative ways to continue to serve
the community through their businesses.
For some, the path will be
easier than for others, but all seem
determined to persevere.
Delta Dental of Michigan
Cavities are the most common
cause of disease for children aged
6 to 19. But, they are preventable!
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 25

Meet the Candidates
BY: ASHLEY A. ATTISHA, ESQ.
So far, in 2020, we have been battling the Covid-19 pandemic, systemic racial injustice, killer
hornets and we still have a Presidential election to look forward to in November. Democracy
cannot exist without elections and this year more Chaldeans are on the ballot than ever before.
Stacy Bahri, Macomb County Commissioner, District 5
Stacy Bahri is a first-time candidate running as a Democrat for Macomb County Commissioner
for District 5. She spent the majority of her career working as a community
activist, educational leader, and program manager for the Chaldean Community Foundation.
Stacy has a dedicated background of advocating for Chaldeans and minorities
and has worked to reduce economic disparities for Chaldean refugees. Stacy is involved
in several committees that promote cultural diversity and inclusion, such as Macomb
County’s Annual Breakfast of Nations and Student Diversity Summit and McLaren
Macomb’s Diversity & Inclusion Council. She has been proudly endorsed by Macomb
County Executive, Mark Hackel and Warren Consolidated School Board Vice President,
Susan Kattula. Stacy’s vision for Macomb County includes strengthening public
safety, improving roads and infrastructure, and delivering better county services. Macomb County’s primary election is
August 4, 2020. Stacy is running against Democrat Rob Mijac in the primary election. If you are interested in learning
more about Stacy visit votebahri.com.
Talil Abrhiem, PhD, Macomb County Commissioner, District 5
Dr. Talil Abrhiem is running as a Republican for Macomb County Commissioner of District
5. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Dr. Abrhiem worked in Greece helping
refugees and temporary workers file for jobs and in some cases, asylum from oppressive
governments. In hindsight, he says, that experience gave him a greater appreciation for the
political and economic freedom in the United States. After twenty years of success in the
business field, Dr. Abrhiem decided to further his education, eventually earning a Ph.D. in
business organization and management. For the past several years, Dr. Abrhiem has been
a campus dean and business professor at a university focused on adult students. If elected,
Dr. Abrhiem promises to fix roads, create more jobs, and balance the government’s budget.
Macomb County’s primary election is August 4, 2020. Dr. Abrhiem is running against Republican
Donald VanSyckel in the primary election. For more information visit talilabrhiem.com.
Jim Manna, Trustee,
West Bloomfield Township
Jim Manna is a long-time resident
of West Bloomfield. He
was appointed as West Bloomfield
Planning Commissioner in
2009 and was elected as Trustee
of West Bloomfield in 2016. Jim
entered the political scene to be
a voice for the large Chaldean
community in West Bloomfield.
Since Manna was elected in
2016, West Bloomfield’s boards
and committees diversified and
now include a Chaldean representative
at every level. Manna
has received many calls from
residents over the years and
has done his best to serve, protect,
and help the citizens of
West Bloomfield. To learn more
about Jim Manna’s campaign
please contact him directly at
jimmanna@outlook.com .
Eric Esshaki, U.S. House of Representatives, 11th Congressional District
Eric Esshaki is a first-generation Chaldean-American. Growing up in Southgate,
Michigan, he learned early on what it meant to have a strong work ethic from his
father who had immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in the seventies. Eric
became a registered nurse and has experience working as a home care nurse, emergency
room nurse, and several management roles. While working as a nurse, he earned his
B.A. from Oakland University and set his sights on becoming an attorney. Eric graduated
from the University of Michigan Law School and joined a prominent law firm.
As a former nurse and practicing attorney, Esshaki is most concerned with the state of
healthcare in the U.S. and hopes to jump right in to find a solution to the problem.
If elected, he will be the first Chaldean-American congressman. For more information
visit vote.ericesshaki.com.
Clarence Dass, Oakland County Circuit Court
Clarence Dass is a lifelong resident of Oakland County. He served as assistant prosecuting
attorney for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office from 2012 to 2016. He
now leads The Dass Law Firm where he specializes in criminal, family, juvenile and
municipal law. Clarence Dass believes that service to the community does not stop at
the courtroom doors. His entire career, Dass has undertaken various community and
leadership initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of those around him. In
2017, Dass was named one of the Oakland County Executive’s “Elite 40 Under 40.” He
served as President of the 27th Class of Leadership Oakland, where he helped spearhead
the building of a safe house for human trafficking survivors. In 2018, he received
Leadership Oakland’s “Leader of Leaders” Award for Exemplary Public Leadership. To
learn more visit dass4judge.com.
Klint Kesto, Oakland
County Commissioner,
District 5
Klint Kesto was the first Chaldean-American
elected to the
Michigan State House of Representatives
in 2013. He served
for five years. Prior to that Kesto
served as an assistant prosecuting
attorney for Wayne County.
Kesto says he was motivated
to run for office by the lack of
Chaldean representation in
government. Kesto is grounded
in families and has always been
an advocate for business owners.
He proudly raised the voice
of the Chaldean Community
in Lansing, and now is focusing
his advocacy on families and
businesses in Oakland County.
26 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

Join the Chaldean
American Chamber
of Commerce.
Nearly 1,000
Members Strong!
INDIVIDUAL
BUSINESS
STUDENT
CORPORATE
MEMBER
BENEFITS
ANNUAL
RATE
Student
$50/yr
Individual /
Non-Business
Owner: $100/yr
Business
Member
$200/yr
Corporate
Member
$1,500/yr
Free attendance
to events
Listed in printed
directory
Ability to submit
content for e-news
Invitation to
exclusive events
Sponsorship of Annual Meeting
with opportunity to exhibit
Opportunity to
sponsor key events
Logo and link on
Chamber website
Business description in Annual
Report/Annual Directory
Ability to host events
Join
today
and refer
a friend!
Now more than ever,
we need each other.
Contact Sana Navarrette at
snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com
or 248-851-1200 for more information
30095 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY, SUITE 101. FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334
248-851-1200 • CHALDEANCHAMBER.COM

Who Is That Mask Man?
BY STEVE STEIN
There’s no hiding behind the
fact that MaskClub is an
overnight success story.
Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic
and resultant economic hardship
of many companies around the
globe, MaskClub is meeting a worldwide
need for face coverings in a creative
and convenient way.
Customers who sign up for the
unique online subscription service
receive a double-ply cloth made-inthe-USA
mask each month, choosing
from more than 100 brands and
thousands of designs that can adorn
the front of the mask. There even are
kid-sized masks.
Cost to join MaskClub is $9.99
per month, a 30 percent discount
from the $13.99 cost of a single mask
purchase.
Buying masks through MaskClub
also helps first responders who are
fighting the COVID-19 virus each
day. For every mask sold, a medicalgrade
mask is donated to a first responder
through the First Responders
Children’s Foundation. More than
100,000 masks have been donated
since MaskClub’s April 10 launch.
The MaskClub.com website
went viral the day after it launched,
and there were one million visitors
on the website in its first four weeks.
What’s the most popular MaskClub
mask so far? Wonder Woman. No.
2 is a mask with the American flag.
MaskClub is a spinoff company
of Madison Heights-based Trevco,
headed by president Trevor George.
“We’re in the licensed apparel
and accessories business at Trevco,
and we took a hit initially from the
pandemic,” George said. “People
stopped buying our products because
they had to buy food and toilet
paper.” His company’s sales fell
60 percent, and he had to lay off or
furlough most of his employees.
“All I could do was try to keep
the ship from sinking,” George said.
While his company was struggling,
George stepped up and donated
250,000 masks to a local hospital.
After seeing how that generosity was
received and knowing that Trevco
had licensed brands already in
place, George’s wife Morgan came
up with the idea for MaskClub. The
idea quickly became reality.
“In four days, MaskClub was up
Above: MaskClub president Trevor George and his wife Morgan wear MaskClub masks while enjoying family time with their 11-monthold
son Hudson. Top of page: A few of the thousands of mask designs available through MaskClub.
and running,” Trevor said, giving
much of the credit to Nick Saroki,
Trevco’s chief technology officer,
and Chris Thiesen, the company’s
art director, for the quick launch.
Trevor gave kudos to his wife not
only for the idea for MaskClub. He
said she came through in a crisis.
“As the quarantine dragged on,
Morgan kept telling me I had to
do something with my business,”
Trevor said. “She was relentless.
She even set up a calendar invitation
each day to remind herself to
‘harass’ me the next day.”
Morgan is a stay-at-home mother
for 11-month-old son Hudson, but
her career expertise is in the fashion
industry. That knowledge played in
a role in her MaskClub idea.
“Morgan saw scenes of people
in China all wearing the same blue
mask,” Trevor said. “She thought
that was pretty boring, that we
could make much more of a fashion
statement in the U.S.”
After word got out in the business
world about MaskClub’s success,
companies started calling
Trevor, asking if they could join the
list of mask offerings.
Trevor is now working with
Nickelodeon for the first time. And
Kraft Heinz. And Dippin’ Dots ice
cream.
That means there are SpongeBob
Squarepants, Paw Patrol, Rugrats
and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
masks available through MaskClub.
And masks with Kraft Macaroni &
Cheese, Kool-Aid, Oscar Mayer,
Heinz Ketchup and Jell-O designs.
Most importantly, Trevor has been
able to call back the 70 or so employees
he had to let go or furlough.
The future is bright for MaskClub,
and not just because people are finding
they need more than one mask as
they go about their daily lives.
“I originally thought MaskClub
would be a one year or 18-month
business, until a vaccine was developed
for COVID-19,” Trevor said.
“Now I think a percentage of people
are going to be wearing masks after
that.
“We think differently about
the flu now and we’re quite aware
that we could get sick when we’re
out in public. I’ll bet you’ll see 10
to 20 percent of airline passengers
wearing masks after the pandemic is
over,” he said.
Trevor equated the medical experts’
constant recommendations to
wear a mask in places where social
distancing is difficult to a parent
telling a child over and over to do
something. “We’re not done hearing
about the importance of wearing
masks,” he said.
MaskClub recently expanded to
the United Kingdom and Europe.
The launch was especially timely in
England, where non-medical face
coverings became mandatory on
public transportation starting June
15. Ten percent of each MaskClub
mask sold in the United Kingdom
goes to NHS Charities Together,
which provides funding and services
for hospitals there.
Founded in 1990, Trevco is one
of the largest e-commerce players
for licensed merchandise in the
world thanks to its print-on-demand
apparel and accessories technology.
In addition to Madison Heights,
Trevco also has a facility in Rancho
Cordova, California.
28 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
Help
Wanted?
As our Nation plans
to rebuild after this
unprecedented time,
please consider
investing in one of our
many new Americans.
HOW WE HELP:
The Career Services Team
at the Chaldean Community
Foundation offers one-on-one
assistance to help individuals
identify their goals and
develop their careers.
SERVICES INCLUDE:
• Resume Building and Cover Letter Writing
• Job Application Completion
• FAFSA Completion
• Mock Interviews
• Employer Referrals
• Training Opportunities
• Career Fairs
• Access to Transportation via the
Michael J George Chaldean Loan Fund
To inquire about hiring one of our clients and having your business added to our job bank,
please call or email Elias at 586-722-7253 or elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org
CHALDEAN
AMERICAN
CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 3601 15 MILE ROAD, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 586-722-7253 CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 29

The Doctor Is In: Ascension Primary Care Clinic
to Open in the Newly Expanded CCF Center
BY SARAH KITTLE
Clockwise from top left: Expansion exterior; Clinician room; Check-in area; Doctor’s office.
In 2010, the need for health coverage
within the Chaldean community
was recognized as drastic.
Project Bismutha (the “act of healing”)
was founded by the Chaldean
American Association for Health
Professionals (CAAHP) to provide
free medical services to qualified uninsured
individuals. The Chaldean
Community Foundation (CCF)
along with Ascension (then St. John
Providence) Health System partnered
with CAAHP in 2011 to help
support and administer the initiative.
Nearly a decade later, it was recognized
that it’s no longer enough. It
was apparent this underserved community
needed more medical and
mental health services than Project
Bismutha was able to provide. More
dedicated care was needed.
Ascension, as a healthcare system
rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus
as a healer and committed to serving
with special attention to those who
are poor and vulnerable, took on that
challenge and committed to opening
and staffing a clinic within the newly
expanded CCF Center to directly
serve the Chaldean community.
The new clinic, officially called
the Ascension Macomb Oakland
Hospital — Chaldean Community
Foundation Primary Care Clinic,
scheduled to open its doors located
at 3501 15 Mile Road in Sterling
Heights on August 1, will be part of
Ascension Medical Group and will
include point-of-care labs, referrals,
testing and vaccinations, as well
as hospital resources like advanced
imaging. If hospital admission is required,
patients will be taken to Ascension
Macomb-Oakland Hospital.
Staffed with an Office Manager,
Board-Certified Family Medicine
Physician, Medical Assistant and
Front Desk Manager, the clinic will
be fully operational. There will also
be an after-hours answering pager to
help patients connect with the provider
for any concerns.
The plan for the clinic is not only
to provide medical help but also patient
education and free seminars,
although the planning is hampered
by COVID concerns. The clinic will
follow same rules and Center for Disease
Control recommendations currently
used in Ascension’s ministry.
Patients will be initially screened by
phone and in-person appointments
will be made for those who aren’t
able to benefit from virtual care.
According to Jaqueline Raxter,
MA, LMSW, LPC, “The CCF anticipates
that our expanded space
will allow for enhanced programming
in areas of integrated healthcare services
for our community.” Behavioral
health and physical healthcare will be
offered onsite for continuity of care,
as well as expanded programs to enhance
respite services for caregivers.
Opportunities to provide proactive
wellness programming for the
most vulnerable members of the
community are exciting to Raxter.
“Bilingual, professional social workers
are available to service individuals
ages 13 years of age and older,
regardless of insurance, in a private
and confidential manner as well as a
therapeutic environment for better
health and living.”
Dr. Wafa Barkho will head the
team at the clinic, being a part of
Ascension and also Chaldean. She
studied medicine at the University
of Baghdad College of Medicine.
Her heart is with the people she calls
“The Abandoned Ones.”
While indigenous to the region
of northern Iraq, Southeast Turkey,
and northeast Syria, many Chaldean
Catholics have migrated to Western
countries including the United
States and Canada due to religious
persecution, ethnic persecution,
poor economic conditions during the
sanctions against Iraq and poor security
conditions after the war in 2003.
In southeast Michigan, the Chaldean
community is estimated to be
around 160,000 - the largest concentration
outside Iraq.
“We recognize that preventative
healthcare is key,” says CCF president
Martin Manna. “If community
members can obtain well-being visits,
screenings and immunizations
here at the Foundation, at a location
they already know and trust, they
are more likely to take ownership of
their own health.”
30 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

COMMUNITY
COMES FIRST
Community
is what holds us together, and makes us stronger.
So DTE is supporting our neighbors. Donating 2 million masks
to emergency personnel, and 600,000 to small businesses as they reopen. Providing essential meals and
shelter to more than half a million families. And leading a coalition to provide tablets and internet access
to 51,000 school children so they can continue to learn at home.
Community matters. And to DTE, all of Michigan is our community.
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 31
Creative Files: Creative/20-DTE-1360/R0> 2020-06-17-DTE1360-Covid-9x5.875-BW-R0.indd

chaldeans AROUND THE WORLD
Chaldean Communities in the
American Southwest: California,
Arizona, Nevada and Texas
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
PHOTO BY SEYOZ 4 ALL
There are more than 500,000
Chaldeans in America today,
with large communities in
Detroit, Michigan and San Diego,
California. They may have been in
the United States as early as 1889,
but as far as the record books from
the nineteenth century go, there
were virtually none - the Oussani
family from Baghdad were the first
and only documented Chaldeans to
settle in the U.S. before 1900. By
the mid-20th century there were
Chaldeans around the country, with
a significant population in Detroit
from 1910 onward, attracted by the
dynamic and lucrative auto industry.
Michigan has remained the
American heartland of the Chaldean
community. For decades, Chaldeans
have been building communities in
the southwestern region of the United
States. As ISIS was driving Christians
from their homes in Iraq, these
communities have grown into a base
of support and hope across the globe.
The Chaldean Catholic Church
based in Iraq is one of the 22 Eastern
Catholic Churches in full communion
with Rome. The Chaldean people,
who now live mostly in northern
Iraq, trace their ancestry back
8,000 years. They are mentioned in
the Book of Genesis; Hammurabi
was Chaldean, as was Nebuchadnezzar.
Chaldeans began converting to
Christianity before the middle of the
first century. They’re now aligned
with the Roman Catholic Church.
Chaldeans in California
California gets its nickname, “The
Golden State,” for a reason. Besides
copious amounts of sunshine, the
state’s diverse cultural and geographical
offerings, vibrant cities and critically
acclaimed culinary scenes are
truly the gold standard for travelers.
California is the second-most ethnically
diverse state in the U.S.
Southern California was an especially
attractive destination for many
displaced Chaldeans craving a new
locale, featuring plenty of sunshine,
mild warm weather, a relaxed, easygoing
lifestyle and diverse population
such as they were accustomed to
in Iraq.
In fact, El Cajon, California is
home to the largest population of
Iraqi war refugees in the world. It
hosts the second-highest population
of Chaldeans in the United States,
behind only Metro Detroit. Roughly
50,000 Chaldeans live there.
Over the years, El Cajon, which
Clockwise from left:
El Cajon is home to the largest population
of Iraqi war refugees in the world.
A service at St. Peter church in El Cajon.
St. Peter church exterior.
lies east of San Diego, has taken on the
shape of its growing community of Iraqi
Christians. Signs in many of the city’s
shops and restaurants are in Chaldean
or Arabic, leading some to dub East
Main Street, “Little Baghdad.”
A great majority of San Diego
Chaldeans trace their roots to the
province of Nineveh in northern
Iraq. These Chaldeans left their ancestral
land troubled, in search of a
better life and hoping for more peace
and freedom in their new country.
According to Fr. Michael J. Bazzi,
Pastor Emeritus, the first-known
Chaldean immigrant to San Diego
was Dr. Joseph Gibran in 1951. Then
Ramzi Alex Thomas arrived from
Baghdad to study at San Diego State
University in 1954 and went on to
open a used auto parts store. In 1955,
Aziz Habib from Detroit visited San
Diego and in 1957, moved to stay
and opened the first Chaldean grocery
store in the area.
Mr.& Mrs. Wadie Deddeh moved
from Detroit to San Diego in 1959.
Mr. Deddeh, a University of Baghdad
graduate, had come to Detroit
in 1947. He taught political science,
moving up to become a State Senator
in 1986. In 1960, Slewa Semaan
arrived from Baghdad to visit San
Diego and found only 10 Chaldean
families living there.
Since the enactment of the Refugee
Crisis Act in 2008, the town of El
Cajon has received more than 11,000
Iraqi refugees, most of whom are Chaldean.
While earlier waves of Chaldean
immigrants to El Cajon were largely
urban elites, the post-2008 wave was
comprised of refugees from Christian
villages in the Nineveh Plains.
The newer refugees live mostly
in downtown El Cajon and on the
northern periphery of the city. This
group has expanded the number of
Chaldean-owned businesses, and
Chaldean youth now make up most
of the student population at the
schools in the city’s downtown area.
Early waves of Chaldean immigrants
had worked hard to build cultural
capital in El Cajon. Aiming for
cultural acceptance as well as financial
success in their new city, the first
generation of Chaldean immigrants
established businesses that were palatable
to their new American neighbors,
without conspicuous Chaldean
or Arab markers.
Likewise, their social clubs and
churches blended in with the surroundings.
Above all, Chaldeans
stressed their Christian faith, hard-
32 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

Chaldean Places of Worship
in the Southwest
working nature and patriotism while
maintaining homeland traditions.
Along a central stretch through
downtown El Cajon, signs are
scrawled with Arabic script, adorning
businesses that sell everything from
baklava to legal services to jewelry.
The Chaldean Catholic Eparchy
of Saint Peter the Apostle
The increasing numbers of Chaldeans
in California led to a call for Chaldean
churches to be built in different
parts of the state. The community
has grown large enough to have 11
parishes, with accommodations for a
community center and other services.
On May 21, 2002, St. Peter’s
Chaldean Catholic Church in El
Wadie P. Deddeh was an American politician
in the state of California. He served
in the California State Assembly from
1967 to 1983, and in the California State
Senate.
Cajon, California became the seat of
the second Chaldean diocese in the
United States. The Diocese began
with seven parishes. The first bishop
of the newly established Diocese was
Bishop Sarhad Yousip Jammo. The
diocese is responsible for Chaldean
Catholics in nineteen states in the
western portion of the United States,
the largest concentration of these
being found in San Diego County,
California.
From this city, Bishop Sarhad
Jammo, a native of Baghdad, led the
Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the
Apostle. Second only to Michigan
— the cradle of the nation’s other
Chaldean eparchy — California has
grown into a major Chaldean hub.
El Cajon also boasts two convents,
a monastery and a seminary alongside
a catechetical program serving
1,000 children. The students learn to
pray and celebrate the Qurbana, the
Eucharistic liturgy of the Chaldean
Church, in a modern form of the
Aramaic language.
El Cajon’s Mar Abba the Great
Seminary — the only Chaldean seminary
outside of Iraq — reflects the
vibrancy of the Chaldean community
in the western United States. For
Chaldeans, the church is the center
of their lives. This heritage is evident
from the moment the blue dome of
St. Peter’s Cathedral appears along
the highway that passes through this
sleepy town in southern California.
The Eparchy of St. Peter the
Apostle comprises four vicariates consisting
of its member parishes. On August
29, 2017, His Excellency Monsignor
Emanuel Hana Shaleta was
transferred from the eparchy of Mar
Addai of Toronto in Canada. Bishop
Emanuel Hana Shaleta is a prelate of
the Chaldean Catholic Church and
serves as eparch for the Chaldean
Catholic Eparchy of Saint Peter the
Apostle of San Diego.
Chaldeans in Arizona
It is difficult to determine the exact
number of Chaldeans in states like
Arizona, Nevada and Texas because
they are not accurately represented
as such in the U.S. Census. According
to a fairly recent study, however,
it is estimated that there are 15,000
Chaldeans in Arizona.
As more and more refugees from
Iraq are relocating to Arizona, the
community of Chaldean Catholics
there continues to grow steadily.
There are about 600 families belonging
to Mar Abraham Parish in
Scottsdale and Holy Family Mission
in Phoenix. Many others live in the
East Valley and Tucson.
For years, many in the Phoenix
Diocese were unaware of the presence
of Eastern-rite Catholics. After
a series of articles in The Catholic
Sun spotlighted the hardships endured
by Chaldean Catholics, readers
and residents became more aware
of the plight of the Chaldean people
in Iraq.
While the Kurdish region of Iraq
became a refuge for some, many
others sought homes in the United
States and around the world as an
answer to the persecution in places
like Baghdad and Mosul. Most of the
refugees that fled from war and persecution
have found consolation by
celebrating their faith and traditions
in the United States.
CALIFORNIA
Southern Vicariate:
The parishes of the Southern Vicariate comprise the southwest of the United
States. The Vicar General of the Diocese is Archdeacon Sabri Kejboe.
St. Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Cathedral, El Cajon, California
St. Michael Chaldean Catholic Church, El Cajon, California
Mar Awraha Chaldean Catholic Church, Scottsdale, Arizona
St. Barbara Chaldean Catholic Church, Las Vegas, Nevada
St. George Chaldean Catholic Church, Santa Ana, California
Northern Vicariate:
The parishes of the Northern Vicariate comprise the northwest of the United
States. The Diocesan Vicar is Fr. Kamal Bidawid.
St. Tomas Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church, Turlock, California
St. Mary Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church, Campbell, California
St. Matthew’s Chaldean Catholic Church, Ceres, California
St. Paul Chaldean and Assyrian Catholic Church, North Hollywood, California
Saint Tomas Chaldean Catholic Church, Modesto, California
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Orangevale, California
Missions:
The parishes listed here are Missions of the Eparchy located throughout the
Diocese who are currently not large enough, have not raised enough money,
or found the proper land to construct their own church and formally create a
parish.
St. Joseph’s Chaldean Catholic Mission, California
Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Mission, Arizona
Rabban Hermiz Mission of Riverside, Riverside, California
Monasteries, Convents, and Seminaries:
The fourth Vicariate comprises the vocational housing of the non-diocesan
religious life within the Eparchy.
St. George Monastery, Riverside
The Seminary of Mar Abba the Great, El Cajon
Convent of Our Lady of the Fields (Workers of the Vineyard), El Cajon
Chaldean Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, El Cajon
ARIZONA
Mar Abraham Chaldean Catholic Parish, Scottsdale
Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Church, Phoenix
Holy Cross Chaldean Catholic Church
Tucson Mission, Tucson
NEVADA
St. Barbara Chaldean Catholic Church, Las Vegas
TEXAS
St. Joseph Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Mission of Dallas/Ft. Worth
Chaldeans in Nevada
The Chaldean Catholic Mission in
Las Vegas was established in 2003.
Chaldeans started living in the valley
in the beginning of the 1990s. In
2003, the community began to be
served by Msgr. Felix Shabi who
used to travel from San Diego to
celebrate Mass once a month at
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church.
Then in 2007, the Diocese purchased
a building for the community
to house their own church, St.
Barbara. Fr. Ray Sarkees arrived in
Las Vegas to serve the community in
August 2012 and continues to serve
there today.
Chaldeans in Texas
In Texas, according to the 2017 Census,
the majority of Arab Americans
in the state have Lebanese or Iraqi
roots. Since 2005, significant increases
appear in the number of Texans
who are of Iraqi descent. There are
few Iraqi Christians in the Dallas area;
many are Assyrians. Of the few Chaldean
families living in Texas, most
came when cell phone stores were
booming, some from Detroit.
Additional editing by Ashley Attisha.
This is the fourth installment of a
multi-part series on Chaldeans
Around the World.
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 33

chaldean on the STREET
Now that businesses are opening back up in Michigan,
how will your behavior change?
I do plan on resuming some activities
but to an extent and with caution. That
means masks in grocery and other
stores, and keeping gatherings more
minimal. However, I’m glad that I’m
able to see my friends and family now
that the stay at home order has been
lifted. We can’t forget that COVID-19
is still an active threat, but we are
creatures of habit and we need some
return to normalcy.
– Azal Arabo, 23, White Lake
I’m glad things are opening up again
and things are starting to go back
to normal. COVID-19 is still a threat
and we should still be cautious but I
can’t wait to resume life as usual. I will
refrain from traveling because unfortunately
other states do have higher
rates of COVID-19 than Michigan
does but I’m excited to be able to see
family and friends again.
– Juliana Gumma, 24, West Bloomfield
I definitely plan on going to restaurants
and going to gatherings with friends
and families, but I am being much more
cautious than pre-COVID and I’m limiting
my social interaction with people.
I’m greatly impressed with how our
governor has taken care of the situation,
but I don’t see my social life going
back to normal until there is some vaccine
or drug available for the public.
– Mary Rabban, 23, West Bloomfield
As things begin to open back up, I will
start going back to the locations I love.
I think it’s important to take precautions
for your health at all times, and
I’ve always been a bit of a germaphobe
so I think those habits will just
carry into me being careful in public
during these uncertain times. Just
being cautious and mindful of those
around you can make a big difference.
– Mariah Herfi, 23, Detroit
I will not be going to movies or
concerts anytime soon. However, I
would go to restaurants that are taking
protective measures in their business
practices, although I would prefer to
be seated outside. In short, I am more
cautious at this time but hopeful that
things will go back as they were.
– Laith Yaldo, 49, Shelby Township
As grateful as I am for having a home,
health, and food every day, I am eager
to finally get out and get some fresh
air! With Michigan beginning to gradually
reopen, I’ve already been out to
eat, attended various events, and hung
out with friends. However, life is far
from normal. These are unprecedented
times and we are living through
a pandemic. It’s important to remain
vigilant and mindful of the health and
safety concerns of others.
– Livia Khemmoro, 23, Shelby Township
Although things are opening back
up, I am still being very cautious and
ensuring I do my part to help stop the
spread of the virus. I have been going
to some restaurants but taking the
necessary precautions to ensure the
safety of others and myself while being
there. I think I will hold off from going
to the movies or other events until we
see what is going to happen pertaining
to the course of the virus with everything
reopening.
– Nadya Herfi, 21, Grosse Pointe
Since businesses are slowly starting
to open back up, I will definitely be
attending restaurants and watching
movies in the theaters, but I will also
be taking precautions. I will wear a
mask if it is mandatory. If businesses
aren’t so strict on precautions, then
I probably won’t wear a mask. And I
also won’t be standing six feet apart
from my friends.
– Austin Rasho, 21, Shelby Township
34 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 35

ECONOMICS & enterprise
Life by Design
BY SARAH KITTLE
Many people would be intimidated by the
idea of decorating a 7,100-square-foot
home, but not Olivia Mona. She was
born for it.
Mona has always had an eye for design but
three small children and a busy household didn’t
leave much time for career experimentation. Being
an active mom and helping to decorate for her kid’s
school events satisfied Mona’s creative urges for
many of her children’s younger years, but now that
two of them are in high school, and the youngest in
junior high, it’s time for mom to shine.
The seeds for Mona’s business, Designs by Liv,
were actually planted after she and her family
moved into their spacious Bloomfield Hills home a
year ago. Mona spent the next nine months completely
decorating it from top to bottom. When a
neighbor came inside and saw the home’s transformation,
she wanted to know
who Mona’s decorator was.
Working from the ground
up, Mona had overseen the removal
of walls and the replacement
of all the flooring in their
3,000 square foot basement.
With five bedrooms upstairs
there was space for each child
to have their own room, a guest
Olivia Mona
room and an extra room that
Mona would turn into a home
chapel for her family.
The chapel is Mona’s favorite
room. “It’s so peaceful,” she says of the space.
“It’s the most beautiful room in the house.” She
had collected religious art for some time and the
opportunity to actually put it into a design project
was irresistible. The family uses the chapel
for meditation and prayer. In addition to an altar,
there’s a kneeler (or hassock) in the traditional
Catholic style.
Most Chaldean families have an area of their
home dedicated to worship, but not many have a
whole room. “It’s a special room.” Mona brought
in artists to hand-paint “the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit,” plus angels, lovingly crafted recreations of
artwork from St. Thomas Church.
The neighbor was so impressed with Mona’s décor
that she pushed Mona to go pro and hired her
to decorate a clubhouse for an apartment building
in Petoskey. She’s also working on a kitchen renovation
in Rochester Hills. And she’s not even done
with her schooling yet!
Mona will receive her certification within the
next few months from the New York Institute of
Art & Design. There she’s learned how to sketch
out her design ideas and create mood boards plus
how to share them with a client. Computer Aided
Design (CAD) might be the next thing she studies
but for now Mona prefers to illustrate her design
visions by hand.
Much of what Mona has learned about design
so far has been acquired through working as
a hands-on decorating consultant for family and
friends for more than a decade. Even though she
never charged for her services, Mona knows that
much of what she brings to her current business
was a result of past decorating experiences which
also allowed her the opportunity to make important
connections in many different trades and establish
relationships with professional colleagues
in the fields of cabinetry, flooring and paint.
Mona is also a certified Sherwin Williams Paint
Specialist and says that along with helping people
decide what color paint to use where, the majority
of her clients need the most help in making decisions
about things like flooring or which type of
cabinet goes with their design style.
Many people that
Mona talks to are still
into traditional design
but more and more are
moving toward “transitional,”
a design term
defining the look that
is a marriage of traditional
and contemporary
furniture, finishes,
materials and fabrics
equating to a classic,
timeless design. Furniture
lines are simple yet
sophisticated, featuring
either straight lines or
rounded profiles. It’s
Mona’s favorite style.
Modern, sleek and
white are all “in” right
now, as well as a return
to minimalism. Chaldean style has in the past been
super-traditional, even over-the-top “extra.” That’s
changing as millennials become homeowners in even
greater numbers.
Mona is ready for it all. She’s a great resource
with her own great resources. She had fun being
interviewed on Keeping Up With the Chaldeans,
and wants to remind us all that she is
there to help.
Designs by Liv offers a free one-hour consultation
during which Mona gets acquainted with
potential clients and gets a feel for their likes and
dislikes when it comes to interior design. They ask
questions, and she asks questions, says Mona. After
that, “If they call me back, the process starts.”
36 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

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JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 37

FLASHBACK
Chaldean American Youth Club Through the Years
1. CAYC Board of Directors, 1977-1978: Left to Right: Mouafak Karmo, George Kalabat,
Imad Zeer, Carol Khami, Augeen Kalasho
2. CAYC Board of Directors, 1980-81: Left to Right: Haythem Choulagh, Adel Sesi, Nazar
Stephan, Jamal Kalabat, Helena Kassa, Sajida Atisha, Zuhair Karmo, Augeen Kalasho,
Saher Haddad, Showki Konja; Bottom: Imad Zeer
3. CAYC Board of Directors,
1973-1981: Left to Right: 1st Row:
Wadi Yono, Najah Kajy, Zuhair
Karmo, Mouafak Karmo, Fawzi
Dalli, Showki Konja; 2nd Row:
Janette Shallal, Sajida Atisha,
Gloria (Saffar) Kassa, Nadia
(Dickow) Karima, Carol Khami,
Ann Oram, Helena Kassa; 3rd
Row: Thafir Nona, Ismat Karmo,
Nazar Stephan, Nabeel Yousif,
Amer Asmar, Najib Konja, Saher
Haddad, Augeen Kalasho, Imad
Zeer, George Kalabat, Samer
Kassab, Mukhles Karmo, Dhia
Babbie; 4th Row: Adel Sesi, Jamal
Kalabat, Mike Kassa, Ray Saffar
1
2
3
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Keeping Up With The Chaldeans
Keeping up with the Chaldeans (KUWTC) is a weekly podcast hosted by Anthony Toma and Junior Binno. This podcast
highlights members of the Chaldean community. This is a roundup of some of the latest KUWTC interviews.
1.
Social media icon and actress Julia Q interviewed
with the guys. Julia is a fashion, food, and travel
blogger who is an expert in social media content creation.
She proclaims herself a ‘media junkie’ who loves freedom,
adventures and trying new things.
Nicole Kada has made a name for herself as a blind
Youtuber and social media influencer. She wants to
2.
show the world how life works when you are blind, the many
challenges that arise, and how she overcomes them. Nicole
always has a positive and loving attitude and she wants to
share that message with her followers and subscribers.
3.
Talented producer and brother of KUWTC host Junior,
Omar Binno came to visit! Omar lost his sight
in the prime of his life, but that did not slow him down
much. He owns and operates Big O Productions, a recording
studio that handles everything from music to podcasting.
4.
Joseph Samona is part of the Max Broock Realtors
group. He takes pride in working around the
clock, going above and beyond to make each client feel
like they are his only one. He wants to be your first and
last realtor.
Julia Q
Omar Binno
Nicole Kada
Joseph Samona
“Marian is my second home. I know I will always
have the support I need to get through life’s
tough challenges.”
- Julia ’22
“You and your staff are doing an excellent
job keeping things as normal as possible
and making sure the students stay focused.
Over the last few weeks our daughter hasn’t
missed a beat, her schedule has remained
constant and she is maintaining focus. Her
teachers have done a great job of providing
an appropriate workload and adequate time
for questions/instruction. It’s very apparent
that Marian is light years ahead of the
curve in terms of being prepared and able to
handle the current situation.”
- Chris Vanneste,
Parent of a Current Marian Junior
“Marian is where you will find friends who
bring out the best in you and teachers who
support you.”
- Christina ’21
hello!
www.marian-hs.org
Now accepting
applications for the
2020/21 school year.
Marian offers a well-established all girls education including an extensive offering
of college preparatory, honors and AP courses. Our athletic and co-curricular
programming rivals the most competitive private and public schools in Michigan.
Marian is a Catholic college preparatory school for young women,
sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
For admission information, call (248) 502-3033.
7225 Lahser Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
Chaldean News Hlf Page ad.indd 1
40 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020
5/15/2020 3:36:04 PM

event
Congratulations
Class of 2020!
On Friday, June 12 the Chaldean community came together to
honor our graduates in a half hour virtual celebration. Over 70
grads participated in the event co-hosted by The Chaldean News,
the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, and the Chaldean
Communty Foundation. Chamber and Foundation president Martin
Manna emceed the special, which included the national anthem sung
by Ashley Bahri,a speech by Valedictorian Isabella Shunyia, a blessing
from Bishop Francis, a roll call of all the graduates and their schools,
and an opportunity to “turn the tassel.” The video is available to view
on the Chamber’s YouTube channel.
JULY 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 41

event
Welcome Back
to Worship
The Mass looked different on Pentecost Sunday, with inperson
attendees practicing social distancing, pews roped off,
and overflow seating provided outside the Church. Parishioners
are eager but cautious about renewing regular services. Photos
provided by Chaldean Diocese.
42 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020

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