OCTOBER 2020

VOL. 17 ISSUE IX 

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY OCTOBER 2020 

$ 

3 

www.chaldeannews.com 

INSIDE 

POINT/COUNTERPOINT: 

WHICH U.S. PRESIDENT 

IS BEST FOR IRAQ? 

MAKING 

HISTORY 

HALA JARBOU IS 

FIRST CHALDEAN 

ON FEDERAL BENCH 

USAID HELPS 

TO RESTORE IRAQ 

LOCAL AUTO 

DEALERSHIP 

SUES GM OVER 

DISCRIMINATION

PETER J. 

Vote Tuesday, November 3rd 

FOR PROSECUTOR 

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fundamental fairness to the families and to the county he serves. 

J. 

Vote Tuesday, November 3rd

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4 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2020

CONTENTS OCTOBER 2020 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 17 ISSUE IX 

departments 

on the cover 

22 MAKING HISTORY 

BY SARAH KITTLE 

Judge Hala Jarbou is the first Chaldean American to sit 

on the federal bench 

features 

24 USAID 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

How the United States is helping Iraqi Christians 

26 SUPERIOR SUES GM 

SARAH KITTLE 

Local dealership takes on General Motors 

in court for discrimination 

28 POINT: RESCUING 

IRAQ’S CHRISTIANS 

BY DAVID L. PHILLIPS 

From the Director of Peacebuilding and Rights 

at Columbia University 

28 COUNTERPOINT: 

WHY VOTE TRUMP 

BY JOHN ZMIRAK AND JASON JONES 

From film producer, author, activist and 

Catholic human rights worker 

30 VOTER GUIDE 


Outlining the candidates and their stance on the issues 

32 ELECTION ROUNDUP 


Chaldean candidates still in the running 

30 

6 FROM THE EDITOR 

BY PAUL JONNA 

About Responsibility 

8 GUEST COLUMNS 

FR. MARCUS SHAMMAMI 

Single-Issue Voting: A Problem? 

GABE GABRIEL 

On Real Estate 

10 FOUNDATION UPDATE 

Success story; Mask up Michigan 

11 IRAQ TODAY 

US INSTITUTE OF PEACE STAFF 

Iraqi-U.S. Ties are ‘Restarting,’ 

Iraqi Foreign Minister Says 

12 NOTEWORTHY 

40 Under Forty; Preserving the Aramaic 

Language 

14 CHALDEAN DIGEST 

CCF expansion complete; 

Chaldean cuisine 

16 FAMILY TIME 

BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER 

How to safely celebrate Halloween 

18 RELIGION 

Letter from Bishop on Voting 

20 IN MEMORIAM 

21 OBITUARY 

Dr. Halil Dawood Elia 

34 CHALDEANS AROUND THE WORLD 

BY ADHID MIRI, PHD 

Chaldeans in Europe Part I 

36 CHALDEAN ON THE STREET: 

“Who are you voting for and why?” 

40 KEEPING UP WITH 

THE CHALDEANS 

42 EVENT 

Stride for Seminarians 

OCTOBER 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

from the EDITOR 

PUBLISHED BY 

Chaldean News, LLC 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Martin Manna 

EDITORIAL 

ACTING EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Paul Jonna 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Sarah Kittle 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Danielle Alexander 

Azal Arabo 

Gabe Gabriel 

Jason Jones 

Bishop Francis Kalabat 

Dr. Adhid Miri 

Paul Natinsky 

David L. Phillips 

Fr. Marcus Shammami 

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Chaldean News 

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Phone: (248) 851-8600 

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

monthly; Issue Date: October 2020 

Subscriptions: 

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Publication Address: 

30095 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101, 

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Permit to mail at periodicals postage rates 

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Postmaster: Send address changes to 

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Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334” 

About Responsibility 

Responsibility is 

more than a word. 

It is a behavior 

that requires steadfast 

determination to choose 

the best path possible under 

the circumstances, which 

may not always be the 

easiest path. It requires hard 

choices in times that are not 

easy. It’s a state of holding 

yourself accountable – for 

your actions and decisions 

that will impact your life and others 

for years. 

Some of us shoulder our responsibilities 

with astounding grace, such 

as Judge Hala Jarbou, who feels the 

responsibility to answer to and protect 

the community she presides over 

(now the Western District of Michigan). 

Responsibility is nothing new to 

Judge Jarbou as she exuded it throughout 

her life and career, which placed 

her in a position to make history for 

our community as the first Chaldean 

federal judge. Her reputation for hard 

work and unwavering ethics earned 

her the new role, and you can bet she 

takes that responsibility seriously. 

Consider the responsibility we 

have as parents. We not only need 

to teach our ‘littles’ everything 

they need to be a success in life, but 

we need to watch over them and 

make sure they prosper as adults. 

Part of being a parent is protecting 

them from outside dangers, but we 

also must provide them with the 

necessary tools to be responsible for 

their actions and their deeds. 

In today’s world, responsibility 

is more important than ever - with a 

changing world, worldwide pandemic, 

PAUL JONNA 

ACTING EDITOR 

IN CHIEF 

economic uncertainty and 

a U.S. presidential election, 

we need to be held accountable 

for both what we do and 

what we don’t do, or more accurately, 

won’t do. 

We must continue to be 

responsible as a community 

during this pandemic. It is 

a hard decision to not attend 

a loved one’s wedding, 

funeral or special occasion. 

I miss the days of the large family 

gatherings with everyone’s hands in 

the dolma (I am actually OK with 

the hands not being in the dolma) 

and everyone piled on the couches 

screaming at each other. These are 

hard choices that we hope will lead 

to ending this pandemic and saving 

lives. It is responsible to take the 

necessary precautions and follow the 

governmental guidelines to protect 

our future. 

I’d also like to address voting, 

as it’s more a responsibility than a 

right. We have a responsibility to 

our fellow Americans, to our children 

and their future children, to 

get this right. Get informed on the 

issues and the candidates to ensure 

you make an educated choice based 

on your responsible research and 

not on partisan politics. No matter 

who you vote for, please vote. 

It’s when the people stopped voting 

that Rome fell. 

As we head into fall and a hotly 

contested presidential race, consider 

your responsibility to protect yourself 

and your loved ones from coronavirus, 

plus your responsibility to the 

greater nation and vote. 

With Gratitude, 

Paul Jonna 

Acting Editor in Chief 

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GUEST columns 

Single-Issue Voting: A Problem? 

November 3rd is a 

critical time that 

will bring election 

season to a close; however, 

what comes after November 

3rd solely depends on us 

and our powerful, educated 

vote. As Catholics and citizens 

of the United States it 

is our responsibility to get 

out and vote for those who 

will be representing us in 

all levels of government. 

As voting day draws near, 

there is much chatter – whether in 

the media or in our everyday lives 

– regarding the various issues that 

plague America today. Media seems 

to be the ones who inform us about 

what the issues are that we should be 

concerned about in our society. They 

attempt to persuade us to vote in a 

certain manner regardless of being 

wrong or right. As Catholics, however, 

we are called to defend the dignity 

and the sanctity of human life. This 

is an issue that cannot be ignored, as 

it is a key indication of how we, as 

a society, view the human person as 

well as how we view the fundamental 

right to life itself. 

There are a great deal of articles 

in the media today that advocate 

Christian leniency on abortion. 

These articles mention that there 

are other issues that outweigh abortion 

such as war, immigration, social 

welfare, education, etc. Although 

these are all certainly important issues, 

these articles all seem to have a 

common issue which plagues them: a 

complete failure to acknowledge the 

horror of abortion, its gravity, and its 

scope. 

Some people speak disapprovingly 

of single-issue voters, as they claim 

that it allows politicians to take advantage 

of us, and yet there are some 

issues that are enough to disqualify a 

candidate from consideration. Imagine, 

for a moment, your ideal candidate. 

Imagine that your chosen candidate 

aligns with all of your views and 

is near-perfect in every way. Strangely, 

however, that candidate has a strange 

policy: every year, each state is to offer 

a person to the capital for public human 

sacrifice. Would you still vote for 

that person? The point is that there 

are some issues which are so terrible 

and so horrific, that it is indeed sufficient 

enough to disqualify a candidate 

FR. MARCUS 

SHAMMAMI 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

who advocates for such policies 

from consideration at 

the polls. 

Abortion is a problem 

because it is the killing of 

an innocent human being, 

and we must treat the unborn 

like any other class of 

human beings. In what sort 

of circumstance would it be 

morally justifiable for someone 

to vote for a candidate 

who explicitly states that 

they believe that one group 

has the right to kill another group of 

people? 

Some will say that abortion 

rates in the United States have 

dropped lately, so other issues may 

now become our primary concern. 

As promising as that sounds, it still 

means that 862,000 people were 

legally killed in the United States in 

2017. Given that there appears to be 

a potential increase in self-managed 

abortions, the drop rate of abortions 

might not be as large as it seems, 

according to a Washington Post 

article written recently. We must 

ask ourselves, could a candidate put 

forward actual policies that would 

outweigh nearly a million people 

being killed each year? 

The pro-life stance is motivated by 

the fact that each and every human 

being has value regardless of gender, 

race, ethnicity, or developmental 

stage. This is in accord with the way 

in which we look at human rights. 

Laws reflect our attitudes towards 

groups of people, and rights reflect our 

acknowledgement of their dignity. If 

the government were to pass laws that 

prohibited left-handed people and 

Chaldeans from speaking in public, 

then that law is expressing a belief: 

the belief that left-handed people or 

Chaldeans are lacking something that 

the rest of society has. 

What about those who attempt 

to justify their vote for a pro-choice 

candidate because that candidate 

may also support policies that reduce 

the amount of abortions? Imagine, 

for example, a candidate who believes 

that wives are the property of 

their husbands, and therefore, domestic 

violence should be decriminalized. 

Even if the candidate were 

to implement policies that targeted 

poverty and alcoholism with the 

intent to reduce rates of domestic 

violence, then it would still be considered 

morally unjustifiable to vote 

for that candidate, as such a policy 

would be an affront to the dignity 

and rights of women. Such a policy 

turned into law would reflect the societal 

belief that women are inferior, 

which would of course, be objectionable 

and insulting at every level. So, 

then, what is a pro-choice politician 

implicitly saying when they say that 

a woman has a right to an abortion? 

Well, they are basically saying that 

one group of human beings (the unborn) 

has less value and less dignity 

than another. The moment that we, 

as a society, start legally denying basic 

rights to groups of human beings, 

then the entire basis for an egalitarian 

liberal democracy has been undermined. 

The other aspect of this issue is 

women’s health. It is important to 

realize that abortions not only have 

a physical impact on the woman, 

but psychological and spiritual ramifications 

as well. This is what must 

be discussed, and yet, is rarely ever 

discussed. As a priest, I care not 

only about the spiritual needs of the 

people whom I minister to, but I care 

for their general well-being as well. 

In 2011, an article was published in 

the British Journal of Psychiatry that 

reviewed 22 major studies between 

1995 and 2009 that examined the 

psychological effects of abortion on 

women. What they found was shocking: 

there was an 81% increased risk 

for mental health problems, 10% of 

which is directly attributable to abortions; 

21% more likely to display suicidal 

behaviors, and 35% more likely 

to commit suicide. According to a recent 

article in the Journal of Anxiety 

Disorders, women who aborted their 

unintended pregnancies were 30% 

more likely to report all of the symptoms 

of generalized anxiety disorders 

than those women who carried their 

unintended pregnancies to term. 

There is an evil in our society that 

pushes a predominant culture to convince 

us that when it comes to the issue 

of abortion and other issues, it is 

not an evil but a good. Going against 

the accepted dominant views of society, 

therefore, would require a great 

commitment… a transformation in 

the way we think in order to go against 

the current. An author once wrote, “A 

dead thing can go with the stream, but 

Options for Women 

For those women who are thinking 

about an abortion or if you know 

someone who is, please know 

that there are other options and 

that there is help available. You 

will never have to go through it 

alone. For those who have had an 

abortion, know that there is healing 

available. Know that Jesus and 

His Church loves you always. Call 

any church, Chaldean Catholic 

or Roman Catholic, and they will 

be more than willing to share with 

you or direct you to the resources 

that you need. As a priest of the 

Catholic Church, I can tell you, 

wholeheartedly, that our utmost 

concern is for both the mother and 

the child. We do not neglect the 

mother in order to save the child. 

We care about both lives. 

only a living thing can go against it.” 

When our intellects are enlightened 

and we make a moral commitment 

to an issue, it may indeed be difficult 

to go against mainstream society, but 

once we realize the truth, it is then 

that we are alive. While arguments are 

bound to happen, it is important that 

we are not confused or cast into doubt 

about the truth from others. Most importantly, 

we must never forget to pray 

for those that we discuss these issues 

with in order that they may have a 

conversion and an enlightenment that 

reveals to them how much the culture 

around them is dead, and that in order 

to live, they must step outside of it and 

go against the stream. 

Regardless of who you vote for and 

your views on politics (or anything 

really), we are blessed in this country 

to have the freedom to vote, and in 

today’s world it is important that we 

all respect each other’s views and to 

have an open dialogue as brothers 

and sisters. If we cannot have an open 

dialogue, then we are not able to grow 

or progress in our lives. Politics should 

never divide but unite and bring 

about growth. With that being said, 

I am more than happy to meet with 

anyone as my office door is always 

open. As a priest of Jesus Christ, my 

mission is to serve you, His people, no 

matter what your political views are. 

Feel free to email me at Shammami. 

marcus@gmail.com. 

Fr. Marcus Shammami is an associate 

pastor at Holy Martyrs Chaldean 

Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, 

Michigan. 


On Real Estate 

As a real estate 

professional with 

many years of 

experience, I read last 

month’s cover story with 

interest and felt compelled to 

submit some data of my own. 

COVID-19 has certainly 

affected the industry. The 

current residential real 

estate market is still suffering 

inventory shortages in every 

city and county. Last year, we 

were working with about 3.5 months’ 

of inventory. The current inventory is 

around 2 and a half months or even 

less. Low interest rates on mortgages 

are compounding the problem, with 

more buyers looking to purchase and 

fewer houses to choose from. 

Inventory is especially short on 

affordable homes in the $100K-$300K 

range. Prices are up about 3 percent. 

Home values are high but that is not 

discouraging buyers; in fact, it’s a great 

GABE GABRIEL 


CHALDEAN NEWS 

time to buy. I don’t see home 

prices coming down for at 

least the next 12 months. 

With COVID-19 halting 

in-person viewings for 

around 3 months, it did slow 

down sales, especially in 

the second quarter of 2020. 

Closings moved to the virtual 

space and mortgages were 

being processed without faceto-face 

meetings. Facetime 

meetings are encouraged 

over in-person meets, where protocol 

demands a screening, masks and social 

distancing. 

On the other hand, commercial 

real estate is in deep trouble. Office 

space is emptying out and landlords 

as well as commercial real estate 

agents are struggling to find tenants 

and buyers. Employees that were 

able to work from home proved to 

employers that office space is not 

strictly necessary. 

And retail space is available all 

over the place, but many retailers 

are closing up shop.When they were 

shuttered by government mandate, 

they still had hard costs such as 

rent and utilities to contend with. 

Out of necessity, many consumers 

discovered the ease of online 

shopping. A large number won’t 

be going back to brick and mortar 

stores. Commercial property leasing 

is down with the exception of 

convenience stores, supermarkets 

and gas stations. 

The future of the real estate 

industry, whether residential or 

commercial, will depend on the 

availability of mortgages and loans. 

Lenders are very cautious about 

approving loans at this time; given 

the high unemployment rate and 

the uncertainty many employers 

are facing, it is understandable. 

Commercial lenders are seeing the 

value of those properties drop with 

each month of vacancy. 

The future of the real estate industry, whether 

residential or commercial, will depend on the 

availability of mortgages and loans. 

It is definitely an interesting time 

to be in the real estate business. 

Gabe Gabriel is a broker/owner of 

Strathmore Realty, where he has been 

buying and selling, leasing and managing 

real estate properties since 2001. He 

has also been the president of Palladium 

Financial Group LLC, a Residential 

Mortgage Broker, since 2002. 

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FOUNDATION update 

Breaking Barriers Profile 

In celebrating Welcoming Week, the CCF features one of 

their Breaking Barriers clients as a testimonial to celebrate 

this year’s theme of “Creating Home Together”. 

Albeer Shamammi is one of the CCF’s oldest Breaking 

Barriers clients and his life story is one of the most 

inspirational in the program. 

Albeer was born blind. As a child, he attended The 

School for the Visually Impaired and Blind, graduating 

in 1956. Albeer was determined to get his law degree, 

applying to and being accepted by the University of 

Baghdad. While in college, he made extra money 

translating and manually typing out lessons into Braille for 

his former school. He would go on to teach first through 

third grade there for 42 years. 

Albeer often taught students how to read Braille with 

both hands, giving them the tools they needed to be 

successful doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. His 

ability to read and interpret Braille very quickly enabled 

him to work directly with the Iraqi government, working on 

various documents that needed to be catalogued in Braille. 

Shamammi has a passion for craftsmanship, particularly 

basket weaving. Finding the tactile work rewarding, he 

formed his own shop in 1985 as a way to supplement his 

income from teaching, making chairs and tables out of wood 

and twine and various other materials. He ran the shop until 

he was sponsored by his family to come to the U.S. In 2008, 

he closed the doors of his shop and came to America to be 

closer to his daughter and other family. 

Breaking Barriers Celebrates 8th Anniversary 

Shamammi found more support for the blind community 

in America, particularly when he sought out the CCF to 

help him to assimilate into American culture. The Breaking 

Barriers program offered a community that embraced him 

and helped him find his footing with others who had similar 

experiences. He saw opportunities that he had never had 

before. By engaging with people of all ages and backgrounds 

in the program, he sought to mentor the younger generation 

on how to take advantages of opportunities in the program. 

Saying that the Chaldean Community Foundation is the 

only organization that directly caters to people like him, 

Albeer is very thankful that the CCF has allowed to him 

become a more independent person. He is proud to now be 

a registered voter in the United States. 

To learn more about our foundation visit: www. 

chaldeanfoundation.org 

On Aug 26th, the Breaking Barriers program hosted a celebration for the 8th Anniversary of the program. The 

Breaking Barriers program provides assistance and advocacy to individuals with special needs and respite to 

caregivers. The event featured the families receiving a family portrait along with various PPE supplies and other 

materials to help families. The event was followed by a virtual celebration that followed on Zoom to celebrate the 

program. The CCF is excited to engage again with their Breaking Barriers clients and looks forward to eventually 

having in-person events in the near future! 

Back-to-School with 

Warren Consolidated 

School District 

On September 1st, the Chaldean 

Community Foundation hosted 

a virtual town hall for Warren 

Consolidated School District 

regarding back to school return 

guidelines and how to operate in a 

virtual, online school year. The town 

hall garnered over 200 comments and 

has been viewed almost 6,000 times. 

The panel included: 

Dr. Robert Livernois, Superintendent; 

John Bernia, Chief 

Academic Officer; and Dr. Christina 

Kozlowski, Administrator of Language 

Acquisition and Secondary 

MTSS. 

For additional information 

regarding return-to-school for 

Warren Consolidated Schools, 

visit wcskids.net and click on ‘Return 

to School Information.’ 

More than 620 

clients become New 

Americans! 

Despite the challenges that CO- 

VID-19 brought, more than 620 of 

CCF’s clients became new Americans 

this year and were celebrated 

on September 17, National Citizenship 

Day. CCF’s immigration 

services help individuals apply for 

lawful permanent resident status 

and to become naturalized citizens. 

They also offer U.S. Naturalization 

Courses that offer instruction and 

training for successful completion of 

the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services Naturalization Examination. 

Additionally, CCF’s “Hey U 

Vote” initiative aids in the voter 

registration process by helping new 

citizens to register to vote. For more 

information regarding these services 

visit: www.chaldeanfoundation.org. 

Mask up! 

The City of Sterling Heights saw 

an increase in COVID-19 during 

the months of July and August. 

On September 16, President of the 


(CCF), Martin Manna, Sterling 

Heights Mayor Michael Taylor, 

Dr. Wafa Barkho from the CCF 

Ascension Primary Care Clinic 

along with Sterling Heights Police 

Chief Djowakowski and Fire Chief 

Martin filmed a PSA to address the 

growing number of COVID-19 cases 

across Sterling Heights. Stay safe and 

mask up to prevent the spread of the 

virus among the community. 


IRAQ today 

PHOTO BY ALISSA J. RUBIN/THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Displaced Iraqi men gathered for a meeting at a camp for displaced persons in Iraq’s Nineveh province in June. About 1.6 million Iraqis, more than 3 percent of the national 

population, have been uprooted by warfare. 

Iraqi-U.S. Ties are ‘Restarting,’ Iraqi Foreign Minister Says 

BY US INSTITUTE OF PEACE STAFF 

Iraq and the United States have 

launched a reset in relations, 

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussain 

said in a USIP forum August 20. 

Following at least a year of strain 

in bilateral ties, negotiations in 

Washington will produce a broader 

relationship than previously, “not 

only limited to security matters,” 

Hussain said during an official visit 

alongside Prime Minister Mustafa al- 

Kadhimi just 15 weeks after he and 

his government took office. Their 

talks at the White House, State 

Department and with other officials 

will be vital in setting the next 

chapter of U.S-Iraq relations. 

Hussain spoke in an online 

forum with USIP experts and 

audience members just hours after 

the Iraqi delegation met President 

Trump at the White House and a 

day after Hussain met Secretary of 

State Mike Pompeo. 

Al-Kadhimi, Hussain and 

Iraq’s new cabinet were named 

in a delicate compromise among 

Iraq’s divided political parties—a 

third attempt to form a new 

government after massive street 

protests, notably over corruption 

and a breakdown in government 

services, forced out the previous 

administration. Al-Kadhimi, a 

political independent, spent years 

in exile under the dictatorship of 

Saddam Hussain and returned to 

Iraq to work as a journalist and 

commentator, writing against 

corruption in politics. He was 

appointed in 2016 to lead the 

nation’s intelligence service during 

Iraq’s struggle against ISIS. His 

government now faces continued 

violence, including ISIS attacks, 

the COVID pandemic, and a 

serious decline in revenues caused 

by the global drop in oil prices. 

Talks on a Broadened 

Relationship 

Hussain spoke along with Iraq’s 

new Minister for Immigration and 

Displacement, Evan Jabro, who said 

that returning 1.4 million displaced 

Iraqis to their homes is a priority 

of the new government, alongside 

crises over security, armed militias 

operating in the country, the COVID 

pandemic, and a government budget 

crisis. 

In what the State Department and 

Hussain have described as a “strategic 

dialogue,” this week’s talks have 

focused on “reforming, restarting, 

reshaping the relationship,” across 

topics from “the economy and 

energy” to education, culture and 

health, Hussain said. “The important 

[issue] was to make it clear for 

everybody that the relationship with 

Washington is not only limited to 

security matters.” 

Still, Hussain said, security is 

Iraq’s first need, and it will continue 

to ask U.S. help in fighting ISIS 

cells. “We need equipment, we 

need information,” and continued 

U.S. air forces, he said. As well, 

“this government is determined to 

deal with” domestic armed militias, 

many of them supported by Iran, 

he said. Iraq will seek U.S. help 

in strengthening state security 

institutions, he said. Secretary 

of State Mike Pompeo said after 

meeting Hussain that the United 

States will help strengthen police 

forces to replace militia groups. 

Hussain recited Iraq’s plethora 

of other domestic challenges, 

underscoring the shrinkage of its 

state budget with the global fall in 

oil prices. He stressed Iraq’s need 

to privatize the government-run oil 

sector and said investment by U.S. 

firms would be vital. 


noteworthy 

Roy Gefford of Let in 

the Light Publishing 

authored a new 

book on Aramaic 

language 

Let in the Light Publishing 

Roy Gessford traveled from California to visit the Chaldean Cultural Museum in September, stopping by 

The Chaldean News for a quick visit. Let in the Light Publishing, his publishing company, just released 

Preserving the Chaldean Aramaic Language, a study of one of the most ancient languages in existence. 

Gessford’s graduate work on language includes not only Aramaic but also Greek and Hebrew. In his 

latest book, he delves into Chaldean history along with a study of the language. Moving to San Diego to 

be closer to the Chaldean community there, Gessford brings a high degree of energy and interest in the 

preservation of the language of Christ. 

Roy’s current lecture topics include Essential Leadership Qualities, The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, 

and the Preservation of the Chaldean Aramaic Language. More information can be found at 

Letinthelightpublishing.com. 

Pomegranate Pictures Attaches 

Yasmine Al-Bustami to Co-Star 

in Immigration Indie 

Yasmine Al-Bustami has been tapped to co-star in 

the 2021 production of Pomegranate. Pomegranate is a 

dramedy by writer-director Weam Namou, based on 

her childhood experiences immigrating from Iraq to 

the United States, and then as an adult living through 

the presidential election of 2016. 

It’s the story about how, in the weeks before the 

election of Donald Trump in 2016, a young, politically 

liberal Iraqi Muslim immigrant struggles to find her 

footing in a neighborhood of well-to-do politically 

conservative Iraqi Christians, while battling her 

family’s fears of deprivation and demands of loyalty to 

Muslim traditions. 

Pomegranate’s writer-director, Weam Namou said, 

“Yasmine is a natural for bringing the character of 

Mary, our protagonists’ nemesis, to life. Like Mary, Yasmine 

is beautiful, quick witted, and a confident Middle 

Eastern immigrant.” 

Yasmine Al-Bustami 

40 Under Forty 

Two of our community 

members have been 

selected for 2020 

Crain’s Detroit 

Business “40 Under 

Forty.” This annual list 

highlights those movers 

and shakers that 

have made significant 

contributions to 

business. Andrew 

Dickow, 36, Managing 

Director of Greenwich 

Capital Group, LLC, 

Townsend Street 

Capital, has taken 

the mergers and 

acquisitions firm to 

12 employees and 

launched a new 

private-equity fund, 

experiencing their first 

close in the middle of 

a pandemic. Matthew 

Loussia, 35, took over 

the family business, 

Andrew Dickow 

Matthew Loussia 

Value Wholesale. Pre-COVID-19, he 

expanded the warehouse and purchased a 

competitor. As a grocery wholesaler, his days 

got longer, not shorter, to fill the demands of 

a quarantined public. Now that things have 

stabilized, Matt is back on track for more 

expansion, including an Amazon-like online 

ordering system. 

Toma Appointed to Liquor 

Control Commission 

Edward Toma of 

Bloomfield Hills 

currently serves as a 

state investigator and 

regulation agent for 

the Michigan Liquor 

Control Commission, 

a position he has held 

since 2009. He was 

recently appointed to 

represent Republicans 

for a term commencing Edward Toma 

October 5, 2020 

and expiring June 12, 2024. He succeeds 

Bradford Jacobsen whose term expired June 

12, 2020. In his role, Mr. Toma conducts 

enforcement, background, and licensing 

investigations as well as financial audits and 

undercover operations for the Commission. 

Prior to his time with the Commission, he 

worked in the alcohol retail and restaurant 

industry for several years. Mr. Toma 

holds a Bachelor of Integrative Studies in 

Mechanical Engineering and Biological 

Science from Oakland University. 


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chaldean DIGEST 

What others are saying about Chaldeans 

Biden camp to expand 

faith outreach as 

election heats up 

BY ELANA SCHOR 

With the conventions over, Joe Biden’s team is rolling out an 

array of new religious outreach efforts targeting a diverse set 

of communities as his campaign vies with President Donald 

Trump’s for faith-motivated voters. 

While Trump’s team often touts his record on abortion 

and freedom to worship, Biden is pitching religious voters 

on broader spectrum of issues. Josh Dickson, national faith 

director for the campaign, said it sees faith communities as 

“highly diverse in terms of their backgrounds, in terms of 

how they orient their faith to how they’re thinking about 

elections.” 

The Trump campaign has already been focusing on faith 

communities that the Biden team is planning events for, 

Catholic Chaldean Patriarch 

supports government’s fight 

against corruption in Iraq 

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and his 

government are trying to build “a strong state and army” to 

counter violence, corruption and force the country’s militias 

“to hand over their weapons,” said the Chaldean Patriarch, 

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, speaking to AsiaNews. 

For the Chaldean primate, the Iraqi government and 

the country’s leaders appear united in their resolve to 

fight “against crime, kidnappings, ethnic and sectarian 

tensions” and stop “those who operate outside the laws 

of the land.” However, in recent weeks, the government’s 

hopes to reform the country and boost the economy 

Presidential nominee Joe Biden is appealing to Christians and 

those of other faiths to support him in November. 

such as Catholics and Chaldean Christians. Beyond 

Florida, states likely to be focal points for faith-centered 

events include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, 

Texas, Georgia and Colorado. 

– The Associated Press 

Cardinal Louis 

Raphael Sako. 

ASIANEWS 

have met resistance from groups 

and militias that continue to sow 

violence and confusion. 

Despite the prime minister’s best 

efforts, for many security experts the 

situation in the country remains 

dangerous and the government 

should talk to the spiritual leaders of 

these groups in order to avert further 

clashes. The Church “supports and 

encourages this work and expresses 

its closeness” to the authorities since, among other reasons, 

actions are following words and announcements. “Our hope 

is that this all-out fight against corruption and malfeasance 

will be followed up,” said the Prelate. 

– AsiaNews 

APNEWS 

Michigan angel 

investors surge 

forward despite 

pandemic 

BY NICK HANES 

The COVID-19 pandemic and 

resulting economic collapse has so 

far done little to halt Michigan angel 

investing activity, a key source of 

capital for growing startups. 

In the coming weeks, the Ark 

Angel Fund, consisting of members 

from the Farmington Hills-based 

Chaldean American Chamber of 

Commerce, plans to close on up to $2 

million that it will deploy in early-stage 

Michigan companies. The new fund 

will be managed by Martin Manna, 

president of the Chaldean Chamber, 

who’s also an investor in the fund, 

which anticipates doing between four 

and eight new deals per year. 

“We were always intrigued by angel 

funds and wanted to maybe look at how 

our community can get more active in 

supporting angel investments,” Manna 

said, adding that a presentation 

from Ann Arbor Spark served as the 

catalyst to launch the group. “We then 

took it upon ourselves, rather than just 

participate with other funds, to launch 

our own fund.” 

The nascent Ark Angel Fund will 

“focus on economic development, 

encouraging entrepreneurship and 

supporting startup businesses,” said 

Manna. 

– Crain’s Detroit Business 

Chaldean Center expands in Sterling Heights as community grows 

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO 

A decade ago, the Chaldean 

community opened a social services 

office out of a Sterling Heights 

storefront on 15 Mile Road to 

serve the growing population 

of Iraqi-American Catholics in 

metro Detroit. Four years later, the 


moved across the street to open a 

larger building as demand for its 

services grew, especially among the 

growing number of refugees. 

On July 31, the Foundation 

celebrated a $5-million expansion 

that has grown the center by an 

additional 19,000 square feet 

to a total of 30,000 square feet. 

The opening comes as the Iraqi- 

American community has grown in 

metro Detroit, with the coronavirus 

pandemic causing more challenges 

for the population. The center serves 

about 18,000 families and 35,000 

people annually, said its leaders. 

“It’s the first of its kind,” Martin 

Manna, president of the Chaldean 

Community Foundation and president 

of the Chaldean American Chamber 

of Commerce, told the Free Press. 

“The center will be a one-stop shop 

for access to health care, immigration 

assistance, primary health care. We 

have a family arts studio to help those 

with intellectual and developmental 

disabilities. It’s been a work in progress 

for several years and it’s great to see it 

finally completed.” 

– Detroit Free Press 

Chairman of the board of directors for The Chaldean Community Foundation Sylvester 

Sandiha held an oversized pair of scissors with Bishop Francis Kalabat as the 

Foundation held a ribbon cutting revealing their new renovations and expansion of their 

Sterling Heights location. Credit: Mandi Wright 


The Feast of the Holy Cross 

BY STAFF WRITER 

Christian refugees returned to 

the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq 

following years of Islamic State persecution, 

ongoing jihadist activities 

and the coronavirus pandemic, to 

celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross, 

a liturgical solemnity dear to Christian 

communities in that region. 

Christians from Teleskof (Tesqopa), 

19 miles north of Mosul gathered 

at the Chaldean church of Mar 

Gewargis (St. George), to celebrate 

Mass and then take part in the procession 

with candles and torches 

through the streets of the city up to 

the so-called “Bishop’s Hill.” Dozens 

of Christian families from Talkaif, 

Batnaya, Baqofah and Mosul who 

had fled due to the Islamic State occupation 

also took part in the celebration 

for the first time in many 

years. 

The celebration of the special 

feast is seen as a concrete manifestation 

of the resumption of community 

life, after the years in which most of 

the cities and villages of the Nineveh 

Plains, once inhabited mainly by 

Chaldean, Syrian and Assyrian 

Christians in the Nineveh Plains in northern 

Iraq. 

Christians, had emptied due to the 

occupation of the Islamic State. 

Only 45% of the original Christian 

community has returned to the 

Nineveh Plains. There were 102,000 

Christians living there in 2014. But 

their number has dwindled to 36,000 

and is expected to plummet even further 

by 2024 due to political instability 

and lack of security, as well as 

family and economic reasons. Islamic 

State occupied the Nineveh Plains 

for two years, but was gradually driven 

out beginning in 2016. Now various 

militias, often linked to foreign 

powers, have taken over much of the 

area. 

– La Croix International 

AMMAR SALIH/EPA 

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50 STATES, 50 CUISINES 

Michigan: Chaldean cuisine 

BY DEVORAH LEV-TOV 

Chaldeans—Aramaic-speaking, 

Eastern Rite Catholics—arrived 

in Detroit as early as 1910 in search 

of religious freedom and economic 

opportunity in Ford’s auto factories; 

most landed in a neighborhood on the 

city’s northern edge that came to be 

known as Chaldean Town. Today, the 

Detroit metro area is home to between 

121,000 and 160,000 Chaldeans—the 

largest concentration outside of Iraq— 

and remains one of the best places to 

try flavorful Chaldean dishes, which 

are seasoned with spices like cumin 

and cardamom and include kofta and 

kebab (skewered and grilled meats), 

gurgur (beef cooked with onions and 

bulgur), maraka (a tangy vegetableand-herb 

stew that sometimes features 

kubba, or dumplings), and takhratha’d 

pusra (meat pies). 

There are two remaining Chaldean 

spots in Chaldean Town, 

which suffered a decline along with 

the rest of Detroit in the 1990s and 

The Pastry Guru’s Baklava Cheesecake. 

2000s: Sullaf restaurant and S&J 

Meats. (Many Chaldeans have since 

made their way to Detroit’s surrounding 

suburbs, bringing their restaurants 

with them, including Sahara, Kubba 

House, and Anaam’s Palate.) A new 

generation of Chaldean Detroiters 

is also striving to keep the traditions 

alive. Suzanne Lossia, who learned 

to cook from her grandmother and 

mother, recently opened Suzi’s Bar & 

Grill in South Lyon, where diners will 

find Chaldean twists on American 

bar food. For sweets, Pastry Guru is 

known for extravagant wedding cakes 

and Middle Eastern–American mashups 

like baklava cheesecake. 

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FAMILY time 

driveway, so everyone can stay socially-distanced,” 

Daoud explained. “Setup a decorated table where 

you are able to hand out individual portions of 

candy. You can set up hula hoops or cones to make 

sure children are keeping a distance when walking 

up. This keeps contact at a minimum while still 

being able to showcase decorations.” 

A preschool teacher at St. Mary of the Hills in 

Rochester, Daoud said Halloween allows children 

to use their imaginations and engage in pretend 

play, and even though the world is going through 

difficult times, Halloween can still be a time that 

brings people together, creating lasting memories. 

Outdoor Trick-or-Treating Alternatives 

If you’d understandably prefer to keep the kids 

home for Halloween this year, there are a lot 

of fun and festive activities you can do right in 

your own backyard. Ghost stories at a campfire 

is always a good time, and although they do 

take some preparation, activities like scavenger 

hunts seem to always be a hit as you can tailor 

them to any age. 

Daoud offers “Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunts” 

as something new and fun to try: “If you have old 

plastic eggs at home, you can allow your children 

to decorate those using stickers or markers. Once 

your children have decorated the eggs, you can 

add wrapped candy inside along with a mini glow 

sick for a fun night-time search. This activity will 

allow the children to be able to engage in a fun 

activity and collect candy all while staying safe.” 

How to Safely Celebrate Halloween 

Amidst Covid-19 

BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER 

Thanks to the Jurassic Quest Drive-Thru at 

DTE this summer, I now have a dinosaurobsessed 

son who is begging — every 

single day — for a Tyrannosaurus Rex Halloween 

costume. Considering the year we’re having, my 

first thought was, “What’s the point?” However, 

after more consideration, I ended up ordering that 

overpriced green and yellow costume. 

And then some. 

Our children have experienced enough letdowns 

this year, and while Halloween simply cannot 

be exactly what it has always been for them, 

there are still plenty of ways to make this holiday 

memorable, perhaps even starting new traditions. 

Ways to Safely Trick-or-Treat This Year 

When selecting the winning dino getup and later 

my daughter’s butterfly costume, I made sure to 

choose ones with open faces, so that they could 

easily wear masks if we do end up going trickor-treating. 

(A lot of costumes also come with 

gloves, which may be a good idea to avoid direct 

surface touching). My husband and I will also be 

wearing masks as well as keeping our distance 

from neighbors, and we definitely plan to limit 

the number of houses we visit. My children are 

still young, so even going to just a few houses will 

be exciting for them. 

Bridgette Zakar Bakoss says trick-or-treating 

doesn’t seem like something parents need to take 

from kids this year, and she plans to celebrate 

Halloween as usual in her Macomb Township 

neighborhood, especially since this year 

Halloween will fall on a Saturday. There will even 

be a full moon! 

“It should be very easy to practice social 

distancing as our neighborhood has large sidewalks 

on both sides, and all of the adults plan to wear 

masks while walking with our kids and also while 

passing out candy,” Bakoss explained. “They’ve 

already missed out on so much this year!” 

Instead of using a large bowl to pass out candy, 

plan to use gloves to make individual bags or 

cups with several pieces of candy in them ahead 

of time, so that trick-or-treaters will not have to 

dig in the same bowl of candy that others already 

touched. Melanie Daoud of Shelby Township also 

mentioned the rising popularity of “Trunk-or- 

Treating” as a family activity, which is one way 

neighbors and friends can work together to make 

this year’s candy distribution safe yet still special 

for their children. 

“Allow children to help decorate your trunk 

with you, and park your car at the end of the 

Indoor Trick-or-Treating Alternatives 

Regardless of COVID, there are years where the 

weather is so cold and/or rainy that we need 

indoor alternatives to trick-or-treating anyway. 

Halloween-themed baking, crafts and movie 

marathons are always good go-tos, but Ann Arbor 

resident Dana Denha has grander plans. 

“My idea is to set up all the bedrooms and 

bathrooms (basically every room with a door) 

with spooky decor,” Denha explained. “Some 

rooms may have themes and some not, but they 

will all have candy and treats, and we will spend a 

little time in each room, reading and telling ageappropriate 

Halloween stories. My daughter will 

be dressed up like any other year, and at the end, 

we will go to the basement for a family Halloween 

party with music, treats and games (albeit a small 

party of three). I think this will be a really fun way 

to make the holiday safe and special for all of us.” 

Denha said she and her husband typically carve 

25 to 30 pumpkins for trick-or-treaters, but since 

she does not feel comfortable participating in a traditional 

Halloween and wants to put the safety of 

her family and others first, she’s putting all of her 

energy towards this new way to celebrate in order 

to make the holiday special for her four-year-old. 

Things to Avoid 

Regardless of how you plan to celebrate Halloween 

this year, be sure to avoid eating anything 

homemade, bobbing for apples, dressing children in 

costumes that prevent mask and/or hand washing, 

and attending packed get-togethers. 

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween! 

Freelance writer Danielle Alexander’s goal is to make 

this Halloween so fun that her children forget about 

how it’s “supposed” to be. After all, we’ve waited six 

years for the holiday to fall on a Saturday again! 


RELIGION 

Letter from the Bishop 

Excerpt from a Letter 

to the Faithful on Politics 

from Bishop Francis 

Kalabat. To read the 

entire communication from 

Bishop Francis, please visit 

Chaldeanchurch.org. 

Beloved Sons and 

Daughters, 

As the election 

season is upon us, let us 

be mindful of the solemn 

responsibility that rests 

upon us to promote and fulfill our obligation 

to vote. This obligation has 

very strong consequences because 

the Church and government must 

work together to bring about peace 

and strive towards making the Kingdom 

of God present. 

Inspired by prayer, we are called by 

God to select candidates and policies 

that build a civilization of love and 

justice. There are those who argue 

that the Church has no business in 

politics, citing their understanding of 

the separation of Church and State. 

In reality, the Church has the moral 

obligation to assist in our political 

decisions and proclaim ethical principles. 

These are proclaimed by means 

of faith and reason through love and 

are inspired by Divine Truths and 

not arbitrary momentary emotional 

responses. Through these principles, 

the Church’s mission to stand against 

injustices and protect all persons from 

the moment of conception to the moment 

of natural death is fulfilled regardless 

of race, sex, or creed. 

Dignity of the Human Person 

The first principle that grounds the 

BISHOP 

FRANCIS Y. 

KALABAT 


CHALDEAN NEWS 

Church’s social teaching and 

moral vision is the sacred dignity 

of the human person. The 

Church states that all human 

beings are children of God and 

we revere their lives and stand 

against all activities that contribute 

to what Pope Francis 

has called a ‘throw-away culture.’ 

By ignoring this first and 

most important principle, we 

inevitably do harm and spread 

hatred. In good conscience, 

we cannot support candidates 

who do not view human life as sacred. 

We stand against candidates who support 

unjust wars, torture, the killing 

of innocent civilians, terrorism, abortion, 

infanticide, and assisted suicide. 

Instead the Church seeks laws and 

policies that protect and promote a 

culture of life such as those that encourage 

childbirth and adoption over 

abortion as well as those that address 

poverty, health care, etc. 

Principle of Subsidiarity 

Another important concept in 

choosing a candidate is the economy 

and the economic policies that affirm 

the dignity of the human person. 

Each person must be valued as 

an end, where the economy serves 

for the good of the person, without 

treating them as a slave to the economy. 

Therefore, the Church seeks 

policies that provide an opportunity 

for a person to rise out of poverty and 

have the dignity of work. 

The Church’s teaching on 

achieving a just economy is based on 

policies and principles that are handled 

by the lowest capable authority 

where the government and larger 

institutions do not overwhelm or interfere 

with these smaller or local institutions. 

They only interfere when 

the local institutions cannot adequately 

protect human dignity and 

needs. That is why specifically, the 

Catholic Church has rejected communism, 

socialism, and some forms 

of capitalism where the economy is 

seen as greater than the individual 

and treats the person as one piece 

of the overall machine. Although 

Justice and peace 

are principles that 

help build a better 

world for future 

generations. 

socialism has become popular with 

many candidates, because of its alluring 

assistance to the poor, it must be 

rejected. Even though the media has 

several times labeled Pope Francis as 

a socialist, he has emphatically and 

directly rejected Marxism and Socialism 

like all the Popes before him. 

As Pope Francis proclaimed, “The 

Marxist ideology is wrong...The concern 

for the poor is a mark of the 

Gospel and Church tradition, rather 

than an invention of communism. I 

must say that communists have stolen 

our flag. The flag of the poor is 

Christian...Poverty is the center of 

the Gospel. The poor are at the center 

of the Gospel.” 

The Common Good 

Another important principle is 

justice and peace. These are principles 

that help build a better world 

for future generations. They target 

eradicating racism, sexism while 

showing care for creation, working 

for environmental protections like 

clean air and water, providing basic 

human needs such as food, shelter, 

education, healthcare, and freedom 

of religion. 

Principle of Solidarity 

Compelled by the Gospel, the final 

principle is one that recognizes that 

we as human beings are one family. 

We as Catholics should care for the 

poor, orphans, widows, immigrants 

and refugees. Though the Catholic 

Church teaches that every country 

has the right to protect itself and 

create border protections to stop illegal 

immigration, the Church has 

also called upon all countries that 

are able to accept refugees to do so 

as an act of mercy. 

Finally, consider doing more 

than voting. Many of us only think 

about politics during election years. 

However, if you feel called, take 

an active role in politics by working 

with lawmakers in establishing 

policies that support life. For 

those in our community who have 

responded to this call, let us find a 

way to support them but only if they 

follow these principles. Let us build 

together the Kingdom of God and 

may His love and grace overshadow 

us and all creation, now, at all times, 

and forever. 

+Francis Y. Kalabat 

JOIN OUR 

GROWING TEAM. 

The Chaldean News is looking for 

motivated candidates to fill full-time salaried 

sales positions. Qualified candidates should 

email a resume to info@chaldeannews.com. 


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in MEMORIAM 

RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

Hanaa Habboo 

Oraha 

Jan 1, 1958 – 

Sep 15, 2020 

Alber Pauls 

Oct 6, 1934 – 


Ghazi Paul 

Sep 26, 1934 – 


Samir Sevani Orow 

Jan 10, 1946 – 


Rabi (Fadi) 

Sliwa Jarbo 

Apr 20, 1960 – 


Salem Daood 

Wazi (Salo) 

Jun 14, 1940 – 


Qiryaqoz Poota 

Jul 1, 1944 – 


Yousif Namou Sitto 

Sep 1, 1944 – 


Amjad Kaddis 

Feb 27, 1952 – 


Evleen Arafat 

Jan 2, 1946 – 


Razokie 

Johnny Yaldo 

May 3, 1946 – 


Mammosh Kakoz 

Feb 1, 1931 – 


Mathila Hesano 

Oct 13, 1938 – 


Ablahad Bhro 

Jul 1, 1940 – 


Dewan Saomo 

Gwro 

Jul 1, 1969 – 


Majida Maya 

Mar 1, 1929 – 


Souad Sulaka 

Dokho 

Jan 21, 1932 – 


Nissan Yousif 

Rayis 

Jul 1, 1934 – 


Najat Slewa Sitto 

Jul 1, 1941 – 


Maged Hanna 

Jul 1, 1973 – 


Sabeeha Jalo 

Jul 1, 1952 – 


Dawood 

Shamsulddin Younan 

Jul 1, 1955 – 


Amer Hannosh 

Nov 2, 1964 – 


Ramiz Adel 

Yonan Batty 

Jun 6, 1997 – 


Ryan Romel Saroki 

Nov 14, 1992 – 

Aug 31, 2020 

Ihsan Jabero 

Jan 1, 1948 – 


Aliza Auraha 

Khozmy 

Jul 1, 1940 – 


Sana Karim Nafso 

Mar 10, 1955 – 


Teresa Al Kildani 

Jul 1, 1933 – 


Mariam Yowel 

Denkha 

Jul 1, 1943 – 


John Ishak Yasso 

Jan 26, 1963 – 


Sammy Elias 

Denha 

Aug 8, 1935 – 


Adeeb Patti 

Apr 1, 1957 – 


Karim Zia Yatooma 

Oct 4, 1932 – 


Souad Dowda 

Watha 

Oct 1, 1938 – 


Sami Odeesha 

Yalda Shukri 

Jan 23, 1944 – 


Sabah Mikah 

Butrus 

Jul 1, 1956 – 



obituary 

Dr. Hilal Dawood Elia 

Dr. Hilal Dawood Elia, son of the late Dawood and Ghazala Elia, passed 

from this life on September 7, 2020. 

Doc (as everyone called him) was born on July 1, 1947. One of the 

first Chaldean medical doctors in Michigan, he served the city of Detroit 

and the Chaldean community alongside his wife Elham for over 40 years. 

Known as a fierce advocate for his community and patients, Doc was always 

proud of his Chaldean heritage. He was one of the first members of 

the original Chaldean Community Club, Southfield Manor. 

Doc is survived by his wife Elham Elia. He was the loving and nurturing 

father of Zaid (Zaina) Elia, Reena (Kees) Janeway and Ted John (Renee) 

Elia, and the beloved grandfather to 9 beautiful grandchildren. 

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Making History 

The Honorable Hala Jarbou 


On September 10, 2020, Judge Hala Jarbou 

was confirmed as the first Chaldean 

American to sit on the federal bench, 

appointed by President Donald Trump to serve 

as United States District Judge for the Western 

District of Michigan. It’s a long way from where 

she started. 

She was born in the Tel Kaif District in Iraq, 

also known as Tel Keppe. The name means “hill of 

stones” or “stony hill” in Syriac, but the strongest 

memory Jarbou retains from her childhood there is 

the lemon tree in her grandparent’s courtyard. “It 

was huge,” she recalls. 

Many of her childhood memories are of Oak 

Park, Michigan, where Hala, her parents Yelda 

and Basima and her 5 brothers came to live after 

joining family in the United States. “It was a great 

mixture of people and religions,” she says of the 

community. 

The family traveled back to Iraq in September 

of her 4th grade year. It was a memorable visit for 

the young Jarbou. “Our plane was diverted quite 

a few times,” she recalls, “due to the outbreak of 

the Iran-Iraq War.” Eventually making their way to 

Jordan, the family traveled by bus to Baghdad. Her 

recollections are of sirens, planes flying overhead, 

and caskets in Tel Keppe. The memories remain 

with her. 

A shy and academic child, her work ethic and 

drive to excel came naturally. Like most Chaldean 

families, Jarbou’s parents placed a high importance 

on personal and professional success. “Wanting 

to succeed came from the realization that it is a 

privilege to be here. When you’re an immigrant, 

your goal is to make your parents proud.” Jarbou 

noticed how hard her family worked to make her life 

better, inspiring her to work just as hard to succeed. 

“We knew there were a lot of opportunities, but 

we also knew that it wouldn’t come easy, we were 

the ones who needed to give 150 percent,” Jarbou 

said. “My brothers and I have talked about how 

different our lives would have been had they not 

brought us here.” 

In high school, she toiled for college 

scholarships. Though there were no attorneys 

in her immediate family, Jarbou always knew she 

wanted to go to law school to “be an advocate” 

for the people. She went to the University of 

Michigan; “a great school,” she says, “to build a 

career of service.” 

Majoring in Business with a minor in Political 

Science, Jarbou obtained her Bachelors in Business 

Administration before going on to Law School at 

Wayne State University. “Like most Chaldeans,” 

she quips, “I had a Plan A, B and C.” Only three 

Chaldeans were in her class in law school, she 

recalls. 

Growing up in an “ethnic family,” Jarbou 

says, made her tough enough to handle a position 

like this. “Our family struggles, obstacles, and 

accomplishments all helped shape the person I am 

today.” The ethical foundations of faith and family 

help make sense of right versus wrong. Very rarely 

does a decision make everyone happy, but Jarbou 

doesn’t take things personally. “You have to be fair 

and impartial, according to the law.” 

Hala is proud that her success is shining a light 

on the Chaldean community. “Compared to other 

immigrant cultures, we’ve been here such a short 

time and accomplished so much.” 

Although she feels the responsibility of her 

station, Jarbou is not a political person. When 

she was originally appointed judge of the Oakland 

County Circuit Court in 2015, she had simply filled 

out an online application for an open position 

in a court she had practiced in for over 12 years 

as a litigation attorney. “I applied thinking I was 

qualified, and had nothing to lose,” says Jarbou. 

When she got the call, of course she said, “Yes.” 

Public service was something she had always aspired 

to, and when she was a U.S. attorney, walking into 

federal court and hearing, “Hala Jarbou on behalf 

of the United States of America,” for the first time 

gave her goosebumps. 

When she got the call about the federal 

judgeship, she thought they were joking. “The 

idea that I could be a U.S. federal judge – that’s 

the greatest honor of my life. This position 

was created and mentioned in the United 

States Constitution!” One week later, she was 

interviewing in Washington, D.C. 

Hala Jarbou came to the notice of President 

Trump due to her reputation for steadfast ethical 

decisions and all the hard work she put into her 

job. Colleagues like and respect her. When the 

confirmation passed the final hearing on September 

10, people started sending her news snippets and 

social media posts. 

“Judge Jarbou has been a public servant for 

more than 20 years and brings the highest level 

of integrity to the bench,” says Martin Manna, 

president of the Chaldean American Chamber 

of Commerce said in a statement. “She also has 

the utmost respect from her peers. The federal 

appointment is the first-ever for the Chaldean 

community, and we couldn’t be more proud.” 

Jarbou is not on social media, a very smart 

move for an impartial judge. When someone sent 

her the Chaldean News’ post announcing her 

confirmation titled, “On This Day in History,” 

she was very deeply moved. “It is honestly quite 

humbling. As proud as the Chaldean community is 

of me, I am a thousand times more proud to be part 

of the Chaldean community.” 

What advice would she give for those hoping to 

“The idea that I could be a U.S. federal judge – that’s the 

greatest honor of my life. This position was created and 

mentioned in the United States Constitution!” 

– THE HONORABLE HALA JARBOU 

follow in her footsteps? “Do what you do because 

you love it and it’s what you want to do. That’s the 

only way to make a successful lifelong career.” 

The legal field offers so many opportunities, 

not necessarily just in law. Do your research. “Take 

on some internships, get some experience,” Jarbou 

advises. “If nothing else, look at all the mentors 

that are out there.” 

She has received an incredible amount of 

support from her family and friends, and from the 

entire Chaldean community here in Michigan. 

“I thank everyone for all the wonderful support 

throughput this process,” said Jarbou. “My parents, 

and really my whole family, have been supportive 

in everything I’ve done. They have always instilled 

in myself and my brothers a strong work ethic – 

that if you are honest, work hard, and do the right 

thing, you will be rewarded.” 


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USAID Looks Local in Iraq 


It took three long years to push ISIS out of 

Northern Iraq and begin repatriating villages 

north of Mosul on the Nineveh Plan. The push 

began in 2014. Since 2017, the United States 

Agency for International Development (USAID) 

has been rebuilding villages, reconstructing schools, 

hospitals and power plants, as well as providing 

counseling, job training and other support services 

to the people in Iraq. 

Between then and now, USAID has spent $470 

million on such services and has been registering 

growing success at bringing people in the region 

back to their homes. 

Bolstered by a 2018 Presidential Executive 

Order and two acts of Congress, the United States 

has made a powerful commitment to protect 

religious freedom around the world, using the 

Northern Iraq experience as a model for current 

and future programs. 

Local Lessons 

USAID likely is the world’s largest official 

international aid group, with an annual budget 

of $27 billion, employing staffers and aid workers 

across the globe. Despite its size and budget, the 

group’s focus has been on becoming more effective 

at the ground level. To that end, USAID has shifted 

from working mainly with large relief organizations 

to smaller, local groups that are strongly connected 

to the villages to which they provide aid, said 

Hallam Ferguson, an administrator and Middle 

East specialist at USAID who has helped direct 

Northern Iraq’s recovery from ISIS occupation. 

Teamed with Samah Norquist, who advises 

USAID on international religious freedom issues, 

USAID has integrated with local groups such as 

the Shlama Foundation, a group that has been 

active for a long time in the region. It’s made up 

of a number of young engineers who are eager and 

excited to help get their town back up and running 

after devastation caused by ISIS. Working in a 

number of small Nineveh Plain towns, Shlama 

provides vocational training for local engineers 

and local workers in setting up solar power for 

these villages to help meet energy needs. 

Shlama is an example of a sea change taking 

place at USAID regarding its approach to 

partnerships. 

“I really want to emphasize the significance 

of us working closely with local groups,” said 

Ferguson. “The NPI awards we made to six groups 

last year, including the Shlama Foundation, are 

the first direct awards we have ever made to local 

groups in Iraq. USAID has never made a direct 

award to a local Iraqi group before. That speaks to 

how difficult it is for bona fide local groups to get 

in the door. It speaks to how hard we have tried 

to overhaul how it is that we are doing our work 

there.” 

NPI, or New Partnerships Initiative, is USAIDs 

The NPI grant to the Shlama Foundation is improving 

job opportunities through a vocational solar training 

program. Engineers trained by Shlama install solar 

power in homes, solar-powered water pumps for farms, 

and solar-powered street lighting for small villages in the 

Ninewa Plains. 

formal program to partner with local groups. 

“We have come a long way toward changing 

some of the ways we do business when it comes 

to assistance,” said Norquist. “We have worked 

with faith-based organizations, local organizations 

and we shifted a bit from talking to the big guys to 

talking to the local communities and local leaders 

that can really identify the needs we need to put 

assistance into.” 

Iraq has become a model for how USAID 

operates around the world. In addition to setting 

an example of local coordination, the Middle East 

Bureau at USAID just launched a new call for NPI 

on advancing religious freedom that is live right 

now throughout the Middle East, said Norquist. 

“The work we were able to do in Iraq has extended 

now to ensure we can continue to work with local 

communities (elsewhere),” she added. 

Security, Still An Issue 

Challenges remain. While ISIS was pushed from 

the country three years ago, Iranian-backed militias 

remain in many Nineveh Plain towns, preying on 

returning villagers and operating much like a local 

mafia, said Ferguson. He said diplomatic efforts 

continue to rein in these militias, which emerged 

under Iraqi government auspices to fight ISIS after 

the regular Iraqi army was defeated. 

PHOTOS COURTESY USAID 

According to FOREIGNPOLICY.COM: “Two 

Iran-backed paramilitaries are actively obstructing 

the return of Assyrians: the 30th Brigade, a militia 

comprising primarily members of the Shabak 

ethnoreligious group, and the 50th Brigade, a 

nominally Christian but predominantly Shiite 

Arab militia. Both are closely associated with the 

Badr Organization, an Iran-backed Shiite faction, 

and Iran. The brigades’ leaders were sanctioned 

by the United States last year for corruption and 

human rights violations.” 

“The people who actually make up these militias 

are a sort of hodgepodge of Iraqis from throughout 

the country, often from the south,” said Ferguson. 

“They’re not residents or native to Northern Iraq. 

Sometimes there is the veneer of localness. Some 

of the leadership may be Christian, for example. 

But they are bad militias led by bad people and 

supported by bad outside actors that are a threat to 

Iraq’s sovereignty and a threat to Iraq’s citizens and 

a threat to us.” 

Ferguson said the threat to aid workers and U.S. 

diplomats is quite literal, as the U.S. Embassy has 

faced recent rocket attacks from these groups. 

A New Beginning 

Still, there is hope that the Iraqi government can 

take control and create a secure environment for 

Nineveh residents to return home. 

Norquist has seen positive steps from new 

Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, including 

recent calls for all Christians to come back. She 

said many of the communities USAID met with 

did not want to be considered “minority” and take 

offense, instead viewing themselves as indigenous 

or part of the fabric of the country. 

Norquist said USAID is working hard to ensure 

that Iraqi government continues to regard them 

that way and give them equal access to rights and 

services. She said USAID is leading by example in 

providing access to its aid services. 

Covid And Cautious Optimism 

Recovery efforts in Iraq significantly slowed due to 

the COVID pandemic. Adding to the problem is 

Iraq’s status as an international hotspot. Returning 

residents had to alter or cancel their travel plans and 

some aid workers have contracted the virus. 

USAID is doing its part to help stem the 

pandemic, pouring $47 million into anti-COVID 

efforts in Iraq, part of a $63.7 million total U.S. 

commitment to the country. 

While cautious optimism prevails, concerns 

arise that the virus and other distractions will 

eclipse American focus on helping Iraq rebuild. 

“The U.S. government’s current focus on 

the coronavirus pandemic and reports of troop 

withdrawals could augur an era of disengagement 

with Iraq. Yet this drawdown could not come at 

a more critical juncture for Iraqi Christians, who 

face increasing persecution from both Iran-backed 

militias and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) 

security forces seeking control of the last region in 

Iraq where Christians are a plurality: the Nineveh 

Plains,” reported FOREIGNPOLICY.COM in 

August. 


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Superior Takes a Stand 


Superior Buick GMC in Dearborn 

is fighting mad. Dealership 

owners Bas and Tanya 

Robin, of Iraqi descent, are taking 

General Motors to court over discriminatory 

policies that they claim 

have adversely affected their business. 

According to a lawsuit filed in 

May of this year, the dealership has 

lost sales and suffered financially as 

a direct result of these targeted policies, 

policies which no other dealership 

has to abide by. 

Starting last year, GM came 

down hard on the family-owned 

business, stating that Superior violated 

its employee family discount 

program, known as the Vehicle Purchase 

Program (VPP). GM forced 

the dealership to require customers, 

many of them being minorities or including 

minority family members, to 

go through additional requirements 

not necessary at other dealerships. 

These extra documents include birth 

certificates and marriage certificates, 

not normally asked for in the course 

of purchasing a vehicle. 

GM knew that the majority of 

plaintiffs’ customers at the Dearborn 

dealership were identified as Arabs, 

including Chaldeans and immigrants 

of many other ethnicities, the lawsuit 

states. “GM was motivated by 

an improper bias against GM dealerships 

that have a relationship (i.e., 

principals) with persons of the Arab 

racial identity.” 

GM is not only targeting Arabs, 

however, according to the lawsuit. 

Citing an incident where a Caucasian 

employee was questioned after 

sponsoring his Black father-in-law 

for the incentive, Superior states 

that GM executives made racially 

inflammatory remarks about Arab 

Americans and customers with interracial 

families. 

Stating the Robins faced “intimidating 

and disparate treatment,” the 

lawsuit contends that “many customers 

felt insulted and falsely targeted 

due to their national origin and ethnicity.” 

The lawsuit also alleges that at a 

meeting in May of last year at GM 

headquarters in Detroit, some executives 

made what the Robins say were 

disturbing remarks about minority 

groups. Community groups have taken 

an interest in the suit. 

Martin Manna, president of the 

Chaldean American Chamber and 

Chaldean Community Foundation, 

had this to say: “The Chaldean 

American Chamber of Commerce 

and the Chaldean Community 

Foundation are deeply concerned 

Bas and Tanya Robin 

about the unfair and discriminatory 

treatment of Tanya Robin and Superior 

Buick GMC by General Motors. 

It is clear there has been a deliberate 

attempt to harm the dealership by 

imposing requirements that were not 

imposed equally across GM dealerships. 

These requirements have been 

offensive to GM’s only Chaldean 

owned dealership and the thousands 

of customers they serve who are of 

Middle Eastern descent.” 

In a previously released statement, 

GM spokesman Jim Cain 

said the Dearborn dealership was to 

blame for its problems. “The lawsuit 

and its claims are wholly without 

merit and the allegations of discrimination 

are absolutely false,” reads 

the statement. “Unfortunately, and 

as acknowledged by plaintiffs, these 

particular dealers failed and refused 

to adhere to the terms of their agreements 

and violated requirements established 

to prevent abuse of a GM 

incentive program.” 

The statement goes on to say that 

GM attorneys are planning to file a 

motion to have the case dismissed. 

Repeated attempts to obtain a current 

statement from GM were unsuccessful. 

The problems began in February 

of last year. Suburban had ordered 30 

GMC Yukons from a Texas plant, but 

the plant was unable to deliver because 

of flooding. A financial dispute 

between the dealership and GM was 

the result. 

In May of 2019, the Robins met 

with GM executives to discuss the 

dispute. 

At the meeting, the executives 

brought up the VPP and expressed 

concern about compliance. The Robins 

were handed an official letter from 

General Motors that said they violated 

their dealer agreement because of 

violations in regards to the VPP. 

The Robins acknowledged that 

there may have been some prior deficiencies 

by certain of their salespeople 

and other staff with regard to 

the VPP and other discount plans, 

which were uncovered in 2018, and 

they outlined how that issue had 

been corrected and more closely 

monitored. 

The lawsuit alleges that during 

the meeting, a couple of the GM 

executives “stated several times that 

Superior sells ‘too many cars to Arabs 

with GMS codes from aunts and 

uncles’ and that customers utilizing 

the GM employee family discount 

program in question ‘could not possibly 

be related to sponsors’…” (GMS 

codes refer to GM employee codes 

that provide a discount to employees 

or their family members.) 

The lawsuit said: “The clearly 

blatant racist remarks continued 

throughout the meeting,” and goes 

on to relate this conversation between 

two GM execs: “If I’m white 

and you are black, that is an automatic 

reason to question whether 

you qualify for the VPP.” 

The new rules GM placed on 

the dealership led to harassment of 

customers who have called the dealership 

to complain about the treatment, 

say the Robins. In one case, 

when Tanya Robin forwarded the 

concerns to a regional director at 

GM, she was told, “since the sponsor 

was black, his son-in-law could not 

possibly be white,” according to the 

lawsuit. 

Leonard Bellavia, one of the attorneys 

who filed the lawsuit, said in 

a statement, “GM executives maintained 

that American Caucasians 

could not be related to Arab people 

and caused the dealership to suffer 

by appearing racist and refusing to 

honor the employee discount. ... No 

such requirement of confronting 

people of color or Arab background 

is imposed on any other GM dealer 

and is allegedly borne out of an intentional 

desire to destroy the success 

of entrepreneurs who do not fit 

the apparent preferred profile of GM 

dealers.” 

The Robins had no comment on 

the lawsuit. 


POINT 

Rescuing Iraq’s Christians 

There are at least 

150,000 Chaldean- 

Americans living in 

Michigan with extended 

family in the Nineveh 

Plains of northern Iraq 

and East Syria. Chaldean- 

Americans represent an 

important constituency. 

However, the Trump 

administration has failed to 

address their concerns. Selfgovernment, 

security, and 

economic development are 

critical to their survival. 

Chaldean, Syriac, and Assyrian 

Christians represent some of the 

oldest Christian communities in the 

world. Their culture and religious 

identity are rooted in Mesopotamia’s 

Sumer, Babylon, and Assyrian 

civilizations. 

I have visited Chaldean churches 

in the Nineveh Plains and can attest 

to their beauty and rich cultural 

heritage. I have also met Chaldean 

DAVID L. 

PHILLIPS 


CHALDEAN NEWS 

community and religious 

leaders in Hankawa 

in the Mosul Diocese. 

They described their 

victimization by the Baath 

Party, the Islamic State, 

and Shiite-led governments 

in the “new Iraq.” Today, 

the Chaldean population 

is shrinking as they flee 

persecution and suffer 

neglect. 

Minority rights 

in international law 

encompasses the protection of 

minority groups. In countries like 

Iraq that are emerging from violent 

conflict, further measures are needed 

to promote minority rights. 

The US can play a critical role 

in preserving Chaldean Christian 

culture, using its influence to shape 

policies that protect and promote 

Chaldean civilization. Without 

active engagement by the US, 

Christians in Iraq may disappear. 

The interests of Chaldeans would 

be served through self-governing 

institutions at local and governorate 

levels. Power-sharing would involve 

the establishment of a competent local 

executive and local assembly. 

Security is also a major concern. 

Local police should be drawn from 

Chaldean communities they serve. 

The administration of justice can be 

achieved through local courts with 

Chaldean judges. 

Security also requires the removal 

of Iran-backed militias. Their 

complicity with Shabaks seeks to 

change the demography across the 

Nineveh Plains. 

Legal reform should also address 

policies that allow the Islamification 

of Christians, especially youth. 

Economic marginalization of Iraq’s 

Christians is standard practice. 

Christian properties in Baghdad, 

Dohuk, and other governates are 

routinely seized. 

Property ownership is part 

and parcel with economic rights 

benefiting Chaldeans. Economic 

rights include local control over 

natural resources, land management, 

and hiring preferences for Chaldeans, 

especially in public service positions. 

The Nineveh Plains has 

potential as a tourist destination for 

pilgrims who want to visit Biblical 

sites. Nineveh is first mentioned in 

Genesis 10:11: “Ashur left that land, 

and built Nineveh.” The ancient 

ruin of Kuyunjiq towers 66 feet above 

the plain. Churches and convents in 

the Christian villages of Bashiqa, 

Teleskuf and Qaraqosh have recently 

been rebuilt. 

Chaldeans demand religious and 

cultural rights, which go hand in 

hand. Cultural rights are enshrined in 

the form of language, media, cultural 

festivals, and cultural symbols. 

Education is also a core 

concern. Chaldeans are developing 

a curriculum that highlights the 

historic role of Christians in Iraq. The 

curriculum should be applied across 

Iraq in schools and mosques. Raising 

awareness will encourage mutual 

understanding and social harmony. 

COUNTERPOINT 

Why Chaldeans Should Vote for Trump 

JOHN 

ZMIRAK 


CHALDEAN NEWS 

JASON SCOTT 

JONES 


CHALDEAN NEWS 

There is no perfect candidate 

for president. Not this year 

or any other. As always we 

face a choice between two complex 

human beings representing diverse 

coalitions. We must choose which 

coalition has a worldview more compatible 

with our interests as a community, 

and which candidate seems 

effective at delivering. 

On every important issue, Donald 

Trump and the Republicans offer 

more hope than Joe Biden and the 

Democrats. 

Remember that Joe Biden 

strongly backed the disastrous U.S. 

invasion in 2003, based on bad intelligence 

and false promises of a 

transformed, democratic Iraq. Donald 

Trump was always skeptical of it, 

and said so. Much of the reason he 

won the nomination in 2016 was his 

rejection of the grandiose neoconservative 

theorists, corner office imperialists 

who liked to play at reshaping 

the world. Now the same military establishment 

that brought us so many 

useless, counterproductive wars from 

Iraq to Libya—hundreds of generals 

and armchair generals—is endorsing 

Joe Biden, and denouncing President 

Trump as “unfit for office.” Maybe he 

just doesn’t fit in with their plans. 

Perhaps these militarists have 

not forgiven Trump for his stand in 

2016, when he was one of the few 

candidates to oppose arming the socalled 

“moderate rebels” in Syria— 

controlled then as they are now by 

al Qaeda and other jihadists linked 

to Turkey. 

The Obama/Biden administration 

did no more than the Bush administration 

had to protect Christians in 

Iraq whom radicals and bigots scapegoated 

for the aftereffects of that invasion. 

Indeed, it dismissed the murderous 

Daesh as the “junior varsity” 

team of Islamist terror. It ended the 

“surge” that had helped restore some 

order in Iraq, and finally pulled all 

U.S. troops out. That pullout helped 

create the power vacuum that let 

Daesh storm into cities, murdering 

thousands, and raping or enslaving 

thousands more. Did Joe Biden push 

for the U.S. or international forces to 

act to end that horror? No. He was 

too busy helping his family enrich 

themselves via U.S. foreign policy in 

China, Ukraine, and Russia. 

What did end the horrible reign 

of DAESH? Firm, rapid action by the 

Trump administration, in partnership 

with experienced local forces— 

action the Obama/Biden team would 

never take. 

The Obama/Biden years brought 

us the futile U.S. deal with Iran, 

which transferred unearned billions 

to that extremist regime, without 

meaningfully slowing its rush to gain 

nuclear weapons. President Trump, 

by contrast, has brokered successful, 

productive deals between Israel and 

several major Arab countries. These 

will help to contain Iran without the 

need for another destructive, disruptive 

war—whose side effects on religious 

minorities we can predict all 

too well. 

The Trump administration has 

spoken and acted firmly in defense of 

religious freedom around the world, 

even as Obama and Biden banned 

Iraqi nuns from visiting the U.S., and 

skewed refugee quotas to favor Muslims 

who had safe havens over Christians 

who had none. The Obama 

administration even changed the 

description of the U.S. First Amend-

Simply delicious food served 

by the finest Professionals 

The right to congregate and 

worship freely and to establish 

religious institutions are fundamental 

to religious freedom. Chaldeans 

demand their religious rights. 

The US went to war to end 

tyranny in Iraq. However, successive 

administrations have failed to 

stabilize Iraq and enable the 

realization of rights for its people. 

The Trump administration has 

proven to be a big disappointment 

to Christians in Iraq and Syria. In 

its haste to disengage from Iraq, it 

has failed to provide a program to 

repatriate Christians who fled and 

want to return home. It has neglected 

working with Chaldeans to provide 

security and economic development. 

Christians have paid a heavy 

price. Trump invited Turkey’s 

President Erdogan to invade Syria. 

Turkey’s jihadist proxies killed priests 

and targeted churches. 

Trump should not take the votes 

of Christians and Evangelicals 

for granted. Through neglect, he 

has exacerbated the dangers of 

Christians in the Middle East. Many 

Chaldeans feel they have no future 

and have fled. Those who want to go 

home cannot because conditions are 

not conducive to their return. 

The engagement of Chaldean- 

Americans will encourage Vice 

President Joe Biden to take a different 

approach. He knows Iraq and the 

region. He is instinctively sympathetic 

with victims and is especially attuned 

to the plight of Christians. Chaldeans 

can redeem their goodwill with Biden 

after he is elected. 

Organizations like the Chaldean 

Chamber and Foundation are 

working with the worldwide 

Chaldean community to ensure 

the survival of Christians in Iraq. 

They need an administration in 

Washington, which cares about their 

concerns and will take meaningful 

steps to ensure their survival. 

Mr. Phillips is Director of the Program 

on Peacebuilding and Rights at 

Columbia University. He served as 

a Senior Adviser and Foreign Affairs 

Expert at the State Department under 

Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. 

He is author of Losing Iraq: Inside the 

Postwar Reconstruction Fiasco. 

CASUAL DINING AT ITS BEST 

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ment taught to new citizens from the 

real language, “free exercise of religion,” 

to the bland “freedom of worship” 

offered to dhimmis by Islamists. 

At home, the Trump administration 

wishes to protect the vulnerable, 

from unpopular religious groups to 

unborn children. Biden, by contrast, 

has promised to shut down the Little 

Sisters of the Poor, who care for the 

sick and dying, if they will not distribute 

abortion pills. 

Trump stands for law and order 

on the streets of American cities 

like Detroit and Minneapolis. Biden 

will not rebuke the rioters who demand 

that police be defunded, and 

cities be turned over to armed militant 

gangs, which are burning small 

businesses as you read this. Trump 

will defend our Second Amendment 

rights and fund the police. 

Biden will seize our guns and defund 

the police, leaving American cities 

like Seattle and Portland to armed 

extremists, as the authorities once 

abandoned the people of Mosul to 

DAESH. 

We’re happy to say that the 

Trump administration is working 

closely with representatives of the 

Chaldean community to address its 

particular interests and legitimate 

grievances. President Trump and I 

talked at length last night about the 

Chaldean community’s needs. As 

congressional candidate Eric Esshaki 

assured us, President Trump “fully 

understands the real threats our 

family members in Iraq face every 

day. Just as important he committed 

to find solutions to the deportation 

issue and make sure Chaldeans are 

treated fairly. He’s pledged to be a 

great friend to our community and 

has our back.” 

Back in 2015, we wrote at the 

influential Christian website The 

Stream calling for a foreign policy 

that put “persecuted Christians first.” 

We believe that the Trump administration 

has listened, certainly more 

than any other U.S. politicians. 

That’s why we’re proud to back 

Trump’s re-election and ask for your 

support. 

John Zmirak is Senior Editor and Jason 

Scott Jones is a Senior Contributor at 

The Stream (Stream.org). 

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VOTER guide 

Key Positions: Donald Trump and Joe Biden 


The Nov. 3 election between 

Republican President Donald 

Trump and Democrat Joe 

Biden will give American voters a 

choice between two candidates with 

drastically different views of the world 

and divergent approaches to tackling 

some of the biggest issues facing the 

country. 

Trump, like many fellow 

Republicans, supports tax reductions 

and regulatory cuts as a strategy to 

boost the economy. He frames himself 

as a conservative champion in the 

nation’s ongoing culture wars. The 

president offers little detail about 

how he would pull the levers of 

government in a second term. 

Biden sounds every bit the 

Democratic standard-bearer as he 

frames the federal government as 

the collective force to combat the 

coronavirus, rebuild the economy 

and address centuries of institutional 

racism and systemic inequalities. A 

veteran of national politics, Biden 

also touts his deal-making past as 

proof he can do it again as president. 

Here is a detailed look at their 

policies and proposals in key areas. 

Immigration 

trump: Since his campaign in 2016, 

Trump has made multiple promises 

to reduce illegal immigration. He 

incorporated a “zero-tolerance” policy 

that enabled the criminal prosecution 

of suspected illegal border-crossers 

that resulted in family separations. It 

was reported “Nearly 3,000 children 

were separated from their parents,” 

according to HRW.com. Trump took 

the measures of declaring a national 

emergency to obtain funding for a 

wall on the southern border between 

Mexico and the United States. In his 

efforts to decrease illegal immigration, 

the statistics support that in the past 

several years there has been an overall 

decrease. 

The president has also proposed 

incorporating a “merit-based” system 

that would only allow migrants with 

job skills to enter the United States. 

This would dramatically reform 

immigration policy since it would no 

longer allow family ties to determine 

immigration status. 

biden: Being a strong opponent of 

Trump’s reformed immigration policy, 

Joe Biden 

Mr. Biden likely would reverse it. 

The Deferred Action for Childhood 

Arrivals program would return, along 

with a program to help undocumented 

immigrants receive citizenship. In 

place of Trump’s criminal prosecution 

for all illegal border crossings, Mr. 

Biden supports a 100-day moratorium 

on deportations. Only those charged 

with a serious crime would be 

deported. However, to accomplish 

comprehensive immigration reform 

Democrats would have to hold the 

House. Immigration would have to 

become an immediate legislative 

priority and many lawmakers feel it is 

best to diverge from a comprehensive 

reform to more bipartisan actions. 

COVID-19 

biden: Biden draws some of his 

sharpest contrasts with Trump on the 

pandemic, arguing that the presidency 

and federal government exist for such 

crises. Trump, by contrast, has largely 

shifted responsibility to governors. 

Biden endorses generous federal 

spending to help businesses and 

individuals, along with state and local 

governments, deal with the financial 

cliffs of the pandemic slowdown. 

He has promised aggressive use of 

the Defense Production Act, the 

wartime law a president can use to 

direct certain private-sector activity. 

Additionally, Biden promises to 

elevate the government’s scientists 

and physicians to communicate a 

consistent message to the public, and 

he would have the U.S. rejoin the 

World Health Organization. He is 

also willing to use executive power for 

a national mask mandate, even if its 

enforcement is questionable. 

trump: After months of insisting 

Donald Trump 

that the worst days of the pandemic 

have passed, Trump recently 

acknowledged that the pandemic 

may “get worse before it gets better” 

as many states — including several 

critical to his path to 270 Electoral 

College votes — have seen a surge in 

the virus. 

Trump is again holding regular 

briefings to get his message out on 

the virus and other matters. Trump 

believes that a key to economic 

recovery from the virus is fully 

reopening schools — though 

Americans are wary. Only about 

1 in 10 Americans think day care 

centers, preschools or K-12 schools 

should have opened this fall without 

restrictions, according to a recent 

poll by The Associated Press-NORC 

Center for Public Affairs. 

Trump also says he’s “pretty damn 

certain” that vaccines and therapeutics 

for the virus are coming in the not-sodistant 

future — a game changer as 

Americans and the world seek a glide 

path to normalcy. Congress approved 

about $3 trillion in coronavirus relief 

in March and April, and Democrats, 

Republicans and the White House are 

negotiating another significant round 

of funding. The package, however, 

will not include a payroll tax cut — 

something that Trump badly wanted 

but that Senate Democrats and even 

some Senate Republicans balked at 

including. 

Economy 

trump: Improving the economy 

has been a focal point for Trump. 

To decrease the trade gap, Trump 

emphasizes the importance of creating 

more deals with leading trading 

partners. 

Under Trump’s administration, 

the economy has gradually grown. In 

the last couple of years the economy 

has grown around 2-3 percent and 

job growth has matched how it was 

under President Obama, according 

to MarketsInsider. In particular, 

manufacturing jobs have increased. 

The coal industry has seen significant 

improvement. The stock market has 

also benefited. Trump claims that the 

economy is the “best” in U.S history. 

biden: Biden pitches sweeping 

federal action as necessary to avoid 

an extended recession or depression 

and to address long-standing wealth 

inequality that disproportionately 

affects nonwhite Americans. His 

biggest-ticket plans: a $2 trillion, 

four-year push intended to eliminate 

carbon pollution in the U.S. energy 

grid by 2035 and a new government 

health insurance plan open to 

all working-age Americans. He 

proposes new spending on education, 

infrastructure and small businesses, 

along with raising the national 

minimum wage to $15 an hour. 

Biden would cover some but not 

all of the new costs by rolling back 

much of the 2017 GOP tax overhaul. 

He wants a corporate income tax rate 

of 28 percent (lower than before but 

higher than now) and broad income 

and payroll tax hikes for individuals 

with more than $400,000 of annual 

taxable income. All that would 

generate an estimated $4 trillion or 

more over 10 years. 

Education 

biden: Biden wants the federal 

government to work with states 

to make public higher education 

tuition-free for any student in a 

household earning up to $125,000 

annually. The assistance would 

extend to everyone attending twoyear 

schools, regardless of income. 

He also proposes sharply increasing 

aid for historically Black colleges. 

His overall education plans carry 

a 10-year price tag of about $850 

billion. 

He calls for universal access 

to prekindergarten programs for 

3- and 4-year-olds; tripling Title I 

spending for schools with higher 

concentrations of students from lowincome 

households; more support 

for non-classroom positions like 

on-campus social workers; federal 

infrastructure spending for public 

school buildings; and covering 

schools’ costs to comply with federal 

disability laws. Biden also opposes 


taxpayer money being routed to 

for-profit charter school businesses, 

and he’s pledged that his secretary 

of education will have classroom 

teaching experience. 

trump: Trump has used his push 

for schools to fully reopen this fall 

amid the pandemic as an opportunity 

to spotlight his support for charter 

schools and school choice. 

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, 

a longtime proponent of charter 

schools and school voucher programs, 

has suggested that families be allowed 

to take federal money allotted to 

school districts that do not open and 

spend it in private schools that do 

open. For most of Trump’s first term, 

his administration has sought major 

increases to federal charter school 

grant aid, but Congress has responded 

with relatively small increases. 

Healthcare 

trump: The reform on healthcare 

has been broad and centered on a few 

key points. The goal to eliminate the 

Affordable Care Act and replace it 

with a new health care system is still 

in place. Some modifications include 

eradicating individual mandates 

and subsidies. This is intended to 

help those with low-income afford 

health insurance. The new system 

that would replace Obamacare 

would restrict the government’s role 

in determining healthcare choices. 

States now have the authority to 

place work requirements on those 

with Medicaid, in hopes of reducing 

Medicaid spending. 

biden: Biden wants a “Medicarelike 

public option” to compete 

alongside private insurance markets 

for working-age Americans, while 

increasing premium subsidies that 

many working-class and middleclass 

workers use already under the 

Affordable Care Act. Biden estimates 

that would cost about $750 billion 

over 10 years. That positions Biden 

between Trump, who wants to scrap 

the 2010 law, and progressives who 

want a single-payer system to replace 

private insurance altogether. Biden 

sees his approach as the next step 

toward universal coverage and one he 

could get through Congress. 

Foreign Policy 

trump: In his pledge to “Make 

America Great Again,” Trump 

believes the country should only 

be involved in global affairs that 

would benefit America’s economic 

interests. He also believes the United 

States should play a leadership role 

in global affairs. He advocates for the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) to spend more on defense 

instead of relying on the United 

States to provide it financially. About 

70 percent of defense spending is 

contributed by the United States, 

according to BBC. Trump fulfilled 

his promise to withdraw the United 

States from the Iran nuclear deal. 

biden: Biden pledges to begin 

“the day after the election” rebuilding 

relationships with allies ruffled by 

Trump’s approach. Biden’s top priority 

is reestablishing the foundations 

of NATO, the post-World War II 

alliance of Western powers that 

Biden said is necessary to counter 

Russia’s aggressive, expansionist aims 

in Eastern Europe and Asia. Biden 

said he would immediately confront 

Russian President Vladimir Putin 

about his country’s interference in 

U.S. elections. Biden pledges to 

“end forever wars” but clarifies that 

U.S. Special Forces — as opposed 

to large-scale ground missions — 

remain a vital part of world stability. 

He calls for rebuilding a decimated 

U.S. diplomatic corps, rejoining the 

Paris climate accord and pushing 

China and other large economies to 

reduce carbon pollution. 

Climate Change 

biden: The battle against climate 

change is a priority for Biden. He 

advocates for a plan that endorses 100 

percent carbon-free energy and netzero 

carbon emissions by 2050. Fossil 

fuels would not be eliminated 

immediately, but instead gradually 

decline in usage. Fossil fuels subsidies 

would end and clean energy would 

replace them. Biden also envisions 

supporting federal funding for carbon 

capture and sequestration programs to 

reduce carbon gas emissions. 

trump: The United States 

withdrew from the Paris Climate 

Agreement shortly after Trump took 

office. The agreement is based on 

reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 

combat climate change. However, the 

withdrawal will not occur until after 

the presidential election. Trump also 

plans on eliminating the Clean Power 

Plan, which proposes moving states to 

renewable energy. Trump is a promoter 

for oil, gas, and coal production. He 

recently finalized plans for opening 

public land to oil and gas drilling. 

SOURCES: 

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT 

REUTERS.COM 

POLITICIANCOMPARE.COM 

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A TTORNEYS & C O UNSELORS AT LAW 


Election Roundup – Chaldeans in the Race 


Clarence Dass – Oakland County 

Circuit Court Judge 

You may have seen some yard signs 

bearing his name. Clarence Dass is 

running for Circuit Court Judge in 

Oakland County. For nearly five years, 

Dass served as Assistant Prosecuting 

Attorney for the county. He prosecuted 

thousands of crimes, gaining 

experience at all levels of the criminal 

justice system. Because of his early 

success, work ethic, and passion for the 

law, Dass was promoted to the Special 

Victims Section of the Prosecutor’s 

Office. As a Special Prosecutor, he 

handled the most complex and serious 

crimes in Oakland County, ranging 

from child and elder abuse to sexual 

assault, domestic violence, and murder. 

By the time Dass left the prosecutor’s 

office to practice law, he had worked 

with virtually every police agency, 

probation department, and court 

system in Oakland County. 

“I am honored and humbled that 

Oakland County voters nominated 

me for the general election on 

November 3rd,” says Dass. “I will 

continue to spread my message until 

then, and encourage everyone to 

vote in this very important race.” 

Klint Kesto - Oakland County 

Commissioner - 5th District 

Oakland County’s 5th district is 

composed of Keego Harbor, Orchard 

Lake Village, Sylvan Lake and 

portions of Waterford and West 

Bloomfield Township. Klint Kesto 

will face off against incumbent 

Commissioner Kristen Nelson in the 

November 3rd race. 

Kesto is a former Republican 

member of the Michigan House 

of Representatives, representing 

District 39 from 2013 to 2018. 

Unable to run for re-election in 

2018 to the Michigan House of 

Representatives because of term 

limits, Kesto was the first Chaldean 

member of the Legislature. 

For more than five years, Kesto 

served as a prosecuting attorney 

with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s 

office, previously working for the 

U.S. Department of Energy and the 

U.S. Department of Justice. Skilled in 

immigration law, torts, trial practice, 

construction law, and pleadings, 

Kesto graduated from Wayne State 

Clarence Dass 

Klint Kesto 

University Law School. He is a 

member of the Chaldean American 

Chamber of Commerce and a member 

of the Chaldean Bar Association, of 

the American Bar Association and of 

the state Bar of Michigan. 

Eric Esshaki – U.S. Representative 

(Republican) – 11th District 

The 11th district is composed of 

several major cities, including 

Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, 

Canton, Farmington, Novi, 

Rochester Hills, Troy, Waterford, 

and West Bloomfield. Eric Esshaki, a 

first generation American, is hoping 

to represent that district. 

Eric’s father, Steve Esshaki, is a 

Chaldean who emigrated from Iraq 

in the 1970s because he believed in 

the American Dream. His mother 

Denise Esshaki grew up in Southgate, 

Michigan, and that is where Eric’s 

parents settled down to raise a family. 

Eric and his two siblings attended 

church every Sunday at the same 

church that his mother grew up in. 

Their parents instilled in them a 

strong work ethic and the value of 

being self-sufficient. 

Eric Esshaki 

Jim Manna 

After obtaining his practical nursing 

license, Eric started working at a nursing 

home. Soon after being promoted, Eric 

began to discover egregious violations 

that posed significant risks to the 

elderly patients he cared for. Unwilling 

to turn a blind eye to those violations, 

Eric reported them to the Michigan 

Department of Community Health. 

Eric was terminated shortly afterwards 

and subsequently filed a lawsuit against 

his former employer. This became a 

key moment in Eric’s career. It is when 

he realized the necessary power of law 

to solve injustices. So he went to law 

school. 

Esshaki is looking forward to 

putting up a strong campaign in 

November. “This is the greatest 

country in the world, imagine 40 

years ago, my father emigrated from 

Iraq. Now, I have a real chance 

to make history this November 

by becoming the first Chaldean- 

American ever elected to Congress.” 

Susan Kattula – Warren 

Consolidated School Board 

Warren Consolidated Schools is 

located in both Macomb County 

and Oakland County, Michigan. In 

the 2011-2012 school year, Warren 

Consolidated Schools was the 10thlargest 

school district in Michigan 

and served 15,414 students. 

The members of the Board of 

Education are elected representatives 

who create the policies that govern 

the school district. The Board is made 

up of seven members serving six-year 

terms of office; The Board elects its 

own officers to serve for one year. It is 

the entire Board that creates policies 

and reviews school district operations 

to evaluate their success. 

Susan Kattula, current Vice 

President, has served on the board 

since 2005. She won her current 

6-year term in 2014, and is hoping to 

continue her service to the schools 

and the community. 

Jim Manna – West Bloomfield 

Trustee 

Jim Manna is Broker and founder of 

Level Plus Realty. He was elected as 

a trustee in West Bloomfield in 2016. 

Manna, a Democrat, is one of the 

“dream team,” the West Bloomfield 

governing body that works together 

with no bipartisan bickering, a change 

from the norm. In February, the 

candidates endorsed each other in the 

hopes that they will continue to work 

together efficiently and peacefully. 

Manna made it through the 

primary in August with 24 percent of 

the vote, and is hoping to continue 

to serve. 

Ashley Attisha – City Council, 

Keego Harbor 

Ashley Attisha is making a bid for 

City Council in Keego Harbor. Her 

mission is to continue growing Keego 

Harbor into a sustainable, friendly 

and walkable neighborhood where 

the community supports and enjoys 

local businesses, parks and beaches 

along the shores of the lakes. 

An experienced attorney and 

grant writer, Attisha has a work history 

in the private sector, nonprofit and 

government. Her law practice focuses 

on complex real estate transactions, 

mortgage law, and landlord/tenant 

law and her non-profit work includes 

designing programs, writing grants, 

and implementing programs for 

vulnerable communities. 

“As we head towards the November 

election we need to respect each other, 

listen to each other, and learn from each 

other,” says Attisha. “Most importantly, 

we need to show up, represent our 

community, and vote.” 


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chaldeans AROUND THE WORLD 

Chaldeans in Europe: Part I - Pioneers & Frontiers 

BY DR. ADHID MIRI, PHD 

When we hear the term 

“Chaldean pioneers,” we 

tend to think of history 

and the individuals one or two 

generations back who left Iraq and 

came to the U.S. and other places to 

start anew. 

But the original pioneers were foot 

soldiers, going out ahead of the rest of 

the troops to prepare the way. They 

were trend-setters, the first among 

their kind in the field of inquiry, 

enterprise, and development. The 

Chaldeans who came to America 

in the 16th century and those who 

followed, traveling west in the 19th 

and 20th centuries, write a dramatic 

chapter in a heroic story. 

We do not have precise 

information about all of the 

pioneering immigrants to Europe 

from the Christian villages of 

Nineveh; however, the story starts 

with two major characters - a priest 

who became a prominent pioneer 

in the Americas, and an adventurer 

who consorted with queens and 

crowned herself a princess. 

The First Pioneers 

Historians record the first Chaldean 

pioneers as a priest named Elyas 

ibn Hanna al-Musili, (Elyas, son of 

John of Mosul) and a woman named 

Maria Theresa Asmar from the 

village of Telkaif. Elyas left Baghdad 

in 1668 on a journey that carried 

him to Europe and as far away as the 

Americas. Maria Theresa was born 

in 1804, when her village was part 

of the Ottoman Empire, and moved 

to Baghdad as an orphan before 

traveling to Lebanon and beyond. 

Both Elyas and Maria were more 

adventurers than immigrants. 

Elyas ibn Hanna al-Musili 

Elyas bin Hanna al-Musili al-Chaldani 

was born into the Abouna family. He 

is considered the first Chaldean to 

travel to Europe and the American 

continent, and is most certainly the 

first to record his observations about 

his travels, making him famous to this 

day. Information about his personal 

life is scarce; we do not know his date 

of birth nor the date of his death. 

However, we do know that he lived 

during the reign of Patriarch Ilia VIII 

(1627-1660). 

In 1668, Al-Musili left Baghdad 

for Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem). 

He then went to Aleppo in Syria, 

traveling through Iskenderun to 

Cyprus, where he sailed to Venice 

and the Vatican, and from there to 

France and Spain. Finally, he sailed 

from Cadiz in Spain, Portugal, 

passing through the Canary 

Islands, arriving in Venezuela. He 

traveled to Panama, Colombia, 

Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and 

Chile, returning to Lima, Peru to 

write the details of his first trip. 

Beginning in 1680, Al- Musili 

started writing what he called his 

“Book of Travels” as well as “A 

History of the New World,” the 

earliest known Arabic account of 

the Americas. Al-Musili tailored 

his message specifically to an 

audience of Eastern Christians 

living on the borderlands between 

the Ottoman Empire and Persia, 

seeking to demonstrate the 

importance of integrating the 

scattered writings of Eastern 

Christian travelers into Ottoman 

exchanges with the wider world. 

Prompted by his deep devotion 

to Eastern religious rituals, Al- 

Musili held Mass in the presence 

of the Pope and also King Louis 

the IV of France, with whom he 

established a close friendship. 

Thereafter, he went to Spain, 

meeting the queen and reciting 

Eastern songs and hymns in the 

presence of her son. The queen, 

moved by his recital of the hymns, 

helped him continue his voyage to 

the Americas (after staying as a guest 

of honor for seven months at the 

royal palace). 

Ten years later, Al-Musili returned 

to Spain and then Italy, where he 

met Pope Innocent the Twelfth 

(1615-1700). According to reliable 

sources, Elyas made three trips to 

Rome, but only on his second trip 

did he continue on to the Americas. 

At that time, voyages across the 

Atlantic Ocean were organized every 

three years in convoys of 15 or more 

ships. 

In 1905, the Jesuit scholar Antûn 

Rabbât discovered the writings of 

Elyas Al-Musili in a Jacobite diocese 

in Aleppo, Syria. The discovery was 

exciting as it showed the perspective 

of Al-Musili, a seventeenth-century 

priest of the Chaldean Church 

who traveled widely across colonial 

Spanish America and became the 

first person to visit the Americas 

from Baghdad. 

Rabbât transcribed the writings 

into Arabic and published those 

Maria Theresa Asmar 

portions relating to Al-Musili’s 

travels, which shared his perceptions 

of native peoples and their customs, 

beliefs, and treatment by Spanish 

conquistadors. Perhaps because of 

the uniqueness and significance 

of his journey, Al-Musili was both 

supported by the Pope and authorized 

by the Queen Regent of Spain. 

The book is entitled, “An 

Arab’s Journey to Colonial Spanish 

America: The Travels of Elyas Al- 

Musili in the Seventeenth Century.” 

It provides thoughtful descriptions 

of high-level officials and clerics in 

the New World, and is a rare insight 

into a voyage that would turn into a 

twelve-year adventure. 

The Russian orientalist 

Krachkovsky speculates that Al- 

Musili spent the rest of his life in 

Rome, and he provides what he 

sees as proof of that with an Arabic 

prayer book printed in Rome in the 

year 1692. This book includes the 

titles that both the Pope and the 

Emperor of Spain gave to Al-Musili, 

including, “The bearer of the cross 

Mar Peter, Count Palatino, Priest of 

the Church of the King of Spain.” 

The researcher added that the 

second journey took 15 years of the 

priests’ life - deemed to be quite 

an adventure for a cleric from the 

village of Alqoush! Al-Musili’s 

journey was analogous to the 

adventures of the famous traveler 

Ibn Battuta, the Berber Moroccan 

scholar and explorer who widely 

travelled the medieval world and 

wrote about it. 

Al-Musili walked through 

desserts, climbed mountains, 

crossed rivers, seas, oceans, 

passed through jungles, beastinhabited 

woods, and spent 

many nights inside caves in a 

very primitive setting. 

The researcher concluded 

that if Europeans are proud of 

Christopher Columbus (1447- 

1506), Chaldeans cannot be 

less proud of Elyas ibn Hanna 

Al-Musili, the first from the East 

to undertake an adventurous 

voyage some 350 years ago, 170 

years after the discovery of the 

Americas. 

Maria Theresa Asmar 

Maria Theresa Asmar (1804–1870) 

was an ethnic Chaldean from Tel- 

Kaif in the Ottoman Empire. She is 

credited to have written “Memoirs of 

a Babylonian Princess,” consisting of 

two volumes and 720 pages. Written in 

the early 19th century and translated 

into English in 1844, the book 

describes her travels through Turkey, 

Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. 

Asmar was born in Telkaif, 

moving to Baghdad after the 

outbreak of the plague and death of 

her parents. From there, she moved 

to Lebanon and by special favor was 

able to live in the house of religion 

(Beit-eldin). She eventually became 

the adopted daughter of Prince 

Bashir Al-Din. 

Asmar, faced with tremendous 

obstacles both as a Chaldean 

Christian and a woman, set up a school 

for women in Baghdad and welcomed 

western Christian missionaries with 


Franklin 

Cider Mill 

open arms. This was her undoing 

as the missionaries then bribed 

the Turkish government to give 

them the license for the school and 

also forbid Maria to carry on with her 

project. Left frustrated and angry to 

have been treated this way by fellow 

Christians, she eventually took 

refuge with the Emir Beschir, the 

governor of Lebanon. 

From Lebanon, she moved to 

Europe where she was repeatedly 

robbed, falling into poverty. The 

dethroned Governor Emir Beschir 

also fell into poverty, leaving Maria 

with no financial support. 

After twelve years in Europe, 

Asmar wrote her book - an account 

of the events that led up to that 

point, her survival, and how her 

family became martyrs. 

With nothing to lose, Asmar 

traveled to Italy and searched for a 

monastery to join, but her attempt 

to become a nun was unsuccessful. 

While in Rome, on November 30, 

1836, she received a medal from 

Pope Gregory VI for her work with 

young women. Cardinal Ezonolli 

recalled Asmar’s enthusiasm, “This 

woman was determined to devote 

herself to helping and educating girls 

in the Catholic East.” 

Near the end of the year 1837, 

Asmar met two priests in Rome. 

The first was Fr. Michael Aoun and 

other, Fr. Toma Al-Alqoushi. The 

priests had obtained approval from 

Cardinal Odessa, the representative 

of the pontiff, to collect donations 

for the Monastery of Mar-Hormzid in 

Alqoush. Miss Asmar was assigned 

the order and she accepted the task 

to fulfill the mission request. 

In 1838, Asmar traveled to France 

and opened a girl’s school. In 1840, 

she moved to London and met Queen 

Victoria, where she presented herself 

as the Babylonian Princess, “Theresa, 

the daughter of Prince Abdullah 

Asmar.” Queen Victoria promptly 

gave Asmar fifty golden pounds. 

In 1844-1845 her notes (all 760 

pages) were printed in English, in 

two volumes entitled “Babylonian 

Princess” and “Voice from the 

East” (or “Prophecy and Legacy”). 

Publishing the works was an appeal 

to the women of England to help in 

the revival of the Catholic East. A 

copy of the book was presented to 

Queen Victoria. 

At the time, despite her 

popularity, Asmar faced great 

difficulties in paying the costs of 

printing her books. The British court 

seized her property, and as a result 

she fell ill and depressed, choosing to 

remain hidden from view as a result 

of this shock. 

In 1847, the British Consul in 

France noted that Maria Asmar was 

staying in Paris. After a short period 

she returned to Britain. After staying 

ten years there, she obtained British 

citizenship on October 17, 1850. In 

1853, she moved to France again and 

in Paris obtained a document from 

the Turkish ambassador, allowing 

non-intervention and free travel 

within the Ottoman region. Asmar 

intended to travel to Switzerland, 

Austria, and Italy. 

Little is documented about that 

period until 1870, when she was 

found living again in Paris, France. 

Maria Theresa Asmar, known as 

‘Babylon’s Princess in Europe,’ died in 

France that year before the beginning 

of the Franco-Prussian War. In her 

will, she left a portion of her wealth 

of 5,000 piasters (Ottoman Turk 

or Qirshes currency) to restore the 

Church of the Apostles Peter and 

Paul in Telkaif. She requested that 

her body be buried in the churchyard 

of Telkaif. 

Pioneers And Frontiers 

These early pioneers forged the way 

for those that followed, creating a 

trend for coping with such frontier 

realities as overcoming language 

barriers, financial challenges and 

geographic challenges, such as no 

roads or bridges. With no guarantees 

of any sort, all the while they let no 

obstacle deter or defeat them. Al- 

Musili and Asmar were dauntless 

pioneers who overcame incredible 

hardships to establish a foothold 

based on ideals and courage; a base 

that would come to define our 

community. 

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chaldean on the STREET 

Who’s Got Your Vote? 

When we asked, “Who are you voting for in the Presidential election and why?” we were expecting some controversial 

answers. The Chaldean News does not endorse any political candidate, but we do invite your feedback. Please send any 

Letters to the Editor to edit@chaldeannews.com. 

I am voting for Donald Trump because 

he’s the only candidate in decades to 

not get poisoned by Washington and 

corrupted by its politicians. He fights 

for small businesses and the economic 

stimulation of small communities 

around the country. His values are 

the safety and stability of the working 

class, peace through strength, law and 

order, and economic independence. 

– Anthony Kesto, 21, 

Shelby Township 

After witnessing four years of President 

Trump, I am extremely confident in 

my decision to vote for Joe Biden this 

Election Day. During most elections in 

my lifetime, I have scoffed at the fact 

that you’re choosing the “lesser of two 

evils,” but this time I am celebrating 

it. Trump has major influence but four 

more years of him riling up his base 

with ridiculous conspiracy theories 

and lies is going to do real harm to this 

nation. 

– Halim Sheena, 27, Royal Oak 

On November 3, 2020, I will vote to 

re-elect President Trump because his 

administration has and will continue to 

restore our nation’s faith, protect the 

unborn, protect our borders, secure 

jobs, strengthen our military and law 

enforcement, appoint outstanding 

federal judges, and protect our right 

to bear arms. Donald Trump puts 

America first. 

– Raghed Samona, 45, Commerce 

I am voting for Joe Biden because 

of his commitment to healthcare. 

America’s cost of healthcare is 

more than every other country in 

the world. Americans across the 

country are forced to give up on their 

health because of healthcare costs. 

Obamacare, while imperfect, is the 

best we have managed to do. I will 

vote for Biden on the promise he 

has made to protect it and hopefully 

improve it. 

– Dominic Arida, 23, Warren 

I will be voting for Biden/Harris 

because I realized that a 3rd party 

vote is a waste of my vote. Trump has 

handled the COVID-19 pandemic in 

an extremely unprofessional manner, 

disrespecting top leading experts. 

You can say good things about 

Trump, such as the Israel/Bahrain/ 

UAE Abraham accord, the war against 

the outsourcing of jobs to China, the 

immigration ban of certain Middle 

Eastern countries during time of war 

against ISIS, but all those things don’t 

make up for his lying on the daily. 

– Luay Hermiz, 28, West Bloomfield 

I want a leader who will protect the 

unborn by making sure their mothers 

have exemplary and affordable 

healthcare, equitable pay, expanded 

access to education and training, 

low-cost childcare, and paid leave. 

He will protect her from abuse and 

discrimination. He will empower her to 

make sensitive medical decisions with 

her doctor, not the government. He will 

invest in her children, not in his golf 

course. That leader is Joe Biden. 

– Crystal Kassab Jabiro, 41, 

Commerce Township 

I am voting for Donald Trump for this 

upcoming presidential election. He is 

the best presidential candidate for the 

election because he possesses no 

filter, he is a polarizing figure and has a 

confidence level that is truly unmatched. 

His transparency and free expression 

might forever change the way the 

American public engages with their 

public officials. His decision-making has 

caused our economy to rise to numbers 

we have not seen in years. 

– Jullian Thomas, 27, West Bloomfield 

I will be voting for Donald Trump. I am 

voting for Trump because throughout 

his first four years of presidency, I have 

noticed a huge rise in the economy 

and most importantly, he is against 

abortion. He plans to completely 

defund Planned Parenthood. 

– Nathan Kiriakoza, 27, 

Sterling Heights 


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


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

PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS 

Your Home 

Guaranteed 

or I’ll Buy It! 

844-SOLD-BY-Z • SoldByMarkZ.com 

Phone: (248) 851-2227 

(248) 851-BCBS 

Fax: (248) 851-2215 

rockyhpip1@aol.com 

ROCKY H. HUSAYNU 

Professional Insurance Planners 

Individual & Group Health Plans 

Medicare Supplement Plans 

31000 Northwestern Hwy. • Suite 110 

Farmington Hills, Ml 48334 

Over 40 years of experience. 

Palladium 

Financial GrouP, llc 

MOrTGaGE brOKEr NMLS 128686 

GabE GabriEl 

NMLS 128715 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, ste. 103 

Farmington Hills , Michigan 48334 

Office (248) 737-9500 

Direct (248) 939-1985 

Fax (248) 737-1868 

Email MortgageGabe@aol.com 

www.palladiumfinancialgroup.com 

Jason S. Samona, D.O. 

Orthopedic Surgery 

Hand, Elbow and Shoulder Surgeon 

Auburn Hills 

3100 Cross Creek Pkwy 

Suite 150 

248-475-0502 

Warren 

11012 E. 13 Mile Rd 

Suite 112 

586-573-6880 

West Bloomfield 

2300 Haggerty Rd 

Suite 1110 

248-863-9254 

www.msspc.org 

Safaa Macany 

VP of Mortgage 

Lending 

o: (248) 216-1255 

c: (248) 229-4422 

smacany@rate.com 

www.rate.com/SafaaMacany 

1700 W. Big Beaver 

Suite 225 

Troy, MI 48084 

Guaranteed Rate NMLS: 2611 • NMLS ID: 138658, LO#: MI - 138658 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

TOP 1% OF REALTORS 

TOP 

TOP 

1% OF 

1% IN OAKLAND REALTORS 

OF REALTORS 

IN 

COUNTY IN OAKLAND 1993 – 2015 

OAKLAND COUNTY 2019 

COUNTY 1993 – 2015 

2015 REAL ESTATE 

ALL2015 STAR 2019 

REAL - REAL 

ESTATE 

ESTATE 

HOUR MEDIA ALL ALL STAR STAR - – 

HOUR MEDIA 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Bloomfield, Proudly Farmington serving Birmingham, Hills, Bloomfield, 

Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, the 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Each office is independently 

West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Bloomfield, Lakes and Farmington surrounding areas. 

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

Each office is independently Associated Broker West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

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

(248)752-4010and surrounding areas. 

Toll Associated Free (866) 762-3960 

Broker 

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

Office Office (248) www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

(248)737-6800 • Mobile (248)752-4010 

752-4010 

Toll Free (866) 762-3960 

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

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

www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

Each office is independently 

Owned and Operated 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

Jaguar Land Rover Troy 

Sammi A. Naoum 

1815 Maplelawn Drive 

Troy, MI 48084 

TEL 248-341-8015 

MOBILE 248-219-5525 

snaoum@suburbancollection.com 

ELIAS KATTOULA 

CAREER SERVICES MANAGER 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

TEL: (586) 722-7253 

FAX: (586) 722-7257 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org 

HealtH Insurance 

& MedIcare specIalIst 

stephen M. George 

office 248-535-0444 

fax 248-633-2099 

stephengeorge1000@gmail.com 

Contact me for a free consultation 

on Health Care Reform, Medicare 

and Life Insurance 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

SANA NAVARRETTE 

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER 

30850 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 200 

BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025 

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

FAX: (248) 996-8342 


www.chaldeanchamber.com 


Twitter: @ChaldeanChamber 

Instagram: @ChaldeanAmericanChamber 

SANA NAVARRETTE 

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 

CELL (248) 925-7773 

TEL (248) 851-1200 

FAX (248) 851-1348 


www.chaldeanchamber.com 


Advertise 

for As little As $ 85 

in our business directory section! 

to place your ad, contact us today! 

phone: 248-851-8600 fax: 248-851-1348 

30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334

KUWTC 

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. 

Anthony and Junior got the great opportunity 

to sit down with Senator Peter Lucido, 

who is now running for Macomb County 

Prosecutor. Lucido wants to expose the corruption 

in our justice system, and talks about how 

he will help the community as a whole. 

2. 

Terence Mekoski, running for Macomb 

County Sheriff, visits the guys and talks 

about the county and what it needs in a sheriff. 

Terry wants to make sure that justice is distributed 

fairly throughout all of the diverse people 

of Macomb and says he has the experience to 

do it right. 

3. 

Current Macomb County Treasurer Larry 

Rocca visits the show to promote his reelection 

campaign. In these uncertain times, we 

need all the information we can get. If voted in, 

Larry will continue his efforts to make sure residents 

are not evicted from their homes. 

Peter Lucido 

Larry Rocca 

Terence Mekoski 


PROJECT LIGHT THERAPY SERVICES 

Therapy can be a big step toward being the healthiest 

version of yourself and living the best life possible—our 

professional therapists are here for you to access. 

Through therapy, you can change self-destructive 

behaviors and habits, resolve painful feelings, 

improve your relationships, and share your 

feelings and experiences. Individuals often 

seek therapy for help with issues that may be 

hard to face alone. 

For Your Best Health. 

In therapy your trilingual therapist will help you 

to establish person centered goals and determine 

the steps you will take to reach those goals. Your 

relationship with your therapist is confidential and 

our common therapeutic goal for those we engage 

is to inspire healthy change to improve quality of 

life - no matter the challenge. 

We invite you seek out the Light of Project Light! 

Serving individuals ages 13 years and up. Please call 

to request a Project Light Intake at (586) 722-7253. 

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 

3601 15 MILE ROAD 

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 

WWW.CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG 

(586) 722-7253 

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY: The CCF and Project Light is committed to your privacy and confidentiality and 

are sensitive to the stigma and stress that come with seeking mental health support. Therefore, all counseling records 

are kept strictly confidential. Information is not shared without client’s written consent. Exceptions to confidentiality are 

rare and include persons who threaten safety of themselves others or in circumstances of a court order.

event 

3 

1 

4 

2 

5 

Stride for Seminarians 

Stride for Seminarians is an annual benefit in support of the Chaldean Seminarian 

Fund, established in loving memory of Alexander and Gabrielle Mansour. Annual 

costs per seminarian for education, room, and board exceed $30,000. 100 percent 

of the event proceeds raised each year goes toward the Chaldean Seminarian Fund. 

This year, the Stride for Seminarians looked a little different. Participants walked in the 

area of their choice from 9am until 1pm. Free breakfast and lunch were provided at select 

locations, and Mass was held in the Mother of God parking lot at 2pm, where Bishop 

Francis introduced newly ordained priests Fr. Kevin Yono and Fr. Marcus Shammami. 

1. The Stride for Seminarians annual event 

helps raise funds for the Chaldean Diocese 

seminarian fund and pay for seminarian 

schooling. Seminarians from left to right: 

Namir Narra, Rami Kina, Yousif Habeeb, Lucian 

Gumma, Matthew Bakkal, Eddie Dickow, 

Joseph Nannoshi, Brandon Elias. 

2. After walking and praying together in their 

own communities, families gathered together 

at Mother of God’s church parking lot to 

celebrate Sunday Mass with Bishop Francis 

Kalabat. 

3. Scott and Renee Yaldo with daughters Raya 

and Reece, son Ryder and baby Rocco. 

4. Chaldean faithful hold signs in support of 

Stride for Seminarians in honor of Alexander 

and Gabrielle Mansour. From left to right: Sally 

Najor, Ibtihal Atisha, Nancy Beba. 

5. At the conclusion of Mass, families showed 

their support for our seminarians by honking 

their horns and giving a round of applause. 


AMMU SAM DOESN'T LIKE VOTER SUPPRESSION 

VOTING BY MAIL IS SAFE AND SECURE 

Questions? Call 844-Yalla-US (844-925-5287). 

#YallaVote's bilingual Arabic/English election protection hotline. 

www.aaiusa.org

14505 MICHIGAN AVENUE 

DEARBORN, MI 48126 

WWW.SUPERIORONLINE.COM 

313-846-1122

OCTOBER 2020

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