JUNE 2022

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY VOL. 19 ISSUE V JUNE 2022
Our
Fathers
CELEBRATING THE
PATRIARCHS
PLUS
Health & Wellness
Back to Iraq Part II
Jamoua vs. Farm Bureau

CONTACT
ELIE MALOUF
LINCOLN
PRODUCT
SPECIALIST
248-530-4710
DISCOVER THE POWER OF
SANCTUARY
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248-643-6600
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Troy, MI 48084

JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 3

4 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY | JUNE 2022 | VOL. 19 ISSUE V
ON THE COVER
18 Our Fathers
Celebrating dads and
patriarchs this Father’s Day
By Sarah Kittle
FEATURES
20 Iraq’s Water Crisis
By Adhid Miri, PhD
24 Jamoua vs. Michigan
Farm Bureau
Lawsuit reveals discrimination
By Cal Abbo
18
26 Chaldean Cold Cases
Fares Fouad Atto
By Crystal Kassab Jabiro
DEPARTMENTS
6 From the Editor
Happy Summer
By Sarah Kittle
8 Guest Columns
Water Safety
By Dr. Jennifer Burlingame
9 Easter in Jerusalem
By Christina Salem
10 Foundation Update
New programs
12 Noteworthy
Steve Francis and the
Sheena brothers
14 Chaldean Digest
Peace, co-existence and ACN
16 In Memoriam
17 Obituary
Sulaiman Hermiz Mansour
38 Culture and History
Worry Beads
By Adhid Miri, PhD
42 Community Profile
Mark Abbo: Northville
Township Supervisor
By Cal Abbo
44 Event
Chaldean Chamber’s
18th Annual Awards dinner
46 From the Archive
Remembering Chaldean
Soccer Clubs
28 Back to Iraq
Part II
By Adhid Miri, PhD
34 The New Stressed Out
Coping with our coping
mechanisms
By Sarah Kittle
28
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

FROM THE EDITOR
PUBLISHED BY
Chaldean News, LLC
Chaldean Community Foundation
Martin Manna
EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Sarah Kittle
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Cal Abbo
Jennifer Burlingame
Crystal Kassab Jabiro
Sarah Kittle
Dr. Adhid Miri
Christina Salem
ART & PRODUCTION
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative
PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Wilson Sarkis
SALES
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Sana Navarrette
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Chaldean News
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Happy Summer!
Although it may not feel like it the whole
way through, the season of sun officially
begins this month. June is the host month
for backyard barbecues and lazy days at the beach,
and I for one can’t wait!
June is also the month we celebrate Father’s
Day, some with time-honored traditions like
homemade cards and new neckties. As patriarchs,
fathers are so essential for a happy and well-adjusted
family. Good fathers lead their loved ones
on a straight moral path by example and deed;
great fathers inspire us to model our behavior on
their own. My father was a great man who raised 9 children
to be generous and kind; he was genuinely in love with my
mother for their entire 57 years of married life and pined for
her for almost 3 years after her death. Daddy wrote beautiful
poetry and raised his daughters to stand up for themselves.
He was a stalwart, a sermon, and a song. I miss him dearly.
As we head to the beaches and lakes this summer, it is a
good thing to remember to practice water safety. Thirty seconds
can truly change a life, for better or worse. We can take
all the precautions in the world but knowing CPR is a must,
as Dr. Jennifer Burlingame reminds us in her guest column.
Travel is a topic for the summer months as well, and we
have a guest column on traveling in Jerusalem from Christina
Salem. She was part of a Gishru trip to Iraq, and then
went on to Israel, sharing her experience with our readers.
We also feature the second part of Dr. Miri’s travel reflections
in “Back to Iraq: Part II,” in which he shares stories of his
recent trip back to the homeland.
Other contributions from our esteemed historian this month
include an article on the history of worry beads, related to the
rosary but not quite the same. Worry beads have a prominent
place in many Middle Eastern cultures and Dr. Miri explains
their significance in an informative yet humorous way.
Another subject about which he writes, not so
humorously, is the water shortage in Iraq. Real climate
changes are affecting our planet, and Iraq is among the 5
countries most severely ravaged by the crisis. Once known
as “the land between two rivers,” what happens to the land
SARAH KITTLE
EDITOR
when the rivers run dry? Dr. Miri looks at the root
causes, what we as humans have done to aggravate
the problem, and what some possible solutions
might be. Hint: we have to work together.
New world environs bring new world stressors,
and the things we are doing to cope may be hurting
rather than helping. We cover that in our health
and wellness section and tell you the number one
thing you can do to combat stress. Spoiler alert: it
involves action.
Chaldeans entering the political arena is something
we are very much in support of, and CN’s Cal
Abbo profiles Northville Township Supervisor Mark Abbo
(yes, they are not-too-distantly related) in this month’s issue.
We also continue our coverage of Chaldean Cold Cases;
open police cases where store owners have been murdered
Good fathers lead their loved
ones on a straight moral path by
example and deed; great fathers
inspire us to model our behavior
on their own.
and their killers are still at large. Our hope is that something
will come of these articles and some sort of justice may be
served. These families deserve that.
Also continuing is our “From the Archives” section, this
month focusing on the Chaldean Soccer League. It is so
much fun to look back on these precious memories from decades
past.
Enjoy!
Sarah Kittle
Editor
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6 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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GUEST COLUMNS
Water Safety Reminder
All it took was thirty
seconds. It was thirty
seconds that my
heart stopped beating because
I realized our reality.
What I thought was going to
be a simple ‘let’s go help a
kayaker get back on her kayak’
turned into something I
still think about to this day;
it invades my dreams. All it
took was thirty seconds for
me to realize that me and
my children would witness
something that, as a mother, I was not
ready for. All it took was thirty seconds
for me to realize that my daughter was
willing to put someone else’s life first.
All it took was thirty seconds for us to
go from ‘Good Samaritans’ to ‘Heroes.’
It was a beautiful summer day in
July. I had just come home from the
gym and my kids wanted to go out
for a pontoon ride. We were visiting
our family in Wisconsin. My husband
moved to Michigan 15 years ago when
we were married, so as often as we are
able, we try to go back and visit. We’ve
made it a tradition to attend a festival
called Country Thunder each summer
with his family. The event took place
that week. This time we stayed in a
lake house where his cousins keep
their boats. We are drawn to water.
My father, an immigrant from Iraq,
ironically found his way to the water as
a teenager. In his early 20s, he bought
his first house on a lake and purchased
his first boat. Who would’ve imagined
that he would go from the desert to the
lake? He became the man that taught
everyone to water ski. He taught me
and my siblings, he taught all my cousins,
and he taught his friends. He became
a lake man. When he passed six
years ago, I took over that role. I love
the water. I love skiing like my dad
did. I love teaching everyone to ski. It’s
a passion and it helps me feel close to
my dad. It was natural for us to gravitate
to the lake. And so, here we were
in Wisconsin on a lake enjoying our
family’s past time.
My husband was on a run, so our
nanny (Terry, who came with us to
DR. JENNIFER
LOUSSIA
BURLINGAME
SPECIAL TO
THE CHALDEAN
NEWS
watch the kids while we went
to the festival), my three kids,
and I took out the pontoon.
It was a perfect lake day and
the kids wanted to go knee
boarding. Because I grew up
boating, it was natural for
me to take the kids out on
the lake. Fortunately for us
and for a certain middle-aged
woman, our nanny had an
eye that helped save a life.
While driving the pontoon
I noticed two kayakers
on my left. This was not typical
as normally they stay close to shore,
especially on a lake that size. They
seemed to be lounging in the middle
of the lake, so I didn’t think anything
of it. Terry also noticed them as she is
an avid kayaker. Her intuition told her
that something was amiss and inevitably
she was right. One of the kayakers
was in the water and Terry told me
there was no way she was getting back
in the kayak easily in open water. So,
despite my son having the best knee
boarding run yet, I stopped the boat to
pull him in. By the time I did so and
turned the boat around, my 30 seconds
had started.
It felt like an eternity to get to them
- one woman screaming at the top of
her lungs for help, the other woman
floating with one leg over the edge of
the kayak. As we got closer, I realized
the second woman was blue and her
head was completely submerged. It
felt like another eternity for me to realize
my children may witness someone
die before their eyes if we didn’t do
something in those next 5 seconds.
I called 911 and tried to stop the
boat; I was at full speed trying to get
there as soon as possible. Before I realized
it, my daughter Maria had jumped
in. MY DAUGHTER JUMPED IN!! She
was 11 years old at the time and one of
the bravest and most empathetic kids I
know, but when she jumped in, I panicked
again.
By the time I could get a life jacket
on and jump in, she had reached the
lady and had her head above the water.
The lady in distress did not have a life
jacket on, and we managed to get one
under her as the kayak floated away.
Together, Maria and I swam her
to the back of the pontoon. And of all
miracles God could have granted us, I
deadlifted a middle-aged, overweight
woman up the ladder steps of the pontoon.
Terry made her way to the stairs;
she had been consoling my boys who
were terrified and unsure what was
happening.
As Terry pulled the woman up by
her hair and I lifted her body, we got
her on the deck halfway, which was
enough to start CPR and ensure she
would not fall back in the water. My
family sat back as I, a trained family
physician, performed CPR on a pontoon
in the middle of a lake. If anyone
would have asked me during my
training if I ever imagined I would be
in that situation, I would have denied
it. Could that have been anyone in that
situation? Yes. Luckily, I knew CPR.
Every adult should know CPR.
By now 3 minutes had passed. Before
the police arrived, other ‘Good
Samaritans’ who heard the screams
came to help. An older gentleman
jumped on the pontoon and drove
us to shore as I continued CPR. By
another miracle, the woman started
coughing. I turned her to her side and
out came the stream of water that had
suffocated her as she tried to get back
in her kayak in open water without a
life jacket. Back came the pink color
to what was once a blue (and surely
dead) face that my children and I will
likely never forget.
The kayaker was transferred via
EMS to a local hospital and regained
consciousness within 24 hours. I did
not know in those 30 seconds that my
daughter and I would save a life. I realize
now that we were way too close to
being witnesses to death by drowning.
It wasn’t until that night that I realized
my daughter could have drowned. I
could have drowned. If that woman
had had any form of consciousness,
she could have drowned us out of hysteria.
It is miraculous to me that she
was that far gone to spare us a struggle,
but not far gone enough to enter the
gates of Heaven. An angel watched over
us that day. I have no words to explain
the rollercoaster of emotions I had that
weekend and still have to this day.
I hope the lessons left behind are
ones we can all learn from. Water safety
knowledge is of utmost importance
and anyone who enjoys the water
should take classes and, at the least,
wear a life jacket when out in deep water.
And lastly, to anyone who is able,
a CPR class would serve in ways one
may never imagine. Thirty seconds
was all it took for me, a physician and
lake lover, to realize the importance of
water safety for all. It may seem intuitive,
yet too many people fail to actively
realize it.
The life you save may be your own
or the life of someone you love.
8 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

Easter in Jerusalem
Easter in Jerusalem
could be summed up in
one word - humbling.
My journey into Israel
began with a stir. As I landed
into the country and began
to go through customs, I encountered
my first challenge:
Iraqi stamps on my American
passport.
I had attended our community’s
version of a birthright
trip called Gishru a week
prior to touching down in the
Holy Land. I was pulled aside and questioned,
asked if I was a Kurd and what
my business was in Israel. Terrorist attacks
in Al-Aqsa and Tel Aviv had taken
place days before and a high-alert
country was on even higher alert.
For the first time in 30 years, all
three Abrahamic religions were having a
shared holy month. With the coming of
Easter, the feast of Passover, and the fast
of Ramadan, tensions were high as were
the spirits of the proud who inhabited
such a psychologically complex land.
After repeated insistence that I was
a Chaldean Catholic wanting to celebrate
Easter with my family, and the
reassurance that I was not a threat in
any way, shape, or form, I was moved
to the next phase.
Following questioning, everyone
passing through was required to pay for
and take another COVID test prior to exiting
the airport. While this would seem
to be an easy process, it is only easy if
there is internet or Wi-Fi connection
over 2G speed, which was a struggle to
obtain throughout the Middle East.
My expressions of excitement and
concern earned me the help of kind
people who wanted to contribute to
moving me along my way as seamlessly
as possible. Completing the test,
I now had to find a way to my hotel.
Many people outside of the airport
looking for transportation dissuaded me
from using a taxi due to the high cost;
however, I found a Canadian woman on
holiday for Passover who I was able to
split cab fare with to get to my hotel.
After settling in, I was eager to explore
the city. It was a challenge to find
CHRISTINA
SALEM
SPECIAL TO
THE CHALDEAN
NEWS
food, because of Passover
and arriving on a Friday, but
I saw a hip little cafe with
an amazing menu. Within
thirty minutes, people were
running and screaming in a
random direction away from
the center square in the city.
A terrorist attack had taken
place about a week ago and
there were imminent threats
more would take place. All in
the name of God.
Tensions were high. I spent
the rest of the night in my room.
I met my uncle the next day at the airport,
and we got in a cab to go to the Old
City, Jerusalem. We stayed at St. Mark’s
The Holy
Scripture
in Sureth
Below: Holy
Sepulchre
Church
Monastery, the apostle Mark’s home and
reported place of the Last Supper.
Walking into this place and seeing
our language written on these walls
was surreal. Walking in the footsteps
of Jesus was transformative. There
was an indescribable feeling of peace
and serenity – unfortunately, one that
wouldn’t last for long.
As the days went by and holidays
were celebrated, I personally experienced
a lot of negativity.
I was catcalled, spit at for being
Christian, cussed out, sexually harassed,
disturbed in the middle of the
night by protests, chants, and loud
“booms;” discriminated against,
searched, scammed, yelled at, witnessed
beatings and more. Passing
through the Stations of the Cross
throughout the different quarters of
Jerusalem was chilling. It reminded me
that peace and serenity had rarely ever
existed here historically. It felt like I was
in biblical times with better technology.
I was somewhat traumatized to say
the least. Toward the very end, waking
up in the morning came with grown
men screaming and fighting with each
other at disturbingly early hours, every
hour, until everyone staying in the
monastery could silence them.
I was in the holiest land, yet it felt
like what was missing most was God.
Everyone around me seemed to hate
thy neighbor. Each sect and group felt
like they were entitled, correct, eager
for power and hungry for dominance,
so they constantly fought with each
other. Yet everything around me was
still beautiful. The presence of Jesus
was still so clear and unassuming.
Even in places where there was terror,
a countenance of grace was offered.
Entitlement led to much humility, power
balanced in forms to create a still harsh
coexistence, and the innocence of the
sacrificial lamb (symbolic of why we eat
pacha and take communion). This was
what I signed up for - Easter in Jerusalem.
The city of peace; a pilgrimage made permanent
by inking it on my arm.
Christina Salem is an Assyrian Chaldean
journalist who documents and shares
her journeys across the world.
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 9

FOUNDATION UPDATE
Ascension Primary Care
Clinic Now Open on
Tuesdays
The Ascension Chaldean Community Foundation Primary Care
Clinic extended their office hours to include Tuesdays from 8:00
am-5:00 pm. The new hours for the facility are Monday-Thursday
from 8:00am-5:00pm.
The Ascension Chaldean Community Foundation Primary
Care Clinic is accepting new patients. If you are aiming to switch
your primary care physician, call the Ascension Clinic at 586-738-
9475 to schedule your appointment.
New Grant Helps
Aging Chaldeans
The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) is proud to announce
that the Michigan Health Endowment Fund awarded a $99,796
grant to translate and adapt a program to reduce falls for Michigan’s
aging Arabic-speaking population.
The Chaldean Community Foundation is one of 57 Community
Health Impact projects that have received support, with grant
awards ranging from $34,000 to $100,000. The grants support
health-focused, community-driven initiatives taking place in every
region of Michigan.
The CCF is grateful for the funding and looks forward to providing
more assistance to our aging population.
Healthy Living
From above:
Macomb Community
College nursing students
gather for a group photo.
Macomb Community
College nursing student
showing an event
participant how to read
their pulse.
Learning Nutrition
Left: Ascension
Chaldean Community
Foundation Primary
Care Clinic is open to
new patients.
Above: The exam
room at the Ascension
Primary Care Clinic.
The Chaldean Community Foundation, in
partnership with Macomb Community College
nursing students, hosted a Healthy Living
Workshop on April 27.
The event featured over 30 participants
and started with Macomb Community College
nursing students sharing statistics about heart
health, risk factors and demographic statistics.
New Programming
Helps Expectant
and New Moms
The Chaldean Community Foundation is debuting
new programming that is tailored to
new and expectant mothers.
Programs include lactation classes and nutritional
classes and will involve a community event
that will be held at the Chaldean Community
Foundation on August 3 from 3:00pm-6:00pm.
Topics for the community event will include
Home Safety, Preparing Healthy Meals, Wellness,
How to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy, Caring
for Your Newborn, Proper Car Seat Fitting, and a
Touch-a-Truck experience for children.
For more information, contact the Chaldean
Community Foundation at 586-722-7253.
The discussion focused on topics including
anxiety, depression, and how to develop
healthy habits and lifestyles.
The event concluded with community
members interacting with the student nurses
and practicing their newfound techniques for
monitoring general health such as taking one’s
pulse, monitoring blood pressure and more.
MSU Extension’s Food and Nutrition Program has started a new
6-week program with the CCF’s Breaking Barriers B.E.A.M. project
regarding nutrition and healthier eating habits.
The students enjoyed learning more about the food pyramid
and going over subjects such as portion control, healthy recipes
and more. The goal of the program is to cultivate healthy diets for
the community and create resources to learn more about maintaining
a healthy lifestyle.
Left: MSU Extension Staff worked
with B.E.A.M. Project Students to
prepare healthy food.
Above: A B.E.A.M. Project
participant enjoying the lesson.
10 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 11

NOTEWORTHY
Pope condemns human trafficking at conference
involving Church leaders, police
BY INÉS SAN MARTÍN
ROME – Human trafficking and modern-day
slavery have long been at
the top of Pope Francis’s agenda, as
shown at a meeting with the Santa
Marta Group, a coalition of police forces
and the Catholic Church created to
fight the problem.
Thanking the group for their work,
the pope said that the commercialization
of human beings is a “criminal
activity that violates the dignity and
rights of men, women and children,”
leaving long-lasting effects upon the
victims and society.
The pontiff condemned the fact
that modern forms of slavery continue
to spread, “even within the most
developed areas of our world,” and
called on the international community
to increase its fight against human
trafficking, taking into consideration
“a number of broader realities,” including
the use of technology and social
media, “as well as the need for a
renewed ethical vision of our political,
economic and social life, one centered
not on profit but on persons.”
Steve Francis is the acting executive
associate director for Homeland
Security Investigations, the investigative
arm for the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.
It is estimated that 40 million
people around the world are victims
of human trafficking. Francis said it is
a global problem that requires a local
solution.
“This international forum will allow
us to be more strategic around the
world,” he said. “Law enforcement is
not the solution alone: We cannot arrest
our way out of these crimes. We need to
focus on victims first and foremost.”
– Crux
Steve K. Francis, a leader of investigations at the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, speaks as representatives of the Santa Marta Group hold a news
conference at the Vatican after a meeting with Pope Francis May 19, 2022.
PHOTO COURTESY JOE SHEENA.
PizzaPapalis owner
to appear and prepare
pizza on ‘The Talk’
BY SUSAN SELASKY
Brothers Joe and Mark Sheena founded and co-own several
PizzaPapalis locations in metro Detroit and one in Toledo, Ohio.
Detroit-style pizza is getting some national
attention. Joe Sheena, the cofounder
and co-owner of PizzaPapalis,
appeared recently on the CBS daytime
show “The Talk” in a pizza competition.
He competed against Andy Brown
and his New York-style pizza from Andy’s
Pizza in Washington, D.C.
“They just called me out the blue,”
Sheena said. “They wanted a Detroit
operator.”
While PizzaPaplis is known for
its deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, Joe
shared the restaurant’s Detroit-style
pizza. Several years ago, Sheena created
and added Detroit-style pizzas to
the PizzaPapalis menu.
On the show, he made PizzaPapalis’
The 313 Detroit-style pizza, featuring
pepperoni, bacon and yellow
pepper rings. The 313 is their most
popular pizza, Sheena said. He also
made a vegan pizza as well.
“I am so excited about it,” Sheena
said. I am excited because it shows off
a little bit of my talents. And not only
that. I do want to represent Detroit. “
Sheena and his brother Mark
started PizzaPapalis more than three
decades ago. There are several metro
Detroit locations and one in Toledo,
Ohio. Its flagship location in Greektown
permanently closed this year.
–Detroit Free Press
12 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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4
HURT IN AN
ACCIDENT?
CAR - TRUCK - MOTORCYCLE - PEDESTRIAN
CALL SOMEONE
WHO CARES
ABOUT YOU.
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و الإنجلYd
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Attorney at Law
877-KAJY-CARES
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4/25/22 4:48 PM
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 13

CHALDEAN DIGEST
Cardinal Louis
Sako and Al-Azhar
Grand Imam
Ahmed El Tayeb
Extremists represent
neither Islam
nor Christianity:
Al Azhar Grand Imam
CAIRO: Ahmed El Tayeb, Grand Imam
of Egypt’s top Islamic authority,
Al-Azhar, said that extremists represent
neither Islam nor Christianity,
and that the ‘brotherly relationship,’
moderation and respect for the other
is the only thing that strengthens the
bonds and save humanity.
He added during meeting with Patriarch
of the Chaldean Catholics and
head of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako, that Al
Azhar is keen to continue the Islamic-
Christian dialogue and address ideas
that trouble societies, especially with
regard to relations between Muslims,
Christians, and followers of other beliefs.
The Grand Imam added that Al
Azhar rejects the “minorities” term
and prefers to replace it with that of
“citizenship” which implies the status
of freedom with accompanying
responsibilities and equality in rights,
duties, and social responsibility.
In turn, Sako hailed Tayeb’s steps
to spread the culture of peace and coexistence.
– Egypt Today
Ressurection Mass in Basra
Aid to the Church in Need calls on
international community
After years helping rebuild homes and church infrastructure,
AID to the Church in Need (ACN) is
issuing an urgent call to the international community
to help guarantee peace and stability in Iraq,
as necessary conditions for economic development
and job creation that will help communities,
including Christians, to stay in their homeland.
The appeal has been made by Thomas Heine-
Geldern, executive president of Aid to the Church in
Need (ACN), fresh back from a visit to the country.
The past few decades have been very hard on
Christians in Iraq. Economic and political uncertainty,
coupled with large-scale persecution that
culminated in the rise of the ISIS, led to a massive
exodus which reduced the Christian population
from over 1 million to between 150,000 and
250,000 today.
But according to Heine-Geldern the current
mood is finally one of hope in a brighter future:
“When I visited in 2014, everybody was scared with
the advance of ISIS, but the mood, and the cooperation
and solidarity, were excellent. Then, in 2018,
I found the community very depressed. Now, however,
there are signs of hope, and there are many
requests to support the development of the country,
including Kurdistan and the different villages and
towns inhabited by Christians.”
The role of the international community is crucial
in helping Iraqi institutions ensure peace, and
economic and political stability, and ACN will continue
to make sure that Iraqi Christians are not forgotten,
said Heine-Geldern during an online press
conference hosted by ACN May 9, under the title
“Iraq: A time of Christian revival?”
The recently inaugurated Al-Tahira secondary
school in Qaraqosh, and the students’ scholarships
for the Catholic University in Erbil, two
projects to which ACN is heavily committed, are
examples of this new approach.
– Felipe D’Aillez, Churchinneed.org
14 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 15

IN MEMORIAM
Nada Yahya
Yacoub
Sep 25, 1968 –
Mar 30, 2022
Ahlam Faranci
Dickow
Jul 4, 1949 –
Apr 1, 2022
Mike Mikha
Nagara
Apr 25, 1952 –
Apr 1, 2022
Latifa Jappaya
Zeituna
Jul 1, 1942 –
Apr 2, 2022
Malik Shamoun
Dec 1, 1937 –
Apr 4, 2022
Suzan Khoshaba
Isshaq
Nov 18, 1979 –
Apr 5, 2022
Jalila Shallal
Kainaya
Jun 23, 1938 –
Apr 5, 2022
Esho Yohana
Sawa
Jul 1, 1957 –
Apr 5, 2022
Shukria Pattah
Mikhail
Jul 1, 1938 –
Apr 5, 2022
Salwan Saleem
Katoola
May 16, 1977 –
Apr 6, 2022
Michael Steven
Sinawi
Sep 29, 1985 –
Apr 6, 2022
Hayat Hermiz
Toma Abdo
Apr 10, 1936 –
Apr 6, 2022
Dawood Bahnan
Dawood
Jul 1, 1935 –
Apr 8, 2022
Jamila Shounia
Jouja
Jul 1, 1939 –
Apr 9, 2022
Nizar Hanna
Katoula
Feb 15, 1951 –
Apr 9, 2022
Mukhlis Murad
Mona
Apr 10, 1958 –
Apr 10, 2022
Mary Matti
Jul 1, 1928 –
Apr 10, 2022
Musa Farhat
Oct 11, 1939 –
Apr 10, 2022
Salim Sulymun
Khumo-Safar
Jul 1, 1971 –
Apr 11, 2022
Bassam
Alsamak
Jun 23, 1975 –
Apr 15, 2022
Farida Ajluni
Rabah
May 5, 1927 –
Apr 15, 2022
Najla Meza
Jul 1, 1939 –
Apr 16, 2022
Najeba Salem
Amseeh
Sep 1, 1947 –
Apr 19, 2022
Muneer Naem
Hasso
Oct 10, 1927 –
Apr 20, 2022
Laith Solyman
Boudagh
May 13, 1970 –
Apr 20, 2022
Kamal Naoum
Oraha
Oct 13, 1949 –
Apr 20, 2022
George Petros
Shamoon
Jul 1, 1931 –
Apr 21, 2022
Sabri “Bahi”
Shango
Jul 1, 1946 –
Apr 20, 2022
Shawqi Jurjis
Kachi
Jun 5, 1937 –
Apr 23, 2022
Iklass Brikho
Zeer
Jun 30, 1957 –
Apr 24, 2022
Katreena Kasmikha
Shammo
Apr 6, 1932 –
Apr 25, 2022
Rakia Mansour
Tossa
Sep 14, 1948 –
Apr 25, 2022
Taimo Korail
Yohana
Jul 1, 1926 –
Apr 26, 2022
Sahira Bashi
Jul 1, 1950 –
Apr 26, 2022
Shawqi Aziz
Farhat
Jun 27, 1938 –
Apr 27, 2022
Talal Alsayeeg
Nov 27, 1947 –
Apr 27, 2022
Jalal Faraj
Kilano
Jul 8, 2948 –
Apr 28, 2022
Achila Marooki
Hermiz Kamacha
Jul 1, 1924 –
Apr 29, 2022
Margaret
“Moggie” Hesano
Jan 1, 1934 –
Apr 29, 2022
Nazie Baba
Masho
May 18, 1949 –
Apr 30, 2022
16 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

OBITUARY
Sulaiman Hermiz Mansour
Sulaiman Hermiz Mansour was born on June 1, 1923
and passed away on April 20, 2022. He was preceded
in death by his parents, Hermiz and Miriam;
four brothers George, Hanna, Faraj, and Joseph;
and three sisters Sarah, Katrina, and Agatha. He is survived by his wife of 64
years, Joan; three children, Phyllis, David, and Nancy (Michael) May; and loving
grandchildren Brian and Mark May. Sulaiman was a teacher of French for over
thirty years, studied in France on a Fulbright Scholarship through the University
of Michigan, and was also given a scholarship from Purdue University to study
in Grenoble, France. He enjoyed his family, reading, and gardening, and was
an active member of Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church in Dearborn, Michigan.
He was an ordained Deacon at Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in
Southfield, Michigan. He will be missed by many family members and friends.
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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 17

COVER STORY
Our Fathers
Celebrating dads and patriarchs this Fathers Day
BY SARAH KITTLE
Father’s Day is just around the
corner. It’s a good time of year
to take a look at all that fathers
do for us, and how richer our lives are
because of them. I’m talking fathers,
dads, daddies, papas, and priests,
too! After all, the annual day celebrating
dads started out as a religious
holiday.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the
Patriarch of the Chaldean Church,
was educated by Dominican Fathers
and published a book on the Church
Fathers. The role of the father is so important
in the Church that the Pope is
called the Holy Father.
The term “father” for a priest has
its origins in the monastic world of
the medieval period. The head of a
monastery was an “abbot,” meaning
the father of the community. Over
the centuries, the abbots were almost
always priests, and ordinary people
referred to the monastic clergy in general
as “the fathers.”
Aside from the name itself, priests
are referred to as “father” for multiple
reasons: as both a sign of respect and
because they act as spiritual leaders in
our lives. As the head of a parish, each
priest assumes the spiritual care of his
congregation. In return, the congregation
views him with filial affection.
The Apostle Paul compared himself
to a father when he wrote in 1
Corinthians 4:14-15, “I am writing this
not to shame you but to warn you as
my dear children.”
Although it was originally observed
as a religious holiday, Father’s
Day has become as commercialized
as Mother’s Day in America. According
to Encyclopedia Britannica, the
first recorded Father’s Day was June
19, 1910. Now celebrated on the third
Sunday in June as legislated by then-
President Richard Nixon in 1972, Father’s
Day has quickly become the
go-to holiday for backyard barbecues
and golf-related gifts.
Two dramatic national events
pushed Father’s Day to the forefront:
The Great Depression and World War
II. The Great Depression was the worst
economic downturn in the history of
the industrialized world, lasting from
1929 to 1939. It began after the stock
market crash of October 1929, which
sent Wall Street into a panic and
wiped-out millions of investors.
Over the next several years, consumer
spending and investment
dropped, causing steep declines in
industrial output and employment
as failing companies laid off workers.
By 1933, when the Great Depression
reached its lowest point, some 15
million Americans were unemployed
and nearly half the country’s banks
had failed.
As companies struggled to survive,
promoting gifts of socks or
neckties for hardworking, struggling
fathers became a marketing plan.
Father’s Day provided families the
opportunity to show their appreciation
for the patriarchs in their life.
According to History.com, economists
estimate that Americans spend more
than $1 billion each year on Father’s
Day gifts. That’s a whole lot of appreciation!
A supportive father boosts selfconfidence
and gives the child a role
model. More than mere providers, fathers
are usually the moral compass
(good or bad) for a family.
Traditionally serving as financial
providers for the family, men have it
tough. They are more likely to struggle
with alcoholism and depression
than their female counterparts. They
wrestle with feelings of inadequacy
and failure, especially when their
means of providing is threatened.
Fathers carry much more than just
a wallet; they carry kids to bed and
in from the car when traveling. They
give piggy-back rides and boosts up,
and they chase and toss and roar and
stomp. Impacting child development
in numerous ways, active dads may
increase the intellect of their children
by interacting and playing games
with them. I once read that fathers’
rough house play actually stimulates
brain cell growth!
The modern role of father has become
more of a partner than a patriarch.
With so many women also in the
workplace, men have had to step up
and cover school functions, doctors’
appointments, and the like. Today’s
dads are aware of their kid’s social
life, who their friends are, and what
they enjoy doing in their “off” time.
Still holding the traditional role
of patriarch, however, are our parish
priests, bishops, and cardinals. They
remain the moral compass and role
models they have always been. Regarding
the spiritual role, the father
has the huge responsibility to portray
Jesus Christ on earth and to his family.
The father is the one within the
family context who must ensure that
God is worshiped and obeyed.
In todays’ uncertain times, it is
more important than ever that we follow
the guidance of our “fathers” and
celebrate their contributions to the
family. God uses the Christian father
as an instrument for instruction and
discipline, in which God commands
and administers.
In regard to harmonious coexistence
between creeds, the Chaldean
Patriarch appealed to Christians’
vocation “to help others to open
themselves; we must be prepared,
be courageous and not be afraid.”
The Church “has the duty to explain
the faith in a clear way. Dialogue and
respect are necessary. Unity doesn’t
mean uniformity,” he commented.
The Bible is full of instructions to
fathers. “Fathers, do not exasperate
your children, instead, bring them up
in the training and instruction of the
Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). A wise father
seeks to make obedience desirable
and attainable by love and gentleness.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in
the way he should go, and when he is
old, he will not turn from it.”
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako is a
true example of a leader and a father
figure. A few years ago, in a message
sent to AsiaNews, the cardinal called
on the clergy to “show our believers
the meaning of fatherhood” as “human
and spiritual care with sensitivity
and tenderness rather than roughness
and criticism.”
Sako recently received members
of the International Federation of
Minority Media and Human Rights
to discuss the Iraqi Bill of Rights, in
order to ensure that every person is
recognized as equal and of importance
under the law. In a sermon he
gave to the faithful within the past
few weeks, he focused on family ties,
patience, and endurance. “Where is
the love, sacrifice and self-denial?”
the Patriarch asked. “These Christian
principles should be the center of our
lives.”
18 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
Thinking about babies
In partnership with Think Babies Michigan and the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), the
Chaldean Community Foundation [CCF] will be offering education and identifying resources for prenatal
moms, new moms, and their babies. Pre & post-natal yoga, lactation, and nutritional classes are just
a handful of classes moms can attend to support their health and nurture their babies. Watch for our
community event on August 3, 2022, from 3:00pm – 6:00pm to include - Home Safety; Preparing Healthy
Meals; Wellness; How to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy; Caring for Your Newborn; Proper car seat fitting
and a Touch a Truck experience for children.
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 3601 15 MILE ROAD, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 586-722-7253 CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 19

FEATURE
Iraq’s Water Crisis
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
Water is life, and life exists
because of water. As a
chemist and also an Iraqi,
the H2O molecule has a special meaning
for me. Iraq, where water used to
be abundant, is facing an incredible
crisis. This article examines the impact
of climate change on water resources
and the ensuing economic and political
challenges in the Euphrates-Tigris
basin shared by the countries of Iraq,
Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
Known as “the land between the
two rivers,” Iraq has enjoyed access to
plentiful water since the dawn of civilization;
however, most of Iraq’s water
supply either originates from or passes
through neighboring countries.
Iraq’s main sources of water are
the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers,
providing 98% of the country’s surface
water. Both rivers originate in
Turkey while the Euphrates passes
through Syria and some tributaries
flow through Iran. Both the Tigris and
Euphrates have dropped to precariously
low levels, creating consequences
such as public health concerns, decreased
agricultural productivity, and
political unrest.
Alongside rivers, groundwater is
Iraq’s second most important supply
of water, albeit underutilized. Unfortunately,
in the future groundwater is
expected to decline significantly due
to increased salinization.
The water policies of Turkey and
Iran have reduced Iraq’s water supply,
affecting agriculture and increasing
water pollution in most areas of
the country. In addition, Iraq’s rising
population, government mismanagement
of water, and climate change
also affect Iraqis’ access to water. The
current trends do not bode well for the
country’s water security.
Iraq’s extreme vulnerability to climate
change can be seen in the rapidly
declining rainfall rates, which
have fallen 25% to 65% below normal
levels, leading to prolonged drought
periods. Iraq is also experiencing
its second driest season in 40 years
due to record low rainfall. Since the
1980s, water flows from the Euphrates
and Tigris Rivers have decreased by
30%. This water flow is expected to
decline even further, by 50% (Euphrates)
and 25% (Tigris) by 2025.
Adding to the problem is the construction
of dams, reservoirs, and irrigation
projects by Iraq’s upstream
neighboring countries, Turkey and
Iran. The question of dams and their
impact on downstream regions is a vital
one in Iraq and Iran, where the Tigris
and its tributaries are an economic
lifeline in an arid region.
The UN Environment Program
reported in 2018 that Iraq was losing
around 25,000 hectares of arable
land annually.
The article focuses on three different
risks that are affected through
climate-related water challenges: livelihoods
and food security; political
stability and violence; and international
conflict and cooperation.
The impact of climate change
Iraq is listed among the countries most
prone to climate change. Temperatures
there have risen significantly and
following three years of drought, the
rains did not fall at all in the provinces
this year. The country needs several
seasons of abundant rainfall which it
is unlikely to receive.
Of key importance to the future of
Iraq is dealing with water scarcity and
the degradation of water quality in its
rivers and groundwater. The new Economic
Monitor’s special focus calls
for dramatic sector reforms to capture
opportunities and manage risks. A fall
of 20% in Iraq’s water supply and the
related declining crop yields that accompany
climate change could reduce
real GDP in Iraq by up to 4%, or $6.6
billion in US dollars.
According to the Iraqi government,
average annual rainfall has become
less predictable since the 1970s
and has decreased by 10% in the last
20 years. Scholars estimate that by
2050 precipitation will decrease by
25% in Iraq, which will intensify desertification.
Iraq relies on flood man-
20 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

agement in agricultural areas and has
built several dams to protect large cities
from flooding, which unfortunately
makes water more susceptible to evaporation.
This decrease in water supply has
been compounded by a steep rise in
the population in the past few decades.
By the end of 2020, Iraq’s population
surpassed 40 million, although
the rate of growth has declined in the
past 10 years.
At the same time, the Iraqi government
has subsidized the price of water,
leading to overconsumption and
waste by Iraqi citizens. Iraqis consume
392 liters per capita daily, while the
international average is 200 liters per
capita. Without reform in water pricing,
overconsumption and undersupply
will almost certainly continue.
One in five Iraqis is employed in
the farming industry. The water crisis
has left many without an income and
has forced others to find work elsewhere.
This affects not only the farmers
but the thousands of Iraqis who
rely on the food they produce.
Canals branching out of the Tigris
which are typically used to water
rice, wheat, and barley fields have run
dry, leaving fields barren. In a country
where an estimated fifth of the population
participates in agriculture, this
has been particularly devastating.
Some farmers have been reduced from
cultivating 60 hectares of land to five.
In fact, the water crisis in Iraq prompted
the government to suspend rice
farming entirely.
If Iraqis have access to water, it is
often unsafe for consumption. Basra, a
governorate of approximately 4 million
people, has been hit hard by the water
crisis. The region has suffered from a
lack of reliable clean drinking water
for the past 30 years, relying mostly on
the Shatt al-Arab River and its smaller
canals for water; however, upstream
damming has diverted river water for
use on sugar plantations and other agricultural
projects. This combined with
decades of decreasing rainfall levels
has created a severe lack of clean water
in Basra. 120,000 residents required
hospital treatment in just one year due
to contaminated water. According to
the organization Human Rights Watch,
the Iraqi government often fails to warn
citizens about the dangers and presence
of poor water quality.
Many Iraqis are dissatisfied with
the government due to the water crisis.
They believe that Iraq’s government
should have done more to protect water
security by building dams of their
own. In a country racked by instability
and violence, recent protests over the
government’s mishandling of water
left nine dead, hundreds injured and
many more detained in prison.
Compounding the problem, mismanagement
and corruption have derailed
promised government projects
to improve water quality. Authorities
have also failed to provide residents
with adequate information to protect
themselves in the event of a future
crisis that experts say is inevitable.
These combined failures violate Basra
residents’ right to water, sanitation,
health, information, a healthy environment,
and property (land and
crops) guaranteed under international
law as well as national law.
Turkey and Iran’s water squeeze
Perhaps the most complicated challenge
is the role that Iran and Turkey
play in siphoning Iraqi water flow. Iraq
was considered a water-rich country
until the 1970s, when Turkey began
building dams, significantly decreasing
Iraq’s water supply. The Turkish
government initiated the Southeastern
Anatolia Project, building 22 dams and
19 hydraulic power plants for developing
southeastern provinces. They have
been unwilling to negotiate an agreement
with Iraq and Syria regarding
water allocation.
While decreasing Iraq’s water supply
overall, Turkey can also cut the water
flow downstream on short notice.
For example, in the 1990s, Turkey increased
the water level in the Ataturk
dam without notifying Syria and Iraq.
Turkey, now roughly fifty years
into its dam-building project, has begun
power production from its newly
constructed Ilisu Dam, one of the largest
in the country, giving the Turkish
government significant control over
water flow on the Tigris River. This is
in addition to dams on the Euphrates
in Syria and Turkey.
Turkey’s ongoing dam projects
have received considerable press coverage
and their effects on Iraq may
be greater from a purely hydrological
perspective; however, Iran’s projects
are particularly notable for the ways
in which they entangle the two countries’
relations. These projects indicate
political dynamics within Iran that are
also likely to have an impact on Iraq’s
future as Iraq’s current prime minister
seeks to navigate through what he has
recently called a “tightrope between
U.S. and Iranian interests.”
Iran’s domestic water policies are
largely the source of crisis developments
on the Sirwan (Deyala) and
Little Zab Rivers. The country lacks a
comprehensive water policy, but the
Iranian government claims official
ownership over all the country’s waters,
with local people entitled to priority
for use.
With 600 dams built in Iran and
more planned, the waters of rivers
such as the Karun and Karkheh have
been diverted to stay within Iranian
territory and no longer flow into Iraq.
These diversions have not only decreased
the water flow to Iraq but have
also increased salinity.
Recent talks between Iraq and Iran
have addressed issues over dredging
the Shatt Al-Arab waterway, which defines
the southernmost section of the
Iran-Iraq border. It is unclear whether
the two countries can reach agreements
about other waterways like the
Sirwan and the Little Zab. Iran has
demonstrated, through its delivery of
water to Iraqis in Basra, and its continued
support for destabilizing militant
factions in Iraq, that an ordered, legally
binding agreement is not as useful
to its regional vision as is the exploitation
of turmoil in Iraq.
The geological engineering of land
and political manipulation of water
WATER on page 22
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 21

FEATURE
WATER from page 21
resources are likely to have negative
effects both up and downstream.
Iran has called on Iraq to irrigate and
manage dry regions of the country
where they claim desertification has
produced newly intensified sandstorms
that blow into Iran, polluting
its own water supplies.
Acute water shortages in Iraq
threaten to increase security concerns
by impoverishing rural communities,
increasing population growth in urban
slums, and providing fertile grounds
for recruitment into Salafi jihadist organizations
like the Islamic State.
The Iraqi government threatened
to internationalize the water crisis by
submitting a formal complaint to the
United Nations if Iran continues to
limit the water. However, the government
did not follow through and failed
to formulate any viable alternative options
for dealing with Iran or Turkey.
Mismanagement and internal conflict
The deteriorating quality and declining
availability of water in Iraq
no doubt has adverse effects on the
Iraqi people. The United Nations International
Organization for Migration
reported in 2019 that 21,314 Iraqis
had been internally displaced in
Iraq’s southern and central governorates
due to lack of potable water.
Moreover, Iraqi President Barham
Salih warned that Iraq might face
a deficit of 10.8 billion cubic meters of
water annually by 2035 and that 54%
of Iraq’s arable land is under threat
because of increased salination.
Although agriculture contributes
less than 5% of gross domestic product,
it employs nearly one-third of
Iraqis who live in rural areas. Iraq’s
agricultural sector will face a severe
blow in the future because of decreased
water levels.
Given this pressure, tension between
tribes over water is on the rise.
The lack of water in southern governorates
such as Maysan and Dhi
Qar (Nassiriyah) and recurrence of
droughts are the main drivers of local
conflict. The United Nations reported
in 2013 that nearly daily incidents of
confrontations, including clashes
or verbal arguments, were recorded
in 38 locations in Baghdad alone.
And there have been water-related
conflicts among Arabs, Kurds, and
Turkmen in Kirkuk.
There has been contention at the
provisional level as well. Officials
from Maysan and Muthanna governorates
have expressed their discontent
toward governorates to their
north, saying they were taking more
than their share of water.
Iraqis have tried to leverage their
control over the water supply domestically.
The Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG), which lies in the north
and controls much of the water flow
to other parts of Iraq, threatened to
reduce the water supply over political
disagreements with the central government
in Baghdad in 2016. The KRG
also cut the flow of water to Arab governorates
after Iran reduced the water
supply to the Little Zab River in 2018.
Despite the gravity of the situation,
the Iraqi government’s response to the
water crisis has been modest because
of inherent weakness and limited solutions.
Numerous domestic problems
have taken the government’s attention
away from formulating a viable strategy
to address water shortages. The
focus of the Iraqi government over the
past two decades has been fighting
terrorism, dealing with strong militias
allied with Iran, and tackling corruption,
thus neglecting other priorities.
For example, Iraq has lagged in the agricultural
sector, and the government
has not done enough to modernize irrigation
methods.
Depleted flows in the Sirwan are
now affecting over 8,000 acres of
farmland in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate
alone. Aside from irrigation,
it is possible that drinking water in
towns like Qalat Daza and Raniyah
in Sulaymaniyah Province will be
threatened.
Death of a lake
The Mesopotamian marshlands in
southern Iraq were once the largest
wetland ecosystem in Western Eurasia.
But after years of drought and
political turmoil, they are in danger
of disappearing.
Iraq’s Lake Sawa is no longer a
lake. It has completely dried up; this
unique water spot that was located
in the middle of the arid Muthanna
Desert for thousands of years has
disappeared. Iraqis called the salty
lake the “Pearl of the South,” and its
water contained minerals used for
medicinal purposes. The Muthanna
Province has seen 3 years of drought,
which significantly contributed to the
lake’s disappearance.
Lake Sawa existed in a closed basin,
meaning it wasn’t fed by any river
or stream, which explains a rise in
salt concentration and encroaching
sandstorms detrimental to the lake’s
existence. For centuries the lake was
home to at least 31 bird species including
gray heron and ferruginous
duck, and a hub for fishing and recreation.
Until the 1990s the water
level of the lake was normal, and the
lake turned into a tourist facility for
the people of the governorate. Now
left in its place is cracked soil and a
dry lakebed with a small pond in the
middle. Abandoned hotels and tourist
facilities speckle the shoreline.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
a global treaty, recognized
Sawa as “unique ... because it is a
closed water body in an area of sab-
22 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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kha (salt flat) with no inlet or outlet.
The lake is formed over limestone
rock and is isolated by gypsum barriers
surrounding the lake; its water
chemistry is unique,” says the convention’s
website.
Sawa is not the only body of water
in Iraq facing the perils of drought.
Other dead water reserves in the last
two years include Lake Hemrin and
the Abou Zarag Marshes. UNESCO
listed the Howeiza Marshes in the
Shia’a south and Razzaza Lake in the
central province of Karbala as other
endangered landmarks. The marshes
and the lake are a stopover for migratory
birds. This expanse of water was
once home to several globally vulnerable
species such as the eastern
imperial eagle, houbara bustard and
marbled duck. Hundreds of families
used to rely on fishing the Razzaza for
their livelihood. Now the number of
dead fish that turns up is bigger than
the number of live fish they can catch.
With the death of Lake Sawa, Iraq
lost a cultural landmark, a rare environmental
and biodiverse area that
was once rich in fish, marine animals,
and migratory birds. A former school
instructor from the area sums up the
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would disappear before it, but unfortunately,
it has died before me.”
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The solution
Climate change and development in
the Euphrates -Tigris basin is a 21st
century challenge for Middle Eastern
countries. No easy solution for the
water crisis in Iraq exists. Progress
will require international cooperation
and dialogue to address the Syrian
and Turkish dams that starve Iraqi
portions of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Iraq is also in desperate need of aid
to build its own water infrastructure.
In July 2019, Turkey published
a detailed report regarding its plan
to assist Iraq through the crisis. Turkey
plans to take three critical steps
to alleviate the strain placed on its
southern neighbor: They will allow
more water to flow into Iraq from the
Tigris and the Euphrates; to help rebuild
infrastructure, Turkey will provide
financial aid.; and finally, they
promise to train Iraqi engineers and
technical personnel on wastewater
treatment and hydrology.
Although the water crisis in
Iraq seems dire, steps are already being
taken to rectify it. UNESCO is partnering
with the Iraqi government to
reform the water management sector
and improve irrigation systems.
The agency is assisting the Ministry
of Water Resources’ efforts to
expand the capabilities of water
management experts, strengthen the
institutions which impact water resource
management, and create a national
policy for water sustainability.
Additionally, UNESCO addressed
the water crisis in Iraq through improvements
to irrigation systems,
often utilizing ancient methods that
have existed in the region for millennia.
In the northern Kurdish governorates,
for instance, UNESCO has
worked to restore the Kariz (Qanat-
Canal) system, an ancient method of
providing drinking water and agricultural
irrigation.
The agency is also collaborating
with officials in the Kurdistan Regional
Government to train workers in the
water management field and provide
hydrological testing equipment.
Conclusion
Seven million people in Iraq are at
risk because of a lack of water and
the crisis is only intensifying. Political
divisions and corruption within
successive Iraqi governments as well
as social divisions in Iraq have contributed
to the neglect of important
issues such as water.
To reverse or at least halt the current
negative trends the Iraqi government
will need not only to come to
an agreement with its much stronger
neighbors over water rights, but also
to commit to a long process of major
domestic political, economic, and social
reforms, including water use and
pricing.
Time is running out. Long-term solutions
to Iraq’s water challenges are
less than clear and time is not on its
side. If action is not taken today, we
may live to see the death of the Tigris
and Euphrates.
Additional sources: Wikipedia,
articles by Hamza Shareef, Massaab
Al-Aloosy, Nabeel Darweesh, Ashraf
Al-Saeed, Mustapha Mohammed
Gharib, Clarissa Cooney, Kyle Linder,
Al-Sumaria news, the Cascade project
report. Special editing by Jacqueline
Raxter and Rand Isaq.
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 23

FEATURE
Jamoua v. Michigan
Farm Bureau:
Lawsuit Reveals Discrimination
Against Chaldeans
BY CAL ABBO
Earlier this week, the U.S. District Court denied
Michigan Farm Bureau’s appeal for summary
judgment, sending the case to trial. Al Jamoua,
the plaintiff and a former MFB agent, claims the insurance
company discriminated against Chaldean
and Arab agents and customers.
Jamoua’s suit, which includes testimony from
several other agents, alleges several illegal practices
by MFB and its managing partners ranging from outright
discrimination to dubious loss ratios and rate
hikes in Sterling Heights zip codes where many Chaldeans
live.
MFB did not respond to a request for comment.
Jamoua and his legal team said they are pleased with
the court’s decision and look forward to the trial.
Jamoua began his career at MFB in 2011. By many
metrics, such as policies sold, Jamoua was a successful
agent and built his personal book of business to
a value of nearly $3 million. Around the end of 2017,
Jamoua received pushback from some of MFB’s managing
partners.
Specifically, Jamoua claims he was told to avoid
selling insurance policies to people from “his culture.”
As an agent with several years of experience and deep
roots in the Chaldean community, Jamoua said he refused
to follow the directive. “It’s against my principle
to select people,” he said in a deposition. He also has
deep roots in the Chaldean community, from which he
draws a large percentage of his clients.
Tom Sokol worked as a MFB agent for seven years
and was deposed in the lawsuit. In two separate
meetings with MFB managing partners, they named
specific Arab and Chaldean agents, including Jamoua,
and told Sokol that they sell too many policies
to their “own people.” Sokol recalls the partner saying
that one agent, Sal Yaldo, “tends to write a lot of
his own people, and he needs some help with that.”
Sokol also said MFB targeted locations with a
high number of Middle Eastern customers for rate
increases. Managing partners would joke, he said,
about zip code 48310 because it has a high population
of Middle Easterners. 48310 describes eight
square miles between Dequindre and Mound and extends
from 14 Mile Road to 18 Mile Road. Many Chaldeans
live in this area.
Another agent, Antonio Asmar, said he rarely
wrote policy in that zip code because of the prices. He
also testified that it was common knowledge to avoid
the area because of the high and uncompetitive rates
assigned by MFB.
Asmar mentioned a training video he was showed
by the special investigative unit division at MFB. The alleged
purpose of the training was to teach new agents
how to spot insurance fraud. The video was about a
well-known Chaldean who owned a collision shop and
was convicted for insurance fraud.
“He kept saying he was Chaldean over and over,”
Asmar said. “I just thought it was inappropriate. I
don’t know why that video had anything to do with
insurance fraud.” As the only Chaldean in the training
session, the video made Asmar uncomfortable,
and he thought the message might be to stay away
from Chaldean collision shops.
Loss ratio
In 2019, MFB formalized their directive that some
agents avoid selling to Middle Easterners. This came in
the form of the Auto Loss Initiative (ALI), which placed
a few agents in a program that required more scrutiny
and bureaucratic approval for new and existing clients.
Agents under ALI had to receive approval from a
managing partner to write auto insurance. Of
the five agents selected for the program, two
are Chaldean, one is Arab, one is Albanian,
and one is a Russian Jewish immigrant.
MFB justified these decisions by appealing
to loss ratios. An agent’s loss ratio
measures the value of claims paid out compared
to the premiums paid by clients. If an
agent’s ratio is over 100%, it means MFB
paid out more money in claims than it
collected in premiums. The goal, according
to MFB, is for agents to keep
their loss ratios below 60%.
MFB reported that Jamoua’s loss
ratio was 171% in 2016 and 124.6%
in 2017. The comments Jamoua received
about avoiding people from
his own culture occurred in the context
of loss ratio concerns. Tom Sokol
said he understood the managing
partners to hold the stereotype
that Middle Eastern clients would
have higher loss ratios than others.
To any insurance agent, a loss ratio this high
would be very troubling, so Jamoua did some digging.
He called some of his clients who recently
filed a claim. In one example, Jamoua learned from
the client that MFB only paid around $6,000 for the
claim but would register a $60,000 loss.
Jamoua found out that MFB put a large reserve
on the loss report in case of any future expenses that
would come from the claim. This could include, for
example, a medical expense that was filed later on.
Another agent, Al Mullalli, explained that MFB
attached an automatic $30,000 reserve loss to any
claim where the client reported discomfort or soreness.
The issue, however, is that the reserve was
never taken off the claim; instead, that money still
counted against the agent’s loss ratio. Mullalli reported
drastic changes in his loss ratio over a very
short period of time – from 109% to 37.5% just before
MFB issued a new agent contract.
Other agents in the ALI reported similar drops in
their loss ratios around summer 2020. As a result, Jamoua
and his legal team speculate that the loss ratios
could be arbitrary.
In addition to his being part of the ALI, Jamoua’s
entire client base was subject to re-underwriting by
MFB. This meant that every auto and home policy, almost
all of which belonged to Chaldean clients, was
probed as if it were a new application. Jamoua said he
believes some people in MFB’s underwriting department
discriminated against Chaldean customers and
agents by asking for additional documentation or cancelling
policies for no reason.
Sokol remembers a time when an underwriter
made a comment about a Middle Eastern customer
having a funny name. “They asked me if it was a
claim waiting to happen like it was a joke,” he said.
Sokol noted that this happened more than once.
All of these issues culminated in Jamoua’s
policy writing stagnating at very low numbers.
He was doing just a small fraction of the business
he had in prior years and was suffering
financially for it. The managing partners offered
a sort of severance pay for agents in the
ALI who wanted to leave, since their business
was suffering so much.
Jamoua said he fell into a dire
financial situation as a result.
He had to leave his office and
sell his home. MFB offered
Jamoua only $120,000 over
10 years essentially if they
could have his book, which
Jamoua refused. In January
2020, Jamoua filed this
lawsuit; a few days later,
he left MFB.
Thankfully, Jamoua’s
career is healthy once
again and he has resumed
writing insurance policies
with a different agency.
24 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 25

FEATURE
Chaldean Cold Case: Fares Fouad Atto
BY CRYSTAL KASSAB JABIRO
Fares Fouad Atto
One day, a frustrated Roxanne
Atto called her father Fares upset
about her car. She had taken
it to the collision shop of his friend
for service and it was going to cost her
more than she had. Her dad tried to
calm her down and even offered to pay
for the rest of it. Roxanne was angry
with him. She was short – by her own
admission, just mean. That was Roxanne’s
last memory of him. A couple
of days later, he was shot in cold blood
through the glass door of his store.
She has not talked about his murder
since. Not to her mom or her brothers
or her relatives or her friends or
even her husband. It hurts so much
she just wants to tuck it away as if it
never happened.
“In my mind, my dad is somewhere
far away, and it’s just too much,” Roxanne
remarked. “The reality is that my
dad was shot in the face and there’s
been no justice. It’s just unfair.”
Fares Atto was born on September
19, 1957, and grew up in Dora in Baghdad,
Iraq. In 1979 or 1980, he escaped
to Italy as a refugee. It was there he
met another refugee named Alishwa
who left in 1980 for Texas in America.
Two years later, Fares also immigrated
to the United States, but to Michigan.
He kept in touch with Alishwa and was
able to visit her a few times, and after
she relocated closer to him in Chicago,
Illinois, they got engaged. The couple
married in Detroit and had three children:
Ramen, Ramiz, and Roxanne.
As was so common in the Chaldean
community in the 20th century, Fares
learned the store business by working
for relatives and family friends. Eventually,
he and his brothers owned their
own stores together.
On that fateful night of December
19, 2011, Fares was locking up Star Liquor
in River Rouge, a high-crime area
right outside the city of Detroit. An unidentified
person shot Fares through
the glass door with a .45 pistol, hitting
him in the cheek. Miraculously, Fares
called the police himself and was able
to walk into the ambulance, even sitting
upright on the way. However, he
died shortly after he arrived at the hospital,
having lost a great deal of blood.
Ramen, Fares’ oldest son, was at
Greektown Casino working as a dealer
when his brother Ramiz called him with
the horrific news. They were devastated;
at no time had they ever envisioned anything
like this would ever happen.
“I never thought much about the
store being dangerous,” Ramen said.
“I was more worried about my brother,
a Marine, being on the front lines in
Iraq. I never expected my dad to die.”
The killer stole Fares’ car, took it
for a ride, and then ditched it with the
keys. The River Rouge Police Department
dusted the car for fingerprints
and got nothing. Robbery was never
considered a motive because Fares’
wallet was found with money in it.
Ramen saw the video of the shooting
for himself about a month or two later.
According to him, the alleged killer’s
ex-girlfriend snitched him out, but without
hard evidence, it was just her word
against his, and there was no further
investigation. There was also word that
it was a sort of revenge killing meant for
someone else, but there were not enough
leads. It quickly became a cold case.
Feeling helpless, Ramen moved
on, claiming there was only so much
he could do. “I miss him a lot,” he affirmed.
“If I could tell him something,
I’d tell him he has the most beautiful
grandchild in the whole world.”
Fares loved kids, and it saddens
Ramen that his seven-year-old son
Fares visiting Alishwa (Liz) for the first time since last seeing her in Italy, September 1982.
Liam never got to meet his grandfather.
Roxanne feels like that was the
most significant stage of life her dad
was deprived of – being a grandfather.
Fares adored his mother and his
siblings and was very close to them,
and he would do anything they asked
of him. A true family man and wellrespected
business owner in the River
Rouge community, he also loved sports
and watching the horse races.
Roxanne admits that at the time
of her father’s murder, she did not appreciate
her parents and that she acted
entitled, especially at the time of that
last encounter with her dad. She now
spends all her free time with her mother,
citing it was a lesson learned ever
since that dreadful December night.
“Don’t forget, these people we love
could be gone in a second,” she attested.
If you or someone you know has
any information on this case, please
contact the River Rouge Police
Department at 313.842.8700.
26 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 27

FEATURE
Back
to Iraq
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
Part II
In many countries throughout history, thousands
of villages have been deserted for a variety of reasons.
Abandonment of villages is often related to
epidemic, famine, climate change, economic depression,
war, environmental destruction, or in the case
of the Islamic State genocide in 2007 and 2014, deliberate
ethnic cleansing.
On my recent journey to Iraq, I visited Christian
villages like Tel-Keppe (Telkaif), Alqosh, Batnaya,
Telskuf, and Baqoofa. These villages had mostly
been spared from modern development. Riding
around the old part of these towns one can see old
mud and brick homes, which was the style before the
age of concrete. The old homes blend perfectly with
the colors of the surrounding landscape.
These little villages are good places to meet local
people. Visiting the town market, public cafes, and
churches increases the chances of meeting someone
who speaks the Sureth dialect and wants to practice
their English.
If you are looking for a souvenir of your trip, vases
from the small towns are very popular. But these are
not just ordinary vases; prior to refrigeration, these
vases were a kitchen standard, dating back thousands
of years. Vases were found by the Iraqi Directorate
of Antiquities that date back to before 2000 BC.
Tel-Keppe
Tel-Keppe is a compound Aramaic name. It consists
of “Tel,” which means hill and “Keppe,” which
means stones. Thus, the meaning of Tel-Keppe is “the
hill of stones.” According to Fr. Michael Jajjo Bizzi,
there are Assyrian and Akkadian remains that are
still waiting to be uncovered there.
The town has changed and sprawled over recent
years. The old village seems to have been abandoned,
although chickens roam here and there. I wandered
in and out of the abandoned houses and went up on
the roof of one that faces the main church. It had once
belonged to my grandmother’s brother, Namou Arabo.
I looked out over the neighborhood, seeing the
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and the main
cemetery, Maqbarat Tel-Keppe, situated nearby the
church and close to the famous Tel-Keppe tahini.
Fields of wheat surround the village on all sides.
Tel-Keppe is an interesting place; you can walk
down the deserted streets of a town that once had a
population of nearly 10,000 people. You can feel a
true atmosphere from the old past.
Today, the demographically changed village is a
Author Dr. Adhid Miri points out the sign welcoming visitors to Alqosh.
shadow of its glorious past. It is featured in numerous
poems and songs that describe the decline of a village
and the emigration of many of its residents to America.
The town of Tel-Keppe has faced Arabization since
the early 60s. Under the Ba’athist rule Arabs began
moving to Tel-Keppe while Chaldeans began moving
to the big cities of Iraq, mainly Baghdad and Basra.
The ISIS offensive in 2014 made things even worse for
the town’s remaining residents. Most of its people fled
to the Kurdistan region or fled Iraq entirely, allowing
more Arabs to settle in the town.
In August 2014, the town was taken over by the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), along with
the nearby towns of Batnaya, Telskuf, Bakhdaida/Qaraqoosh,
Bartella, and Kramlesh. ISIS looted homes
and removed crosses and other religious objects from
the churches. The Christian cemetery in the town was
later destroyed.
ISIS’s occupation of 12 Christian-inhabited towns
between 2014 and 2017 was the peak of this insurgency.
Prior to the invasion, Tel-Keppe was a thriving town, rich
with ancient culture and a population of 5,500. Since
the invasion and eventual fall of ISIS in that region,
only 47 families have returned, finding their homeland
ravaged and their ancient cemetery in pieces.
Life after ISIS has been difficult for the people of
Tel-Keppe and presents tragic challenges for Christianity
in Iraq. The most pressing needs are in the villages
rather than the major cities. Economic development
tops the list. There is zero support from the KRG
or central government.
Saving the cemetery
Maqbarat (Cemetery) Tel-Keppe is an historic landmark.
Knowing the importance of this heritage site,
ISIS destroyed the cemetery, inflicting unthinkable
damage on Iraqi Christians’ cultural heritage.
This destruction of heritage was an integral part
of the ISIS campaign. The centuries-old cemetery of
Tel-Keppe, located on a hill behind the main church,
was erased by bulldozers. Graves and monuments
from the site were damaged during the rampage.
The city’s main church, containing centuries-old
manuscripts, was also ravaged.
For me, the cemetery was a sad sight to see. In their
ruthless campaign ISIS completely demolished the site,
digging up every grave in search of gold, rings, necklaces,
and other jewelry. They found only bones and burial
28 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

cloth. Three families restored and fixed their burial sites
but most of the graveyard is still in disrepair.
Thanks to years of hard work and the dedication
of the Shlama Foundation, its donors and 40 Michigan
volunteers, portions of the rubble have been
cleared. The entrance to the cemetery has been repaired
and the sacred cross that stood at its gate for
centuries has been carefully restored and re-erected.
Sidewalk reconstruction, installation of water
pipes, and a motor for the well at the site are now completed
as the first phase of the Tel-Keppe Cemetery
Project, but there is still plenty of work to be done.
The church situation in Tel-Keppe is another sad
story. There are three churches located on the same
ground: the small old church that was fully burned
down by ISIS; the middle church, which is restored
and usable; and the large original church, which is
abandoned and was used by ISIS as an ammunition
and storage warehouse.
I had to switch vehicles, drivers, and security
detail in order to go through two checkpoints (KRG
and central government) beyond Telskuf to enter
Tel-Keppe and Baqoofa and return. I was required to
speak Arabic fluently to go through one checkpoint.
I met a few local Chaldeans, Sufian Abro and Sefwan
Jarbo, along with the town priest, Father Shahir.
Basim Bello, originally from Alqosh, has been the
mayor of town for the last 18 years.
Less than 50 Christian families live in the town,
which is now dominated by Muslims, Yazidis, and
Shabaks.
Mayor Basim Bello has a plan to restore part of
the old village homes and streets including 12 family
neighborhoods - Abro, Asmar, Dikho, Giezy, Shayota,
Samouna, Shammami, Shango, Mart Shamouni, Oro,
Yalda, and Qashat. Most homes are without maintenance
and in danger of collapse. Funding and support
are needed from communities in the United States.
Alqosh
Alqosh is divided into four quarters: Sienna quarter
to the west; Qasha quarter to the east; O’do quarter
to the north; and Khachaicha (lower) quarter to the
south. Alqosh is a Chaldean Catholic village and one
of the few places where Aramaic is still spoken.
For centuries, Christians and Jews lived together
in Alqosh, until the Jews were expelled in 1948. The
Alqosh synagogue is one of the few standing synagogues
left in Iraq, and the landmarks of Rabban
Hormizd Monastery and Prophet Nahum Tomb are
amazing attractions.
Luckily, ISIS did not reach Alqosh and the historic
Jewish burial site of prophet Nahum Al-Alqoshi was
not desecrated nor even touched. The U.S. and other
donors provided $2 million to restore and rebuild the
historic landmark.
I met with Mayor Lara Zara and received updates
and briefs about the status, needs, and priorities of
the Christians in Alqosh, and the political and security
situation in the region. According to Zara’s statistics
there are 3,500 people living in Alqosh.
The top priority of the mayor is to keep the Christians
in their towns and villages and to help reduce
the immigration of families and youth from the township.
Visas, once restricted due to COVID, are now
open to the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and other European
countries. The mayor lamented that two more
families left Alqosh in recent months.
The mayor has a plan to distribute vacant land to
the citizens of Alqosh to build modern homes in the
town. Candidates must be Alqoshi with an Alqoshi
father and mother.
Economic development tops the list of priorities.
There are no government or job opportunities for
graduates; most of the people’s skills and experiences
are in farming. They want to build greenhouses
but there are no hotels, restaurants, café’s, or malls
in the town of Alqosh. Religious tourism is a favorite
concept and strategic objective.
Alqosh needs a technical school, urgent care
units (they have one old clinic), dentists, female doctors,
and a surgeon (they have two visiting doctors
only), a clinical lab, emergency ward, ambulances,
EKG, imaging, sonar, and scanning units. They could
also use a hospital - the nearest hospital and urgent
care is 2 hours away in Erbil or Mosul!
Left: House of the prophet Nahoum Al-Alqoushi.
Above: The sign welcoming visitors to Rabban
Hormzid Monastery.
We toured the Nahum site with Mayor Lara Zara
and her staff. The mayor advocates for the restoration
of 3-5 homes around the Prophet Nahum landmark,
to be used as mini-fabric cultural village costume factories
run by women. She hopes to attract investors
and build a hotel on a vacant municipality property
nearby the tomb.
Rabban Mar Hormzid Monastery
Rabban Hormizd Monastery is situated north of the
Nineveh province, at the border of the autonomous region
of Iraqi Kurdistan. Dating back to 640 AD, the monastery
sits carved into the Mount Alqosh mountainside.
It is one of the holiest sites for Chaldean Catholics.
The imposing structure of the 1,400-year-old
monastery can be seen upon climbing a long, winding
road on the cliffs of Mount Alqosh. The path has
been paved by generations of monks.
The monastery carved from the rocks seems like
an oyster pearl in its shell. Over the centuries, local
geopolitical rivalries have often disrupted the site’s
peacefulness. In the mid-1700s, a slew of attacks from
Kurdish forces rendered the site all but abandoned.
In 1828, its library, which was stocked with precious
Syriac manuscripts, was looted and damaged.
A new monastery was rebuilt in 1859 with the intention
of improving its defense from attackers. The old
sanctuary remains an important, historic site for
Chaldean Catholic worship.
Visiting the monastery, I saw no marks of fire in
any of the cells. Some cells have a second small cave
cut behind the larger one which is entered through
an opening just large enough for a man of average
size to crawl through.
They have neither doors nor any protection from
inclement weather, and the chill which they strike
into the visitor gives an idea of what those who lived
in them must have suffered during the frosts of winter
and the drifting rain. Some of them have niches
in their sides or backs in which the monks probably
slept, but many lack even these means of comfort.
The cells are separated from each other and are
approached by narrow terraces. Some are perched
in seemingly unapproachable places, unless other
means of entrance existed in former days. They were
accessed by the monks crawling down from the crest
of the mountain and swinging themselves into them.
Nine patriarchal graves, from 1497 to 1804, are
still located in the corridor that leads to the cell of
Rabban Hormizd, who is also buried there.
BACK TO IRAQ on page 30
JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 29

FEATURE
BACK TO IRAQ from page 29
Baqoofa – Telskuf
I conducted a short visit to both
Baqoofa and Telskuf. Baqoofa is semivacant
with very little commercial or
residential activity; most of the Telskuf
residents are displaced Christians from
neighboring villages (Tel-Keppe, Batnaya,
and Sharafiya). The population is
a mix of Chaldeans and Assyrians.
Baqoofa, the smallest of villages,
has a skeleton entry sign, almost empty
of life! I did not see a single individual
or business open. A new church
is being constructed but largely unfinished
with no construction equipment
or builders on site.
Both towns are surrounded by
huge fertile agricultural fields that
seem to be abandoned. These towns
have similar challenges. Both need investment
and restoration.
Duhok, Zakho, and Delal Bridge
Delal Bridge, also known as Zakho
Bridge or Pira Delal, is an ancient
bridge over the Khabur River in the
town of Zakho, which is part of the
Dohuk Governorate in the northwestern
part of the Kurdistan Region within
the Republic of Iraq.
The name is derived from the Kurdish
language, where ‘Pir’ means bridge,
while ‘Delal’ means dear or beautiful.
The date of construction is not well
known even though it is believed that
it was first built during the Roman era.
The present structure appears to
be from a later date, most likely from
the time of the Abbasid Caliphate that
ruled the area between the years 750
and 1517. The total length is 115 meters
(377 feet), while being 5 meters (16
feet) wide, it spans over the Little Khabur
River with 5 different arches.
There are many legends behind the
construction of this magnificent piece
of architecture. A particularly gruesome
one is that a very gifted craftsman built it
and then to prevent him from constructing
another as magnificent as this one,
his hands were amputated. To add insult
to injury, one of his nieces was buried
under the bridge as a sacrificial offering.
Regardless of its origin, this carved
limestone bridge is something extravagant
for a small town in the northern
part of Iraq. It has seen a lot of history,
and should certainly be on your mustsee
list if you plan a visit to the country.
The Memories
Traveling to the Kurdistan Region of
northern Iraq is, for me, many experiences
intertwined with memories. It
is the perfect way for someone like me
to dig into ancestral roots and visit the
towns their parents or grandparents
came from. Exploring the churches
and monasteries, enjoying the farmland,
and seeing the villages helps to
form a better understanding of ourselves,
our beliefs, and our lives.
Travel to the region — explore, connect,
plant an olive tree, restore an old
village home, paint the churches, or
make a new friend. I dare to imagine the
wonder and feelings of connecting and
visiting these places every few years.
Perhaps our Chaldean and Iraqi
American community will support
more youth groups trips. High school
and university students in Michigan
could be encouraged to work with and
develop exchange programs with local
schools and universities in northern
Iraq and turn migration to education.
The Diaspora Chaldeans, Assyrians,
and Syriacs must work together and improve
their communication and cooperation
with those in Iraq in general and
those in the Nineveh Plain in particular.
The Christians in Iraq must learn how
to protect their towns and villages. If
they continue to sell their lands to the
first bidder, they will lose their villages
and the last stand for Christians in the
Nineveh Plain and Iraq.
I had a great time putting together
this summary of my travel memories.
I hope it can be an inspiration for all
those who want to travel and will help
others change their lives for the better.
Remember, don’t stop before getting
to the hilltop.
Special editing by Jacqueline Raxter
and Rand Isaq.
30 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 31

FEATURE
Remains of two Iraqi martyr priests
found in chapel in Nineveh Plain
BY INÉS SAN MARTÍN, CRUX
The Italian forensic team that found the remains of two priests killed during the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman
Empire between 1915 and 1918.
ROME
After several days of searching,
the remains of two Syrian
Chaldean martyrs, killed
for their faith by the Ottoman Empire,
were found last week in a chapel outside
the Christian village of Qaraqosh
in Iraq’s Nineveh Plain.
Syrian Catholic Father Yusuf Jabo
Sakarya of Mosul, and Father Behnam
Hanam Mikho Khozymi, a monk belonging
to the order of the Brothers of Saint
Ephrem, were murdered by Turkish
gendarmes on June 28, 1915, just outside
of Qaraqosh while they were returning
from Mosul to celebrate the feast of Peter
and Paul the following day.
Their names were recently added
to what is known as the “Great Cause”
of Chaldean Catholics murdered in
odium fidei (in hatred of the faith)
during the final years of the Ottoman
Empire, which was attempting to stop
a bubbling revolution at the beginning
of World War I.
More than 250,000 Assyrians-Chaldeans
are believed to have been massacred
between 1915 and 1918. Close to
40 of them are included in the martyrdom
cause currently at the Vatican’s
Congregation for the Causes of the
Saints.
Sakarya and Khozymi’s remains
are among the few the church has
been able to track down, since most
were buried in unmarked – and often
hidden – graves.
When the Vatican determines that
a person has been martyred, a miracle
is not needed for their beatification.
However, a miracle is required for canonization.
According to Argentine Father Luis
Escalante, the postulator of the martyrdom
cause of four Chaldean bishops,
numerous priests, seven Dominican
nuns of St. Catherine of Siena, and
numerous lay people, the cause is set
to be concluded this summer, after being
started in April of 2018.
For this reason, he said, it was necessary
to ascertain the exact location
and condition of the bodies of the two
priests said to be buried in the Chapel
of St. Dominic, next to the Cathedral of
Our Lady, in Qaraqosh.
“There was a lot of uncertainty
about the true burial place of Father
Behnam, having only oral accounts,”
he told Crux.
A team of five forensic physicians,
who traveled from Italy, began working
on recovering the remains May 3.
On the second day a first set of remains
was found; the second set of remains
was found on the fourth day. They will
be tested against the DNA from direct
family members to make a positive
identification.
“We invite all the faithful to increase
their devotion to these two
worthy sons of Qaraqosh who received
the crown of martyrdom more than a
century ago and who must be remembered
as intercessors for the increase
of faith and prosperity of the city and
of the whole Catholic Church in Iraq,”
Escalante said. “In this way, their
spilled blood will not be in vain.”
Father Georges Bahnan Jiji Jahola
of Qaraqosh told Crux that seeing
the situation Christians live in in this
“martyred land,” the finding of the remains
is a “reason for hope.”
“It’s a spiritual encouragement,
a breath of air from the Holy Spirit,
much needed in this land where we
have suffered much,” he said via
phone. “This strength is necessary if
as Christians we are to remain in this
land where our faith was born.”
The Christian population is still
trying to recover from the attempted
genocide by the Islamic State Group,
which occupied Iraq’s Nineveh Plains
between 2014 and 2017.
The priest acknowledged that the
situation for Christians in Iraq is still
complicated, due in part to the political,
economic, and cultural crises currently
being experienced in the country.
“Fear is always present, and I believe
will aways be,” he said. “There is
always fear of the unknown, including
possible fighting between the government
and extremists. But there is also
a strong will on our side to remain despite
the countless challenges.”
“Christians in Iraq need peace and
unity, and are inspired by these witnesses
of the faith, who stayed strong
despite the fact that it wasn’t comfortable
nor easy to remain Christians,”
he said. “This brings us together as a
church that walks united, guided by
the Risen Christ.”
PHOTO COURTESY FATHER LUIS ESCALANTZE
32 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 33

FEATURE
The New Stressed Out
BY SARAH KITTLE
“
I’m tired.” We have been hearing
that from friends, colleagues,
family members and coworkers
for over two years now. We are
tired of COVID, tired of taking precautions,
trying to catch up, working from
home versus working from the office,
Zoom calls, mask mandates, vaccines,
booster shots, and the back-and-forth
of it all. We are living with uncertainty,
financial pressures, altered daily routines,
and in some cases, continued
social isolation.
It is affecting our health in a big
way.
For meeting and event planners
such as myself, we have had to
broaden our plans to include a Plan
C and Plan D, and work on all possible
outcomes at once, not knowing
what will actually transpire until the
last minute. These virtual meetings
and events we’ve been dealing with
are missing a key component to our
‘feel good’ vibes - the emotional engagement
of meeting in person. It’s
so easy to get distracted when you
are communicating via screen - by
kids, pets, other people, or whatever
is happening around you.
Mental health workers and cosmetic
doctors also report that people
are experiencing a new phenomena of
body and facial dysmorphia from having
to see themselves when telecommunicating,
and from overuse of facial
filters on social media. Users are unsatisfied
with themselves because they
don’t look like their online profiles.
An uptick in the amount and severity
of mental health disorders has
been widely reported. Suicide numbers
have skyrocketed. The impact of
a worldwide pandemic, food shortages,
and regional wars have maxed
out our stress levels. And we aren’t
coping well.
According to Dr. Ryan
Gindi, a cardiologist at Henry
Ford Heart & Vascular Institute,
“We have unhealthy
coping mechanisms to deal
with stress, including poor
dietary habits, increased
alcohol consumption, decreased
exercise, and poor
sleep.” He added that in
outpatient clinics, he and
his colleagues have also
seen decreases in visits and adherence
to medical therapy.
“It would be nice if we as a society
gravitated towards meditation, taking
Dr. Ryan Gindi
walks, and mindful exercise as ways to
cope,” says Dr. Gindi, “but often that
is not the case.” Stress eating, bingewatching
TV, and trying to drink away
our worries - all coping mechanisms
that have increased in use
- have placed us in a very
precarious situation. All of
these factors when taken
together have a very significant
negative impact on our
health.
Unfortunately, bad health
habits can become a downward
spiral. You eat, drink,
smoke, etc. because you
feel bad, and then you feel
bad because you do those things.
So what can be done about it? Even if
STRESSED OUT on page 36
34 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 35

FEATURE
STRESSED OUT from page 34
COVID were no longer a concern, the U.S.
economy is in the dumps, interest rates
are rising, businesses are failing, and the
global environment is giving
us some nasty payback.
If you can change just
one thing, says Dr. Rena Daiza,
a family doctor affiliated
with Henry Ford Health,
it should be increasing the
amount of exercise in your
life. Being and staying active
is the single best thing
Dr. Rena Daiza
you can do for your health. Exercise
prevents health problems, builds
strength, boosts energy, and can help
you reduce stress. It can also help you
maintain a healthy body weight and
curb your appetite.
Exercise has been proven
to make you happier,
increasing the production
of endorphins and decreasing
feelings of depression,
anxiety, and stress. It produces
chemical changes in
the parts of the brain that
regulate stress and anxiety
and can also increase brain sensitivity
to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine,
which relieve feelings of
depression.
Exercise also plays a vital role in
building and maintaining strong muscles
and bones. It releases hormones
that promote the absorption of amino
acids into muscle. Young people that
exercise are building up their bones to
help stave off osteoporosis later in life;
older people that exercise are helping
their bodies maintain muscle strength.
It doesn’t even matter how much
or how hard you work out, you get the
benefits. Work out a little, get a little
benefit; work out a lot and reap lots of
benefits! Besides helping stay fit, exercise
may help you sleep better, eat better,
and avoid excessive screen time.
If you are experiencing a mental
health crisis, I’m not trying to say exercise
alone will “cure” you. It is, however,
something you could do today,
right now. As with any crisis, often the
only way out is through, and additional
exercise is a great first step. Literally.
This summer, try to spend some time
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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 37

CULTURE & HISTORY
The History and Culture of Worry Beads
BY DR. ADHID MIRI
People have myriad assorted
hobbies. They spend time and
money on fulfilling them, taking
care of whatever the hobby is, and
developing it. Some people like music,
art, drawing, reading, and sports of all
kinds; others like hunting and fishing.
In Iraq and the Middle East, there
is a popular hobby among men to acquire
and use worry beads, also called
Subha, Mala’aba, Misbaha, or Tasbih.
They practice its use and cherish its
secrets. Let us sail together in a sea of
worry bead culture and abundance that
we never thought would be this deep.
Worry beads are found in everyday
life across the Middle East region and
the world, but what is their significance?
Worry or prayer beads are used in
many religions and cultures around
the world, either to help with prayer
and meditation or to simply keep
the fingers occupied during times of
stress. The traditional use of worry
beads thrives in modern times as a tool
for personal therapy, a status symbol,
and a faithful companion.
Made from golden brown, amber,
the brightest Iranian turquoise, Russian
pure black coral, and a welcome
burst of color amid a sea of gold, the
subha or misbaha - prayer beads or
worry beads or any one of the other
names they go by in the Middle East
- are found hanging proudly in the
windows of jewelers in every shopping
center.
Used when praying and influenced
by Islam in their design, for many, the
beads are a way to relax; to switch off
from the world. Search through the
crowd and you will see them, poking
out of a pocket or wrapped loosely
around a hand, their owner absentmindedly
moving each bead back and
forth with their thumb. Search further,
and you will find them dangling from
the rear-view mirror of a vehicle.
But prayer beads go beyond prayer
in some cultures. For example, in
Greece, using worry beads is seen as
a daily secular activity, as it is in Turkey.
The beads have long made their
way out of the mosques and churches
in the region and have become a companion
of men.
In Iraq they are called Subha or
Mala’aba, Tasbih in Turkey, and Komboli
in Greece. They can be found in
almost every culture and religion are
well-known all around the world.
Catholic rosaries, the prayer rope of Orthodox
churches, Mt. Carmel monk’s
rosary, Irish marble worry stones, Buddhist,
or Tibetan prayer beads (malas)
are all examples of their use.
It is quite amazing how a string of
beads can carry centuries of stories
and bond people together culturally.
History
Since ancient times, worry beads have
been associated with spiritual ideas,
both religious and magical. Some recorded
historical evidence indicates
that the idea of ​the beads began with
the Sumerians 5,000 years ago and
then moved to other civilizations.
One of the oldest stones and materials
used by humans has been found
in tombs dating back more than 20,000
years and contained grains of ivory,
oysters, and various bones. Excavations
of the first human civilizations
that arose in Mesopotamia and the
Nile Valley revealed the use of various
stones for religious and worldly purposes,
and for this reason the beads
were taken in prehistoric times as an
ornament, and amulet.
In Phoenician antiquities there
is evidence of their use in barter and
commercial transactions. The idea of ​
the Christian rosary, then, is a natural
and inevitable evolution from the idea
of ​the necklace.
The historical evidence indicates
that the religious rosary appeared for
the first time in India at the beginning
of the fifth century BC, and those sources
claim that the God (Brahma) was
carrying a rosary/worry beads with his
right hand, as it appeared clearly in the
drawings that were found.
Some history books state that the
priests of China were the first to invent
the rosary, and one of the accounts reported
that a Greek monk named Father
Wes de Ruby was the first ever to
use the rosary.
Worry beads are commonly believed
to have first been used on
Mount Athos in northern Greece during
medieval times, where strands of
beads made of woolen knots were tied
on a string and used as an aid to recount
prayers.
Culture
The “Subha” is a wonderful artistic
heritage that permeates ancient and
modern Arab culture. The beads are
used to relieve stress and generally
pass the time. It also has functions
that are closely related to numbers,
counting and arithmetic. It is a personal
adornment, social prestige, material
wealth, a masterpiece, a home pride,
a symbolic gift for family and friends,
and a status symbol.
The beads have a long and amazing
history, and incredible variety. There
are basic categories in evaluating a
Subha: the material used to make the
worry beads; the number and size of
the beads (if there is a piece of a slightly
different size or texture, it is called
a “drunk bead”); harmony of color
WORRY BEADS on page 40
38 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 39

CULTURE & HISTORY
WORRY BEADS from page 38
and sound that the beads produce together; originality;
and artisanship together with the strength of the
top piece, called the Imame, Shahool, or Minaret.
This is the piece that holds all the others together; it
is the first sign of quality artisanship and charm.
Understandably, worry beads have long been
a staple of desert commerce. Antique amber worry
beads are particularly popular partly because amber
beads were favored by kings and nobility.
Since Arabs associate the beads with idleness, some
prominent figures avoid using them in public. Young
people in general use the beads less than their elders.
Traditional minded individuals use them, but young
leftist intellectuals seem to prefer to smoke cigarettes.
They help pass time, they are part of prayer,
and their use can become a habit to calm nerves or
even to beat an addiction. In the era of iPods, smartphones,
and tablets, you can still find them present
in coffee houses of poor areas or executive offices of
rich neighborhoods.
When you sit down at a cafe or a restaurant, briefly
watch the men as they put down their cellphones,
cigarette packages, lighters and worry beads. You may
appreciate the love and the strong bond men feel for
their Subha, keeping them as close as their phones.
At Chaldean weddings, the old-timers who lead
the traditional Dabkka dance intertwine one hand
and swing a Subha in the other during the rhythmic
dance, encouraging others to strengthen their resolve
and dance.
The number of worry-bead enthusiasts is increasing.
Politicians such as Iraq’s famous Prime Minister
Nouri Al-Saeed enjoyed posing with Tasbihs to connect
with constituents. In Iraq, they can be seen in
the hands of almost all men, from taxi drivers to college
professors to domino players and coffee shop
patrons. They can be seen in movie theaters and at
soccer matches.
Men and their beads
Alas, the small strings of beads that Chaldeans, Iraqis,
Arabs, and Middle Eastern people have long loved
to fidget with are perhaps showing signs of going out
of style - especially in the West.
The beads’ decline has been hastened by special
factors: cultural change, progress, handheld gadgets,
and mobile devices that have taken over, even
among the old. Nonetheless, shops remain impressively
draped with worry beads, which come in as
many varieties as the perfumes of Arabia.
The Subha remains as one of the complements of
Iraqi men, an expression of prestige and social status.
High-end and valuable types are used by the elders
and influential people, and this type of bead reflects
an expression of their social status and wealth.
Despite growing female interest in Tasbihs, they
are still almost exclusively in the male domain. The
artisans, designers, salespeople, and customers are
almost all men. It is even seen as a sign of strong masculinity
in different parts of the world.
It is unfortunate that many of the rare collections
were sold outside Iraq, either due to the owner’s ignorance
of their value or out of necessity during the
years of sanctions.
Clockwise from top left: Subha parts and names
in Arabic; Our Lady of Tears white glass rosary
beads; Subha and stones; Cultural fashion and
adornment on display.
Material
The traditional materials used to make worry beads
continue to be used. The craftsmanship is exquisite,
and its craft requires skill, know-how, and refined
taste.
Subha beads are most often made of round or
oval shaped glass, wood, plastic, amber, pearls, or
gemstones. The origins of prayer bead material fall
into four broad categories: precious stones, different
types of wood, animal products, and fossils. The
harder the material of the bead, or the rarer it is, the
more intricate artisanship will be involved, increasing
the value. Snakewood, olive, sandalwood, palm,
tamarind, apple, and walnut trees are commonly
used.
The cord is usually cotton, nylon, or silk. There
are a wide variety of colors and styles on the market,
ranging from cheap mass-produced prayer beads to
those that are made with expensive materials and
high-quality workmanship.
Most generic products use a silver bead for the
Imame, but the precious ones use the same material
as the beads. The last category is the simplicity factor.
Intriguingly, the most precious Tasbihs are the least
eye-catching ones. As one Tasbih lover explained, “it
is not jewelry to show off, but a companion.”
Amber is considered the queen of Misbaha. Today,
it’s difficult to find genuine beads. You must be
very experienced to distinguish fake from genuine.
Real amber, when rubbed between the thumb and
forefinger, will give off the smell of pine-tree resin.
Some sellers provide certificates of authenticity for
amber beads.
A rosary made with pearls is one of the most expensive,
made of precious pearls extracted from Bahrain
or the Arabian Gulf. There are some types that are
less expensive - such as some made in Japan for example
– with pearls that are artificial and not natural.
There are health benefits attributed to the different
materials used. For example, Kuka, a tropical
fruit pit harder than coconut, was known as the Tasbih
of medical doctors during the Ottoman era. The
Kuka pits are known to act as a natural disinfectant,
while releasing a pleasant scent when rolled between
fingers. Several other tree-based beads are valued for
their special scents. Their color also darkens over
time, like leather, increasing their worth.
Bagh Tasbihs made from the shells of the threatened
Caretta turtle are extremely precious, like those
from elephant tusks. Other precious stones used
include agate, dalmatian stone, and if you have the
funds, diamonds. The fanciest of diamonds or the
simplest of stones, it does not matter. There is a philosophy
behind worry beads: “Whoever owns worry
beads, it is a sign that they are a worry-free man.”
References: Wikipedia, Gardenia site, The Monitor,
NYT archives, article by Pinar Tremblay, and Zaineb
Al Hassani at The National. Special editing by
Jaqueline Raxter.
40 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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When I reached out to Mark
Abbo, the Northville Township
Supervisor, for an interview,
all I knew about him was our
shared last name. He invited me to lunch
at Connor’s, a family diner on the northeast
corner of Haggerty and 5 mile.
Connor’s was as busy and loud as
it was cozy. Mark sat in the back and
waved as I walked in. After our introductions,
I took off my jacket and sat
in the booth opposite him. He looked
down at a legal pad, pen in hand.
“First things first. Let’s do some
housekeeping.”
He wrote his grandfather’s name at
the top of the page: Peter. Mark wanted
to figure out our exact relation. He continued
filling in his family tree, writing
his father’s name, Joseph, and under
that, his own.
It was my turn. I told him my family
history, and it became exceedingly
clear. “We’re second cousins, once removed,”
he said. Mark’s father and my
grandfather, whose name I bear, were
first cousins.
Mark’s grandfather, Peter Abbo,
was likely one of the first hundred Chaldeans
to move to Detroit as he came in
the 1920s. Like most Chaldeans, Peter
was a merchant for a living and raised a
family. He and his wife birthed five children,
including Mark’s father, Joseph.
Mark’s father, like many other
Chaldeans, prized education above
all. This inspired Mark to be a highachieving
professional. Many years
ago, he said he wanted to understand
all the numbers and decisions that go
into business. Soon after, Mark graduated
from Eastern Michigan University
and became a Certified Public Accountant,
the highest honor in his field.
His status as a CPA unlocked many
doors for Mark in both the public and
private sphere. Before he began his
work in government, Mark spent time
at accounting firms, something he still
does in addition to his public sector
work. Since then, he has played several
different roles in Northville’s city
government.
In the early ’90s, Mark became
Northville’s Township Trustee and
served in that position for seven years.
For two years, he was Northville’s
Township Treasurer, and in 2000, became
the Township Supervisor. Mark
held this position for 12 consecutive
years before taking a break. Under his
leadership, Northville’s fund balance
grew from $200,000 in 1992 to several
million dollars by 2012.
In 2020, he decided to run once
again because he thought his expertise
could help steer the town in the
right direction after his break. He was
elected as Township Supervisor in November
2020 to a four-year term.
Between his tenure with Northville,
Mark was recruited by Wayne
County to work as its Chief Financial
Officer because of his business acumen
and ability to contain costs. Now,
he is Wayne County Commission’s
Chief Fiscal Advisor and has held that
position since 2016.
Mark maintains some private business
on the side in addition to his
service in government. He is also the
Treasurer for Metro Solutions, a nonprofit
based in Southfield that provides
healthcare to uninsured and underserved
populations in metro Detroit.
Mark’s current plan for Northville
emphasizes fiscal responsibility and
active management of the COVID-19
crisis. He is heavily opposed to raising
taxes in Northville and has already reduced
much of the township’s wasted
expenditures while maintaining the
same quality of service. He wants to
continue to attract more high-tech
business to Northville.
42 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
Help
Wanted?
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

CAAASAAAGGRRRAAANNDE & AAADWWERRRS, P.C.
AAANNTTOONNE,
AALLLL YOOOURRR IIIMMMMIIIGRRRAATIIIOOONNNNEEEEDS
FOOORRR
EVENT
1
The 18th Annual
CACC Awards Dinner
The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce celebrated
their 18th Annual (due to COVID) Awards Dinner on April 29. Over
800 guests attended the gala at Shenandoah Country Club and
heard remarks from Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Speaker of
the House Jason Wentworth. Honored this year was Mike Denha
as Businessperson of the Year. Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence
was paid special tribute. Lead sponsors included Ascension, Bank
of Ann Arbor, Comerica Bank, Country Fresh, DTE, Gardner White
Furniture, Hollywood/Greektown Casino, and The Elia Group.
2
3
PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS
TT3E IIIIMMMMMMIIIIGGRRRAAATTIIIIOONNLAAAWW FIIIIRRRMMM OOF
Angela Kakos
Producing Branch Manager - VP of Mortgage Lending
o: (248) 622-0704
rate.com/angelakakos
angela.kakos@rate.com
2456 Metropolitan Parkway, Sterling Heights, MI 48310
Guaranteed Rate Inc.; NMLS #2611; For licensing information visit
nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Conditions may apply • Angela Kakos
NMLS ID: 166374
Diane E. Hunt Eleanor J. Sintjago
Immigration Attorney Immigration Attorney
(2448) | | www. 4406-4400 aanntoonne.coom
laaw@aanntoonne.coom
Faarmiiiinngtoonn Hiiiilllllls, Miiii§Íiiiigaann4448333333444
| 11 Suiiiitee | Rooaad Miiiilllee 11444 33311555555555W.
CARLEEN JARBO-DANIAL
ATTORNEY AT LAW
248-808-1109 / CARLEEN@CARLEENJDLAW.COM
1441 E. MAPLE ROAD / SUITE 304 / TROY MI 48083
www.carleenjdlaw.com
ELIAS KATTOULA
CAREER SERVICES MANAGER
Jaguar Land Rover Troy
Sammi A. Naoum
1815 Maplelawn Drive
Troy, MI 48084
TEL 248-537-7467
MOBILE 248-219-5525
snaoum@suburbancollection.com
3601 15 Mile Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
TEL: (586) 722-7253
FAX: (586) 722-7257
elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org
www.chaldeanfoundation.org
44 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

4 5
6
8
7
1. Members of the CACC Board of Directors with
Governor Gretchen Whitmer; 2. Dinner Chair
and Ascension COO Joe Hurshe; 3. Much fun
was had at the head table with Mayor Taylor,
Governor Whitmer, and Congresswoman
Lawrence; 4. Bishop Ibrahim and Raad Kathawa
enjoying the program; 5. Members of the Denha
family enjoying the celebration; 6. Martin
Manna, Mike Denha, and Sylvester Sandiha; 7.
Over 800 people attended the much-anticipated
annual event; 8. Governor Gretchen Whitmer
shares a laugh and a handshake with Speaker
Jason Wentworth.
PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS
Safaa Macany
VP of Mortgage
Lending
o: (248) 216-1255
c: (248) 229-4422
smacany@rate.com
www.rate.com/SafaaMacany
30600 Northwestern Hwy
Suite 410
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Guaranteed Rate NMLS: 2611 • NMLS ID: 138658, LO#: MI - 138658
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.
Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service
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JUNE 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 45

FROM THE ARCHIVE
Remembering
Chaldean
soccer clubs
2
3
1
4
The Iraqi United Youth Club
put on a large festival in
July of 1980 that showcased
Chaldean soccer clubs from
around the country. The event,
lasting several days and nights,
was held in historic Chaldean
Town, a district located along 7
Mile Road where many Chaldean
immigrants settled. The festivities
included speeches, music, food,
dance, and much more.
The festival had basketball
games, and many Chaldeans
formed teams to participate against
one another in direct competition
as shown in photo #1.
Photo #2 shows the versatility of
the festival. There were many teams
at the tournament and some, not
from Detroit, hailed from places like
Chicago or San Diego. The competition
also featured youth teams like
the one pictured.
Photo #3 depicts the opening
ceremonies where the Iraqi flag,
American flag, and Iraqi United
Youth Flag were held side by side
and the Iraqi and American national
anthems were performed.
At the end of the festival, players
and teams were awarded trophies
according to their record.
Photo #4 shows Jamal Kallabat
receiving a trophy from Massoud
Karma, who is standing on stage
next to Zuhair Garmo.
Photo #5 features some of the
organizers and original members
of the Iraqi United Youth Club.
Pictured from left to right are Talal
Mukhtar, Massoud Karma, Hanna
Sheena, and Ragied Esshaki. Other
organizers not pictured included
Talal Samona, Kamal Mukhtar,
Sami Bahoora, Wally Jadan, and
Kamil Karma.
5
This page is part of a new
series featuring photos from
the archive. If you have a
special image you want to
feature, please contact
edit@chaldeannews.com.
46 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2022

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