JUNE 2023

CHALDEAN DIGEST
Residents of Batnaya
gather to meet the
CCF delegation in
November, 2022.
Chaldean Community in USA to invest in destroyed areas in Iraq
Washington DC, USA
The Chaldean American Chamber of
Commerce is considering investing
in the Nineveh Plains of northern
Iraq, a region where a large portion
of the population are Christians and
saw massive destruction following
the brutal arrival of the Islamic State
(ISIS) in 2014.
Martin Manna, who heads the
Chamber of Commerce, told Rudaw
that “these are our ancestor’s lands.
This is important for us to invest in
places where we have quite a large
population.
“This is likely the best place in all
of Iraq and we want to maintain our
identity, our culture, our language in
this region.”
In 2014, more than 14,500 Christians
lived on the Nineveh Plains.
When ISIS attacked the Christian
towns and villages, 90 percent of Christians
fled to the Kurdistan Region, seeing
it as a safe haven that would protect
them from the reign of terror that
ISIS brought upon them, particularly
towards religious minorities.
So returning home is dangerous,
job opportunities are on the low, and
few services have been restored to the
region. These are the key factors that
few people have returned to these areas.
They have either started a new
life in the Kurdistan Region or moved
abroad in search of a better life.
Manna said that they have a “very
wealthy community here in the United
States and there is no better province or
region... for our community to invest in.”
Iraq’s Christian community has
been devastated in the past two decades.
Following the US-led invasion
in 2003, sectarian warfare prompted
followers of Iraq’s multiple Christian
denominations to flee, and attacks by
ISIS in 2014 hit minority communities
especially hard.
Fewer than 300,000 Christians remain
in Iraq today, but not all live in a
permanent place they can call home.
– Rudaw
Chaldean Americans revive their endangered
language through cultural advocacy
According to The San Diego Union Tribune,
El Cajon contains the second-largest
population of Chaldeans outside of
Iraq, amounting to 15,000 individuals.
Detroit is the largest, with Michigan Governor
Gretchen Whitmer reporting over
150,000 Chaldeans in 2022.
Lilian Bakayou, senior operations
manager of San Diego State University
Math and Stats Learning Center, explained
how Detroit is years ahead of
El Cajon regarding its Chaldean representation
and establishment. She referenced
a quote from Michael Serban,
Cajon Valley Union School District administrator.
“He went to Michigan, and in that
article, he stated, ‘Michigan is the
future of San Diego,’” Bakayou said.
“And I think it’s a very accurate representation
because we are a mini-
Michigan.”
Selvana Aleesha, a speech, language,
and hearing science major,
came to America with her family when
she was eight years old. Early experiences
in America formed the way she
wished to represent her community.
Aleesha remembered when she
walked into her fourth-grade class and
asked a Middle Eastern girl if she spoke
Aramaic. When the girl responded in
Arabic — a language in the same family
as Aramaic —Aleesha was delighted
to recognize it and felt she belonged.
This experience became foundational
for the work she has done during
her time at SDSU.
After noticing that Aramaic-speaking
Chaldeans were disadvantaged,
Aleesha felt inclined to join the SDSU
National Student Speech, Language
and Hearing Association. She now
serves as the non-profit organization’s
treasurer.
“I took this position because I was
like, ‘I want to be that person to kind of
represent our community and be there
for those who speak the Chaldean language,’”
Aleesha said.
– The Daily Aztec
Speech, Language and Hearing
Sciences major Selvana Aleesha
pictured in the Conrad Prebys Aztec
Student Union on March 20, 2023.
PHOTO BY KAITLYN DONIVAN
14 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2023