SEPTEMBER 2008

NOTEworthy
Another
Winning Year
Hot Off the Press
The Chaldeans, a Contemporary
Portrait of One of Civilization’s Oldest
Cultures, will be formally unveiled on
September 25 at a special event at
Shenandoah Country Club.
The Chaldean Cultural Center commissioned
author Bryon Perry to write
the definitive story of Chaldean culture
and history. The coffee table book
begins in Mesopotamia and follows
Chaldeans up to the present day,
including profiles of several key community
members in Metro Detroit.
The party on September 25 includes
food, a martini bar and live entertainment.
Tickets are $100 per person or
$150 per couple, and include a copy of
the book, which is priced at $50.
To purchase the book or buy tickets
for the party, call the CCC at
(248) 681-5050.
Chaldeans Defeated
in Elections
August 5, Primary Election Day, did not
bring good results for three Chaldean
candidates in Metro Detroit.
Despite endorsements from three
major daily newspapers, John
Kuriakuz lost to Lisa Brown for state
representative in the 39th District,
which includes West Bloomfield,
Commerce and Wolverine Lake. He
received a total of 3,370 votes for
41.98 percent.
“I was disappointed to lose but it
was my first time running and I was up
against an opponent who had run
before,” said the 28-year-old attorney.
“Endorsements go a long way but
name recognition is the most important
thing by far, and my opponent had a lot
of name recognition.”
Of the district’s 5,000 registered
Chaldean voters, only 500 to 600
turned up at the polls, Kuriakuz said.
“I think we can do a lot better, and
this is something we maybe need to
address as a community,” he said.
“We would be a much more influential
community in Michigan if the community
came out to vote. Now, no politician
stops to think, ‘what would the
Chaldean community think of this
issue?’”
Kuriakuz said he will pursue public
service “perhaps through an appointed
position.”
In White Lake, brothers Emmanuel
and Andrew Dabish were defeated in
their quest for county commissioner of
the 6th District. Emmanuel ran as a
Democrat and received 122 votes, or
8 percent. Andrew, a Republican, got
249 votes for a total of 6 percent.
In California, Auday Arabo was
defeated in his quest for 78th District
Assembly, despite record-breaking
fundraising by his campaign. In his
June primary, Arabo came in third in a
four-way race, with 15.64 percent of
the votes.
Chamber Foundation
Scores Funding
The Chaldean Chamber Foundation
will receive a total of $500,000 from
the State of Michigan over two years.
The monies will be allocated to the
Chaldean Federation of America for
work in administering and assisting
newly arrived Iraqi refugees.
Senator Roger Kahn (R-94th
District) was instrumental in obtaining
the funds.
“I was pleased to do it because
your community serves a lot of
refugees and folks in need,” he said.
“My hope next year is to build off this
year … It’s not a question of maintaining
the funding but growing it.”
Kahn acknowledged taking some
political heat for his efforts but said,
“That’s always the case, there’s always
an upside and a downside.”
This year’s funding was $150,000
and next fiscal year, which begins in
October, will bring $350,000.
“You have a wonderful community
of honorable, caring people who look
after not only their own people but
other people,” Kahn said. “It’s a
tremendous example of how we can
serve people in multiple communities,
not just our own communities. We
need more of that in America.”
A First in California
Polly Haisha Shamoon, 42, has
become the first female Chaldean
judge in the State of California. She
was one of eight judges appointed by
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to
the San Diego County Superior Court
in late July.
Before joining the
San Diego Superior
Court bench, Shamoon
served as a deputy district
attorney with the
San Diego County
District Attorney’s Office
for more than 15 years.
She earned a J.D. degree
from the University
Polly Haisha
Shamoon
of San Diego School of Law and a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the same
university. She is a member of St. Peter
Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon.
Simele Massacre
Recalled
August 7 marked the 75th anniversary
of the Simele Massacre. It is believed
some 3,000 Assyrians were murdered
by the Iraqi government in systematic
killings that occurred first in the
Simele district and then continued
among 63 Assyrian villages in
Northern Iraq.
Eight priests were killed during the
massacre, including one beheaded
and another burned alive. Among the
many atrocities, girls were raped,
women were made to march naked,
holy books were used as fuel for burning
girls and children were run over by
military cars.
The term ‘genocide’ was coined by
direct influence of this massacre. In
response, the Assyrian American
National Federation was formed in
October of that year in New Jersey.
Mike Sawa (center) has been
Michigan’s biggest lottery seller for
the past 11 years. His store, Oak
Liquor and Wine on West Eight
Mile in Oak Park, did more than
$2 million in lottery sales last year.
Pictured with Sawa are lottery officials
Ray Ukwuoma and M. Scott
Bowen. “Maybe people think
crossing the county line will be
lucky,” said Sawa, noting that his
store sits right on the border of
Oakland and Wayne counties.
Book Tells How to
‘Win Iraq’
Amer Hanna Fatuhi, director of the
Iraqi Artists Association, has written a
handbook, “Winning Iraq,” which provides
a guide to slang in Iraq.
Fatuhi, an Iraqi native, said the book
will familiarize U.S. troops, the
American people and others who visit
Iraq on the intricacies of slang usually
only known to native speakers. The
book includes dialogues to illustrate
the differences between standard Arab
and the slang more commonly used in
Iraq, as well as a brief history of Iraq
and its peoples and religions. It also
includes illustrated face and body parts
and a rendering of a typical Iraqi
house.
Learn more at www.iraqiartists.org
or www.amerfatuhiart.com.
A Summer to
Remember
While some students spent their summer
at the beach, Javon Hindo spent her time
as an intern in the Governor’s Michigan
Leadership development program.
“I was lucky enough to be assigned to
the constituent services division where I
had daily contact with the citizens of
Michigan,” said
Hindo. “I worked to
address their concerns
in writing and
over the phone by
dispersing the governor’s
programs
and opinions on
Governor Jennifer
Granholm and
Javon Hindo.
current developments.
I had the
privilege of attending
press conferences,
senate hearings,
committee
meetings, and met members of the governor’s
cabinet, as well as the governor
herself. It has been an incredible experience
and I hope to use these tools to pursue
a career in law.”
Hindo attends the University of
Michigan-Dearborn where she majors
in history and has a psychology minor.
She resides in Wixom.
18 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2008