JULY 2017

VOL. 13 ISSUE V 

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY JULY 2017 

$ 

3 

www.chaldeannews.com 

FIGHTING 

TO STAY 

LEADERS IN THE 

COMMUNITY WORK 

TO STOP THE 

DEPORTATIONS 

INSIDE 

SPECIAL REPORT: 

FINDING THE ABILITY 

NATURALLY NETWORKING 

MISS IRAQ 

PRSRT STD 

US POSTAGE 

PAID 

PERMIT NO. 179 

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI

Committed 

to making our communities stronger. 

At Kroger, service isn’t something that stops at our front door. 

Our commitment to our customers stretches out to the Michigan 

communities in which we live and serve. 

Over 19,000 dedicated associates proudly support events for charitable 

groups, health organizations, educational initiatives and more. It’s the 

Kroger Promise—to help our communities grow and prosper. 

©2017 The Kroger Co. 

2 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2017

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

Help Wanted! 

Please consider hiring one of 

our many new Americans. 

More than 30,000 Chaldean refugees have migrated to Michigan since 2007. Many 

possess the skills and determination to work hard for you and your organization. 

The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) has a bank of resumes 

of candidates qualified to do a variety of jobs. To inquire about hiring a 

New American, call or email Elias at 586-722-7253 or 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org. 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Sterling Heights Office 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

586-722-7253 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org

The 10 Year Anniversary of 

Ryan Raad Binno 

August 25th, 1984 born an angel, warrior, There isn’t a soul that knows how much you’re 

saint, brother, son, and nephew. Ryan Raad missed. Not a single person could understand this bitter 

Binno, taken on July 8th at such a young pain. Losing you has caused a life long suffering. There is 

age. 10 years. 10 years have passed in the blink of an 

eye and we often wonder how we arrived at this place. 

Today, we thank you. 

Thank you for giving us 

the courage to survive 

10 years without you on 

earth. We vow to keep 

your legacy alive for the 

next 100 years. You are 

stamped in the grounds 

of this earth. Whoever 

shall know us, will undoubtedly 

know you. 

10 years of heartache. 

10 years of sadness. 10 

years of hurt. 10 years of 

“why you?” After losing 

you nothing could make 

us weep again. You took 

all our tears with you. 

“Our big bro”, “Our 

not a day, my brother, which you’re not in our thoughts. 

Let’s pray that we may have more hopeful hearts - that 

we may live in the spirit 

of Jesus every day. That 

we may face every cross 

and every trial with confidence 

and hope. 

Your absence is so 

significant that the void 

really seeps in. Whoever 

came in contact with 

you was taken back by 

what a mature and wise 

person you were. You 

influenced many while 

touching the lives of the 

young and the old. Only 

once in a lifetime do 

you come across a true 

hard worker. You put 

all fun and friends aside 

protector” Your handsome 

face, those remarkable 

August 25, 1984 - July 8, 2007 

and dedicated your life 

to building your future. 

hazel eyes and your captivating smile will never 

be forgotten. Your hard work and dedication brings you 

immortal praise and your pure heart and wisdom will 

continue to live on in us. Brother, no words can describe 

how very deeply you’re missed. We are so proud to be 

A person that people were privileged to call a 

friend. We are all gods children. We do not belong 

to one another. He is our father and when that one 

sweet day comes for us, we will then be reunited in 

the kingdom of heaven. 

your siblings. When we are all together is when we feel 

it the worst. We take comfort in knowing you’re watching 

over us and that we will see you again. 

We love you RYAN, 

Dad, Mom, Melinda, Candice, Leslie, and Brandon 


CONTENTS JULY 2017 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 12 ISSUE XII 

on the cover 

20 FIGHTING TO STAY 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

Leaders in the community work to stop the deportations 

features 

18 DETAINED TO BE DEPORTED 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

Members of the Chaldean community rounded up by ICE 

20 

departments 

6 FROM THE EDITOR 

BY VANESS DENHA GARMO 

Affecting Others 

8 IN MY VIEW 

BY MICHAEL SARAFA 

Red white and blue better than green 

9 WHERE DO YOU STAND? 

BY MICHAEL SARAFA 

Be careful what you ask for 

10 NOTEWORTHY 

11 CHALDEAN ON THE STREET 

BY RENNA SARAFA 

Detainment unfair? 

12 CHAI TIME 

14 RELIGION 

15 OBITUARIES 

24 ECONOMICS AND ENTERPRISE 

BY LISA CIPRIANO 

Chaldean Brings a Taste of 

Dubai to Birmingham 

36 CLASSFIED LISTINGS 

38 EVENT 

A community affair 

22 LEVEL HEADED MANAGER 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

Hyassant Najor is the new Market Development 

Manager at Level One Bank 

26 PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD 

BY VANESSA DENHA-GARMO 

The Mackinac Policy Conference creates the 

environment to Naturally Network 

28 MISS IRAQ 2017 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

29 INCREASES AHEAD 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

Health insurance in 2018 will be expensive and confusing 

special report: finding the ability 

30 BREAKING BARRIERS 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

Chaldean Foundation creating programs with disabilities 

32 FAIR GAME 

BY OMAR BINNO 

The Quest for equality in An Unfair Environment 

34 THE OTHER SIDE OF FEAR 

BY MONIQUE MANSOUR 

Lessons on Braille, Friendship, and Loving What You Do 

35 GIGI’S PLAYHOUSE’S 

JOURNEY TO MICHIGAN 

BY KRIS HARRIS & ASHOURINA SLEWO 

New center set to provide people with 

Down Syndrome free specialized programs 

JULY 2017 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

from the EDITOR 

PUBLISHED BY 

The Chaldean News, LLC 

Affecting Others 

EDITORIAL 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Vanessa Denha Garmo 

MANAGING EDITORS 

Denha Media Group Writers 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Lisa Cipriano 

Monique Mansour 

Paul Natinsky 

Weam Namou 

Renna Sarafa 

Ashourina Slewo 

ART & PRODUCTION 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS 

Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Weam Namou 

Razik Ronan 

Renna Sarafa 

Halim Sheena 

OPERATIONS 

Interlink Media 

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 

Martin Manna 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Ashourina Slewo 

SALES 


Christen Jamoua 

SALES REPRESENTATIVES 


Sana Navarrette 

MANAGERS 


Martin Manna 

Michael Sarafa 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $25 PER YEAR 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS 

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FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334 

WWW.CHALDEANNEWS.COM 

PHONE: (248) 851-8600 

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

monthly; Issue Date: JUNE 2017 Subscriptions: 

12 months, $25. Publication Address: 30095 

Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101, Farmington Hills, 

MI 48334; Application to Mail at Periodicals 

Postage Rates is Pending at Farmington Hills Post 

Office Postmaster: Send address changes to 

“The Chaldean News 30095 Northwestern Hwy., 

Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334” 

WE’RE ON 

SOCIAL MEDIA. 

MEET US THERE! 

thechaldeannews 

thechaldeannews 

@chaldeannews 

We headed into our July issue with the 

intent of a cover spread on people 

with disabilities. In the news business, 

content can change in minutes. What was 

intended to be a cover story or lead in a newscast 

can easily be pushed back because of a more 

timely story or breaking news. 

With a monthly publication, however, we 

don’t really cover “breaking news” but we do focus 

on news events of the day. There is no bigger 

story right now than the one of Iraqi Christians 

detained and set to be deported to Iraq. There 

has been extensive news coverage on this issue 

around the globe. At this point, our readers 

should know what’s going on. However, we always like 

to cover stories from a Chaldean News perspective. Our 

own Weam Namou has been on the street engaging and 

gathering information. She shares a two-part piece on the 

story about “Chaldeans Fighting to Stay in America.” 

Also, Co-publisher Mike Sarafa shares his opinion 

on the results of a Trump presidency as well as the green 

card holder becoming a citizen. Read his columns “In My 

View” and “Where Do You Stand?” 

Why some of the people did not get their citizenship 

or why those with misdemeanors didn’t file for a review 

of their case and dismal of the crime so they could pursue 

their citizenship is a question some have asked. Mike offers 

his perspective on the issue. 

During this time, many community leaders have come 

together to find a solution and prevent the detainees from 

being deported. Sometimes it is all about who you know. 

Luckily many elected leaders know the Chaldean community. 

They realize that sending Chaldeans back to Iraq 

could very well be a death sentence. 

In many ways, all of our lives are intertwined. We want 

to help each other. 

There is no real protection of Christians in the Middle 

East in the current climate of extremists who kill in the 

name of religion. 

Since the inception of this monthly magazine, we have 

covered numerous stories on Iraq and the plight of Christians. 

This is one of the more devastating ones. There 

are two sides to every story and perhaps in this case many 

sides to many stories. 

I am not a lawyer but I do believe that there should not 

be a one-size fits all approach to the deportation policy. I 

realize the law is the law. However, in every case, there 

are circumstances and evidence presented. Murder is not 

murder. Theft is not theft. Each person has his or her day 

in court. I am not justifying heinous crimes. I am saying 

that there could be numerous elements in each case. 

Each person deserves a day in court, especially those who 

paid time for their crimes and have been living as lawful 

citizens since. 

As the story develops, I continue to hear of people being 

detained who I happen to know and I can’t help but 

feel pain for them. 

Their lives affect ours in various ways. It’s only human 

to feel pain for someone who made a mistake, paid for it 

and now could possibly face death because of a decision 

that was made. 

VANESSA 

DENHA-GARMO 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

CO-PUBLISHER 

This story does not end with this issue. It is 

fluid and as news develops, we will take a look 

through a Chaldean News lens and bring you 

that angle of the story. 

As for our articles on people with disabilities, 

they are being featured this month but as a secondary 

cover story. 

I sat next to a 32-year-old Chaldean man the 

other day waiting for a table at breakfast. He was 

with his mother. I met him a while back because 

my daughter and I were taking piano lessons from 

the same teacher. I learned how much he loves 

playing the piano. We chatted about the situation 

in Iraq and how grateful he was that he was 

a citizen. We laughed as he made a few jokes. He has a fun 

sense of humor. I forgot in that ten-minute conversation 

that he had Down Syndrome. He was just a guy with a bit 

of a speech challenge. He was an engaging person with a 

great sense of self. 

I have learned over the years that sometimes disabilities 

are only as limiting as we allow them to be for us. 

You only have to meet Omar Binno once to figure that 

out. A man born blind wrote a piece this month about his 

blind brother trying to get into law school. Monique Mansour 

pens a piece about a Chaldean woman who learned 

braille so she could write the curriculum for a blind middle 

school student. 

The Chaldean Foundation has been servicing hundreds 

of people with various disabilities. Weam Namou 

takes a look at what they offer. Then a Chaldean woman 

has dedicated her life to helping her daughter and others 

with Down Syndrome. Kris Harris and Ashourina Slewo 

both cover her story. 

There are so many stories about people who appear 

limited in their abilities but in reality, their lives have a 

great impact on others. Read this issue and you soon discover 

how we all affect each other. 

Alaha Imid Koullen 

(God Be With Us All) 


vanessa@denhamedia.com 

Follow her on Twitter @vanessadenha 

Follow Chaldean News on Twitter @chaldeannews 


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in my VIEW 

Red white and blue better than green 

In the midst of the ICE 

detention and threatened 

deportation of 

Iraqi Christians, many 

hundreds from the Detroit 

area, the question 

has arisen as to why these 

people are not citizens. 

For most, the short answer 

is that they were convicted 

of a crime before while 

still here on a green card. 

A green card holder (permanent 

resident) is someone who 

has been granted authorization to 

live and work in the United States 

on a permanent basis. Among other 

requirements they are supposed to 

“obey all laws of the United States 

the states, and localities.” Thus, 

while its permanent status, it is with 

conditions. 

Still, in many cases, these individuals 

had plenty of time and notification 

to get their citizenship but 

MICHAEL G. 

SARAFA 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

apparently never felt the 

need. With a green card, 

you can work, marry, buy 

a business, pay taxes and 

do everything a full citizen 

can do except vote. 

So there’s no real inconvenience 

to it until, of course, 

you commit a crime. 

I was discussing this issue 

with a close friend who 

surprised the heck out of 

me. He came to this country 

when he was five years old. He’s 

now almost 50. When did he get his 

citizenship? Just about 20 years ago, 

one year after he was married. Why 

did he wait so long? He’s not sure. 

No reason in particular that he could 

recall. He just never got around to it. 

Why is citizenship so important? 

In the United States, it’s everything. 

Without it, you are not guaranteed 

“Due Process.” The Fifth and Fourteenth 

Amendments to the United 

States Constitution each contain 

a Due Process Clause. Due process 

deals with the administration of justice 

and acts as a safeguard from arbitrary 

denial of life, liberty, or property 

by the government outside the 

sanction of law. 

The origins of the concept are 

studied by every high school student 

in America. While the application 

of due process and its place in American 

jurisprudence today are uniquely 

American, its origins are from the English 

“Magna Carta” or charter of liberties 

forced upon King John in 1215. 

In clause 39 of Magna Carta, 

John of England promised: 

“No free man shall be seized or 

imprisoned, or stripped of his rights 

or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, 

or deprived of his standing in any 

other way, nor will we proceed with 

Why is citizenship so important? In the 

United States, it’s everything. Without it, 

you are not guaranteed “Due Process.” Due 

process deals with the administration of 

justice and acts as a safeguard. 

force against him, or send others to 

do so, except by the lawful judgment 

of his equals or by the law of the 

land.” 

No free man shall be…exiled… 

green card holders wait no more. 

Let what’s happening be the final lesson. 

Please. 


where do you STAND? 

Be careful what you ask for 

BY MICHAEL G. SARAFA 

During last election season, 

many of my democratic leaning 

friends, including some 

democratic elected officials, were surprised 

by the level and voraciousness of 

Chaldean support for Donald Trump. 

As you know from other writings in 

this space, I was not a Trump fan, nor 

did I ever think he could actually win. 

But, apparently, I was a minority in 

that view amongst Chaldeans, or at 

least vocal Chaldeans. As best as I can 

tell, the support for Trump was founded 

on two major issues: his pro-life stance 

and his aversion towards Muslims. 

On the first, it is true that Trump 

was the better choice for those that 

wanted a conservative, strict constructionist 

appointment to the U.S. 

Supreme Court. This was borne out 

by the nomination of Neil Gorsuch. 

It will be further borne out by other 

appointments that Trump may get. It 

is also true that the Supreme Court, 

regardless of their makeup, will not 

overturn Roe v. Wade. Gorsuch said as 

much at his confirmation hearing. We 

have had a conservative and a Catholic 

majority on the Supreme Court for 

two decades and the Court has not 

shown any proclivity towards this end. 

Still, that is a legitimate issue, even if 

just a single issue, to decide one’s vote. 

Trump is now infamous around the 

world for his anti-Muslim stances and 

rhetoric. In spite of his nauseating 

trip to Saudi Arabia that was notable 

for its mutual sycophancy, Trump has 

successfully garnered the support of a 

wide swath of the American population 

by the fear mongering of Muslims 

and Muslim immigrants. 

Enter the ‘bad hombres.’ Candidate 

Trump famously touted his 

pledge to rid the United States of 

the “bad hombres.” Most presumed 

that this was a direct shot of undocumented 

Mexicans who had committed 

crimes in the U.S. But alas, we 

now learn that this xenophobia is not 

contained to Mexicans, or Muslims 

for that matter, as if that would be 

ok. Lo and behold, hundreds of Chaldeans 

have been caught up in the 

same web of intolerance and fear. As 

non-citizens, felons with deportation 

orders these detainees are low hanging 

fruit for the police state apparatus 

of the U.S. government. 

Make no mistake. What is happening 

to these Chaldeans is heart 

wrenching, immoral and without 

substantiation. Seemingly none of 

these individuals pose a threat to national 

security which is nominally the 

grounds for their potential deportation. 

I believe there is an important 

distinction, though I’m advised it is 

not a legal distinction. All of these 

people were originally present in the 

Unites States legally. Most then committed 

a crime—some severe, some 

less so. Most then were unable to obtain 

citizenship and were ultimately 

“deported” through immigration court 

proceedings. For years, these deportation 

orders were ignored because of 

the situation in Iraq, lack of passports, 

war and a lack of diplomatic relations 

between the U.S. and Iraq. But these 

folks were not “undocumented.” 

Now, after a 40 year U.S. led effort 

to dismantle the Iraqi nation state, 

the country is nearly void of a Christian 

population. An ethnic minority 

population that numbered in the millions 

just a generation ago, is just a 

couple hundred thousand today. Yet, 

our American government is going to 

send these Christian men and women 

into a country that could not be more 

foreign to them, where they have not 

been for decades, where they do not 

speak the language and where they do 

not have any family, in most cases. 

My point is this: This would not 

be happening if Hillary Clinton was 

president; it would not be happening 

if Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Rand 

Paul; you pick the name, were elected 

president. Shame on those drawn to 

Trump’s reactionary, xenophobic and 

fear mongering tendencies. Shame 

on those that can’t see past a single 

issue. Shame on those that can’t see 

Trump as a phony opportunist. 

Elections matter and voters should 

be careful what they ask for. Sometimes, 

you actually get it. 


noteworthy 

Chaldean Class Completed 

Students at St. Fabian Catholic School in Farmington Hills completed the 

Learning Aramaic Class, which was a pilot program. It’s a new Aramaic language 

class through an after-school program launched by the Chaldean Curriculum 

Project Team. The students received their certificates for completing 

the course at the end of the school year. 

Powered by Charity 

Rabir is a 26-year-old Syrian refugee who escaped ISIS and is now in the U.S. 

He never had access to money or good healthcare but now will have his first 

powered wheelchair. His chair was modified by the same man who modified 

Danny Kassab’s wheelchair, which the D-MAN Charity was named. Rabir has 

been wheel-chair bound since he was 15-years-old due to an unknown infection. 

You can learn more about his story and help with his medical costs by 

going to https://www.gofundme.com/powerwheelchair-disabled-refugee 

The Return 

of Christina 

After nearly three 

years of being separated 

from her family, 

little Christina has 

returned. She was abducted August 

of 2014 from the arms of her parents 

in Baghdeda Qaraqosh. 

ISIS abducted the then 3-yearold 

— Christina Khdeir — from the 

arms of her parents. Daash had ordered 

everyone to leave the city, because 

it has become the property of 

the Islamic State and anyone unwilling 

to convert to Islam was stripped 

of all their money, gold and private 

papers, including personal identities. 

At the time of the kidnapping, 

Christina was in her mother’s arms. 

Christina’s mother begged to be with 

her daughter, but was ordered by the 

gunmen to leave the city or face death. 

46th Annual Arab and Chaldean Festival 

The Arab and Chaldean Festival will take place at Hart Plaza, located in 

Downtown Detroit, Michigan, on July 29th and 30th, 2017. 

The Arab World Festival was established as a non–profit community organization 

in 1972 and is now known as the Arab & Chaldean Festival. 

It is the largest Arab Chaldean American cultural event in North America. 

This year, we will be celebrating our 46th Anniversary in the city of Detroit. 

Each year, thousands of people from all ages attend the festival during the twoday 

event activities. The festival features a variety of ethnic food, cultural gallery 

exhibits, and an impressive Middle Eastern live performance which will 

include star singers Hussam Al-Rassam, Ahmad Hatoum, and Omar Jarbo. We 

will also have folklore dance troupes, and a fashion show scheduled on Sunday, 

July 30th, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. www.arabandchaldeanfestival.com 

Touch a Truck for Charity 

St. Jude Iraq will be hosting the event Touch-A-Truck at St. George Chaldean 

Catholic Church on August 26th from 12 pm to 6 pm. This event will showcase 

a variety of vehicles that are not typically seen on a day-to-day basis, including 

firetrucks, police cars, and construction vehicles. Children will be given the 

chance to sit in and explore these vehicles. There is a $5 admission fee and all 

proceeds will benefit St. Jude Iraq. 

Free Legal Aid Clinic 

The Legal Aid and Defender Association 

Outreach Clinic is a FREE legal aid clinic for 

low income individuals, held at the Oakland 

County Law Library. The Chaldean/Arabic 

speaking attorney can advise individuals 

on their rights, court procedures, forms and 

in some cases, may even represent them in 

court. The attorney will answer any questions 

you may have. The clinics are available 

to residents of Oakland, Macomb, and 

Wayne Counties. The attorney will be available 

the 1st clinic date of each month from 1 

p.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: Aug. 2, 

Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. 6. 

The Law Library is located at 1200 North 

Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341…Bldg. 

14 East, West Wing Extension of the Courthouse, 

2nd floor. 

Please call the Law Library with any questions 

regarding location or times @248-858-0012 

Scholarships for College 

From left: Anthony Acho, Spencer Haisha, Maryam Ibrahim, 

Zena Kashat, Jason Kathawa, Michaela Kizy, Alexandria Kizy, 

Collin Konja, Justin Nafso, Alex Yaldoo and Brian Yousif-Dickow 

Several Chaldeans won college scholarships worth 

$1,500 each through the Associated Food and Petroleum 

Dealers Foundation (AFPD) this past June at the annual 

Luncheon held at the Detroit Athletic Club. The winners 

this year include: Anthony Acho, a sophomore at 

Ferris State University studying HVACR engineering. 

Spencer Haisha is a freshman at Wayne State University 

Honors College with a full-ride scholarship to join the 

WSU Forensics Team. Zena Kashat is a sophomore at 

Michigan State University majoring in kinesiology with 

a minor in Arabic. Maryam Ibrahim is a junior at Wayne 

State University studying Computer Science. Alex Yaldoo 

is a junior at the University of Michigan College of 

Engineering studying computer science. Jason Kathawa 

is a freshman at the University of Michigan where he is 

enrolled in the Ross School of Business. Collin Konja is 

a senior at Wayne State University studying finance. Justin 

Nafso is a senior at Rochester College where he will 

complete his major in Biology and minor in Psychology. 

Brian Yousif-Dickow is a senior at Wayne State University. 

He is in the Honors College and is studying electrical 

engineering. Sisters Michaela and Alexandria Kizy both 

won scholarships. Michaela is a freshman at Michigan 

State University’s Lyman Briggs College. Alexandria is 

a junior at University of Michigan studying Cognitive 

Science. Brother and sister Cathreen and Martin Sallan 

won scholarships. Cathreen is a freshman at Walsh 

College. She will be graduating with a Bachelor of Accounting 

in September 2018. Martin is a Junior at Walsh 

College studying Business and Accounting. Anyone is 

interested in sponsoring a graduate or scholarship go to 

www.afpdonline.org. 


chaldean on the STREET 

Detainment unfair? 

BY RENNA SARAFA 

In this issue, we focused on the mass detainment and potential deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians 

in the Metro Detroit area. We wanted to know what our community members thought of the situation. So, we 

posed the question: What do you think of the detainment and possible mass deportation to Iraq? 

“I came here to support our people. It is terrible 

what is going on. They all served their time, and 

they are legal here. It is all up to the Federal Court. 

I hope we hear good news so that they will not be 

deported” 

– Bashar Allos, Sterling Heights 

“I think it’s cruel and inhumane to send the Iraqi 

Americans, who mostly identify with America, to 

Iraq, a country they barely know. Especially because 

it violates national laws and treaties. Their American 

children will suffer and what is going to happen to 

those American families when their dads are gone?” 

– Crystal Kassab Jabiro, Commerce Township 

“My son was 3-years-old when he came to the 

United States. He committed a crime almost 30 

years ago. He is married and has children. Why do 

they want to take him away and send him back to 

Iraq? He already paid for his crime” 

– Margarete Hanna, Sterling Heights 

speaking Sourath 

“My brother has been detained. My opinion of course, 

is that it is inhumane. We are Christians. My brother 

has been here since he was 8-years-old; he made a 

mistake but he paid for it. He doesn’t deserve to be 

deported to a country where he cannot speak the language 

and where they are persecuting Christians. It 

has even been announced by our government that it 

is a genocide, so I do not think the death penalty is 

deserved. Everybody makes mistakes; they did serve 

their time but they don’t deserve the death penalty.” 

– Nada Hana, Shelby Township 

“My opinion on the deportation of immigrants 

to a country of declared genocide is simply inhumane 

and unjust. The people who are currently 

detained have served their time and should be free 

to live the American dream. Many of these men 

and women have built families and lives here in 

America and just cannot walk away. An alternative 

approach must be organized consisting of a 

case-by-case evaluation that does not condone deportation 

to Iraq.” 

– Megan Kajy, West Bloomfield 

“I definitely believe that these deportations are unjust. 

I do not know much about the situation, but 

I definitely feel as if it is unfair. This is our community 

and we should do what we can to protect 

them. However, at the same time we need to follow 

the laws of our country.” 

– John Naaman, Bloomfield Hills 


CHAI time 

CHALDEANS CONNECTING 

COMMUNITY EVENTS IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT JULY 2017 

Saturday July 1 – Monday July 3 

Music: 25th Annual Salute to America 

The Henry Ford Museum located at 

20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, MI 

48124 invites all to join them for the 25th 

anniversary of our quintessential Fourth 

of July celebration. A mesmerizing 

joint concert by the Detroit Symphony 

Orchestra and the Jazz Ambassadors of 

the United States Army Field Band, the 

premier touring musical representatives 

of the United States Army, overwhelms 

Greenfield Village with goodwill. The 

finale is the DSO’s stirring rendition of 

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, played 

in harmony with authentic cannon fire 

under a canopy of fireworks. For VIP 

tickets call 313.982.6001. For groups 

of 10 or more call 313.576.5130. 

Friday July 7 and Saturday July 8 

Concert: It’s the DSO at Ford House 

Join us for the Grosse Pointe tradition 

that celebrates summer with two 

magical evenings of music on the 

lakeside lawn of the enchanting estate. 

Two thrilling programs of Pops music on 

Friday and Classical music on Saturday 

are followed by a fireworks show 

accompanied by your Detroit Symphony 

Orchestra. To purchase tickets, please 

call the Ford House at (313) 884-4222 

Friday July 7 

Music: Lights, Camera, Action! 

Enjoy classics from the Golden Age of 

Hollywood through today’s blockbuster 

hits, including selections from The Sound 

of Music, Back to the Future, John 

Williams favorites, and more! Fairy tales 

come to life through symphonic works 

of classical music’s greatest composers 

including Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Handel, 

and more. Relive legends that have 

captivated generations with your DSO. 

To purchase tickets, please call the Ford 

House at (313) 884-4222 

Friday July 14 

Faith: It’s a Healing Service at 6:30 

p.m. Join ECRC on Second Friday for 

our Healing Service with Tom Naemi at 

ECRC. Every month, you are invited to 

bring your intentions to the Lord, hear 

fellow Christians give witness to their 

faith and spend time singing praise 

and thanks to God at our Healing 

Service. Listen to Tom evangelize the 

faith through scripture and often reflect 

on his own journey from behind prison 

bars to finding freedom in Christ. 

Saturday July 15 

Charity Game Night: Kick off to the 

A.I.R (Asthma is Real) charity event 

from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Raising funds towards 

asthma awareness in Michigan. 

Enjoy strolling appetizers, music, and 

live performances! *Singer, Taran Knight 

*Comedian, Heather Jay Special Guest, 

Miss Universal World 2017, Kendall 

Johnson. Cost: $20. R.S.V.P online 

www.airgamenight.eventbrite.com 

Sunday July 16 

Cruising: It’s a holiday brunch aboard 

the Ovation yacht as we celebrate 

Christmas in July! Join us on Sunday, 

July 16, at 11 a.m. to rock around the 

Christmas tree with The Parade Company, 

our charity of choice for this 

cruise. Sip delicious cocktails and stroll 

through a brunch feast while Detroit native 

Kimmie Horne entertains us with a 

classy blend of jazz, pop, and rhythm 

and blues. A portion of the proceeds 

from every ticket sold benefits The Parade 

Company, best known for Michigan’s 

grandest and most cherished civic 

event, America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Boarding begins at 11 a.m. sharp 

at the Detroit Port Authority dock in 

downtown Detroit. Tickets are $105 per 

person and can be purchased online at 

SummerCruiseSeries.com. For more 

information, call 586-778-9060. 


Family Fun: It’s the Flying Pancake 

Breakfast, Tours, & Family Fun Run/ 

Walk at Greenmead Historical Park 

at 9:00 AM. Featuring Chris Cakes of 

Michigan! Known for their “Flying Pancakes,” 

watch as they’re flipped from the 

grill and onto your plate! Advance tickets 

$8.00 available at the Greenmead Office, 

cash or check only. Tickets $10.00 

day of event, cash only. Fun Run/Walk 

starts at 9 a.m. Pancakes fly from 10 

a.m. - 1 p.m. Tours from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 


Story Time: Join the Solanus Center at 

2 p.m. at AMC Star Southfield for the 

premier of Extraordinary: Stories about 

Father Solanus Casey for Children. 

Children as young as five and adults of 

all ages will enjoy this colorful, engaging 

film that tells fascinating and true 

stories about Detroit’s own Father Solanus 

Casey, a humble Capuchin Friar 

who has been credited with miraculous 

cures and whose pending beatification 

was recently announced by Pope Francis. 

Tickets are free: first come, first 

seated. Register for a drawing at SolanusCenter.org/extraordinary. 

AMC Star 

Southfield, 25333 Twelve Mile Road, 

Southfield, MI. 

Friday July 28 

Praise and Worship: Ignite the Spirit 

is at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross. It will be 

outdoors for a special night under the 

stars. An event every month that begins 

at 7:00pm on the last day of the month, 

repeating until December 29, 2017. 

Join us each month and enjoy a night of 

Eucharistic Adoration, meditation, and 

song. You are invited to praise the Lord 

through his gift of music and to grow in a 

deeper love and intimacy with Him! 

Saturday July 29 – Sunday July 30 

Festival: The 46th Arab and Chaldean 

Festival will be taking place July 29 – 30 

at Hart Plaza. The two day event will feature 

a variety of ethnic foods, cultural gallery 

exhibits, and a live performance from 

Middle Eastern stars Hussam Al-Rassam, 

Ahmad Hatoum, and Omar Jarbo. Also, 

Sunday at 8 p.m. folklore dance troupes 

and a fashion show will be featured. 

Daily through Thursday October 31 

Stroll Through Cranbrook Gardens: 

9:00 am - 5:00 pm Stroll through the 

Sunken Garden, discover a garden folly 

on The Mountain, and take a moment to 

unwind by the Reflecting Pool. Enjoy all 

40 acres of Cranbrrok’s gardens - featuring 

extensive plantings, fountains, statuary, 

lakes and streams - as they evolve 

from spring through fall! Free admission 

is provided courtesy of presenting sponsor 

PNC Bank, and sponsors All Seasons 

Independent Living, Neighborhood 

SEEN, and Roberts Restaurant Group. 

For more information call: 248.645.3149. 

Cranbrook House & Gardens, 380 Lone 

Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI. 

Monday July 10 – Friday July 21 

Summer Camp: Campers, ages 11 – 14, 

at Matrix Theatre will use spoken word, 

music, and visual art to create an original 

performance focused on the issues that 

most affect them. Young artists will have 

the opportunity to explore many artistic 

disciplines, and the camps will culminate 

in a cabaret-style performance of the 

campers’ design. Each camp will be led 

by highly-trained teaching artists and will 

focus on developing performance skills 

and positive social skills. More information 

is forthcoming. Cost: $200. Call 313-967- 

0999 ext. 3 or email Colleen Cartwright at 

ccartwright@matrixtheatre.org for further 

information or with questions. 

Saturday August 26 

Charity: Please join us at the Touch-A- 

Truck event hosted by St. Jude Iraq at St. 

George Chaldean Catholic Church on 

August 26th from 12 pm to 6 pm. This 

event will showcase a variety of vehicles 

that are not typically seen on a day-to-day 

basis, including firetrucks, police cars, 

and construction vehicles. Children will 

be given the chance to sit in and explore 

these vehicles. There is a $5 admission 

fee and all proceeds will benefit St. Jude 

Iraq. St. George Chaldean Catholic 

Church is located at 45700 Dequindre 

Rd., Utica, MI 48317. 

New York Life Congratulates Gabriel H. Sinawi CLU®, ChFC® 

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eligion 

PLACES OF PRAYER 

CHALDEAN CHURCHES IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT 

THE DIOCESE OF ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE IN THE UNITED STATES 

St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Diocese 

25603 Berg Road, Southfield, MI 48033; (248) 351-0440 

Bishop Francis Kalabat 

Retired Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim 

MOTHER OF GOD CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

25585 Berg Road, Southfield, MI 48034; (248) 356-0565 

Administrator: Fr. Pierre Konja 

Retired Priest: Fr. Emanuel Rayes 

Bible Study: Mondays, 7-9 p.m. in English; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. for college 

students in English 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m.; Tuesdays, 8:45 p.m. in English; Saturdays, 

4 p.m. in English; Sundays: 8:30 a.m. in Arabic, 10 a.m. in English, noon 

in Chaldean, 7 p.m. in English 

SACRED HEART CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

30590 Dequindre Road, Warren, MI 48092; (586) 393-5809 

Pastor: Fr. Sameem Belius 

Mass Schedule: Sundays, 10 a.m. in Arabic, 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean 

MAR ADDAI CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

24010 Coolidge Highway, Oak Park, MI 48237; (248) 547-4648 

Pastor: Fr. Stephen Kallabat 

Retired Priest: Fr. Suleiman Denha 

Adoration: Last Friday of the month, 4 p.m. Adoration; 5 p.m. Stations of the 

Cross; 6 p.m. Mass; Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 

Bible Study: Fridays, 8-10 p.m. in Arabic and Chaldean 

Youth Groups: Thursdays, 7:30-9 p.m. Jesus Christ University High School 

and College Mass Schedule: Weekdays, noon; Sundays: 10 a.m. in Chaldean 

and Arabic, 12:30 p.m. High Mass in Chaldean 

ST. JOSEPH CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

2442 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48083; (248) 528-3676 

Pastor: Fr. Rudy Zoma 

Parochial Vicar: Fr. Bryan Kassa 

Bible Study: Mondays, 7 p.m. in Arabic; Tuesdays, 7 p.m. in English; Thursdays, 

7 p.m. Chaldeans Loving Christ Youth Group for High Schoolers 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean except Wednesdays, 10 a.m. 

in Arabic 

Saturdays, 6 p.m. in English and Chaldean; Sundays: 9 a.m. in Arabic, 10:30 

a.m. in English, noon in Chaldean, 2 p.m. in Chaldean and Arabic, 7 p.m. in 

Chaldean 

Baptisms: 3 p.m. on Sundays. 

ST. THOMAS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

6900 Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; (248) 788-2460 

Administrator: Fr. Bashar Sitto 

Parochial Vicars: Fr. Jirgus Abrahim, Fr. Anthony Kathawa 

Retired Priest: Fr. Emanuel Rayes 

Bible Study: Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. in Arabic 

Youth Groups: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Girls Challenge Club for Middle Schoolers; 

Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Chaldeans Loving Christ for High Schoolers; Thursdays, 

6:30 p.m. Boys Conquest Club for Middle Schoolers. 

Other: First Thursday and Friday of each month, 10 a.m. Holy Hour; 11 a.m. 

Mass in Chaldean; Wednesdays from midnight to Thursdays midnight, adoration 

in the Baptismal Room; Saturdays 3 p.m. Night Vespers (Ramsha) in 

Chaldean. 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Saturdays, 5 p.m. in English; 

Sundays: 9 a.m. in English, 10:30 a.m. in English, 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean, 2 

p.m. in Arabic; 6 p.m., Grotto is open for Adoration 24/7 for prayer and reflection. 

ST. GEORGE CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

45700 Dequindre Road, Shelby Township, MI 48317; (586) 254-7221 

Pastor: Fr. Wisam Matti 

Parochial Vicar: Fr. Matthew Zetouna 

Youth Groups: Disciples for Christ for teen boys, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.; Circle of 

Friends for teen girls; Thursdays, 6 p.m.; Bible Study for college students, 

Wednesdays 8 p.m. 

Bible Study: Wednesdays, 8 p.m. in English; Fridays, 8 p.m. in Arabic Mass 

Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean, 7 p.m. in English; Wednesdays, 7 

p.m. Adoration; 8-10 p.m. Confession; Saturdays, 4 p.m. in English (Chaldean 

when no catechism or summer camp); Sunday: 8:30 a.m. in Chaldean, 10 

a.m. in Arabic, 11:30 a.m. in English, 1 p.m. in Chaldean; 7:30 p.m. in English 

Submission Guidelines The Chaldean News welcomes 

submissions of obituaries. They should include the deceased’s 

name, date of birth and death, and names of immediate survivors. 

Please also include some details about the person’s life including 

career and hobbies. Due to space constraints, obituaries can 

not exceed 300 words. We reserve the right to edit those that 

are longer. Send pictures as a high-resolution jpeg attachment. 

E-mail obits to info@chaldeannews.com, or through the mail at 

30095 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. 

HOLY MARTYRS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

43700 Merrill, Sterling Heights, MI 48312; (586) 803-3114 

Rector: Fr. Manuel Boji 

Parochial Vicar: Fr. Andrew Seba 

Bible Study: Mondays, 7 p.m. in Chaldean; 

Thursdays, 8 p.m. Seed of Faith in English; 

Saturdays, 7 p.m. Witness to Faith in Arabic 

Youth Groups: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. for High Schoolers 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 9 a.m. in Chaldean; Thursdays, 7 p.m. in English; 

Saturdays, 5 p.m. in English; Sundays: 9 a.m. in Arabic, 10:30 a.m. in English, 

Morning Prayer at noon, High Mass at 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean; 8 p.m. in English. 

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

11200 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48093; (586) 804-2114 

Pastor: Fr. Fadi Philip 

Parochial Vicar: Fr. Hermiz Haddad 

Bible Study: Thursday, 8 p.m. for ages 18-45; Friday, 8 p.m. in Arabic. 

Teens 4 Mary Youth Group: Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Confession: 1 hour before mass or by appointment. 

Adoration: Thursday, 5-7 p.m. Chapel open 24/7 for adoration. 

Mass Schedule: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Thursday, 1 p.m. 

in English and 7 p.m. in Chaldean; Friday 7 p.m. in Chaldean; Sunday: 10 a.m. 

in Arabic and 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean. 

HOLY CROSS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

32500 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334; (248) 626-5055 

Rector: Msgr. Zouhair Toma Kejbou 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, noon in Chaldean; Saturdays, 4:30 p.m. in English; 

Sundays: 10 a.m. in Chaldean and Arabic, noon in English, 6 p.m., in Arabic. 

ST. PAUL CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

5150 E. Maple Avenue, Grand Blanc, MI 48439; (810) 820-8439 

Pastor: Fr. Ayad Hanna 

Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 6 p.m.; Sundays, 12:30 p.m. 

ST. EPHREM CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

2537 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL 60659; (773) 754-7202, (773) 754- 

8935 

Pastor: Rev. Sanharib Youkhanna 

Retired: Rev. Zia Marano 

MART MARIAM CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 

2700 Willow Road, Northbrook, IL 60062; (630) 847-0149, (847) 897-4808 

Pastor: Rev. Fawaz Elia Kako 

EASTERN CATHOLIC RE-EVANGELIZATION CENTER (ECRC) 

4875 Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48301; (248) 538-9903 

Director: Patrice Abona 

Daily Mass: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. 

Thursdays: 5:30 Adoration and 6:30 Mass 

Bible Study in Arabic: Wednesdays 7 p.m. 

Bible Study in English: Tuesdays 7 p.m. 

ST. GEORGE SHRINE AT CAMP CHALDEAN 

1391 Kellogg Road, Brighton, MI 48114; (888) 822-2267 

___________________________________________________________________________________ 

CHALDEAN SISTERS/DAUGHTERS OF MARY OUR LADY OF THE 

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ORDER 

Superior: Benynia Shikwana 

5159 Corners Drive 

West Bloomfield, MI 48322; (248) 615-2951 

CHALDEAN SISTERS/DAUGHTERS OF MARY HOUSE OF FORMATION 

24900 Middlebelt Road 

Farmington Hills, MI 48336; (248) 987-6731 

ST. GEORGE CONVENT 

Superior: Mubaraka Garmo 

43261 Chardennay 

Sterling Heights, MI 48314; (586) 203-8846 

___________________________________________________________________________________ 

ST. MARY HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST 

4320 E. 14 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48092; (586) 825-0290 

Rector: Fr. Ameer Brikha 

Mass Schedule: Sundays, 9 a.m. in Assyrian; noon in Assyrian and English 

ST. TOMA SYRIAC CATHOLIC CHURCH 

25600 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48335; (248) 478-0835 

Pastor: Fr. Toma Behnama 

Fr. Safaa Habash 

Mass Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 6 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. All in 

Syriac, Arabic and English 

CHRIST THE KING SYRIAC CATHOLIC CHURCH 

2300 John R, Troy, MI 48083; (248) 818-2886 

For all those detained and at risk 

of being deported, let’s pray that 

St. Michael the Archangel will intercede 

for them and protect them 

from any danger. 

St. Michael the Archangel, 

defend us in battle. 

Be our defense against the 

wickedness and snares of the 

Devil. 

May God rebuke him, we 

humbly pray, 

and do thou, 

O Prince of the heavenly hosts, 

by the power of God, 

thrust into hell Satan, 

and all the evil spirits, 

who prowl about the world 

seeking the ruin of souls. 

Amen.. 

O glorious prince St. Michael, 

chief and commander of the 

heavenly hosts, 

guardian of souls, vanquisher 

of rebel spirits, 

servant in the house of the 

Divine King 

and our admirable conductor, 

you who shine with excellence 

and superhuman virtue deliver 

us from all evil, who turn to 

you with confidence 

and enable us by your gracious 

protection to serve God more 

and more faithfully every day. 


obituaries 

Mansour Elia Mansour 

Mansour Elia Mansour, 

87, was born 

on October 5, 1929. 

He passed on April 

25, 2017. Mansour 

is preceded in death 

by his beloved wife 

Aida Yousif Mansour; 

who passed earlier 

this year on January 4th. Mansour was 

a loving father to five children, Nuha 

Hayoo (Wilson), May Mansour, Nazar 

Mansour (Nadia), Nabeel Mansour and 

Souha Maltese (Robert). He has five 

grandchildren and one great grandson. 

Mansour was born in Baghdad, Iraq 

and moved to Michigan with his whole 

family in 1973. He started working at a 

very young age to provide for his family. 

He always kept himself busy and 

was often found working on his garden 

or his car -he cherished both so much. 

When he wasn’t working outside, he 

could be found cheering for the Red 

Wings or Pistons – he was an avid Detroit 

sports fan. Mansour will be missed 

by many, but the time had come to join 

his beloved wife in the afterlife. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary 

and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

– Matthew 11:28 

Adil Hanna Kallabat 

Our father, Adil 

Hanna Kallabat, 

was born in Tel 

Kaif, Iraq on September 

5, 1941, and 

entered heaven on 

April 19, 2017. Our 

father was a loving 

and dedicated father 

to four children, Evon Qarana 

(Laheb), Danny, Debbie, Bryant 

(Olivia Kalasho), 5 grandchildren 

and husband of 49 years to Lamya 

Kallabat. Through his love, compassion, 

kindness, attention, wisdom, 

generosity, and sacrifice, Adil 

earned the respect of his family, 

friends, and community. 

He was an amazing husband, father, 

grandfather, uncle, and friend. 

He taught us how to live a Christian 

life. Forgive and not hold grudges. Live 

life and see the world. Laugh and share 

stories. Be kind and listen. Spend time 

with family and friends. Be selfless. He 

was the definition of a true man. 

We were very blessed to have a 

father who loved his family and the 

church. He is so greatly missed. Rest 

in peace Pops! We love you. 

A MI N I S T RY OF THE A R C H D I O C E S E OF DE T R O I T 

HOLY SEPULCHRE 

CATHOLIC CEMETERY 

Living Our Mission 

We are a Church-owned non-profit 

organization founded from faith. 

Dedicated to providing education, 

support and resources during life’s 

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every effort to enable individuals 

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thoroughly informed decisions. 

A complete resource for all your cemetery services. 

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obituaries 

RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

Asso Dawood 

Arafat 

April 20, 1932 - 

June 20, 2017 

Jamila Saroki 

Dickow 

November 20, 1925 

- June 19, 2017) 

Jamila Najor Jabero 

August 15, 1930 - 


Basil Aggoubi Yaldo 

April 4, 1957 - 


Sameer S. Ishak 

December 23, 1943 

- June 7, 2017 

Michael Paul Gray 

June 18, 1980 - 


Bernadette Farage 

March 20, 1925 - 


Farouk Shukri Nalu 

February 2, 1939 - 


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Evlin Ateek 

June 6, 1928 - 


Ikhlas Geeza 

June 27, 1961 - 


Masud Putrus 

Shoko 

January 1, 1948 - 


Patrick Noel Kajy 

April 14, 1964 - 

May 31, 2017 

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White Chapel’s Celebration of Life Center 

A Beautiful Place to Reflect, Honor and Celebrate Life. 

PERSONALIZED MEMORIALIZATION • CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICES • RECEPTION SERVICES 

Visit us to learn about how our trained 

and certified Celebrants can help you lead 

and plan a more meaningful and 

personalized Celebration of Life ceremony 

that reflects your loved one's beliefs that 

shares the beautiful story of your loved 

one's unique life. 

White Chapel has convenient multiple 

reception and celebration rooms on-site for 

families and friends to share food, stories, 

laughter and some tears together that pays 

loving tribute to their loved one. Our 

Celebration rooms and contracted catering 

and hospitality services can accomodate 

groups of 10 to 180 in a relaxed and 

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Please feel free to contact one of our pre-planning specialists regarding ways to preserve your family legacy. 

“I have been a part of JPHC’s office staff 

for 9 years. Our managers have made it 

a priority to provide strong support for 

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Community members rally in Detroit. 

Detained to be Deported 

Members of the Chaldean community rounded up by ICE 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

As early as 5 a.m. on Sunday June 11, U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

(ICE) officials began raids into homes, 

and other establishments including the beach, 

and even a hospital. They arrested more than 100 

Iraqi nationals, mostly Christians, in the Metro 

Detroit area. 

Friends and families of those detained followed 

their loved ones to the ICE Enforcement and 

Removal Operations Field Offices in Detroit. 

Clutching to the barred fence, they watched 

with fear, confusion, and anger as the detainees 

were escorted out of the building into a total of 

three buses. Several people jumped in front of 

the driving buses. One woman, overcome with 

emotions for her husband, fainted and another 

had bruises on her arm as a result of police 

pulling her away, because she refused to let her 

brother go “just like this.” 

“We were able to delay the bus for half-anhour 

and could’ve stopped it if there were more 

people,” said Victor Mendez, member of BAMN 

(Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, 

and Immigration Rights and Fight for 

Equality by Any Means Necessary). 

The buses took the detainees to Youngstown, 

Ohio, and information spread that they would be 

boarding a plane heading to Iraq that weekend. 

Some family members were told to bring a small 

bag of belongings to the detainees, which many 

viewed as the last step before deportation. 

When Mendez heard that ICE had targeted the 

Iraqi community, he and other BAMN members 

decided to bring mobility to it. “Today they’re coming 

after Chaldeans,” he said. “If we don’t fight together 

as immigrants, even the Europeans, Trump 

will slowly get everyone.” 

While it caught the community by surprise, 

the action by ICE stemmed from a deal made in 

March, when Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi 

agreed to waive travel documents so Iraqis could 

be deported from the United States to Iraq. In exchange, 

the U.S. President removed Iraq from the 

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence offers support at rally. 

list of countries on the travel ban. 

The detained had not entered the United 

States illegally, but had lost their green card status 

for having at some point broken the law, and therefore 

were under an order of deportation. ICE in 

its statement said that 199 Iraqi nationals arrested 

nationwide are security risks and the overwhelming 

majority had criminal convictions for crimes 

including homicide, rape, aggravated assault, kidnapping, 

burglary, drug trafficking, robbery, sex assault, 

weapons violations and other offenses. 

But in interviewing the families of the detainees, 

activists and attorneys found the opposite to 

be true. Most of the cases were low-level nonviolent 

crimes that were committed decades ago 

and involved, for instance, the possession of marijuana 

at a time when it was considered a felony. 

Today that’s a misdemeanor. Those involved 

had paid their debt to society and had since kept 

a clean record. 

Many of them have been in the United States 

when they were children and do not speak Arabic. 

Britanny Hamama, 20, a junior at the University 

of Michigan, shared her father’s story, Usama 

“Sam” Hamama, 54. He came to the United 

States legally when he was 4-years-old. Thirty 

years ago he was found in possession of a gun that 

was not registered. He served time in prison and 

had no other arrests or convictions since then. 

He later got married and had four children. 

Sam was picked up around 9:30 a.m., as the 

family was getting ready to go to Mass. ICE officials 

said that they simply needed to question 

him and promised he’d return the next day. But 

Britanny, like others with similar situations, did 

not believe this to be true. 

Sabrina Pasha said that her son, Tony Hermez, 

came to the United States in 1979 at age 

four. He was arrested in front of his two children, 

age 12 and 5. 

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Pasha said and 

begged that the president view her son’s kids as he 


would his own. “Our hearts are broken. We didn’t 

sleep for two days. We’re going crazy.” 

Since June 11, there were more raids and arrests 

of Iraqi nationals. There were also a number of anti-deportation 

protests that took place at Mother 

of God Church, in Detroit and Sterling Heights 

with families, including children, sharing heartbreaking 

stories; a twelve-year-old talked about 

the pain of seeing her father handcuffed in front of 

her and “ripped out of her life”; an elementary student 

talked about her brother whose wedding was 

scheduled July 1st (she was going to be one of his 

bridesmaids). He had not done a crime but had an 

“error” on his file; a young woman talked about her 

uncle whose wife, seven-months pregnant, ended 

up in the hospital due to the stress of the situation. 

With many of their loved ones not knowing 

how to speak Arabic, and some even having the 

tattoo of the cross on their wrists, they felt that 

sending them to Iraq was a death sentence. 

STORY continued from page 23 


Fighting to Stay 

Leaders in the community work 

to stop the deportations. 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

In response to the Sunday, June 

11 raids by U.S. Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement (ICE), 

Iraqi leaders, activists, and organizations 

quickly went to work to fight 

the mass deportations of Iraqi nationals, 

mostly Christians. 

Bishop Francis Kalabat sent out 

a statement that the Church was 

working with many agencies to try 

and “stop the bleeding.” He wrote, 

“Many who were picked up are not 

hardened criminals but for the last 

decades have been great citizens. The 

Genocide bill that was just passed by 

Congress last week to protect Christians 

goes against this very thing.” 

However, the work actually started 

months prior to the raids. The 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

(CCF) had been reaching out to 

congressional leaders and others to 

address the potential risk. 

“This work actually allowed us to 

react quickly once the ICE began to 

detain people,” said Martin Manna, 

president and CEO of the CCF. “We 

immediately began meeting with 

leaders, lawyers and our church leaders. 

There was no time wasted.” 

According to a message by Bishop 

Francis posted on Facebook, Martin 

Manna of the Chaldean Community 

Foundation had been working with 

a law firm comprised of former senators 

and federal agents prior to the 

sweep of Iraqi nationals. In addition, 

several lawyers and firms offered pro 

bono work. These included Ira Jaffe 

and the Law Firm of Jaffe Raitt Heuer 

and Weiss, Geoffrey Fieger and the 

Fieger Law Firm as well as Carl Levin 

and the Honigman Miller Law Firm. 

On Monday on June 12 at noon, 

protesters gathered at Mother of 

God Church in Southfield and afterward 

moved their protest to Sterling 

Heights on Ryan Road and 15 Mile 

area. They later walked to the front 

of the Chaldean Community Foundation 

(CCF) where Father Boji and 

Martin Manna came out to answer 

their questions. 

“The Church is very aware of 

what’s going on and is using all its efforts 

to help,” said Father Boji, adding 

what they’ve been doing long 

before the raids began. Several weeks 

prior, for instance, the Patriarchs of 

different Iraqi Christian sects had a 

meeting with Vice President Pence 

where they discussed these and other 

issues affecting the Christians in the 

Middle East. 

Manna stressed the importance 

of detainees hiring individual attorneys, 

and asked that those who can’t 

afford an attorney, to contact the 

foundation. 

“I want you to know that a couple 

of months ago many other people 

PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA AND WEAM NAMOU 

Clockwise from top of page: 

Father Anthony Kathawa; 

Shoki Konja; Congressman Sander 

Levin with Congresswoman Brenda 

Lawrence; community member 

talks about personal experience. 

were in the same predicament,” said 

Manna. “The only person that was 

sent back to Iraq, voluntarily agreed 

to go. It’s very important that anyone 

you’re working with never volunteers 

and says I want to be deported or I 

want to leave this country. They don’t 

want to leave. They will be harmed 

and persecuted if they leave.” 

That same day, Bishop Kalabat sent 

out another statement in response to 

a rumor that the Church had signed 

documents allowing the deportation 

of Chaldeans to Iraq. He wrote this 

was not true, that “There was no such 

thing discussed, signed, or issued.” 

On Monday, June 12 at 2 am, 

Nathan Kalasho, one of the founders 

of A Demand for Action, director 

of KEYS Grace Academy Charter 

School, and part of CODE Legal Aid, 

posted on his Facebook Page “To my 

community… we need to galvanize. 

This will not be tolerated. We will 

not allow our members to be victims 

of this inhumane treatment.” 

An hour later, Kalasho posted 

a community call to action, asking 


immigration attorneys, volunteers, 

and families of those that have been 

detained to come to KEYS Grace 

Academy in Madison Heights at 

9:45 pm. This initiated an aroundthe-clock 

effort led by CODE Legal 

Aid, a non-profit organization that’s 

dedicated to providing legal advocacy 

and assistance to those in need. 

The next day, Tuesday, June 13, 

the Chaldean Community Foundation 

hosted a meeting with retired 

Senator Carl Levin, the John Ashcroft 

Law Firm, American Civil Liberties 

Union (ACLU), International 

Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), 

CODE Legal Aid, KEYS Grace 

Academy and several immigration 

attorneys and community leaders to 

discuss efforts to stop deportations. 

The Chaldean clergy throughout 

the Metro Detroit and Chicago 

area invited everyone to join them 

in prayers and Holy Hour for the 

people who were detained. Prayers 

were also offered for their families 

and loved ones who are suffering during 

this difficult time. Masses & Holy 

Hours were all held Thursday, June 

15, which was the Feast of Corpus 

Christi (Body of Christ) Day. 

Meanwhile, Nathan’s younger 

sister, Nadine Kalasho, president of 

CODE Legal Aid, and her partner in 

the business Nora Youkhana, along 

with help from countless volunteers 

and numerous attorneys, particularly 

Wisam Naoum and Edward Bajoka, 

kept the doors to KEYS Grace Academy 

opened to ensure that every detainee 

had proper representation. 

Within 48 hours, Congressman 

Sander Levin with support from 

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence 

led the efforts to get the entire 

Michigan delegation to sign a letter 

requesting the deportations to stop 

and sent that letter to Homeland 

Security Secretary John Kelly. Major 

media outlets such as Newsweek, 

CNN, Huffington Post, Fox News, 

and Politico brought nationwide and 

international attention to this issue 

by covering the story. In additional 

another was initiative Congressman 

David Trott. These were merely two 

of several letters that were signed by 

members of congress. 

On Thursday June 15, the ACLU 

of Michigan with support of CODE 

Legal Aid. filed a class-action lawsuit 

seeking to halt the deportation of the 

114 Iraqi nationals who were taken 

into custody. In the complaint, they 

argued that it is illegal to deport the 

detainees without giving them an 

opportunity to prove they could face 

torture or death if returned to Iraq. 

Alongside the ACLU and CODE 

Legal Aid was the Chaldean Community 

Foundation, who retained 

former Senator Carl Levin, now with 

Honigman Law Firm to file an Amicus 

Brief on behalf of the Foundation 

and members of the community who 

have been detained. 

On Friday at 3 p.m., in front of 

the McNamara Federal Building, at a 

rally that included several elected officials 

and various community organizations, 

Nadine Kalasho said, “We 

were able to get reassurances from 

the government that no plane is going 

to be leaving at least until we are 

heard on Wednesday at 2 p.m.” 

On that Wednesday, June 21, an 

organized rally was held before the 

hearing in front of the U.S. District 

Federal Court Building. KEYS Grace 

Academy provided bus transportation 

for hundreds of people who met 

up at Madison High School. There 

were a number of speaker’s present, 

including many children of those detained. 

The rally started at 12 p.m., 

lasted for a few hours, and then people 

began lining up to enter the federal 

building. Due to limitations with 

seating, only one family member of 

each person detained was allowed to 

enter the courthouse. 

Judge Mark A. Goldsmith issued 

a stay on the deportation of Chaldean 

and Iraq immigrants arrested 

by ICE agents for 14 days. The order 

came down Thursday June 22 in the 

evening just after 7 p.m. 

Goldsmith, whose order will expire 

July 6, wrote that the court is 

unsure it has “subject matter jurisdiction.” 

Meanwhile, none of the leaders, 

activists, clergymen, or attorneys 

from the community have stopped 

working. Manna issued a statement 

the following morning saying, “We 

have appealed to Governor Snyder 

to consider pardons for those with 

State Felonies and offering further 

instructions.” 

On Monday June 26, Judge Goldsmith 

held an emergency hearing 

to expand the extension for those 

detained to include others around 

country. 

Ashourina Slewo contributed to this 

story. This story was updated as of 

print date on June 26. For further 

information, please visit the Chaldean 

News Facebook page and follow us on 

Twitter and Instagram. 

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A Level-Headed Manager 

Hyassant Najor is the new Market Development 

Manager at Level One Bank 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

In 2006, Hyassant Najor, Market Development 

Manager at Level One Bank, returned to work at 

what was then known as Bank of Michigan. Najor 

had taken a break from work to take care of her young 

children. Now ten years later, Bank of Michigan has 

been acquired by Level One Bank, but Najor stands 

strong still with a recent promotion to prove it. 

“I took a break from work to raise my children 

and as they grew older I decided to go back into the 

work force,” said Najor. “Ten years ago, I began my 

journey at the bank and it has led me to this position 

in management.” 

Najor started working at the Bank of Michigan 

as a teller where she persisted and worked her way 

up the ladder and into the position of Assistant 

Manager. Najor’s unwavering dedication to the 

job continued even throughout the acquisition of 

Bank of Michigan. Continuing her work as Assistant 

Manager, Najor was able to prove herself at 

Level One Bank, leading to her recent promotion 

in April to Market Development Manager at the 

Farmington Hills location. 

“Now with Level One Bank, I continue to prove 

myself every day through hard work and dedication 

to my clients and team, and as a result I was recently 

promoted to Market Development Manager 

at our Farmington Hills location,” said Najor. 

In this new position, Najor is able to work with 

clients personally, giving her the opportunity to 

be hands-on in a capacity that was not necessarily 

possible in her position as a teller. “Becoming a 

manager allows me to be of service in greater depth 

to the community.” 

As well, Najor, is able to use her position as 

Market Development Manager to connect with 

clients on a more personal level. This ability to 

connect with her clients on a daily basis is what 

makes Najor so passionate about her role at Level 

One Bank. In this role, Najor is able to showcase 

her abilities as she works with clients to achieve 

their financial dreams. 

Oftentimes, Najor finds herself going beyond 

the call of duty in order to help her clients make 

their dreams a reality or guide them through financial 

turbulence. “I am very hands on, and I go beyond 

the basics to find out what my clients need in 

order to provide them the best financial solutions,” 

said Najor. “I value relationships and I love helping 

people make their dreams a reality. That’s why I am 

so passionate about my role with Level One Bank.” 

Hyassant Najor 

In many instances, clients come to Najor when 

they encounter a financial problem or obstacle that 

impacts their life in one way or another. They come 

to Najor and Level One Bank seeking financial guidance. 

From there, Najor seeks solutions to each individual 

problem, giving each client that walks into 

Level One Bank the careful attention they need. 

“By providing careful attention to my clients, 

getting to know them each personally, and truly 

understanding their needs, I can help lead them towards 

the right financial services,” said Najor. “As 

a client at Level One, you will be taken care of and 

feel like part of a community, not just a number or 

a nameless face in the crowd.” 

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ECONOMICS & enterprise 

Chaldean brings 

a taste of Dubai 

to Birmingham 

BY LISA CIPRIANO 

Bateel is the Arabic word for the young 

branch of the date palm tree. Bateel is also 

the name of an increasingly popular and 

continually expanding brand of gourmet fare based 

in Dubai. And now, its delicacies can be enjoyed 

here in the U.S. at its very first retail location in 

Oakland County’s beautiful city of Birmingham. 

It all began in 1992 in a small town in Central 

Arabia’s Riyadh Province called Al-Ghat – a place 

with ideal water, soil and climate conditions that 

are the perfect recipe to produce the most tender, 

delicious world-class dates. “Dates are a staple in 

Middle Eastern culture,” explained General Manager 

of Bateel USA, Jehan Kejbou. “They only 

grow and thrive in the hot desert of the Middle 

East with its dry hot summers.” In fact, Bateel offers 

more than 20 varieties of dates from its very 

own ideally situated date farms. 

It was on one of those Saudi Arabian date farms 

where Bateel Owner, Dr. Ziad Al Sudairy had the 

idea to turn this Middle Eastern staple food into 

something even more special and offer them to the 

world in a variety of ways. Organic balsamic vinegars 

made from dates, pastries with delicious dates 

and dates combined with some of the world’s most 

premium chocolates imported from France and 

Belgium are just some of the ways Bateel is quickly, 

strategically and successfully winning its way into 

the world’s palate. 

That very finest of fare along with a group of 

investors has helped turn that first shop in Riyadh 

into an international chain of 36 shops and seven 

cafes in 16 countries. 

Now, one of those boutiques is proudly and strategically 

located on 215 N. Old Woodward Avenue 

in Birmingham, Michigan. It officially opened its 

doors this past April and is finding a wide-range of 

eager customers. “The surrounding community has 

been very welcoming,” Kejbou said. “We have a terrific 

range of people from Middle Easterners/Chaldeans 

to Jewish people to your average walk-ins who 

are now regular customers. There are people who 

have never really tried dates and are loving them.” 

Of course, that means there are plans in the 

works for more U.S. locations in the future. “The 

next locations on the five to 10 year plan are 

Georgetown in Washington D.C., New York City 

and Los Angeles,” added Kejbou. The long-term 

goal is to have a Bateel shop in every major city 

in America. 

Until then, the company has a shipping 

operation for those in the U.S. who need 

their Bateel but don’t have a shop near their 

home. “We have always done tremendous 

amount of online shipping via email for our client 

base all over the country even prior to us opening 

this store,” said Kejbou. “We’re currently working 

on putting up an online order form on our website 

for our Birmingham boutique. It should be up 

and running in the next few weeks.” The items 

come directly from Dubai and are stored in Bateel 

U.S.A.’s new warehouse in Southfield, which supplies 

the Birmingham store and its online orders. 

You can always order online. But, it’s worth a 

trip to the Birmingham store as its charm is certainly 

something to behold. It was modeled down 

to the very last detail after Bateel’s flagship store 

in Dubai in an exacting effort to give customers 

that authentic Bateel feel. “Our architect traveled 

to Dubai, photographed and took samples of 

wallpaper, countertops and everything,” explained 

Kejobou. “She brought it all back to Michigan and 

designed the whole store to look like you walked 

into the store in Dubai. She did a fantastic job.” 

The luxurious new boutique currently employs 

A taste of Dubai on display 

five people. The local Chaldean community has 

played a big part in making Bateel’s first U.S. location 

come to life. “I’m Chaldean. Our architect, builder 

and one of our owners is Chaldean,” said Kejbou. 

In fact, Bateel fare is emerging as a hot, new 

trend at weddings within the community. Massive 

pastry tables complete with pyramids of Bateel dates 

are a Chaldean wedding hit. But, the sweetest, most 

sought-after wedding treat are its valet boxes – a 

small sample of Bateel luxury placed in the vehicle 

of each wedding guest. It’s a brilliant way to help 

give everyone a taste of Bateel and build a solid client 

base. It’s also a great way to bring a true taste of 

the Middle East to a wedding feast. 

You don’t have to wait until you’re gifted it, 

though. The new Bateel Boutique in Birmingham 

is open and ready to serve you. “Come in and let us 

feed you,” concluded Kejbou. 

Visit the Bateel U.S.A. website for more information: 

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Putting Your Best Face Forward 

The Mackinac Policy Conference creates the environment to Naturally Network 

BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO 

By the mere nature of my career, 

I have had to learn an important 

skill — how to network. 

Over the years, I created a workshop 

on the very subject called Naturally 

Networking. It is now part of my 

consulting practice. The best place 

to test your networking skill is at the 

Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac 

Policy Conference. 

I started attending this annual 

event in the mid-90s as a reporter 

and have interviewed many leaders 

in politics and business over the 

years. Since 2010, I have attended 

as both the Co-publisher of the 

Chaldean News and as the Founder 

of Denha Media Group. I have had 

the pleasure of creating life-long colleagues 

and friends who I have met 

at the conference including some 

clients. 

One client, Westland Mayor William 

R. Wild calls the Mackinac Policy 

Conference my Super Bowl. 

Wearing the Chaldean News hat, 

I pen this column about the Detroit 

Regional Chamber’s Annual Conference, 

but not about what happened 

during the conference. That’s been 

reported already. For the purpose of 

this piece, I wanted to share some 

networking suggestions from some of 

Metro-Detroit’s talent. 

“This conference is a gathering of 

1600 people or more of Michigan’s 

top leadership and it is a great learning 

experience with great thought 

leadership we bring in from all parts 

of the country,” said Sandy Baruah, 

president and CEO of the Detroit 

Regional Chamber. “We bring in a 

dozen of thought leaders and it is a 

tremendous learning opportunity. 

That is why we broadcast it live on 

DPTV, so we can open it up to everyone.” 

Sometimes the art of networking 

is creating a buzz before your get to 

the island, which Westland Mayor 

William Wild has done for several 

years. He has strategically placed 

billboards on I 75 just so conference 

goers can get a glimpse of his message 

before they hit the ferry docks. 

A grand place to network 

This year he also brought along 

buttons with the message “My City 

Matters” to piggy back on his billboard 

message of “Your City Matters.” 

His messaging was about revenue 

sharing from the state and how cities 

are negatively impacted economically 

by the revenue sharing formula. 

The messaging created the conversation 

on the island. 

This year, I wanted to elaborate 

on the art of networking and find 

out what style of networking other 

people at the conference have used 

over the years. They share their approaches 

below. 

“Networking is an important opportunity 

to meet people. It allows 

you to learn about other people and 

other industries and advance your 

initiatives and allows others to collaborate. 

It is a win for everyone, 

from a personal, profession and business 

perspective. Networking at this 

conference is where partnerships get 

formed. I don’t have a specific technique 

per se but I listen a lot and ask 

a lot of questions and get very engaged. 

It lends for very meaningful 

conversations. We connect with all 

kinds of people in various industries 

including, academia and government 

and of course manufacturing.” 

– Christine Longroy, automotive 

industry manager with SME 

“When I am networking, I am always 

trying to figure out what the other 

person’s needs are and within my 

rolodex I try to figure out if there is 

a connection. There is a book called, 

“Love is the Killer APP” and it talks 

about sharing your network with no 

barriers and no protection and with 

that you strengthen your network. If 

I hadn’t done that kind of networking 

over the years, I would not have 

job that I have today” 

– Melanie Duquesnel, president and 

CEO of the Better Business Bureau 

“The thing about networking is 

that there is performance to it. You 

are trying to engage people the best 

that you can. I try to come up with 

current event topics, business topics 

and a series of questions that keep 

people talking about their business. 

From that, I usually find something 

in common that carries on a conversation 

but the key thing is don’t hard 

sell anyone. Just get to know them, 

especially in an environment like the 

Policy Conference.” 

– Dan West, president and CEO of the 

Livonia Chamber of Commerce 

“My own personal style is getting up 

close and personal. I don’t talk about 

religion. I don’t talk about politics. I 

try to get to a common ground. When 

you are networking with people from 

a business standpoint, it is sometimes 

hard to connect. If you are in finance 

and I am in PR, what do we have in 

common? But, if we both have kids 

or live in the same community, that 

shows common ground and we can 

move the conversation along.” 

– Michelle Gilbert, VP of Public 

Relations and Social Media for Comcast 

“It’s all about supporting each other. 

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Mayor Wild’s billboard on I75 

We try to communicate with as many 

people as we can and find commonalties 

and find ways to support each 

other. We have to tell our story.” 

– Saad Abbo, chairman of the 

Chaldean American Chamber of 

Commerce and Founder of U.S Ice 

“Networking is about being open to 

new discussions and ideas that benefit 

our community.” 

– Paul Jonna, board member of the 

Chaldean American Chamber of 

Commerce and Attorney with 

Taubman Company 

“I believe that networking is one 

of the most important skills that 

anyone can have in life. I approach 

networking like I approach everything. 

I must be myself in conversations. 

I must be a good listener and 

show that I care very much about 

the person who I am talking with 

and the Detroit Regional Chamber 

Mackinac Policy Conferece is one 

of the state’s signature and premier 

networking events. It is an opportunity 

to meet people you may never 

be able to meet and it is an opportunity 

to fortify relationships. It brings 

us together as community so we can 

have a conversation about the issues 

important to our state.” 

– Lena Epstein, Trump Campaign 

Chair for Michigan and Candidate 

for U.S. Senate 

“I have never been accused of being 

an introvert. When you come 

from a Lebanese and Syrian family, 

you tend to be very outgoing; you 

want to meet new people, you want 

to talk to new people. It is the way 

I have been raised and how I have 

always approached this event. This 

is a unique opportunity to have so 

many people from so many different 

important businesses, industries, 

community services and nonprofits 

coming together. You are just learning 

about them and they are learning 

about you and whatever group you 

represent.” 

– Geralyn Lasher, senior deputy 

director for External Relations and 

Communications for the Michigan 

Department of Health and 

Human Services 

“Networking for me has always been 

about creating relationships. Need to 

consider what you want to achieve, 

your purpose for networking — is it 

for professional growth and opportunities 

or for acquiring new business, 

and what relationships you want to 

nurture or grow. Networking for me 

has been about connecting people 

to Children’s Hospital of Michigan 

and the amazing work we do. I determine 

the events and activities 

that will put me in touch with those 

I want to meet. I have been active 

in professional groups that align with 

my personal goals and that accelerate 

the networking process. Midwest 

Chapter of the American College 

of Healthcare Executives, Inforum, 

Leadership Detroit/Detroit Chamber 

for example work the room — be 

yourself — find common interests 

and purposes. Be strategic and active 

with social media to make and 

nurture the connections you need - 

LinkedIn, Twitter for example. Don’t 

simply build your network to build 

your network; we have so little time, 

with lots of things competing for our 

attention, make networking work for 

you. Be yourself and have a few good 

stories in your pocket to break the 

ice.” 

– Luanne Thomas Ewald, president 

of DMC’s Children’s Hospital of 

Michigan. 

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DayOnTheTown2017-ChaldeanNews-4.375wx12h.indd 1 

JULY 2017 CHALDEAN NEWS 27 

6/19/17 11:41 AM

Left: 

Miss Iraq 

crowned 

Miss Iraq 2017 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

Iraq held its first beauty pageant in 1972 and 

then went for 43 years without the competition. 

Then in 2015, despite harassment and death 

threats from those who considered it immoral, the 

contest resumed. The Miss Iraq 2017 pageant ceremony, 

sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, 

and Antiquities, was held on May 25 at the 

Babylon Warwick Hotel in Baghdad. 

For the first time in history, 

women of Arab, Kurdish, Turkmen, 

Chaldean/Assyrian and Yezidi origin 

were invited to participate together. 

Unfortunately, not all the 

communities were able to do so. 

“Despite our efforts, including 

promotion of the regions of Assyria 

and Chaldea, we received very few 

applicants from Chaldean and Assyrian 

communities – around three 

out of 300 applications,” said Syed, 

one of a number of media volunteers 

for Miss Iraq organization. “It 

was disheartening since we were expecting 

many of Assyrian and Chaldean 

girls from Iraq and diaspora to 

participate. But the reverse was true 

in reality.” 

This year, the Ministry of Culture 

particularly recognized Miss Nineveh, Lydya 

Khallat, 23, a Yezidi of mixed Babylonian and 

Kurdish descent. Her mother is from the City of 

Hillah in Babylon governorate and her father is a 

Kurd of Jaff tribe from the city of Sulaymaniyah. 

Originally a resident of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan 

region, she later moved to Baghdad where she 

worked at an insurance/investment company. She 

speaks fluent English and last year she graduated 

from Al Mustansiriya University with a bachelor’s 

degree in software engineering. 

“My message is to spread the true [positive] image 

of the Yazidi woman, that she can participate 

in any competition that’s out there,” said Khallat 

before the ceremony. “We love life, we’re here to 

stay and we’ll be thorns in the eyes of whoever 

threatens our existence.” 

Fifteen women from the provinces of Iraq, 

including the Kurdistan region’s provinces, competed 

for the Miss Iraq crown but Khallat (representing 

the region of Karkh) was announced the 

winner. Fawzi Atroshi, Deputy Minister of Culture 

of Iraq and the supervisor of the contest, said, “It 

is her exceptional qualities that made her win… 

not only is she cultured and well educated, but her 

beauty evokes aristocracy.” 

Masty Hama Adel (Miss Halabja-Hawraman), 

18, was runner up and Marina Roqan from Damascus, 

Syrian (representing the region of Rusafa – 

East Baghdad) and Sara Abduljabbar (Miss Erbil) 

were second and third runner-ups respectively. 

“I felt that the crown had all the responsibilities 

of the world [placed] on my head,” said Khallat. 

“It was a very beautiful feeling. As soon as I 

wore the crown, I said that’s it, I have to from now 

on pay attention to my steps, my conduct with 

people, and the issues I’ll be working on, how I’ll 

present and deliver them in the upcoming days.” 

Khallat took a one-year leave of absence from 

her job and put her plans on hold to attain her 

masters degree until she has completed her obligations 

as Miss Iraq. 

“I want to prove my presence in society, that I 

can make at least part of my dreams come true and 

to serve the poor people, particularly the children,” 

said Khallat. 

The first thing she wants to work on is what 

brought her to the competition in the first place, 

the issue of women’s rights. 

“I feel the woman is victimized in society,” said 

Khallat. “She has difficulty attaining her rights and 

needs education and support to help her do so.” 

Other issues she’ll be addressing are poverty 

and the displaced. She and her runner-ups have 

already taken a tour of northern Iraq, visiting 

Khazer Refugee Camp near Aski Kalak in Nineveh 

where they distributed gifts and spent time with 

the children of the internally displaced families 

from Mosul. The Nineveh governate 

was occupied by ISIS in 2014 

and became their hub. Today, it 

has almost been entirely liberated 

thanks to the sacrifices of the Iraqi 

Army, Peshmerga, [Popular Mobilization 

Units] PMUs and the 

people of Nineveh. They also visited 

the historical and holiest Yezidi 

temple in the town of Lalish. 

This October, Iraq will participate 

for the first time in the Miss Earth 

contest in the Philippines. 

Khallat calls the other contestants 

“sisters” and continues communication 

with them, oftentimes 

having them participate in the 

programs she’s involved with. 

“It’s not just about the queen, 

it’s about all of us coming together 

and doing work together,” she 

said. “That’s my plan.” 

Khallat has great advice for all the girls. “Be 

strong, place a goal in your mind, do it, don’t worry 

about what people say,” she said. “As long as you’re 

okay with what you want and your family has confidence 

in you, that’s it – that’s all you need.” 


Increases Ahead 

Health insurance in 2018 will be expensive and confusing 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

Uncertainty in Washington 

makes the long-term outlook 

for affordable health 

insurance murky, but it’s clear that 

in the short term, buying health insurance 

on the open market will be 

costly. 

Premiums for people buying insurance 

directly from health insurers 

are expected to skyrocket for 2018, 

after an average 17.2 percent increase 

for Michigan plans in 2017. 

To be clear, the huge rate increases 

will only affect those who buy their 

own insurance, “individual” plans. 

People insured through their employers 

in “group” insurance plans 

are somewhat insulated from the 

volatile market. 

We spoke to two Metro Detroit 

insurance agents who have been in 

the business for decades. They both 

reported that in addition to rising 

premiums, individual plan deductibles 

have gone through the roof, 

leaving those who buy their own 

health insurance with budget-busting 

expenses. 

Fourteen-year insurance industry 

veteran Paul Jaboro said one of his 

clients, a 59-year-old woman with 

diabetes earning $60,000 per year 

last year faced a $1,000-per-month 

premium bill and a deductible of 

$3,500. A year later, her premium 

had increased to $1,100 per month 

and her deductible to $5,100. “That’s 

$17,000 for one person who is 60 

years old,” said Jaboro. He said his 

client wonders how she will be able 

to pay off her house and retire. 

Under the Affordable Care Act 

(Obamacare), insurance companies 

were required to offer a comprehensive 

package of health insurance 

benefits that included prescription 

drug coverage, behavioral health 

coverage and maternity coverage, 

among other provisions. The ACA 

also required people to buy insurance 

or face a fine and provided subsidies 

for both health insurance premiums 

and health care services to people 

with low incomes. 

That assistance came in two varieties. 

The first is help paying premiums. 

The second is direct help 

paying for health care services. Help 

with paying for services amounted to 

a $7 billion bill for the federal government 

last year and hundreds of 

millions for Michigan. It is unclear 

if President Trump’s administration 

will authorize payment of that money 

for 2018. The result is that insurers 

have applied for rates that are high 

and higher, depending upon whether 

the funds are approved. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, 

along with other insurers, filed 

two different sets of rates with the 

Michigan Department of Insurance 

and Financial Services. One rate was 

filed anticipating the payments will 

be approved and a second, higher 

rate, in case they are not. The fate 

of the so-called Cost Sharing Reductions—that 

pool of $7 billion—is 

still up in the air, and insurers will 

not establish rates for 2018 until August, 

said Rick Notter, director of Individual 

Business at Blue Cross Blue 

Shield of Michigan. 

Rocky Husaynu, who has been 

selling health insurance since 1979, 

said details of the new plans and new 

rates won’t be available until October. 

Open enrollment for clients 

begins Nov. 1 and closes Dec. 15, so 

people buying insurance will have six 

weeks to decide what they are going 

to do for 2018. 

For people who are sick or older, 

all choices are expensive, and anyone 

not buying insurance is subject 

to a fine. But there are alternatives 

for people who are healthy or willing 

to forego certain benefits, such as prescription 

drug coverage. Jaboro said 

he is selling a product called a “ministry 

plan,” that does not cover preexisting 

conditions for 24 months 

and provides no prescription drug 

coverage, but can be had for half the 

premium of a plan from a traditional 

carrier and qualifies as “insurance” 

for the purposes of avoiding a fine. 

Notter said alternatives include 

establishing tax-protected health 

savings accounts to pay for routine 

care, and combining them with highdeductible, 

low premium options for 

more expensive medical needs. 

Rising premiums are not the only 

problem facing those buying health 

insurance on their own. Husaynu 

said insurers are changing and pulling 

products from the market each 

year. Plans that were available one 

year, often are not offered the next, 

forcing buyers to scramble for options 

during the short open enrollment 

period each year. 

Making matters worse, is that 

many who seek health insurance 

are not aware that the open enrollment 

period is only six weeks long 

and buying insurance outside of it requires 

special circumstances, such as 

getting married, getting pregnant or 

getting fired from a job, said Jaboro. 

Buying individual insurance has 

always been expensive, but changes 

in the health policy landscape have 

leant new complications to process. 

“The rate increases are attributable 

to several factors,” said Notter. 

“We have seen several significant 

factors,” said Notter. “One is the rising 

prices of specialty drugs that have 

increased rapidly. They have grown 

over 73 percent. What a lot of people 

don’t realize is that a single drug 

can run $50,000 to $100,000 per 

member. That makes up half of our 

pharmacy costs, just on the specialty 

drugs. Even though only 5 percent of 

our members use specialty drugs, it 

counts for over half of our spend. So 

that’s a significant driver. 

“One of the others that I think 

surprises people is that people will 

buy a plan, come into the market, use 

services and after only a few months 

will drop their plan; which defeats the 

entire purpose of insurance where you 

are spreading the risk across a pool of 

people for an entire year, if a member 

comes in, pays us several hundreds of 

dollars in premiums for a couple of 

months, but uses tens of thousands of 

dollars of services it’s difficult to cover 

all of those costs.” 

On the drug cost issue, Notter 

said a complex debate continues in 

Washington, with no resolution immediately 

in sight. 

Regarding people entering and 

leaving insurance plans, Notter had 

a clearer idea of how to fix the problem. 

“There has to be some teeth in the 

penalty (for not buying health insurance), 

where it doesn’t make it more 

attractive to stay out of the market 

and do things like that, than it does 

to stay in. If we’re going to have an 

individual mandate, it has to be one 

that is enforceable and will help keep 

people in the insurance market for the 

entire year; because that’s the only 

way we can be more reliable with our 

pricing. With all of the uncertainties, 

it makes it difficult to price for the risk 

and price responsibly.” 

Perhaps the only thing that is 

clear is that prices for individual 

health plans will go up for 2018 and 

the larger solutions to systemic solutions 

are still not at hand. ” 


SPECIAL REPORT: FINDING THE ABILITY 

Breaking Barriers 

Chaldean Foundation creating programs for people with disabilities 

BY WEAM NAMOU 

They may be people with disabilities, 

but they are very 

able to learn new skills and 

make new friends. That is exactly 

what participants in the Breaking 

Barriers program are doing. 

“We create programs that are not 

offered elsewhere in the community,” 

said Sue Kattula, manager of Breaking 

Barriers, a program that started 

in 2012 at the Chaldean Community 

Foundation (CCF) in Sterling 

Heights. 

Breaking Barriers assists people 

with mental and physical disabilities 

including blindness, deafness, Down 

Syndrome and autism. Most of their 

441 clients are refugees trying to 

adjust and acclimate in America. 

Prior to the program, they did not 

have the types of resources that CCF 

provides them with such as literacy, 

medical transportation, and social 

events catered to families with a disabled 

child. 

“At home, everything revolves 

around the disabled person,” Kattula 

said. “We try to understand the needs 

of the families and offer them assistance.” 

Due to the awkward situations 

that may arise in public due to a disabled 

child’s behavior or because of 

limited resources, families felt that 

they couldn’t participate in community 

events. In response, monthly 

events were created where families 

can come together to enjoy food, 

entertainment, and activities at no 

charge. The themes of the events 

vary depending on the season. They 

celebrated Mother’s Day in May, in 

June they will celebrate graduates 

and Father’s Day, and in July, they’re 

planning a family picnic. 

“Our senses are gifts from God 

and everyone is amazing in their own 

way,” said Rand Dallo, case manager 

of the program. “People take life for 

granted and that’s the sad part, but 

not the people here,” 

Breaking Barriers has two main 

projects, one of which is BEAM 

(Blind, English Second Language 

[ESL], Acculturation in America, 

Clients at the foundation learning new programs. 

Mobility). This is an ESL program 

where participants learn to speak English, 

read through braille and become 

more independent through classes 

that are conducted once a week. 

“Classes are taught on a group and 

individual basis depending on each 

student’s needs and goals,” Kattula 

said. “We focus on the students’ abilities 

and what they can do, not their 

disabilities and what they can’t do.” 

Ziyad Meshaal, a Mandaean who 

was born blind in Iraq, came to the 

United States nine years ago. When 

he heard that computer classes were 

offered for the blind, he was very 

excited that he’d be meeting new 

people, not just because they were 

blind but because they speak Arabic. 

He has been in the program for 

a year-and-a-half and is grateful for 

the computer software they’ve made 

available, which most blind people 

are not aware of. 

“Even if they know about it, they 

wouldn’t have access to it,” Meshaal 

said, “because it’s super, super, super 

expensive.” 

In his mid-20s, Meshaal has obtained 

his associates degree in liberal 

arts and is going to Wayne State 

University where he’ll be studying 

computer science and IT. He has a 

number of apps on his iPhone which 

enable the blind to do most, if not 

more of what the average person 

could do. He shared the story of 

when his professor told him that he 

couldn’t do some things because he’s 

blind. He told her, “Let’s play a game. 

We’ll go to the computer screen and 

type.” 

When the professor looked at the 

black screen, she said, “I can’t type 

using a black screen.” 

He replied, “See, there are some 

things that you can’t do that blind 

people can do.” 

The other major program of 

Breaking Barriers is HEAL (Hard of 

hearing, ESL, American Sign Language 

[ASL], Life skills) which serves 

53 deaf people. 

“Because they hadn’t gone to 

school, we noticed that each deaf 

person had their own way of signing 

to communicate with their families 

at home,” Kattula said. “We said now 

that they’re in America, they need to 

learn American Sign Language.” 

So ESL and ASL classes, led by 

Phyllis Harbaugh, were created to 

teach them. Currently, there are 15 

students in the class and not all are 

deaf. Some participate because they 

have someone at home who is deaf, 

and once they learn sign language, 

they teach other family members. 

“We want them to communicate 

with everyone in America, not just 

their family members,” Harbaugh 

said. “What we teach is a universal 

language that gives them a common 

joining together.” 

A few of the students had gone to 

school for the deaf in Iraq, but didn’t 

find it helpful. It was mostly lip reading, 

the class went too fast, and they 

had difficulty catching up or learning 

anything. It wasn’t until they came 

to the United States that they were 

able to not only learn, but also attend 

mass for the deaf. 

“Many wanted to be closer to 

their faith and they had never heard 

mass, so steps were taken to make 

that possible for them,” Kattula said. 

Harbaugh’s husband is a minister 

at Memorial Baptist Church where 

the whole congregation is deaf. With 

some assistance from Kattula, she interprets 

mass using sign language every 

second Sunday at 10:30 am at St. 

Joseph Church, and twice a month, 

the second and fourth Thursday, 

there’s bible study from 7 to 8:30 p.m. 

Participants in Breaking Barriers 

have not only gained knowledge and 

skills which help them be more selfsufficient, 

but they have fun doing so. 

They’ve made new friends and two 

people, who met each other through 

BEAM, got married in 2015 and are 

expecting a baby girl in August. 

“I’m passionate about helping 

people with special needs,” said Dallo. 

“I love it.” 

“I see that,” said Meshaal. 

“You see that in your heart?” Dallo 

asked. 

“Yes, I see through my heart,” replied 

Meshaal. ” 


Thank you to our Jewish brothers and sisters for their support of the 

Chaldean Community in the Deportation Crisis. Their support has 

been genuine, steadfast and concrete. 

Ira Jaffe and the Law Firm of Jaffe Raitt Heuer and Weiss 

Geoffrey Fieger and the Fieger Law Firm 

Carl Levin and the Honigman Law Firm 

Temple Israel 

Jewish Community Relations Council 

Congressman Sander Levin 

Gail Katz 

Howard Rosenberg 

Jeff Sakwa 

Teri Weingarden 

Thank you and God bless you! 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 

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Wednesday, 

August 9 

6 - 8 pm 

FREE Event – Member & Guest 

Hors d’oeuvres and Cocktails 

GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY 

699 WEST BIG BEAVER ROAD, TROY, MI 48084 

To register contact Mary at 248.851.1200 or mkirma@chaldeanchamber.com 

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Fair Game 

The Quest for equality in An Unfair Environment 

BY OMAR BINNO 

Omar Binno 

In 2005, my brother Angelo, who 

was born blind, began looking 

into applying for Law School. In 

2008 and 2010, he took the LSAT 

and was unable to pass because of the 

‘Logic’ section of the test. This is a 

section that requires the visual faculties 

of the individual in order to draw 

pictures. Angelo’s case caught the attention 

of well-known attorney, Sam 

Bernstein and his firm. Bernstein, 

who also has a blind son, knew firsthand 

the difficulties and the injustice 

of the problem that Angelo was facing. 

The firm took him on as a client 

and initiated a lawsuit against the 

American Bar Association, which 

the firm paid for entirely. Sam Bernstein’s 

son, Richard, who now sits 

as one of the judges on the Michigan 

Angelo Binno 

Supreme Court, eventually spearheaded 

the case, and shortly after that, 

attorney Jason Turkish of Nyman Turkish 

was brought on board. The lawsuit 

spanned a six-year period in which the media also 

became heavily involved in order to exploit the issues 

with the ‘Logic’ section of the Bar exam. 

For Angelo and I, being blind and growing up 

during the 80s and 90s was a unique experience. 

In the mid-80s, technology began emerging which 

enabled blind and other disabled individuals to use 

computers for various tasks. This especially became 

helpful for school projects that involved word processing. 

In 1990, the ‘Americans With Disabilities 

Act,’ (ADA,) was passed. “The ADA is a civil 

rights law that prohibits discrimination against 

individuals with disabilities in all areas of public 

life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and 

all public and private places that are open to the 

general public. It guarantees equal opportunity for 

individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, 

employment, transportation, state and local 

government services, and telecommunications.” - 

https://adata.org/learn-about-ada 

Despite the passing of the ADA, there are 

many barriers that still need overcoming in the 

real world. Public facilities began adapting to the 

needs of disabled individuals by building ramps for 

wheelchair accessibility, and putting braille labels 

on elevators. Yet, the bigger issues, such as: generating 

employment for blind and other disabled 

individuals, and providing efficient and cost-effective 

public transportation are major hurdles that 

still stubbornly persist. I can personally attest to 

the difficulty of finding employment as a blind person, 

even after graduating as a Summa Cum Laude 

with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and 

Communications, and a Master’s degree in Marketing 

and Public Relations, both from the University 

Of Detroit Mercy. In fact, according to the National 

Federation of the Blind, approximately 66% of 

blind adults capable of working are unemployed. 

- https://nfb.org/blindness-statistics 

At the beginning of 2017, Angelo and the attorneys 

lost the case based on the contention that they 

were suing the wrong organization. The attorneys 

now plan on pursuing a lawsuit with the Law School 

Admissions Council, (LSAC.) This proves, yet 

again, though, that the laws created and regulated 

by the ADA still lack the necessary reinforcement 

to solidify the act both in the public and private sectors. 

In a time where equality is so adamantly sought 

and promoted by society and the media, Angelo’s 

case is an immense and needless stepping stone for 

someone trying to pursue his aspirations. 

Wisam Naoum, a finance attorney and community 

activist, was shocked to hear about this case. 

“Lawyers pride themselves on coming up with creative 

solutions for their clients’ needs,” Naoum 

said. “That the Law School Admission Council either 

won’t or can’t revise the logic games section of 

the LSAT to accommodate the visually impaired is 

disappointing considering it serves as the gatekeeper 

to a profession that upholds the law - including 

a law that protects the disabled.” 

My own experiences and those of Angelo’s in 

high school and college with note takers, scribes, 

and even guides from class to class 

until we learned the facilities were 

exceptionally positive. Any of the 

institutions we attended were highly 

accommodating in terms of providing 

the necessary means for us to succeed. 

There are, however, still many 

areas wherein the ADA has not been 

as providential or triumphant. All 

too often, employers are extremely 

reluctant or even unwilling to learn 

of what a blind or other disabled individual 

is capable of. Rather than 

asking if a person can perform a certain 

task, they simply shut the opportunity 

and the individual down by 

rejecting them with a generic “we’ll 

keep your information on file if we 

have a need for you in the future” 

letter. 

Public transportation is also another 

obstacle for those who are 

disabled. It’s common knowledge 

that Michigan has the worst public 

transportation/transit system in the entire country. 

Angelo and I both use Uber and the public Smart 

bus system. The Smart bus system is poorly developed, 

though. Hence, we’re constrained to using it 

or Uber until driverless cars become the norm. Although 

Uber is far more cost-efficient than regular 

cab companies, more affordable public transportation 

would still be preferred. 

I don’t think there’s a simple or quick solution 

to correcting these issues. However, that doesn’t 

mean I’m pessimistic about a fix, either. As with any 

other worthy cause, the most important element to 

success in this particular game is a constant voice 

that urges those in the game to keep going. Angelo 

has often felt disheartened throughout this lawsuit 

and has doubts that he’ll ever get to Law School. 

My advice to him has constantly been, “You may 

or may not get to live out that dream, but you’ve 

got to keep fighting and lead the way for those who 

will come after you’re gone.” This isn’t a battle, it’s 

a war; a war in which only an unwavering will can 

plant the seeds to break the real barriers that still 

exist for the disabled community. 

Omar Binno received his Bachelor’s Degree from the 

University Of Detroit Mercy with a double major 

in English Literature and Communications, and a 

Master’s Degree from the University of Detroit Mercy 

in Public Relations and Marketing. He currently owns 

his own recording studio, ‘Art Of Audio,’ and his 

own band, ‘D’Town Rewind.’ 


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The Other Side of Fear 

Lessons on Braille, Friendship, and Loving What You Do 

BY MONIQUE MANSOUR 

Sometimes, the opportunity that 

scares a person the most is just 

the experience that will change 

their life for the better. Seven or so 

years ago, Darlene Salem Bahri was 

made aware of a full-time visually 

impaired paraeducator position at 

Doherty Elementary. A visually impaired 

student had just moved into 

the area and was in need of an assistant 

to aid him. Bahri and several 

others applied for the job, but Bahri, 

ultimately, was the one chosen. 

The position, at first, terrified her. 

“How am I going to take on this position 

and work with a student who 

is going to need me when I don’t 

even know braille?” said Bahri. After 

giving herself a few days to think 

it through, she accepted the role. 

“West Bloomfield School District 

enrolled me in a six-week braille 

course and, by the end, I obtained 

my certification,” Bahri said. 

According to visionaware.org, 

braille is a “…tactile reading system 

that was invented in France in 

the mid-1800s and is named for its 

inventor, Louis Braille.” It involves 

the use of cells, columns, and raised 

dots. The system allows for those 

with visual impairments to read and 

understand the world around them. 

Upon meeting and working for 

a few days with her student, Griffin 

Miller, Bahri soon realized how much 

we, as a society, take for granted when 

it comes to student access to educational 

materials. “A visually impaired 

student cannot open a textbook and 

look at a map,” Bahri said. “I had to 

figure out a way to bring maps and 

geometric shapes to life for Griffin.” 

For one particular geography lesson, 

Bahri spent countless hours over the 

course of several days drawing a map 

of Canada and its provinces. Afterwards, 

she ran it through a special 

machine that would raise anything 

Bahri drew so that Griffin could feel 

the shapes and absorb the material in 

a tactile manner. 

Each week, she would coordinate 

with Griffin’s teachers in order to receive 

his handouts in advance, but 

sometimes she would have to work 

under pressure and convert something 

into braille the same day, or 

even within minutes. Bahri translated 

all of Griffin’s subjects - such 

as math, science, English, history, 

as well as all of his tests and quizzes 

– into braille using various braille 

systems and programs. When a program 

didn’t translate a lesson into 

braille properly, she relied on her 

sense of ingenuity to make it happen. 

“I wanted everything to be done 

correctly for Griffin so that he could 

focus on learning and on being a student,” 

Bahri said. 

There are many special memories 

that stand out to Bahri during her 

time with Griffin. “There is a braille 

for math, called the Nemeth Braille 

Code,” Bahri said. “It was developed 

by Professor Abraham Nemeth, who 

taught at the University of Detroit 

Mercy.” Nemeth, still living at the 

time, just so happened to be residing 

in a nursing home in nearby Lathrup 

Village. The Optimist Club of 

West Bloomfield planned to honor 

Nemeth and a member arranged 

for Griffin, who was at an advanced 

math level for his age, to meet him. 

“That was the most exciting moment 

for Griffin,” Bahri said. Bahri also 

made it her mission to support Griffin 

with extracurricular activities. 

She worked diligently with Griffin 

on choreography for a school musical. 

Rachel Miller, Griffin’s mother, 

was deeply moved by Bahri’s commitment 

to her son. “Darlene went 

above and beyond and allowed Griffin 

to be part of something he really 

wanted to do,” said Miller. 

As Miller recalls, the bond between 

Bahri and Griffin was a perfect 

match from the start. “Darlene was really 

attuned to Griffin and picked up 

on what made him tick,” Miller said. 

“She knew when to intervene and 

when to step back and let him work 

independently. After two wonderful 

years at Doherty Elementary, and one 

at Orchard Lake Middle School, Griffin 

and his family moved to Pennsylvania. 

“It was so hard to leave,” said 

Miller. “We cried. Some people just 

leave a lasting impression on you and 

Darlene is certainly one them.” 

Reflecting on the three years she 

had with Griffin, Bahri said, “Working 

with Griffin taught me to not 

be afraid of challenges in life. Visually 

impaired individuals have to 

go through so many difficulties. I’ve 

learned that even if change is tough 

in the moment, sometimes you’ll 

look back and realize that those 

tough moments brought you to the 

positive place you’re at now.” Bahri 

still works at Orchard Lake Middle 

School, now as an ESL (English 

as a Second Language) paraeducator. 

“I love what I do,” said Bahri. 

“I make an impact on the lives of 

children and it’s deeply fulfilling and 

immensely rewarding. Loving what 

you do makes all the difference in the 

world.” 


GiGi’s Playhouse’s 

Journey to Michigan 

New center set to provide people with Down Syndrome free specialized programs 

BY KRIS HARRIS & ASHOURINA SLEWO 

One of the new GiGi’s Playhouse locations. 

Wafa Arabo has been working tirelessly 

over the last 23 years to ensure that her 

daughter Mary grew up just like her older 

sister Rio, and younger brother Reno. Mary was 

born with Down Syndrome; Wafa has made sure 

she was treated just the same as both of her siblings. 

“When she was born, I was a young mother 

at the time and didn’t know a thing about Down 

Syndrome,” explained Arabo. “I mainstreamed her 

since she was young. She did dancing with regular 

children, and she was exposed to everything that 

her brother and sister were exposed to.” 

Mary graduated from Andover High School 

with a certificate equivalent to a high school diploma. 

Following high school, Mary attended a 

vocational school in which she was part of internships 

at retail stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. 

Soon after, however, Mary aged out of the vocational 

school and was left wondering what the next 

step would be. 

The next step came in the form of the culinary 

school, Rising Stars Academy. Founded in 2012 by 

Mark and Deb Prentiss, the culinary school is for 

students ages 18-26 with special needs. Rising Stars 

Academy provides hands-on experience needed to 

find employment. 

“She really loved it, but it was far away and 

I wasn’t able to take her the second year,” said 

Arabo. “She now has an internship at Henry Ford 

Hospital in West Bloomfield.” 

Arabo noticed that as Mary got older, programs 

and services for children with special needs became 

scarcer. This presented a problem that Arabo could 

not stop contemplating. “I was one of those Chaldean 

people that got married and was a young mom 

and I had three children in four years,” Arabo. “I 

didn’t have a care in the world, I came from a big, 

sheltered family, so this was a big, big change and I 

think I was in denial.” 

These realizations for Arabo, are where GiGi’s 

Playhouse comes into play. GiGi’s Playhouse, 

founded by Nancy Gianni, strives to change the 

way people view Down Syndrome. The organization 

provides free therapeutic and educational programming 

to individuals with Down Syndrome as well 

as their families and continuously works to develop 

new programs that will benefit participants. 

Participating in GiGi’s Playhouse would allow 

for participants to develop a job-like routine in a 

welcoming setting, without the added stress of having 

to pay for the services. “She hasn’t had a home, 

with a routine, where she can do the same thing 

over and over, where she has a job like anyone has,” 

said Arabo. “Almost every program, we have to pay 

for it and not all of us can afford every single thing.” 

Without a single GiGi’s Playhouse in Michigan, 

Arabo has taken on the hefty task of bringing the 

organization to Michigan. Arabo must first raise 

enough funds to find a place for GiGi’s Playhouse 

to be homed. “We need to raise money, the fashion 

show that I put together was a kick off to that,” said 

Arabo. “It raised awareness and it was significantly 

more successful than we anticipated and that was a 

blessing for us.” 

Recently, Arabo put together another event in 

an effort to bring GiGi’s Playhouse to Michigan. 

This event, the Believe in Our Build Celebration, 

is where Arabo hoped the last of the funds needed 

would come in. Believe in Our Build Celebration 

was held at the Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton 

on June 10. 

Car enthusiast, Ken Lingenfelter, opened the 

doors to his collection of antique automobiles, valued 

upwards of $50 million, in an effort to help 

raise money and further the efforts of the campaign. 

“We’re hoping that will raise a lot of money,” 

said Arabo. 

While the hope is that the Believe in Our Build 

Celebration is the final push in order to obtain the 

needed funds, there are still a number of ways to 

contribute to the campaign. Items such as sofas and 

kitchen cabinets are needed in order to furnish the 

building that will be home to GiGi’s Playhouse. 

Monetary donations can also be made at www.gigisplayhouse.org/detroit. 

While many look away from the problem, 

Arabo faces these issues head on and is adamant 

about talking about Down Syndrome and changing 

perceptions. “God does not pick special parents 

for special children, he simply takes ordinary, 

imperfect people and gifts them with his greatest 

treasures and therein creates special parents,” said 

Arabo. “I am one of the many ordinary people that 

are privileged to have a child with Down Syndrome.” 


classified listings 

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE 

Real estate for sale 

DYNAMITE COUNTRY RIDGE HOME 

4 bedrooms 2 full and 2 half baths, 

new granite kitchen, luxurious master 

suite, finished walk-out backs to 

treed commons $389,900. Contact 

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Located in prestigious gated 

community on park like 1 acre lot 

with circular paved drive, large 

motor court and two 2-car garages 

with 10,000 sq. ft. of luxurious living 

space crafted to perfection. Stunning 

formal entrance has iron doors and 

circular floating staircase, extensive 

millwork and dazzling details. 

47645 Bellagio, Novi, MI 

John Goodman (248) 770-3114 

www.john@john-goodman.com 

HOME FOR SALE LONE PINE ESTATES 

3505 Sq. Ft. 4BR, 5BA, 3 car, 

Bloomfield Hills Schools, WB taxes. 

Completely renovated, quiet location. 

Brokers welcome. 

Call Marcy or Doug at 248.310.9273 

or mspitzjd@gmail.com 

HELP WANTED 

TEMPORARY PRO SE 

CASE ADMINISTRATOR 

U.S. District Court, Eastern District 

of Michigan - Vacancy Announcement 

at http://www.mied.uscourts. 

gov. This position is located in the 

Clerk’s Office of the United States 

District for the Eastern District of 

Michigan and reports directly to Case 

Manager Supervisor. The employee is 

responsible for assisting pro se filers 

and managing programs to inform 

them of required filing procedures as 

they self-direct their case through the 

litigation process (unless appointed 

pro bono counsel). The work is 

performed in an office setting. 

Occasional travel within the district 

may be required. EOE 

Showcase One 

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Sales are 25k/wk. 

Building is over 6k sq. ft 

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Mark Kattula 

Principal 

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43130 Utica Rd., Suite 200 


Mobile (586) 899-8881 

Office (586) 254-2223 

Fax (888) 334-3093 

Sally Denha LaFave 

Mortgage Lender 

NMLS ID 140725 

Offi ce: 248 593-9900 Ext 222 

Cell: 248 752-1722 

Email: slafave@yorkloan.com 

Serving the Chaldean Community Since 1990 


PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS 

Experience • • Knowledge • • • Personal • Service 

Top TOP TOP 1% TOP 1% OF of 1% OF REALTORS RealToRs OF REALTORS 

in oakland IN OAKLAND IN IN OAKLAND CounTy 

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ALL ALL STAR all ALL STAR sTaR -STAR - –- 

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Associated Broker 

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Office Office Office (248) (248)737-6800 Office (248)737-6800 • Mobile • Mobile • (248)752-4010 

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Email: brianyaldoo@remax.net Toll Toll Free Toll Free (866) Free (866) 762-3960 Websites: (866) 762-3960 www.brianyaldoo.com 

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Palladium 

Financial GrouP, llc 

MOrTGaGE brOKEr NMLS 128686 

GabE GabriEl 

NMLS 128715 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, ste. 103 

Farmington Hills , Michigan 48334 

Office (248) 737-9500 

Direct (248) 939-1985 

Fax (248) 737-1868 

Email MortgageGabe@aol.com 

www.palladiumfinancialgroup.com 

BMW of Rochester Hills 

Joseph Karim 

Client Advisor 

Street Address 

45550 Dequindre Road 

Shelby Township, MI 48317 

Main: (248) 997-7700 

Direct: (248) 997-7512 

Fax: (248) 997-7766 

Email: Joe.Karim@EDMotorGroup.com 

Website: www.bmwofrochesterhills.com 

Parking Lot Lighting 

Tamou’s 

Electrical Contractors 

Commercial & Industrial 

Installation & Service 

Generators for Large Facilities 

Tom Tamou 

Cell: (810) 560-9665 

tamouselectric@sbcglobal.net 

Office/Fax (586) 803-9700 

“Serving our Community for over 29 yearS” 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

SANA NAVARRETTE 

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

Advertise 

for As little As $ 85 

in our business directory section! 

to place your ad, contact us today! 

Fred Lavery Company 

34602 Woodward Avenue 

Birmingham, MI 48009 

TEL 248-645-5930 

MOBILE 248-219-5525 

sammi.naoum@fredlaverycompany.com 

Sammi A. Naoum 

A U D I P O R S C H E & L A N D R O V E R 

CHALDEAN 

AMERICAN 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 


FOUNDATION 

SANA NAVARRETTE 

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER 

30850 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 200 

BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025 

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

FAX: (248) 996-8342 

snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org 

Twitter: @ChaldeanChamber 

Instagram: @ChaldeanAmericanChamber 

30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 

CELL (248) 925-7773 

TEL (248) 851-1200 

FAX (248) 851-1348 

snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanchamber.com 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org 

Twitter: @ChaldeanChamber 

Instagram: @ChaldeanAmericanChamber 

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

30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 


event 

A Community Affair 

PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA 

United Community Family Services/CALC 

hosted an event with St. Joseph Catholic 

Chaldean Church in Troy. There was an estimated 

1,200 people who attended the event. There 

were 54 vendors who provided information on various 

topics including fire safety, health, nutrition, education, 

banking and finance, legal, senior services employment 

as well as government agencies and officials. 

The participants received a great amount of information 

in various areas to support their needs and questions 

were answered about each of the services. The 

information allowed participants access to more services 

and to have a better understanding of what is 

available and how to obtain support services. 

The children were able to reach out to Michigan 

State and Troy police officers and tour the police vehicle 

to see how officers are able to help in communities, 

traffic and accident situations. They were also able to 

walk through the fire truck and see all the equipment 

fire fighters use in their work. Outside activities included 

three ‘bounce’ houses, riding the bike to blend 

a smoothie drink, cardio drumming and face painting. 

The purpose of the event was to provide resources 

for families to access and receive information regarding 

the services available in the community. There 

are so many services available in the community and 

many of our clients are either unaware of the service 

or how to access the service. Bringing the vendor and 

potential client together supports the work of the 

vendor/organization and increases the knowledge of 

the client. We also worked to build a communication 

bridge between families and vendors but also between 

vendors developing partnerships for the future. 

This was the first resource fair hosted by UCFS / 

CALC. We thank all of those who joined us to make 

it a successful event and plans are underway for next 

year’s event. Save the date – tentatively June 2, 2018. 


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OPEN SATURDAYS 10AM-3PM 

MON. & THURS. 8:30-9PM - TUES., WED., & FRI. 8:30AM-6PM - SAT. 10AM -3PM

JULY 2017

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