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METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY VOL. 20 ISSUE IX <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
Verdict<br />
in Iraq<br />
IRAQI SUPREME<br />
FEDERAL COURT<br />
UPHOLDS<br />
ALCOHOL<br />
BAN, LEAVING<br />
MINORITIES<br />
BEHIND<br />
Featuring:<br />
Fighting for the Underserved<br />
Sureth in Schools<br />
In the Beginning There Was Beer
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 3
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4 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 5
<strong>2023</strong>08_30-CFCU-OnePrideCD_PRINT-ChaldeanNews-FINAL.pdf 1 8/30/23 4:41 PM<br />
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6 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY | <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> | VOL. 20 ISSUE IX<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
20 Verdict in Iraq<br />
Alcohol ban in Iraq leaves<br />
minorities behind<br />
By Cal Abbo<br />
FEATURES<br />
22 Rights of Religious<br />
Minorities in Iraq<br />
By Weam Namou<br />
24 Changing Education<br />
Chaldeans have changed<br />
how Michigan learns<br />
By Cal Abbo<br />
20<br />
28 Sureth in Schools<br />
Keeping the language alive<br />
By Cal Abbo<br />
32 The Great School Initiative<br />
Parents organizing for change<br />
By Weam Namou<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
8 From the Editor<br />
Falling Back<br />
By Sarah Kittle<br />
10 Guest Column<br />
Dating While Chaldean<br />
By Beshar Shukri<br />
12 Foundation Update<br />
Scholarships, Little Scholars,<br />
New Americans<br />
14 Noteworthy<br />
Commander Jason Abro, Rana<br />
Roumayah, Samantha Jarbou<br />
16 Chaldean Digest<br />
Cardinal seeks Vatican support,<br />
Gumma Family update, Tamara Mechael<br />
18 In Memoriam<br />
19 Obituary<br />
Dr. Salim Mansoor<br />
42 Chaldean Kitchen<br />
Aida Yousif’s “Mommy’s Salad”<br />
By Z.Z. Dawod<br />
44 New Americans<br />
Bushra Hormis<br />
46 Family Time<br />
Nontraditional Halloween<br />
By Valene Ayar<br />
48 Event<br />
Chaldean Community Foundation Gala<br />
Photos by Wilson Sarkis<br />
50 Chaldean Scene<br />
Back to School Photos<br />
Submitted by Readers<br />
34 Brand Love<br />
Lydia Michael’s new book<br />
By Sarah Kittle<br />
36 Fall Color Tour<br />
Where to go to see the blaze of color<br />
By Sarah Kittle<br />
40 Culture & History<br />
In the Beginning: Mesopotamian Beer<br />
By Dr. Adhid Miri<br />
16<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 7
FROM THE EDITOR<br />
PUBLISHED BY<br />
Chaldean News, LLC<br />
Chaldean Community Foundation<br />
Martin Manna<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
EDITOR IN CHIEF<br />
Sarah Kittle<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Cal Abbo<br />
Valene Ayar<br />
ZZ Dawod<br />
Dr. Adhid Miri<br />
Weam Namou<br />
Beshar Shukri<br />
ART & PRODUCTION<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative<br />
GRAPHIC DESIGNER<br />
Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative<br />
PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
Alex Lumelsky<br />
Wilson Sarkis<br />
SALES<br />
Interlink Media<br />
Sana Navarrette<br />
CLASSIFIEDS<br />
Sana Navarrette<br />
Subscriptions: $35 per year<br />
CONTACT INFORMATION<br />
Story ideas: edit@chaldeannews.com<br />
Advertisements: ads@chaldeannews.com<br />
Subscription and all other inquiries:<br />
info@chaldeannews.com<br />
Chaldean News<br />
30095 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 101<br />
Farmington Hills, MI 48334<br />
www.chaldeannews.com<br />
Phone: (248) 851-8600<br />
Publication: The Chaldean News (P-6);<br />
Published monthly; Issue Date: October <strong>2023</strong><br />
Subscriptions: 12 months, $35.<br />
Publication Address:<br />
30095 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101,<br />
Farmington Hills, MI 48334;<br />
Permit to mail at periodicals postage rates<br />
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Postmaster: Send address changes to<br />
“The Chaldean News 30095 Northwestern<br />
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Falling Back<br />
Autumn is a time of contemplation; it is<br />
when we take stock of where we are and<br />
perhaps re-evaluate and adjust our trajectory<br />
for the future. For many, it seems like an end –<br />
the end of summer, the end of the season, the end<br />
of the year drawing to a close. Early next month,<br />
on the 5th of November to be exact, our clocks will<br />
turn back for perhaps the last time, if opponents of<br />
Daylight Savings Time (DST) have their wish.<br />
But “falling back” is not necessarily a bad<br />
thing. Sometimes, falling back means taking extra<br />
time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells<br />
along the way. Here in Michigan, the spectacular<br />
colors of the trees’ changing hue is<br />
unmatched, save for a few New England<br />
states. Fall produce like apples and cranberries<br />
grace our orchards before they grace<br />
our tables. You can literally smell the earth<br />
in the fall in Michigan. How lucky we are to<br />
live here!<br />
You may know that we are advocating for the return of<br />
property to Christians from Iraq who have been displaced<br />
and their lands and homes confiscated. Weam Namou writes<br />
about a Chaldean political activist named Diya Butros Sliwa,<br />
who recently gave a talk hosted by the Iraqi Human Rights<br />
Society in the US. Sliwa has been fighting for the rights of<br />
religious minorities in Iraq for more than two decades and<br />
takes the ruling government in Iraq to task for neither protecting<br />
them nor the women and children who live in the<br />
community.<br />
Our cover story this month tells the sad story of an alcohol<br />
ban in Iraq that will stifle the productivity and livelihood<br />
of many Christians still living there. For some, this is seen as<br />
another way to oust them from the country and take what is<br />
theirs. Add the fact that the Chaldean Patriarch has removed<br />
himself to Erbil and you have another recipe for disaster.<br />
Speaking of recipes, Chaldean Kitchen returns this<br />
month with a special dish. Aida Yousif invited CN staff into<br />
her home and shared with them the recipe for “Mommy’s<br />
SARAH KITTLE<br />
EDITOR<br />
IN CHIEF<br />
We are advocating for the return of<br />
property to Christians from Iraq who have<br />
been displaced and their lands and homes<br />
confiscated.<br />
Salad.” It is fresh, healthy, and fulfilling – but don’t<br />
tell the kids!<br />
And of course, October means Halloween and<br />
trick-or-treating for some. Our Family Time article<br />
focuses on the hocus-pocus of it all but in nontraditional<br />
ways, like hosting scary movie nights or<br />
making your own haunted house. If you don’t want<br />
your kids trick-or-treating, we have options.<br />
Parents having options is what the article about<br />
the Great School Initiative (GSI) is about. Parents<br />
had issues with certain school mandates and organized<br />
to make their protests known. The GSI was born and<br />
is gaining momentum. Educational content and curriculum<br />
can be changed, it just takes time and perseverance. Which<br />
is what the champions of Sureth in schools have demonstrated<br />
in their push to include the language in the local<br />
school system. It happened in Illinois and may be happening<br />
here soon.<br />
Fall is also a great time to fall in love, although the road<br />
to happily ever after may have some potholes. Beshar Shukri<br />
(first-time writer!) shares his tale of speed dating in a guest<br />
column. Lydia Michael’s new book, Brand Love, just came<br />
out and it is a great read.<br />
Turn the page for more, fall back into the cushions and<br />
enjoy!<br />
Sarah Kittle<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY.<br />
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHALDEAN NEWS<br />
AND FOLLOW CN ON SOCIAL MEDIA.<br />
8 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
PUBLISHER'S CIRCLE<br />
Join the<br />
Publishers Circle<br />
As the publication of record for Michigan’s<br />
Chaldean community, the mission of the<br />
Chaldean News is to preserve and archive<br />
Chaldean heritage and history, and to tell the<br />
ongoing story of Chaldean contributions to the<br />
communities in which we live and work — in Michigan<br />
and around the world.<br />
Since being acquired by the Chaldean Community<br />
Foundation in 2019, the Chaldean News has substantially<br />
increased its readership and social media following,<br />
introduced new digital and website content, and expanded<br />
storytelling with the help of small grant funding.<br />
The Publisher’s Circle initiative empowers community members<br />
to provide major support for the Chaldean News and its<br />
important mission. With the generous help of individuals and<br />
organizations, together, we can ensure that this vital resource<br />
continues to educate and connect the community, while<br />
evolving to meet the needs of future generations.<br />
The Chaldean News has ambitious plans which include<br />
launching a CN app and continuing to expand into new<br />
media such as radio and TV, all with the goal of preserving<br />
our culture and telling the story of our people. You<br />
can take part in helping to preserve your Chaldean<br />
heritage by joining the Publisher’s Circle today.<br />
Jibran “Jim” Manna<br />
Martin and Tamara Manna<br />
Sylvester and Rita Sandiha<br />
We are grateful for the generous and<br />
continuing support of our community.<br />
To learn more, visit chaldeannews.com<br />
or contact us at 248-851-8600<br />
Let’s grow the circle.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 97
GUEST COLUMN<br />
Dating While Chaldean<br />
BY BESHAR SHUKRI<br />
The topic of dating is<br />
highly debated and<br />
ever changing; this<br />
comes as no surprise because<br />
it is a universal experience.<br />
Most of us have dated, will<br />
date, or are currently dating.<br />
However, this idea of dating<br />
is rather new to the Chaldean<br />
community, when compared<br />
to the “courting” our parents<br />
experienced.<br />
An outdated and antiquated<br />
practice was once the<br />
common way of winning the approval<br />
of your desired mate. However, “dating”<br />
in its current definition is getting<br />
to know someone without making<br />
commitments. This viewpoint and<br />
technology have led us to the hook-up<br />
culture we see in the West. What was<br />
once deemed uncouth has now become<br />
the norm.<br />
As Chaldeans began to immigrate<br />
to America, we were an insulated community;<br />
it took time for the culture<br />
to seep into our lives. Nevertheless,<br />
within a few generations we have seen<br />
the same issues that plague other communities,<br />
such as divorce, infidelity,<br />
and miscegenation (a fancy word for<br />
marrying outside of your ethnicity).<br />
Miscegenation is not as negative as<br />
the other examples I used; however,<br />
every example was, and still in some<br />
way is, a foreign idea to the Chaldean<br />
community.<br />
It is expected that we stay faithful,<br />
never divorce, and marry a fellow<br />
Chaldean—even better, someone from<br />
the same village as our ancestors. To<br />
demonstrate how quickly our ways<br />
have changed, just two to three generations<br />
ago, our grandparents or greatgrandparents<br />
had arranged marriages.<br />
In our parents’ generation, that<br />
quickly changed to recommendations<br />
and approval from the family. Now,<br />
mine and younger generations have<br />
the choice to marry whom we please,<br />
though it is more advantageous if our<br />
family approves. I believe it is more<br />
challenging to find a suitable partner<br />
precisely because we have more freedom<br />
to choose. As the saying goes,<br />
BESHAR<br />
SHUKRI<br />
SPECIAL<br />
TO THE<br />
CHALDEAN<br />
NEWS<br />
“Freedom comes at a price.”<br />
In my experience of dating,<br />
I had many misconceptions<br />
about our community.<br />
For Chaldean men, I thought<br />
you were meant to have your<br />
fun dating but then marry a<br />
Chaldean girl. For Chaldean<br />
women, I thought they were<br />
to remain pure and find a<br />
successful Chaldean man to<br />
wed. I did not think that I<br />
would find a Chaldean woman<br />
who was interested unless<br />
I was well-off and could provide a certain<br />
lifestyle.<br />
Considering how much money we<br />
spend on weddings, I figured I wasn’t<br />
too far off. I looked elsewhere for some<br />
time then started to engage with our<br />
community more. I realized I was projecting<br />
my concerns onto the entire<br />
community instead of seeing individual<br />
Chaldeans.<br />
Recently, on the recommendation<br />
of my coworkers, I decided to try<br />
Chaldean speed dating. It seemed odd<br />
and very new culturally, but I asked<br />
myself, “What’s the worst that could<br />
happen?” Much to my surprise, it went<br />
well.<br />
The interactions were fun and<br />
lively and I was floored how many of<br />
my preconceived notions were shattered.<br />
I saw a different side of my community<br />
that I thought never existed,<br />
one where income was not the focus.<br />
Though I am still single, I have new<br />
hope that courting, and the old ways<br />
of our culture will not be relegated by<br />
expectations and the pressures of our<br />
families. I rather hope that it will be<br />
the wisdom we carry and the love we<br />
have for one another that will bring us<br />
successful marriages.<br />
To summarize which way is best,<br />
I leave that to you—the reader—to decide.<br />
Whether it is to return to the villages<br />
to find a wife like our ancestors<br />
did, or work within the Western dating<br />
construct and find a wife among the<br />
masses. Either way, “The man who<br />
finds a wife finds a treasure and he receives<br />
favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs<br />
18:22).<br />
10 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
We can’t help you<br />
teach your teenager<br />
to drive.<br />
But we can help you<br />
save for college.<br />
BIRMINGHAM<br />
Member FDIC<br />
Ad Number: PP-BOAA-22813E Trim: 9" x 5.875"<br />
Perich Job No: 22813 Bleed: NA<br />
Colors: 4/C Live: NA<br />
Format:<br />
1/4 Page Ad<br />
Version: 9.06.23<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 11
FOUNDATION UPDATE<br />
Falling into the<br />
School Year<br />
To meet the needs of the community, the CCF’s Early<br />
Childhood Development program has expanded its<br />
class offerings to include Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten.<br />
Additionally, GED classes have doubled in<br />
class size due to increasing enrollment in the program.<br />
There is still time to register for classes including:<br />
GED, ESL, and Citizenship Preparation classes. For<br />
more information on the classes, contact Rachel Hall<br />
by calling 586-722-7253 or emailing to rachel.hall@<br />
chaldeanfoundation.org.<br />
Congratulations to the CCF’s <strong>2023</strong> Scholarship Winners.<br />
Honoring Chaldean Scholars<br />
The CCF experienced a recordbreaking<br />
year, awarding 33 scholarship<br />
recipients with a total of<br />
$103,500 in scholarships at our<br />
Scholarship Award Reception on<br />
August 24.<br />
The CCF has a large donor<br />
based of donor families and<br />
businesses including: w3r Consulting,<br />
Yvonne Nona Memorial<br />
Scholarship Fund, Drs. Nathima<br />
and Peter Atchoo Family Foundation<br />
Scholarship Fund, the<br />
Abdul Karim and Jameela Sesi<br />
Memorial Scholarship Fund,<br />
Derek Dickow and the Children’s<br />
Health Fund at the Children’s<br />
Foundation, DA Advisory Group,<br />
and Alline Salon Group.<br />
For more information on our<br />
scholarship program and how to<br />
contribute to our Karim and Bernadette<br />
Sarafa General Scholarship<br />
fund, visit chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
and search Scholarship<br />
Program.<br />
Scholarship donors left to right: Nona Family, Patrick Tomina,<br />
Andrew Dakki, Matthew Abbo and Derek Dickow.<br />
The CCF Little Scholars program.<br />
What it Means<br />
to be Chaldean<br />
CCF President Martin Manna was interviewed on<br />
Sunday Edition with Alisa Zee to discuss the Chaldean<br />
community and the triumphs and trials the<br />
community has faced.<br />
In the 20-minute, 2-part interview, Martin Manna<br />
also discusses the origins of the Chaldean American<br />
Chamber of Commerce and the Chaldean Community<br />
Foundation, what it means to be Chaldean, and the<br />
current state of the Chaldean community in Iraq and<br />
other areas.<br />
You can watch the interview on the Chaldean<br />
Community Foundation’s YouTube page.<br />
Celebrating<br />
New Americans<br />
The newly designated American citizens received<br />
certificates of the Citizenship class completion and<br />
had the opportunity to meet with and speak to Sterling<br />
Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. Then they began<br />
the process of becoming registered voters with help<br />
from the Sterling Heights City Clerk’s office. Attendees<br />
also had the ability to fill out sample ballots and<br />
use a tabulator to get familiar with how voting works<br />
during election cycles.<br />
This year, the Chaldean Community Foundation<br />
helped to file 1,654 immigration applications for prospective<br />
new Americans.<br />
34 new American citizens were celebrated in front of friends and family for achieving their citizenship on<br />
September 14 at the Chaldean Community Foundation.<br />
12 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 13
NOTEWORTHY<br />
Jason Abro<br />
Named<br />
Supervisor<br />
of the Year<br />
On September 10,<br />
members of local<br />
law enforcement<br />
were honored during<br />
the Brighter<br />
Michigan PAC’s<br />
America Safety First<br />
event held at Jimmy<br />
John’s Field. The political action<br />
committee honored Macomb County<br />
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham as Law<br />
Enforcement Administrator of the<br />
Year and Macomb County Sheriff Commander<br />
Jason Abro as Law Enforcement<br />
Supervisor of the Year.<br />
Commander Jason Abro was the<br />
first Chaldean-American hired by the<br />
Macomb County Sheriff’s Office and<br />
has stood out as an exemplary officer.<br />
He has been cited several times for<br />
going above and beyond and was involved<br />
with saving the life of a nearly<br />
drowned toddler earlier this year.<br />
Rana Sadek<br />
Roumayah<br />
Joins<br />
Honigman<br />
Honigman LLP announced<br />
that Rana<br />
Sadek Roumayah has<br />
joined its Labor and<br />
Employment Department<br />
as a partner in<br />
the firm’s Detroit office.<br />
Roumayah joins<br />
Honigman after working for the National<br />
Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for 23<br />
years. At the NLRB, she developed an expertise<br />
in traditional labor law and other<br />
aspects of employment law. Specializing<br />
in case analysis, strategic planning, negotiations,<br />
and compliance, Roumayah<br />
has litigated, negotiated, and tried hundreds<br />
of cases.<br />
“We are delighted to welcome Rana<br />
as a partner to our firm,” said Sean<br />
Crotty, Chair of Honigman’s Labor<br />
and Employment Department. “Her<br />
vast experience in traditional labor<br />
law and her perspective in counseling<br />
employers will add tremendous value<br />
to the team, further strengthening our<br />
ability to provide the highest level of<br />
service to our clients.”<br />
Samantha<br />
Jarbou Shines<br />
Samantha Jarbou<br />
graduated salutatorian<br />
of her class at<br />
Clio High School,<br />
where her family<br />
are the only Chaldeans.<br />
She was<br />
vice president of<br />
Student Council and the National<br />
Honor Society and the president of<br />
Clio High School’s Youth Entrepreneurship<br />
Club for 4 years. Samantha<br />
is active in the National Foundation<br />
for Teaching Entrepreneurship, also<br />
known as NFTE. She invented the<br />
“Vest Pack” and the “Handy Ottoman”<br />
which took her to win the local,<br />
state, and national competitions<br />
in New York City, the first student<br />
from Michigan to get that far. She<br />
participates in HOSA (Future Health<br />
Professionals of America), a global<br />
student-led organization that enhances<br />
students’ leadership, development,<br />
and communication skills.<br />
Samantha’s talents and skills have<br />
earned her many merits and attention;<br />
she was named “Best and the Brightest”<br />
on the news station WNEM and<br />
marched in the Rose Bowl Parade on<br />
New Years Day. She is majoring in<br />
Biology with a concentration in Pre-<br />
Medicine this coming fall and plans to<br />
become an orthopedic surgeon.<br />
14 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
The Hey U Vote<br />
Campaign was<br />
launched in 2017<br />
by the Chaldean<br />
Community<br />
Foundation (CCF)<br />
to aid individuals<br />
with non-partisan<br />
voter registration.<br />
The goal of the Hey<br />
U Vote campaign<br />
is to encourage the<br />
Chaldean community to<br />
get out and vote. The CCF<br />
also offers the service of<br />
registering individuals to<br />
vote in our office daily.<br />
U<br />
TE<br />
TO REGISTER TO VOTE, YOU MUST<br />
BE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:<br />
• A U.S. Citizen<br />
• At least 18 years old by Election Day<br />
• A resident of Michigan<br />
• A resident of the city or township where<br />
you are applying to register to vote<br />
REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE:<br />
• It is your fundamental right<br />
• Vote on issues that matter to you and your family<br />
• Voting ensures that your opinion is taken into account<br />
• Participate in the decisions that shape our future<br />
• Personal empowerment<br />
• Strengthen your social ties<br />
REGISTER<br />
TO VOTE HERE:<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 15
CHALDEAN DIGEST<br />
In this Sunday, April 14, 2019, file photo, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako addresses the faithful during the Palm Sunday<br />
service at Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq.<br />
Cardinal seeks Vatican support to<br />
regain recognition in Iraq<br />
Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Cardinal<br />
Louis Sako said he would like more<br />
Vatican support as he tries to regain<br />
formal recognition as the Chaldean<br />
patriarch in the country. As reported<br />
in an earlier edition of the Chaldean<br />
News, Iraqi President Abdul Latif<br />
Rashid revoked Cardinal Sako’s decree<br />
as head of the Chaldean Catholic<br />
Church in Iraq in July. This action has<br />
been viewed as a usurpation of the<br />
clergyman’s position as the officially<br />
recognized head of Iraq’s Catholic<br />
Chaldean Church as well of his position<br />
and powers to administer the<br />
Chaldean religious endowment, including<br />
church properties.<br />
Both the Cardinal and media in<br />
Iraq say the action was likely instigated<br />
by Rayan al-Kildani, a leader of<br />
a nominally Chaldean Catholic militia<br />
Sterling Heights family speaks out about tragic fatal<br />
accident and road to recovery moving forward<br />
in Iraq, the Babylon Brigades, closely<br />
tied to Iran. Its political wing holds<br />
four seats in parliament out of five reserved<br />
for Christian candidates.<br />
“I want the Vatican also to take a<br />
strong position,” Cardinal Sako remarked<br />
on an online press conference<br />
September 19, referring to the fact that<br />
al-Kildani posted a photo of himself<br />
with the Pope on social media, intending<br />
to show they are aligned.<br />
“There was a very brief note to<br />
say that the pope did not see him privately,”<br />
Cardinal Sako commented,<br />
referring to a mid-September communique<br />
to journalists, in which Matteo<br />
Bruni, Vatican’s spokesman, is quoted<br />
as responding to journalists’ questions<br />
that, “His Holiness Pope Francis<br />
greeted some of the people present, as<br />
is customary” during the September 6<br />
Faith Gumma was killed on August 12<br />
in Sterling Heights when the car she<br />
was in with her family was struck by<br />
a teen driver fleeing police. Her son,<br />
Elijah, survived largely unscathed but<br />
her husband Norman has been in intensive<br />
care ever since.<br />
Patrick Rabban is Norman Gumma’s<br />
cousin. He remembers receiving<br />
the call in August when Norman’s dad<br />
called him with the news. “He called<br />
me crying and he said, uh, he said,<br />
‘Norman and Faith got into an accident.<br />
Faith is gone.’”<br />
Patrick and Norman are the same<br />
age and the two of them grew up together.<br />
Patrick says life has not been<br />
easy for Norman. “He’s making progress,”<br />
said Patrick, referring to Norman’s<br />
recovery in the hospital. “I<br />
mean, that’s really all you can ask. He<br />
continues to trend in the right direction.<br />
Little by little, he’s getting stronger<br />
every day,” said Rabban.<br />
The family recently got the good<br />
news Norman had been accepted at the<br />
audience. “Among them was a group<br />
of Iraqis, which included Mr. Rayan Al-<br />
Kildani, with whom some brief words<br />
were exchanged.”<br />
Analyst Michael Knights of the<br />
Washington Institute for Near East<br />
Policy commended the Vatican for not<br />
falling into a trap al-Kildani tried to<br />
make with his photo op with the pope.<br />
“It was important to see the way<br />
the Vatican responded. They put out<br />
the press release in English, Arabic and<br />
Italian. They made sure that they covered<br />
all their bases because they don’t<br />
want al-Kildani to claim that he has<br />
been given an audience with the pope<br />
knowing who he is,” Knights said.<br />
For Cardinal Sako, the situation<br />
has made him worried. “I’m ready to<br />
resign,” he said.<br />
– OSV News<br />
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital<br />
in Grand Rapids. “You know it’s going<br />
to be a long road back, for sure, based<br />
on the pace that we’ve seen. But we feel<br />
confident once we get him to this rehab<br />
facility that progress will start accelerating<br />
faster and he’ll start making some<br />
better progress,” said Rabban.<br />
The community is supporting this<br />
family as much as possible. The Go-<br />
FundMe started on their behalf has<br />
reached nearly $280,000.<br />
– WXYZ Detroit<br />
Songwriter and<br />
poet Tamara<br />
Mechael talks<br />
about her career<br />
in the arts<br />
First generation Assyrian-Chaldean<br />
songwriter and poet Tamara Mechael<br />
talks about what it’s like being a faithful<br />
Catholic in an industry that likes to<br />
take the easy way. She was born in Detroit,<br />
but Mechael was not cut out to be<br />
a mechanic or work in science like her<br />
highly educated parents. Tamara and<br />
her sister Farrah were born to be artists.<br />
Mechael is a songwriter and poet<br />
Songwriter, author and poet Tamara<br />
Mechael.<br />
who had her first book of poetry published<br />
at 15. With her mom and her<br />
sister, she created an independent record<br />
label. FanBoyNation spoke with<br />
Mechael about what it is like being a<br />
first generation American, remaining<br />
true to her faith and maybe one day<br />
turning some of her father’s Arabic<br />
and Aramaic poems into songs for her<br />
and her sister to sing.<br />
As well as being a published author,<br />
Tamara is an accomplished songwriter<br />
whose songs have been performed at<br />
events such as Los Angeles KIIS FM’s<br />
Wango Tango and Detroit’s 107.5 Summer<br />
Jamz. She has worked with international<br />
producers and songwriters,<br />
culminating in a sixteen-city United<br />
States’ tour where she showcased her<br />
first book, “Utopia Poetry.”<br />
Tamara honors her Middle Eastern<br />
heritage by incorporating its language,<br />
sound, energy, and values into<br />
her writings. For more information on<br />
Tamara, visit her official website at<br />
www.tamaramechael.com<br />
– FanBoyNation<br />
16 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 17
IN MEMORIAM<br />
Akram Oraha<br />
Esho<br />
Jul 1, 1950 –<br />
Aug 15, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Ban Asso Farida<br />
Sep 5, 1971 –<br />
Aug 15, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Salam Noori<br />
Yaldoo<br />
Aug 8, 1958 –<br />
Aug 15, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Faisal Michael<br />
Arabo<br />
Apr 7, 1930 –<br />
Aug 16, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Bakiza Marqus<br />
Feb 1, 1933 –<br />
Aug 16, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Huda Brikho<br />
Nov 11, 1960 –<br />
Aug 17, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Latifa Karana<br />
Manni<br />
Jul 1, 1936 –<br />
Aug 18, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Nagiba Rafo Dado<br />
Yaldo<br />
Jul 1, 1932 –<br />
Aug 19, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Crystal Ikhlas Zara<br />
May 9, 1961 –<br />
Aug 20, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Madleen Bahoo<br />
Imseh<br />
Jul 1, 1933 –<br />
Aug 20, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Raad Naimi<br />
Apr 16, 1956 –<br />
Aug 20, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Khalid Tobia<br />
Alkasmikha<br />
Jul 1, 1940 –<br />
Aug 21, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Shamon Brikho<br />
Nov 1, 1932 –<br />
Aug 21, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Badria Mikho<br />
Shallal Dallo<br />
Jul 1, 1932 –<br />
Aug 21, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Layla Francis<br />
Markis<br />
Oct 4, 1944 –<br />
Aug 23, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Sameer Odeesh<br />
Jul 1, 1956 –<br />
Aug 24, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Wissam<br />
Constantine<br />
Oct 22, 1968 –<br />
Aug 25, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Magid Meram<br />
Jan 6, 1949 –<br />
Aug 26, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Easter Dawood<br />
Kannu<br />
Jul 1, 1944 –<br />
Aug 27, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Mansour<br />
(Mike) Delly<br />
Jan 7, 1945 –<br />
Aug 28, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Abdulahad Saco<br />
Jul 1, 1945 –<br />
Aug 28, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Estiklal Zia<br />
Sheena<br />
Oct 11, 1932 –<br />
Aug 29, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Farj Jabraeel<br />
Abdullahed<br />
Jul 1, 1968 –<br />
Aug 29, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Zexad Sameer<br />
Denha<br />
Nov 10, 1972 –<br />
Aug 31, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Kurjeau Abosh<br />
Ibrahim<br />
Apr 5, 1936 –<br />
Aug 31, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Adeeb Fawzi<br />
Shmoni<br />
Jul 1, 1943 –<br />
Aug 31, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Amanoiel Hanna<br />
Khami<br />
Jul 1, 1942 –<br />
Sep 1, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Farid Elias Jamil<br />
Jul 1, 1939 –<br />
Sep 2, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Maskoni Hermiz<br />
Shabo<br />
Sep 2, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Jalila Yousif<br />
Zaitouna<br />
Jul 1, 1931 –<br />
Sep 3, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Norma Nayef<br />
Shammas Toma<br />
Nov 6, 1938 –<br />
Sep 5, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Georgette Kashat<br />
May 7, 1939 –<br />
Sep 6, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Layla Kajy<br />
Jun 15, 1950 –<br />
Sep 7, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Maher Lateef Bibi<br />
Aug 25, 1964 –<br />
Sep 8, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Esam Shamoon<br />
Kachi<br />
Nov 21, 1952 –<br />
Sep 9, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Lateef Hanna<br />
Dalaly<br />
Jun 21, 1929 –<br />
Sep 10, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Aida Azo<br />
Apr 15, 1950 –<br />
Sep 11, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Latif Yousif Markoz<br />
Kasha<br />
Aug 10, 1961 –<br />
Sep 11, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Madeleine Jadan<br />
Haisha<br />
Jul 9, 1931 –<br />
Sep 15, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Mariamo Yousif<br />
Kassab<br />
Jun 16, 1933 –<br />
Sep 16, <strong>2023</strong><br />
18 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
OBITUARY<br />
Dr. Salim Yusuf Mansoor<br />
Dr. Salim Yusuf Mansoor, a renowned physiatrist,<br />
statesman, and former diplomat was born on October<br />
2, 1938, and passed away on September 3, <strong>2023</strong>. Salim,<br />
who practiced as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation<br />
doctor, was the former Director of PHMR at Southern Maryland Hospital.<br />
He served his native country, Iraq, in the diplomatic corps as Consul General,<br />
Montreal, and established the Iraqi Embassy in Ottawa, Canada in 1972. When<br />
Iraq invaded Kuwait, Salim was given the “blessings and consent” of President<br />
George H.W. Bush to lead a delegation to meet with Saddam Hussein and thereby<br />
obtained the release of 14 American hostages. He is survived by his wife Inaam,<br />
children Sammid (Darlene) Mansoor, Ramiz (Mary Elizabeth) Mansoor, and<br />
Deana (Robert) Glista, brother Thamer Mansoor, and grandchildren Alexandra,<br />
Abigail, Daniel, Madeline, Amelia, Nora, and Daniel. He is also survived by a loving<br />
extended family, who will always cherish Salim as its patriarch.<br />
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 19
COVER STORY<br />
Leaving Minorities Behind<br />
Iraqi Supreme Federal Court upholds alcohol ban<br />
BY CAL ABBO<br />
PHOTO COURTESY AP / IRAQI PARLIAMENT INFORMATION OFFICE<br />
Ministers of the new Iraqi government are sworn in during the parliamentary session to vote on the new government<br />
in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.<br />
In the blistering heat of summer,<br />
Iraq’s infrastructure and institutions<br />
have managed to stay intact<br />
through another year. Its struggles<br />
with water, climate, electricity, and<br />
sectarianism preclude the country<br />
from making a significant economic<br />
recovery 20 years after the United<br />
States invaded its borders.<br />
Christian minorities often bear the<br />
brunt of Iraq’s various crises, which<br />
seem to compound rather than resolve.<br />
In late August, Iraq’s Federal<br />
Supreme Court heaved another hardship<br />
on its Christian communities by<br />
officially upholding a ban on the importation,<br />
manufacturing, and sale of<br />
alcoholic beverages.<br />
When the law was first implemented<br />
earlier this year, Chaldeans made an<br />
uproar in protest, their echoes reaching<br />
all corners of the world where our people<br />
live. For many centuries, Christians<br />
have taken on the role of selling alcohol<br />
in Muslim-majority society, entrenching<br />
themselves and their families in<br />
the retail business. This fact will sound<br />
familiar to Chaldeans in Detroit, as we<br />
have carried in the tradition from the<br />
old country. The new ban will demolish<br />
stores’ legitimate sales and make the<br />
alcohol industry much more dangerous<br />
and unregulated.<br />
While it’s impossible to tell the exact<br />
intention of the law, in practice, it<br />
severely handicaps the economic outlook<br />
for Iraq’s minorities. Christians are<br />
often outcast from good-paying government<br />
jobs, professional positions,<br />
or academia. If they do manage to get<br />
in, they are looked over for promotions<br />
and supervisor positions. Over the<br />
years, the community began to focus<br />
on where it could thrive and provide<br />
for its families. Owning your own small<br />
business, like a convenience store or<br />
grocery store, is a reliable and independent<br />
way to earn a living. With the alcohol<br />
ban, much of that revenue is now<br />
illegal or has been lost completely.<br />
Iraq has not been kind to its Christian<br />
minorities in the 21st century. For<br />
decades, Chaldeans have dealt with<br />
land confiscations, both public and<br />
private, in their villages and fertile territories<br />
in the North. The land thieves<br />
forge documents that show false ownership<br />
and lay claim to the lands. Oftentimes,<br />
Iraqi courts side with the<br />
fake deeds, and land which Chaldeans<br />
have used for centuries is gone forever.<br />
Of course, Christians have suffered<br />
serious tragedies and genocide under<br />
the rule of ISIS. Even now, after the<br />
terrorist organization is pretty much<br />
defunct, our villages have not been rebuilt<br />
or repaired. Mosul, on the other<br />
hand, which is a key city for the country,<br />
has seen hefty contributions to aid<br />
and repair it, which has brought signs<br />
of life and flourishing back to the city<br />
that was the site of all-out war just a<br />
few years ago.<br />
Countries around the world have<br />
recognized the genocide and devastation<br />
against the Chaldean community,<br />
but Iraq has done little to aid the situation<br />
or repair the villages. Many of the<br />
houses and shops are unusable, which<br />
prevents displaced refugees from returning<br />
and increases the chance<br />
these villages will never recover and<br />
will fade from our collective memories.<br />
Many Christians in Iraq feel targeted<br />
by the government on a regular basis.<br />
Cardinal Louis Sako, who serves as<br />
the Chaldean patriarch, recently moved<br />
out of Baghdad after a presidential decree<br />
revoked some of his ability to manage<br />
the church’s assets. After a feud<br />
with the Babylon Movement and Rayan<br />
al-Kildani escalated, the prime minister<br />
got involved and moved against Cardinal<br />
Sako with this decree.<br />
For now, Christians are far from<br />
feeling safe and secure going about<br />
life in many areas of Iraq. But even<br />
this is a small thing to ask. Iraq’s minorities<br />
must be given space to prosper<br />
without overbearing religious laws restricting<br />
their business and hampering<br />
their welfare.<br />
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 21
FEATURE<br />
Fighting for the Underserved<br />
The Rights of Religious and National Minorities in Iraq<br />
BY WEAM NAMOU<br />
Diya Butros Sliwa, a Chaldean<br />
political activist, lives in Erbil,<br />
Iraq, but he gives talks around<br />
the world on human rights. He visited<br />
North America recently where he gave<br />
talks and interviews in Michigan, in<br />
Canada, and he also plans to travel to<br />
Washington, DC. His goal is to bring<br />
awareness to the status of the rights<br />
of religious and national minorities in<br />
Iraq and Kurdistan.<br />
On Saturday, September 2, <strong>2023</strong>, he<br />
lectured at the Mandaean Association<br />
of Michigan in Warren. The Iraqi Human<br />
Rights Society in the US, established<br />
in 1994, hosted the lecture.<br />
“Today Nineveh is in danger,” said<br />
Sliwa. “It’s in a terrible dire state. I say<br />
this with honesty and confidence.”<br />
Sliwa is the president of the Civil<br />
Rights and Citizenry Organization; for<br />
over 20 years, he has watched the situation<br />
for Christians and other minorities<br />
in Iraq go from “worse to worser.”<br />
After the American-led coalition forces<br />
ousted Saddam Hussein on March 19,<br />
2003, attempts to create a new constitution<br />
began. In October 2005, a<br />
national referendum approved a new<br />
constitution.<br />
“Regrettably, the new and current<br />
constitution that was adopted in 2005<br />
had many glitches,” Sliwa said. Then<br />
he brought forth several examples.<br />
The constitution establishes Islam<br />
as the official religion and states that<br />
no law may be enacted contradicting<br />
the established provisions of Islam.<br />
Freedom of Religion or Belief Article<br />
18 of the Universal Declaration of Human<br />
Rights (UDHR) says we all have<br />
the right to our own beliefs, to have a<br />
religion, have no religion, or to change<br />
it. Yet in Iraq, if someone changes from<br />
Islam to another religion, they face the<br />
death penalty. Furthermore, if either<br />
parent of a child is Muslim and the<br />
child is under 18 years of age, the child<br />
must be Muslim.<br />
“So where is the freedom of the<br />
child?” asked Sliwa.<br />
Diya Butros Sliwa (left) and Hamid Murad (right), president of the Iraqi<br />
Human Rights Society in the US.<br />
He’s also concerned about the<br />
rights of women. According to Amnesty<br />
International, the Iraqi parliament<br />
continues to fail to criminalize<br />
domestic violence despite an increase<br />
in “honor killings” and other forms of<br />
gender-based violence documented<br />
by national NGOs. Recently, a bill was<br />
The Iraqi parliament<br />
continues to fail to<br />
criminalize domestic<br />
violence despite an<br />
increase in “honor<br />
killings” and other<br />
forms of genderbased<br />
violence.<br />
drafted that, if it passes, will cause<br />
Iraqi citizens to face death or life in<br />
prison for same-sex relations, a minimum<br />
of seven years in prison for promoting<br />
sexuality, and up to three years<br />
for imitating women.<br />
Sliwa said that in addition to these<br />
violations, Iraqis are deprived of basic<br />
human rights such as education,<br />
healthcare, economy, housing, and<br />
others. “They are deprived of life,”<br />
he opines. “The situation, however, is<br />
worse for minorities since they are less<br />
in number. They don’t have armed militias<br />
and their lands have been stolen<br />
from them.”<br />
He adds that the number of Christians<br />
in Iraq has gone down from 1.5<br />
million in 2003 to currently “a number<br />
that’s too little to count.”<br />
“There’s no real census to document<br />
that population,” he said, although<br />
the U.S. State Department 2022<br />
Report claims the number is estimated<br />
at 150,000.<br />
“We seek a democratic framework<br />
for Iraq, one that would uphold human<br />
rights for everyone, especially<br />
minorities,” he said. “Iraqis deserve<br />
stability, including relief from political<br />
violence.”<br />
Sliwa reminded listeners that ISIS<br />
controlled the Nineveh Plain region<br />
from 2014 to 2016, causing the inner<br />
displacement of more than one million<br />
Iraqi citizens within their own land.<br />
“It’s a painful situation,” he said.<br />
“Imagine that, in your own country,<br />
you are displaced, living in tents. You<br />
are abandoned and forgotten.”<br />
PHOTO BY WEAM NAMOU<br />
When the region was liberated<br />
from ISIS in 2016, the government<br />
asked people to return to their homes.<br />
“But ISIS is still present there and has<br />
sleeping cells. The government is playing<br />
a political game. They are currently<br />
taking the possessions and assets of<br />
the Christians.”<br />
While the constitution promotes<br />
minority rights and protection of Iraq’s<br />
ethnic and religious diversity, intolerance<br />
and discrimination have caused<br />
the number of Christians to decline to<br />
the point where, “One day we will end<br />
up like the Jews.” Currently, there are<br />
said to be three Jews left in Iraq. “If you<br />
can’t protect your own home, then you<br />
will consider escaping from it,” he said.<br />
Why should the world care? “Human<br />
rights and terrorism are not a local<br />
or national issue,” he said. “It’s a global<br />
topic and everyone is responsible for<br />
the protection against terrorism and the<br />
protection of minorities in Iraq.”<br />
He pointed out that the United Nations<br />
did not do its duty for the minorities<br />
in Iraq the way they had for Kosova,<br />
Bosnia, or other wars that took<br />
place in other parts of the world. “The<br />
reason for that needs to be studied and<br />
addressed,” he said.<br />
During the question-and-answer<br />
portion of the event on September 2,<br />
one woman commented, “I don’t like<br />
the word ‘minority’ for us. Who chose<br />
me to be a minority? Why am I considered<br />
a minority in my own country?<br />
I’m a minority by number, but not by<br />
my history and essence. That word<br />
does not suit us.”<br />
“We shouldn’t be embarrassed by<br />
the word ‘minority’,” responded Sliwa.<br />
“Still, we should be considered a<br />
majority and get the same rights as the<br />
majority,” she countered.<br />
“No one is getting their rights in<br />
the Arab world,” was Sliwa’s reply.<br />
“So, by being a minority, we have more<br />
rights.”<br />
That’s the kind of logic that suits<br />
Iraq right now.<br />
22 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 23
FEATURE<br />
Changing Education<br />
Chaldeans have changed how Michigan learns<br />
BY CAL ABBO<br />
Chaldeans have lived and learned<br />
in Michigan for over 100 years.<br />
During that time, they have<br />
brought with them and transmitted<br />
their culture and traditions, including<br />
how knowledge is passed down and<br />
inherited.<br />
The defining characteristics of Chaldeans<br />
as it relates to education are family<br />
and community. Much of what one<br />
learns, contrary to the popular culture<br />
and system, is borne out of an informal<br />
education within the household or<br />
workplace. This understanding helps<br />
to frame the system through which new<br />
and ancient knowledge is conveyed.<br />
The most important consideration,<br />
however, is the speed with which these<br />
systems are changing and how Chaldeans<br />
have integrated into a traditional<br />
public/private school system.<br />
In Chaldean culture, men and women<br />
play vastly different roles within the<br />
family unit, which affects how knowledge<br />
is shared with them. Men and<br />
women tend to congregate with one<br />
another and learn from members of the<br />
same group, which perpetuates and accentuates<br />
gender roles and differences.<br />
In ancient Chaldean society, for<br />
example, young women learned from<br />
their elders how to run a household or<br />
raise children. They also learned crafts<br />
and technical skills as it relates to<br />
cooking food or making clothes. Men,<br />
on the other hand, often shadowed<br />
their father’s work or took an apprenticeship<br />
with another family member.<br />
There, they learned the ins and outs of<br />
productive work that could earn some<br />
money and support the family.<br />
This system shows vast differences<br />
from the American one that we<br />
are used to. Most importantly, there is<br />
little barrier to entry. One only has to<br />
be a part of a family or the community,<br />
and they are rewarded with access<br />
to knowledge, rather than buying it<br />
through tuition or offering their time in<br />
unpaid internships. This educational<br />
practice was crucial to the first Chaldeans<br />
who arrived in Michigan and the<br />
generations since.<br />
The ribbon cutting for St. Thomas Montessori School in West Bloomfield last<br />
December.<br />
A traditional education in the United<br />
States relies on public or private schooling<br />
that keeps even our smallest children<br />
as busy as a full-time job would.<br />
This process, however, offers only a<br />
small portion of the knowledge a teenager<br />
has when receiving their diploma.<br />
Learning occurs in all parts of our lives<br />
and throughout the day, not just during<br />
the time we spend in traditional school;<br />
and even then, we learn from our peers<br />
just as much as our teachers.<br />
While the very first Chaldeans<br />
came to Detroit for jobs in the auto<br />
industry, they quickly opened stalls<br />
at farmers markets and eventually<br />
full-blown grocery stores. By sharing<br />
knowledge and educating one another<br />
in this business, Chaldeans were able<br />
to replicate this model many times<br />
over and achieve community success.<br />
Fathers passed on their hard-earned<br />
knowledge to their sons, who took<br />
over and innovated the family store.<br />
CHALDEAN<br />
STORY<br />
At the same time, women passed<br />
around their traditions to one another<br />
and their daughters. As they adjusted<br />
to life in Michigan, Chaldean women<br />
took up various professions and duties<br />
and taught each other new strategies<br />
for going about life. They relied on<br />
one another to raise children and feed<br />
their families and recreate life that resembles<br />
the village, at least as close as<br />
they could in the great urban Detroit of<br />
the early 1900s, while their husbands<br />
and brothers earned a wage.<br />
As soon as the first Chaldean<br />
stepped foot in Detroit, however, the<br />
slow advance of assimilation began.<br />
The traditional roles played by men<br />
and women began to fade and merge,<br />
as did the memories of life in Iraq. The<br />
cultural identity of Chaldeans blended<br />
with that of other American immigrants<br />
and Americans in general; no longer<br />
were they endangered indigenous people,<br />
but a flourishing immigrant community<br />
that grew in power and wealth<br />
with each passing year. As such, Chaldeans<br />
began to enter the professions<br />
via colleges and universities. While<br />
these aspects of society were not entirely<br />
foreign to the community, as they<br />
had similar institutions in Iraq, they<br />
were previously reserved for wealthy<br />
and noble members of society.<br />
The all-important church, which<br />
was the center of village life, was transplanted<br />
to Michigan, but not without<br />
change. For the earliest Chaldeans, the<br />
institution maintained its lofty importance.<br />
In Iraq, the church served as a<br />
gathering place and pillar of the community.<br />
This is where children learned<br />
the customs of the community, how to<br />
act among their peers and elders, as<br />
well as how to participate in its traditions<br />
and religious beliefs through<br />
structured educational courses. In its<br />
early days in America, the church was<br />
essential and served a similar role, but<br />
its importance has since faded and its<br />
role in education has become similar<br />
to other Catholic churches in America.<br />
As a result, to reestablish their<br />
cultural influence and rectify imperfections<br />
in Michigan’s educational<br />
system, the Chaldean Church has<br />
begun to establish its own parallel<br />
educational system. Since the advent<br />
of COVID-19 and the subsequent pandemic,<br />
homeschooling and other nontraditional<br />
learning options became<br />
popular after public schools ceased inperson<br />
instruction. In January of this<br />
year, the Chaldean Church opened its<br />
very own Montessori school, which is<br />
open to children up to 6 years old.<br />
The Montessori method, named after<br />
Italian physician Maria Montessori,<br />
emphasizes each child’s individual and<br />
natural desire for knowledge. It uses an<br />
open style of learning rather than structured<br />
instruction and assignments,<br />
encouraging its students to engage in<br />
activities that interest them. The Montessori<br />
method as used in the St. Thomas<br />
school encourages empathy, social<br />
This report is made possible with generous support from<br />
Michigan Stories, a Michigan Humanities Grants initiative. EDUCATION continued on page 26<br />
24 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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EDUCATION continued from page 24<br />
justice, and lifelong learning, according<br />
to a January article in the Chaldean<br />
News. “By God’s grace and with the<br />
community’s support, we hope to offer<br />
Pre-K thru 8th grade Chaldean Catholic<br />
education very soon,” said Fr. Pierre<br />
Konja in the same article.<br />
In our own right, Chaldeans have<br />
had a profound mark on Michigan’s<br />
education system. Members of our<br />
community have become teachers and<br />
administrators, and some have started<br />
their own educational ventures to add<br />
to Michigan’s trove of schooling.<br />
The Chaldean community in Detroit,<br />
following similar diaspora communities<br />
in the United States, has made attempts<br />
to incorporate its native language directly<br />
into the public or private school<br />
system. In Oakland County Schools,<br />
where many Chaldean students attend,<br />
a Sureth language exam is being introduced.<br />
If a student passes the exam,<br />
they can get high-school credit for<br />
knowing a second language, making it<br />
easier for recently migrated Chaldean<br />
students to succeed in graduating.<br />
At the University of Detroit Mercy,<br />
there is a full-blown Aramaic course<br />
that students can take for credit. Mahir<br />
Awrahem, a teacher who is active in<br />
the movement to restore and revive the<br />
dying language, instructs this official<br />
college course as well as other, unofficial<br />
courses, including some hosted by<br />
the Chaldean Cultural Center.<br />
St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic<br />
Church also holds its own classes to<br />
teach Sureth to those in Detroit who were<br />
not taught at home. Shamasha<br />
Khairy Foumia and Lina Yaldo<br />
developed a curriculum intended<br />
for younger children,<br />
but it can also be used as an<br />
introductory course for people<br />
of all ages who want to learn<br />
the language, according to Michael<br />
Antoon, who helps lead<br />
the program at St. Thomas.<br />
Chaldeans have contributed<br />
as much to the traditional<br />
education infrastructure as<br />
they have to a parallel one they created.<br />
Many Chaldean teachers are employed<br />
by public and private schools in our<br />
community. In many of these schools,<br />
Chaldeans dominate the student population<br />
and have a heavy influence on<br />
their school’s culture.<br />
Crystal Jabiro<br />
Around the state of Michigan,<br />
universities, high schools, and even<br />
middle schools have loosely affiliated<br />
Chaldean American Student Association<br />
groups, better recognized by its<br />
acronym CASA.<br />
Crystal Jabiro is an educator at West<br />
Bloomfield Schools. She tries<br />
to incorporate what she sees<br />
as Chaldean values, such as<br />
charity, kindness, and empathy,<br />
in the school. In addition,<br />
Crystal started the firstever<br />
CASA for middle school,<br />
bringing Chaldean culture<br />
to a variety of students at a<br />
younger age.<br />
In her U.S. history classes,<br />
where it’s relevant, Crystal<br />
teaches about immigration and acculturation.<br />
“I point out all the things<br />
that Chaldean people own here in West<br />
Bloomfield and metro Detroit,” she said.<br />
In her ancient history class, she teaches<br />
about Mesopotamia and has her students<br />
make their very own clay tablets.<br />
At Marian High School, a top private<br />
school for young women in and<br />
around Bloomfield Hills, the group<br />
has a significant influence on the rest<br />
of its school. Teachers and faculty estimate<br />
that Chaldeans comprise 30% of<br />
the student population.<br />
Claudine Denha Tella, who has<br />
taught at Marian for more than<br />
15 years and leads the CASA<br />
group, offered her insights<br />
into the Chaldean influence at<br />
the school. According to her,<br />
Chaldeans bring a lot of culture<br />
and life to the school.<br />
Since she began her work<br />
there, the number of Chaldean<br />
students rose gradually from a<br />
few students in her first year<br />
to where it is now. A lot of the<br />
change is attributed to Chaldean<br />
enrollment in feeder schools as<br />
well as the congregation factor – where<br />
Chaldeans are, others tend to follow.<br />
The students and Claudine have<br />
influenced the school in many ways.<br />
Chaldeans are well-known for their<br />
prevalence in serving in school masses.<br />
Claudine Denha<br />
Tella<br />
Above: Michael Antoon’s Chaldean<br />
class in elementary school.<br />
Left: Marian High School<br />
CASA with Claudine Denha.<br />
In the spring, Marian put on a Chaldean<br />
Mass which helped show different traditions<br />
of Catholicism to its students.<br />
“If you have no Chaldeans here,” Claudine<br />
said, “there’s no Baghiya, no Mediterranean<br />
bar, among other things.”<br />
Claudine is referring to an instance<br />
when a group of Chaldean students<br />
taught some of their teachers how to<br />
dance Baghiya. Claudine got married<br />
last year and invited some of her fellow<br />
teachers to the occasion. Those teachers<br />
implored Chaldean students to teach<br />
them the dances and other cultural traditions,<br />
like what to wear, that would be<br />
good to know for the wedding.<br />
In the past, according to Claudine,<br />
students from other minority<br />
backgrounds, like African American<br />
students or Mexican immigrants,<br />
have found a home at CASA among<br />
the Chaldeans. “Chaldeans serve as a<br />
welcoming place for other minorities,”<br />
Claudine said.<br />
Claudine also tries hard<br />
to educate her peers on Chaldeans<br />
so they can be culturally<br />
informed and know how to<br />
handle certain situations. She<br />
gave a presentation last year,<br />
with the help of the Chaldean<br />
Community Foundation, to<br />
members of Marian’s faculty.<br />
According to her, the presentation<br />
was well attended, and<br />
the school gained a lot from it.<br />
Stories like these are common, with<br />
Chaldean teachers around the state<br />
exposing others to our heritage. Without<br />
Chaldeans, education in Michigan<br />
would look very different, and many<br />
schools would lose a significant aspect<br />
of our culture.<br />
26 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 27
FEATURE<br />
ASSYRIANPOLICY.ORG<br />
company that develops standardized<br />
language exams, with the Chaldean<br />
Community Foundation, which will<br />
pay the up-front cost for Avant’s services.<br />
In addition, the CCF will identify<br />
five target language experts that<br />
are fluent in English and Chaldean<br />
who will help develop, rate, and<br />
score the assessments. The development<br />
of this exam could pave the<br />
way for similar efforts in other communities.<br />
Sponsors and members of the Assyrian Club at Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois.<br />
Sureth in Schools<br />
Keeping the language alive<br />
BY CAL ABBO<br />
The people sitting in the audience<br />
of the Niles Township High<br />
School board meeting focused<br />
all of their energy on the event that<br />
would take place in just a few minutes.<br />
They were adorned with joleh<br />
d’khomala, a traditional Assyrian outfit<br />
that shows off bright colors, embroidered<br />
patterns, and feathers coming<br />
out of the headdress.<br />
After a roll call vote by the school<br />
board confirmed the historic proposal,<br />
the room erupted in claps and celebrations.<br />
For the first time in the history<br />
of the United States, after this board<br />
meeting in late 2022, Sureth will be<br />
offered to students as a full-curriculum<br />
language option in a public high<br />
school starting in this academic year.<br />
This is one small step in a worldwide<br />
effort to maintain our native language<br />
that is often lost on first-generation immigrants<br />
and beyond.<br />
D219 Suraye is the name for a group<br />
of parents of Assyrian students in Niles,<br />
a suburb of Chicago, and the surrounding<br />
towns. Last year, the group estimated<br />
that 25-30% of students enrolled in<br />
the district are Assyrian.<br />
In metro Detroit, similar efforts<br />
have not yet been engaged, but some<br />
residents are hopeful that a proposal<br />
matching the one in Niles can find<br />
its way into our education system. In<br />
some specific schools, Chaldeans represent<br />
more than half of all students.<br />
While there is no language class on<br />
the table, Oakland County Schools is<br />
currently working to add an examination<br />
for Sureth that would allow students<br />
to test out of the language requirement<br />
in school and receive the Michigan<br />
Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation.<br />
For some Chaldean students, English<br />
is a second language, and they are<br />
required to learn it during their school<br />
tenure. Requiring a third language,<br />
especially when it is taught based on<br />
the very English that the student is still<br />
mastering, can hamper their development<br />
in more important areas. Instead,<br />
this exemption will afford students the<br />
opportunity to take other, more relevant<br />
classes that will help them master<br />
the topics of their choosing.<br />
Tina Kozlowski, an English Learner<br />
Consultant, and Jennifer Howe, a Heritage<br />
and World Languages Consultant,<br />
both work in Oakland Schools. They<br />
have been leading efforts to establish a<br />
Sureth test that would allow Chaldean<br />
teenagers to pursue opportunities outside<br />
of learning another language if<br />
they so desire.<br />
While working in the school system,<br />
they noticed the immense number<br />
of Chaldean students in the system,<br />
many of whom had a difficult<br />
time achieving the requirement to<br />
learn yet another language. It was this<br />
realization that led to the idea of an exemption<br />
exam.<br />
Kozlowski and Howe presented<br />
the case for a speaking-only Chaldean<br />
language assessment to the Michigan<br />
Seal of Biliteracy and World Language<br />
Council. The council was excited to<br />
hear about an opportunity to reach the<br />
Chaldean community.<br />
The two Oakland Schools consultants<br />
also connected Avant, a private<br />
The Sounds of History<br />
The United Nations Educational, Scientific,<br />
and Cultural Organization,<br />
otherwise known as UNESCO, lists<br />
the language as “definitely endangered.”<br />
Sureth, which has many dialects<br />
and is referred to colloquially<br />
by many names, including Chaldean,<br />
Assyrian, and Syriac, has evolved<br />
from a long history that traces back<br />
to ancient Mesopotamia and the Semitic<br />
language family.<br />
Modern Sureth is often referred to<br />
as Neo-Aramaic because of its ancestry<br />
in the Aramaic language family;<br />
however, it is heavily influenced by<br />
other languages like Akkadian, which<br />
has roots in ancient Mesopotamia.<br />
Akkadian shared an ancient form of<br />
writing called cuneiform with a few<br />
other ancient languages, like Sumerian.<br />
Cuneiform is commonly regarded<br />
as the earliest-known writing system.<br />
Around 3,000 years ago, Aramaic<br />
speakers became more prevalent in<br />
the region belonging to the Assyrian<br />
Empire. The language began to take<br />
over from Akkadian because of its easy<br />
writing system, which had 22 letters,<br />
compared to Akkadian’s cuneiform<br />
which had more than 600 distinct<br />
symbols. Although the writing was replaced,<br />
the spoken languages almost<br />
certainly blended with one another.<br />
During the Mongol invasions, the<br />
language experienced its most rapid<br />
decline as Arabic replaced it officially<br />
almost everywhere besides Northern<br />
Mesopotamia and a large pocket of<br />
speakers in Kerala, India. Even many<br />
liturgies during this time were translated<br />
to Arabic.<br />
Since globalization and the dawn<br />
of modernity, most minority languages<br />
have declined sharply. Government attempts<br />
to standardize schooling and<br />
SURETH continued on page 30<br />
28 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 29
SURETH continued from page 28<br />
language further contribute to this effect.<br />
Some action, however, has been<br />
taken to preserve the rich history and<br />
function of Sureth.<br />
In 1972, the Ba’athist government<br />
in Iraq granted cultural rights to<br />
Sureth speakers and other Christians<br />
and more autonomy in their own communities.<br />
This allowed us to use our<br />
own language in schools and pass it<br />
down officially.<br />
When Saddam Hussein came to<br />
power, however, these rights were<br />
revoked. Many community schools<br />
ditched teaching the native language<br />
in favor of Arabic, leading to a substantial<br />
decline in fluency. This reality<br />
was furthered by the ongoing wars<br />
and terroristic campaigns that have<br />
destroyed our communities in Iraq.<br />
In 2004 and 2005, respectively, the<br />
Constitution of the Iraqi Kurdistan<br />
Region stated that Sureth will be the<br />
language of education and culture for<br />
those who speak it, and the Constitution<br />
of Iraq gave it the status of an official<br />
language, “in the administrative<br />
units in which they constitute density<br />
of population.”<br />
FACEBOOK<br />
involved in this historic realization,<br />
including the parents that comprise<br />
D219 Suraye. In 2019, Atour Sargon,<br />
who is vice chair of the Assyrian Policy<br />
Institute (API), was elected to the Lincolnwood<br />
Board of Trustees as the first<br />
ethnic Assyrian in the city’s government.<br />
Lincolnwood is part of the Niles<br />
school district that implemented the<br />
language changes.<br />
“The D219 team hit a roadblock last<br />
year when it was made clear that in order<br />
for the proposed course to proceed<br />
at the local level, it required state-level<br />
approval,” Sargon said. That’s when<br />
API stepped in. At the same time as<br />
this issue came up, API was forming<br />
the Illinois Assyrian Caucus in the<br />
the longer term. Assyrian children who<br />
learn their language, she said, are able<br />
to maintain critical ties to their culture,<br />
affirm their identity, and preserve important<br />
connections with their elders<br />
and their homeland. “If Assyrian children<br />
can be exposed to their language<br />
early enough, thoroughly enough, and<br />
long enough, it can be hoped that the<br />
community’s shift away from the language<br />
can be reversed.”<br />
Ramina Samuel is an Assyrian<br />
school counselor in the Niles High<br />
School District 219 as well as the Vice<br />
President of an organization called<br />
BET KANU, which produces digital<br />
content in Sureth that is geared toward<br />
language-learning.<br />
a serious interest in learning the language.<br />
“We already have non-Assyrians<br />
who have elected to take the course next<br />
year,” Samuel said. “We need to remind<br />
ourselves that we do and can have a<br />
positive impact in the larger American<br />
community. Those students grew up<br />
in the area with Assyrian friends and<br />
would love to learn the language.”<br />
Naema Abraham was the President<br />
of the School Board when the course<br />
was approved. She originally immigrated<br />
to the U.S. in 1974 and settled in<br />
Niles in 1979. Abraham said when she<br />
first arrived in the town, there were very<br />
few Assyrians who lived there. In her<br />
own words, she became Americanized.<br />
While she doesn’t see this as a bad<br />
An Ancient Language<br />
in Modern Times<br />
Many Chaldeans in diaspora communities<br />
have launched programs locally<br />
to teach Sureth to Chaldeans who<br />
don’t speak it fluently, like the newest<br />
program at St. Thomas Church, or<br />
the Aramaic classes offered through<br />
the Chaldean Cultural Center. Others<br />
make it a point to teach their children.<br />
Yet more start programs online, like<br />
the comprehensive course created by<br />
the Chaldean Community Foundation<br />
and hosted by Mango Languages. In<br />
Detroit, the University of Detroit Mercy<br />
offers an official Aramaic course, and<br />
these credits transfer to several other<br />
universities in the area.<br />
Some organizations try to impart<br />
the language’s treasures into the<br />
public school system. In the world of<br />
school board elections and grassroots<br />
organizing, these campaigns can take<br />
years to bear fruit. But that only makes<br />
the accomplishment all the sweeter<br />
once it passes.<br />
Chaldean communities around the<br />
world can use the example from Niles<br />
for inspiration. Many people were<br />
The first D219 Suraye meeting for the school year.<br />
state legislature. Her political relationships<br />
helped get a meeting with the Illinois<br />
State Board of Education, which<br />
eventually accepted the curriculum<br />
and added it to the state catalog.<br />
In addition to its behind-thescenes<br />
work, API also organized a<br />
grassroots letter-writing campaign<br />
that saw more than 800 local residents<br />
write to the D219 school board to show<br />
their support for the course, according<br />
to Sargon.<br />
“This effort serves a growing interest<br />
and need among Assyrian-American<br />
students,” Sargon said. “Schools<br />
are major venues for language-learning.<br />
Assyrian language courses at the<br />
high school level can provide a natural<br />
context for language-learning and<br />
help establish Assyrian locally as a<br />
language spoken on a daily basis.”<br />
Sargon thinks this new course will<br />
help address the language problem in<br />
“My biggest concern is our approach<br />
as a community regarding our<br />
beloved language,” she said. “We need<br />
to get past discussions, disagreements,<br />
and focus on taking action. We have<br />
to see our language for its value and<br />
the richness that it brings to the world<br />
while shifting our mindset away from<br />
the idea that it is a dying language.”<br />
Samuel’s organization is designing<br />
the curriculum for the course. “The<br />
curriculum is being built following<br />
U.S. World Language Standards with<br />
the guidance and collaboration of experts<br />
in the field,” she said, adding<br />
that the course will be taught in a nontraditional<br />
way. “There is a great focus<br />
on attaining language skills needed<br />
for everyday function.”<br />
Another interesting factor has<br />
sprung up since the school district announced<br />
the addition of the course.<br />
Many regular Americans have shown<br />
thing, she also thinks it’s important to<br />
maintain a strong connection with her<br />
ancestral language and culture. Once<br />
more Assyrians moved to the Niles<br />
area, Abraham began to use her native<br />
language again and reengaged with<br />
the culture she grew up with.<br />
Despite this great progress, she<br />
is still concerned for the next generations.<br />
Her daughter, for example,<br />
speaks broken Sureth. Many parents<br />
in the diaspora try to avoid speaking<br />
Sureth in their own household so that<br />
their children will become fluent in<br />
English. On the other hand, this way<br />
of thinking contributes to the decline<br />
of the language overall.<br />
Abraham said she is beyond excited<br />
that the course was approved and<br />
will be initiated this school year. She<br />
also wants the accomplishments of Assyrian<br />
community in Niles to provide a<br />
model for others around the world.<br />
30 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 31
FEATURE<br />
The Great School Initiative<br />
BY WEAM NAMOU<br />
In 2020, Nathan Pawl’s son, an<br />
honor-roll student, felt attacked<br />
because he wouldn’t wear a mask<br />
in school. This was in Walled Lake<br />
School District, and when Pawl, the<br />
father, tried to resolve the situation,<br />
he felt frustrated that he wasn’t being<br />
heard.<br />
Pawl then decided to act. He<br />
teamed up with Monica Yatooma, a<br />
former Oakland County Commissioner<br />
candidate, and Matthew Nelson, a<br />
Walled Lake parent, and they founded<br />
the Great Schools Initiative (GSI), a<br />
non-profit organization based in Michigan<br />
and dedicated to advocating for<br />
premium public education.<br />
Later other parents jumped on<br />
board, and the number increased to<br />
today include over 5,600 parents. GSI<br />
also quickly gained the support of<br />
several organizations, legislators, and<br />
legal institutions. “We’re now a super<br />
team,” said Maron Yousif, Organizing<br />
Director. “We go from community to<br />
community to teach parents what their<br />
rights are.”<br />
In this ongoing initiative, the<br />
group plans to host discussions at different<br />
places including churches and<br />
schools. The Chaldean Diocese has<br />
supported this initiative, and in August,<br />
they hosted a talk at St. George<br />
Chaldean Church in Troy, led by Bishop<br />
Francis.<br />
“There’s an ongoing attack on family,”<br />
said Bishop Francis. “We want<br />
to protect children’s innocence and<br />
to prevent a mental health crisis.” He<br />
discussed the laws that have been<br />
implemented, and others that the<br />
government is attempting to implement,<br />
regarding LGBTQ issues – and<br />
outlined how harmful he felt some of<br />
them are and how they affect the rights<br />
of other groups.<br />
“How did we get there?” asked the<br />
Bishop. “God’s death! The death of<br />
God in society, in the schools, in the<br />
government. It’s no longer a separation<br />
of Church and State. It’s the abolishment<br />
of the Church so that the State<br />
can become small G, god.”<br />
The Bishop encouraged people<br />
to fight back for what they believe in<br />
Bishop Francis Kalabat addressing the Great Schools Initiative.<br />
while simultaneously respecting and<br />
loving those with different viewpoints<br />
and lifestyles.<br />
“This fight is for public education,”<br />
said Yatooma, a wife and mother of<br />
three school aged children, whose<br />
public address followed the Bishop’s<br />
talk. “When someone was telling me<br />
how to live and what I could do or<br />
couldn’t do, and that I had to put a<br />
mask on my kids that they weren’t<br />
comfortable with, I wasn’t comfortable<br />
with that.”<br />
She went to the Oakland County<br />
Board of Commissioners meeting with<br />
approximately 1,500 other parents to<br />
learn what was going on and to express<br />
their views. Deciding that their<br />
commissioner was “not being the<br />
voice that she was elected to be,” Yatooma<br />
ended up running for Oakland<br />
County Commissioner.<br />
She didn’t win, but she knew she<br />
wasn’t done yet, so she prayed for<br />
what steps to take next. That’s when<br />
the door for the Great School Initiative<br />
opened. Pawl approached her about<br />
becoming one of the directors and after<br />
some thought and consideration,<br />
she accepted.<br />
One of the things they did was<br />
pursue a lawsuit for the mask mandate.<br />
They partnered with Thomas<br />
More Society, a premier not-for-profit<br />
public interest law firm championing<br />
life, family, and freedom. As a result,<br />
that mandate was dropped. From<br />
there, they went on to pursue their<br />
next initiative.<br />
“We asked Thomas More Society to<br />
support GSI, and thank God they said<br />
yes,” said Yatooma. “They pledged the<br />
first million dollars, and pledged to<br />
be our legal resource so parents like<br />
all of you can have the legal support<br />
behind them that they needed if they<br />
had issues in their schools or if the<br />
schools were violating Michigan’s MCL<br />
380.1507.”<br />
Through research, the GSI learned<br />
about a law in Michigan (MCL 380.1507)<br />
where no public school district can<br />
teach or talk about sex education in<br />
any classroom setting other than in a<br />
sex education classroom with a certified<br />
sex education instructor. Pride<br />
flags or other sex related information<br />
can’t be placed in the school anywhere<br />
outside that classroom. They also<br />
must have a sex education advisory<br />
board that must include in it a clergy<br />
member, parents, school staff, and at<br />
least one student.<br />
“If schools are not already doing<br />
this, they’re in violation of this law,”<br />
Yatooma said.<br />
The other part of the law is that all<br />
parents have the right to opt out of this<br />
classroom, partially or entirely. The<br />
schools provide an opt-out form that’s<br />
very basic and generic, claims Yatooma,<br />
whereas GSI has one available<br />
on their website that is more specific<br />
to what the parents want to opt-out of.<br />
“When we were in school, we talked<br />
about traditional reproductive health,”<br />
said Yatooma. “Now, it’s called Comprehensive<br />
Sex Education. It’s backed<br />
and funded by Planned Parenthood.”<br />
Every school has a sex education<br />
advisory board and a school board.<br />
The sex education advisory board<br />
makes the recommendations to the<br />
school board as to what the children<br />
should be taught in the classrooms.<br />
Ultimately, the school board makes<br />
the final approval. “That decision is<br />
set for seven years until the curriculum<br />
is visited again,” she said.<br />
That’s why, Yatooma emphasizes,<br />
it’s important to get involved with the<br />
sex education advisory board or for<br />
parents to have their voices heard.<br />
GSI had a follow-up meeting at Mother<br />
of God Church on September 23 to<br />
further educate the public. Parents<br />
shared their concerns.<br />
“As an adult, I’m confused by all<br />
this,” said one parent. “Then imagine<br />
what it’s doing for my children.”<br />
Another parent complained that her<br />
children were taught to accuse her of<br />
being a homophobe if she disagreed<br />
with the LGBTQ ideology. She also<br />
said that as someone who wasn’t born<br />
in the United States and is multi-lingual,<br />
it’s difficult for her to use different<br />
pronouns than what she learned<br />
when she came to the country.<br />
Pawl has been married for over 25<br />
years. He and his wife are the parents<br />
of two biological children and two godchildren<br />
from Rwanda (rescued from<br />
the genocide). He assured attendees<br />
that, “If we organize, we can be powerful<br />
for really good change.”<br />
More information on GSI may be found<br />
at greatschoolsinitiative.org.<br />
32 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 33
FEATURE<br />
Lydia Michael and “Brand Love”<br />
Unveiling the Secrets of Customer Loyalty<br />
BY SARAH KITTLE<br />
In today’s rapidly evolving world,<br />
establishing and nurturing a brand<br />
that captures the hearts and minds<br />
of consumers is an art form. One individual<br />
who has masterfully embraced<br />
this challenge is Lydia Michael, an<br />
author and brand strategist whose<br />
groundbreaking book, “Brand Love –<br />
Building Strong Consumer-Brand Connections,”<br />
released on July 25, <strong>2023</strong>,<br />
by Kogan Page, a leading independent<br />
publisher of business books, has taken<br />
the marketing world by storm.<br />
However, Lydia is more than an author;<br />
she is also the visionary founder<br />
behind Blended Collective, an awardwinning,<br />
multicultural marketing and<br />
brand consultancy based in Detroit,<br />
offering a range of services designed to<br />
help businesses thrive in the modern<br />
multicultural landscape. At the core of<br />
the company’s beliefs is the view that<br />
consumers connect with brands the<br />
same way they connect with people.<br />
Anytime people come to Lydia<br />
asking for a logo, thinking that is<br />
“branding;” she and her staff educate<br />
their clients that “branding” is about<br />
identifying the entire brand-consumer<br />
experience beyond the visual identity.<br />
“To help people understand that<br />
a brand is more than a logo,” explains<br />
Michael, “it’s essential to highlight<br />
the experiences, emotional connections<br />
and values a brand represents.”<br />
One of the ways in which products sell<br />
is to have the customer identify with<br />
them and see themselves as sharing<br />
the same values as the brand. It’s that<br />
easy — and that difficult.<br />
The company’s mission is simple<br />
yet powerful: to enrich brands and organizations<br />
with culture and emotion<br />
through marketing efforts. Blended<br />
Collective works closely with clients,<br />
harnessing the principles explained in<br />
“Brand Love” to create brand experiences<br />
and marketing efforts that resonate<br />
deeply with customers.<br />
Lydia’s journey to becoming a<br />
prominent figure in the world of marketing<br />
and branding began with a fervent<br />
interest in consumer psychology<br />
and a determination to comprehend<br />
why people form deep connections<br />
with certain brands. She was born<br />
and raised in Germany and is of Chaldean<br />
heritage, but Lydia refuses to fit<br />
in any cultural box. She sees the trait<br />
of adaptability as quite an asset in the<br />
current changing marketplace. Navigating<br />
three cultures for the better part<br />
of her life has equipped her in the right<br />
way to do business in any cultural setting<br />
she walks into.<br />
Armed with a B.S. degree in marketing<br />
and an MBA in International Management,<br />
she embarked on a mission to<br />
unravel the mysteries of brand loyalty<br />
after spending several years developing<br />
and marketing brands of jazz and hiphop<br />
recording artists internationally.<br />
Her relentless curiosity and unwavering<br />
dedication to the field led her to work<br />
with some of the world’s most iconic<br />
companies such as L’Oréal in Germany.<br />
“As customers,” says Michael, “many of<br />
our choices are based on our values and<br />
the cultures we grow up in.”<br />
“Brand Love” stands as a monumental<br />
work that distills Lydia Michael’s<br />
decades of experience and<br />
research into a comprehensive guide<br />
for marketers, brand managers, and<br />
anyone in consumer-facing roles.<br />
The book serves as a revelation, offering<br />
fresh perspectives on how to<br />
construct and foster brand loyalty in<br />
the hyper-competitive landscape of<br />
today’s market with an intersection<br />
of culture and emotion, all while realizing<br />
the importance of the human<br />
behind the brand.<br />
“The Eight Brand Love Stages”<br />
Brand love is a powerful concept in<br />
marketing that represents the deep<br />
emotional connection consumers can<br />
form with certain brands. While there<br />
isn’t a universally agreed-upon framework<br />
for the stages of brand love,<br />
many experts have identified various<br />
phases in this process. Lydia’s “Brand<br />
Love Drivers” and “The Eight Brand<br />
Love Stages” model illustrate how<br />
consumers’ relationships with brands<br />
can develop and evolve over time using<br />
both rational and emotional elements<br />
in the journey.<br />
Awareness: The journey toward<br />
brand love often begins with simple<br />
awareness. At this stage, consumers<br />
become familiar with a brand’s existence<br />
and may recognize its name<br />
or logo. This basic recognition is the<br />
foundation upon which all subsequent<br />
stages are built.<br />
Familiarity: After becoming aware<br />
of a brand, consumers may start to<br />
develop a sense of familiarity. They’ve<br />
seen the brand’s products or advertisements<br />
more than once, and they might<br />
34 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
RESPECT<br />
INTEGRITY<br />
CHARACTER<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
have some knowledge of what the<br />
brand represents or offers.<br />
Interest: In this stage, consumers<br />
actively evaluate the brand as a potential<br />
choice. They weigh the brand’s attributes,<br />
benefits, and values against their<br />
own needs and preferences. It is the<br />
time for brands to listen to the consumer<br />
and ensure their needs are being met. A<br />
brand centers around your audience.<br />
Likeness: Once consumers have<br />
considered a brand and its offerings,<br />
they may develop a preference for it.<br />
This means that the brand stands out<br />
as a favored choice among the options<br />
available, and consumers are more<br />
likely to choose it when making a purchase<br />
decision.<br />
Lydia’s “Brand<br />
Love Drivers” and<br />
“The Eight Brand<br />
Love Stages”<br />
model illustrate<br />
how consumers’<br />
relationships with<br />
brands can develop<br />
and evolve over time<br />
using both rational<br />
and emotional<br />
elements in the<br />
journey.<br />
Trust: This is the stage where brand<br />
intimacy begins to form. Consistency<br />
is key at this point. Once trust is broken,<br />
it is very difficult to rebuild.<br />
Attachment: Beyond satisfaction,<br />
some consumers form deep emotional<br />
connections with a brand. They develop<br />
a sense of attachment, feeling a<br />
genuine fondness and affection for the<br />
brand. This emotional bond often extends<br />
beyond mere product usage and<br />
can lead to advocacy and loyalty.<br />
Love: The ultimate stage in the<br />
brand love journey is, of course, brand<br />
love itself. At this point, consumers<br />
have a passionate, enduring affection<br />
for the brand.<br />
Loyalty and Advocacy: At this point,<br />
consumers are not only loyal customers<br />
but also vocal advocates who enthusiastically<br />
promote the brand to others.<br />
Brand love is a testament to the brand’s<br />
ability to inspire deep emotional connections<br />
and long-lasting relationships<br />
with its customers.<br />
Understanding these stages of<br />
brand love can help marketers develop<br />
strategies to nurture and strengthen<br />
these connections, leading to greater<br />
customer loyalty, advocacy, brand success<br />
and profit.<br />
Key Themes<br />
Emotional Connection: Lydia posits that<br />
successful brands transcend the realm<br />
of mere utility by forging profound emotional<br />
connections with their customers.<br />
Through captivating case studies, she<br />
demonstrates how brands such as Toyota,<br />
LEGO and Huda Beauty have mastered<br />
the art of establishing emotional<br />
bonds that go beyond transactions, resulting<br />
in loyalty that lasts a lifetime.<br />
Authenticity: In a world where authenticity<br />
is highly treasured, Lydia underscores<br />
the importance of a brand’s<br />
genuine voice and values. She explores<br />
how brands can effectively communicate<br />
their authenticity and resonate<br />
with consumers who are in search of<br />
authentic connections. One of the ways<br />
that her company, Blended Collective,<br />
demonstrates authenticity is that they<br />
only use their own original photos for<br />
marketing. No stock photos here.<br />
Community Building: The creation<br />
of communities centered around<br />
a brand is a potent strategy, as Michael<br />
illustrates with examples from<br />
streetwear brands like The Hundreds.<br />
She provides actionable insights on<br />
how to foster brand communities that<br />
not only thrive but also actively support<br />
and engage with one another.<br />
Humanization: Being human is<br />
a brand’s biggest asset as customers<br />
look for companies that go beyond<br />
transactional value and know how<br />
to laugh and cry with you, building<br />
meaningful connections. The truth<br />
is consumers want brands who think<br />
and act like them. People connect with<br />
the human side of brands.<br />
Culture: Humans look at the world<br />
based on the way they perceive it. For<br />
customers, many choices are based on<br />
their values. It is also true that customers<br />
view the world based on the<br />
cultures they grow up in and the cultures<br />
that surround them. This has an<br />
BRAND LOVE continued on page 49<br />
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 35
FEATURE<br />
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at the height of the Fall color season.<br />
Finding Fall Color<br />
in the Mitten<br />
Few places match Michigan’s natural Autumn beauty<br />
BY SARAH KITTLE<br />
Michigan is such a beautiful<br />
state. We are surrounded on<br />
three sides by water – fresh,<br />
glorious water – and have the advantage<br />
of experiencing all four seasons of<br />
the year, sometimes in the same week!<br />
(You may have seen memes on social<br />
media that say, “Everyone: “You can’t<br />
have all four seasons in one week.”<br />
Michigan: “Hold my Faygo.”)<br />
Now that summer has wound to a<br />
close, it’s time to get in our cars and<br />
make the drive to see the fall colors.<br />
Our Upper Peninsula (UP) was named<br />
the “#1 Destination for Fall Foliage” by<br />
USA Today. It’s not just about the color<br />
either; autumn smells and sounds<br />
abound across the Great Lake State.<br />
The crisp autumn air and gentle postsummer<br />
wind rustling through the<br />
trees are experiences to savor. With<br />
nature trails to hike and delicious aromatic<br />
apples to munch, Pure Michigan<br />
has it all for fall.<br />
Higher elevations in the Lower<br />
Peninsula are experiencing peak color<br />
right now, and areas closest to the Great<br />
Lakes will peak mid to late October, according<br />
to the state website. It is the<br />
best time of year for a regional road trip!<br />
Leaf-peepers are encouraged to keep in<br />
mind that there are always exceptions<br />
to the rule, and that some areas have<br />
been stressed by summer weather.<br />
When you’re in Michigan, they say<br />
you are never more than six miles from<br />
a body of water, so add some sparkling<br />
turquoise water to your tour. The setting<br />
sun reflecting off a clear blue<br />
lake is an iconic scene but imagine<br />
seeing the fall color tour from the air.<br />
The highest point in the Midwest, a<br />
ski jump at Copper Peak in Ironwood<br />
accessible by an 800-foor chairlift,<br />
promises a spectacular 360-degree<br />
view called the Copper Peak Adventure<br />
Ride. Their marketing claims that<br />
on a clear day, you can see three states<br />
plus Canada at the same time.<br />
Or try the Lake of the Clouds in the<br />
UP’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness<br />
State Park. There’s a hiking trail<br />
to match anyone’s ability, and when<br />
you reach your destination, there are<br />
views for days! There’s a reason why<br />
the Lake of the Clouds Overlook is one<br />
of the most photographed spots in the<br />
UP. The view reflected in the pristine<br />
lake is unmatched.<br />
Stay in your car and take a look<br />
at Lake Michigan from the Cut River<br />
Bridge Overlook, which is located about<br />
50 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge.<br />
The bridge stands 150 feet above the Cut<br />
River and, if you do want to venture out<br />
of your vehicle, it has access trails to<br />
both the river and the lake.<br />
In fact, Michigan has many points<br />
providing panoramic views of fall<br />
beauty, from Sunset Park in Petoskey<br />
FALL COLOR continued on page 38<br />
36 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
CHALDEAN<br />
STORY<br />
Made possible with generous support from Michigan<br />
Stories, a Michigan Humanities Grants initiative.<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 37
FEATURE<br />
FALL COLOR continued from page 36<br />
to Pyramid Point in Maple City near<br />
Glen Arbor. Take a scenic drive along<br />
the shores or rent a kayak or paddleboard<br />
to get up close and personal<br />
with the vibrant hues.<br />
For a day trip, Whiting Overlook<br />
Park in Midland is just down the road<br />
from the Chippewa Nature Center and<br />
its trails. Its wide-open spaces allow<br />
visitors the opportunity to relax and<br />
enjoy the wildlife. The park is known<br />
to bird watchers across the state because<br />
rare species of waterfowl visit<br />
during migration season. Additionally,<br />
the park features an extension of the<br />
Chippewa Trail, allowing bikers, hikers,<br />
and joggers to loop through Overlook<br />
Park and connect to it.<br />
From Grand Rapids to Port Sanilac,<br />
Belleville to Belle Isle, Michigan has<br />
the most when it comes to fall color.<br />
Horizon Park is a gem you may never<br />
have heard of. Located on the shore<br />
of Belleville Lake, the site is home to<br />
the Belleville War Memorial and offers<br />
lovely lake views. Abundant trees give<br />
gorgeous fall color and with a picnic<br />
pavilion, arbor, benches, tables, and<br />
restrooms, it is a nice place to spend an<br />
autumn afternoon. The Horizon Park<br />
Waterfront offers a lakeside boardwalk,<br />
courtesy boat docks and an ADA accessible<br />
canoe/kayak launch. A favorite<br />
activity of area residents is watching<br />
the sun set over the lake.<br />
Trees are not the only thing showing<br />
color in nature at this time of year.<br />
Sunsets and sunrises are spectacular<br />
at Belle Isle’s Sunset Point. Brilliant<br />
reds, oranges and purples blend to<br />
give a showstopping scene everywhere<br />
you look at sundown; the park is surrounded<br />
by water that reflects the<br />
view, effectively doubling its glory. As<br />
a bonus, the aquarium and conservatory<br />
are now open to enjoy as well.<br />
But of course, trees and leaves are<br />
what we want to see in Michigan in fall,<br />
and there are distinct routes planned<br />
out to take advantage of the fall color.<br />
In the Petoskey area, you have the Tunnel<br />
of Trees. Closer to home, we have<br />
Addison Oaks Park in Leonard, where<br />
the beauty of the trees is reflected in the<br />
water. The park boasts a 20-mile trail<br />
system to hike, bike, or ride on horseback.<br />
What a way to see the trees!<br />
Bald Mountain Recreation Area in<br />
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38 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
Lake Orion gives you a chance to get up<br />
close to fall color. With a beach, streams,<br />
lakes, and 15 miles of marked trails, you<br />
can spend all day here. It has some of<br />
the most rugged terrain in southeastern<br />
Michigan if you’re up for it.<br />
Brighton Recreation Area in Howell<br />
offers a shoreline of oaks and maples for<br />
color and grassy shrub marches for wildlife,<br />
such as sandhill cranes and herons.<br />
20 miles of trails to bike and hike plus<br />
picnic shelters and modern bathrooms<br />
make this site a hit for family fun.<br />
If a local color drive is what you’re<br />
looking for, there’s a 150-mile loop<br />
from Flint, through Brighton and<br />
Bloomfield Hills. Be sure to circle<br />
through Cranbrook, a historic landmark<br />
with gorgeous grounds (and<br />
attractions like an art museum and<br />
science center). Beyond fall-prime<br />
cider mills and orchards, swing by<br />
other beautiful parks including Seven<br />
Lakes State Park in Holly, Ortonville<br />
Recreation Area, and For-Mar Nature<br />
Preserve and Arboretum near Flint —<br />
and even more in Brighton, Commerce<br />
Township and White Lake.<br />
Cranbrook House and Gardens in<br />
Bloomfield Hills are beautiful all year<br />
‘round, but they are spectacular in<br />
the fall. There are 40 acres of gardens<br />
to see on a self-guided tour, and you<br />
can even bring your dog, provided you<br />
also bring (and use) a leash!<br />
Michigan is known for its breathtaking<br />
fall foliage, and there is no<br />
better way to experience it than with<br />
a scenic drive. As the leaves turn brilliant<br />
shades of red, orange, and gold,<br />
the many bodies of water around the<br />
area reflect the stunning autumn colors,<br />
creating a picturesque landscape<br />
that is sure to take your breath away.<br />
On Pure Michigan’s site, you’ll find<br />
tips for leaf spotting and planning a<br />
fall color tour.<br />
Take a leisurely drive through the<br />
winding roads and enjoy the stunning<br />
views of the forests and lakes.<br />
Don’t forget to bring your camera and<br />
capture the beauty of fall in Michigan.<br />
Whether you’re a nature enthusiast or<br />
just looking for a relaxing weekend<br />
getaway, a scenic drive through Michigan’s<br />
fall foliage is an experience you<br />
won’t want to miss.<br />
With 19 million acres of forest, the<br />
state motto rings true: “If you seek a<br />
pleasant peninsula, look about you.”<br />
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<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 39
CULTURE & HISTORY<br />
In the Beginning:<br />
Mesopotamian Beer<br />
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD<br />
Martin Luther is credited with<br />
saying, “Whoever drinks<br />
beer, he is quick to sleep;<br />
whoever sleeps long, does not sin;<br />
whoever does not sin, enters Heaven.<br />
Thus, let us drink beer!”<br />
Beer is one of the oldest drinks<br />
known to man.<br />
Before Adolphus Busch, Arthur<br />
Amstel, and Samuel Adams – before<br />
Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors, Michelob,<br />
the English Newcastle Brown<br />
Ale, the Irish Guinness, the Dutch<br />
Heineken, the Mexican Corona, the<br />
Belgian Stella Artois, and the Australian<br />
Fosters, there was Mesopotamian<br />
beer from Sumer.<br />
In the writings of the ancient Sumerians,<br />
beer was considered a magical<br />
brew from the gods endowing the<br />
drinker with health, peace of mind,<br />
and happiness. They even had a goddess<br />
of beer named Ninkasi.<br />
In Babylon, beer was considered a<br />
divine drink, a true gift from the Gods.<br />
It was also a sign of wealth. The Code<br />
of Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian<br />
set of laws, decreed a daily beer<br />
ration to citizens. Every citizen had<br />
his daily dose of beer, depending on<br />
his wealth. The drink was so respected<br />
that people were sometimes paid for<br />
work in beer, instead of money.<br />
History<br />
Beer was invented in Mesopotamia by<br />
hunter-gatherers who learned to ferment<br />
wild grains. They soon settled in<br />
villages to cultivate and brew.<br />
The ruins of Mesopotamian civilizations<br />
are full of hundreds of clay<br />
tablets and artifacts that record the<br />
methods and means of making and<br />
drinking beer; they even depict drink<br />
councils. Cups and vessels for drinking<br />
and manufacturing wine were also<br />
found. Archeologists discovered and<br />
deciphered an ode to Ninkasi, the patron<br />
goddess of brewing. This poem<br />
contained the oldest known recipe for<br />
making beer, using barley from bread.<br />
The most ancient depiction of beer<br />
drinking is found on a 6,000-year-old<br />
clay tablet showing people sipping the<br />
beverage through straws from a large<br />
communal bowl. There was no way of<br />
filtering beer back then, so their beer<br />
was thick, like porridge, and hard to<br />
drink; however, the ancients considered<br />
beer a safer alternative to water,<br />
as nearby rivers and canals often became<br />
contaminated by animal waste.<br />
Also, since alcohol is a chemical<br />
preservative, the process of fermentation<br />
boiled out harmful microorganisms<br />
while preserving nutrients<br />
absent from other drinks. Thus, it is<br />
unsurprising that, besides its use in<br />
religious ceremonies and rituals, beer<br />
was associated with the gods.<br />
Brewing Methods<br />
Every beer that you have been served<br />
at your local brewery, bar, or restaurant<br />
can be broken down into two basic<br />
types: ales and lagers. The main<br />
differences between an ale and a lager<br />
are the type of yeast used to ferment<br />
the beer and fermentation time. The<br />
four main ingredients in beer are water,<br />
malt, hops, and yeast.<br />
The ancient brewing process was<br />
quite labor-intensive and began with<br />
the malting of grains. The grains were<br />
soaked in water for several days, then<br />
dried in the sun or on hot stones. The<br />
malted grains were then ground into a<br />
coarse powder which was mixed with<br />
water to form a mash.<br />
The mash was boiled, then strained<br />
to remove the husks and other solids.<br />
The resulting liquid, known as wort,<br />
was then boiled again and flavored with<br />
herbs and spices. Finally, the wort was<br />
fermented with yeast, resulting in beer.<br />
For centuries, the basic way to<br />
make beer was to boil malted barley<br />
with water and let it ferment. Sometimes,<br />
natural yeast did the vital work,<br />
but generally, the brewers would add<br />
yeast to speed up the process. The<br />
resulting mix would then be flavored<br />
with a mixture of various herbs. Adding<br />
hops improved the chances that<br />
the beer would not spoil, but the large<br />
variety of recipes continued to make<br />
beer-making difficult.<br />
The ancient brewing process was<br />
quite different from modern brewing,<br />
as it was more of an art than a science.<br />
Ancient brewers had to rely on their<br />
senses to determine when the beer was<br />
ready to drink; they did not have access<br />
to the sophisticated technologies<br />
used in modern brewing. As a result,<br />
ancient beer was often sour or bitter<br />
and could be quite strong.<br />
The Industrial Revolution brought<br />
the mechanization of brewing. Better<br />
control over the process, with the use<br />
of the thermometer and saccharometer,<br />
was developed in Britain and transferred<br />
to the continent, where the development<br />
of ice-making and refrigeration equipment<br />
in the late 19th century enabled<br />
lager beers to be brewed in the summer.<br />
The origin of the word “beer” is<br />
somewhat unclear, but it likely comes<br />
from an ancient Germanic word meaning<br />
“barley.” This makes sense, as barley<br />
was one of the main ingredients<br />
used in early beer production. Another<br />
theory is that the word “beer” comes<br />
from the Latin word “bibere,” which<br />
means “to drink.”<br />
Iraqi Beer<br />
European style beer was introduced to<br />
Iraq shortly after World War II, when<br />
Iraq was ruled by the British-backed<br />
monarchy. Madhaf Khedairi, a wealthy<br />
Muslim businessman, bought a small<br />
brewery from a British naval vessel. He<br />
founded The Iraq Brewery Co. in 1950<br />
and began making stout. It was not<br />
profitable, so he invested more money<br />
and switched to making lager.<br />
In 1956, Khadhuri Khadhuri, a Christian,<br />
established the Eastern Brewery<br />
Company and made Farida, a nutty<br />
brew which became a symbol of Iraq.<br />
The plant was in the Zaafaraniya industrial<br />
area near Baghdad. The street leading<br />
to is still called “Bottle Road.”<br />
These two firms flourished. British<br />
colonial servants and, later, prosperous<br />
Iraqi businessmen gathered<br />
to quench their thirsts at the elegant<br />
teak bar of the Alwiya Club off Firdus<br />
Square in central Baghdad. The<br />
40 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
1958 revolution swept away the king<br />
and the British, but not the beer – although<br />
the deeply suspicious officers<br />
who took power considered the Alwiya<br />
Club a subversive organization.<br />
Beer not only survived the seizure<br />
of power by the secular pan-Arab socialistic<br />
Baath party in 1968, but breweries<br />
proliferated. The party nationalized<br />
the Khedairi firm in 1973-74 and<br />
in 1975-76, the government established<br />
two breweries; one in the city of Mosul<br />
and the other at Amara, an extremely<br />
strict Muslim city where workers had<br />
to be brought from China.<br />
Farida achieved peak production of<br />
thirty million bottles a year during the<br />
1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Their slogan?<br />
“Always in bottles, never in cans.”<br />
There was another major twist of<br />
events during the sanction years of the<br />
1990s, when Saddam Hussein’s oldest<br />
son Uday started harassing the private<br />
sector companies and successful brewery<br />
owners. Uday, a sadist with a taste<br />
for cruelty, sports cars, women, and<br />
alcohol, had a complex, dark character<br />
and carried a grudge against the elite.<br />
Once you came to Uday’s notice, he<br />
never left you alone. He also had an appetite<br />
for liquor and beer.<br />
Uday, also known as Al-Ustath, had<br />
his staff call Khadhuri’s son and managing<br />
partner<br />
of the Eastern<br />
Brewery Company<br />
for a meeting<br />
in his office. In that<br />
meeting, Uday claimed<br />
the company was best<br />
run by the state and offered<br />
to buy the company with Iraqi<br />
currency. The Iraqi dinar at that<br />
time was a worthless piece of paper<br />
printed by the government during<br />
the Iran-Iraq war.<br />
Khadhuri politely tried to decline<br />
the offer, stating that the brewery was<br />
the only family business, and many<br />
family members depend upon it for<br />
their living. Khadhuri’s request to decline<br />
the offer was denied; however, as<br />
a gesture of good will, Uday told the<br />
owner’s son that he would keep him<br />
on as a plant manager.<br />
Two years later, after the sanctions<br />
squeeze and a series of reversals,<br />
Uday summed Khadhuri again and<br />
asked him to buy the company back,<br />
this time with US dollars that the family<br />
must have stashed in the west. With<br />
his own survival instincts and some<br />
knowledge of Ustath Uday’s history of<br />
deceit, Khadhuri took his family and<br />
fled to Jordan the next day.<br />
Beer and Politics<br />
The ancient Iraqis made drinks from<br />
barley and wine extracted from palm<br />
dates. The wine from palm juice was<br />
made by cutting the top of the trunk<br />
of the palm tree, collecting the resulting<br />
juice, and fermenting it for two or<br />
three days. It became quite a strong<br />
intoxicant. The drink was intended for<br />
the people, distributed at a rate of more<br />
than a gallon per person; meanwhile,<br />
the Iraqi government of today prevents<br />
it, confiscates it, and forbids it.<br />
When sanctions were imposed by<br />
the UN in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait,<br />
the government imposed a 50 per<br />
cent cut in production and banned money<br />
transfers abroad. Farida carried on by<br />
obtaining malt and hops from a supplier<br />
who did not mind flouting the decree. It<br />
is reported that a Farida spokesperson<br />
said, “How he paid was not our concern.<br />
He gave us one hundred tons of malt for<br />
30,000 cases of beer!”<br />
In 1998 Farida licensed a Jordanian<br />
company to make their beer in Amman,<br />
Jordan. Farida remained privately<br />
owned until 2001, when ousted President<br />
Saddam Hussein’s eldest son,<br />
Uday, and his friends took over the firm<br />
and made soft drinks as well as beer.<br />
In the weeks after the invasion of<br />
Iraq by the Bush administration, Farida<br />
was forced to compete with imports<br />
from Holland and Turkey. Popular<br />
name brands and imports such as Amstel,<br />
Heineken, Almaza, Corona, and<br />
Budweiser dominated the Iraqi market.<br />
Until Shia fundamentalists were<br />
installed in power in Iraq by the US<br />
occupation, brewing beer was a profitable<br />
business. In 2004, Shia fundamentalists<br />
halted beer production<br />
in all breweries. Smugglers hawking<br />
chilled beer appeared beneath the<br />
Jadriya Bridge alongside peddlers<br />
selling illegal drugs. The supplies<br />
of Farida vanished. Sadly, today the<br />
breweries and shops selling beer and<br />
other alcoholic drinks have shut down<br />
or been torched. Clubs, bars, and restaurants<br />
have closed.<br />
Carrying on the Tradition<br />
Beers that were brewed in Iraq have<br />
mostly female names. In addition to<br />
the most famous of all — Farida, meaning<br />
“unique”— there was Diana, “the<br />
golden lager;” Shahrazad; Loulou’a;<br />
Kahramana; and Sanabel.<br />
In the 1940s, King Farouk of Egypt<br />
married the Iranian princess Safinaz<br />
Zulfiqar, and then called her Princess<br />
Farida. Like most other nations, the<br />
Iraqi were obsessed with the ruling<br />
royal family, and so was the managing<br />
director of the Iraqi Eastern Beer Company,<br />
who bestowed upon their product<br />
the name “Farida.”<br />
Keeping up with the Mesopotamians,<br />
some Chaldean Americans<br />
dived into the micro-brew industry<br />
in the United States. The first Chaldean<br />
known to do so was the author<br />
of this article, Dr. Adhid Miri, who<br />
opened Copper Canyon Micro-Brewery<br />
in Southfield, Michigan in 1998. The<br />
Sarafa brothers, Anmar and Haithem,<br />
entered the industry and purchased<br />
Frankenmuth Brewery in Michigan in<br />
2009. They are still going strong today.<br />
Beer and friendship go back thousands<br />
of years. William Bostwick, the<br />
beer critic for the Wall Street Journal<br />
(plum job!) once said, “Humankind<br />
was built on beer. From the world’s<br />
first writing to its first laws, in rituals<br />
social, religious, and political, civilization<br />
is soaked in beer.”<br />
Some other favorite beer quotes include,<br />
“Friends bring happiness into<br />
your life; best friends bring beer,” and,<br />
“Life and beer are very similar, chill for<br />
best results.”<br />
Cheers!<br />
Sources: Wikipedia, Al-Gardinia.<br />
com, Andrea Fallibene, Brew Master,<br />
Yaqthan Chadirji, Naiem Abid Mhalhal<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 41
CHALDEAN KITCHEN<br />
PHOTOS BY ALEX LUMELSKY<br />
“Mommy’s Salad”<br />
When is a salad not just a salad?<br />
BY Z.Z. DAWOD<br />
“<br />
Mommy’s Salad,” as it was named by her<br />
children, is not just a salad—it’s a meal.<br />
On most dinner menus, salads tend<br />
to play a supporting role, served in small portions at<br />
the start of a meal. However, West Bloomfield resident<br />
Aida Yousif has taken the concept of a salad to a<br />
new level by elevating it to a full meal. Among family<br />
and friends, “Mommy’s Salad” is a favorite and has<br />
been at the top of the request list for many years.<br />
Background<br />
While she was raising her children, Aida’s goal was<br />
to always incorporate salads into their diet, to get her<br />
family accustomed to eating fresh fruits and vegetables<br />
on a regular basis. On the day I visited her home,<br />
Aida made her priorities categorically clear, exclaiming,<br />
“Using fresh ingredients makes it healthy, and<br />
completing it with a protein makes it fulfilling.”<br />
As far back as she can remember, Aida has not<br />
used pre-mixed dressings to complete her salads. She<br />
never cared for what she calls that “fake taste” growing<br />
up. Instead, she appreciated the timeless simplicity<br />
of lemon, oil, and salt. A sprinkle of sumac was<br />
added to give the dish a traditional homemade flavor.<br />
Over the years, as her children were growing,<br />
Aida would experiment with a variety of vegetables<br />
and fruits, in search of the perfect combination. She<br />
also discovered that the order in which ingredients<br />
are added is a factor and, according to her, makes all<br />
the difference.<br />
History and Origin<br />
Why do we call it salad? The origin of the word is<br />
“sal,” which is Latin for “salt.” Provencal usage was<br />
salada and the old French term became salade. By<br />
the late Middle English period, the modern-day spelling<br />
salad was adopted.<br />
According to food historians, salads date back<br />
to ancient Greek and Roman societies. In classical<br />
times, a simple selection of raw vegetables came to<br />
be dressed with oil, vinegar and, most importantly,<br />
salt — the key ingredient which gave this dish its universal<br />
name. As more ingredients were added, salad<br />
recipes evolved based on availability of ingredients<br />
and varying local climates.<br />
Mommy’s Salad Preparation<br />
To prepare “Mommy’s Salad,” Aida always starts with<br />
a bed of washed and chopped romaine lettuce. Romaine<br />
is one of the most common varieties of lettuce<br />
used in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, where it<br />
also happens to be the base ingredient in the Fattoush<br />
— one of the most commonly-known Middle Eastern<br />
salads. However, that’s pretty much where the similarities<br />
end because, over the years, Aida has developed<br />
her own unique blend of ingredients for her recipe.<br />
English cucumbers are added next. Aida always<br />
uses this variety because, she says, “They often have<br />
little or no seeds, with a sweeter flavor. [They are]<br />
also less watery.”<br />
After the cucumbers come the vine tomatoes.<br />
“These are definitely the best variety to use because<br />
they have a longer harvest, which gives them that extra<br />
time on the vine, making them extra sweet and<br />
juicy,” she declares.<br />
The next three vegetables are red cabbage, celery,<br />
and radish. “These have been a favorite addition<br />
thanks to their extra crunchy texture, so the salad is<br />
not soggy,” she continues. Each ingredient is added<br />
42 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
on top of the last and Aida does not begin<br />
mixing until the very end.<br />
Her choice of onion is the green<br />
onion, which is the final vegetable to<br />
be added. After experimenting extensively,<br />
Aida has formed strong preferences<br />
for particular varieties. “I like<br />
the green onions; while they are milder<br />
than sweet onion, they have lots of<br />
flavor,” she says.<br />
With all vegetables and the tomatoes<br />
added, the fresh herbs are next on<br />
the chopping block. First, Aida adds<br />
the curly parsley. “I prefer the curly variety<br />
because, to my taste buds, it has<br />
more of a ‘green flavor.’ Also, it has a<br />
bit of a crunch, compared to the Italian<br />
flat-leaf parsley, which tends to, sometimes,<br />
have a bitter taste.” The next<br />
herb is fresh mint. “The mint gives the<br />
salad that extra burst of flavor,” Aida<br />
adds, excitedly.<br />
Chickpeas are added next, for that<br />
all-important protein, to complement<br />
the mix and to create a nice balance<br />
with the vegetables, fruit, and herbs.<br />
After a long day, “I don’t want to eat<br />
something heavy,” Aida says. If there<br />
is not much time to cook, she tops the<br />
salad with chickpeas for protein, to<br />
make a complete meal. Chickpeas are<br />
perfect as a meat alternative.<br />
It’s worth noting that chickpeas are<br />
also known as garbanzo beans. While<br />
the two names sound completely unrelated,<br />
they are in fact the same bean.<br />
“Chickpea” is the common English term,<br />
while “Garbanzo” is a Spanish word.<br />
Whatever you prefer to call them, these<br />
beans have been part of the Middle Eastern<br />
diet for almost 10,000 years, sharing<br />
different names across many cultures.<br />
With fresh ingredients like these<br />
it’s hard to go wrong, but dressing this<br />
mixture is what makes Aida’s salad so<br />
special. Her perfected blend begins by<br />
sprinkling the sumac and dry mint.<br />
That’s right—she adds dry mint in addition<br />
to the fresh mint because it helps to<br />
expand the flavor. While the fresh mint<br />
provides the initial blast of fragrance,<br />
dry mint helps the taste to linger until<br />
the end of each delicious bite.<br />
Aida tops that with a mixture of<br />
equal-part lemon and lime juice. Next,<br />
she adds the Greek olive oil, from a treasured<br />
bottle, gifted by her son after his<br />
honeymoon trip to Greece. And for the<br />
grand finale, the Himalayan sea salt.<br />
“This salt creates a perfect balance and<br />
highlights all the flavors,” she says.<br />
RECIPE<br />
Mommy’s<br />
Salad<br />
Recipe shared by Aida Yousif<br />
Ingredients:<br />
Romaine lettuce<br />
English cucumbers<br />
Vine ripe tomatoes<br />
Radish<br />
Red cabbage<br />
Celery<br />
Green onions<br />
Curly parsley<br />
Fresh mint<br />
Chickpeas<br />
Sumac + dry mint<br />
Lemon/lime juice mixture<br />
Greek olive oil<br />
Himalayan sea salt<br />
Mixing Instructions:<br />
Add the vegetables, fruit and herbs in the<br />
order listed above. Salt must be added last<br />
to capture the flavor of all the ingredients.<br />
When the salt is added, “you will taste the<br />
magic,” infused with sumac, dry mint,<br />
olive oil and lemon-lime mixture, bringing<br />
out a more intense flavorful taste of all the<br />
vegetables and chickpeas.<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 43
STRONG<br />
OWNS HER<br />
future<br />
NEW AMERICANS<br />
Coming to America<br />
Bushra Hormis finds the<br />
help she needs<br />
EXCERPTS FROM A TRANSLATED TESTIMONIAL<br />
Come see the Marian difference.<br />
Marian offers a transformative four-year experience<br />
and is home to strong women of mind and heart.<br />
Scholarships and tuition assistance up to 65%<br />
are available to qualifying students.<br />
Fall Info Night<br />
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26<br />
7 PM<br />
Open House<br />
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5<br />
1 - 4 PM<br />
248-502-3033 | admission@marian-hs.org | www.marian-hs.org<br />
Bushra Hormis is an Iraqi expatriate<br />
who came to America and<br />
faced many difficulties, including<br />
learning a new language, translating<br />
and filling out paperwork, and finding<br />
employment. Bushra thanked God<br />
when she heard about the Chaldean<br />
Community Foundation, which aids<br />
immigrants in general, and Iraqis in<br />
particular. Said Bushra, “I would like to<br />
extend my sincere thanks and gratitude<br />
to Him for this great idea of providing<br />
useful and beautiful assistance.”<br />
Bushra reported that when she<br />
came to the Foundation, she didn’t feel<br />
they had any problems or complicated<br />
treatment, because “they receive you<br />
with the best reception.” According<br />
to Bushra, all the CCF employees are<br />
likable and patient and provide advice<br />
with great openness. “No matter how<br />
much I talk about their good qualities,”<br />
she said, “I feel like I fall short.”<br />
Bushra is so completely grateful,<br />
and wishes the entire community to<br />
be grateful, too. Whenever she enters<br />
the Foundation building, she feels as if<br />
she has entered her home, in terms of<br />
reception and cleanliness. “We thank<br />
them very much,” she expressed, “and<br />
ask the Lord to give them strength and<br />
fulfill their wishes just as they fulfilled<br />
ours for us.” Bushra faces difficulty<br />
with the language, and says it is hard<br />
for her and those like her to learn the<br />
language easily.<br />
“If it were not for the Foundation’s<br />
help,” Bushra went on, “we would be<br />
even more lost than we are now.” She<br />
feels every immigrant who needs help<br />
should come to the Foundation. “They<br />
will welcome you from the bottom of<br />
their hearts,” she explained. “And when<br />
you come to this place, you will not feel<br />
that you are dealing with an employee,<br />
but rather with your sister, daughter,<br />
and brother. It is a great project.”<br />
The Chaldean Community Foundation<br />
provided Bushra with support<br />
and assistance and communicated<br />
with other parties on her behalf. She<br />
said the Foundation saved her from<br />
embarrassment and humiliation.<br />
“When you need someone to help you<br />
once or twice, the third time he will<br />
feel uncomfortable offering you help,”<br />
she explained. “But thanks to God,<br />
this Foundation was opened for us to<br />
visit whenever we needed them at any<br />
time and for any reason.”<br />
Bushra is currently enrolled as a student<br />
in the ESL classes at the CCF.<br />
44 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION<br />
BREAKING BARRIERS<br />
3601 15 MILE RD., STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310<br />
Breaking Barriers provides services and advocacy to those with developmental and/or intellectual<br />
disabilities, older adults, and respite to caregivers.<br />
B.E.A.M. (BRAILLE, ESL, ACCULTURATION, MOBILITY) PROJECT –<br />
helps better equip those with visual impairments to live independent lives.<br />
H.E.A.L. (HARD OF HEARING, ESL, AMERICAN SIGN<br />
LANGUAGE, LIFE SKILLS) PROJECT – helps better equip those with<br />
hearing impairments to live independent lives.<br />
C.H.A.I. (CAREGIVER HELPING AID INITIATIVE) PROJECT–<br />
supports the family caregiver in care provision and stress reduction.<br />
BB ACADEMY – Adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities gather to<br />
participate in group activities, meet new friends, learn new skills and have fun while their<br />
unpaid family caregivers enjoy some well-deserved respite time.<br />
RECREATIONAL FAMILY RESPITE – Year-round themed gatherings<br />
for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families.<br />
Families enjoy a safe and familiar place to meet, break bread and to socialize.<br />
SUPERCUTS BARBER SHOP – Licensed cosmetologists provide complimentary<br />
salon services for individuals with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities by appointment.<br />
M.O.B. – Matter of Balance is an evidence based cognitive restructuring group class<br />
for older adults with mobility challenges to reduce the risk of Falling.<br />
BINGOCIZE- Older adults meet and enjoy group Bingo and light exercise to<br />
socialize and improve their overall health.<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 45
FAMILY TIME<br />
“Non-Traditional” Family-Fun<br />
Halloween Activities<br />
BY VALENE AYAR<br />
Every year, it seems as if Halloween<br />
is arriving earlier and earlier<br />
in the year….and I don’t know<br />
about you guys, but I don’t hate it.<br />
Halloween is such a fun way to<br />
bond with your children and get creative<br />
while you do it. While you can<br />
go the traditional “trick-or-treating”<br />
route, (an oldie but a goodie), why not<br />
put a fun spin on it and start branching<br />
out to create new ghoulie traditions<br />
you and your kids will love and<br />
remember for years to come?<br />
Here are a few ideas, many of<br />
which already exist locally. All you<br />
have to do is show up —preferably, in<br />
costume!<br />
Metro-Detroit Local Activities<br />
Classic Halloween fun for little ones is<br />
available at the Zoo Boo in Royal Oak<br />
weekends from October 7 until October<br />
22. Explore the Detroit Zoo and<br />
experience festive pumpkin displays<br />
and strolling entertainment from jugglers<br />
and magicians. Capture memories<br />
with themed photo opportunities<br />
all while visiting each of the trick-ortreating<br />
spots scattered throughout<br />
the Zoo.<br />
The entire Zoo will be open, allowing<br />
you to visit your favorite animals<br />
and watch them enjoy a treat of their<br />
own. Special Halloween-themed enrichment<br />
activities will be taking place<br />
each day at various animal habitats.<br />
For fairy tales and folklore, look<br />
no further than Troy. On Friday, October<br />
20, in Troy’s Historic Village, their<br />
annual trick-or-treating event brings<br />
the theme to life. Grab your glass slippers<br />
and hop in the pumpkin-carriage<br />
for enchanting decorations, fantastic<br />
games and crafts, and bewitchingly<br />
good trick-or-treating. As always, Village<br />
trick-or-treating is friendly, not<br />
scary, and will have teal pumpkin options<br />
available. Register in advance for<br />
reduced admission.<br />
In Sterling Heights, enjoy “Sterling<br />
Frights” Halloween on Saturday, October<br />
21 in Dodge Park. The 9th annual<br />
celebration runs from 10am until 1pm<br />
A scary movie night can keep little ghosts and goblins happy.<br />
and includes live music, hayrides, a<br />
straw maze, cider and donuts, candy<br />
for the kiddos, photo opportunities,<br />
inflatable activities, rides and more!<br />
For a Spooktacular magic show,<br />
visit Shelby Township Public Library<br />
on Saturday, October 28.<br />
Magical Halloween adventures<br />
await in this exciting, not-scary show<br />
performed by magician, comedian,<br />
and juggler Joel Tacey.<br />
There are a couple of local Boo<br />
Bashes on the same weekend so make<br />
it a “Boo Bash” weekend! The first, in<br />
Southfield Pavilion on Saturday, October<br />
28, will have ghoulish games,<br />
creepy crafts, live entertainment, and<br />
trick or treating. The event is for children<br />
ages 2-12, but everyone must purchase<br />
a ticket to enter.<br />
The second Boo Bash takes place<br />
Sunday, October 29 in Heritage Park.<br />
Dress up in your favorite costume<br />
and enjoy a hayride, making s’mores<br />
and crafts, a creepy crawly creature<br />
display, and a trick-or-treat trail. The<br />
event runs from 11am until 3pm. When<br />
registering, make sure you select your<br />
hayride time; they run every 15 minutes.<br />
Registration is required for both<br />
adults and children, and a paid adult<br />
must accompany children on hayrides.<br />
The Trick or Treat Trail in West<br />
Bloomfield happens Sunday, October<br />
29 in Marshbank Park.<br />
Get more treats than tricks this fall<br />
by walking along the safe and friendly<br />
½ mile-paved trail with your neighbors,<br />
friends, and family. Put on your<br />
costume and head out to collect goodies<br />
from costumed characters and local<br />
businesses and organizations.<br />
Halloween Fun at Home<br />
The above activities are wonderful alternatives<br />
(or additions) to more traditional<br />
Halloween activities, but if you<br />
would like to implement your own, or<br />
better yet, mix it up and do multiple<br />
activities, here are a few you can do on<br />
your own.<br />
Create a “House of Horrors.” One<br />
of the best parts of Halloween is not<br />
the candy and treats, but the creative<br />
spirit of the holiday. And one of the<br />
best ways to showcase your creativity<br />
is by turning your home into a haunted<br />
house that everyone in the neighborhood<br />
can visit and enjoy! Even if<br />
you do not consider yourself creative,<br />
with the help of YouTube, TikTok, and<br />
Google, you can find an endless slew<br />
of ideas to adapt or to build off and<br />
make your own.<br />
Boo your family, friends, and<br />
neighbors. This is a great alternative<br />
to trick-or-treating. It also allows you<br />
the opportunity to show your children<br />
that giving is more important than<br />
receiving. Put together some treats<br />
and goodies (stickers and small toys<br />
are always a fun option), drop them<br />
off on porches, ring the doorbell, and<br />
run! Think of it as trick-or-treating in<br />
reverse. You can put them in little bags<br />
and attach a fun note letting people<br />
know who is responsible for the yummy<br />
surprise. Your kids will also get an<br />
adrenaline rush from the sleuthing of<br />
it all. And we can all use a nice, fun,<br />
and harmless “sense of danger” occasionally.<br />
Happy Booing!<br />
Host a scary movie marathon.<br />
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I<br />
couldn’t get enough of movies like Hocus<br />
Pocus and Beetlejuice. As I entered<br />
my teen years, my tastes changed and<br />
I enjoyed the likes of The Sixth Sense,<br />
Scream, and I Know What You Did<br />
Last Summer. Now as a full-grown<br />
woman in her late 30s, it is back to Hocus<br />
Pocus, The Harry Potter series, and<br />
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find<br />
Them series. What does that mean? It<br />
means this can be a tradition for both<br />
kids and adults that will never get<br />
old. You can even do it outside with a<br />
large projector screen (check Amazon)<br />
while you sit by a campfire and make<br />
s’mores!<br />
While Halloween was traditionally<br />
enjoyed mostly by children hopped<br />
up on sugar in the past, it does not<br />
have to be that way anymore. There<br />
are so many new and exciting ways to<br />
celebrate that everyone in the family<br />
can (and will) absolutely love! Check<br />
out some of these activities yourself.<br />
When you do, be sure to take pics, post<br />
them on social media, and be sure to<br />
tag @TheChaldeanNews so we can<br />
celebrate with you! Happy Halloween,<br />
ghouls and goblins!<br />
Editor’s Note: Information and<br />
some excerpts were pulled from<br />
littleguidedetroit.com.<br />
46 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
CITIZENSHIP PREPARATION<br />
NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL CLASSES<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> 3 – DECEMBER 14<br />
Tuesdays and Thursdays<br />
MORNING SESSIONS<br />
9:30 am – 12:00 pm<br />
OR<br />
EVENING SESSIONS<br />
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm<br />
REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 25, <strong>2023</strong><br />
To register please call CCF at 586-722-7253<br />
$40 registration fee<br />
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 3601 15 MILE ROAD, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 586-722-7253 CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> NEWS 47
EVENT<br />
2<br />
4 5<br />
1<br />
3<br />
1. CCF’s Honoree Karam<br />
Banham with his wife<br />
Reem and family.<br />
2. Karam and Reem<br />
with Saber Ammori.<br />
3. Capturing footage<br />
of the event was<br />
Wilson Sarkis’ team.<br />
4. Left to right: Dr.<br />
Nahid Elyas, Salam<br />
Aboona, Fr. Ameer<br />
Brikha, and Tom Niami.<br />
5. Saber Ammori with<br />
family and Wireless<br />
Vison staff.<br />
6. It was a packed<br />
house at the Gala.<br />
5th Annual CCF Gala<br />
PHOTOS BY WILSON SARKIS<br />
The Chaldean Community Foundation hosted<br />
its 5th Annual Awards Gala on Friday, September<br />
22. More than 700 people attended,<br />
including dignitaries from across the state of<br />
Michigan and special guests from Iraq. During the<br />
program, the CCF honored Karam Bahnam with<br />
the Servant Leadership Award. Karam, one of the<br />
founding members of the Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization<br />
Center (ECRC) and REVIV3, is a successful<br />
entrepreneur who has dedicated much of his<br />
time to helping others deepen their faith.<br />
The CCF raised nearly $550,000 from the event.<br />
The funds raised will go towards many new and<br />
upcoming projects that include affordable housing<br />
efforts, the development of the Oakland County<br />
Campus and ongoing workforce training programs.<br />
5<br />
48 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS<br />
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Producing Branch Manager - VP of Mortgage Lending<br />
o: (248) 622-0704<br />
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angela.kakos@rate.com<br />
2456 Metropolitan Parkway, Sterling Heights, MI 48310<br />
Guaranteed Rate Inc.; NMLS #2611; For licensing information visit<br />
nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Conditions may apply • Angela Kakos<br />
NMLS ID: 166374<br />
Phone: (248) 851-2227<br />
(248) 851-BCBS<br />
Fax: (248) 851-2215<br />
rockyhpip1@aol.com<br />
ROCKY H. HUSAYNU<br />
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Advertise<br />
JACQUELINE RAXTER, LMSW, LPC<br />
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH<br />
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in our business directory section!<br />
for As little As $ 85<br />
to place your ad, contact us today! 3601 15 Mile Road<br />
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TEL: (586) 722-7253<br />
FAX: (586) 722-7257<br />
phone: 248-851-8600 fax: 248-851-1348<br />
jacqueline.raxter@chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101<br />
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snaoum@suburbancollection.com<br />
CHALDEAN<br />
AMERICAN<br />
CHAMBER OF<br />
COMMERCE<br />
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
SANA NAVARRETTE<br />
MEMBERSHIP MANAGER<br />
CHALDEAN<br />
AMERICAN<br />
CHAMBER OF<br />
COMMERCE<br />
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
SANA NAVARRETTE<br />
DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT<br />
30095 Northwestern Highway, Suite 101<br />
Farmington Hills, MI 48334<br />
CELL (248) 925-7773<br />
TEL (248) 851-1200<br />
FAX (248) 851-1348<br />
snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com<br />
www.chaldeanchamber.com<br />
www.chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
ELIAS KATTOULA<br />
CAREER SERVICES MANAGER<br />
3601 15 Mile Road<br />
Sterling Heights, MI 48310<br />
TEL: (586) 722-7253<br />
FAX: (586) 722-7257<br />
elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
www.chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
MARIAM ABDALLA<br />
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH STACY THERAPIST BAHRI<br />
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES MANAGER<br />
3601 3601 15 15 Mile Mile Road Road<br />
Sterling Sterling Heights, Heights, MI MI 48310 48310<br />
TEL:<br />
TEL: (586) (586) 722-7253 722-7253<br />
FAX:<br />
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mariam.abdalla@chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
stacy.bahri@chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
www.chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
www.chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
BRAND LOVE continued from page 35<br />
impact on their consumer behavior, attitudes,<br />
and lifestyle.<br />
Impact and Reception<br />
“Brand Love” has garnered widespread<br />
acclaim from industry experts,<br />
marketers, and thought leaders globally.<br />
It features over one hundred<br />
brands, case studies and interviews<br />
from multicultural brands and has<br />
become a cornerstone resource for<br />
those seeking to fathom the intricacies<br />
of brand loyalty and consumer<br />
devotion. Michael’s insights have been<br />
instrumental in guiding businesses to<br />
30850 TELEGRAPH ROAD, SUITE 200<br />
BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025<br />
TEL: (248) 996-8340 CELL: (248) 925-7773<br />
FAX: (248) 996-8342<br />
snavarrette@chaldeanchamber.com<br />
www.chaldeanchamber.com<br />
reevaluate their www.chaldeanfoundation.org<br />
brand and marketing<br />
Twitter: @ChaldeanChamber<br />
strategies, enabling them to connect<br />
Instagram: @ChaldeanAmericanChamber<br />
with consumers on a deeper and more<br />
meaningful level.<br />
“Customers, especially the younger<br />
demographic like Gen Z, care about<br />
what brands think and say, as much as<br />
they care about the product or service<br />
they buy,” explains Michael. “They don’t<br />
want to just support a company anymore;<br />
they want a company that reflects<br />
who they are and what they believe.<br />
With that said, whenever we go<br />
through moments of social change,<br />
brands should understand that they<br />
can be replaced at any given moment if<br />
their approach isn’t mindful and genuine,”<br />
she further asserts. “During sensitive<br />
times, it’s important to continue<br />
to build trust and an ongoing, healthy<br />
relationship with customers.”<br />
In this current world of uber scrutiny,<br />
one must be careful about what<br />
they say online. “All in all, companies<br />
shouldn’t be too quick to voice<br />
their opinion on social issues just to<br />
check the box,” warns Michael. “They<br />
should know what to say and when to<br />
say it, displaying a good sense of their<br />
emotional intelligence in a crowded<br />
marketplace.” Good advice for a medium<br />
that is known for its quick response<br />
time, one that requires “a balance<br />
of logic and emotion.”<br />
As we navigate the ever-evolving<br />
landscape of consumer behavior, Michael’s<br />
visionary work remains a beacon,<br />
illuminating the path toward creating<br />
brands that resonate deeply and<br />
stand the test of time. In an era where<br />
consumers are inundated with choices,<br />
“Brand Love” is a reminder that,<br />
above all, it is the human and emotional<br />
bond between a brand and its<br />
customers that truly sets it apart.<br />
“Brand Love” is available for purchase<br />
on Amazon and anywhere books<br />
are available. Connect with Lydia<br />
Michael at BlendedCollective.com and<br />
LydiaMichael.com.<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 49
CHALDEAN SCENE<br />
Sibling Shots<br />
Pictured immediately<br />
on the right is a photo<br />
submitted by Amanda<br />
Kajy of her children on<br />
the first day of school;<br />
next to that is Zayna,<br />
Zara and little Alexander,<br />
submitted by Wassem<br />
and Christina Ayar.<br />
All Dressed Up<br />
From left: Photo<br />
(submitted by) Jasmine<br />
Bakkal; Jennifer Konja<br />
submitted a photo of<br />
her son Cameron; and<br />
Krystal Dickow sent<br />
in photos of Matthew,<br />
Lauren, and Ava Hermiz.<br />
Back to School Celebrations!<br />
Smile for<br />
the Camera<br />
Linda Abbo sent in<br />
smiling photos of<br />
Amelia, Isaac, and<br />
Noah. The littlest one<br />
looks the happiest!<br />
Say “Cheese!”<br />
Little Ella’s photo<br />
was submitted by<br />
Sulviah Alsaigh;<br />
Annabelle and<br />
Angelo were sent<br />
in by Rita Bameko.<br />
50 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2023</strong>