ROOMS WITH A VIEW

The current situation in northern Iraq has created a major upheaval in the
attitudes of the Assyrian nationalists in Diaspora.  For the first time
Assyrian organizations in the U.S. are openly discussing ways to change
their decades-old methods of operation.  Community leaders are debating the
need for membership in a national and international organizations that offer
neither an effective political agenda nor a realistic fiscal plan.  No where
is such opposition to the "American Political Machine" better visible than
at the Assyrian National Conventions:  not at the executive officers
meetings of the AANF, rather the small rooms occupied by the silent
revolutionaries planning to change "business as usual."

These young men and women are the architects of a future Federation in which
democratic elections, economic growth, and internet will replace favoritism,
financial destitute, and stagnation.  Away from the usual meeting rooms of
the convention halls, blue prints for a new Ashur will be scattered on the
queen-size beds of one or two rooms, hidden from the public's view.  The
dissidents realize that decades of social and political degeneration will
not be brought down with a few pages of scribbles and
 

ZENDA HAS A NEW INTERNET ADDRESS

Please note our new email address:   zenda@ix.netcom.com

In reply to all your inquiries regarding the long-awaited return of our
newsletter, we would like to inform you that beginning with this issue Zenda
will continue to arrive biweekly at a computer terminal near you.  Our list
of subscribers has doubled since we left the fiberoptic highways, and
continues to grow.  Thank you for making Zenda the fastest growing medium of
news exchange among the Assyrian communities around the world.  If  you wish
to join our team of writers and reporters around the world contact us via
email or write to P.O. Box 20278 San Jose, CA 95160.  Our goal is to become
the official news agency serving the Assyrian groups and communities around
the world.  With your support we will reach our goal - one email at a time.

                                                                                            Z-staff
 
W E L C O M E   T O   Z E N D A
===========================================
Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
 

[CORPORATE ACCOUNTS]

American Stock Exchange
Ascend
Cisco
Golin/Harris Communications
Kaiser Permenente
Lockheed
Motorola
Novell
Quantum
Sun Microsystems
Sybase
 

[UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS]
 

Cal State University, Stanislaus, Turlock-California, U.S.
Harker Academy
Oxford University
University of Pennsylvania, U.S.
University of Oslo, Norway
 

[INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS]
 

Chicago, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
San Jose, California
 

S U R F S  U P !
===========================================
"I recently came across an old issue of the newsletter dated 2/6/95, and was
thrilled to find out it is made available to Assyrians across the country
through Internet E-mail...I would like to commend you and all other
Assyrians who started this newsletter and hope that it could be of any
assistance you would not hesitate to contact me."
                                                  Doris Oshana, Chicago
 

"You should really ought not to go on making false promises of making timely
deliveries of this publication..."
                                                  Detroit, MI
 

"Where's my Zenda?  I need my biweekly allowance."

                                                  San Jose, California

"Please add me to the Zenda e-mailing list.  Although I am not Assyrian, my
wife is.  We live in Manteca, California, while my wife's family is spread
out over Turlock, Modesto, Monterey/Pacific Grove, Los Angeles, Toronto, and
Baghdad.  In learning the language and the culture, I have come to have a
great deal of respect and admiration for the Assyrian people.  It is
encouraging to hear that this nation of people is becoming more organized
through publishing and the Internet.  Best wishes.  Avitoon Basima raba!"

                                                  Mike Elness, Manteca, CA

N E W S    D I G E S T
===========================================

US FEDERATION MAY SEVER TIES WITH AUA
 

ZN (San Jose)   In an informal discussion during the recent general
membership meeting of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose it was
revealed that the leadership of the Assyrian American National Federation
will demand immediate withdrawal of its membership in the Assyrain Universal
Alliance. Reliable sources have confirmed that through an amendment to be
introduced at this week's "Chicago Convention," Federation president,
Yatroum Zia, will request the attending representatives of the Assyrain
organizations to vote for the removal of the AANF's name from the AUA
membership list.
 

ASSYRIANS PETITION RE.  SALE  OF $12 M ARTIFACT
 

ZN (Turlock)   Mrs. Julia Paul of Turlock, California, former chairwoman of
the AANF Education Committee, along with several other Assyrian activists
have petitioned the Assembly Legislature of California regarding the sale of
an Assyrian relief to an anonymous buyer.  This historical relief was
excavated from the palace of the Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud.
Assemblymember Sal Cannela of the 26th District (916) 445-8570, and the
Honorable Dominic Cortese, Chairman of the Committee on Water, Parks, and
Wildlife, were requested to support Assembly Joint Resolution 24, as
sponsored by the Assyrian American National Federation.  UNESCO law
prohibits the sale and trafficking of historical antiquities.
 

QUEEN SHAMIRAM  TO  BE  UNVEILED  IN  CHICAGO
 

NQ (Chicago)   Fred Parhad, an Assyrian sculptor and the creator of the
Ashurbanipal statue currently displayed in San Francisco, will help unveil
his latest work, Queen Shamiram of Assyria (811-806 BC).  The 8-feet long
statue, adorned by a 7-feet long lioness reclining at the feet of the
Assyrian queen is erected upon a 5-feet high stone pedestal.  The monument
will be kept in the city of Chicago.  Queen Shamiram (also Samuramut) was
the wife of the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad, and ruler of the Assyrian empire
until her son Adad-Nirari III's coming to power.
 

ASSYRIAN MARTYR'S DAY COMMEMORATED
 

ZN (San Jose)  Assyrian social and cultural organizations around the world
commemorated the Assyrian Martyrs' Day from August 4 through August 11.  On
August 6, the Assyrian American Association of San Jose sponsored a joint
gathering of three active Assyrian political groups.  Representatives of the
AUA, BNDP (Iraq), and Zowaa briefly discussed the historical perspectives
and significance of the sacrifices made over the past two millennia.
 

AN ASSYRIAN GIRL IN NEED OF DONATIONS
 

AA (San Jose)  Silvana Awanis Al-Barwari, an Assyrian girl from Bet Nahrain,
is hospitalized in Chicago- in urgent need of a life-saving back operation.
A charity fund has been established in the First Chicago Bank to help pay
Silvana's medical expenses.  Donations may be sent to the:

                 AAA of San Jose/Silvana Help Fund
 

400 ASSYRIAN ATHLETES IN THE STATE OLYMPICS

AA (San Jose)  The Assyrian United Organizations of California (AUOC)
Olympic Games were held in the athletic complex of the Willow Glen
Educational Center in San Jose during the Fourth of July weekend
celebrations.  Over 400 athletes, coaches, and assistants from California
participated in this annual event.  Assyrian Men and Women athletes competed
in the basketball, soccer, volleyball, billiard, tennis, table tennis,
swimming, and racquetball tournaments.  The winners in each category were as
follows:

Soccer                      Turlock
Soccer (Youth)          Turlock
Basketball                 San Diego
Volleyball (men)        San Jose
Volleyball (women)      Los Angeles
Billiard                      Andre Porbabaei
Tennis                      Edmond Oushanazad
Swimming                 Sam Farhadzadeh
Racquetball                Lincoln Bejan

Among the guest of honor present were Nineveh BetMalek (volleyball), Zezria
Elkhanof and Raman Babaei (Boxing), Kourosh Bet Younan (Gymnastics), John
Isaac, Luke Polous, Youav and Edison David (Soccer), and Ninous Tuman (Tae
Kwon Do).

This years surprise guest of honor was Emanuel Aghassi, an Assyrian Olympic
boxing champion and the father of the top-seeded world tennis champion,
Andre Aghassi.
 

JOHN NIMROD DISCUSSES AUA in 1995

Former State Senator (R-Illinois) John Nimrod, Secretary General of the
Assyrian Universal Alliance, and the Vice-Chairman, Homer Ashurian, were the
guest speakers of the Assyrian organizations in California.  On July 9,
during a talk at the Association House (BETA) in San Jose, Sen. Nimrod
discussed the current national and international activities of the AUA
Central Committee, followed by a briefing on the Underrepresented Nations
and People Organization's (UNPO) accomplishments in the past year.  Both
speakers were responded to many engaging questions raised by the members of
the association.

e.BABYLON MOVES TO TURLOCK

EB (Hollister)   e.Babylon, the first Assyrian BBS, has moved its operation
from the city of  Holister to Turlock, California.  The equipment is
maintained and operated at the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock.  Mr.
Albert Gabrial, founder of  e.Babylon is currently working on creating
several world wide web home pages and other Internet-related services.

ASSYRIANS @ WOMEN'S CONFERENCE IN CHINA

ZN (San Jose)   Three Assyrian women, Sharokin Betgevargis of the United
States and two others from Sweden, are attending the United Nations 4th
World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.  The purpose of this meeting
will be to examine the status of women in the entire world.  40,000 women
are expected to participate in the 3-weeks long conference.  Sharokin's trip
is sponsored by the Assyrian American National Federation through the
Education Committee Fund.  Upon the return of Ms. Betgevargis, AANF's
Education Committee plans to commence a nation-wide campaign to examine the
status of the Assyrian Women in the United States and abroad.   The
objective of the campaign will be to promote women's leadership role in the
Assyrian organizations, workplace, and communities.

1994 NATIONAL CONVENTION FINANCIAL REPORT

ZN (Los Angeles)   According to the financial report of the AANF Treasurer,
as read at the Calif State Convention in Pasadena-Calif, the total net
income of the 1994 Assyrian National Convention held in San Jose was $
42662.  The reported figure shows an average net profit of  less than five
dollars per Assyrian guest attending the convention.  The projected income
of the 1995 Convention in Chicago was reported as $40-60,000.

AUA VISIT TO WASHINGTON D.C.

ZN (Chicago)   Shortly after the invasion of the Turkish troops into
northern Bet-Nahrain, a delegation team from the Assyrian Universal Alliance
visited Washington D.C. to hold high level meetings at the State Dept with
the Undersecretary for Political Affairs concerning the situation of the
Assyrians in the Middle East.  The delegates were briefed on the current
U.S. position on Iraq and Turkey.  The team also met with the Turkish
embassy representatives to review the objectives of the Turkish troops
invasion of northern Iraq
 

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
===========================================
Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals:
 

Ramin Daniel:           San Jose, California
Pauline Jasim:          Chicago, Illinois
Albert Gabrial:         Hollister, California
 
 

D I R E C T O R Y  OF THE  N E W S  S O U R C E S
===========================================
AA (AAA of San Jose Newsletter)
 

AP (Associate Press)
 

EB (e.Babylon BBS):     (408) 636-0508
        Hollister, California
 

JS (Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society):  Chicago
        P.O. Box 4102   Des Plaines, Illinois 60016-4102
 

NQ (Nebu Quarterly):
        P.O. Box 59422, Chicago  Illinois  60659
 

RU (Reuters)
 

ZN (Zenda Reporters):   zenda@ix.netcom.com
        Toronto, Germany, Chicago, San Jose
 

              C A L E N D A R    OF      E V E N T S
===========================================
       ------------------------1 9 9 5-----------------------------
 

Aug 30-Sept 4   Assyrian National Convention
                         Sheraton Hotel, North Water Street
                   Chicago, Illinois   U.S.
 

       Aug 30:  Art Exhibit
                Assyrian artists from the U.S. & Canada
                      Thru Sept 3
 

       Aug 30:  Meeting:  Assyrians on the Internet
                    4-6 pm
 
       Sept 2:  Lecture:  The Epic of Gilgamesh
              Professor Lou Bolchazy;  2-4 pm
 

       Sept 2:  Lecture:  Assyrian Literature Today
                   Daniel Benyamin;  4:30-6 pm
 

       Sept 3:  Discussion:  Assyrian Literature Today
                    11 am
 

       Sept 3:  Lecture:  Assyrian Printing (1596-1960)
                    Dr. J.F. Coakley;  1-3 pm
 

       Sept 3:  Panel Discussion:  State of  the Assyrian Politics
                    Assyrian Political Groups;  3:30-5 pm
 

Sept  7-11      10th Anniversary of the Neo-Assyrian Text
                      Corpus Project
                      Helsinki, Finland
                      whiting@cc.helsinki.fi
 

Sept 8-Dec 31   "Nineveh  612 BC:    A Public Exhibition of
                          Assyrian Art and Artifacts"
                          Finnish Science Center, Heureha
                          (northern part of the Helsinki metrop. area)
 

Sept 9        Assyrian Food Festival
              Church of the East, Minnesota Avenue
              San Jose, California
 

Sept 30-Oct 2  Third Annual National Convention
                  Assyrian Australian National Federation
 

Oct 1-Feb 4    Exhibition:  Assyrian Art & History
                       (currently at the New York Metropolitan Mus)
                      Kimball  Art  Museum
                      Fort Worth, Texas
                      (817) 332-8451
 

------------------------1 9 9 6-----------------------------
 

June 9-11       The ARAM Conference
                       Harvard University
                       Cambridge, Massachusetts  U.S.
 

ENTERTAINMENT
 

Sept 8           AAA of  SJ Fundraising Party
                       Entertainers:  Ashur Sargis & The Black Cats
                 Red Lion Inn Hotel
                       San Jose, California
                 Donation:  $25.00
                 (408) 927-8100
MEETINGS
 

 Thursdays     Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
                      Modesto Junior College
                      1:00 pm,  Founders Hall 125.
 

CLASSES
 

Mondays        Assyrian History Class
                      8000-500 B.C
                      BETA:  AAA of  San Jose
                      8:00-9:30 pm
                      Instructor:  Wilfred Alkhas
SPORTS
 

Sept 1-4        Assyrian Athletic Tournaments
                     Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball
               Assyrian National Convention, Chicago
 

A S S Y R I A N     S U R F I N G     P O S T S
===========================================
 

Ancient Mesopotamia
                http://sipparorinst.uchicago.edu/OI/DEPT/RA/ABZ                 U/ABZU_REGINDX_MESO.HTML
 

Assyria On-Line
        http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~jatou/./
 

Assyrian Youth Association of  Sweden
        http://www.cs.umu.se/~dprhi/assyr/assyr.html
 

Corpus Neo Assyrian
        http://www.helsinki.fi/science/saa/cna.html
 

e.BABYLON      (408) 636-0508
                http://www.garlic.com/~agabrial/babylon.htm
 

Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society
                http://www.garlic.com/~agabrial/jaas.htm
 

"Newsgroup"     soc-culture-assyrian
 

Syriac Comp Inst
        http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/gk105/syrcom/
 
 

              P U M P  U P  T H E  V O L U M E
===========================================
ENGLISH             ASSYRIAN PRONUNCIATION
 

Air             "a-ar"
                A-  as in Awesome &  -AR  as in ARTICLE
 
Guess          "khedsa"
                ex:  I guess she's coming:
                Ana bekkdasa'wan d'beetayala.
 
Identity        "Hee-ya-yoota"
                Heeyayoota oomtaneta = National Identity
 
 

               B A C K  TO THE  F U T U R E
===========================================
B.C.    (2040)  During the reign of the Akkadian king Amar-Sin, Ashur is
administered by governor Zariqum, ensuring southern domination over the
northern plains of Mesopotamia.
 

A.D.    (4/15/1918)  Six weeks after the assassination of his brother,
Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimun in the hands of the Kurdish leader Semko, Mar
Polous Shimun is consecrated Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Due to ill health, Mar Polous passed away on May 9, 1920, leaving the
Patriarchial office to his 12-year-old nephew, Eshai Shimun.
 

I N  T H E  N E X T  I S S U E  OF  Z E N D A
===========================================
-Assyrian National Convention, Chicago, Illinois