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                                        THE   L   I   G   H   T   H   O   U   S   E
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SADDAM'S FORCES MOVE THRU CITIES AND VILLAGES IN NORTHERN BET-NAHRAIN
 

Saddam Hussein's tactical alliance with the Kurdish rebel faction, KDP,
to retake the northern city of Arbil was a  calculated move. Just weeks
before the implementation of a $2 billion oil-for-food deal which would
have allowed Iraqi oil back onto world markets for the first time in
six years , the Iraqi leader exploited a split in his Kurdish opponents,
extended his influence towards the key Turkish border, and found a proxy
force to police provinces he lost control in 1991.  While the Assyrian
conventioneers in California were enjoying the first of the 3 nightly
parties in Modesto, Iraqi troops and tanks supporting the Kurdish rebel
faction of Masoud Barzani took the northern city of Arbil, raising the
Iraqi flag and ending five years of fragile autonomy from Baghdad in a
few hours of intense artillery bombardment.
 

According to the New York Times, Iraqi's entry into fighting between two
Kurdish factions disrupted a covert CIA operation intended to overthrow
Saddam Hussein. CIA agents were forced to leave Iraq last week after
Iraqi troops occupied the northern city of Arbil. The retreat left only a
fragmented group of agents, including Iraqi military defectors and Kurdish
rebels, to report on the area.  President Clinton signed a secret order
in January, telling the CIA to give weapons and military training to the
groups seeking to overthrow Hussein. The order, which expanded on the
mission already in place, also directed the agency to install spying
equipment, the report said. Although the Iraqi armed forces have left
Arbil, U.S. officials have said Hussein's regime has infiltrated a secret
police force to root out the opposition in the area. The policemen have
arrested about 1,500 suspected Iraqi, Kurdish, and possibly Assyrian
opposition figures.  The Times reported that the operation was orchestrated
with the help of Jordan's King Hussein, the support of Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait and through the Iraqi National Accord opposition group.
 
The United States is spending $20 million this year on the program to
get rid of Hussein, the Times reported, calling the sum an increase of
about $6 million on a budget that has been in place since 1992. Last week,
the United States unilaterally fired 44 cruise missiles at military
targets in southern Iraq to punish Saddam and still struggles to find
international legal grounds for having done so.
 
Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller said on Thursday that a military
thrust into northern Bet-Nahrain was not imminent, despite military
threats to root out Kurdish separatist rebel bases there.  Witnesses
said heavy military preparations were in progress near Turkey's porous
border with Iraq. The stepped-up activity followed Ankara's announcement
that it was preparing to set up a security cordon inside northern
Bet-Nahrain to halt Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) infiltration.  A
foreign ministry spokesman said the zone would be five to 10 km (three
to six miles) deep, but Ciller refused to go into details.  Iran has
denied that its military forces are present in northern Iraq.
 
Rival Kurdish factions continued to fight on Sunday and KDP radio
confirmed its forces had killed 300 PUK fighters and demanding the rest
surrender.  After invading Arbil, Saddam and the KDP moved towards
Chamchamal. It was the first front towards Sulaimaniya.  The  Degala-Koi
Sanjak route leads to the region's main electricity power supplier, the
Dukan dam.  The power lines, running from Sulaimaniya to Arbil and the
KDP-held city of Salahuddin, were destroyed during the Iraqi shelling of
Arbil and other positions of the PUK.  Guerrillas of the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), backed by Iraqi government forces, captured the
strategic town of Degala and overran the major town of Koi Sanjak,
extending an offensive in defiance of U.S. missile strikes last week.
 
PUK leader Jalal Talabani told the British Broadcasting Corporation by
telephone that thousands of people were fleeing Koi Sanjaq. Talabani
said the U.S. missile attacks on southern Iraq had done nothing to stop
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from continuing his attacks in the
Kurdish-held north.
 
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 G  O  O  D    M  O  R  N  I  N  G    B  E  T - N  A  H  R  A  I  N
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         ASSYRIAN CLERGYMEN KILLED DURING THE KURDISH ATTACKS
 

(ZNDA: San Jose) According to the Assyrian Democratic Organization
(Mtakasta) Rev. Benjamin Alaadin and Deacon Sarguis of Mar Gewargis
Church of the East Parish were killed during an artillery rocket
attack on the village of Diana in northern Bet-Nahrain.  The rockets
were fired from the positions of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
in a major offensive against the rival faction KDP on August 26.
 
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                                     S   U   R   F   S     U   P   !
=====================================================================
"Thank you very much for sending me ZENDA, I enjoy all the information
connected with Assyrians.  Now I am sending you some material which can
give you a survey about my writings. The list is originally written
in German because I use to write in my own language. The translation
was made by help of Francis (Sarguis). But now there are two of my books
translated into English by financial help of the Assyrian United
Organization of California (Carlo Ganjeh) and  I hope will be printed
soon. Francis Sarguis did a very good editorial work and it was very
helpful that we could work together twice  when he came to Europe.
At this time I am working on a new edition of my first book 'Assyrians
Today'  (1978) which has partly to be re-written. I also hope that this
book will be translated into English parallel to the German 2nd edition.
I will provide Zenda with some news and information, but for now I am
sending you my publication list  and some material connected to the
Holocaust book as Table of Content, Foreword by Zulch (1st ed.1989),
Epilog by the late Rudolf Macuch the eminent scholar of Assyrian
studies as well as an early book review by a German scholar. If you like
you can make use of it.  Certainly I will have some questions concerning
your teaching work, this will be included in the 'Assyrians in U.S.-Chapter'
of the above mentioned book. I hope we will be in contact. P.S. ZENDA- is
the name connected to the iranian root -zende/life?"
 

Dr. Gabriele Yonan
Berlin, Germany
 

[Dr. Yonan is the author of the book "The Assyrian Holocaust" to be
 published in English in the near future.  She is also the mother of
 the Assyrian violinist, David Yonan, who has continuously astonished
 the music world and his Assyrian listeners with his musical talents
 and love for the Assyrian classical music.  Dr. Yonan's list of
 publications is available upon request from ZENDA and will also be
 included in our nearly-completed homepage.  Also, Dr. Yonan's reference
 to the history class refers to the Assyrian History Class taught by
 Mr. Wilfred Alkhas in San Jose, California.  Lastly, Zenda is the
 Assyrian word for the "spark" or "genesis" of a fire.  As Dr. Yonan
 points out it resembles the word "Zendeh" in the Farsi language which
 means "alive".]
 

"In your last week's issue a fellow Assyrian from Australia named Kym
Tank asked if the language spoken by the Assyrians also known as
Church of the East Christians is "Assyrian".  I told him in a
previous e-mail posting that in Chicago the Board of Education calls
the language AKKADIAN, but when checking with the Oriental Institute
of the University of Chicago the Librarian informed that the language
we speak is NEO-ARAMAIC and the Church liturgy is a dialect of
ARAMAIC (old Aramaic also known as "leshana ateeka").  He said that
originally the Assyrians spoke a dialect of AKKADIAN until about the
1st century A.D., but the language has not been in use since then and
our people have been using Neo-Aramaic with Syriac writing characters.
  I'm asking him for his sources to support this conclusion on his
part.  The Oriental Institute is well known for its archeological
research and  has translated a lot of the Assyrian cuneiform tablets,
etc..  If anyone else has more expertise in this matter please let us
all know.  This librarian said that the Chicago Public schools and
the Board of Education is WRONG in calling the language we use
AKKADIAN.  I do not know how they came to their conclusion and expect
that they would have done more research before they labeled the
language as they have.  Any other comments on this subject will be
appreciated and I will be happy to respond to anyone who extends e-
mail  directly to me.  Raba shalamee"
 
Paul Newey
Chicago, Illinois
GYQS35A@prodigy.com
 

"I would like first, to express my gratitude toward Zenda's staff and
let you know that I am  grateful and proud to see zenda news on my
E-mail. It is an ideal way to inform and unite the assyrians around the
world.  Secondly, I have a request from you: could you please give me
the name and E-mail address of the woman in San Jose, who is the Senator
of California.  I believe I have seen her name and E-mail address in
zenda news two or three weeks ago, but I didn't keep a copy of it."
 

Janine Jacoby
Phoenix, Arizona
 

[Anna Eshoo is the only Assyrian woman presently serving the United
 States Congress.  She can be reached at annagram@hr.house.gov .]
 
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              S  U  R  F  E  R  S      C  O  R  N  E  R
=====================================================================
 

Look for our first ZENDA MARKETPLACE message sent along with this
week's issue.  We are pleased to announce that Teach Yourself Modern
Syriac CD-ROM is now available for Windows machines.  In the future,
we will bring you information on other Assyrian books, music, art works,
and items of interest.
 
=====================================================================
              N   E   W   S       D   I   G   E   S   T
=====================================================================
The following is an exact text of the contents of an Appeal by the
Assyrian National Alliance(ANA) to President Bill Clinton.
 

The Assyrian National Alliance is comprised of the:
Assyrian Universal Alliance-Political Arm
Assyrian Liberation Movement (Khoorara)
Bet Nahrain Democratic Party-Iraq
Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa)
 
 

Assyrian National Alliance                      - September 1, 1996
 
 

President Bill Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500
 
 

Honorable President Bill Clinton:
 

The Assyrian National Alliance (ANA) has received information regarding
the attack by Iraqi army units on the city of Arbil in North Iraq, and
expresses its extreme concern for the safety of the people of the area,
and in particular our Assyrian people in our ancestral homeland.
 

We urgently appeal for the immediate intervention of U.S. forces to save
and protect the population from this criminal army.  The declared policy
of the U.S. government has been to protect the Iraqi people above the
36th parallel under applicable U.N. resolutions.  U.S. assurances to
maintain this policy have been the principal source of hope for the
security of the people of the area from the forces of Saddam Hussein.
 

Operation Provide Comfort, spearheaded by U.S. armed forces, has
been successful for the past five years in providing security for the
Iraqi population north of the 36th parallel.  This protection must be
continued, and the population must not be allowed to be brutalized by
this criminal army once again.  We are particularly concerned with
previous use of chemical weapons by this same army against unarmed
civilians.
 

Very Truly Yours,
 

Ishaia Isho
Coordinator
 
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D I  R  E  C  T  O  R  Y  OF THE  N  E  W  S   S  O  U  R  C  E  S
=====================================================================
ZNAR (Archeology Magazine)
ZNAS (Assyrian Sentinel)
ZNMN (Mercury News)
ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly)
ZNNY (New York Times)
ZNRU (Reuters):  ClariNet Communications Corp.
ZNSC (soc.culture.assyrian) newsgroup
ZNTN (Turkish News Agency)
ZNUP (United Press International)
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
 

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  C   A   L   E   N   D   A   R     OF     E   V   E   N   T   S
=====================================================================

Thru April 6    The Ain Ghazal Exhibit
                Smithsonian Institute
                Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
                Washington D.C.

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          R E G U L A R  C L A S S E S  &  M E E T I N G S
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Fridays          Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
                 Modesto Junior College
                 1:00 pm
                 Founders Hall 108
                 Modesto, U.S.A.
 

Saturdays        Nisibis School
                 10:30-1:30
                 The Church of the East
                 Toronto, Canada
 

                 Nisibin School
                 10:00-12:00 pm
                 BETA of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose
                 San Jose, California
 

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  A  S  S  Y  R  I  A  N     S  U  R  F  I  N  G     P  O  S  T  S
=====================================================================
Directory of the Assyrian Organizations and Businesses

http://www.cs.utoronto.ca/~jatou/ypages.html
=====================================================================
               P  U  M  P    UP THE   V O L U M E
=====================================================================
                 ENGLISH                ASSYRIAN
 

                 Pregnant                btden/taa         [F]
                 To Give Birth        dya/la            [M]
                                             dyal/ta           [F]
                 Abortion                mar/khash/ta      [F]
 

Pronunciations:
 

   a   as in   bat             b    big          s    sit
   aa          make            ch   church       sh   shovel
   a:          father     d    dog          t    top
   aw          awe             f    fun          td   [tdlaa=three]
   e           let             g    go           th   thigh
   ee          leak            h    hit          TH   those
   i           kid             j    judge        v    van
   i:          like            k    kite         w    way
   ou          ouch            l    link         y    you
   o:          boat            m    make         z    zip
   oi          boy             n    not          zh   pleasure
   u:          boot            p    pot
   u           pulley          q    [qaatdoo=cat]
   *           'do-nut         r    red
_____________________________________________________________________
F = Feminine     M = Masculine      P = Plural
 
=====================================================================
             B  A  C  K     TO THE      F  U  T  U  R  E
=====================================================================
 

B.C. (734) Still the primary inhabitants of Gaza, the Philistines were
conquered by the Assyrians.
 

<< National Geographic Magazine, September 1996 >>
 

A.D. (1979) The first Assyrian radio station begins regular broadcasting
in the Assyrian language in Ceres, California.
 

<< Zenda >>
 

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              L    I    T    E    R    A    T    U    S
=====================================================================
 
                              DARK EYES
 

"Nahrain" come join me! Called out her sister, pulling her to her feet to
wind their way between the  crowded tables.  They were heading towards the
long, human dancing chain, created by  hundreds of dancers of all ages -
old women and men, young boys and girls, holding hands, shaking up and down
to the beat of the drums, and moving sideways and forward in intricate
steps in a unique harmony to the sounds of music.  With every movement of
the dancers, the chain was moving slowly like a wave towards Nahrain.
 

Dragged by her sister, she found herself at the end of the dancing chain.
On her left, an eight  year old  boy joined the dancers, grabbed her hand
and jumped excitedly, stamping his feet in  imitation of her dance steps,
in an attempt to learn the secrets of the most popular Assyrian national
dance, the khega.
 

Nahrain enjoyed the music, the crowds, the magic feeling of being among so
many relatives, neighbors and friends.  It was as if she was being
embraced in the arms of a large family, the arms of mother Atour; she new
that away from them she was lost.  It was the same feeling she had when
listening to stories her grandfather told her of their old village's
festivals.
 

Suddenly the little soft hand let go of hers and a stronger one grabbed it
instead.  Glancing to her left she saw a young man was now beside her.  She
recognized him immediately.  It was Sargon, the young man from the
neighborhoods.  Looking into his eyes, she turned away blushing, casting
down her eyes shyly.  His looks touched her soul.  She could feel her heart
beating.  Everything around her suddenly changed, colours become brighter
and the music seemed distant.  She could only hear her heart beat to the
song of his eyes, all faces around her were smiling.  She wondered if
Sargon sensed this enchanting feeling, could he hear the beat of her heart?
 She dared not to look again in those black, velvet eyes, she feared the
truth.
 

Nahrain wanted to enjoy this seductive moment a while longer, perhaps till
the end of the evening.  The dance was now getting faster.  Her body swayed
lithely to the music, her dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders like
the waterfalls of Nineveh.  Her brown eyes shone joyfully in the night.
 

Then the music stopped.  The young man disappeared into the crowed.  The
party was over, but her heart was still beating.  She wondered why this
always happened to her when ever she met those dark eyes, she asked herself
again did he feel my heart beat; as she went outside to wait for her
sister.   There was Sargon again, approaching her, looking in her brown
eyes he gently said "Look at the stars in the sky, they are still dancing
to the melody of your heart beat",  and went on his way.
 

Later, while walking home under the summer, star-filled night sky, she
turned to her sister and said "Look up there, the stars are still dancing."
 Nahrain, are you drunk?" her sister asked.  She turned to her and replied,
"Yes I am drunk on the warmth of Sargon's dark eyes".

-Atouraya

=====================================================================
    T  H  I  S    W  E  E  K     I  N    H  I  S  T  O  R  Y
=====================================================================
 

September 7, 1956:  Mar Ishaya Shimun, the Assyrian Patriarch of the
Church of the East, addresses the Anglican clergies of the Canterbury,
London in the Assyrian language.
 

=====================================================================
                      B     R    A     V     O
=====================================================================
 

Ms. Marian Yonan of Modesto, California was elected as the new
Executive Secretary of the Assyrian American National Federation during
the last official meeting of the AANF Executive Committee at the Assyrian
National Convention in Modesto, California.  Ms. Yonan is a ZENDA
reader and is completing her undergraduate studies at University of
California, Davis.
 

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

CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
                Shandwick International
                PacBell
                Samsung
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
                Cal State University, Stanislaus
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
                Chicago, Illinois
                Kiev, Ukraine
 

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  A   C   K   N   O   W   L   E   D   G   E   M   E   N   T   S
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Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals & organizations
whose contributions appear in this issue:
 

Sharokin Betgevargiz    San Jose, California
Christoph Aktas         Sunnyvale, California
Ninous Bebla            San Jose, California
Francis Sarguis         Santa Barbara, California
Jeanclaude Toma         Milpitas, California
Esha Tamras             San Jose, California
AssyrianLink
Assyrian Academic Society of Chicago
 
___________________________________________________________________
ZENDA  prints your comments and suggestions free of editing, as they
appear in our mailbox.  All letters will be printed in our SURFS UP!
section unless directed otherwise.
 

We urge you to submit the activities of your local and national
Assyrian communities, personal accomplishments, and meeting/school
events to ZENDA no later than Sunday, 12:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time.
 

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      Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, September 16, 1996.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Join us next week for our complete coverage of the elections, official
reports, discussions, and the madness of the 63rd Assyrian American
National Convention in Modesto, California.