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                   T H I S     W E E K     I N     Z E N D A
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The Lighthouse.............    The War is Over; Let's Save the Iraqi Children
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain...    UN Inspectors Enter Chaldean Churches
Surfs Up..................."We must differentiate between Zowaa & ADM."
Surfers Corner.............    How Do We Look?
News Digest................    Robert Ghanem Wins Elections in Lebanon
                Georgia Releases George Tamraz
                Nineveh Online Introduces Video Features
                Sumerian Art Exhibition in Chicago
                Assyriology Position in China
                An Anwar Oshana Update
Calendar of Events.........    No New Entry
Entracte...................    Anwar Oshana vs Steve Collins (July 5)
Intelligentsia.............    Classes & Regular Meetings
Assyrian Surfing Posts.....    A History of Maronite Church
Pump up the Volume.........    Mr. Teacher & Mrs. Teacher
Back to the Future.........    The Last King of Assyria
                The First Catholic Mission in the ME
Literatus..................    Mr. Chairman Speaks
This Week in History.......    Kokhva Newspaper
Bravo......................    Nina Dekelaita & Esther Bit-Ivan
The Directory..............    News Sources
Bshena.....................    Arizona & Australia
Salute.....................    Pauline, Firas, Albert, Emily, Francis, & Ninos
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                THE   L   I   G   H   T   H   O   U   S   E
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            THE WAR IS OVER, SO LET'S SAVE THE IRAQI CHILDREN

She has visited many of the world's hot spots in the past nine years- Bosnia, Croatia, Haiti, Jordan, Nicaragua -in her role as one of America's most active pacifists. But nothing she encountered in other war-torn venues prepared her for the unrelenting horror of Iraq some six years after the end of the Gulf War.  "The children are dying - more than 4,500 a month under the age of 5," said Kathy Kelly, citing statistics released by the United Nations in late 1996. "What we are doing is waging biological warfare against a civilian population."  Since the end of the war some 600,000 Iraqi children have perished due to starvation and disease, according to the United Nations.

Indeed, the sanctions imposed on post-war Iraq are the most severe laid on any nation in modern times. And though they have failed to provoke the ousting of President Saddam Hussein or to convince a special U.N. commission that he is not still smuggling arms into his country, they have had a decided effect. Iraq, whose economy is based almost entirely on the sale of oil, is able to export only a trickle. It cannot purchase medicine, machinery, spare parts, agricultural supplies or even chlorine to purify the water. Malnutrition and water-borne diseases like cholera and typhus are rampant, with the youngest, the oldest and the poorest most vulnerable. The country's once modern infrastructure is falling apart, and the unemployment rate is estimated at 85 percent.

People sit in the streets of large cities like Basra and Baghdad offering for sale their electrical appliances, clothing, blankets, even the doors from their houses, in order to buy food. These pervasive city-wide flea markets have proven attractive to foreigners looking for bargains. A sewage pumping station in Basra broke down more than a year ago, turning many streets into permanent rivers of raw waste.  The middle class as well as the poor have been deeply affected by the sanctions. According to a Time magazine report, the head of a government department uses his car as a taxi after work. His wife takes in laundry. A woman fluent in four languages, who formerly ran a flourishing car rental service, has been forced to sell her furniture and cooking utensils.  Yet, noted Time, the middle class is not in a revolutionary mood. It is simply trying to survive. Meanwhile, the ruling class and the very wealthy live as comfortably as ever. According to an American diplomat, "The Iraqi leadership has chosen to spend its money on itself and not on its starving population."

Kelly, 44, is a soft-spoken, gentle-appearing Chicagoan and a veteran of the Catholic Worker movement who has been arrested more than 40 times and spent a year in federal prison for her anti-war efforts. She was a part of the 72-member international Gulf Peace Team that camped on the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in 1991 just as Operation Desert Storm was getting underway. The protesters were forcibly removed by the Iraqi military when the shooting started.  Now Kelly is a major organizer of a group called Voices in the Wilderness, which has been carrying food and medicines into Iraq for more than a year in open violation of the sanctions. Others prominent in the group include veteran anti-war activist Bradford Lyttle, Northwestern University graduate student Brad Simpson, Sacred Heart Fr. Robert Bossie and Catholic Worker organizer Chuck Quilty. In the most recent visit in late March, Kelly and a few others distributed their meager supplies at Baghdad's Al Mansur Hospital where they had previously encountered many children suffering from leukemia.

"We showed the doctor a picture taken last August of two children -- Muhammad and Noora," said Kelly. "We wondered if the medicines we brought might be used to help them." Calmly, she recalled, the doctor explained that Muhammad had died two days before their arrival and Noora two weeks before that. The condition of hospitals all over the country is abominable, Kelly said, with the sick lying on blood-stained beds without sheets or on the floor. At the Pediatric and Gynecological Hospital in Basra, they saw a row of 14 incubators standing idle because replacement parts are unavailable. In one wing of the hospital housing scores of sick people, only one toilet was working. Since the electricity goes off five or more times a day, much of the life-sustaining electrical equipment that still works is virtually useless. "I held dying children in my arms," said Kelly. "Some were gasping for breath, too weak to move. I asked a mother if she had any message for the United States. She said, 'I would only ask them what they would do if this was their child.' "

Amid all this tragedy, Kelly was struck by the strength and courage she encountered. "So many examples of heroism," she said. "We met doctors working around the clock for next to no income, hotel desk clerks who introduced us to the neediest families in their neighborhood, a widow managing somehow to care for eight children, a civil engineer who vented his frustration to us and immediately said, 'Now what can I do to help you.' We saw all of these people laboring to share with other needy people their resources, income, homes and even their seemingly impossible hopes."

Kelly was especially struck by Dijbraeel Kassab, the Chaldean Christian archbishop of southern Iraq. He is, she says, "the inheritor of Archbishop [Oscar] Romero's mantle, a genuine voice of the poor." Kassab, one of the few priests still active in Basra, had opened all church buildings to the homeless and was relentless in trying to secure clothing, food and supplies for the poor. "He is constantly in the streets," said Kelly, "visiting the sick, begging for help anywhere he can find it."

She is well aware that the United States places blame for the human devastation in Iraq on Saddam's shoulders, but she rejects what she calls "a consistent policy of suffering imposed on the innocent for our political gains." Last January during the Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Kelly and four other members of Voices in the Wilderness interrupted the proceedings to plead their cause.

Kelly, the first to rise up in the visitors' section, said, "A half million Iraqi children have died because of U.S.-U.N. sanctions. Please, Mrs. Albright, you could do so much good." Kelly was promptly ushered out of the hearing, but the others raised their voices one by one, creating a lengthy disturbance. When calm returned Albright said, "I am as concerned about the children of Iraq as any person in this room. ... Saddam Hussein is the one who has the fate of his country in his hands."

The next day Albright was praised in the press for displaying "her celebrated cool under fire." Kelly and the other protesters issued a press statement saying, "Iraqi children are totally innocent of oil power politics. All those who prevent the lifting of sanctions, including Madeleine Albright, are not. One-line disclaimers of responsibility may appear admirable, but the children are dead and we have seen them dying."

Each time Kelly or other Voice of Wilderness members go to Iraq they advise the State Department of their intentions. And each time they receive a letter of warning: "You and members of Voice in the Wilderness are hereby warned to refrain from engaging in any unauthorized transactions related to the exportation of medical supplies and travel to Iraq."  The penalties, they are informed, range up to 12 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.  Yet federal authorities have made no attempt to arrest or charge those who flaunt the ban. Kelly hopes she and her companions will be prosecuted during one of their future trips. "What an opportunity!" she said. "To go before a jury with the evidence of starvation and malnutrition, to show the small supplies of medicine and food our government forbids us to bring the dying. I would dearly relish such an opportunity."

To make the 1991 Iraq war a success, the Bush administration had to work overtime to demonize Saddam Hussein. This worked so well that by the time we had "won" the war we had learned to demonize all Iraqis. Our ire even spread to the children, as if they too were in collusion with bad old Saddam to deprive us of gas for our big cars, or somehow deprive us of jobs as James Baker, who was then secretary of state, hinted.  We won, so we still have the gas. Iraq lost, so the children, in particular, have been suffering ever since, even dying at a rate that should be shameful now in the 20th century. Indeed, we must be a bit ashamed because this is a story seldom reported in the Western press...we can still do something to make amends and help save the children. Those who wish to help in this gallant work may send contributions to Voices in the Wilderness, 1460 W. Carmen, Chicago, IL 60640.

Adapted from an article by Robert McClory
Special Report Writer
National Catholic Reporter
May 23, 1997

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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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   IRAQ SAYS UNITED NATIONS ARMS-SEARCH TEAMS ENTERED CHALDEAN CHURCH

(ZNRU: Baghdad) Iraq said last Wednesday a U.N. arms-inspection team had committed a ``flagrant aggression'' by entering churches and monasteries on the outskirts of Baghdad. "One of the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) inspection teams has committed today...a flagrant aggression against the Chaldean Mar Paulis church and al-Ibtdaa' and al-Sanabul convents for nuns in al-Za'franiya area in Baghdad," Iraqi News Agency (INA) said. Baghdad television showed footage of U.N. cars and inspectors in front of St Joseph convent and one of the inspectors entering the monastery. But in New York, UNSCOM chairman Rolf Ekeus complained to the U.N. Security Council that Iraqi authorities were repeatedly blocking his team's work to find and scrap Iraq's weapons of mass destruction under terms of the 1991 Gulf War ceasefire. The United Nations will lift curbs on Iraqi oil exports, imposed for Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, once UNSCOM has determined that Baghdad has no further prohibited weapons. INA said: "The (U.N.) team intruded into the church and convents in a rude way amid protests of priests and nuns, violating all norms known by nations and religions." It said Iraq's Deputy Chaldean Patriarch Emnuel Dally sent a letter to Pope John Paul and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan protesting against the inspection. "Today in the morning, they intruded into the convent...It was a big shock for us...They entered the convent looking for destructive materials and found nothing," Dally told reporters of Western news agencies and TV networks who were taken to the site by the Iraqi Culture and Information Ministry. He said that the convent, in Za'franyia area 20 km (13 miles) southeast of Baghdad, was inspected by one U.N. expert while four others waited at the doors. Baghdad television said Ekeus had ordered the team to inspect the church and two convents and showed a form of a letter signed by the UNSCOM leader to this effect. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz on Tuesday complained to the Security Council that U.N. arms inspectors were trying to probe into Iraq's security apparatus when they sought to enter three Iraqi installations earlier his month. The inspectors were denied access.
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                       S   U   R   F   S     U   P   !
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"...Thanks for your dedication and hard work!!!"

Sherli Bourang
Sacramento, California

                              **************

"Sharosin Betyoudokom is graduating with BEng (Batchelor or Engineering) in
Automotive Design from University of Coventry in the U.K.  Sharosin arrived in the England at the age of 13 and despite minimal support from his family,
learned English, made numerous friends, accomplished his degree and is well on his way of achieving his goal of one day designing the car of his dreams.
Alexander and Sima Betyoudokom, Nineveh & Simon Ponsonby, Naramsin Betyoudokom, Narmella and Bradley Davies congratulate our son & brother Sharosin Betyoudokom on his graduation.  We are all proud of you, you have worked hard and deserve every success.  With all our Love, Nineveh, Simon, Naramsin, Narmella, Bradley, Jessica and last but not least, of course mum and dad."

Ninva Ponsonby
Location ?

[Congratulations to Sharosin and his family!  The Staff of ZENDA looks forward to a day when most Assyrian families will proudly drive a  brand new "Sharosina ZN" through the streets of London & Chicago.]

                              **************

"After nearly nine years at ??? and in the public relations field I am
moving on to a new company.  I will notify you of my new e-mail address as soon as it becomes available.  Thanks in advance and keep up the great work.  I'll miss reading Zenda's weekly newsletter and all the linkers and the various topics on AssyriaLink.  Good luck and God Bless."

Doris K. Oshana
Chicago

[An entire week without ZENDA?  Never!  ZENDA will gladly send hard copies of our online newsletter to any reader transitioning from one email address to another.  This service is provided at no cost to our regular ZENDA readers only.  Send us your physical address (snailmail) to ZENDA P.O. Box 20278 San Jose, California  95160 or via email.]

                              **************

"To Association Assyrophile de France: I read your article about your association with ZOWAA  on this week's Zenda.  Your article did not gave the reader any details about why you were disappointed with Mr. Yacu and other details regard your problems with this political group.  It would be nice to receive more details and facts to make the matter more clear for the readers. Thank you, God bless our nation."

Lena Mushell
San Jose, California

                              **************

"It is truly sad to read the report of Association Assyrophile de France. when I wrote to Zenda in response to the actions and comments of AAS and ADM representatives, I was contacted by ZOWAA representatives in Canada asking if I wrote the article. I was reminded of the positive actions of ADM such as building schools and teaching the Assyrian language etc. These noble actions cannot be forgotten, but are they a justification for the actions of the leadership and representatives of ADM, such as that reported by AAF, and Francis Sargis and others.  It seems that when an Assyrian individual or an Assyrian organization who care, bring to attention, the negative attitude or the wrong path being taken by some of ADM representatives or ZOWAA, it is deemed by ADM as either doing what the regime of Baghdad wishes, or they are connected to opposition of ADM We must differentiate between ZOWAA and today's ADM. This is due to the actions of the membership of the leadership of ADM, and not any other factor.

The leadership of ADM has turned the Assyrian Movement, the hope of the Assyrian people into a private affair. Usually such behaviour draws criticism and the natural reaction of unqualified politicians, is to go on the defensive, instead of giving some thought to these criticisms and taking them into consideration to improve the movement and turning its direction to Nationalism instead of Partyism that it has taken. It seems that ADM expects the Assyrian Nation to bow to its wishes, rather than the opposite. Therefore reducing its effectiveness and furthering the support of the Assyrians and the Assyrian Organizations from it. An action that is not to the benefit of our nation, yet natural and justifiable, and taking such action is the same as  "Cut your nose to spite your face", which is very painful for the Assyrians that do care about the welfare of our brethren in occupied Assyria, presently referred to as Kurdistan by the Kurds and the ADM. This type of situation is expected in a disorganized nation that lacks leadership. A national movement should be directed by a leadership, and not by a single organization. When it is directed by a single organization, the
result expected is exactly what it is today. Lacking a national leadership, allows each Party and Organization to act as it sees fit, usually with its own benefit being considered prior to the National benefit.

This is true especially when the directors of, are not politically educated, in a nation that generally lacks political and socioeconomic education. The fact of the matter is, the leadership of ADM has its own agenda and does not seem to be willing to compromise at all, and this seems to be the case with most of the Assyrian Political Organizations. All one can do, is to understand the agenda and decide if the benefits of support is greater or less than the benefits of abstaining from giving support. A difficult decision, but the only one available under the circumstances, which include lack of Assyrian National Leadership.

This leads us to study thoroughly the agenda of our different political organizations. This type of study must be based on the history, actions of the leadership, the written and unwritten aims, and the ideology of each of the organizations.  One must take into consideration that each of the political organizations has hidden agenda that it cannot publicise, due to the circumstances surrounding it, such as the place of operation, the enemy's strength, its own strength and that of the nation that it belongs to. The ideal solution is the creation of a National Leadership, lacking that one must look at the second best solution. living in the age of computers and cyberspace, would it not be possible to create a Link for all interested parties to join and educated Assyrians to be invited to join, for the sole purpose of performing this study. The results of the study, to be made available to the Assyrians, to be a base for their personal elaboration, in order to decide on which direction to chose. Representation of the different political parties in such a study would be an asset, if such representation can put aside the intention of promoting their own organization and concentrate on truth and reality, for the benefit of the Assyrian Nation.
 

Nenus Younan
Ontario, Canada
                              **************

"I recently read a news item in Zenda suggesting that the Assyrian American National Federation is proceeding to finance the acquisition of a national headquarters somewhere in suburban Chicago.  When I first read this, I almost fell out of my chair.  However, I've been encouraged to relax, on the principle that property acquisition by the Federation is more or less a 65-year old joke that I should not take seriously.  But it is always good to put in my two cents on an overlooked point. Is it a good idea that the Federation, at last (we might hope) should invest a few bucks in a national office? Answer:  Absolutely.  Yes.  Is the proposed venue for this office appropriate? Answer:  Hell no.  Obviously not. Briefly, this is the point which should be evident:

(1)  The AANF has been abysmally inept in this regard. In its 65 years, it has yet to even own a postage stamp of an office.  It is more or less in gypsy mode.  The AANF office is the garage of whoever happens to be the President that year.  If the guy lives in an apartment, the office can be very confining.

(2)  I have tooted the horn for some action on this, but with a variation. If by some miracle the Federation should ever get its ducks in order and come up with a down-payment for something, IT OUGHT TO BE THINKING WASHINGTON D.C.  If it is against D.C. for some reason, it ought to be thinking NEW YORK CITY. Every other ethnic or special interest organization is located in D.C. Because that is where it has to be if it is going to represent its members, its population, its interests.

(3)  Chicago is entirely irrelevant, except for the momentary fact that it happens to have most Assyrians there.  Even New York City is more important, because that is the location of the U.N.  This is why the organizations which can swing it have their first office in D.C, their second office in NYC.   They definitely do not center their national activities in Pocatello, Idaho, or in the north suburbs of Chicago.

(4)  About that large Assyrian population in Chicago, who is to say how long it will remain so.  There is a big Westward movement, especially to Arizona, and even Texas.  There is intermarriage.  There is acculturation. And hopefully, there will also be a stop to new arrivals. So what is the PURPOSE???? for this location?    If it is to bring under one roof all social or demographic activities, this can be done very well from a Washington office?

(5)  Incidentally, Chicago already has a lot of Assyrian facilities.
Three or four local Associations own their own real estate, there is an Assyrian Library, etc. The AANF should suck it up and figure a way to share use of some of these.   Maybe the AANF doesn't like one of the local Associations, or the Library facility.  But resources are limited, and this is not time to act high and mighty.  Learn to like it!

(4)  The "permanent" Federation presence should be where it counts, i.e., in D.C. The Federation is supposed to be the mouthpiece for all of us, whereas the AAASJ, or the AAASC are local action or local social groups. Jesu Cristo, when is this simple proposition going to penetrate through the thick skull of our "leaders"?  Is it really so complicated?

Francis Sarguis
Santa Barbara, California

[ZENDA is in receipt of the following letter dated 24 March, 1997 signed by Mr. Bernard L. Stone, City of Chicago, City Council:

Dear Mr. Toma:  Thank you for your letter of March 12, 1997 and a copy of your letter addressed to Mr. Rosen.  I fully support the establishment of an Assyrian Cultural Center within the 50th Ward.  I would like to point out to you that the site mentioned in your letter does, in fact, have some environmental problems.  Do not hesitate to call me up if you need additional in-put.  Sincerely yours,  Bernard L. Stone

Mr. Issac Toma is the chairman of the AANF Headquarters Committee (no direct telephone number available) and Mr. Stone can be reached at (847) 764-5050.]

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                  S  U  R  F  E  R  S      C  O  R  N  E  R
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ZENDA readers are invited to respond to the following request(s) by either
directly writing to the author(s) or sending a reply to ZENDA.
****************************************************************************

                     MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE WALL...
Dear Readers:

Undoubtedly ZENDA has in the past few months become the most influential news & information magazine in the Assyrian communities worldwide.  In a recent interview with the representatives of the Assyrian Democratic Organization-North America ZENDA was called "essential and a pleasure to read."  During last night's meeting of the Zowaa delegates in San Jose copies of ZENDA were securely held in the hands of the ZOWAA leaders, tainted with red marks and commentaries.  A political activist in Europe was recently inquired about ZENDA and a quick response followed: "ZENDA? I am very proud of what 'they' are doing on the Internet."  Assyrian and non-Assyrian politicians, academicians, clergies, students, and professionals use the information in ZENDA to gauge the general public's reaction to the most current social, political, and religious issues facing Assyrian communities around the globe.

ZENDA readers are, as one of our readers noted, "the most informed citizens of the Assyrian nation."  Indeed, we are proud of our accomplishments and owe much of our success to your continued support. We also believe that our sense of journalistic objectivity and strict adherence to the ideals of freedom of speech, expression, and press have gained your respect for our professional integrity and uncompromising pursuit of perfection.  Needless to say our online magazine is a favorite of hundreds of Assyrian and non-Assyrian readers in over 20 countries.

We also believe that our magazine's "look and feel" is as important as the content of our articles.  Hence, we urge you to take a few minutes and tell us about ZENDA's current format, length, size, font size, editing process, methods of citation, emailing procedure, etc.  Our aim is to publish a practical and economical online magazine.  Your comments and suggestions will be used in publishing all our future issues.

Soon, the graphics designers at Grafeex (a publisher of Assyrian Directories and websites) will help us offer ZENDA on our new WWW homepage where you may easily search for any of our previously published ZENDA issues and articles and access other useful resources on the Internet.  ZENDA means authoritative information, useful topics, an educational resource, and simply a source of pride for our readers worldwide- and we thank you- our devoted readers- for helping us reach this milestone.

Staff of ZENDA

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                 N   E   W  S       D   I   G   E   S   T
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                ROBERT GHANEM WINS WEST BEKAA MARONITE SEAT

(ZNSM: Beirut) After Henry Hadid announced his withdrawal from the race to win back his parliamentary seat earlier this month in Lebanon, Interior minister Michel Murr declared that the only remaining candidate, Robert Ghanem, had won the West Bekaa-Rashaya Maronite seat.  While Mr. Chedid accused the government of trying to fix the vote, analysts believe the decision of Hezbollah, the pre-eminent electoral force in the region, not to back him gave Mr. Chedid little chance of success.  In other news, 9 Maronite candidates will compete for 2 seats in the June 29 Lebanese parliamentary by-elections. They are:
 
Akkar Region (Maronite seat):
    Issam al-Hajj
    Saoud Bitar
        Michael Daher
    Fawzi Hobeish
    Joseph Michael
 
Jbeil Region (Maronite seat):
    Michel al-Khoury
    Nazem al-Khoury
        Kamal Kordahi
    Emil Naufal

                     GEORGIA RELEASES ROGER TAMRAZ

(ZNSM: Beirut) The Republic of Georgia last Monday released Lebanese-American businessman Roger Tamraz, hours before receiving an extradition request from Lebanese state prosecutor Adnan Addoun.  Acting on two Lebanese international arrest warrants, the Georgian Interpol had arrested Mr. Tamraz last week and kept him under house arrest at his hotel.  Mr. Tamraz, who was sentenced last year to 7 years in jail by a Lebanese military court for collaborating with Israel, is sought by Lebanon in connection with a $200 million bank embezzlement case. He is also being investigated by a US federal grand jury for donations to the Democratic Party totaling $177,000.

        NINEVEH ONLINE INTRODUCES VIDEO PROGRAMMING ON ITS WEBSITE

(ZNDA: Turlock)  Nineveh On Line calls it "Nineveh Cyber TV Station" but to many astonished Net surfers it's simply magic. A tiny TV monitor appears on the homepage of the Nineveh Online (www.nineveh.com) where a live picture of a Assyrian speakers and TV shows with sound brings this semi-static website to life.  The first TV program offered on Nineveh Online is the proceedings of the Assyrian Community Networking Conference 97.  The Audio and Video are real time and on demand, and can be adjusted as a video inserted in a VCR.  To enjoy this new miracle of technology users are required to download a free copy of Vxtreme Video Player available through Nineveh Online.
 
    IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GODS:  ART FROM ANCIENT SUMER - IN CHICAGO
 
(ZNDA: Chicago) From July 1, 1997 through March 8, 1998 a rare collection of ancient Sumerian statues, relief carvings, elaborate stone vessels, and precious inlays from the temples of ancient Bet-Nahrain (Mesopotamia) will be exhibited at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago.  The exhibition is called "In the Presence of the Gods: Art from Ancient Sumer in
the Collection of the Oriental Institute Museum."  The Sumerian (Assyrian Shumerai) civilization is thought to be one of the oldest in the
world, flourishing from about 3500 to 1800 B.C.  From their homeland in what is now southern Iraq, they contributed the earliest advances in writing, sailing, agriculture and urban life. "We welcome this opportunity for the University of Chicago's two museums to collaborate on such an unusual exhibition and to make some of the premier holdings of the Oriental Institute Museum available while their own facility is closed for renovation, " said Smart Museum Curator Richard Born.  "In the Presence of the Gods" exhibits objects of many types that the peoples of Sumer dedicated to the gods and goddesses they believed dwelled within the temples.  It includes dramatic stone statues of worshippers clad in characteristic tufted garments.  These statues, shown with their hands clasped in prayer and their eyes fixed upon the deity, once stood in the temple sanctuary. Other statues, cast in a copper alloy, were buried in foundation boxes much
like contemporary cornerstones.  Elaborate ritual vessels in the exhibition
were used to feed the deities their daily meals, and the relief carvings
showing scenes of musical celebration and feasting were dedicated for use as
part of elaborate temple door-locking devices.  Most of the 43 objects in the exhibition were excavated by Oriental Institute archaeologists.  The collection of Sumerian artifacts at the Oriental Institute Museum is considered to be among the best in the world.  The Smart Museum is located in Hyde Park at 5550 S. Greenwood Ave., on the campus of the University of Chicago.  Free parking is available in the University lot on the corner of 55th Street and Greenwood Avenue after 4 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.  Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  The Museum Cafe and Gift Shop are open daily.  Admission is free.
 
         VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT IN ASSYRIOLOGY, CHINESE INSTITUTE

There is a vacancy for the experts in Assyriology at the Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations in China.  The conditions of appointment are as follow:

-From 1 September 1997, for one year initially.
-Contract may be renewable annually.
-Teaching duties c. 16 hours per week (for BA, MA and PhD students).
Subjects to include:
-Sumerian and Akkadian language and other Assyriological Subjects
-All teaching will be conducted in English)
-Salary Yuan 2400 per month (70% of this amount per month may be converted
to US dollars for single and 50% for one with family if wished).
-Autumn Term: 1 September - 10 January
-Spring Term: 1 March - 10 July
-Holidays
    Winter         10 January - 28 February
                    May 1 - 2
    Summer         10 July - 28 August
                    October 1- 2
                    Christmas, December 25 - 26
                    New Year January 1 - 2
-Free Accommodation comprises living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
Washing machine, and central heating included.
-Average cost of  food for a family of 3 per month = Yuan 1000
Eating out (three meals per day for one person) - cost c. Yuan 850 (=$100)
per month.
-Return fare from native city to Changchun free for contractor only once.
Various travel awards c. Yuan 2000.
-Health Care - Free
-Climate - normally sunny, dry and clear.  Winter c. -25 - -10C  Summer c. 16 - 28 C
 
If you are interested and would like further information, please consult
Dr. J. Hao with your C.V. at:
 
Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations
Northeast Normal University
130024 Changchun, Jilin Province
P. R. China
Fax. (0431) 5684027
 
Institute for the History of  Ancient Civilizations
Northeast Normal University
Changchun, P.R.China

     AN ANWAR OSHANA UPDATE:  ASSYRIAN BOXING CHAMPION IN SCOTLAND

(ZNDA: Chicago)  The Assyrian boxing sensation, Anwar Oshana, is scheduled to knock out Steve Collins, 33, on July 5 in Glasgow, Scotland for the WBO Super Middleweight Championship.  Collins from Brockton, Massachusetts is 6'0" tall and has a 70½" reach with a 35-3 record (20 knock-outs).  Oshana from Chicago maintains a 15-0 record.

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       C   A   L   E   N   D   A   R     OF     E   V   E   N   T   S
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Jun 25-    Syriac Church History Course
Aug 13        "A New Exposure to the History of Eastern Christianity
        Instructor:  AbdulMasih Saadi
        North Park College
        Carlson Tower, Room C43
        3225 West Foster Avenue
        Chicago, Illinois
        7:00-9:00 pm; weekly (9 weeks)
        Registration Fee:  $ 80:00 (tax-deductible)
        Tuition reduced based on financial need.
        1-800-454-8979 or email history@aas.net
        Sponsored by the Assyrian Academic Society of Chicago

Jul 1,1997    In the Presence of the Gods: Art from Ancient Sumer
Mar 8,1998    The Smart Museum of Art
        5550 South Greenwood Avenue
        Chicago
        Free Admission

Jul 7        XLIV Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
        International Congress of Assyriology and Near Eastern Arch.
        Venice, Italy

Jul 19-20    National Executive Committee Meeting
        Assyrian American National Federation
        Sponsored by the Assyrian American Social Club of Michigan
        Quality Inn
        One West Nine Mile
        Hazel Park, Michigan  48030
        (313) 399-5800
        Rooms are reserved at the rate of $39.95 plus tax.
 
Jul 20        A Concert by the Assyrian Violinist, David Yonan
        Mathaeikirchstrasse 1
        Musikinstrumenten Museum, Curt-Sachs Saal
        Berlin
        11:00 am

Aug 26-Sep 2    Assyrian American National Convention
        Hyatt Regency Dearborn
        Fairlane Town Center
        Detroit, Michigan
        All Single,double,triple,quad rooms: $95 per day
        Reservations: (313) 982-6880
        Reservations must be made by August 7
 
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                          E  N  T  R  A  C  T  E
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June 28    Welcome Home Party
        Entertainer:  Ashur Sargis
        AAA of Southern California
        5901 Cahuenga Blvd
        North Hollywood, California

July 5        WBO Super Middleweight Championship
        Anwar Oshana vs. Steve Collins
        Glagsow, Scotland

July 12    A Night Under the Stars:  Romance, Dance, & Fine Dining
        Open Bar, Dinner, Dessert, & complimentary valet parking
        Entertainers:  Franco and the Stars
        Location:  AAA of San Jose BETA (Social Building)
        San Jose, California
        7:00 pm
        $45.00 per person
        For reservations contact Caroline Nasseri at (408) 268-7990
        Tickets will not be sold at the door
 
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                         I N T E L L I G E N T S I A
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CHICAGO    Assyrian Athletic Club Soccer Development Program
        Ages 7-14
        7:45-9:45 pm
        Mondays
        Warren Park Gymnasium
        Western Avenue & Devon Street

HARVARD     1997-98 Syriac Classes Taught by Dr. J.F. Coakley
UNIVERSITY
        Elementary Syriac
        Instructor:  J. F. Coakley
        Basic Syriac grammar and syntax with selected readings from
        the Syriac Bible and other early texts.

        Readings in Syriac I
        Historical and theological texts, and early poetry

        Readings in Syriac II
        Special attention to exegetical texts and to reading         manuscripts.

NORTH          Assyrian Boy Scouts
HOLLYWOOD     Assyrian American Association of Southern California
              Assyrian Club
              5901 Cahuenga Blvd
               North Hollywood, California
              9:30am  to 12:30pm
        Sundays
               Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
              (818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm

           Assyrian Student Union
          California State University, Northridge
            Assyrian American Association of Southern California
          Assyrian Club
           5901 Cahuenga Blvd
              North Hollywood, California
              6:00pm
              Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
            (818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm

SAN JOSE    Nisibin School
        Assyrian Language Classes
        Ages 5-14
        10:00-1:00 pm
        Saturdays
        AAA of San Jose BETA
        20000 Almaden Road

        Assyrian Language Classes (Adults)
        Taught by Dr. Ashur Moradkhan
        Sundays
        7:00-9:00 pm
        AAA of San Jose BETA

        Citizenship Classes
        Mondays & Tuesdays
        7:00 pm
        AAA of San Jose BETA
        20000 Almaden Road

        Maestro Nebu Issabey's Nineveh Choir Practice
        AAA of San Jose BETA
        8:00 pm
        Thursdays

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

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      A  S  S  Y  R  I  A  N     S  U  R  F  I  N  G     P  O  S  T  S
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A History of the Maronite Church:
        http://www.stmaron-clev.org/maronite_hist.htm

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                    P  U  M  P    UP THE   V O L U M E
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        English        Modern Assyrian

        Teacher         raa/bee    [M]
        Teacher        raa/bee/ta    [F]
____________________________________________________________________________
            F = Feminine     M = Masculine      P = Plural
 
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                B  A  C  K     TO THE      F  U  T  U  R  E
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B.C. (October 610) The last king of Assyria, Ashur-Uballit II, falls in the hands of the Chaldean-Scythian armies in Harran (across the Euphrates), two years after the fall of Nineveh.  The Egyptian army which had been dispatched at the request of fleeing Assyrian monarch suffered an unexpected ambush in Palestine and was never able to rescue the Last King of Ancient Assyria.

<< Egypt, Cana, and Israel in Ancient Times, Redford >>
 

A.D. (1584)

Vatican builds the first collages for the training of Roman Catholic priests in the Middle East.

<< A History of the Arab Peoples, Hourani >>

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                 L    I    T    E    R    A    T    U    S
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                            MR. CHAIRMAN SPEAKS
 
"Friends, maybe I took more time than I should.  Forgive my prolixity. Let it be known that when a nation's only goal is eating, drinking, and dancing, when a people's only care is to jump at the din of every drum, remember it is that nation's last hour; that people is breathing its last breath. My fellow Assyrians, I want to ask you a fair question: What other minority group in this land, or in any land, does this sort of foolish thing? The Jewish people? Spanish? The Italian community? The Irish? The German? The Swedish? Not a single one.  That is why they have hospitals, nursing homes, camps, cultural centers, schools, colleges, and churches.  There is no moral justification, my friends, for these useless and senseless acts of ours."
 
<< Assyrians in the West, Rev. Peter Talia >>
 
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          T  H  I  S    W  E  E  K     I  N    H  I  S  T  O  R  Y
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June 6, 1906:  "Kokhva" or STAR Newspaper is published under the direction of Raabi Yokhanan Moshi in Urmie, Iran.

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                        B     R    A     V     O
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                    NINA DEKELAITA & ESTHER BIT-IVAN

Nina Dekelaita & Esther Bit-Ivan are each the recipients of a $5,000.00 Horatio Alger Scholarship award.  They also received an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. where they received their awards.  Esther's parents immigrated from Iraq and Russia.  Nina's parents are from Iraq. Some of Esther's academic accomplishments include Senior Class President, National Honor Society President, Key Club VP, Most Valuable Player in basketball, captain of the City Championship Volleyball Team, and member of the Select String Orchestra.  Esther is also a member of her school's Assyrian Club.
Nina, also on her school's Honor Roll, is a member of the National Honor Society, French Club VP, Church of the East Youth Group and Choir, and the Academics and Organizations Editor her high school's Year Book.

Esther has been accepted to Northwestern University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago.  Nina will soon begin her university studies, majoring in Education, at Loyola University.

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                        the   D I  R  E  C  T  O  R  Y
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ZNAA (Assyrian Academic Society-Chicago)
ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNAM (Archeology Magazine)
ZNAP (Associated Press International)
ZNBN (Bet-Nahrain Inc/ KBSV-TV "AssyriaVision")
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
ZNMN (San Jose Mercury News)
ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly)
ZNNV (Nineveh Magazine)
ZNRU (Reuters)
ZNSH (Shotapouta Newsletter)
ZNSJ (San Jose Mercury News)
ZNSM (Shufimafi Lebanese News)
ZNTM (Time Magazine)
ZNUP (United Press International)
ZNUS (US News & World Report)

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

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
            Phoenix, Arizona
            Australia (2)
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                     S     A     L     U     T     E
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Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals & organizations whose
contributions appear in this issue:

            Firas Jatou        Chicago, Illinois
            Emily Teeter        Chicago, Illinois
            Pauline Jasim        Chicago, Illinois
            Albert Gabrial    Turlock, California
 
and the following individual(s) for introducing ZENDA to our new readers:

            Francis Sarguis    Santa Barbara, California
            Ninos Lazar        
 
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Our Upcoming Issues:

June 30:      Can You Help Us Find Our Missing Brother?
        Assyrians Schools in northern Iraq:  An Update
July 7:    A Full Report of the 2nd Zowaa Congress in northern Iraq
July 14:    Special Issue:  40th Anniversary of Takasta (ADO)
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