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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
64th Assyrian American National Convention
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain... Assyrians
Arrested in June Still in Custody
Iraq Receives Food and Medicine
Surfs Up..................."I call it the Assyrian TV
Guide"
Surfers Corner............. An
Open Letter From Darmozadeh Family
News Digest................ Hrawi
to Issue Citizenship for Immigrants
Maronite Patriarch Warns: Planned Resettlements
Epic of Gilgamesh at University of Toronto
Calendar of Events......... Canadian
Society for Mesopotamian Studies
Khudra..................... September
Through November 1997
Entracte................... San Jose's
New Year's Eve Party
Intelligentsia............. Regular
Meetings and Classes
Assyrian Surfing Posts..... Assyrian
Cookery
Pump up the Volume.........News & Reporter
Back to the Future......... Nebuchadnezzer
I Attacks Elam
The Nestorian Monument in China
Literatus.................. Half
of My Kingdom to Cure My Child
This Week in History....... Joel
Warda Meets British Officials in New York
Bravo...................... 1997
Assyrian Youth Pageant
The Directory.............. ZENDA News Sources
Bshena..................... Good
Life, KSBW, KUIC, British Columbia,
Chicago, Toronto, & Cincinnati
Salute..................... Firas,
Nenous, and Richard
---------------THE L I
G H T H O U
S E------------------
THE 64TH ANNUAL ASSYRIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
The site for the 1997 Assyrian American National Convention,
held between
August 27 and September 1, was the Hyatt Regency Hotel
in Dearborn,
Michigan. Thousands of Assyrians, from all ethnic and
religious
backgrounds, were gathered in one place to meet, exchange
ideas, and be
entertained. The hotel room accommodations, despite of
the large crowds,
were quite satisfactory and only a few petty violations
were reported. The
joint husband and wife team of Ator and Jeannie Golani,
while keeping a
tranquil pose, managed the traffic and security of all
guests as best as
could possibly be achieved under such circumstances.
For the first time in
the recent history of these Conventions sponsored by
the Assyrian American
National Federation, Assyrian history and politics enthusiasts
were
delighted to discover a rich spectrum of educational
programs, seminars,
speeches. Much of this effort was due to the superb
work of the members of
the Assyrian Academic Society in Chicago. The Convention
Bazaar had over
30 vendor tables offering such novelties as Assyrian
Phone Cards, an
Assyrian Cookbook, and replicas of the ancient Assyrian
tablets. Vendors
were eager to sell the latest music video, Syriac New
Testament, and
T-shirt Designs.
Although there was no apparent common theme to this year's
convention it
was not too difficult to realize the significance of
this year's gathering.
By simply looking at the Middle Eastern delicacies
served at Hyatt's
Kafay's Restaurant and hearing Arabic spoken as often
as English or Eastern
Assyrian it was clear that this was to become a historic
event. Indeed it
was. It was at this year's Convention that all
hopes of bringing together
the Chaldean and Maronite factions of the greater Assyrian
nation were
rekindled.
CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS:
Ishmael Benyamin & Father Benny Yadqar: delegates
to the AANF Executive
Meetings heard about the distressing conditions
of the Assyrians in
northern Iraq. Mr. Benyamin, an official in the
Assyrian Democratic
Party's Central Committee from northern Iraq, and Father
Benny Yadqar, a
clergy of the Chaldean Catholic Church spoke about their
communities and
requested continuous support of the Assyrians in the
United States. Both
speakers received a warm reception and the AANF officials
promised an
unspecified amount of money on behalf of the Assyrians
in the United States
to both representatives.
Dr. Waleed Phares: president of the World Lebanese
Organization astonished
the delegates to the AANF meetings and the participants
of a Saturday
afternoon lecture when he spoke of the Maronite people's
decision "to go
back to the origins of their ethnic background" and the
Maronite
Patriarch's decision "to form a committee to discuss
the Syriac (Assyrian)
origins of the Maronite language." Dr. Phares called
the Syrian Orthodox,
Maronite, and Chaldean divisions "the Assyrianities"
of the greater
Assyrian nation. He called for the unification
of all these factions as a
dominant Christian force in the Middle East.
Dr. Jacoub Mansour: chairman of the Chaldean Federation
of America,
representing over one hundred thousand Chaldeans, briefly
discussed the
importance of bridging the historic gap between the Chaldean
and
non-Chaldean Assyrian communities in the United States.
Assyrian Academic Society's Cultural Programs: large
crowds of people sat
through hours of cultural and political discussions and
enthusiastically
listened to the informative lectures by historians, politicians,
and the
clergy. Reverend Sarhad Jammo and Abdul Masih Saadi's
lectures on the
history and contributions of the Syriac Churches pleased
a huge number of
attendees. Several films on the ancient history
of Mesopotamia, its cities
and kings were shown at intervals. People were
also invited to examine the
ancient art of making cylinder seals and amulets.
A complete history of
the Assyrian tragedies was skillfully narrated by Dr.
John Michael. Robert
de Kelaita cleverly outlined the history of Assyrian
law, a topic in much
need of academic investigation. Dr. Waleed Phares
outlined the history of
a Syriac-speaking community in today's Lebanon from 675
AD until its
independence from French colonialists followed by the
Arabization of this
Christian community until the present time. Dr.
Emanuel Kambar provided
for his audience a series of historic documents which
outlined the history
of several individuals and political groups' efforts
to create an Assyrian
national leadership in the Twentieth Century. His
remarks on the rise and
fall of the Assyrian Universal Alliance were quite enlightening.
Political Parties Representatives: John Nimrod (AUA),
Pnoel Hormez
(BNDP-Iraq), Abgar Malool (ADO), Yousip Shikwana (ADM-Detroit),
Awdisho
Dinkha (Khorara), and Ishameil Benyamin (ADM-northern
Iraq). All
representatives stressed the importance of unity among
all political
factions and thanked the Federation for its monetary
support in the past.
Youth Excellence Pageant: (see BRAVO) Five young
ladies and four young men
competed in this year's Pageant. The runner-up
from last year's contest in
Modesto, California, was this year's winner - James Petros
- who won a
$U.S. 1000.00 award and a public recognition at this
year's Presidential
Banquet.
Election of Carlo Ganjeh: Mr. Ganjeh was elected
as the Executive
Vice-President of the AANF. The election process
was clouded in shrewd
politicking among the delegates. As usual the AUA
elements in the
Federation were determined to help elect an AUA-sympathizer
to the this
post. Hence both Mr. Ganjeh and his rival, Cyrus
Amirfar of Turlock,
California, were deemed suitable for this position.
At the end, not even
Mr. Amirfar's threat of diffusing AUA's $10,000 budget,
paid annually by
the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock, could block
Carlo Ganjeh's
victory. Mr Ganjeh is a member of the Assyrian
American Association of San
Jose and a former president of the Assyrian United Organizations
of
California.
Surfers Gathering: several Assyrian Internet surfers
met to discuss the
current status of all Assyrian Internet services provided
for the general
audience. This year's hot issues were dealing with
inflammatory remarks
posed by non-Assyrians, improving the use of the Assyrian
Usenet,
soc.culture.assyrian, and the popular AssyriaLink discussion
group. The
main goal of this gathering is to familiarize users of
the Internet with
the people behind the web pages, discussion groups, and
other Internet
services provided by Assyrian surfers.
Entertainment Program: As always the more peaceful gathering
during daytime
turned to an overcrowded convention after all meetings
and lectures were
adjourned. The facilities proved small for the ardent
crowds determined to
see the popular entertainers selected for this year's
convention. This was
of course expected. Both Saturday and Sunday parties
were jam-packed.
Friday and Saturday night entertainment was delicious,
crowds were too
large to handle, live music was excellent, but only for
those who managed
to pass through the crowds standing in expectation at
the lobby and the
hotel corridors leading to the dance halls. The
security personnel were
able to clear the crowd on Saturday but nothing could
be done about the
several annoying fire alarms between the hours of 2 and
3:30 on Saturday
and Sunday mornings. On Sunday three Assyrian girls
were arrested for
disorderly conduct. There were unconfirmed reports
of drug arrests also;
ZENDA could not verify such allegations. In all,
it was very clear that
the number of people attending the entertainment programs
at such annual
conventions has passed the threshold point and unless
a viable solution is
reached such activities must be stopped. The inconvenience
imposed upon
the cordial guests of these conventions must be given
greater priority than
the monitory value of such activities.
Monday's Picnic: beautiful location, plenty of food,
convenient shuttle
transportation to and from Hyatt Regency, and great entertainment
inside a
huge blue tent.
Sports: The Soccer team of Turlock, California won
this year's championship.
Other Memorable Events:
-participation of the head of other Assyrian Federations
in Germany (Essa
Hanna), Australia (Denkha Warda),
Holland and Sweden
-introduction of Assyrian boxing champion, Anwar Oshana
at the Banquet
-political discussions at Kafay's Restaurant's breakfast
tables
-the Adult-Only elevators
-Neshra's giant Internet Bulletin-Board in the lobby
-the schizophrenic T-shirt designs: Proud to be
Chaldean; Proud to be
Assyrian, Proud to be Assyrian-Chaldean, etc.
-Unveiling of the head-piece of Queen Samiramis statue
at the Presidential
Banquet
-presenting the AANF Annual Awards:
Assyrian Man
of the Year- Aprim Rayes, former AUA General Secretary
Assyrain Woman
of the Year- Irene Wards, AANF Ways & Means Committee
Affiliate
of the Year- Assyrian Social Club of Michigan
Non-Assyrian
Man of the Year - Dr. Sinno Arib, Chicago
Non-Assyrian
Woman of the Year - Pat McKlowski (special secretary to
Governor Jim Edgar)
DISSAPPOINTMENTS
Sunday Night's Banquet: in ten words or less-
extremely long speeches,
distasteful food, good service, "Did anybody dance?"
AANF Meetings: as if this would come as a surprise
to anyone, practically
no crucial decision was made at the 4-days-long meeting
of the AANF
delegates from 30 Assyrian organizations in the United
States.
Resignation of Marian Younan: the youngest officer
elected to the
Executive Committee in the history of the AANF resigned
from her post as
the Executive Secretary of this 64 year-old organization.
ZENDA has
obtained a copy of Ms. Younan's letter to the AANF delegates
which will be
published in our next issue.
******
By now participation at the Annual National Conventions
in the United
States have become an athletic event requiring physical
stamina and
emotional endurance. Climbing up and down eleven
flights of stairs while
tens of people are waiting for the next elevator to reach
their floor
level, sleepless nights for three consecutive days because
of boisterous
and disorderly conducts of the teen-agers in the adjacent
room, and
standing-only entertainment for hours at a time in the
lobby and hallways
of these large hotels require athletic abilities equivalent
to those
demonstrative of decathlon competitions. Well,
so we are exaggerating a
bit more than our share. Yet to our surprise while
the Assyrian National
Convention which has no significant monetary value to
the AANF (average net
income = $35-50,000) and is a continuous source of embarrassment
to the
Convention organizers dealing with the management of
their local hotels and
convention centers, continues to draw bigger crowds.
As one conventioneer
standing by King Sargon's Statue outside of the Banquet
Hall remarked on
Sunday: "if you organize it, they will come."
----G O O D M
O R N I N G B E
T - N A H R A I N-----
THREE ASSYRIANS ARRESTED IN JUNE REMAIN IN CUSTODY,
MOVED TO DAMASCUS
(ZNAD) The three Assyrians, Mr. Bashir Saadi, Mr.
Yonan Talya,
and Mr. Aziz Ahe , who were arrested on June 24th
by the Syrian
authorities are still under detention without access
to an attorney.
Recently they were transferred to Damascus. All three
men were arrested for
launching a water supply project to improve the conditions
of the
Khabur villages and their inhabitants. Various Assyrian
and non-Assyrian
organizations from Europe have expressed concern and
sent appeals to the
Syrian President Hafiz Al-Assad. The leadership of both
Assyrian Church of
the East and the Syrian Orthodox Church remain indifferent
on this issue
and have not made any comments regarding these arrests
and the plight of
the Assyrians in the Jezire region.
Mor Ignatius
Zakka Iwas I
Patriarch
of the Syrian Orthodox Church
Damascus/Syria
Tel.: + 963-11-543
0122
Fax: + 963-11-543
2400
and
Mar Dinkha
IV
Catholicos
Patriarch of the Church of the East
Chicago/USA
Tel.: + 1
(773) 465 4777
Fax: + 1 (847)
966 0012
IRAQ INSISTS ON TIMETABLE FOR FOOD
AND MEDICINE UNDER UN ACCORD
(ZNAF: Baghdad) Iraq insisted yesterday that the
United Nations respect a
timetable for deliveries of food and medicine under the
oil-for-food accord.
On Saturday, the UN coordinator for humanitarian affairs
in Iraq said the
country has received 75 percent of the amount of food
it was to get under
the first term of the accord which ran from December
to June. Around 1.7
million tonnes of food have been imported, Eric Falt
said. Under the
agreement, Iraq was allowed to import nearly 2.2 million
tonnes of food but
the first imports only arrived in March. Also during
the first term, Iraq
received 20 million dollars worth of medicine, or only
10 percent of its
allocation, Falt said. The oil-for-food agreement,
which was renewed in
June, partially lifted for humanitarian reasons the embargo
imposed on Iraq
after it invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Iraq has
repeatedly complained of
delays in food deliveries. Its contracts with foreign
suppliers have to be
approved by a UN sanctions committee.
-----------------------S U R
F S U P !----------------------
"I just wanted to take this time and tell you guys what
a great job you
have been doing. Your newsletter is informative to the
adults and to our
youth. I enjoy learning the Assyrian vocabulary you have,
and knowing
about the latest Middle Eastern news. I can't lie though,
I also love to
scan through the Intelligentsia, and especially through
the Entracte. I
call it the Assyrian TV guide. It's nice when friends
call just before
the weekend and ask me if there is anything going on
, I just click on
Zenda to find out if there is special lectures,
parties, or any other
attractions coming up. It's also nice to have the History
section for
those like myself, who don't have the time to read books
deep about our
history yet want to learn about it. You make it all possible
and easy to
scan through a paragraph and learn a little bit at a
time about where we
come from.
I know that putting this newsletter up for all Assyrians
takes a lot of
hard team work. I also know that it takes a lot of researching
books,
artifacts and so on. Therefore, I just wanted to take
this time and say
that I really enjoy your newsletter and I love the fact
that I can tell
my friends about the new things I learned, for example
like where the
word honeymoon came from, or King Hamurabis Laws etc...So,
please continue
the great job you have been doing! Thanks, A Grateful
Reader"
Linda S. Zaia
Milpitas, California
[We're speechless!]
*******************
"Zenda has grown to be a consistent publication that is
read by many.
Therefore it is imperative that it takes shape in as
far as responsible
journalism. I do not mean to insult the newsletter or
its staff, only to
suggest that some journalism practices to be adopted.
When a report against
or regarding a person, group, or organization is received
by a journal or
any type of media, its common practice that the journal
would contact the
person, group or organization informing them of the complaint,
comments
etc, allowing them to give their side of the story. If
that person or group
declines to comment, it is usually reported as such.
An example is the
latest attack against the executive of the Assyrian American
Association of
San Jose, as reported in the last issue of Zenda.
Only a suggestion for
your consideration.
Nenous Younan
Toronto, Canada
*******************
"I'm one of ZENDA reader in Germany and I have to ask
you all to excuse my
bad English, but I would like to say some words about
KARMELA vs. ZOWAA:
It is really nice to see how concerned our people are
about Karmela, but I
just cannot understand, why some of our people use every
little thing to
make ZOWAA bad. As far as I know, ZOWAA is a political
party, which tries to
help Assyrians back in the homelands (Iraq, Iran, Syria
and Turkey). That's
why I completely understand their point of view, if they
say, they can not
help an individual! I was trying to think about a political
party helping an
individual, so I imagined what would happen, if every
single needed German
would go to Helmut Kohl and ask for a personal help?!!!!
That is funny,
isn't it? Of course, we Assyrians do not have a country,
so all Assyrian
politician also work like social workers and try to help
every single
Assyrian, as far as they can, but please don't let us
to forget who we are
and what is our goal? We have to support our political
Parties: MTAQASTA,
ZOWAA and even the AUA, and let them do their actual
and real job!!
Adrin Takhsh
Berlin, Germany
*******************
"Let Us all Give A Helping Hand in Saving Life of Our
people, Not Only in
North of Iraq, But in All Bet-Nahrain And Elsewhere.
I would like to
express my thanks to Assyrians in Hamilton and friends
of ASSYRIA for their
financial contribution in our fund raising for Karmela
Darmozadeh's Bone
Marrow Transplant hospital fee. It is truly a matter
of life and death if
a person does not have such and operation. It is
sadly to know that many
of our people from all over the world can't get such
operation to be done
due to their lack of financial to pay for such operation.
It is also sadly
to see that there is no such organization that help our
Assyrian people. A
call for establishment of Assyrian Red Cross is needed
to rescue our
Assyrian people without any discrimination. My
final say, let us all give
a helping hand in saving life of our people, not only
in North of Iraq, but
in all Bet-Nahrain and elsewhere. We should help
our people not in North
of Iraq, as Assyrian Aid Society driving through in requesting
donations
that no one truly knows where the money are going.
Karmela Darmozadeh, a 36 years old Assyrian mother with
two children from
Iran deserve to be helped by all of our Assyrian organizations,
however, the
so called Assyrian Aid Society have donated "Zero" toward
helping this
unfortunate lady in her calls for help, neither members
of Assyrian Aid
Society Executive Committee in Toronto have any wisdom
to realize the
magnitude of their mistake.
Today, I rest the results in hands of our people to judge
when they donate
their money to such an organization, and I rest my case
in near soon to our
Canadian courts to bring them to justice for their criminal
activities....
in Toronto and surrounding.
Chairman The Assyrian Universal Alliance of Canada, Mr.
Emmanuel Yalda and
group of volunteers went to many Assyrians in Hamilton
and surrounding
requesting their help in joining to help Karmela.
The following is the result of Mr. Emmanuel Yalda devotion
to help such
unfortunate Assyrian mother:
Donations Received
Assyrian Residential & Friends of ASSYRIA
$1,651.00
Assyrian Businesses and Friends of ASSYRIA
$ 365.00
Assyrian Organizations in Hamilton
$ 640.00
Total Donations Received
$2,656.00
Expenses
Gas ( Transportation Expense - 9 days)
$ 65.00
Printing Materials
$150.00
Bank's Fees
$ 52.00
Total Expenses
$ 267.00
Net Amount Forwarded To Karmela's Account in England
$ 2,389.00 Canadian
Ashour Simon Malek
Hamilton, Canada
*******************
"I have heard of an assyrian soccer squad in Sweden.....ASSYRISKA
FF. I
think that was the name.....well to get to the point...TELL
US
MORE!!!! and also since my brother collects jerseys and
hats.....is it
possible to purchase their gear ....and while on that
subject also is it
possible to purchase ASSYRIAN WINGEDBULL gear."
Karl Benjamin
Arizona State University
[As a ZENDA staff member once said "a good website is
worth a thousand
emails." Go to http://www.toptown.com/hp/xshadow/aff/index.htm
and find
out for yourself about this very exciting Assyrian soccer
team in Sweden.
Assyriska FF was established in 1974 and numerous times
has since advanced
to Division 1.]
-----------------S U R F E
R S C O R N
E R------------------
AN OPEN LETTER FROM KARMELA DARMOZADEH'S FAMILY
Dear Fellow Assyrian Brothers & Sisters,
I'm writing to you to thank you all for your braveness,
sympathy and for
becoming a symbol of unity in response to Karmela's call
for help.
You all showed how much you care and together what great
goals our nation
can achieve.
We as Karmela's family, will never forget that how quick
and how strong the
powerful arms of this great nation opened up to shelter
us and to give us
the sense of the comfort, as we have never experienced
before.
My Brothers and Sisters, Allow me to shake your hands
and kiss your faces
and share our greatest happiness with you: "You
did it. We have achieved
our goal and raised the amount which was required for
Karmela's Operation"
Thank you all.....Please spread the word and inform everybody
that there is
no more need for new donations. Now all we need is your
prayers.
Please pray for Karmela to undergo the transplant successfully
and go back
to her family as a healthy Assyrian mother.
On behalf of Karmela's Family,
Sincerely Yours,
Emil Darmozadeh
PS: We do not have the contact information and addresses
for many of
volunteers and organizations who have tirelessly worked
to raise the
donations for Karmela. If you are a member of such organizations,
please
forward the address, phone number and contact information
for your
organizations to us, so we can follow the Karmela's wish
to express her
gratitude to them.
-----------------N E W S
D I G E S T-------------------
MARONITE PATRIARCH WARNS OF PLAN
TO RESETTLE PALESTINIANS
(ZNRU: Beirut) Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Butros
Sfeir, last week
warned of a potential scheme to empty Jezzin of its indigenous
population
and resettle Palestinian refugees in its place. He added
that the
inhabitants of the area "are being killed for reasons
they do not
understand". His Excellency was referring to a spate
of roadside bombs
attacks which killed several civilians in the last two
months.
HRAWI TO RESTORE CITIZENSHIP TO LEBANESE EMIGRANTS
(ZNRU: Beirut) The Lebanese President, Elias
Hrawi, told an audience of
1,500 Lebanese-Brazilians in Brasilia that he plans to
push ahead with a
legislation that would restore Lebanese citizenship to
emigrants.
Prominent Moslem ministers have vehemently rejected the
draft bill, saying
that it would "destroy national unity" and "violate the
Taif Agreement",
and asking that it be "reconsidered". The naturalization
of the Lebanese
in Diaspora, most of whom are Christians, aims to restore
the sectarian
balance tipped in favor of Muslims after the 1994 citizenship
law which
gave more than 200,000
mostly Muslim foreigners Lebanese citizenship.
Some analysts believe the
draft bill may also be linked to a "secret" decision
to settle Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon permanently and grant them Lebanese
citizenship.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said yesterday that
his country would withdraw from the buffer zone it occupies
in south
Lebanon if Lebanese or international troops were deployed
on the border.
ANNUAL CSMS MEETING, EPIC OF GILGAMESH
(ZNDA: Chicago) The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian
Studies will be
holding its 1997 Annual Meeting and Symposium on the
morning of Saturday,
September 20, 1997 at University College room 140, University
of
Toronto, Toronto, Canada. The topic of this year's
symposium is:
"Gilgamesh: The Hero Who Saw Everything."
The symposium will take place 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The
following four
papers will be presented:
1) R.F.G. Sweet, University of Toronto
"The Myth of the Heroic
Past"
2) D.R. Frayne, University of Toronto
"Gilgamesh in Ancient
Art"
3) P. Michalowski, University of Michigan
"The Many Lives of Gilgamesh:
The Gilgamesh Narratives in
Cultural Context"
4) A.R. George, University of London
"What's New in the Gilgamesh
Epic?"
The purpose of the Society is to stimulate interest among
the general
public in the culture, history, and archaeology of Mesopotamia.
The Society
is a chartered non-profit organization with no political
or ideological
affiliations or functions. For further information
on the Society, see the
Society's website at: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/nmc/rim/csmshome.html
--------C A L E
N D A R OF
E V E N T S------
Sept 20 Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies
"Gilgamesh, the Hero Who Saw Everything"
University of Toronto, Room 140
10:00 - 1:00 pm
Toronto, Canada
Dec 11-13 British
Association for Near Eastern Archaeology
1997 Annual Conference
University of Durham
United Kingdom
http://www.dur.ac.uk/Archaeology/confs/BANEA.html
Through 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
----------------------------K H U D
R A--------------------------------
Sep 8
Virgin Mary (Birthday)
Sep 14
Festival of the Holy Cross
Oct 10
Dokhrana 'd Mar Elia (Elijah the Prophet)
Oct 17 Anniversary of Mar Dinkha IV's Consecration
(1976)
Patriarch of the Church of the East
Oct 31
Dokhrana 'd Mar Elia (of Hirta or Khirata)
Nov 1
Dokhrana 'd Mar Mikha d'Alqosh
Nov 3
Dokhrana 'd Mar Gewargis, Sahda (The Martyr)
Nov 19
Commemoration of Mar Yacoub m' Pasqa
Nov 22
Dokhrana 'd Mar Odisho d'Urmi
-------------------------E N T R
A C T E-----------------------------
Sept 12
Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church (St. Mary's) Annual Party
Entertainer: Walter Aziz
Fairmont Hotel, San Jose
$20 per person
Dec 31
New Year's Eve Party
Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Entertainers: Black Cats & Franco
Meriott Hotel
Santa Clara, California
------------------------I N T E L L I G E N T S I A-------------------------
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
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SAN JOSE Assyrian
Language Classes (Adults)
Instructor: Dr. Ashur Moradkhan
Sundays
7:00-9:00 pm
AAA of San Jose BETA
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Citizenship Classes
Instructor: Jacklin Bajan
Mondays & Tuesdays
7:00 pm
AAA of San Jose BETA
20000 Almaden Road
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Maestro Nebu Issabey's Nineveh Choir Practice
AAA of San Jose BETA
8:00 pm
Thursdays
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TORONTO Nisibis School
10:30-1:30
Saturdays
The Church of the East
Toronto, Canada
-----A S S Y R I
A N S U R F I
N G P O S T S-------
Assyrian Cookery: Exotic Foods that Outlasted A
Civilization
www.assyriancookery.com
---------------------P U M P
UP THE V O L U M E---------------------
English Modern Assyrian
Refrigerator
maagh/raa [F]
Washer
mas/yan/ta [F]
____________________________________________________________________________
F = Feminine M = Masculine
P = Plural
---------------B A C K
TO THE F U T U R
E------------------
B.C. (1120) Nebuchadnezzer I, the most significant
king after Hammurabi,
brings about a new political and cultural resurgence
to southern
Bet-Nahrain. He marches into Elam (western Iran),
burning and destroying
everything. After slaying the Elamite king, Nebuchadnezzer
attempted to
conquer Assyria in the north but was driven back by the
Assyrian king
Ashur-reshi-shi.
<<Babylonian Life & History, Budge >>
A.D. (781) The Nestorian Monument, a stone recording
the bringing of the
Christian Faith into China, was erected with an inscription
in Chinese and
Syriac at Singan-Fu in the province of Shen-Si.
This is the earliest
record of any Christian mission in China.
<< The History of Yaballah III, Bar Sauma
>>
----------------L I
T E R A
T U S-------------------
HALF MY KINDGOM TO THE MAN WHO CURES MY CHILD
To the king, my lord: your servant Adad-Shumu-Usur.
Good health to the king, my lord!
May Nabu and Marduk bless te king, my lord!
As to what the king, my lord, wrote to me: "I am feeling
very sad; how did
we act that I have become so depressed for this little
one of mine?" -had
it been curable, you would have given away half of your
kingdom to have it
cured! But what can we do? O king, my lord, it
is something that cannot be
done.
<<Letter to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, from his
exorcist Adad-Shumu-Usur
circa 672 B.C. >>
----------T H I S
W E E K I N
H I S T O R Y----------
September 12, 1917: Reverend Joel Ward, author of
"The Flickering Light of
Asia" meets with British officials in New York, discussions
which
eventually lead to the presentation of Assyrian Question
at the 1919 Paris
Conference.
-------------------------B R
A V O---------------------------
CONTENSTANTS AT THE 1997 ASSYRIAN YOUTH PAGEANT
IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN
This year's contestants were:
Sandra Younan
Chicago
a poem she had written for her deceased friend, Amy,
called "Rain"
James Petros
San Jose
pre-Med student; outlined his academic and artistic accomplishments;
and gave a speech on "Why Must Assyrians Unite."
Vian Benjamin
Detroit
Sang a song she had written: "Mother Bet-Nahrain Sings
for Her Children"
Danny David
Detroit
recited a poem
Andrew Younan
Detroit attending a seminary, red from the Second Day
of 3-Day Fasting of the Rogation of Ninevites
Sorya Smith
Flint, MI
played violin, selections included "Chardis" and "Assyrian
Sheikhani"
Anokeen Sargoni
San Jose
played piano: Chopin's Waltz in A Minor
Chris Petros
Detroit speech on "importance of being a
Chaldean-Assyrian and Our Christian Faith
Dora Hermiz
Detroit speech on "Legacies Left Behind- using the Epic
of Gilgamesh as an illustration"
WINNERS;
First Prize
$1000.00 James Petros
Second Prize
$ 750.00 Anokeen Sargoni
Third Prize
$ 500.00 Chris Petros
Fourth Prize
$ 250.00 Andrew Younan
----------------------the D I R
E C T O R Y------------------------
ZNAA (Assyrian Academic Society-Chicago)
ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNAF (Agence France-Presse)
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)
-----------W E L C
O M E T O
Z E N D A----------
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
Good Life Chiropractic
KBSW, Salinas-California
KUIC, Sacramento-California
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
British Columbia, Canada
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Toronto, Canada
---------------------S A
L U T
E------------------------
This Week's Writers & Reporters:
Firas Jatou
Chicago, Illinois News Digest
Nenus Younan
Toronto, Canada News Digest
& We Thank The Following Individuals For Referring
Us to A New Reader:
Richard Samuel Chicago, Illinois
ZENDA WISHES TO THANK AN ANONIMOUS AND VERY GENEROUS READER'S
GIFT OF
SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS "TOWARDS THE CONTINUED SUCCESS
OF THIS ASSYRIAN MAGAZINE."
ALSO OUR THANKS TO ATOR AND JENNIE GOLANIS IN DETROIT,
MICHIGAN FOR THEIR
KINDNESS AND A PUBLIC RECOGNITION OF OUR MAGAZINE AT
THE ASSYRIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.
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In Our Upcoming Issues:
Sep 15:
Issa Benyamin: Letters in Motion
Sep 22:
Sex & Sexuality in Ancient Assyria
Sep 29: The
Urmie Manifesto
Would you like to know more about a particular topic
on Assyrian culture,
arts, history, langauge, politics, etc. Drop us
a note!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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