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Nineveh 2011-3 NINEVEH NPublicationIN of the EAssyrian FoundationVE of AmericaH Established 1964 Volume 35, Number 3 ; Third Quarter ܀ 2011 ܢ ܝ ܢ ܘ ܐ ، ܕܘܒܩ ܐ 35 ، ̈ܡܢܝܢ ܐ Nineveh, Volume 35, Number 3 3 NINEVEH ܢـܝـܢـܘܐ Third Quarter, 2011 Volume 35, Number 3 In this issue: -English Section From the President………………………………………..…3 Editor: Ninwe Maraha Our amazing youth……………………………………….....4 Editorial Staff: Firas Jatou Alec Bedroya……………………………………………......5 Dr. Joel Elias Modern Assyrian Culture, An Assyrian Course at UC Dr. Robert Karoukian Berkely……………………………………………………...6 Tamara Benjamin Ammo Baba, The sporting jewel of Iraq…………………....8 Donatella Yelda Rabi Babajan Tamraz, Exemplary Assyrian athlete, coach Tobia Giwargis and referee..………………………………………………..10 Sargon Shabbas, Circulation Poem: The Assyrian Veteran…………………………..…..13 100 Years: Assyrians in Turlock…………………….…….14 Assyrian women, fragrances, beauty & splendor……….....15 POLICY By your endurance you will protect your lives……….…...16 Albert Zomaya IT professor at University of Sidney ……..17 Articles submitted for publication will be selected by Assyrian Influence in America‘s political system………....18 the editorial staff on the basis of their relative merit to Iraq‘s national museum to lure virtual…………………….22 Assyrian literature, history, and current events. Leland alumna SJSU homecoming queen……….………...23 Tight-knit Assyrian community mourns three who died at Opinions expressed in NINEVEH are those of the re- Yosemite…………………………………………………...24 Donations……………………………………………..……26 spective authors and not necessarily those of NINE- Help save Assyrian Heritage………………………….…...28 VEH or the Assyrian Foundation of America. Assyrian language heard again at ancient Tushhan………..29 Symbol in Syriac may be world‘s first question mark…….29 Assyrian Foundation of America established in June Poem : Waraqa…………...………………………………..30 1964 and incorporated in the state of California as a A Sacred Hut by the River………………………………...32 non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the The five Maliks of Sara…………………………………....35 advancement of the education of Assyrians. How can we get the world to know who we are……….….36 Legendary Assyrian-American superstar Shamiram Urshan Reproduction in whole or in part is allowed with ac- passes away………………………………………………..38 knowledgement of the source. Rabi Mikhail Sado………………….……………………...39 Address letters to: Congratulations…………………………………………....40 New Book………………………………………………….40 The Editor In Memoriam………………………………………………41 NINEVEH AFA Christmas Appeal……………………………………42 P.O. Box 2660 Berkeley, California 94702 :ܐܧܝܧܣ ܐܗܐܒ [email protected] ܀ܐܝܪܘܬܐ ܐܩܘܪܨ܀ 34.... ..........................ܐܟܝܬܝܣܐܕ ܐܝܪ̈ܘܬܐܕ ܐܬܩܬܐܮܤ ܐܧܵ ܝܘܒܵ ܵ ܲ ܵ Annual Subscription 36..............................................ܐܬܪܙ ܓܕ ܐܬܘܝܬܩܩ 33.......................................ܘܕܗܐܩ ܢܥܐܟܦܣ ܧܒܐܪ ܲ ܵ ܵ U.S.A……………………………...…….$ 20.00 34.........................................ܪܬܭ ܐܸ ܐܬܗܠܐܠ ܐܬܘܠܨ 38................................................ܐܣܘܨܹ ܢܝܐܬܒܓܹ CANADA…………………………...…..$ 25.00 ܲ ܵ 45................................................. ܐܝܵ ܘܪܕܒܹ ܟܝܠܹ ܐ OVERSEAS………………………….…$ 30.00 ܵ ܵ 45.........................................ܐܘܮܵ ܦܸ ܢܥ ܐܬܕܚ ܲ ܢܬܝܒ All materials submitted become the property of Visit our Website at: NINEVEH www.assyrianfoundation.org ܢܝܢܘܐ ، ܕܘܒܩ ܐ 35 ، ̈ܡܢܝܢ ܐ Nineveh, Volume 35, Number 3 2 3 from the 19th century onwards. The purpose of founding this archive is to As the year 2011 draws to a close, I want to take this ensure the preservation of the Assyrian opportunity and reflect on the events of the last 12 language and culture and to promote months. Firstly I want to express my sincere appreciation and facilitate academic research on to all our caring and generous supporters and volunteers these. We also sponsored a presenta- who helped us successfully carry out our mission to help tion by Dr. Timothy Matney, who is our suffering brothers and sisters around the world, and involved in archaeological excavations provide educational assistance to our students who carry of ancient Assyrian sites in Eastern Turkey. Addition- the torch of Assyrian heritage and identity in the aca- ally, we sponsored two Assyrian poets, who presented demic world. their poetry at an international conference. Lastly, we contributed to the ―Defying Deletion‖ project, a film As economies around the world have softened, people documenting the condition of Assyrians in Mesopota- have been cautious with their spending, including dona- mia. tions to non-profit organizations. Simultaneously, we see the on-going suffering of our people around the world. More widely, 2011 was a year that saw tragedies in our The unsettled political situation and insecurity Assyrian community. I would like to pay a special trib- (especially for minorities who are victims of persecu- ute to some of the precious treasures that we lost this tions and ethno-religious cleansing) in Iraq is continuing year: to force increasing numbers of Assyrian to seek refuge Dr. Donny George Youkhanna 1950 – 2011. An As- in Syria and other neighboring countries. These refugees syrian archaeologist and Professor. The world will al- are stranded and living under challenging conditions, ways remember him as the hero who fought to recover with lack of proper food and medical supplies, while over half of the 15,000 Mesopotamian artifacts, looted waiting to be relocated. In Armenia the need is espe- from the National Museum in Baghdad during the Iraq cially great for the elderly and mothers with children, invasion. who cannot work. In the face of these tough economic Lina Yakubova 1976 – 2011. An Assyrian documen- conditions, we are proud that the Assyrian Foundation of tary film producer, writer, and human rights activist. We America has remained one of the key providers of help will always remember her as our angel whose life was for Assyrians in need around the world. We provided not meant to be measured in years, but in the scope of funds to the Assyrian Medical Society to help with the her sincerity, courage, and unwavering faith in her na- medical needs of five Assyrian refugee children. We tion. sponsored the Annual Children‘s Christmas Party in Ramina Badal, Hormiz David, and Ninous Ycoub - Syria, and supported elderly Assyrians in Armenia. The three Assyrian hikers who lost their lives in Yosem- ite ( July 17, 2011). This was one of the greatest hits to In the area of education, we continue to see the fruits of our small and scattered nation, because they were the our labor through the increasing recognition and positive pillars to hold the Assyrian identity, language, and heri- awareness of the Assyrian name. We provided signifi- tage through future generations. They carried the seeds cant scholarships to Assyrian students in fields such as of our continuity. Assyriology, international law, political science, human rights, etc. We organized the first ―Members and Looking ahead to 2012, it‘s going to be another chal- Friends Appreciation‖ event, during which Nineb La- lenging year for our people. We can‘t change tomor- massu, one of the students we have been helping, deliv- row‘s political and economic headlines, but we can fo- ered a magnificent presentation, showcasing Assyrian cus on our priorities to help our people and preserve our villages and churches in Southeastern Turkey, that have culture and language. The Assyrian Foundation of sadly been abandoned and vandalized. Through his re- America is a long established and respected organization search, Nineb has charted (using GPS/satellite equip- that is dedicated to helping Assyrians in need and sup- ment) and documented each finding and its location. porting education. The success of our organization is The information gathered will be documented and re- simply due to our devoted volunteers and our loyal sup- corded, preserving the region‘s rich Assyrian. He also porters like you who are passionate about their nation. discussed the various projects he‘s involved in, including The continuation of our wonderful programs next year is the MARA project (The Modern Assyrian Research Ar- entirely in your hands. chive) - a digital archive based at the Cambridge univer- sity in England. The aim of MARA is to locate, collect, I wish you a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New and preserve source material and literature on the his- Year. May 2012 bring joy, prosperity and good health to tory, culture, and language of the Assyrian community you and our entire nation around the world. God bless Assyrians! Jackline Yelda ܢܝܢܘܐ ، ܕܘܒܩ ܐ 35 ، ̈ܡܢܝܢ ܐ Nineveh, Volume 35, Number 3 3 3 Our Amazing Youth -Making a difference, one person at-a-time…. By: Tanya S. Odisho, San Francisco, California I sat in on a Nineveh magazine meeting and we were is associated with heart disease, and talking about how we can ―freshen up‖ the magazine. I that's why it's so important to not only treat the glucose suggested writing about our youth and what they are do- levels, but also to attack blood pressure and cholesterol ing to help make a difference in their communities. levels as well. We know that type 2 diabetes runs very Well, here I am writing this article. I thought of my strongly from generation to generation, and we also cousin Elda Mikael, a 17 year-old Assyrian living with know that we can prevent type 2 diabetes if we recognize Type 2 Diabetes and how she has become active in the it at an early stage campaign to help educate youth of all nationalities about Juvenile Diabetes. A conversation with Elda: The difference
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