Subj: ZENDA (Vol II,#14; 5/6/96) Date: 96-05-06 03:15:19 EDT From: zenda@ix.netcom.com (Zenda) To: zenda@ix.netcom.com Yaar 6, 6746 May 6, 1996 ***** ***** * * **** ** * * ** * * * * * * *** * * * * * ****** * * * ** * * * * ***** ***** * * **** * * Volume II, Issue 14 A Weekly Online Newsletter Serving the Assyrian Communities Around the World ===================================================== THE L I G H T H O U S E ===================================================== 20th Congress of the Assyrian Universal Alliance March 28-30, 1996 The Assyrian Universal Alliance is known and respected as the most prominent voice of the stateless Assyrian people of the world. The AUA is constantly telling the story of the plight of Assyrians and working diligently to help them. We must continue to tell the world who we are and what we want. We cannot afford to let up for a moment. That is what the AUA has pledged to do and that is what the AUA is doing. The AUA invited all fellow Assyrians in every capacity, poor or rich, old or young, educated or illiterate, to join in a new effort with a challege for a New Awakening to our forgotten nationlist obligations- not only for the future generation of Assyrians, but also to preserve our sacred heritage and honorable past. Be assured that the AUA leadership strongly believes in the principles for which it was created and will spare no effort towards creating an atmosphere of understanding among all our political and social entities. On March 28, Former Senator John J. Nimrod, Secretary General of AUA, gave the opening remarks to the AUA delegates in the Van Dyke Park Hotel and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan. A resolution to commence the Congress was made and with Rev. Benjamin Benjamin's invocation and the pledges of allegiance to the flags of United States and the Assyrian nation the official business of the Congress began. Sam Andrews, a former Secretary General and chairman of the Board of Advisor from Midwestern branch was elected to chair the daily conduct of the 20th Congress and Mr. Anthony t. Nasseri of San Jose, California was elected as the Secretary of the 20th Congress. Delegates from the United States, Canada, Europe (Mr. Preidoun Darmo), Australia (Mr. Shahin), Iran (Mr. Yonathan Bet-Kolia), and Latin America (Mr. Aprim Warda) were then introduced. Among the reports of the Standing Committees read two deserve greater consideration. Mr. Bet-Kolia discussed the current social and political life of the Assyrians in Iran and Mr. John Nimrod emphasized AUA's goals and internatinal efforts in bringing greater respect and recognition for the Assyrians around the world. He noted that to accomplish this objective tireless efforts have been made to contact U.S. State Department by countless visits, the United Nation, the government heads of the states of Canada, Australia, Russia, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Mr. Nimrod commented that "the AUA has also made a very favorable impact on most of the international voluntary humanitarian agencies of the world. The suffering and outcry of our people in the Middle East and Russia should be the cause to awaken us to our nationalistic duty which is a call for action. Action for revival of our sacred heritage and assist our destitute people which live in a state of despondency and despair. Let us get away from individuality and combine our efforts towards our struggle for survival. Anthony Nasseri A Member of the AUA Board of Advisors Western Region- U.S. ===================================================== G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N ===================================================== No New Information and News was Received During the Week of April 29. ===================================================== S U R F S U P ! ===================================================== "On April 25, 1996, I submitted a news item reporting on the fatal shooting of Sleiman, Hallak, a beloved figure in the Chaldean community of San Diego. Mr. Hallak was always proud to introduce himself to Americans as a Chaldean, and he instilled this same pride in his family. I prepared this brief report at the request of Zenda. Out of respect Mr. Hallak's personal conviction, the report specifically identified him as a Chaldean. I was sorry to see in the April 29, 1996, issue of Zenda, which was recently called to my attention, that Mr. Sleiman is denied his claimed identity, and instead he has been identified as an "Assyrian-Chaldean". The issue of sorting out our identities is a complex one, and by no means finally resolved. However, I believe that each of us has the fundamental right to call ourselves what we choose. Throughout his life, Mr. Hallak steadfastly maintained his association with the identity "Chaldean", and at no time did he accept the description "Assyrian-Chaldean". I am sure that many Assyrians would be extremely resentful if they were identified as "Arab-Assyrian", or "Kurdish-Assyrian", unless it was by their own choice. Thank you for extending greater respect to individuals and their opinion as to their ethnic identity. No one obliges Zenda to report on any news event or tragedy. When Zenda chooses to report a death, it should not supplant its notions of ethnicity without regard to the lifelong views of the decedent and his family. Thank you for your consideration." Vivian Hammi San Diego [ZENDA wishes to thank Ms. Hammi for her assistance in reporting the tragic death of Mr. Sleiman Hallak, a Chaldean business owner who with his family lived in the San Diego, California area. ZENDA also extends its sympathies to Mr. Hallak's family and Chaldean friends.] *********************** "My Name is Samson Badal and I truly enjoy your electronic newsletter. You guys deserve a tremendous pat on the back. BASMAGANOKHON!!! However, I would like to solicite your help in obtaining the E-Mail addresses for all Assyrian nationwide. If you can provide me with this info or perhaps a source where I can obtain the list I would be most appreciative. The purpose of my request is to help all and every Assyrian there is on the face of this earth, and to offer them an opportunity of lifetime. Your cooperation and assitance in this matter is appreciated." Samson Badal [It is our policy not to share our readers' email address and personal information with other readers. We wish to maintain your privacy and leave the choice up to you on whether this information could be related to others. On the other hand, we would like to bring to your attention an extensive database of Assyrians on the net through the web sites Assyria Online in Canada and the Assyrian Server in Sweden. Your enthusiasm is praiseworthy.] *********************** "...I was also wondering whether you are aware that Bet-Nahrain now has its own television station in our area? Channel 23 "AssyriaVision" covers several cities which include Modesto, Turlock, and Ceres. The station began "airing" its programs on April 15, 1996. If you are interested I could mail you more information in the future. Keep up the great work." Frank V. Chamaki California [AssyriaVision and the Bet-Nahrain Inc are among ZENDA subscribers and Mr. Ninos Bebla, director of the AssyriaVision TV program, has kindly agreed to submit an article on the current programming and the future activities of Channel 23 TV station.] *********************** "Every once in a while I must say thank you for the wonderful work you are doing. Mr. Matt O'Hara was very proud of having part of his essay reproduced by you in Zenda. He will write to you soon. Best wishes to you and keep up the good work. Robert W. Dekelaita Chicago, Illinois [Mr. Dekelaita is the editor of Nabu Quarterly magazine, an example of fine Assyrian journalism. To subscribe: PO Box 59422 Chicago, IL. 60659 (847) 298-3037 ] ===================================================== S U R F E R S C O R N E R ===================================================== On May 25 eBabylon and the Assyrian Community Networking Group will be holding the second meeting of the Assyrians on the Internet, sponsored by the Assyrian United Organizations of California. At this years conference ZENDA Newsletter will be presenting a lecture on the use of the internet and intelligent technology among the Assyrian communities around the world and the development of an Assyrian News Agency at the Assyrian State Convention in San Jose, Califonria. ZENDA readers are invited to attend this important gathering of Assyrian computer scientists, engineers, internet surfers, and email users. For more information contact Christoph Aktas at chrisa@clipper.robadome.com . ===================================================== N E W S D I G E S T ===================================================== ARREST IN IRAN (ZN: Tehran) According to Iran's official newsgency, 20 Iranians were arrested for looting ancient ruins in the Elam region. A 2200-years-old sword and several other artifacts were confiscated. If convicted all looters will be executed according to that countries death penalty law. The province of Elam was the birthplace of the Elamite civilization which existed from second millenium B.C. until the rise of the Persian Achamenid dynesty when all Near Eastern powers including the Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) kingdoms were consolidated. PRESIDENT OF TEHRAN'S ASSYRIAN MOTVA IN SAN JOSE (ZN: San Jose) Mr. Yonatan Bet-Kolia, president of the Assyrian Central Committee (Motva) in Tehran-Iran, was the guest of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose. Mr. Bet-Kolia addressed the members of AAA of San Jose during a social gathering on April 28 and discussed the condition of the Assyrian communities in Iran. Mr. George Zia, a former president of the AAA of San Jose, donated a substantial amount of money to finance the education of an Assyrian university student in Iran ,unable to complete her education for lack of financial support. Mr. Bet-Kolia will visit other Assyrian organizations in the United States. According to unconfirmed statistics, over 200,000 Assyrians have emigrated to Europe, the U.S., and Australia since 1979. Today, there remain less than 20,000 Assyrians in Tehran and the Urmie region, where Assyrian communities have been flourishing since 850 B.C. SAN JOSE WILL HOST 30TH ANNUAL ASSYRIAN STATE CONVENTION (ZN: San Jose) From Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27 the Assyrian American Association of San Jose will sponsor Assyrian United Organizations of California's annual State Convention. The event is expected to draw over 2500 Assyrians from California to Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose. Among the noteworthy events scheduled at this convention are the historic gathering of the three Assyrian Churches (Chaldean Catholic, Church of the East, and Evangelical) at St. Joseph's Cathedral, the Assyrian Community Networking Conference, Sunday Night's Dinner Banquet where the Assyrian Representative of Congress Anna Eshoo will speak as a guest of honor, and the quarterly meetings of the Assyrian American National Federation. Nightly entertainment will be provided by Julianna Hamza, Robin Hawil, Ashur Bet-Sargis, Ogin, Walter Aziz, and Nights of Babylon DJ's. For hotel reservations contact Fairmont Hotel at 1-800-527-4727 (ask for the special convention rate: $89.00). For tickets to all activities and general information call 1-800-861-3122. The following is a brief overview of the events scheduled during the convention: Friday May 24 8:00 pm - 2:00 am Dance Party $20.00 Saturday May 25 10:00 am - 5:00 pm NEC Meeting 10:30 am - 11:30 am Assembly of the Assyrian Churches 11:30 am - 1:00 pm A Social Gathering for the conventioneers 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Assyrian Community Networking Conference 8:00 pm - 2:00 am Dance Party $25.00 Sunday May 26 10:00 am - 4:00 pm AUOC Meetng 8:00 pm - 2:00 am Banquet Dinner $55.00 Monday May 27 10:30 am - 6:00 pm Convention Picnic $ 2.00/$5.00 ===================================================== D I R E C T O R Y OF THE N E W S S O U R C E S ===================================================== ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly) ZNRU (Reuters): ClariNet Communications Corp. ZNSC (soc.culture.assyrian) newsgroup ZNUP (United Press International) ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com) ===================================================== C A L E N D A R OF E V E N T S ===================================================== New Dates & Updates See May 12, July 2 ----------------------------------------------------- May 12 "Christians in the Plains of Nineveh, with Special Emphasis on the Village of Alqosh" Lecturer: Hormiz Aboona presented by the Assyrian Academic Society 6:00 P.M. Swedish Covenant Hospital Auditorium Skokie, Illinois May 24-27 Assyrian State Convention of California Fairmont Hotel San Jose, U.S.A. May 24-25 Memorial Weekend Games Chicago, U.S.A. May 25-26 2nd Assyrian Community Networking Conference Fairmont Hotel San Jose, U.S.A. June 1 Nineveh Choral Concert Conducted by Maestro Nebu Issabey Santa Teresa High School Auditorium San Jose, U.S.A. 8:00 pm June 9-11 The ARAM Conference Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A July 1-5 RENCONTRE ASSYRIOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE Praque, Czech Republic July 2-7 10th Annual Assyrian Youth Convention of the Assyrian Church of the East Chicago, Illinois July 4-7 Assyrian Olympics of California San Diego, California Thru Aug 15 "Beirut: Uncovering the Past" Profiles recent UNESCO archeology efforts The British Museum London, England August 12-14 SyrCOM-96: Second International Forum on Syrian Computing Symposium Syriacum Uppsala University Dept of Asian and African Studies Box 513 S-751 20 Uppsala Sweden Fax: +46 18 181094 Witold.Witakowski@afro.uu.se Aug 29-Sept 2 AANF National Convention Red Lion Inn Hotel Modesto, U.S.A. ----------------------------------------------------- ENTERTAINMENT ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- REGULAR CLASSES & MEETINGS ----------------------------------------------------- Mondays Assyrian History Class "Assyrian History: 18th Century thru Present Instructor: Wilfred Alkhas BETA on 20000 Almaden Rd, San Jose, Calif Class begins on June 3 Thursdays Nineveh Choir: Maestro Nebu Issabey BETA: AAA of San Jose, U.S.A. 7:30-9:00 pm Fridays Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at Modesto Junior College 1:00 pm Founders Hall 108 Modesto, U.S.A. Saturdays Nisibin School Ages 4 thru 14 Assyrian Language, History, & Arts 9:00 am - 12:00 pm BETA on 20000 Almaden Rd, San Joe, Calif Classes begin on June 15 ===================================================== A S S Y R I A N S U R F I N G P O S T S ===================================================== New Site(s) Assyrian National Anthem http://www.nineveh.com/~agabrial/ana.htm ===================================================== P U M P U P T H E V O L U M E ===================================================== ENGLISH ASSYRIAN Corruption khevla [M] Immorality doo-raa-maa [M] Debauchery khoovala [M] Note: pronounce "aa" in "baahra" (light) ____________________________________________________ F = Feminine M = Masculine P = Plural ===================================================== B A C K T O T H E F U T U R E ===================================================== B.C. (1160) Elamites reach Babylon. The Kassite Dynesty comes to an end and much of Babylonia comes under Elamite rule for the next 30 years. << The Might That Was Assyria, H. Saggs >> A.D. (January 11, 1842) Mar Yokhana of the village of Gavilan becomes the first Assyrian to arrive in the United States from Iran. << Soorgada d'Sheeta Msheekheta, Hanibal Givargiz >> ====================================================== L I T E R A T U S ====================================================== *** From the Sumerian CREATION EPIC *** ca. 3000 B.C. I will produce a lowly lulu (Primitive); "Man" shall be his name. I will create a lulu amelu (Primitive Worker); He will be charged with the service of the gods, that they might have their ease. << The 12th Planet, Sitchin >> ====================================================== T H I S W E E K I N H I S T O R Y ====================================================== May 5, 1930: The Salamas Earthquake rocks the town of Salamas and 8 other Assyrian villages in northwestern Iran. Many lives were lost as a result. May 7, 1918: Ottoman soldiers surrender to the Assyrian forces in Urmie. 150 Turks are brought to the city of Urmie and handed to Iran's government authorities. ====================================================== B R A V O ====================================================== For the first time in the 30 years history of the Assyrian State Conventions in California an Assyrian woman is chairing this year's Convention Committee. Mrs. Jackline Bajan of San Jose is also a member of the Executive Board of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose. ====================================================== W E L C O M E T O Z E N D A ====================================================== Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from: CORPORATE ACCOUNTS Northern Telcom UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ====================================================== A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S ====================================================== Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals & organizations whose contributions appear in this issue: Anthony Nasseri San Jose, California Albert Gabrial Hollister, California Peter Jasim Chicago, Illinois ____________________________________________________ ZENDA will continue to print 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 your community and church activities, personal accomplishments, and meeting/ school events to Zenda no later than Sunday, 12:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time. ----------------------------------------------------- Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, May 13, 1996. ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- From zenda@ix.netcom.com Mon May 6 03:15:09 1996 Return-Path: zenda@ix.netcom.com Received: from dfw-ix12.ix.netcom.com (dfw-ix12.ix.netcom.com [206.214.98.12]) by emin26.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id DAA17398; Mon, 6 May 1996 03:14:58 -0400 Received: from sjx-ca36-14.ix.netcom.com (zenda@sjx-ca36-14.ix.netcom.com [204.31.236.174]) by dfw-ix12.ix.netcom.com (8.6.13/8.6.12) with SMTP id AAA26141; Mon, 6 May 1996 00:04:59 -0700 Message-Id: <2.2.16.19960506071131.4cf79190@popd.ix.netcom.com> X-Sender: zenda@popd.ix.netcom.com X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (16) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 06 May 1996 00:11:31 -0700 To: zenda@ix.netcom.com From: Zenda Subject: ZENDA (Vol II,#14; 5/6/96)