The Lighthouse...................... Assyrian Aid Society- Santa Clara Good Morning Bet-Nahrain............ A New UN Humanitarian Coordinator=09 Surfs Up............................ "our outbursts are not balanced" Surfers Corner...................... AANF Letter to the State Dept News Digest......................... Iraq's Battle Against Archeo-Theft Saddam's Second Son Attacked News from Canada =20 -Section Two- Calendar of Events.................. Near Eastern Archeology: May 4 & 5 Entracte............................ Kha b'Neesan Party in San Jose=09 Intelligentsia...................... Classes and Seminars=09 Assyrian Surfing Posts.............. Why is a Circle 360 Degrees? Pump up the Volume.................. To End & To Begin=09 Back to the Future.................. Nabopolassar Restores Babylon The Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft Literatus........................... Layard's First Impressions=09 This Week in History................ Sir Austin Layard =20 Bravo............................... Assyrian Soccer Team Wins Nation's Cup The Directory....................... News Sources=09 Bshena.............................. Chicago,California,Canada & Poland Salute.............................. Sargon, Vladimir, Firas & Ashur =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D THE L I G H T H O U S E =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D THE ASSYRIAN AID SOCIETY- SANTA CLARA COUNTY CHAPTER: A REFLECTION out,out,out,out,outOver the last couple of years, I have served as the Vice President in=20 my first year and as the President of the Santa Clara Chapter of the Assyrian Aid Society (SCCAAS) during my second year. During this=20 period, I have experienced some highs, and also some disappointments. Now that I have decided to move on to other projects, I would like to share some personal reflections with Zenda readers, in the hope it may answer some questions which I have heard asked. I should begin by saying that, no matter what shortcomings may exist, I am a strong believer in the mission of the Assyrian Aid Society. I can't think of a nobler goal for any Assyrian than to work to bring aid and a measure of comfort to our brothers and sisters in the homeland. It is quite true that A.A.S. is aimed at the needy Assyrians of north Iraq, and that they comprise only a small fraction of the general Assyrian population. But it is certainly better to do something modest than to do nothing at all. The task of assisting Assyrians in the main part of Iraq will be gigantic, and it can only happen when international impediments have been removed. During my tenure at the SCCAAS we staged a number of fund-raising events outside the Assyrian community as I believe Assyrian organizations can and must not depend on support from our own community simply because the needs of our people are much greater than what our own community can help with. I also believe it is our duty to make the need of the Assyrian people known to all people and in this way raise funds from government and philanthropic agencies just like other ethnic groups have been doing for years in the U.S. We participated in the Walkathon event. We got our group accepted in the "United Way", qualifying it to receive funds from that organization. We also had the opportunity for some pro-bono services of a Public Relations firm that would have given AAS-U.S. wide recognition and open avenues of fund raising only dreamed of before. Unfortunately due to lack of support from my superiors at the AAS the pro-bono offer was withdrawn for lack of input from AAS. As the sponsoring organization, we also helped in the Bay area visit of the two Assyrian children who were brought to the US last year for medical treatment and a substantial fund raising was achieved through the means of the Assyrian Weekly Magazine T.V. program hosted by Mr. George Maragulof, and other programs hosted by the Assyrian Church of the East and the Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church of San Jose. In the past two years, we have managed to collect excess of $50,000, all of which was of course delivered to A.A.S. headquarters in San Francisco. We also attempted to establish a well designed system of communication, exchange and sharing of information within the chapters, with the Assyrian people and non-Assyrians by means of leaflets, use of media resources and involvement in non-Assyrian events to capture a larger scale of audience and supporters. For this to be successful it required accurate and timely information and resources to be used to accomplish these goals, sadly we were the only one who was willing to spend the time and effort to make this possible, others were too busy with life and work responsibilities, as if we did not have a life nor families of our own! Throughout my tenure, I was called upon to defend A.A.S. from various criticisms, both internal and external. Now that I am no longer speaking for A.A.S., I would like to address some of the comments which were made, particularly about the A.A.S. operation in this country. It is my hope that these comments will be seen as constructive criticism. There have been repeated questions about the final destination of A.A.S. funds. Some Assyrians feel that there has not been enough accountability. Personally, I have no question that the funds we have raised have been substantially transferred to north Iraq in aid of our people. At the same time, I agree with those who complain about the lack of specificity when accounting for these funds. The people are entitled to know. At a recent A.A.S. program in San Jose, when this question was asked,there were a couple of unsatisfactory answers. Mr. Narsai David, who heads the A.A.S., provided some very general statements to the effect that A.A.S. funds have enabled the building of medical clinics, housing, schools and roads; assistance to farmers; the publication of books; and delivery of medicines and direct cash assistance. Unfortunately, this is all vague information, and it is also stale information. We have heard it all before, and it no longer provides incentive or inspiration to potential AAS volunteers. A second answer was provided by Dr. Lincoln Malik, the Vice President and a key player in the A.A.S. Dr. Malik said it is not always practical to have receipts for purchases in north Iraq. While one could relate to this, it was not helpful that in his tone Dr. Malik seemed peeved that the question should even be asked. I believe that A.A.S. is best served if its leader shows patience and empathy when good faith questions are asked. There have been a number of questions raised by current or potential A.A.S. volunteers, concerning the political situation in north Iraq. People rightfully want to know if any aid they might provide would be of any practical use in the current turmoil. There seems to be confusion as to who is in charge, and whether Assyrians in north Iraq any longer have the luxury of taking advantage of any funds we might provide them. In my opinion, aid to these Assyrians is as needed as ever. However, it would have been useful for Dr. Malik or Mr. David to address this issue very specifically, and to provide the audience a sensible summary of the current situation. In my extended efforts for A.A.S., I have noticed also that there is almost no information flow from the top to the bottom. As much as I attempted to keep the communication line open with my superiors so that I can rightfully answer questions of the Assyrians in the Bay Area,I found that I was always kept in the dark, even though presumably my position=20 was an important one as the President of the Chapter, a member of the Executive Board, a member of the Board of Directors as well as the liaison between AAS chapters. For this I must lay the blame on Dr. Malik, who is the one with information and answers in A.A.S. I completely understand the tireless efforts exerted by Dr. Malik to advance the interests of our people via the work of the A.A.S and A.D.M. His time is no doubt quite limited, and his responsibilities are many. But what is wrong with delegating the task of public information, which I willingly volunteered for, and the task of informing your own lieutenants, so that they are not working in the dark. I was really amazed, for example, to learn at this meeting that more than a year before, the US and the UN officially recognized "AAS as an International Aid Agency" (Dr. Malik). Does it not seem unfortunate that such useful information would not have been transmitted to those of us working in the trenches? At this same meeting, both Mr. Narsai David and Dr. Alexander Malik (the medical aid project director) expressed disappointment that the SCCAAS had not been more productive. The fact is that along with my local committee, we have made every conceivable effort to arouse interest and support. Considering we must all work full-time to support our families, we believe that we have made a heroic effort. Regardless of any disappointment a leader may feel, it ill serves the objectives of his organization to read them the riot act and to even scold them for their performance. This is petty behavior not likely to inspire others to the battle line. Questions were also raised about the lack of visible support from the Assyrian American Association in San Jose. The lack of participation by that group is not for our lack of trying. The SCCAAS's invitation to work together with the San Jose group has yet to generate any response. Mr. John Youkhanna, AAS Central Valley Director attempted to shift the blame and responsibility to the Assyrian public and announced that since they (executive board members) all live far from the San Jose area, it is up to the Assyrian people to take on responsibilities of insuring the success of AAS. My reply to that is, No, Mr. Youkhana, it is your responsibility as an officer of AAS to take the time to meet with people and to insure that projects are organized and executed properly and successfully. One should not take on a title of a job unless that one is able to spend the time, is willing and has the talent and knowledge to perform and be productive. During my comments at this meeting I took it upon my own to inform the Assyrian public, that I was no longer a member of the Assyrian Aid Society since I had resigned as of August of 1996. This information had not been made known to the Assyrians in the Bay Area before nor during this meeting. My resignation was due to the lack of response, communication and information from my superiors, a condition that I cannot tolerate and I cannot continue my role and responsibilities as a president of a chapter. They are satisfied with their accomplishments to this point, while I wanted to go on farther and stronger ahead. Our people in Iraq badly need our assistance. It is my hope that we who are more fortunate in the West will take our responsibility more seriously than we have in the past. It is also my hope that the leaders of Assyrian organizations who claim that they want to help will set aside their egos and strive to find the most effective ways to inspire their volunteer workers. Esha Tamras San Jose, California =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D NORTHERN BET-NAHRAIN HAS A NEW UN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR (ZNRU: New York) Staffan de Mistura, a veteran U.N. official for relief assistance in world trouble spots, was named on Thursday as the new coordinator for humanitarian aid in Iraq. He is expected to take up his new post this week, replacing Gualtiero Gulcheri of Italy, who left Baghdad on Monday. De Mistura, a Swede, is to supervise the complex oil-for-food program in Iraq that involves U.N. monitors checking on food, medicine and other goods for the Iraqi people. Under the program, Iraq is permitted to sell $2 billion worth of oil over six months to buy needed supplies for its people, who have suffered under trade sanctions since August 1990. The first food deliveries to Iraq are expected shortly. An official of the U.N. Children's Fund UNICEF, Mistura was the chief U.N. humanitarian coordinator in northern Iraq in mid-1991 when Kurds fled to Turkey to escape Iraqi bombardments. He served in Somalia in 1992-1994, supervising all U.N. =20 humanitarian aid there. Before that he was in Dubrovnik when that city was under siege during Croatia's war of independence from Yugoslavia. During the Ethiopian famine in 1984-5, he coordinated air drops of food by Western and Eastern bloc countries -- a major feat during the Cold War. De Mistura's languages include Arabic. =20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D S U R F S U P ! =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D "with respect to our reaction to the kurdish atrocities against Assyrians, I think we are on the right track to react to such news the way we are doing and should indeed continue with such outcry/outburst of anger and concern...as a matter of fact there should be no limits to our reaction towards atrocities committed against our people. =20 It concerns me however, when our outbursts are not balanced....not so rampant in reaction towards the systematic and brutal murders committed against us by Arabs. =20 Arab/Baath sympathizers are very much excited about this news and all of a sudden showing much 'concern' about Assyrians being killed ! the reasons are obvious. Outcries such as this, towards anyone but Arabs, is always welcome and encouraged by Arabs (& Baath Sympathizers) as it diffuses Arab atrocities against us and indeed defocus our struggle. Ashur Bet-Shliemoun California *************** "Every week I receive the Zenda magazine and I want to thank you for that... Thanks and keep up the good work!" Peter de Rooij *************** "Reading ZENDA has become a Monday morning ritual with me, every Monday morning I walk to my office in downtown Chicago, with a cup of coffee in my hand, and rush to my computer, only to find a new electronic copy of ZENDA waiting for me. You guys make my Monday morning smoother, that's for sure..." Sargon B. Yalda Chicago, Illinois *************** "I would like to bring to your attention a fact that was not mentioned=20 in the article posted on Zenda this last Monday. It was mentioned that 'at one point Mr. Ladimer Lachin of Zowaa and his party members withdrew from the assembly at the community hall and were importuned to return later in the evening.' What ZENDA forgot to mention was that when Mr. Ladimer Lachin, Representative of Zowaa in CA, asked the guest speakers a question, Mr. Carlo Ganjeh rudely interrupted him and told him that he can save his questions for Modesto, or in other word he was not being allowed to ask questions like everyone else. I would like to bring to your attention that the meeting was suppose to be an open discussion rally. At that point Mr.=20 Lachin thanked Carlo and walked out of the meeting. Close to 30 people, Zowaa members and supportive of Mr. Lachin, walked out of the meeting also. Meanwhile, an attendee turned to Mr. Sargon Yalda, the new president of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose, and told him that what happened was not right and they should go back and bring those people back into the meeting. Mr. Yalda went out and tried to bring those people back to the meeting. At beginning Ladimer and his supporters requested that Carlo to step down as Moderator of the meeting and later they requested an official apology from him. Upon return to the meeting, Carlo officially apologized to Ladimer and his supporters.=20 This is what happened. I am not a Zowaa member and I am not a member of any other group. As an Assyrian I do not wish to see only half of a truth on the line. What Carlo did was rude and uncalled for. I wonder what prompted him to try to stop Ladimer from asking questions? I wonder." Lena Mushell San Jose, California *************** "I want to thank you for sending me the Zenda issue I had missed! I was especially interested in it since I thought it would have some comments on my father's story that had been published, and, in fact, it has Lena Mushell's letter. My father was a very young boy when he left Zerini. When I ask him about his life at that time he says he doesn't remember events or persons too well. He is ninety years old and his memory is failing him a little now. It is a good thing my mother wrote all that while he still remembered his early life." Gladys Warda Uruguay *************** "i would like you to send me your publication because i bring it up in my assyrian students union meeting and inform what other assyrians are doing outside of los angeles. i will also inform you on the activities that occur within the new assyrian centers committee and other happenings within the city of los angeles and i also want to get an idea of how to set up an assyrian students home page with the articles that you have. please if possible please add me to your subscription for me to enjoy the assyrian brotherhood that is expressed through cyberspace. love, peace and happiness to all my assyrians out there."=20 Sargon Gewargis Los Angeles [Sargon is the former president of the Assyrian Students Club at California State University at Northridge and has helped organize the current Assyrian Boy Scouts of the Assyrian American Association of Southern California.] *************** [To our readers in La Trobe University in Australia who had requested an=20 online picture of Queen Semiramis: Please see=20 http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~jatou/sham.gif, complements of Assyria Online] PLANETS MARDUK AND TIAMAT MUST BE ALIGNED [While preparing this issue of ZENDA we noticed an interesting consonance: =20 this is the 3rd issue of the 3rd volume of our weekly, online newsletter =20 being published on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 1997...Anything to =20 amuse oneself on a cheerless Sunday night - one might think.] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D S U R F E R S C O R N E R =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D ZENDA readers are invited to respond to the following request(s) by either directly writing to the author or sending a reply to ZENDA. =20 *************************************************************************** Fellow Assyrian Human Rights Advocates =20 On Saturday, February 22, 1997, Mr. Sargon Lewie, president of the Assyrian American National Federation, met with a number of Assyrians and formulated a letter to be sent to the US Departments of State. The letter, reproduced below, will also be sent to the President of the United States and every member of the US Congress and Senate. In addition, follow-up phone calls and visits to the State Department, the Senate and Congress have been planned in March of this year. At this meeting on Saturday, it was resolved that a number of subsequent meeting would be held to further plan ways to peaceful combat aggression against Assyrian in Iraq. After you read the letter below, we ask that you support this effort by your own letter to the State Department and your own Senator and Congressman/woman. We also ask that you contact the Kurdistan Democratic Party (headed by Mas'ud Barazani, whose authority is now predominant in the area of north Iraq), and express your outrage at the manner in which Assyrians are being treated in Iraq. The telephone number of the KDP in Washington, D.C. is (202) 331-9506. The fax number is (202) 331-9506. Please, for the sake of the Assyrians in our homeland, whose lives are in danger constantly, we call upon you to use your writing skills and love of humanity to express your disapproval of what's happened and demand that justice be done. =20 Thank you. Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) =20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D N E W S D I G E S T=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D IRAQ BATTLES AGAINST ARCHEOLOGICAL THEFT =20 (ZNRU: Baghdad) Excavations in the ruins of the ancient Assyrian capital Dur Shurrukin in 1993 led to the discovery in Iraq of a colossal statue of a winged bull with the head of a bearded man. Unable to transport and preserve the nearly 4,000 year-old monster, Iraqi archaeologists reburied it by building a mud brick wall round it and covering it with earth and straw. The bull was excavated again this year -- this time not by experts, but by a new kind of Iraqi robber. They hacked off its head, the most precious part in the Assyrian motif, leaving its now worthless torso behind. The campaign against such robberies has cost Iraq more than 400,000 million dinars in 1996 (about $500,000). This was paid as a reward to the police for catching smuggled artifacts and to Iraqis returning archaeological items. More than 45,000 artifacts, some of them unique to the history of Bet-Nahrain, have been recovered but many more were still missing. A cylinder seal of a precious stone, a common Mesopotamian artifact available in almost all ancient mounds in Iraq, could fetch thousands of dollars abroad. One of the most significant items retrieved was a slab of black diorite inscribed with cuneiform writing. "It is the biography of one of the famous kings of Babylonia in the second millennium B.C.. It tells the story of King Libbat Ishtar (heart of Ishtar). It is relatively easy for thieves to dig up an ancient mound in Iraq. Finds=20 usually lie close to the surface and digging can be undertaken with shovels=20 and spades.=20 SADDAM'S SECOND SON ATTACKED DURING AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT (ZNUP: Damascus) President Saddam Hussein's second son, Qusay, has survived an assassination bid, but his three bodyguards were killed. Unidentified gunmen left the president's eldest son Uday seriously wounded and partly paralyzed in a Baghdad suburb attack on Dec. 11. Both of the president's sons, Uday and Qusay, have major responsibilities in the government's security forces. Iraqi exiles have speculated that the Uday assassination bid could be tied to a violent family feud.=20 NEWS FROM CANADA (ZNDA: Ontario) The second issue of THE HOPE newspaper, produced by Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party, was recently send out to subscribers, free of charge. The newspaper covers news and information, and includes articles on the Assyrian culture and general interest. Printed in tabloid size, mostly in Assyrian and English, it is distributed among the Assyrian communities of Chicago, Detroit, California, and Toronto.To receive your copy contact the publisher at:=20 THE HOPE newspaper 14 Elderridge Crt. Stoney-Creek, ON L8J 3R6 Tel. (905) 279-7347 - Fax (905) 573-1478 =20 e-mail: ashour@ican.net =20 (ZNDA: Ontario) Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party has completed the publication of the first semi-annual issue of the Assyrian Directory of Canada. It consist of 220 pages of information divided into four sections. The first section, the Assyrian Business Directory, has over 120 pages of graphic advertisements of all Assyrian businesses in Canada. The Assyrian Residential Directory lists over 980 Assyrian names with complete address and telephone information. The third section, Assyrian Institutions, covers all Assyrian organizations, Assyrian community centers, churches, internet locations, Assyrian language schools, Assyrian media in Canada. The last section is comprised of several General Articles in English and Assyrian. The next edition will appear on July 2, 1997. For more information contact Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party representatives in your area or call, fax or e-mail: Tel. (905) 318-8283 - Fax (905) 573-1478 - E-Mail: ashour@ican.net --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -End of Section 1 of 2