Subj: ZENDA I (Vol III,#9 ; 4/14/97) Date: 97-04-15 01:56:27 EDT From: zenda@ix.netcom.com (ZENDA) To: zenda@ix.netcom.com Neesan 14, 6747 April 14, 1997 zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zz z zzzzzzzzz z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z zzzzzzz z z z z z zzzzzzz z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz z zz zzzzzzz z z Volume III, Issue 9 A Weekly Online Publication of ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency -Section 1 of 2- =========================================================================== T H I S W E E K I N Z E N D A =========================================================================== -Section One- The Lighthouse...................... Kha b'Neesan Parade in Chicago Good Morning Bet-Nahrain............ KDP Clarification Inadequate Surfs Up............................"our land in the North is too precious" Surfers Corner...................... Jokes in ZENDA? News Digest......................... Kha b'Neesan in British Columbia Image of Edessa Rescued from Fire Assyriology Position -Section Two- Ziggurat............................ Assyrians in Austria (Vienna) Calendar of Events.................. No New Entries Entracte............................ No New Entries Intelligentsia...................... Classes and Seminars Assyrian Surfing Posts.............. Babylonian History Pump up the Volume.................. Except and Exception Back to the Future.................. King Entemana of Lagash Allan Abraham, a Columbia Univ Coach Literatus........................... From the Descent of Ishtar This Week in History................ Mar Polous Shimun's Consecration Bravo............................... Assyrian Quadruplets Born in Cyprus The Directory....................... News Sources Bshena.............................. Disney Software & San Francisco Salute.............................. Firas, Dr. Simon, and Ashourbel =========================================================================== THE L I G H T H O U S E =========================================================================== 6747 KHA B'NEESAN PARADE IN CHICAGO For the past few years, with thousands of attendees, the Kha b'Neesan Parade in Chicago has been the largest annual event celebrating the Assyrian New Year outside of Bet-Nahrain. This year, the April 6th Parade of tens of floats along the King Sargon Boulevard (Western Avenue) on the piercingly cold but gentle Sunday afternoon was nothing less than a spectacular show of Assyrian pride and nationalism. The frozen tear drops and the memory of the children's laughter have easily penetrated into the hearts of those of us who stood by the pedestrian walkways, waving the Assyrian and American flags, as the floats drove by. Every float was different and new. The scenery was magnificent: one minute hundreds of children and teenagers clothed in white pants and shirts would walk by us and the next minute a float adorned with Assyrian flags, life-style statues and huge banners would sail along side the astonished spectators. The combination of over-sized floats and the large crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of friends and relatives aboard these modern-day chariots of peace was overwhelmingly powerful. The walkers looked tranquil, reminding us of the gentility of nature in the first few days of Spring. Everyone vociferously looked courageous; all competing social and religious organizations united. The parade of the Assyrian vessels in Chicago celebrated the commencement of the Assyrian New Year 6747 (1997 A.D. plus 4750 B.C.) This year the Assyrian communities all over the world began celebrating the New Year from the third week of March. In Chicago, the snow flakes gracefully covered the bystanders and the floats of the independent and isolated Assyrian organizations and businesses. Chicago's Assyrian community remains a vital community and clearly one of the oldest continuous community of Assyrian immigrants and long-time settlers. A wondrous story of triumph and the astonishing tales of survival were hidden inside each float, in the eyes of the grandparents, and the sounds emanating from the loud speakers. The cheering crowd did not include the religious authorities, nor the munificent men of medicine. It was the ordinary denizens of this Windy City, whose presence was calmly breathing life into this giant millipede of wooden vessels. In the face of an unusually cold April afternoon, thousands had come to celebrate and experience renewal of their battered souls. Local American politicians, as colorful as the clowns entertaining the non-voting residents, uttered empty campaign-like rhetorics. All speeches sounded as senseless and out of place as any modern day Kha b'Neesan speech. However every few minutes, thanks to the nationalistic songs of Ramsin Rasho, Linda George, and Ashur Bet-Sargis, our numbed brains slowly thawed and with much effort we succeeded in taking our frozen hands out of our overcoat pockets and clap for the floaters. Interwoven throughout the parade were the evocative speeches of local and national Assyrian politicians. Yet, unlike the ancient kings of Assyria, none atoned for his errors in judgement. Every leader thought of oneself and one's decisions judicious and proper. Each expressed the emotional subtext of a struggle that his or her organization had led for the pious struggle for survival. Our ears defeaned from the cold we could only hear the beating of our hearts. Once again Kha b'Neesan had brought the promise of a fresh start and new hope. The most heart-warming event of that day was the crowd's final gathering around the stage where politicians spoke of a better future. With a loud voice Ashur Bet-Sargis cried to the cheering descendants of King Ashur and Nabonidus of Bet-Nahrain "neither snow, nor the cold, nor the storms of our times can stop our people's celebration of Kha b'Neesan." Moments later thousands of Assyrians, with their fists pointing to the gray jealous clouds, sang the song "Roosh Jwanqa" (Wake Up Ye Young Assyrian). Tears were freely flowing down our frozen cheeks and we held each other as tightly as possible. For today we had forgotten our backgrounds, political ideologies, religious differences, and diverse accents. For a brief second we understood the significance of Kha b'Neesan ,then in the days of Hammurabi in Babylon and tomorrow in the sunny streets of a new Nineveh. ZENDA --------------------- Following is a complete list of the sponsors whose floats paraded along King Sargon Boulevard in Chicago: -Assyrian Organizations- Assyrian American National Federation Assyrian American Association of Chicago Assyrian Aid Society of America Assyrian Academic Society Assyrian Ladies Association Assyrian American Social Club of Detroit Assyrian Youth Alliance Historical Museum (Ashurbanipal Library) Assyrian Athletic Club (Winged Bulls) Assyrian American Civic Club of Chicago Mar Zaia Assyrian Organization Assyrian Students of Illinois Assyrian National Foundation Society for Assyrian Progress Assyrian National Youth (carrying Linda George as guest of honor) Assyrians Around the World TV Program (Channel 25) Assyrian Social Club (and Eden's Banquet Hall) -Private Businesses- Leader Realty Broadway Bank L & M Foods Z Frank Chevrolet Lawando Food Market Anwar Food Market Governor Jim Edgar Auto Sound Barrier Middle Eastern Restaurant Hollywood Auto Parts GLK Realty Inc -Assyrian/Chaldean Churches- Assyrian Church of the East St Ephrem Mart Mariam Chaldean Church Ancient Church of the East Ancient Church of the East (St. Odisho Church) =========================================================================== G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N =========================================================================== KDP CLARIFICATION INADEQUATE Assyrian International News Agency (AINA): April 7 - AINA@WWA.COM The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) recently published a "Clarification" regarding the February 10th, 1997 murder of two Assyrian Christians by a mob of Kurds in Shaqlawa. The KDP statement corroborated much of the information released earlier by various Assyrian organizations but contained some omissions. Mr. Masoud Barzani, the leader of the KDP, visited Shaqlawa after the killings and acknowledged that there had been an intense campaign of arson and explosions targeting Assyrian Christian stores in the Shaqlawa area. He also acknowledged that while local Kurdish authorities were investigating this campaign of terror against the Assyrian Christians, Mr. Mohammed Babakir, a Kurd, was found killed. Mr. Barzani asserted that Mr. Babakir had years earlier kidnapped the daughter of Mr. Lazar Matte, an Assyrian Christian. The local Kurdish authorities assumed that Mr. Lazar Matte and his son Havel Lazar were involved in Mr. Babakir's murder despite the lack of any evidence. Since the two families had resolved their conflict four years ago, there was no explanation as to why the Kurdish authorities assumed Mr. Matte killed Mr. Babakir. Mr. Matte and his son were, nevertheless, arrested pending further investigation. Mr. Barzani then acknowledged that a mob of Kurds stormed the prison and lynched the two Assyrian Christians in the name of Islam. In his speech to the Assyrians in the Mar Yokhana Church, Mr. Barzani expressed his condolences to the Assyrians and pledged "security and peace to all." The Assyrians warmly welcomed Mr. Barzani's conciliatory remarks and statement of condemnation of the murders. However, Mr. Barzani's omissions left still more questions unanswered amongst the Assyrian community. Mr. Barzani failed to note that Mr. Lazar Matte's still teenage daughter was forcibly converted to Islam. He also failed to note that the mob was incited by a local mullah to kill the Assyrian Christians and to burn their home in the name of Islam. Mr. Barzani did not mention that the Assyrians were literally butchered into several pieces and that their dismembered body parts were strewn across fields in Shaqlawa. In a further show of terror, the Kurdish mob rampaged through Assyrian areas in Shaqlawa firing automatic weapons and exploding grenades in order to terrorize and intimidate the Assyrians. When the pieces of the victims were, finally, retrieved by the Assyrian Christians, they were prevented from organizing a funeral in Shaqlawa; the funeral was eventually held in Arbil. Mr. Barzani falsely stated that the killers had been captured and were being held in prison. Subsequent reports from the area have contradicted that assertion. The actual killers are said to be free and those now incarcerated are only minimally involved. Those Kurds being held for questioning are expected to be released soon. Furthermore, those responsible for ordering the killings have not been held accountable for their role in accordance with the law. The most egregious omission of all, however, remains Mr. Barzani's failure to even once refer to the Assyrians as Assyrians. In the statement, the Assyrians are repeatedly referred to as "Christian brothers." Assyrians are left wondering whether the KDP officially denies the existence of the Assyrians and their nearly 7000 year history in their ancestral Assyrian homeland in northern Iraq. =========================================================================== S U R F S U P ! =========================================================================== "It is not often that an Assyrian takes a bold and strong position to challenge the way we handle our political situation (Ramin Daniel's 'CALL FOR ACTION'). This is commendable particularly when it originates from a young, educated and very active Assyrian. I personally know Ramin Daniels and am very much aware of his continuous support of our people in the North. It is also encouraging to read the positive reaction (Sam Shapira's letter in the last issue of ZENDA) to this subject. This raises one's hope that with reason and love for our nation we can indeed attract able Assyrians to involve positively in our political situation. I was deeply touched particularly when I read Ramin and Samir's emphasis on our support for our people's movement (ZOWAA) in North Iraq. This, I believe, is crucial in obtaining our Assyrian right's in Iraq. And yet here in the US we have failed to promote this idea. I hold ZOWAA in the US responsible for this failure. I was born and raised in the North. It is very difficult to hear and read that the Assyrians are leaving their homes, lands and belongings and taking a refuge in neighboring countries. Their fears associated with Saddam Hussein's policies about non-Arab 'cleansing' of Iraq is well known. For centuries we have lived there and yet we, in the US, are disassociating ourselves with that land as rapidly as Saddam Hussein's 'cleansing machine' progresses into it. Losing our lands is a political suicide for our nation. For this simple yet critical reason, I agree with Sam Shapira when he mentions that ZOWAA here in the US acts as if the North does not exist. Our land in the North is too precious to let go. We must do something to keep our land and associate ourselves with that land. We must keep supporting our brothers and sisters in the North who are asking for our rights. ZOWAA here in the US has failed to enhance the political awareness of Assyrians in the US. It had five years to work on that. I made two trips to the North in 1991. My first trip was shortly after the Gulf War when Saddam had attacked North Iraq. Assyrians had fled to the camps in southern Turkey to save their lives. I saw the most heartbreaking scenes of our Assyrian people living under blue plastic bags and on a daily basis burying the young and the old. These Assyrians had well to do lives in the North before fleeing to the camps. Our ZOWAA leaders were among our scattered people trying to reorganize and represent our people even in that chaotic situation. In my second trip to the North within the same year, I found a well organized and disciplined ZOWAA with centers established in every major city and region. I saw how those leaders, among them Yaqoub Yosip diligently taking care of our people's problems. The very careful and yet determined work that ZOWAA was doing was most impressing. At that point in my life I was proud and the ray of hope in my veins was so empowering I decided to take the case to the Assyrians in the US. The joyful scenes of seeing Assyrians working together and going forward as Assyrians was too overwhelming to keep for myself. I felt every Assyrian in the world had the right to see our people in action. Our ZOWAA leaders were among our people leading them with their dedication and foresight. ZOWAA was heard every where. People were expecting ZOWAA to deliver. Towards the end of the same year, when Yaqoub Yosip visited the US he attracted many able Assyrians to 'jump start' the then fairly unknown ZOWAA, under Dr. Lincoln Malik. And ZOWAA's activities started to take a fairly good proportion of the Assyrian events thereafter. A week would not pass without hearing from our ZOWAA people here in San Jose for their fund raising and other activities. This did not last. The dissatisfaction with the way that ZOWAA was run in the US started to surface and the 'melt down' that Sam Shapira mentions started. I believe that the patriarchal management style of Dr. Lincoln Malek was the cause of that. ZOWAA leadership in the US has totally failed. Whatever Dr. Lincoln Malik's strategy and agenda has been, it has not worked for our people in the North. I feel ZOWAA in the US has not communicated ZOWAA's goals and beliefs as clearly and consistently as it should have been. It has failed to build a bridge between here, in the US, and there, in the North. It has refused to listen to other Assyrian institutions and has displayed very little respect for those who have helped in the past. We must ask our leaders in the North to take action in correcting the situation. We must stand up and show our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the North by supporting them in every way we can. Even if it means to insist that the reorganization of ZOWAA in the US to take place immediately. Ben Samuel Santa Clara, CA "on behalf of all Assyrians in B.C., Canada, we wish our Assyrian brothers & sisters around the world happy Kha' Bnesan and hope to celebrate this national event together in our beloved homeland "Bet Nahrain." Dr. Simon Francis Shamoun Vice-President & Secretary General ACCSBS SSHAMOUN@PFC.FORESTRY.CA [To our non-Canadian readers: B.C. = British Columbia- western Canada] *************** "...I appreciate your effort and service you are providing to fellow Assyrians. keep up the good work and god bless you." Gil Chamaki California [Mr. Chamaki is the guru behind the innovative and the popular AssyriaLink internet service.] *************** "There seems to be an error in the Last Zenda section 'This week in History: [April 10, 1968: The Assyrian Universal Alliance, the first world-wide Assyrian political organization, is founded in Pau, France.] The AUA was not founded as a political organization. It was established to be the international voice of Assyrians as well as an umbrella organization representing all of its affiliates around the world. The AUA had a Lobbying group to serve as the 'political arm of the AUA', which evidently became what AUA is known for. However, the AUA was not intended to be a solely political group. Long Live the Assyrian Nation." Firas Jatou Chicago, Illinois [We stand corrected.] *************** "In Back to The Future, you state: "...A.D. (115) The Roman emperor Trajan creates the Province of Mesopotamia which included Nisibin (Nisibis) and Singara" (The Roman Near East, Miller). Miller translated the term incorrectly. The correct term was Athour, and the Romans themselves called it the Province of Assyria. In a Short History of Syriac Christianity to the Rise of Islam, W. Stewart McCullough writes, "After wintering in Antioch, where he [Trajan] survived a terrible earthquake, in December, in the spring of 115 he moved eastwards penetrating as far as Adiabene, which became the Roman province of Assyria." [page 4]. Peter Jasim Chicago, Illinois *************** "Have you heard of the "New" Mar Shaleeta Church in L.a.? The followers of Kasha Barkhu have been so strongly moved that we have split from the assyrian church of the east and have formed our own, if you havent had this article please write back and i will happily give you additional information, if it has been in a Zenda letter please let me know which so that i may look it up. Rany Warda Southern California [Indeed we have! However, there is always room for new information.] *************** "I do not know who gave my e-mail address to you without my consent, but let me assure you that I have no interest in receiving your material. So I would greatly appreciate it if you removed my name from your mailing list." David Nazary San Jose, California *************** [In response to ZENDA's apology for our last week's 72-hour delay]: "NO PROBLEM AT ALL!!! YOU GUYS AND GALS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!!!" Evans Alkas Illinois *************** "Just a friendly reminder, Raabie Nimrod Simono's Intermediate Grammar Class is completed. Please remove from your I N T E L L I G E N T S I A section. (just spring cleaning)!" Lorine Merza San Jose, California =========================================================================== S U R F E R S C O R N E R =========================================================================== ZENDA readers are invited to respond to the following request(s) by either directly writing to the author or sending a reply to ZENDA. *************************************************************************** Zenda readers: how about having a jokes section?" Sargon Kanja =========================================================================== N E W S D I G E S T =========================================================================== KHA B'NEESAN AND EASTER CELEBRATIONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (ZNDA: British Columbia) On March 30, nearly 70 Assyrians of Greater Vancouver and British Columbia celebrated both Kha B'Neesan and Easter. The event was organized by the Assyrian Canadian Cultural Society of British Columbia (ACCSBC). During the celebration, ACCSBC president, Mr. Youash Gewargis welcomed everyone and congratulated the guests on the official establishment of the Society with the Government of British Columbia. As usual the celebrations included the Assyrian folk dances (Khigga, Shaikhani, etc), music and food. NOW HIRING: ASSYRIOLOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (ZNDA: Chicago) The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago invites applications for one or more positions at the level of Research Associate. The successful candidates will assist the Editor-in-Charge and the Manuscript Editor in all phases of dictionary preparation and production. The effective date for the beginning of employment will be any time between June 1 and September 1, 1997. Qualifications: Ph.D. in Assyriology, with familiarity in all genres and periods of cuneiform texts. Terms: Initial one-year appointment, with possibility of renewal. Health, vacation, and travel benefits may be available for one-year or longer appointments. Send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and names and addresses of three referees, by mail, fax (773/702-9853), or email (m-roth@uchicago.edu), by May 15, 1997, to: Professor Martha T. Roth The Chicago Assyrian Dictionary Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 1155 East 58th Street Chicago Illinois 60637 USA THE IMAGE OF EDESSA RESCUED FROM BURNING CATHEDRAL (ZNAP: Italy)- The Image of Edessa, also known as the Shroud of Turin, was rescued from the San Giovanni cathedral in downtown Turin last week. The linen Shroud is revered by some Christians as bearing an image of Jesus Christ. The Italian police said that the Shroud is now safe and provided no information on the cause of the fire. The 14-foot-long linen has been enshrined in the cathedral since 1578. It bears the faint yellowish negative image of the front and back of a man with thorn marks on the head, lacerations on the back and bruises on the shoulders. According to The Doctrine of Addai "the Image of Edessa is described not as of miraculous origin but merely as the work of Hannan (Ananias), who 'took and painted a portrait of Jesus in choice paints, and brought it with him to his lord King Abgar'." The Assyrian King Abgar ruled the small kingdom of Edessa in the first century A.D. and is believed to be the first ruler to convert to Christianity. For more information see: http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/reflections/messiah/edessa.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -End of Section 1 of 2 ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- From zenda@ix.netcom.com Tue Apr 15 01:55:33 1997 Return-Path: Received: from dfw-ix16.ix.netcom.com (dfw-ix16.ix.netcom.com [206.214.98.16]) by emin22.mail.aol.com (8.8.5/8.8.5/AOL-2.0.0) with ESMTP id BAA15315; Tue, 15 Apr 1997 01:55:23 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from smap@localhost) by dfw-ix16.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id WAA16772; Mon, 14 Apr 1997 22:39:02 -0500 (CDT) Received: from sjx-ca68-18.ix.netcom.com(207.92.150.82) by dfw-ix16.ix.netcom.com via smap (V1.3) id sma015832; Mon Apr 14 22:38:41 1997 Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19970414203819.006aff70@popd.ix.netcom.com> X-Sender: zenda@popd.ix.netcom.com X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 20:38:19 -0700 To: zenda@ix.netcom.com From: ZENDA Subject: ZENDA I (Vol III,#9 ; 4/14/97) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"