Z E N D A  M A G A Z I N E
[renamed Zinda Magazine in 1999]

Eelool  8, 6746                   Volume III                       Issue 27            September 8, 1997
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       A Weekly Online Publication of the ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency

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                                            T H I S     W E E K     I N     Z E N D A
============================================================================

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
                ------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE        Assyrian Language Classes (Adults)
                Instructor:  Dr. Ashur Moradkhan
                Sundays
                7:00-9:00 pm
                AAA of San Jose BETA
                ------------------------------------------------------
                Citizenship Classes
                Instructor:  Jacklin Bajan
                Mondays & Tuesdays
                7:00 pm
                AAA of San Jose BETA
                20000 Almaden Road
                ------------------------------------------------------
                Maestro Nebu Issabey's Nineveh Choir Practice
                AAA of San Jose BETA
                8:00 pm
                Thursdays
                ------------------------------------------------------
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.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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