The people sitting in the audience of the Niles Township High School board meeting focused all of their energy on the event that would take place in just a few minutes. They were adorned with joleh d’khomala, a traditional Assyrian outfit that shows off bright colors, embroidered patterns, and feathers coming out of the headdress.
Read MoreIn 2020, Nathan Pawl’s son, an honor-roll student, felt attacked because he wouldn’t wear a mask in school. This was in Walled Lake School District, and when Pawl, the father, tried to resolve the situation, he felt frustrated that he wasn’t being heard. Pawl then decided to act. He teamed up with Monica Yatooma, a former Oakland County Commissioner candidate, and Matthew Nelson, a Walled Lake parent, and they founded the Great Schools Initiative (GSI), a non-profit organization based in Michigan and dedicated to advocating for premium public education.
Read MoreIn today’s rapidly evolving world, establishing and nurturing a brand that captures the hearts and minds of consumers is an art form. One individual who has masterfully embraced this challenge is Lydia Michael, an author and brand strategist whose groundbreaking book, “Brand Love – Building Strong Consumer-Brand Connections,” released on July 25, 2023, by Kogan Page, a leading independent publisher of business books, has taken the marketing world by storm.
Read MoreMichigan is such a beautiful state. We are surrounded on three sides by water – fresh, glorious water – and have the advantage of experiencing all four seasons of the year, sometimes in the same week! (You may have seen memes on social media that say, “Everyone: “You can’t have all four seasons in one week.” Michigan: “Hold my Faygo.”)
Read MoreTragedy struck the village of Bakhdida during a wedding celebration on Tuesday evening. At least 120 have been declared dead and more than 500 people injured due to severe burns and or difficulty breathing in a fire in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains Province. The death toll is still rising.
Read MoreElla Lucia is a teenage wonder woman. She’s a star girls hockey player and an outstanding student who has made a verbal commitment to take her hockey skills and academic acumen to Harvard University, a prestigious Ivy League college. Lucia announced July 31 that she has “committed to the admissions process” at Harvard.
Read MoreWith the school year about to begin, the Chaldean News decided to explore the issue of whether our Chaldean kids are making the best of the opportunities offered to them in school. To assist us in this endeavor, we sought the opinion of two prominent educators.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, Iraq had a well-functioning British-style education system, consisting of primary and secondary schools and eight tertiary institutions, including a well-regarded medical school in Baghdad and one of the oldest Islamic universities on Earth, Mustansiriya University, dating from the year 1233. Seriously damaged during military occupations and by rioting students in 2007, the university suffered trauma from which it is still recovering.
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The Chaldean News sponsored a trip to Kalamazoo last month for a father-son duo, Nick and Randy Najjar, to share their story with a program called StoryCorps, which aims to “illuminate the humanity and possibility in us all – one story at a time.”
Read MoreWith his 35 years in business, law, finance, and public affairs, Michael G. Sarafa has been named Counsel for Butzel. Helping clients navigate issues in the governmental sector as well as in the realm of outside counsel services, Michael has achieved an enviable reputation in legal and political circles in Michigan as a knowledgeable and trusted legal advisor.
Read MoreNine years after ISIS invaded and forced Christians to flee from Iraq, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has just helped complete a project. The large pastoral center, begun in 2019, will serve the 1,450 Catholic families estimated to live in Dohuk. Most are Chaldean, but about 1/3 are estimated to be Syriac.
Read MoreBorn in Alqosh, Iraq, Raad Hakeem, 32, has been playing the tamboura since the age of eleven. Known in Turkish as saz, the tamboura is a musical stringed instrument with a long neck and round body. It belongs to the lute family and is known for its rich, resonant sound. It is commonly used in Indian classical music, although it has found its way into various genres of world music and fusion styles due to its unique tone and versatile nature.
Read MoreThe local PBS affiliate, Detroit Public TV (DPTV) has hired Omar Hakim as its new executive director of education. In his new role, Hakim will lead the day-to-day management and strategy of the education team, which includes DPTV’s work with parents and early childhood educators in the city of Detroit.
Read MoreJavon R. David, an attorney at Butzel, has been named as one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Influential Women of Law” for 2023. The awards program, previously known as “Women in the Law,” honors women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system, helping clients, commitment to their communities, and service to the profession.
Read MoreCCF’s summer basketball program participants were visited by the Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart. Stewart talked to the kids about goal setting and how to be successful in school and on the court. Participants also had the opportunity to ask questions and enjoy a game of “Lightning” with the NBA player.
Read MoreEarlier this month, Breaking Barriers Program Manager Sue Kattula was inducted into the Macomb Hall of Fame, which honors individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to improving the economic, family, and community life of those that live in Macomb County.
Read MoreWhile an estimated 1.5 million young people gathered in Lisbon for World Youth Day with Pope Francis, another 62 gathered in metro Detroit with Archbishop Allen Vigneron. These youth were from 11 different parishes, and they came together at Our Lady of the Fields Camp in Brighton, staying there in solidarity with their counterparts in Portugal.
Read MoreA group from the Jewish community and West Bloomfield leadership visited the Chaldean Cultural Center inside Shenandoah Country Club on Saturday, August 5. This was the first of a series of events for the year-long Chaldean Story project, made possible with support from Michigan Humanities Grants.
Read MoreHomeownership is the ultimate American dream. Finding a place to live is one of the most important steps in establishing a new life in the United States. Some people are fortunate enough to live safely with family members while some must try to live comfortably on their own. Language barriers, financial uncertainty, and credit obstacles can be cumbersome. Educating yourself will make the process less stressful.
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