Cardinal Seeks Vatican Support to Regain Recognition in Iraq

Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Cardinal Louis Sako said he would like more Vatican support as he tries to regain formal recognition as the Chaldean patriarch in the country. As reported in an earlier edition of the Chaldean News, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked Cardinal Sako’s decree as head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq in July.

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Samantha Jarbou Shines

Samantha Jarbou graduated salutatorian of her class at Clio High School, where her family are the only Chaldeans. She was vice president of Student Council and the National Honor Society and the president of Clio High School’s Youth Entrepreneurship Club for 4 years. Samantha is active in the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, also known as NFTE. She invented the “Vest Pack” and the “Handy Ottoman” which took her to win the local, state, and national competitions in New York City, the first student from Michigan to get that far. She participates in HOSA (Future Health Professionals of America), a global student-led organization that enhances students’ leadership, development, and communication skills.

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Rana Sadek Roumayah Joins Honigman

Honigman LLP announced that Rana Sadek Roumayah has joined its Labor and Employment Department as a partner in the firm’s Detroit office. Roumayah joins Honigman after working for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for 23 years. At the NLRB, she developed an expertise in traditional labor law and other aspects of employment law. Specializing in case analysis, strategic planning, negotiations, and compliance, Roumayah has litigated, negotiated, and tried hundreds of cases.

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Jason Abro Named Supervisor of the Year

On September 10, members of local law enforcement were honored during the Brighter Michigan PAC’s America Safety First event held at Jimmy John’s Field. The political action committee honored Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham as Law Enforcement Administrator of the Year and Macomb County Sheriff Commander Jason Abro as Law Enforcement Supervisor of the Year.

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Celebrating New Americans

The newly designated American citizens received certificates of the Citizenship class completion and had the opportunity to meet with and speak to Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. Then they began the process of becoming registered voters with help from the Sterling Heights City Clerk’s office. Attendees also had the ability to fill out sample ballots and use a tabulator to get familiar with how voting works during election cycles.

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What it Means to be Chaldean

CCF President Martin Manna was interviewed on Sunday Edition with Alisa Zee to discuss the Chaldean community and the triumphs and trials the community has faced.

In the 20-minute, 2-part interview, Martin Manna also discusses the origins of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and the Chaldean Community Foundation, what it means to be Chaldean, and the current state of the Chaldean community in Iraq and other areas. 

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Honoring Chaldean Scholars

The CCF experienced a record-breaking year, awarding 33 scholarship recipients with a total of $103,500 in scholarships at our Scholarship Award Reception on August 24.

The CCF has a large donor based of donor families and businesses including: w3r Consulting, Yvonne Nona Memorial Scholarship Fund, Drs. Nathima and Peter Atchoo Family Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Abdul Karim and Jameela Sesi Memorial Scholarship Fund, Derek Dickow and the Children’s Health Fund at the Children’s Foundation, DA Advisory Group, and Alline Salon Group.

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“Non-Traditional” Family-Fun Halloween Activities

Every year, it seems as if Halloween is arriving earlier and earlier in the year….and I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t hate it. Halloween is such a fun way to bond with your children and get creative while you do it. While you can go the traditional “trick-or-treating” route, (an oldie but a goodie), why not put a fun spin on it and start branching out to create new ghoulie traditions you and your kids will love and remember for years to come?

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Coming to America

Bushra Hormis is an Iraqi expatriate who came to America and faced many difficulties, including learning a new language, translating and filling out paperwork, and finding employment. Bushra thanked God when she heard about the Chaldean Community Foundation, which aids immigrants in general, and Iraqis in particular. Said Bushra, “I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Him for this great idea of providing useful and beautiful assistance.”

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Bet Nahrain Art Show

Experience the land between two rivers through art at the Bet Nahrain Art Show from November 3-5 at the Chaldean Community Foundation from 5:00pm-9:00pm on Friday and Saturday and 2:00pm-7:00pm on Sunday. The event is free to attend as we will feature a variety of artists including Reni Stephan, Wilson Sarkis, Azhr Matti, Sabah Wazi, Sabah Dawood, and Mark Georgies.

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“Mommy’s Salad”

“Mommy’s Salad,” as it was named by her children, is not just a salad—it’s a meal. On most dinner menus, salads tend to play a supporting role, served in small portions at the start of a meal. However, West Bloomfield resident Aida Yousif has taken the concept of a salad to a new level by elevating it to a full meal. Among family and friends, “Mommy’s Salad” is a favorite and has been at the top of the request list for many years.

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In the Beginning: Mesopotamian Beer

Martin Luther is credited with saying, “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven. Thus, let us drink beer!” Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to man. Before Adolphus Busch, Arthur Amstel, and Samuel Adams – before Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors, Michelob, the English Newcastle Brown Ale, the Irish Guinness, the Dutch Heineken, the Mexican Corona, the Belgian Stella Artois, and the Australian Fosters, there was Mesopotamian beer from Sumer.

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Falling Back

Autumn is a time of contemplation; it is when we take stock of where we are and perhaps re-evaluate and adjust our trajectory for the future. For many, it seems like an end – the end of summer, the end of the season, the end of the year drawing to a close. Early next month, on the 5th of November to be exact, our clocks will turn back for perhaps the last time, if opponents of Daylight Savings Time (DST) have their wish.

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Leaving Minorities Behind

In the blistering heat of summer, Iraq’s infrastructure and institutions have managed to stay intact through another year. Its struggles with water, climate, electricity, and sectarianism preclude the country from making a significant economic recovery 20 years after the United States invaded its borders. Christian minorities often bear the brunt of Iraq’s various crises, which seem to compound rather than resolve. In late August, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court heaved another hardship on its Christian communities by officially upholding a ban on the importation, manufacturing, and sale of alcoholic beverages.

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Fighting for the Underserved

Diya Butros Sliwa, a Chaldean political activist, lives in Erbil, Iraq, but he gives talks around the world on human rights. He visited North America recently where he gave talks and interviews in Michigan, in Canada, and he also plans to travel to Washington, DC. His goal is to bring awareness to the status of the rights of religious and national minorities in Iraq and Kurdistan.

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