Inspiration and Wisdom from the 2022 Assyrian National Conference in Washington, DC
by Julia Bajone Hallisy D.D.S.
I recently attended the Assyrian Policy Institute conference in Arlington, Virginia where I was joined by Sargon Shabbas and Annie Elias, President, and Vice-President of the Assyrian Foundation of America (AFA).
We were encouraged by the large number of young, engaged Assyrians who are the future guardians of our culture. They willingly and lovingly accept a call to action on a global scale. They are undaunted and undeterred about the work that lies ahead, and they clearly recognize that there is power in numbers when working on unified actions and goals in the global Assyrian community.
The opening message was delivered by Reine Hanna, Executive Director of the Assyrian Policy Institute (API). Reine reminded us that as challenging as it may be at times, we must always hold dear our common history as ancient people and see ourselves as a unified group. We may have different places we identify as our homelands — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey — which are often the places that our ancestors settled after the genocide. But always remember that we all share an original homeland in a place called Assyria — which creates an eternal and unbreakable bond.
Several young Assyrians spoke of their GISHRU trips to the homeland and how they remain forever changed after these experiences. Their feelings of deep sadness are buffered by committing to action. They are actively seeking ways to be changemakers — in efforts that are both small and local, political and global. Several attendees acknowledged that after these trips they have feelings of guilt for being fortunate enough to live in freedom and safety. It was pointed out that we can also adopt the mindset that as citizens of other countries, we have opportunities to be advocates for change that we wouldn’t have if we lived in the Middle East.
Ms. Carmen Morad from the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock who is also Chair of the Assyrian Wellness Collaborative and a Commissioner for the city of Modesto discussed how her efforts to raise awareness about her local Assyrian community started with “food and dancing.” Carmen continues to build on her initial successes to make great gains in voter registration, census work, and working with the county in creating ballots with Assyrian language translation to encourage voter turn-out. Carmen Morad’s advocacy is an example of how we can give Assyrians a greater voice and more political agency.
“Against all odds, we do these things.”
Dr. Michael Youash discussed the concept of Sapere Aude — which translates from Latin as “dare to know” and refers to having wisdom in the face of hard truths. The difficult reality we face is that we are not seeing the full effects of our advocacy efforts. Dr. Youash asserts that “we must change the way we think about ourselves” and empower our worldwide Assyrian community before we will be seen as having the right to decisional authority over our future. We are an indigenous nation in our homeland and not just a “vulnerable minority.” The number of Assyrians living in our ancestral homeland is diminishing and continues to decrease. This isn’t because Assyrians don’t want to be there — it’s due to the loss of people to ongoing genocide, disastrous foreign policy decisions by several governments which has enabled ethnic cleansing, forced and violent displacement, and the lack of any real or recognized authority to make our own decisions.
Present-day policies of many nations continue to allow the erasure of our history and hinder our efforts to accurately measure the true depth of Assyrian losses in human life, property, language, economics, and religious and political freedom. Dr Youash cautions us to have “no illusions that foreign governments are going to finally step in” and provide the definitive help we need to be an independent nation — because they never have.
He left us with the powerful statement, “Against all odds, we do these things.”
A large contingency of attendees met with Representative Josh Harder, from California’s 10th Congressional District in California’s Central Valley covering Stanislaus County and parts of San Joaquin County. Representative Harder discussed House Resolution 550 — a bipartisan effort to recognize the Assyrian Genocide and accountability for US aid to the Nineveh Plains area to support Assyrian Defense Fighters. The text of House Resolution was written with Ishtar Saiyady, J.D., a Board Member of the API and the former Constituent Services Manager for Representative Harder. Meetings also took place with Representatives Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Anna Eshoo of California.
The API also supports the Sherman Amendment #28 to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022, stating that the U.S. should work with the Government of Iraq to achieve the voluntary and safe return of ethno-religious minorities, such as Assyrians and Yazidis, to the Nineveh Plains region of Iraq. The Sherman Amendment has mandated reporting requirements to account for the monies spent and to determine if meaningful changes are being realized by Assyrians and others in the Nineveh Plains. H.R 4350 was passed into law in December 2021, and the Department of State’s mandated report in accordance with the Sherman Amendment is forthcoming.
Both legislative efforts are examples of the progress we can make by forging relationships with our representatives and keeping Assyrian issues on their priority list.
We must recognize the importance of community organizing by forming groups to build strength, support, and camaraderie. Local community groups, student groups, and international groups are vital — as are larger, global initiatives. What all these efforts have in common is that they need the support of groups like the API, which supports Assyrians as they struggle to maintain their rights in their ancestral homeland and brings Assyrian voices to important policy discussions.
One powerful way that people, who are spread apart geographically, can unite is to have common goals, actions and asks — an example is recognition of the Assyrian Genocide. A contingency from France was in attendance — the Association des Assyro-Chaldeens en France (AACF) — who is also working on recognition of the Assyrian Genocide in their country. Countries that have officially recognized the Assyrian Genocide include Sweden, Armenia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. Sharing successful strategies internationally is a way to achieve success more efficiently and expeditiously.
Assyrian activist Bedri Diril, the son of Hurmuz and Simoni Diril spoke very passionately about the kidnapping of his elderly parents from the Assyrian village of Meer in southeast Turkey. The Diril’s had returned several times to their home in Tur Abdin region, where indigenous Assyrians have lived for thousands of years. The Diril’s simple wish to rebuild their house and re-inhabit their homeland was met with violence. Kidnapping has long been used to terrorize indigenous Assyrian peoples (and many others) into into fleeing countries as a means to ensure ethnic homogeneity.
Tragically, the remains of Simoni Diril were found after extensive searches by her family. The body of Hurmuz Diril has never been located. The Diril family feels that the Turkish authorities haven’t provided much-needed support in helping the family with their search or in solving the case. Bedri Diril concedes that there are forces “beyond our power” and that his family holds little hope of seeing a fair resolution. Still, they continue to seek justice in this heartbreaking case and remind us that when perpetrators of crimes against humanity go unpunished, they become empowered to continue their campaigns of intimidation, domination, and even annihilation.
The morning session included an emotional screening of the short film Grace from Director Brian Patto. The short drama film seeks to increase international awareness of the struggles of the Assyrian people who’ve been persecuted for centuries. The film calls attention to the ongoing issues of forced migration, loss of homeland, and the ongoing and tragic consequences of enduring multiple periods of genocide.
Dr. Mariam Georgis from the University of Manitoba taught us that all genocides have commonalities. Genocides start with persecution and include life and death struggles that lead to profound loss of life. As genocides continue, attempts are made to completely erase the history and culture of a group or groups, and ultimately the victims adopt “a refusal to be erased” mindset. Genocide is a perpetual threat to many marginalized peoples because it is land-based, a takeover of resources that are often economically valuable, fueled by a quest for money and power, and tied to a rise in nationalism — all ongoing threats due to the realities of the dark part of human nature and unstable geopolitical forces.
Dr. Georgis considers adaptation to be part of survival and not a “sell-out,” but stresses that it’s vital to preserve our oral and written histories and our language. It’s important that our history be reconstructed with accuracy by our own scholars who we encourage and support financially in their studies. Ongoing conflict may have led to the loss of many of our archives of historical documents, but fortunately there are those working to re-establish the archival records that do remain.
The panel discussion by Dr. Ruth Kambar, Annie Elias and Kathy Sayad Zatari, Esq., entitled “A Race Against Time: Recording Assyrian Oral Histories” addressed the need to document oral histories and preserve memorabilia, photos, and other Assyrian artifacts. Efforts are underway by the Assyrian Studies Association, led by Dr. Ruth Kambar, to establish an online, publicly accessible archive to protect and preserve our precious cultural artifacts.
An example of such a treasure is the film called Assyrians in Motion from 1937 shot by John (Aghajan) Baba from Chicago. Dr. Ruth Kambar and Annie Elias are working to create an ethnographic oral history about the people and places in the film. The original film reels, which document Assyrians from Chicago, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania, have been donated to the Library of Congress. Our reclaimed history will be readily accessible for all Assyrians and shared with scholars and interested parties all over the world on the Assyrian Studies Association’s website.
Dr. Ruth Kambar, Kathy Sayad Zatari, J.D., Hannibal Travis, J.D., and Dr. Erin Hughes have been working on an Assyrian Historical Exhibition, “Tell Our Stories: Artifacts of the Assyrian Genocide, 1895–1924,” at California State University, Stanislaus. The exhibition opened on the weekend of June 30th, 2022 and will run through August 7th, 2022. The exhibit represents a unique opportunity to examine personal narratives and historical artifacts that explore the Assyrian Genocide era in the Ottoman Empire and Persia.
As time goes on we must never forget the countless people that have been claimed by genocide. In many cases, entire families have been erased from the face of the earth. This exhibit gives us the opportunity to remember the victims and ensure that they and their struggles will be remembered. Exhibitions of objects and other tangible memorabilia create an emotional response in viewers, brings history to life, and ensures both preservation and permanence.
Dr. Alda Benjamen presented her book, Assyrians in Modern Iraq: Negotiating Political and Cultural Space about the role of Assyrians in twentieth-century Iraq. Dr. Benjamen conducted extensive research in Iraq at the Iraqi National Archives in Baghdad and in libraries in Erbil, Mosul, and Duhok. Dr. Benjamen discussed the geo-political history of the region and its impact on the current issues facing the Assyrian population. Dr. Benjamen’s talk concluded with a question and answer period moderated by Atour Sargon, Vice-Chair of the Assyrian Policy Institute and an elected official of the Lincolnwood, Illinois Board of Trustees.
The audience inquired about the cover photo of the book and its significance. Dr. Benjamen chose a photo of two women atop a float that was part of a public celebration parade in Iraq in 1959. The first of several Assyrian-themed floats featured Margaret Benjamin Gundelove and Fiona Ewan Warda atop a monument that celebrated Assyrian culture. Assyrians were featured prominently in the parade and were integrated into Iraqi society until a rise in nationalism, attempts by the new Ba ’thist regime to Arabize the region, and forced relocation policies would diminish the role and stature of Assyrians in Iraq, which continues to this day. To create real world solutions, we need historical context of the problems we are working to solve. Our Assyrian scholars, researchers like Dr. Benjamen, and authors provide this much needed context, which helps drive the direction and course of our advocacy efforts.
“Now is the time to act.”
So, what actions can we take both as individuals and collectively as a nation? We can continue to educate our own community about our history and the issues — both past and present — facing Assyrians. We can work hard to create a sense of pride in our heritage by learning and teaching our language. We can seek out opportunities to work within our local communities and join groups because advocacy often begins close to home. We can sponsor students for internships and future employment in local, regional, and national governments so they can be in positions to establish relationships with government leaders. Individuals can reach out by email, mail, or phone to their elected officials to voice their support for H.Res. 550 and to ask for official recognition of the Assyrian Genocide.
We can face the difficult truths of our current situation in the Middle East and identify free Assyrian groups in the region that are not controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and if their policies and goals align with ours, we can support them. We can utilize the NDAA reporting requirements to ask for transparency about how money the United States government allots to the region is spent to ensure that it’s reaching those who need it. We can help re-establish a Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU) force — because it was effective. Security and freedom don’t just happen in volatile countries — it must be enforced and protected by a strong and cohesive military force. Use social media in any way you can to further awareness, even if only to comment on and share posts. It can be as simple as identifying yourself on social media as #Assyrian. Learn the stories of your ancestors, record them, write them down, preserve photos and family heirlooms — and consider sharing them with established archive projects or by reaching out directly to the Assyrian Studies Association archive project.
The overriding message from the conference was clear: Instead of seeing differences, all Assyrians must search out and embrace their similarities because the future of our culture depends on it. There is a real sense of urgency because complacency creates the illusion that we have the luxury of time. This call to action is not dramatic or alarmist. Now is the time to act. The conference room was a small microcosm of the indigenous and diasporic Assyrian nation. Every word from each of the speakers was a poignant reminder that we must be united in the effort to save our nation.
About the Author
Julia Bajone Hallisy D.D.S. is a practicing dentist in San Francisco, California and a member of the Assyrian Foundation of America and a staff member of the Assyrian Studies Association’s Preserving Assyria’s Program as part of the Heritage Archive Initiative. Dr. Hallisy is a proud Assyrian who enjoys researching her own family history and the stories of all Assyrians.
