from the EDITOR Creating
from the EDITOR Creating memories S U B S C R I B E ! BECAUSE values AREN’T JUST SOMETHING you learn IN MATH Why Catholic schools? Because they provide a safe, nurturing environment, a strong curriculum, daily lessons in morals and values, and the skills children need to succeed. In fact, 99% of our students graduate from high school and 98% go on to college. Help your child reach the next level – intellectually and spiritually. www.aodschools.org Now is the time to start planning for next year. Contact the Archdiocese of Detroit at 877-AOD-TEACH for information on upcoming Catholic high school open houses, high school placement tests and tuition assistance. SUBSCRIPTIONS DUES 12-Month subscription I wish to subscribe to the Chaldean News for 12 issues Please fill in your name and address below: Name ____________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________ City ___________________________________ State _____ Zip _____________________ Phone ______________________________ E-mail _____________________________ Please mail the form, with a check made payable to: The Chaldean News, Attn: Subscriptions 26555 Evergreen • Ste 250 • Southfield, MI 48076 PHONE: 248-355-4850 www.chaldeannews.com It was a long battle but the Chaldeans prevailed and purchased a piece of property that will certainly be a place where generations of Chaldeans create memories — the community goes into the woods at Camp Brighton. We feature some of those kids on the cover with one of the many forceful advocates of the project — Fr. Manuel Boji, who spent months leading the effort with Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim and a handful of community members. Writer Steve Stein followed the story for months and gives us the details in this issue. The camp site will one day be a home away from home for many of you. Read his story for the first glimpse into the place you will ultimately spend time enjoying and creating good memories. What is occurring right now in Iraq and with the refugees will be historical. It will not only hold a place in our minds but will be documented in history books. This is a memorable time in all of our lives regardless of how close or far you are to the situation. The Chaldean Federation of America (CFA) has created the Adopt- A-Refugee Family program to help the refugees in their darkest hours and time of need. They will remember forever the selfless acts of so many people who donated time and money to nurture the transition from their homeland to a foreign place. Thanks to the CFA, what could be long-lasting, horrifying memories will perhaps be overpowered by the kindness of our community and will be remembered as a time where hundreds of people gathered to relieve others of their pain. The CFA is helping create positive memories in the middle of a nightmare. You can be part of it. Read more in our Noteworthy section to find out how you can adopt a family that had been forced out of Iraq. Are you creating memories in your own family? If so, how are you documenting them? You don’t have to be Chaldean-known photographer and videographer Ivan Yousif to capture your family photos and film. Some memories stay alive only in our thoughts while others will be recalled when we view pictures and videos. So much of what we do here at The Chaldean News and a big part of what this news magazine represents is documenting our history, our special moments. We report the news stories. We cover the events. We profile the community members doing memorable things. The Chaldean News is more VANESSA DENHA- GARMO EDITOR than just a news magazine, it is your scrapbook of what has happened over the past month. It belongs to all of us and as each year passes, the old issues are filled with memories. Unfortunately, a snafu with the U.S. Mail prevented us from publishing pictures of the Chaldean Church Sports League girls volleyball tournament last month. They can all be seen on our website: www.chaldeannews.com. Shortly before my father passed away I videotaped him telling me some of the many stories he repeated over the years about his life in Iraq. Unfortunately time ran out before I was able to get the footage I wished I had today. In this issue, Omar Binno writes the story of Slewah Kalawa who just celebrated 101 years of life on earth. I was touched and a tad jealous that his children captured his life in a documentary they will one day share with their own children and grandchildren. We can learn so much from our parents and grandparents. I am a firm believer no one lives long enough to make all the mistakes they need to learn great lessons in life, so why not learn from others? We all create memories in our own families — so many of those memories live in our hearts, our minds and our souls. The Chaldean News wishes Mr. Kalawa a very happy birthday and blessed year. We hope all of you enjoy the memories. Sometimes it’s all we have left. Alaha Imid Koullen (God Be With Us All) Vanessa Denha-Garmo vdenha@chaldeannews.com CALLING ALL KIDS! We want to know what you’re thinking. If you could give anybody anything, what would it be? Please send us a brief (50 words or less) letter answering this question, and include your name, age, city, phone number and a photo of yourself. We’ll publish as many as space allows in our December issue, and all photos will be posted on our website. Don’t delay! The deadline is November 12. Send to: The Chaldean News, 26555 Evergreen Road, Suite 250, Southfield, MI 48076 or email info@chaldeannews.com 6 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2007
in our VIEW An excellent purchase Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs, XXIX, 18). Congratulations to His Excellency Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim and the Chaldean Diocese of the United States on the purchase of the former Camp Brighton site in Genoa Township. The acquisition, which took nearly 18 months to consummate, will allow Chaldeans of all ages and generations to enjoy the 160-acre parcel (including a lake) for generations to come. Accolades too should go to the late Shammaya Kassab whose trust funded a good portion of the acquisition and will also pay for the construction of a chapel and shrine to Mar Gorgis. The site will be used for recreation, religious retreats and as a visitor center and will also be a testament to the forethought, vision and generosity of Mr. Kassab. The purchase of the land was not easy. The Bishop and many volunteers worked for months to make it happen. The Detroit City Council, who had to approve the sale being presented by the City Administration, turned it down at least twice. Eddie Bacall, Randy Oram and others lobbied City Council for months, finally mustering enough support for a 5-4 approval. The real driver of the deal was the Bishop himself. Many times people involved in the negotiations urged the Bishop to withdraw the offer and seek other parcels elsewhere. But Bishop Ibrahim had a vision for this site that he was determined to realize on behalf of the community. Without his persistence, leadership and business acumen the deal would not have happened. The beauty of this campground is that it will be another excellent venue for the community’s efforts to preserve our culture, ethnicity and religion. It will be made available to Chaldeans of all ages. For those who remember the summer days at Camp Dearborn, we now have a camp of our own complete with housing, kitchen equipment and Father Boji at the recently purchased Camp Brighton. recreational opportunities. The Bishop and his committee are planning future improvements as well. As we continue to watch with distress the suffering of the Iraqi people and especially the Christian community there, the importance of our efforts to build churches, lasting infrastructure and strong community organizations is more important than ever. Even though Bishop Ibrahim is near retirement age, he has established himself as a visionary beyond this generation and into the next and the next. The Camp Brighton site will be with us for a long, long time — and that is a very good thing for the Chaldean community. OCTOBER 2007 CHALDEAN NEWS 7
