OCTOBER 2019

VOL. 16 ISSUE IX 

METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY OCTOBER 2019 

$ 

3 

www.chaldeannews.com 

FIGHTING TO HEAL 

WAEL “BULL” ABBOUD HELPS PUT THE BRAKES 

ON PARKINSON’S DISEASE 

INSIDE 

OUR BURIED HISTORY 

DECEPTION, PROMISES AND BETRAYAL 

FUN AND SAFE HALLOWEEN

2 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2019

100% FOCUSED 

ON HELPING 

OUR PATIENTS 

ENJOY MORE 

MOMENTS. 

IT MAY BE TIME FOR A MAMMOGRAM. 

Depending on risk factors, some women may need a mammogram 

before the age of 45. Routine screenings save lives every day. 

Be proactive! 

For peace of mind, have your annual mammogram 

reviewed by the experts. 

PROUD TO BE A PART OF McLATREN 

OCTOBER 2019 CHALDEAN NEWS 3



CHALDEAN COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

BENEFITING THE 

CHALDEAN 

COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

VINCENT OSHANA 

ERIC D’ALESSANDRO 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019 

DOORS OPEN: 7:00PM • SHOW STARTS: 8:00PM • 21 & OVER WELCOME 

2901 GRAND RIVER AVE 

DETROIT, MI 48201 

For Sponsorship, VIP, Table & Ticket purchases, please contact Lisa at 586.722.7253 or lisa.kalou@chaldeanfoundation.org 

Tickets/Seats only, may also be purchased through Ticketmaster and Sound Board Box Office.

CONTENTS OCTOBER 2019 

THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 12 ISSUE XII 

45 

departments 

8 FROM THE EDITOR 

BY PAUL JONNA 

Back to work 

24 

on the cover 

24 FIGHTING TO HEAL 

BY PAUL NATINSKY 

‘Bull’ helps put the brakes on Parkinson’s Disease 

features 

26 OUR BURIED HISTORY 

BY CHRISTOPHER SALEM 

Meet the Assyrian Jews 

28 CHALDEANS BRING DIFFERENT 

VIEWS IN APPOINTED POSITIONS 

BY M. LAPHAM 

30 FUNNY IS FUNNY 

BY SARAH KITTLE 

32 DECEPTION, PROMISES 

AND BETRAYAL 

BY ADHID MIRI, PHD 

34 MARVIN AMMORI CONTINUES TO 

SUPPORT THE ‘LITTLE GUY’ 


10 FOUNDATION UPDATE 

11 IRAQ TODAY 

BY CARDINAL LOUIS RAPHAEL SAKO 

Christians OF Iraq, where to? 

12 NOTEWWORTHY 

13 CHALDEAN DIGEST 

14 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

In service to the community 

16 FAMILY TIME 

BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER 

Tips for a fun, safe Halloween 

18 CHAI TIME 

20 RELIGION 

BY FR. PIERRE KONJA 

Look beyond the distractions 

22 IN MEMORIAM 

36 CHALDEAN ON THE STREET 

BY HALIM SHEENA 

Being Chaldean 

38 DOCTOR IS IN 

BY JANICE KIZY 

Facing mental illness 

39 ECONOMICS AND ENTERPRISE 

BY LISA CIPRIANO 

A sweet labor of love 

40 CLASSIFIEDS 

42 EVENTS 


from the EDITOR 

PUBLISHED BY 

Chaldean News, LLC 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Martin Manna 

Back to work 

EDITORIAL 

ACTING EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Paul Jonna 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Ashourina Slewo 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 


Halim Sheena 

Paul Natinsky 

Sarah Kittle 

Janice Kizy 

Christopher Salem 

Dr. Adhid Miri 

M. Lapham 

Danielle Alexander 

Fr. Pierre Konja 

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako 

ART & PRODUCTION 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

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PHOTOGRAPHERS 

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CLASSIFIEDS 


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CONTACT INFORMATION 

Story ideas: edit@chaldeannews.com 

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Subscription and all other inquiries: 

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Chaldean News 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 101 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 

www.chaldeannews.com 

Phone: (248) 851-8600 

Publication: The Chaldean News (P-6); Published 

monthly; Issue Date: October 2019 Subscriptions: 

12 months, $35. 

Publication Address: 

30095 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 101, 

Farmington Hills, MI 48334; 

Permit to mail at periodicals postage rates 

is on file at Farmington Hills Post Office 

Postmaster: Send address changes to 

“The Chaldean News 30095 Northwestern Hwy., 

Suite 101, Farmington Hills, MI 48334” 

PAUL JONNA 

ACTING EDITOR 

IN CHIEF 

StoryWalk ® in Stering Heights features braille assistance. 

In the last issue, we reintroduced 

the Chaldean 

News (CN) to you, our 

readers, under the ownership 

of the Chaldean Community 

Foundation (CCF). 

We outlined our vision and 

direction of the future of 

this publication with new 

columns while refining others. 

Each issue will also include 

sections dedicated to 

the numerous happenings of 

the Chaldean American Chamber of 

Commerce and the unbelievable community 

services provided at the CCF. 

Another new section that you 

may have noticed in the October 

issue is the “Chaldean Digest.” 

While the biggest concentration of 

Chaldeans is here in Michigan, our 

community is making news in all 

parts of the world, across a variety of 

platforms. So, with this new section, 

we aim to provide you with as many 

stories from across the world that are 

relevant to our community. 

Taking readers on a journey 

through the past, we will also be including 

a “Where Are They Now?” 

section, in which we will be catching 

up with prominent and influential 

members of the community. We’re 

talking to Saad Marouf this month. 

Who do you think we should catch 

up with next? 

We are also proud to introduce a 

new column this month that focuses 

on informative information relating 

to Chaldean families, parents, and 

children. Be sure to read how Detroit 

Mom blog writer, Danielle Alexander, 

recommends how parents 

can ensure their children enjoy Halloween 

without sacrificing 

safety or peace of mind. 

As we continue to revise 

our content to provide 

relevant, in-depth and informative 

stories that affect 

your lives, it’s no secret 

that our faith continues to 

guide our community. Now, 

more than ever, we need to 

hear from our Church, our 

priests and our Bishop on 

a wide range of issues. This 

past month, I had the unbelievable 

honor of baptizing my nephew, Matthew. 

During the baptism, Father 

Bryan was quick to remind each 

God parent of the responsibility that 

comes with such honor. Just as quick, 

was a much-needed reminder that we 

too, as God parents, must first follow 

the teaching of Jesus before leading 

another soul to salvation. With that 

said, it only makes sense that the 

CN’s “Religion” section serve as an 

opportunity for the Chaldean clergy 

to directly speak to our readers about 

topics surrounding the Church. 

We are honored that Fr. Pierre 

Konja has taken the lead by penning 

the first piece in the new and improved 

CN “Religion” section. As rumors and 

distractions take a hold of the community, 

Fr. Pierre stresses the importance 

of focusing on the task at hand. 

We will continue to cover topics 

that are within your home, that 

matter to you and that are relevant 

to the health and wellness of your 

family. With the unprecedented rise 

of food allergies, next month’s issue 

will include an article focusing on 

the dangers of food allergies. Please 

send us your stories, fears and coping 

measures in dealing with your child’s 

allergies. 

Please always feel free to E-mail 

edit@chaldeannews.com to us what 

is important to you. 

Paul Jonna 

Acting Editor in Chief 

New York Life Congratulates 

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OCTOBER 2019 CHALDEAN 9/20/19 NEWS 2:23 PM9

FOUNDATION update 

Cutting Cake to Celebrate Citizenship Day 

New Americans packed the classroom 

at the Chaldean Community 

Foundation to celebrate Citizenship 

Day on Tuesday, September 17. 

Speaking to the crowd of new 

Americans was Sterling Heights 

Mayor Michael Taylor, Judy McHale 

from the Sterling Heights Clerk’s 

Office, Joe Miszcak from Congresswoman 

Brenda Lawrence’s office and 

CCF Citizenship Program Manager 

Sam McLaren-Fahey. 

The speakers congratulated those 

in attendance on completing the citizenship 

process while stressing the 

importance of registering and taking 

the time to vote. 

During the past year, more than 400 

clients at the Chaldean Community 

Foundation became new Americans 

through the citizenship process, with 

even more applications filed on behalf 

Census Day is April 1, 2020! 

Thanks to the generosity of w3r 

Consulting, the Nona Family and 

Drs. Nathima and Peter Atchoo 

Family Foundation, 10 students will 

be awarded with scholarships totaling 

$30,000 this year. 

Candidates can download the 

application and learn more at chaldeanfoundation.org/scholarships. 

The deadline to apply is Friday, 

October 4 at 5 p.m. 

All applicants must meet certain 

qualifications and submit the 

required documents. Any omissions 

result in immediate disqualification 

from consideration. 

Awardees will be honored at the 

Chaldean Community Foundation’s 

2nd Annual Awards Dinner Gala on 

Thursday, November 14, 2019 at the 

of those looking to become citizens. 

Attendees at the program had the 

opportunity to register to vote onsite 

through the Sterling Heights Clerk’s 

Office and CCF’s Hey U Vote initiative, 

which is available to CCF clients 

during business hours. The clerk’s office 

also provided information related 

to Census 2020 to the new Americans, 

stressing the importance of an 

accurate count to the community. 

The Census is a physical count of all people living in the United States that takes places every 10 years. Census participation 

is required by law and it is incredibly important that all members of our community are counted correctly 

in the upcoming census. The Chaldean community is currently very underrepresented in all levels of government. 

Unfortunately, the United States classification of Middle-Eastern and North African (MENA) people as “White” 

on census forms, school forms, and professional admission exams create an invisible gap of racial equity for MENAs. 

Without a complete and accurate count, we stand to lose community funding, congressional representation, and 

much more. Households should expect to receive a postcard with instructions to participate in the Census online 

beginning in mid-March 2020. Households will also have the option to respond via phone or mail. If you have questions 

regarding the Census, please visit the Chaldean Community Foundation in Sterling Heights. 

You Still Have Time to Apply to the Chaldean Community 

Foundation 2019 Academic Scholarship Program 

w3r Consulting, Yvonne E. Nona and Drs. Nathima and Peter Atchoo 

Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township. 

For questions, please contact Stacy 

Bahri or Ashley Attisha at (586) 

722-7253. 

Sterling Heights 

Library Introduces 

Inclusive StoryWalk ® 

With Braille Feature 

The city of Sterling Heights and the 

Sterling Heights Public Library have 

created an inclusive way to enjoy the 

great outdoors with their StoryWalk ® 

at Beaver Creek Park. 

Currently featuring “The Way 

Back Home” by Oliver Jeffers, the 

StoryWalk ® installation includes a 

Braille version of the story on each 

marker for blind individuals to be 

able to participate. The inclusion 

of Braille on the walk was inspired 

by the Chaldean Community Foundation’s 

Blind, ESL, Acculturation 

and Mobility project. Part of CCF’s 

Breaking Barriers program, the 

BEAM project helps blind students 

learn Braille and English, along with 

skills to help them live an independent 

life in America. 

Coming Up At CCF 

Sterling Heights 

Police and Fire 

officials are coming 

to CCF on 

Thursday, October 

10 for a town 

hall on the Safe 

Streets Renewal proposal on the ballot 

for November 5. The proposal 

would extend the current millage 

for another 10 years. Attendees can 

also register to vote for the upcoming 

elections on November 5 through 

CCF’s Hey U Vote initiative. 

State Farm and the Chaldean 

Community Foundation are hosting 

a Lunch and Learn Financial Foundations 

Workshop from 2:30 to 4:30 

p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The presentation 

will focus on developing 

and sticking to good financial habits. 


IRAQ today 

Supporters of Iraqi 

Christinals protest at 

Hart Plaza, Detroit 

in 2014. 

Christians of Iraq, where to? 

BY CARDINAL LOUIS RAPHAEL SAKO 

The declining Christians represent 

an essential component of 

Iraq. From the dawn of Christianity 

until the fall of Saddam Hussein’s 

regime in 2003, they defended 

the values of citizenship and human 

fraternity; formed an effective model 

for that; and preserved their towns, 

churches and monasteries. They were 

attacked by terrorists, abducted, killed 

and their Churches were blown away 

after 2003. Such is the case of the 

Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady 

of Deliverance in 2010. 

In 2014, ISIS occupied Mosul and 

the Nineveh Plain towns. Christians 

were driven away from their homes 

and their burned churches which 

dated back to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 

7th Centuries. These churches reflected 

a deep-rooted and prosperous 

Christian presence in this region. Today, 

despite the liberation of their areas, 

Christians have not received any 

support from the Iraqi Government 

for the reconstruction of their homes 

and rehabilitation of infrastructure. 

Moreover, the conflict has been intensified 

on their land to change its 

demographic, causing escalation of 

their worries and fears. 

What is Going on? 

Currently, Iraqi Christians are represented 

by 14 Churches, of which the 

Chaldean Catholic Church is the 

largest and most important. Christians 

have formed political parties 

and organizations that have done 

nothing useful for them. The population 

of Iraqi Christians has decreased 

dramatically after the fall of the regime 

in 2003, as a result of the deterioration 

of the security situation; 

the emergence of religious extremism 

such as al-Qaeda; the start of a 

series of threats, abductions and killings 

even among clerics. 

The domination of corruption, 

bribes and sectarianism within state 

institutions, the exclusion of national 

competencies, and the emergence 

of weak Governments that fail to enforce 

the law and the prestige of the 

state hinders Iraqi Christians. Subsequently, 

the roles of Christians were 

marginalized, and unfair laws were 

endorsed against them. 

However, the peak of injustice 

was the occupation of Mosul and 

the towns of Nineveh Plain by ISIS. 

This resulted in the displacement of 

Christians, acquisition of their properties, 

loss of confidence, shortage of 

employability that even the ministerial 

order for compensatory jobs was 

not carried out, as well as emigration 

in order to ensure good education for 

their children and a better future. It 

is estimated that about half a million 

Christians remained in Iraq so far, 

out of 1.5 million before 2003. 

Worries and Hope 

Government officials, as well as Muslim 

religious authorities and political 

parties, should take Christians’ fears 

and concerns seriously, reassure and 

encourage them to stay in their land, 

and continue living with their citizens 

confidently and peacefully aiming 

for fruitful cooperation. 

The concern of Christians is 

to lift unfairness and suffering, to 

achieve law and equality for them 

and for all citizens; and to restore 

their confidence. Hence, they will be 

able to contribute with others to raise 

awareness among Iraqis about the 

values of citizenship, human rights, 

tolerance and respect, and consolidation 

of harmonious coexistence, to 

believe that there is a possibility to 

have a safe and better future for them 

PHOTO BY SAHER YALDO 

and their children on this Earth. 

To achieve this, there should be 

a vision of the future national state, 

based on democracy, law, equality and 

respect for diversity to prevail peace 

and prosperity throughout Iraq. 

In the meantime, Iraqi politicians 

are required to rise up to the 

level of responsibility, in maintaining 

the achievements that have 

been made so far. In particular, to 

avoid slipping into a “proxy” war, 

by facing the current crisis between 

the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 

United States of America. Such a 

war will cost the entire region more 

casualties, destruction, division, and 

would certainly drive people to emigrate 

as refugees. 

Therefore, I call on all Iraqis to 

open a courageous political dialogue, 

for developing a clear and agreed upon 

strategy by all political parties that 

would be considered as a “National 

Covenant.” Such document, if implemented, 

will help Iraqis to get out of 

the successive crises and devastation. 

Iraqis must trust themselves, their 

abilities and appreciate the value of 

their unity, through which they will 

be able to challenge the painful reality, 

since unity, action and hope will 

enable them to accomplish great and 

lasting things for their country and 

their citizens. 


noteworthy 

Syriac Catholic Church 

reestablishes diocese in 

northern Iraq 

The Syriac Catholic Church has reestablished a 

diocese for the Kurdistan region of Iraq in an effort 

to support the faithful in the region and encourage 

them to remain in their homeland. 

Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III 

Younan celebrated the new diocese at a Mass at 

Queen of Peace Syriac Catholic Church in Irbil, 

Iraq, on August 24. 

Archbishop Nathaniel Nizar Semaan will head 

the new Diocese of Hadiab-Irbil and all Kurdistan. 

Previously, the area was under the Mosul archdiocese’s 

jurisdiction. 

Photo Caption: Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch 

of the Maronite Catholic Church, and Syriac 

Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan in 

Bkerke, Lebanon (CNS) 

Chaldean Man 

Murdered in 

Detroit 

Lewis Putrus, 77, was shot 

and killed Saturday, September 

21. Putrus was 

leaving his brother’s store, 

D&D, in Detroit at around 

11:00 p.m. when he was approached by a suspect 

demanding money. Reports cite a second suspect. 

A $10,000 reward is being offered by the 

Midwest Independent Retailers Foundation for 

any information leading to an arrest. 

Since 1970, more than 100 Chaldeans have 

been killed in their place of work. 

Longtime 

California 

State Legislator, 

Wadie Deddeh, 

dies at 98 

Wadie Deddeh passed away 

Tuesday, August 27 in 

Poway, California, just nine days before his 99th 

birthday. With 16 years in the Assembly and 11 

in the Senate, Deddeh built a strong reputation 

for his bipartisan leadership. 

Born in Baghdad in 1920, Deddeh came to 

the United States in 1947. 

Recognized 

by Crain’s 

John Haji, 32, has been 

selected as one of Crain’s 

Business’ 40 Under 40. The 

founder of The Gentleman’s 

Box, Haji takes serious pride 

in providing the best products 

possible to his customers. 

Pilgrimage with Fr. Jeff Day 

Fr. Jeff Day is leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land! This 9 day pilgrimage is open to all. From 

the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth to The Old City and Garden of Gethsemane, the pilgrimage 

will take you to key locations within the Holy Land. For more information or to reserve your 

spot, contact Corporate Travel Service, Inc. at (866) 468-1420. 


chaldean DIGEST 

What others are saying about Chaldeans 

The Plains of Nineveh: The Purging of Christians Continues 

FSSPX.NEWS 

BY FSSPX.NEWS 

The Patriarch of the Chaldean 

Catholic Church has once again 

publicly intervened to denounce the 

living conditions of Christians in the 

Nineveh plains. These are the costs 

of the Shiite Muslims’ stranglehold 

and the appearance of Protestant 

sects in the region. 

US Sends Additional Financial Assistance to Victims in Iraq 

ALLONGEORGIA 

BY ALLONGEORGIA 

Additional funding has been appropriated for victims 

in northern Iraq. 

The administrator for the U.S. Agency for International 

Development (USAID), Mark Green, recently 

announced that the new financial assistance is part of 

the effort by the U.S. Government, announced by Vice 

President Mike Pence, to support ethnic and religious 

minorities displaced by the genocide perpetrated by the 

so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). USAID 

awarded this funding to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 

and The Solidarity Fund Poland. 

USAID made an award of $6.8 million to CRS, 

which is working in partnership with the Chaldean 

Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, to assist vulnerable families 

with their immediate household needs and to ease 

their return home when possible. 

A separate award under USAID’s Memorandum of Understanding 

with the Government of Poland will provide 

$528,500 to a multi-donor project to deliver high-quality 

health care to communities affected by the persecution of 

ISIS. Beneficiaries will include displaced people who are 

living in camps and non-camp locations in Northern Iraq, 

as well as disadvantaged members of host com 

ASIANEWS 

BY ASIANEWS 

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako 

holds the primate office of the 

Chaldean Catholic Church in 

Iraq. His concerns are at odds 

with those of the rich Church of 

Germany, which, in its next “synodal 

path,” is preparing to legitimize 

a deadly moral relativism, 

aligned with triumphant secularism 

in the West. 

For the Chaldean primate, 

Mosul (AsiaNews) – The new message 

by “caliph” Abou Bakr al- 

Baghdadi, posted yesterday online 

by the Islamic State (IS) has not 

yet had “a vast echo” in the territories 

the group once controlled, this 

according to Fr Paul Thabit Mekko. 

The Chaldean priest in Karamles, 

Nineveh Plain (northern Iraq), 

spoke to AsiaNews about the 

30-minute audio in which the Jihadi 

leader calls on his most loyal supporters 

to “redouble efforts: preaching, 

media, military, security.” 

For now, this has not yet caused 

any alarm among the people of Mosul 

and the Plain, still engaged in 

the slow and painstaking work of 

reconstruction. 

the urgency is of an order much 

higher: it is a question of saving 

the presence of Christianity in 

the East, especially in the plains 

of Nineveh. On September 12, 

2019, Archbishop Sako signed 

an opinion piece on “decisionmakers 

and Iraqi citizens” on 

Saint-Adday, the official site of 

the Patriarchate. See page ___ for 

opinion piece. 

An Iraqi Christian prays during a Mass on Christmas at an 

Orthodox church in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, 

Iraq, in 2016. 

Chaldean priest: Mosul focused on work and 

reconstruction, not al-Baghdadi’s messages 

© KHALID AL MOUSILY/REUTERS 

After months of silence, al- 

Baghdadi’s last message was in 

late April, the self-styled caliph 

urges his loyalists to fight on despite 

the group’s latest military 

defeats. 

Titled “Do deeds!” the audio is a 

real call to arms, urging fighters not 

to give up, to help those who are in 

prison and their families in shelters 

for displaced persons (IDP). 

‘How Can I Close the 

House of God?’ 

CHURCHMILLITANT.COM 

BY WILLIAM MAHONEY, PH. D 

Three subdeacons accompanied Fr. 

Ragheed Aziz Ganni, a Chaldean 

Catholic priest ministering to the faithful 

in Mosul, Iraq, to the Sunday evening 

Mass at Holy Spirit Chaldean Church in 

Mosul for Trinity Sunday in 2007. 

The subdeacons, Basman Yousef 

Daud (Fr. Ganni’s cousin), Wahid 

Hanna Isho and Gassan Isam Bidawed, 

went with Fr. Ganni since he had been 

receiving death threats from some demanding 

he close down the church. 

After the Mass, Fr. Ganni, the 

three subdeacons and Isho’s wife were 

confronted by four Islamists wearing 

masked black suits and armed with Kalashnikov 

rifles. 

One of the armed men yelled at Fr. 

Ganni, asking why the priest did not 

heed the warnings to shut down the 

church. Father Ganni then said the last 

words he would utter this side of the veil: 

“How can I close the house of God?” 

Refugee who died 

after being deported 

to Iraq laid to rest in 

Michigan 

THE DETROIT NEWS 

BY SARAH RAHAL 

Southfield — As Jimmy Aldaoud, a Detroit 

refugee found dead in Iraq after his 

deportation, was laid to rest Friday back 

in Michigan, family members gathered 

and dressed in black had no words to 

describe their grief. 

“I can’t fathom what has happened,” 

Rita Aldaoud, sister of the refugee, told 

The Detroit News earlier this week. 

“Imagine they just picked you up and 

threw you into a country you’ve never 

been and in the most dangerous part.” 

His three sisters, Nagham Shamoon, 

Mary Bolis and Rita Aldaoud, 

gazed at his light brown wooden casket 

as it was lowered Friday into a plot at 

Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, 

where he was buried beside his mother 

and beneath his father. 

The siblings were quiet during a 

Mass at Mother of God Chaldean 

Catholic Church and at his burial, contemplating 

how their family found itself 

in these unforeseen circumstances. 


WHERE are they now? 

In service to the community 

BY ASHOURINA SLEWO 

“ 

Service is about community,” 

says Saad Marouf, 68, former 

chairman of the Chaldean 

Federation of America. Truly serving 

any community, he says, is about 

serving and doing what you can for 

someone without expecting anything 

in return. 

Born in Iraq, Marouf learned 

much about service from his own 

father, who even in the face of opposition 

and naysayers, did what he 

believed was right for his community. 

Iskander Marouf taught his son 

the importance of serving his community, 

says Marouf. 

As a journalist and newspaper 

owner in Iraq, Marouf’s father faced 

much scrutiny, especially as he did 

not shy away from speaking on the 

politics that dominated the region. 

On one occasion, Marouf’s father 

criticized an elected official, which lead 

to the shutting down of his newspaper. 

Without hesitation, he started another 

one. Over the course of his life, Iskander 

started a total of newspapers, each 

time more eager than the last to write 

about the plight of his community. 

“The government shut down his 

paper, but that did not stop him,” said 

Marouf. “I can’t remember the name 

of them all, but he had four newspapers 

total. A Christian writing and 

speaking out, it was unheard of.” 

Beyond his writings and his work 

within the church, Marouf’s father 

ran for a seat on Iraq’s Parliament in 

the 1940s. 

“A shamasha running for Parliament,” 

Marouf says in awe. “People 

thought he was crazy; crazy that a 

Christian wanted to run for Parliament. 

But he was doing it to give our 

people a voice, so we could be represented 

by one of our own.” 

With the political landscape of 

Iraq, Marouf felt that much of his father’s 

activism and work in the community 

directly put him in the line 

of fire. Well aware of the potential 

danger he faced, Iskander moved forward, 

willing to sacrifice himself for 

his people. 

Marouf feels similarly about his 

own work within the community. If 

he can help just one person, it will all 

be worth it, he says. 

The two-time Chaldean Federation 

Chairman became active within 

his community long before he came 

to the United States. He worked with 

church and youth groups; the Legion 

of Mary being one of the main groups 

he worked with. The Legion of Mary 

would eventually extend into the 

states through Marouf’s encouragement 

among the youth. 

Coming to the U.S. as a young 

adult in November 1973, Marouf 

focused on his studies as a full-time 

Clockwise from above: Saad Marouf with 

Senator Carl Levin and Congressman 

Sander Levin. On vacation with family. 

Showing the name of his father’s newspaper. 

student at University of Detroit Mercy, 

while simultaneously balancing 

a full-time job with his community 

engagement. 

“At that time, the emphasis was 

not on education,” he explained. “I 

remember my classmates and I would 

go to a café to study and the older 

men, who we respected very much 

of course, would tell us that we were 

wasting our time.” 

While the perception around 

pursuing higher education was not 

the most positive or encouraging, 

Marouf persisted. 

Recognizing his business acumen 

in addition to his persistence when 

it came to higher education, Marouf 

established a business alongside his 

family. 

In the midst of all of this, he 

maintained his presence within the 

community. The fervor to serve intensified 

during Marouf’s time in Oak 

Park. With his children attending 

Oak Park Schools, he noticed a gap in 

representation between students. 

“There was no one in the administration 

or on the Oak Park School 

Board that understood what our kids 

needed,” he explained. “How are 

they supposed to know what Chaldean 

kids from Iraq need. They don’t 

even speak the same language.” 

Thus came the decision to run for 

Oak Park School Board. 

“I won that election by a landslide,” 

Marouf proclaimed proudly. 

At this point, Marouf had been 

in the country for just 13 years, but 

had developed a strong enough connection 

with his community that 

they entrusted him with their vote, 

electing him to the Oak Park School 

Board. 

Taking his service to the Oak 

Park community one step further 

Marouf ran for Oak Park City Council. 

While the race was unsuccessful, 

he is proud of the work he put in as 

he lost by just over 10 votes. 

His work in the Oak Park community 

and with the Chaldean Federation 

of America is just the tip of 

the iceberg. Marouf’s work across 

communities span across several 

years as the father and grandfather 

has dedicated the majority of his life 

to his community. 

In recent years, the community 

advocate has slowed down, taking 

extra time to be with his children, 

Amelia, 38, and Alex, 33, and their 

children. 

Speaking of her father’s work, 

Amelia recalls her father dedicating 

as much time to her and her brother 

as he did to his outreach. 

“I don’t know how, but he was always 

there for us,” she recalled fondly. 

“It didn’t matter what was happening 

or how tired he was, he always made 

sure he was there for us.” 

For Marouf, service is in his 

blood; he serves his community, relentlessly 

advocating for the progress 

and betterment of the whole. Even as 

he has slowed down over the years, 

he is dedicated to serving as voice for 

those who need it. 

“If my community needs me, I 

will be there, no matter what,” he 

says with gusto. “I cannot see people 

be deprived of their rights. I have to 

rise up and help them. I have to fight 

for them.” 


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FAMILY time 

Tips for a fun, safe Halloween 

BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER 

When the back-to-school 

aisles at Target have 

turned into shelves full of 

candy, spooky decorations and costumes, 

we know Halloween is upon 

us. Whether that excites you or not, 

the children in our lives cannot wait. 

(Mine have been asking about it for 

months!). 

As parents and guardians, there are 

several steps we need to take to not 

only make this night fun but also safe: 

Smart ways to prepare for 

Halloween 

While costume shopping (or costume 

making if you’re my hero), be sure to 

keep in mind that tighter, well-fitted 

costumes can prevent tripping injuries 

and possible flame contact and 

also that brighter colors are easier to 

spot at night. 

Orchard Lake Village sergeant 

and crime prevention officer Larry 

Hailo said to try to have some sort of 

reflective material on the costumes. 

“If not on the costumes, buy some 

reflective tape and add a couple of 

strips to the costumes,” Hailo said. 

“It may sound overboard, but really, 

when it gets dark, that tape is going 

to show up.” 

As for pumpkin carving, ensure 

that children are not holding the 

knife. Perhaps allow them to draw 

out their design first and then hand 

the pumpkin over to you to do the 

carving. When it comes time to display 

their cultivar of a squash plant 

for the neighborhood-world to see, 

consider using a flashlight or glow 

stick to light it instead of a candle; 

if you do use a candle, make sure it’s 

a votive. 

During the treat selection process, 

consider purchasing non-food 

items like coloring books and crayons, 

stickers, etc. to pass out in case of food 

allergies; most of the popular Halloween 

candies include potential lifethreatening 

allergens like peanuts, 

tree nuts, milk, egg, soy and/or wheat, 

which is why some areas in metro 

Detroit like downtown Clawson are 

holding pre-Halloween events like 

Trick or Treasure, an afternoon where 

kids in costume will travel through 

the downtown businesses and collect 

treasures and allergy-free treats. 

In order to best prepare your own 

home for trick-or-treaters, make sure 

to have a well-lit path to the front 

door (or wherever treats will be passed 

out) and remove anything a child 

could trip over or get hurt from, especially 

any candle-lit pumpkins or pets. 

Safe trick-or-treating tips 

While accompanying children on 

their trick-or-treating adventures, 

make sure you have your phone in 

case of an emergency but do your best 

to stay off it, so you can focus your attention 

on the safety of your children. 

“I’d also say to go as close as 

possible to the door with the kids,” 

Hailo said. “In most cases, people are 

good, but they may think twice about 

doing or saying something inappropriate, 

knowing that the parents are 

right there on top of things instead 

of screwing around on their phone at 

the end of the driveway. Focus those 

two or three hours you’re out there 

with them and give your kids your 

full attention.” 

If your older children are heading 

out alone, remind them that the sidewalk 

is always the safest, but in case 

there is no sidewalk, walk as close to 

the grass as possible, facing traffic just 

in case. Also, discuss in advance the 

path you suggest they follow and set 

up an expected return time. 

“Remind kids not to approach dark 

homes,” Hailo added. “There have 

been some cases where people will 

say, ‘Come on in and get some candy!’ 

I don’t advise that either. It could be 

100 percent fine, but you don’t want 

to take a risk. Talk about these things 

before everyone heads out. 

When the kids ask to have a piece 

of candy, do not allow any consumption 

until after you’ve had a chance 

to sort and check for anything that’s 

home-baked, spoiled, unwrapped or 

looks at all tampered with. 

Hailo agreed: “Unfortunately, 

this is the society we live in. People 

do bad stuff, and it happens every 

year, so inspect the candy carefully 

before the kids eat it.” 

Post-Halloween health 

suggestions 

Consider introducing the “Treat 

Fairy” if rationing candy isn’t working 

for your little sweet tooth: have 

children write a note to the “Treat 

Fairy” that asks her to swap their 

candy with a prize. 

Another option is to encourage 

your children to participate in a 

“Candy Buy Back Program.” Any of 

the Bright Side Dental & Orthodontics 

locations in metro Detroit, for example, 

will give children a raffle ticket 

for every pound of candy they bring; 

the more raffle tickets they have, the 

better their chances of winning a prize. 

“We donate it to the troops overseas 

with Operation Gratitude,” 

Dr. Bianca Toma Boji, DDS at the 

Bloomfield Hills location said about 

the candy they collect. “It’s a great 

way to prevent your child from eating 

too much candy!” 

Danielle Alexander is a freelance 

writer and managing editor of 

Detroit Moms Blog; she wishes the 

Chaldean community a happy and safe 

Halloween. 

Teal Pumpkin 

Project 

As you prepare your home and 

children for Halloween, you may 

notice a spin on the traditionally 

orange pumpkin or jack o lantern. 

Teal pumpkins are popping 

up on porch steps everywhere 

and the reason for this goes way 

beyond the pretty teal color. 

The Teal Pumpkin Project 

is an effort by the Food Allergy 

Research & Education (FARE) 

organization to raise awareness 

of food allergies and promote 

inclusion of all trick-or-treaters 

during the Halloween season. 

This project started as a local activity 

by the Food Allergy Community 

of East Tennessee and 

has since become a worldwide 

event. According to FARE, 

teal is the color for food allergy 

awareness and has been used to 

raise awareness about food-related 

medical conditions for 20 

years. Those who participate in 

the project place a teal painted 

pumpkin outside their door and 

provide non-food treats to trickor-treaters 

on Halloween. 

According to FARE, one in 

13 children has a food allergy. 

Even tiny amounts of allergens 

can cause serious, if not lifethreatening, 

reactions in those 

affected by food allergies. Halloween 

candy and other traditionally 

popular treats have or 

have come into contact with 

common food allergens, including 

ingredients derived from 

wheat, eggs, soy, nuts and milk. 

Participating in the Teal Pumpkin 

Project allows children who 

are affected by food allergies to 

still participate in Halloween activities 

without worrying about a 

life threatening incident. 

Participating in the Teal 

Pumpkin Project is as easy as 

painting your pumpkin teal 

and placing it on your doorstep. 

Have a safe and fun Halloween! 


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CHAI time 

CHALDEANS CONNECTING 

COMMUNITY EVENTS IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT OCTOBER 2019 

Thursday, October 3 

Women’s Harvest Lunch: Join the 

Women’s Harvest Luncheon starting 

at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 3, at the 

Royal Oak Farmers Market! The Women’s 

Harvest Lunch brings together 

nearly 300 women who are leaders in 

their businesses and communities and 

are committed to alleviating hunger and 

reducing food waste in metro Detroit. 

This event includes excellent networking 

opportunities with women from all 

different backgrounds and industries. 

This year’s lunch will include a coursed 

luncheon prepared by multiple local female 

chefs. Each course will highlight 

a different produce item grown on our 

Forgotten Harvest farm, allowing the 

meal to tell the incredible story of the difference 

our farm makes in the lives of 

hungry families in our community. For 

more information, please contact Rebecca 

Gade-Sawicki at 248-864-7527. 

Friday, October 4 

Dancing with Survivors: Join The Pink 

Fund for Dancing With The Survivors 

on Friday, October 4, at Silver Garden 

Events Center. Dancing with the Survivors 

celebrates breast cancer survivors 

thriving in their recovery and making a 

difference in the lives of breast cancer 

patients in treatment. This event features 

local survivors paired with professional 

dancers from Fred Astaire 

Dance Studios – Bloomfield Hills performing 

ballroom-style dances while 

raising money for The Pink Fund’s 

mission to provide financial support to 

breast cancer patients in active treatment. 

The Pink Fund meets patients’ 

basic needs, decreases stress levels, 

and allows breast cancer patients to focus 

on healing. The funds raised from 

Dancing With The Survivors stays in 

Michigan to help local breast cancer 

patients in active treatment. Join us for 

a night of celebration with dancing, music, 

cocktails, and delicious food. For 

additional information or to purchase 

tickets, please visit ThePinkFund.org. 

Saturday, October 5 

Eclectic & Electric: The Michigan Philharmonic 

presents an opening night dazzler 

from the electrifying sounds of Stravinsky’s 

Firebird Suite and Tchaikovsky’s 

Violin Concerto to the eclectic rhythms 

of Miguel del Águila’s, Caribeña and Islamorada. 

Full of impactful music, this 

eclectic mixture of electrictrifying sound 

will rock the house. Guest violinist Kevin 

Miura (16) is a young rising star who was 

awarded 2nd prize in the 2016 Menuhin 

International Violin Competition. Kevin 

performs on an 1849 Giuseppe Rocca 

violin on generous loan from The Mandell 

Collection of Southern California. Rounding 

out this dazzling evening, Composer 

Miguel del Águila explores Latin rhythms 

with an orchestration resembling Latin 

Jazz and 1940’s big band sound. For 

tickets and information go to www.michiganphil.org 

or call 734 451-2112. 


Wish Ball: Join Make-A-Wish® Michigan 

on Saturday, October 12, for 

an incredible evening at Wish Ball – 

Southeast Michigan featuring special 

performances by Martha Reeves and 

the Vandellas and artist David Garibaldi. 

The black-tie gala, with presenting 

sponsor TEAM Schostak Family 

Restaurants and lead sponsor Trinity 

Health, will be held at the Detroit Marriott 

at the Renaissance Center. Cochaired 

by Chris and Jennifer Granger, 

Wish Ball offers a mission-rich program 

that highlights the organization’s 

35th anniversary, a cocktail reception, 

dinner, an energetic live auction and 

dancing. Celebrate 35 years of wish 

granting with your ticket of $300. You 

can help make transformational wishes 

come true for Michigan children facing 

critical illnesses. For more information, 

sponsorship opportunities or to purchase 

tickets, visit WishBallMI.org. 


A Night to R.E.M.ember: Join local nonprofit 

Sweet Dreamzzz Inc. and Sponsor 

Michigan Medicine for an evening at the 

historic Detroit Athletic Club in downtown 

Detroit. This event will take place 

from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, 

October 12. Proceeds from A Night to 

R.E.M.ember will go towards funding 

Sweet Dreamzzz sleep education programs 

including the Early Childhood 

Sleep Education Program and the Parent 

Sleep Education Workshop. Tickets 

are $125 each and can be purchased 

by calling the office at 248-478-3242 or 

online at sweetdreamzzz.org. Sponsorship 

opportunities are still available. 


Taste of Auburn Hills: Join the Auburn 

Hills Chamber of Commerce for the annual 

Taste of Auburn Hills event to be 

held Thursday, October 17, from 5:00 

to 7:30 p.m. at The HUB Stadium. With 

20 participating vendors, you can enjoy 

a fun night out tasting your way through 

Auburn Hills and mingling with other 

members of the business community. 

Taste delicious food samplings from area 

restaurants, mingle with 500+ business 

community leaders, experience BOM- 

BOWLING, hit the networking bulls-eye 

with axe-throwing, and open play with 

The HUB Stadium’s newly renovated 

arcade, featuring modernized classics 

and multiplayer entertainment. Two beer/ 

wine drink tickets will be distributed by 

The HUB Stadium. This event is 21-andover. 

A portion of the proceeds from this 

year’s event will benefit the Auburn Hills 

Community Foundation in support of the 

Senior Services Meals program. To participate 

as a sponsor, register, or receive 

more information, visit auburnhillschamber.com 

or call 248-853-7862. 


Phantom Philharmonic: The Michigan 

Philharmonic presents “Phantom Philharmonic,” 

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 

19, 2019, at the Marquis Theatre in 

Northville. Spooky tunes, a great setting, 

and a movie music feast describe 

the Michigan Philharmonic’s “spooktacular” 

Halloween concert. The Phantom 

opens the concert with some scary 

classics, and the great music continues 

with tracks from The Dark Knight, Black 

Panther, Wonder Woman, Psycho and 

more. Get into the spirit of the Northville 

Skeleton Fest and come to the 

Marquis Theatre in Northville. Dress up 

in your best Halloween costume, meet 

up with your fun, music-loving friends, 

and enjoy a great night out! For tickets 

and information, call 734-451-2112 or 

visit michiganphil.org. 


Giving Hearts: Join Giving Hearts as 

they host their 7th annual fundraiser 

to benefit Chaldean women in need 

who are dealing with breast cancer. In 

memory of Vivian Esshaki Shouneyia, 

this annual event will be hosted at Bay 

Pointe Golf Club in West Bloomfield 

from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The evening will 

include wine, appetizers, and dessert. 

Tickets can be purchased in advance 

for $40. For more information, email 

givinghearts36@gmail.com 

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CHALDEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

14th Annual Business Luncheon 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 

Join us and several congressional leaders as we discuss the state of business in the state of Michigan. 

Charlie Langton 

Moderator 

Fox 2 News 

Legal Analyst 

Brenda Lawrence 

Congressional 

Representative 

Andy Levin 

Congressional 


Paul Mitchell 

Congressional 


John Moolenaar 

Congressional 


Haley Stevens 

Congressional 


11:00 a.m. Check-in & Networking 

Noon - 1:00 p.m. 

Lunch & Discussion 

Cost: Gold Sponsor: $10,000 

Includes branding, exhibit space, twenty tickets with premium seating, mention in the 

Chamber newsletter and Chamber website and opportunity to speak at the event and 

provide attendees with promotional item(s) 

Silver Sponsor: $5,000 

Includes branding, exhibit space, ten tickets with premium seating, mention in the Chamber 

newsletter and Chamber website and opportunity to provide attendees with promotional item(s) 

Bronze Sponsor: $1,500 

Includes branding, exhibit space, ten tickets with premium seating, mention in Chamber 

newsletter and Chamber website 

Individual Tickets 

Members: 

Non-Members: 

$60 each or $600 for table of ten 

$75 each or $750 for table of ten 

Location: 

Reservations: 

Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel 

2901 Grand River Avenue, Detroit MI 48323 

To reserve your seat or for sponsorship opportunities please contact 

Sarah Kittle at 248-851-1200 or skittle@chaldeanchamber.com. 

Sponsored by: 


RELIGION 

Look beyond the distractions 

Distraction comes 

quite easy to me. 

It lingers in all 

shapes and at all times. 

Even when in quiet 

prayer, it finds me. Sometimes 

it hides under the 

guise of a ticking clock on 

the wall. While I should 

be focusing on my prayer, 

all I hear is “tick, tick, 

tick.” Distraction can 

even manifest itself in social 

settings. While in the 

middle of a meal with friends, I feel 

my gaze shift off them and onto the 

TV playing highlights from a game. 

Even if it was a team I had zero interest 

in (say one with a Wolverine 

mascot), I’ll still pay attention 

to the replays instead of 

my friends. In these instances, 

I lose out on a fruitful conversations 

and the chance to 

delve deeper into friendships. 

I can’t help but feel that 

many of us are battling with 

this vice. This constant need 

to satisfy our senses and keep 

our minds occupied. It seems 

like this is a recurring theme 

in this era of distraction. 

Pause. Take a moment to 

reflect on your own life and 

the relationships you’ve built. 

Challenge yourself to observe 

your habits and monitor how 

much time you spend on 

meaningful relationships. How quick 

do you reach for your phone when 

you see a notification? How easy is it 

for your eyes to shift from a friend to 

a TV screen? How often do you push 

all electronics aside to truly focus on 

the person in front of you? 

As a priest, my deep desire is to 

help guide people into a sincere relationship 

with God. Yet, we are all 

easily distracted. Sometimes these 

diversions can be as simple as a text 

or fantasy football. Other times, it 

is laden with hurt and betrayal, like 

that of a public scandal involving the 

Church or its members. 

Over the past fifteen years, I, too 

have been scandalized and hurt by 

news stories of the individuals in the 

Church. Specifically, I’m speaking of 

those who have victimized the vulnerable 

or their superiors who have 

poorly handled their situations. I 

have had to process the betrayal and 

FR. PIERRE 

KONJA 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

mourn the loss of my innocent 

assumption — that everyone 

who serves the Church is perfect 

and striving for holiness. 

Then, the Lord reminded 

me: “I will build my church, 

and the gates of Hell will not 

prevail against it” (Matthew 

16:18). 

God was calling me not 

to get distracted even in the 

midst of a storm of scandal and 

hurt. He reminded me of my 

calling, which is to be a disciple 

of Jesus and His Holy Church. 

I found myself reflecting and praying 

with the Apostles, Judas and Peter: 

“While he was still speaking, Judas, 

one of the twelve, arrived; with him 

was a large crowd with swords and 

clubs, from the chief priests and the 

elders of the people. Now the betrayer 

had given them a sign, saying, 

‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest 

him’” (Matthew 26: 47-48). 

It’s easy to look at Judas as “the 

enemy” of Jesus. However, the Gospels 

are clear that Jesus called Judas 

to be an Apostle, just like he called 

the other eleven. Judas walked with 

Jesus for many years but temptation 

lured him into scandal and betrayal. 

Not only did he betray Jesus, he did 

it through a symbol of friendship and 

love: a kiss. 

There were many others who 

were close to Jesus and abandoned 

or denied him. Peter, my namesake 

and patron saint, was called by Jesus 

to be the rock on which the Church 

was to be built. He was chosen as the 

leader of the Apostles and the first 

Pope. However, he too denied Jesus, 

not once in a time of weakness, or 

twice because he was scared, but on 

three occasions. Peter had multiple 

opportunities to align himself with 

Jesus and acknowledge that he was 

a disciple. Instead, he took all three 

opportunities to deny his Lord. 

It is important to note that Peter 

was remorseful of his denials and the 

scandals of sin among the leaders of 

the Church. “The Lord turned and 

looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered 

the word of the Lord, how he 

had said to him, ‘Before the cock 

crows today, you will deny me three 

times.’ And he went out and wept 

bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62). 

Today, dwelling with us are a myriad 

of distractions and scandals. We 

are living in a time when it has become 

far too easy to throw our hands 

up and say “this is too much” or “why 

should I follow the Church?” 

Why you ask? Because, Jesus. Because 

He is the resurrection. He is 

the focal point of the Church. We 

cannot allow these hurtful distractions 

to be the center of our faith. 

Deception will rear its ugly head in 

times of trouble. It is in difficult circumstances 

like those we face today, 

when negativity echoes louder than 

positivity. We tend to overlook the 

overwhelming amount of good occurring. 

This type of goodness is not 

loud, it does not boast but it is there. 

There are hundreds upon thousands 

of men and women in the Church 

who live every day to help others attain 

peace and happiness. They accomplish 

this by spreading the love 

of God. These are the Church’s humble 

and holy servants, the ones that 

are often overlooked. Looking at past 

centuries we can see examples of this 

goodness through the holy saints. 

Many of our saints gave their lives 

defending their fellow man, and the 

truth of Jesus and his holy Church. 

Within our own Chaldean culture, 

tracing back no more than fifteen 

years ago, you’ll find martyrs of faith. 

Those who continued to defend the 

Church and serve their people even 

to their last breath. 

Thus my prayer for all of you is 

this: be aware, be more conscious, 

and make meaningful decisions. You 

can either let yourself get lost in distraction, 

gossip and negativity, or you 

can choose not to indulge it. Think 

of those distractions and scandals that 

affected your faith. Can you 

recall moments when you felt 

a similar form of discord in 

your spiritual life? Maybe it 

was invoked when you were 

reading about Judas and Peter’s 

denials of Jesus. Or when 

you reviewed the imperfect 

history of past actions carried 

out by individuals in the 

Church. Maybe you are troubled 

by the negative news articles 

regarding recent scandals 

in the Church. Or possibly 

you were personally hurt or offended 

by certain individuals 

in the Church. 

In any of these cases, I 

urge you to acknowledge your 

feelings. Contemplate your hurt and 

sadness, don’t run away from it or 

turn it into gossip. Pause. Give time 

to reflect. Most importantly, allow 

God to heal your faith with his precious 

blood and “let us rid ourselves 

of every burden and sin that clings to 

us and persevere in running the race 

that lies before us while keeping our 

eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and 

perfecter of faith. For the sake of the 

joy that lay before him he endured 

the cross, despising its shame, and 

has taken his seat at the right of the 

throne of God. Consider how he endured 

such opposition from sinners, 

in order that you may not grow weary 

and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3) 

Fr. Pierre Konja was ordained a priest 

in 2011 and is the associate of Holy 

Cross Chaldean Catholic Church in 

Farmington Hills, MI. 

Konja.Pierre@gmail.com 


CHALDEAN COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

Help Wanted! 

Please consider hiring one of 

our many new Americans. 

More than 30,000 Chaldean refugees have migrated to Michigan since 2007. Many 

possess the skills and determination to work hard for you and your organization. 

The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) has a bank of resumes 

of candidates qualified to do a variety of jobs. To inquire about hiring a 

New American, call or email Elias at 586-722-7253 or 

elias.kattoula@chaldeanfoundation.org. 

Chaldean Community Foundation 

Sterling Heights Office 

3601 15 Mile Road 

Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

586-722-7253 

www.chaldeanfoundation.org 


in MEMORIAM 

RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

Hasina Deckhou 

June 7, 1930 - Aug. 

23, 2019 

Athraa Qarchw 

June 15, 2003 - 

Sept. 18, 2019 

Admon Elias 

Yaldah 

June 26, 1949 - 


Salam Al-Maleh 

Feb. 21, 1953 - 


George Mikhail 

Denha 

March 8, 1950 - 


Faraj Rashou 

Hallowa 

July 1, 1930 - Sept. 


Atheer Ghazy Aziz 

Kamposh 

May 1, 1971 - Sept. 


Petrus Shikwana 

June 18, 1938 - 


Ghada Haddad 

July 1, 1956 - Sept. 


Salim Khamo 

Yaldo 

June 1, 1926 - 


Niami Hanna Jajou 

Shayoka 

July 1, 1931 - Sept. 


Fr. Hanna Sullaka 

Sept. 6, 1949 - 


Nuri Shakouri 

July 1, 1929 - 


Adnan Abbud 

June 7, 1957 - 


Faiz (Frank) Salmu 

Aug. 9, 1959 - 


Juliet Thomas 

July 1, 1925 - Sept. 


Janan Hamama 

January 27, 1947 - 


Georgette Najjar 

April 16, 1936 - 


Fehima Youkhana 

July 1, 1931 - Sept. 


Emanuel Gorguis 

July 1, 1951 - Sept. 


Layla Jajo Zora 

Aug. 13, 1936 - 


Badri Elias Jamil 

June 20, 1949 - 

Aug. 31, 2019 

Shamo 

Hannakachal 

July 1, 1934 - Aug. 


Yalda Youkhanna 

Kozel 

Dec. 28, 1933 - 

Aug. 30, 2019 

Daisy Attalah 

July 1, 1922 - Aug. 


Louis Mary 

Jan. 8, 1936 - Aug. 


Layla Salman 

May 3, 1958 - Aug. 


Buls Soso 

July 1, 1933 - Aug. 



PROJECT LIGHT 

Providing access to professional mental health counseling 

and advocacy services in a therapeutic environment. 

Common life experiences can cause individuals and families 

to seek help. Some of these experiences include: 

Life Stress 

Anxiety 

Depression 

Relationships 

Loss/Grief 

Family Concern 

Self-Esteem 

Sexual Assault 

Body Image 

Work Concerns 

CONTACT BAN OR IVA FOR MORE INFORMATION 

OR TO SCHEDULE A THERAPY SESSION: 

PHONE:(586)722-7253 • EMAIL: THERAPY@CHALDEANFOUNDATION.ORG 

3601 15 MILE ROAD • STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48310 

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY 

The CCF and Project Light is committed to your privacy and confidentiality and are sensitive to the stigma and stress that come with seeking 

mental health support. Therefore, all counseling records are kept strictly confidential. Information is not shared without client’s written consent. 

Exceptions to confidentiality are rare and include persons who threaten safety of themselves others or in circumstances of a court order. 


‘Bull’ helps put the brakes 

on Parkinson’s Disease 


For Wael “Bull” Abboud, teen 

years spent watching Muhammad 

Ali, Bruce Lee and Evel 

Knievel ply their trades led to a boxing 

and kickboxing career, which 

took a surprise twist a few years ago. 

“I went from that to jumping into 

karate, to kickboxing. Won an amateur 

kickboxing title in 1991,” Abboud 

said. 

He became impassioned with 

boxing in 1989 and worked out at 

the legendary Kronk gym in Detroit. 

In 1992, Abboud won his pro debut, 

a unanimous decision. 

He tried to become the first Iraqiborn 

Chaldean to win a title, but 

“God had other plans for me,” he 

said. Abboud fought an uphill battle 

as an undersized middleweight, a 

weight class where he said it is hard 

to make a living. He fought three 

or four times as a pro, often against 

slimmed-down heavyweights, before 

turning his talents to teaching. 

Abboud, now 54, has owned boxing 

gyms his whole career dating back 

to 1991. He opened Bullz Boxing in 

2013. “It’s more of a family friendly 

gym. We’re not looking for the next 

million dollar baby,” he said. 

Bullz Boxing is located in a 

200,000 square-foot building in Oxford 

called Legacy 925. It features 

a number of entertainment and activities 

businesses such as an arcade, 

archery tag, go-carts, a gym, restaurants 

and athletic fields. It was upon 

opening at Legacy 925 that Abboud 

turned the first page of his life’s next 

chapter. 

When he opened his gym in Oxford, 

a man named Jim Rice visited 

and asked him if he had ever heard of 

a program originated in Indianapolis, 

called Rock Steady Boxing, boxing 

for people with Parkinson’s disease. 

At first, Abboud said he was a little 

uncomfortable dealing with Parkinson’s 

patients and pointed out that 

boxing possibly caused Parkinson’s in 

his hero, Muhammad Ali. 

Rice was persistent, but the 

clincher was when Abboud saw an 

HBO special on Rock Steady. Seeing 

was believing. After observing the 

program in action, he and wife Marie 

made the drive down to Indianapolis 

to get certified. 

According to RockSteady.org, 

“Rock Steady Boxing, the first boxing 

program of its kind in the country, 

was founded in 2006 by former 

Marion County (Indiana) Prosecutor, 

Scott C. Newman, who is living 

with Parkinson’s.” 

Rock Steady Boxing initially began 

through the friendship of two 

men, Scott Newman and Vince 

Perez, after Newman had been diagnosed 

with early-onset Parkinson’s 

at the age of 40. Refusing to let his 

friend go down without a fight, Vince 

turned to his experience as a Golden 

Gloves boxer to design a program 

that attacks Parkinson’s at its vulnerable 

neurological points. His intuitive 

insight is now proven to have 


merit through an increasing body of 

medical research. 

Realizing that their experience 

might be replicated for others, Scott 

and Vince founded Rock Steady 

Boxing as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

As word of this unique 

program spread and the demand for 

the classes increased, Rock Steady 

Boxing created classes to meet the 

fitness levels at all stages of Parkinson’s 

– from the newly diagnosed to 

those who had been living with it for 

decades plus. 

“When we were down there, I 

really didn’t want to leave,” said 

Abboud. “I just felt like this is a really 

cool program and this is the plan 

God had for me. I wanted to be the 

world champ, but God was like this 

thing here you are doing to help 

these people with Parkinson’s is an 

extremely significant thing to do 

with (your) boxing skills.” 

The participants feel Abboud’s 

passion and that he is there to help 

them, he said. Marie said many participants 

feel a sense of empowerment 

through the program. About 

80 percent male, participants weakened 

by Parkinson’s gain a sense of 

renewed strength through Rock 

Steady. 

Studies from the 1980s and ‘90s 

demonstrated that intense physical 

exercise helps lessen the disease 

symptoms, and, well boxing is nothing 

if not intense physical exercise. 

“I tell them all the time—and the 

guys get a kick out of it—that I train 

them just like a pro fighter. The only 

difference is there is no contact,” said 

Abboud. 

He said Rock Steady clients skip 

rope, work the heavy and speed bags 

and perform other boxing related 

activities, but there is no contact directed 

at them and certainly no sparring. 

In keeping with Abboud’s family 

gym mission, none of Bullz’ classes 

require sparring. 

For those who want a little contact 

and are healthy enough for it, 

Bullz uses what Abboud calls “big 

gloves” that contain about twice 

the padding that professionals use in 

matches. 

Abboud’s experience with Parkinson’s 

patients is expanding as he 

develops programs such as the newly 

launched “over 50” program and 

classes working with children and 

schools, bringing the mental and 

physical confidence from boxing to 

those who need a boost. 


Our buried history 

Meet the Assyrian Jews 

BY CHRISTOPHER SALEM 

Imagine a random person just 

showed up to your home unannounced 

and knocked on your 

door. 

You open the door, and the 

stranger introduces himself, at which 

point you realize you’ve never met 

him. 

He’s got a familiar face though. 

You also start to notice that he walks, 

talks, and carries himself with a demeanor 

that appears to be naturally 

like yours for some reason. 

He even looks like you and begins 

to speak to you in his native language 

that, coincidentally, sounds nearly 

identical to your own. 

A few minutes into the conversation, 

the visitor abruptly reveals he is 

your long-lost relative and knocked 

on your door to reconnect with you 

and the rest of his immediate family. 

You react, first, by trying to wrap 

your head around the fact that you 

never even knew this person existed 

a few minutes ago. 

Neurons fire from every corner of 

your mind, and a trillion questions 

rush to the front of your head until 

you suddenly realize you both share 

the same DNA. 

Your emotions begin to escalate; 

they are heightened, mixed, and will 

probably shock your conscience. 

Imagine the intensity of such a 

feeling. 

Now multiply this intensity by 

about half a million—and brace 

yourself—because that’s how many 

Aramaic-speaking Jews exist in the 

world today. 

After finding a group of Assyrian 

Jews on Facebook, I knocked on 

their metaphorical door and introduced 

myself. Even though I knew 

no one, I immediately recognized 

several familiar faces. 

One of those faces belongs to Dr. 

Yaacov Maoz who, I later learned, is 

on a mission to revive the Aramaic 

language worldwide. 

We spoke in our native tongue for 

a few minutes and abruptly shifted 

the conversation to discuss historical 

and religious connections, along 

Committee for the Revival of the Aramaic Language 

with our common lineage, beginning 

with Abraham. 

Drawing a Connection 

Multiple generations of Abraham’s 

descendants traveled from Canaan 

to Aram-Naharaim when they wanted 

to get married, according to the 

Old Testament. 

As a result, Dr. Maoz describes 

Abraham as an Aramaic-speaking 

son of Assyria born in “Ur, Land of 

the Chaldeans” and eventually became 

the father of the Jewish people 

when he settled in Aram-Naharaim 

for many years. 

Dr. Maoz’s father is from Duhok. 

His mother is from the northern 

Iraqi village of Zakho, which consisted 

of a robust Jewish population 

until 1951 when virtually all of them 

migrated to Israel in Operations Nehemiah 

and Ezra. 

He self-identifies as a descendant 

of Jewish migrants of ancient Assyria 

or just “Jewish Assyrian.” 

The Jews of Zakho speak a dialect 

of Sureth (modern Aramaic) that 

is nearly identical to our own. It is 

called Lishana Deni, according to Dr. 

Yaacov Maoz. 

Lishana Deni translates into “Our 

Language” or quite literally “Our 

Tongue” and, according to Dr. Maoz, 

is one of three main “identity components” 

of this group of people. The 

other two are “religion and nationality,” 

he said. 

“As the world’s only speakers of 

Aramaic,” Dr. Maoz intends to preserve 

the language Jesus spoke by 

reconnecting the dots between the 

overlapping identities of the Jews 

and Christians of Assyria. 

More specifically, his mission begins 

with the formation of a digital 

collection of shared historical and religious 

texts, forming a vital cultural 

bridge between past and present. 

Historical Connections 

Around 800 B.C., the Prophet Jonah 

was swallowed up by a giant fish and 

reluctantly taken to the Assyrian city 

of Nineveh. He reached his destination 

in 72 hours, where he found the 

ancient Ninevites. 

Jonah announced to the Ninevites 

that there was only one way to 

avoid total destruction of their nation 

and all of its inhabitants. He 

said they must repent to what they 

Dr. Yaacov Maoz, an Assyrian Jew, with Remon 

Lazar, an Assyiran Christian 

perceived as the God of the Jews. 

Assyrian King Ashur-dan III, 

who was desperate to end a disastrous 

plague and constant rebellions 

in Nineveh, took Jonah’s warning 

seriously. 

The rest of the inhabitants of this 

land, our pre-Christian ancestors, 

reacted by abstaining from eating a 

variety of dairy and meat foods for 

the same length of time Jonah spent 

traveling inside of the whale—72 

hours—in an ancient ritual called 

‎, which phonetically 

translates into “Baoutha’d Ninwaya” 

or Petition of the Ninevites. 

The ancient people who practiced 

this fast are the forefathers of 

today’s Baoutha-practicing Chaldeans, 

Assyrians, Syriacs, Maronites, 

and Arameans. 

Marutha of Tikrit enforced it as 

a way to unite all eastern churches 

when another plague broke out in 

the ancient homeland right before 

his death in 649 A.D., according to 

a bulletin posted on St. Thomas’s 

website. 

This story is worth mentioning 

because it illustrates a definitive 

connection between the religious 


The Committee for the Revival of the Aramaic Language 

Aramaic singers, Shaked and Eden 

Liat Itzkhaki singing in Aramaic 

Dr. Yaacov Maoz 

holiday of Baoutha and the Jewish 

holiday of Yom Kippur, according to 

Dr. Maoz. 

Part of Yom Kippur is dedicated 

to reading the Book of Jonah, he said. 

What’s more, the Babylonian Talmud 

was written in Aramaic, and it 

is the foundation for Jewish law and 

theology. However, generations of 

sages who studied the Talmud never 

heard of the Aramaic language, according 

to Dr. Maoz. 

This lack of familiarity with 

Aramaic in a Talmudic context is a 

problem for Jews because, according 

to Dr. Maoz, they are responsible for 

“safeguarding this asset within us.” 

The foundation of the Nation of 

Israel rests squarely on the Aramaic 

language, from which Hebrew descended, 

according to Dr. Maoz. 

Some of the most “dramatic moments” 

in Israeli prayer originated 

with Aramaic, “such as the Qadish,” 

he said. 

Assyrian Jews still identify as Assyrian, 

presumably because their national 

identity wasn’t tampered with 

by Eastern and Western Churches 

during many centuries of religious 

schisms. 

These schisms are the same ones 

that divided Chaldeans, Assyrians, 

Syriacs, Maronites, and Arameans 

into different religious denominations 

and national identities. 

Inadvertently or otherwise, 

modern-day adherents of a divided 

church ironically self-identify under 

the banner of a single kingdom, 

Nineveh, when they practice 

Baoutha’d Nineveh. 

One encouraging sign is the almost 

universal intrigue and willingness 

to engage with our shared history 

and ancestry, which helps us 

define and defend a set of values we 

want to live by together. 

The Assyrian Embassy in Jerusalem 

Dr. Maoz intends to fulfill his role 

with a strategy that integrates our 

Aramaic language into all levels of 

Israeli curriculum, but that’s only the 

beginning. Another objective of Dr. 

Maoz is to launch The Assyrian Embassy 

in Jerusalem. 

“The good relations between the 

world’s Assyrian communities and 

Israel deserve to be expressed both 

physically and symbolically by the 

establishment of an Assyrian embassy 

in Jerusalem,” Dr. Maoz declared. 

He described it as a place that 

will “provide a home base for the 

cultivation of creative expression in 

Assyrian Aramaic, and function as a 

meeting place for Israeli and Assyrian 

creative artists that will draw Assyrian 

pilgrims visiting the holy sites 

in the Land of Israel.” 

To sum it up, Dr. Maoz said the 

Assyrian Embassy in Jerusalem would 

“embody Israeli society’s declaration 

of support of the Assyrian nation, its 

cultural heritage and its national aspirations.” 

A Massive Highway Built Across 

the Entire Middle East 

The entirety of Dr. Maoz’s plan will 

be released in a 20-page plan when 

he visits Toronto in November. 

Most notably, it ends with a 

quote from an unfulfilled prophecy 

from the Book of Isaiah 19:23-25: 

23 In that day there will be a 

highway from Egypt to Assyria. 

The Assyrians will go to Egypt 

and the Egyptians to Assyria. The 

Egyptians and Assyrians will worship 

together. 

24 In that day Israel will be the 

third, along with Egypt and Assyria, 

a blessing on the Earth. 

25 The Lord Almighty will bless 

them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my 

people, Assyria my handiwork, and 

Israel my inheritance.” 

Many, including Dr. Maoz, believe 

the prophecy above amounts 

to the revival of our ancient kingdom 

in a land that most people today 

call Iraq. 


Chaldeans bring different 

views in appointed 

positions 

BY M. LAPHAM 

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Shelby Township • West Bloomfield 

Southeastern Michigan has the 

largest Chaldean population in 

the country, and the largest outside 

of Iraq. The second largest region, 

San Diego, is a distant second. This 

translates to an increased weight in 

how the community is represented in 

the State of Michigan’s government. 

“Making sure the Chaldean community 

engaged is a priority,” says Ghida 

Dagher, Director of Appointments 

for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. 

Currently, in the administration 

two Chaldeans have been appointed 

to key positions – Nadine Yousif Kalasho 

and Grace Sesi. 

Kalasho was appointed to the 

Commission on Middle Eastern 

American Affairs. 

Housed in the Department of Licensing 

and Regulatory Affairs, the 

15-member Commission monitors, 

evaluates, and provides recommendations 

to the Governor and department 

regarding issues facing the Middle-Eastern 

American Community. 

The Commission also works to enhance 

economic opportunity, prevent 

discrimination, and spread awareness 

of Middle Eastern American culture. 

An attorney, Kalasho is the president 

and chief executive officer of 

CODE Legal Aid, a nonprofit that 

helps immigrants with legal counsel. 

Putting herself on the frontlines of 

the battle with ICE, she took on the 

responsibility of trying to keep hundreds 

of immigrants in the country. In 

2017, she represented some Iraqi detainees 

in their fight to avoid deportation 

and helped win an extended stay. 

Her appointment is an especially 

important contribution given her experience 

with the mass deportations. 

Until recently, many people outside 

Michigan were unaware of the mass 

Chaldean detentions in Detroit. The 

death of Jimmy Aldaoud, who was deported 

to Iraqi and died there, made 

national news, pushing Michigan into 

the spotlight on the issue. The 41-yearold, 

who had diabetes and severe mental 

illness, had spent nearly his whole 

life in Detroit until being deported. His 

family said he died from lack of insulin. 

Dagher says the deportation issue 

is important to Governor Whitmer 

and factored into the appointment. 

Earlier this year the governor stopped 

the sale of a state prison to the federal 

government, which would have 

acted as a detention center. At the 

time CODE commented positively. 

Kalasho succeeded Abe Munfakh 

at the Commission. 

Sesi was appointed to the Michigan 

Board of Pharmacy. A licensed pharmacist, 

the Troy native is the Greater 

Detroit Area district leader for CVS 

Health. She succeeded Nicole Penny, 

whose term expired this past June. 

These two appointments are part 

of larger goal, for all groups in the 

state to feel represented, according to 

Dagher. She says the governor wants 

“I would like to see 

more diversity in 

our appointments, 

including Chaldeans.” 

– GHIDA DAGHER, DIRECTOR 

OF APPOINTMENTS 

FOR GOVERNOR 

GRETCHEN WHITMER 

as many viewpoints as possible to 

best reflect the state’s unique makeup. 

This commitment sits well with the 

woman in charge of appointments for 

the Whitmer Administration. 

“I would like to see more diversity 

in our appointments, including 

Chaldeans,” says Dagher. She says 

more appointments may come in the 

future, especially given Whitmer’s 

history of working with the Arab 

American Chaldean Council. 

There are currently an estimated 

160,000 Chaldeans in metro Detroit, 

according to the Chaldean American 

Chamber of Commerce, which 

points out nearly two-thirds of Chaldean 

households own one business 

and 39 percent own two or more. 

According to a March 2016 dBusiness 

article, Chaldeans contribute 

more than $10.7 billion annually to 

Michigan’s economy. 


Western Oakland County 

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7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

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Brooks Gibbs, Keynote Speaker, is a 

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Visit: brooksgibbs.com 

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On-site childcare available, 

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Funny is funny 

BY SARAH KITTLE 

If you can’t laugh at yourself, you 

have no business laughing at anyone 

else. That is the heart of comedy. 

“I’m allowed to make fun of who 

I am,” says comic Eric D’Alessandro, 

“and what I know.” 

Comedian Vincent Oshana says 

about himself and his colleagues, 

“We are modern day philosophers.” 

Both funny men will star in a comedy 

show benefiting the Chaldean Community 

Foundation (CCF) on Friday, 

October 4 at the MotorCity Casino 

Hotel’s Sound Board Theater. 

Almost three-fourths of the way 

through an $8 million campaign, the 

CCF is raising money to complete the 

construction of a 19,000 square foot 

expansion to their center in Sterling 

Heights, and begin construction on 

a planned community a few miles to 

the north on Van Dyke Avenue. 

For almost 14 years, the Chaldean 

Community Foundation has 

been supporting the immigrant community 

in southeast Michigan. Since 

2006, they have been teaching English 

as a second language, helping 

with paperwork, and providing pro 

bono legal assistance, medical care 

and auto loans to new Americans, 

mostly refugees from Iraq fleeing religious 

persecution. 

The brainchild of Paul Jonna and 

Carlo Koza, this fundraiser hopes 

to have the audience rolling in the 

aisles and building funds. Ticket prices 

range from $50 for a single ticket 

to $7,500 for presenting sponsor, 

which includes a suite with 20 meet 

and greet tickets. 

Oshana, the event headliner, has 

his own special on Comedy Central 

presented by Kevin Hart and has 

been featured on HBO’s Def Comedy 

Jam. He began his career in the family 

living room in Yonkers, imitating cartoon 

characters and TV personalities. 

Raising money for the Foundation 

is important to Oshana. Of 

Assyrian descent, he is proud of his 

Middle Eastern heritage and likes to 

use his medium to poke fun at stereotypes. 

“Any Middle Easterners in the 

house? Yeah? SECURITY! Security, 

right over here…” 

Excited to return to Detroit – 

where he had his best show in memory 

– Oshana passed up a chance to do 

a show in Dubai. Such is the power 

of Carlo Koza that one phone call 

persuaded Vincent to come to the 

Motor City and headline the benefit. 

“Chaldeans love to laugh, love 

to give, love to get. It feels good to 

prepare a show for them.” 

There is no need to prepare material, 

however. Oshana has plenty. He 

is creating it in his head all the time. 

It takes real talent to look at life unfiltered 

and ask yourself, “How can 

I make this funny?” Each day brings 

new material. 

Like the fact that he is Assyrian. 

People don’t know what that is. 

“Does that mean you’re from Syria?” 

he is often asked. The subtle nuances 

between Assyrian, Syriac, and 

Chaldean are hard to explain, but 

none of them come from Syria. A 

friend told him Chaldeans were “like 

the Armenians, but richer.” The differences 

don’t matter to Oshana. It’s 

all sand, he says. 

Comedy is a calling. Jokes may be 

learned and timing perfected, but true 

comedy is genuine. Oshana has been 

doing stand-up comedy for almost 

15 years and says it is “1,000 percent 

harder than it used to be. Everyone is 

so easily offended nowadays.” 

He likes to open with recent events, 

and sometimes making that funny is 

hard work. How does he make a situation 

where he is busting the so-tospeak 

doors down as an Air Force Staff 

Sergeant in Iraq funny? By imagining 

that it’s his uncle’s house and that he 

gets a good dressing-down. 

He has heard his share of gasps 

and groans. Influenced by comedic 

genius such as Dave Chappelle, Oshana 

just likes to keep it real. A true 

storyteller, he has found his voice. 

Also lending his voice and his 

own authentic, organic version of humor 

for the benefit is D’Alessandro. 

D’Alessandro became an internet 

sensation by posting videos of himself 

poking fun, doing impressions 

and calling attention to the absurdity 

of everyday life. 

His Italian American heritage 

bred a culture not unlike that of Chaldeans, 

centered on faith, food, and 

family. He’s relatable, personable and 

Vincent Oshana 

Eric D’Alessandro 

personal, posting photos of his own 

life on Instagram. Everything he sees 

becomes fodder for his comedy. 

Influenced by talent such as Jim 

Carrey, D’Alessandro is a physical 

comedian. His impressions are scarily 

spot-on while utterly ridiculous at 

the same time. He grew up with a 

video camera “the size of my head” in 

his hands. He always knew he wanted 

to perform and thought he might 

one day make a living as a musician. 

Like most comedians, 

D’Alessandro is a writer at heart. He 

jokes about things he notices every 

day, things like pop culture and materialism. 

Comments on Instagram 

Live told Eric there was a huge audience 

in Detroit for his jokes. 

The CCF is hoping that is true – 

they have 1,000 seats to fill in MotorCity 

Casino’s Sound Board Theater. 


What is Integrative Medicine? 

Integrative Medicine is a philosophical approach to the health care 

of an individual that melds together alternative medical practices 

and interventions with the conventional evidence-based western 

allopathic medicine utilized by the majority of the United States. This 

approach places the patient at the center of the health care model, 

expanding the perimeters of health to include physical, mental, 

spiritual, and environmental well-being. Integrative medicine allows 

for involvement of homeopathics, mental counseling, exercise, 

dietary approaches, and lifestyle changes to address root causes of 

health risks, rather than just looking for a “magic bullet,” and taking 

pharmaceutical medication. 

“I love working in an integrative clinic because it allows me to offer 

a variety of options to my patients instead of just a western based 

approach,” states Dr. Heather Koza, MD. 

Care can be personalized to address each individual’s needs, using both 

conventional and alternative approaches when necessary. Our mission 

at Comprehensive Integrative Health Care is to offer quality medical 

services, regardless of age and needs, and we are open to coordinating 

care with alternative forms of treatments which our patients may want to 

include in their health care, including homeopathics, chiropractic, energy 

balancing, and mental health practitioners. With the knowledge that we 

have gained from both alternative and conventional medicine, we feel 

that we can expand the options available to our patients. Our approach 

is guided by an appreciation for ancient medical practices that have 

been utilized in other cultures for centuries, while utilizing the advances 

of western modern medicine, a unique blend of philosophies and care 

which allows for individualized compassionate care to our patients. 

Comprehensive Integrative Health Care is located in Novi: 

30880 Beck Rd. Novi, MI 48377. Website: www.cihc248.com. 

Heather Koza, MD and Sung Park-Davis, MD: Specialties 

in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Family Medicine 

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Nishant Holani 

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Deception, promises and betrayal 

BY ADHID MIRI, PHD 

The Iraqi community in the 

United States and more specifically, 

the Chaldean American 

community in Michigan, opened their 

homes and hearts to many Iraqi political 

leaders that visited our community 

organizations and churches over the 

years. 

Every politician knows that the 

key to winning the hearts and mind of 

our community is to make great promises 

on Christian and minority issues as 

well as promoting business and political 

collaboration. A classic promise is 

building bridges with the community, 

attracting investment and defending 

Christian rights. 

On issue after issue, most visitors 

have made sweeping promises, and 

all have blatantly betrayed them. In 

many ways, Iraqi Chaldeans are eternal 

optimists who can’t learn from 

experience. We want to believe politicians 

will improve our people’s lives 

back home, then reality strikes and we 

are left wondering why we believed 

that somehow, this time, the outcome 

would be different. 

Regrettably behind each visit and 

visitor lies just an illusion of a better 

future for Iraqi Christians and 

a false promise. 

“When enough people make false 

promises, words stop meaning anything.” 

The frequent visits are usually 

marked with the same promises by almost 

all Iraqi politicians. The ranking 

of the elected official seems correlated 

with the size of the promise. 

There is no need here to detail the 

many broken promises that have accumulated 

throughout history. With 

constant change and lack of political 

and administrative continuity in Iraq, 

this problem reoccurs with new faces 

and new political figures. Visiting politicians 

attempt to extract additional 

support to their agendas by promising 

to improve a specific problem that is 

near and dear to our hearts. 

Christians represent an essential 

component of Iraq. From the dawn of 

Christianity until the fall of the regime 

in 2003, they defended the values of 

citizenship, formed an effective model 

for democracy, and preserved their 

towns, churches and monasteries. 

After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s 

regime in 2003, Christians were attacked 

by terrorists, abducted, killed 

and their churches were blown away. 

In 2014, Christians were driven away 

from their homes when ISIS occupied 

Mosul and the Nineveh Plain towns. 

ISIS burned historic churches which 

reflected a deep-rooted and prosperous 

Christian presence in this region. Today, 

despite the liberation of these areas, 

Christians have not received any 

support from the Iraqi Government for 

the reconstruction of their homes and 

rehabilitation of infrastructure. Moreover, 

the conflict has been intensified 

on this land to change its demography, 

causing escalation of Christian worries 

and fears. 

The tendency to hope for a better 

future through politics and politicians 

is nothing new. Promises of change 

abound, yet little seems to change. 

What is the problem? 

Although we realize this deep 

down, we continue to fall for lies 

again and again. We think this time 

will be different. So, we lay out the 

money, spend the time, become parts 

of an endless treadmill and continually 

allow these political characters to 

seduce us into believing there will be 

change. But can such hope ever be fulfilled? 

Or is it merely part of a cycle, a 

cynical exploitation of short memories 

and emotional partisanship? In the 

end, this leads to nothing! 

A recent visit by the Iraqi parliament 

speaker to the U.S. and the load 

of promises displayed classic examples 

of failure to engage the community. 

The outcome was nothing more than 

a conference room on WhatsApp! 

Basically, a rosy wish list without real 

mechanisms or effective procedures. 

Iraqi politicians run their power 

engine on the fuel supply of fake 

praises and false promises. This kind of 

governance can do nothing good for 

the country, its citizens or democracy. 

They promise to do all they can to 

cure the ills of society including persecution, 

religious rights, freedom of 

expression, property rights, etc. and 

upon their return they will bring about 

vast improvements in equal rights, education, 

employment, infrastructure, 

and the economy. 

For well over 15 years, the Iraqi 

government and legislative body have 

used their power in the wrong way and 

would bend public policy to suit their 

purposes and profits. They have done 

nothing to protect the Christians or 

ethnic minorities. They make heroic 

statements in the USA and hide away 

in Baghdad. 

To sum up, our community members 

have lost patience and are determined 

not to be fooled by any further 

false promises. Now, all that is left are 

feelings of distrust and betrayal towards 

politicians and all whom are associated 

with these pretenders. 

These politicians fail to see the 

available success stories and model 

contributions of other communities in 

the USA to their homeland. They fail 

to understand the magnificent contribution 

of other ex-pats like the Irish, 

Indian, Italian, Israeli, Lebanese communities 

and their remarkable contributions 

to their ancestral homeland. 

Iraqi Americans are a precious asset. 

We have strength in every sector: 

education, health, law, business administration, 

banking, and engineering. 

We have thousands of talented 

specialists willing and ready to help. It 

takes 30 years to produce a single PhD 

recipient. We have hundreds of able 

scholars and candidates. Some would 

be willing investors and economic developers 

in Iraq if the government was 

not corrupt and deceptive. 

It would be easy to blame all of this 

on politicians, who will say anything 

to be accepted and supported. But 

we, the people, are at fault also. We 

continue to embrace politicians who 

make outrageous promises, fail to deliver 

on them, and then allow them to 

use the same promises to get another 

invitation to visit or join our events. 

Are we to believe today’s promises 

any more than we should have 

believed the false promises that were 

given in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 

beyond? 

There are two fundamental problems 

with our thinking system. 

First, we tend idolize politicians 

because they tell us they will fix the 

problem for the Christians in Iraq. 

These officials are merely civil servants. 

It is their job to support their 

citizens. They work for the people and 

should be treated as such. 

Second, politicians that make 

promises that are either too vague to 

measure or so unrealistic must be held 

accountable. 

We can’t expect the politicians to 

change the system that brought them 

to power. We need to drive change 

ourselves, change our thinking and 

our level of cooperation. 

A major correction is needed in 

the course of Iraq if it is to survive 

as a multiethnic nation. It is needed 

first and foremost in the composition 

of the Parliament and Supreme 

Court. Now is the time for truth and 

courage. Now is the time for all Iraqis 

to stand up to the powerful on behalf 

of the people. The choice, not just in 

rhetoric, but in reality. Applying the 

principles of pressure politics might 

be just what Iraqi politicians need. 

We are very concerned about 

laws that have been enacted in the 

Iraqi parliament that hurt minorities, 

specifically Christians. The new Iraqi 

parliament developed unfair laws 

that infringe on civil rights, property 

rights, citizenship rights, cultural, 

educational rights, religion choices 

for the young newborn from mixed 

marriages to religious freedom. 

The demographic changes that 

are taking place in the Nineveh 

plain region and all around our villages 

are tragic. The constitutional 

role of majority in defending minorities 

is a standard in all emerging democracies. 

We should fight for “the forgotten 

Christians and minorities of Iraq’’ 

against the powerful forces of greed 

and corruption. Standing up for “vulnerable 

people against the powerful’’ 

should be our community meaning 

and mission in the United States. The 

suggestion from some in our community 

that we should cut all cooperation 

and abandon the relationships is 

wrong in principle and in practice. 

We must have a process we can 

believe in and measure. From now on 

we will no longer ask, “What will you 

do for the Christians?” but the question 

will be, “What have you done?” 

if they dare to ride our coat tails to 

meet with U.S. politicians to further 

their agenda. We will keep a balanced 

perspective on an effective relationship 

process for the sake of the next 

generation in the U.S. and protect 

our unfortunate people in Iraq. 

We need to express our opinions 

in favor of reasonable laws and actions. 

We must demand that Christians 

be treated with dignity and 

given equal rights to Muslims and 

all other citizens in Iraq. The fate of 

our people is hanging by a thread and 

future generations will not forgive or 

forget our failure to act. 


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Marvin 

Ammori 

continues to 

support the 

‘little guy’ 


In an era characterized by corporate 

greed and dominated by giant 

companies, Marvin Ammori 

has struck one up for the little guy. 

An attorney by trade, the 41-yearold 

has spent much of his career 

trying to keep the internet fair and 

open for small, entrepreneurial 

companies like the ones he grew up 

around in the Chaldean community. 

The key issue is “network neutrality” 

and it means preventing 

large companies that control access 

to the internet from playing favorites. 

For example, making some 

companies easier to search for or 

helping some companies’ websites 

load faster than other companies’ 

websites. 

“The idea was to keep the internet 

more democratic and full 

of economic innovation for small 

businesses and big businesses alike,” 

Ammori explained. “ As someone 

who is the son of a small business 

owner—like almost every other 

Chaldean—the idea is for both economic 

innovation and free speech, 

to not let the big cable and phone 

companies control the internet.” 

Graduating in three years from 

the University of Michigan before 

matriculating at Harvard Law 

School, Ammori had a plethora of 

opportunities and right out of the 

gate grabbed one, landing a job at 

a prestigious Chicago law firm. He 

acknowledges, “There is definitely a 

lot more money had I stayed a law 

firm partner…for 15 years.” 

Instead, Ammori opened his 

own Washington, DC firm in 2011 

and got in on the ground floor of 

the net neutrality fight, managing 

the battle for five years for cuttingedge 

innovators Google, Apple and 

Dropbox. 

“When I had that firm, I got to 

work on all of the most fun and interesting 

telecom and internet policy 

issue,” said Ammori. He quarterbacked 

a major net neutrality fight 

in 2014-15, represented Google in 

an antitrust investigation and was 

involved in Wikipedia’s daylong 

“blackout” to pressure Congress to 

kill a bill. 

The net neutrality fight is hardly 

over, but Ammori is handing over 

most of that challenge to younger 

people who are now in leadership positions 

at telecom and communications 

companies. Ammori said the Trump 

administration has stripped away 

Obama-era net neutrality policy, an issue 

that is working its way through the 

courts. “I think this administration just 

wanted to get rid of everything Obama 

that they could,” he said. 

States are picking up some of the 

slack. California passed a very strong 

net neutrality law, which will go to 

court as well, said Ammori. He said 

that state has the fifth largest economy 

in the world, so its policy decisions 

will have international impact. 

Always drawn to issues that he 

thinks will transform society, Ammori 

is now working for a company 

called Protocol Labs, which is trying 

to create internet protocols that 

make the internet less centralized. 

Protocols are the vehicles computers 

use to communicate with one 

another. A common one is the 

ubiquitous “http,” or hypertext 

transfer protocol. The way Ammori 

describes it, decentralizing the protocols 

gives small companies a fair 

shake in the data storage game; a 

little bit like Airbnb being able to 

compete with Hilton or Marriott. 

“One of reasons I work for this 

company, we may or may not succeed, 

but we’re trying to do things 

to make it more possible for smaller 

companies to compete with bigger 

companies,” said Ammori. 

“I was always on the side of the 

upstart, always on the side of the 

little guy, or the person who, even 

if they were big, they could help the 

little guy. Even when it came to the 

net neutrality fight, I was primarily 

working for non-profits or alongside 

the smaller start-ups.” 

Ammori very much lives in the 

now. When he reluctantly turns his 

head toward the future, he sees biotech 

as a likely transformative issue as 

gene editing and other innovations 

take hold. He sees autonomous vehicles 

as an interesting game changer. 

It seems obvious that there is a 

book in all of this somewhere for 

Ammori. In fact, he has already 

written one called “On Internet 

Freedom,” which was published on 

a small scale and from which he donated 

the proceeds. 

Ammori sees a second book on 

the near horizon focusing on the 

intersection between technology 

and politics. He has strong concerns 

about “Rightwing populism, electoral 

interference, fake Twitter accounts 

and fake news,” worrying 

that these developments will allow 

tampering with Democracy around 

the world. 


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December 1st 

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HOURS: 

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Sunday, 

December 1st 


OCTOBER 2019 CHALDEAN NEWS 35 

full assortment of

chaldean on the STREET 

Being Chaldean 

BY HALIM SHEENA 

Being Chaldean can mean a variety of things and it surely means something different for each 

individual. That’s why we asked the community what being Chaldean means to them. 

A culture that can turn dirt into money and would 

do anything to support their family. We have a lot of 

hate and jealousy but we also have a lot of love and 

compassion. We strive for success but are impatient 

and stubborn. We use every emotion in the human 

body. We have gone through trauma and difficulties 

but can still feel the most blessed inside. It’s a love 

hate culture. The fact that we speak the same language 

as Jesus is so amazing to me, the fact that we 

are a culture that’s been around for so long but has 

never been heard of. 

– Merna Yaldo, 19, Sterling Heights 

A few hundred years after most people die, it’s likely 

that no one will know they even existed in the first place. 

It’s a scary thought, but at least most people can take 

comfort in the fact that their identity will live on for eternity, 

even if their personal legacy gradually fades out of 

existence over time. I can’t say the same for Chaldeans. 

For over a thousand years, we’ve been murdered, tortured, 

and raped out of existence. We are on the brink 

of extinction. So while others are scrambling to figure 

out how they’re going to afford the best car or the nicest 

house, I’m busy insisting on the existence of our people 

so that the world will know us long after our generation 

passes. To me, that’s what it means to be Chaldean. 

– Chris Salem, 29, Farmington Hills 

To me, being Chaldean is a reminder that our roots 

can be traced back to the ancient Assyrian and 

Babylonian empires. The two empires that can be 

credited with multiple things, but not limited to- the 

first written language, 360-degree circle, Hammurabi’s 

code of law as well as military, artistic, and 

architectural achievements. Our ancestors have 

contributed a lot to society, which still influences 

modern day society. Throughout the millennia, many 

ethnic groups have become extinct, yet we continued 

to survive despite enduring multiple religious 

and ethnic massacres and genocides. 

– John Hirmiz, 30, Shelby Township 

Being Chaldean means three things to me: faith, food, 

and family! These three things define a few of the many 

characteristics that make us an ethnic-religious group 

that is unlike any other. We are rooted in rich history 

and have grown and evolved into a distinct community 

with specific, linguistic, religious, and ancestral heritage. 

It can’t get better than that! 

– Nataly Salman, 22, Sterling Heights 

Being Chaldean means being part of a powerful faith 

community, and it also means being part of a larger 

multi-faith community of “Sooraye.” It is extremely 

important to me and my inner circle to preserve our 

language, foods, dances, artifacts and history. Strong 

roots are one of the most valuable and empowering 

things we all can give to future generations. 

– Ranna Abro, 31, Rochester Hills 

Being Chaldean to me is making sure our culture and 

traditions stay alive and doing whatever I can to help 

my people progress and work together. We have a 

duty to protect and connect with our community 

whether they’re in Iraq, where I was born, or anywhere 

else in the world. 

– Ron Babbie, 32, West Bloomfield 


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DOCTOR is in 

Facing mental illness 

As we are bombarded 

by media sensationalism 

daily, we 

can easily think of therapy 

as lying on a couch while 

telling our personal story 

to someone who is insincerely 

nodding, taking 

notes and asking, “how does 

that make you feel?” The 

more extreme portrayal is 

someone in a straightjacket 

thrashing around on a bed 

with restraints or perhaps rocking 

themselves in a corner. Exaggeration 

of mental illness in the media and 

movies has made society afraid to address 

their mental health needs. Allow 

me to address this exaggeration. 

For many years the Chaldean 

community has been acculturating 

in the United States. In the beginning, 

the important things were to 

learn the language, laws, regulations, 

education, employment, and social 

life styles. As we progress there has 

been a great need to focus on health 

and wellness. History shows that our 

community is connected spiritually. 

In Iraq the church was and still is 

the hub where people seek help and 

refuge. Today we continue to see our 

leaders work endlessly to ensure the 

spiritual needs of the people are met. 

We have many programs, bible studies, 

retreats, and youth groups at our 

local parishes that encourage personal 

growth and self-reflection. In 

addition, endless hours of meetings 

and spiritual direction are offered 

to those who need guidance. These 

interactions can be therapeutic and 

healing. However, there may be situations 

when a spiritual leader may 

help redirect a person/family by providing 

them resources and programs 

within the community. 

Growing up, I remember that going 

to the doctor was a taboo subject. 

I would hear people say, “What if 

someone sees me?” or “I don’t want 

people to know that I’m sick.” Even 

today people are afraid to identify 

illnesses by their names and tell others 

that they are suffering. There is 

an idea that saying the name makes 

the illness more real. Recently, with 

social media and technology people 

have been more open to asking for 

help and support. Talking about illness 

has become more normalized 

and helps to bring hope and healing. 

JANICE KIZY 

SPECIAL TO THE 

CHALDEAN NEWS 

For generations, mental 

illness has been viewed 

as something that we don’t 

talk about. Yet, in my years 

of practice, I see many people 

that struggle with the 

effects of mental illness. 

Confidentiality is usually 

the most important topic 

addressed. Many times the 

fear is that someone may be 

looked at as “weak” or “crazy.” 

Clients express concern 

that they may bring shame to their 

family. Unfortunately, the impact of 

untreated mental illness has proven 

to be detrimental to the wellbeing 

of clients, families, and the community. 

The recent epidemics of drug 

use, overdose and suicide rates in our 

community are examples of this. 

Mental illness refers to a wide 

range of conditions that affect your 

mood, thinking and behavior. Many 

factors contribute to mental health 

problems. These factors include: brain 

chemistry, physical illness, biological 

inheritance, and life experiences such 

as trauma, abuse or loss. Mental health 

concerns may be long or short term 

and can be treated with or without 

medication. Therapy is the first step 

to treating mental illness. The main 

goal is to build a therapeutic relationship 

(rapport) and identify goals that 

the client wants to work towards. In 

building rapport, a safe non-judgmental 

environment is created, allowing 

clients to express feelings and be open 

about situations they can’t share with 

their family or social circle. 

Clients have expressed that coming 

to therapy gives them a place to 

find their voice and helps them develop 

tools to navigate daily stress in 

a healthier manner. Communication 

skills can be developed, allowing individuals 

and families to build stronger 

bonds and loving relationships. 

The healing process begins with acknowledging 

traumas that may have 

occurred as early as childhood and 

into adulthood. Until they are addressed, 

these traumas often hold a 

person back, causing them issues in 

different areas of life. 

There is a misconception that the 

therapist is supposed to give advice 

and fix problems. Our role is to support 

clients, help them reflect, find 

their own inner strength, focus on 

best parts of themselves, and build 

confidence and healthy relationships. 

Therapy is not only for people 

with severe conditions. Therapy has 

proven to be helpful with positive 

life changes that may cause stress 

such as: marriage, having a child, and 

getting a new job or promotion. 

Individual and family therapy 

are common types of therapy. Some 

people may benefit from group therapy, 

which can build a support system 

and help clients recognize they are 

not alone in their distress. Therapy 

is for all ages. Children who experience 

socialization issues, behavior 

concerns at home/school, bullying, 

or family stressors can benefit by 

developing healthy ways to identify 

feelings, manage, and cope. 

Medications for mental health 

conditions can be used to improve 

quality of life. Some client concerns 

include developing addictions or 

becoming dependent on medications. 

These questions are best answered 

on an individual basis with 

your physician. It’s always recommended 

to consult your prescribing 

physician before taking new 

medications or making changes to 

your prescriptions. The majority of 

doctors encourage someone with a 

mental health concern to participate 

in outpatient therapy and will 

prescribe only after the patient has 

started therapy. 

As a social worker, my hope is to 

work with clients to improve their 

health and wellness: mind, body, and 

spirit. I work with the client to get 

an all-encompassing view of where 

they are and where they want to be. 

The most important and rewarding 

aspect of my work is witnessing 

clients grow and make progress towards 

their goals. Every therapist 

has their own style and every client 

has to find the right person for their 

needs. Whether goals are to manage 

anger, find their voice, decrease depression 

and anxiety symptoms, clear 

their minds, navigate life changes, 

grieve a loss, work through family issues, 

manage behavior, work through 

traumatic life events, or increase 

self-care, self-love, and awareness, I 

am always honored that my clients 

choose to trust me and allow me to 

take this journey with them. To find 

more information about therapists in 

your area you can visit psychologytoday.com. 

Have you considered who 

you will trust to take the journey 

with you? 

Janice Kizy is a masters level licensed 

clinical social worker LMSW. She 

obtained obtained her master’s degree 

from Wayne State University School 

of Social Work in 2006 and bachelor’s 

degree from U of M - Flint School 

of Social Work in 2002. Kizy’s 

work experiences over the past 15 

years include child welfare, homeless 

shelters, outpatient clinics and refugee 

services. She currently has a private 

practice Mind and Spirit Counseling 

in Sterling Heights. 


ECONOMICS & enterprise 

A sweet 

labor of love 

BY LISA CIPRIANO 

Sometimes we all need to take a 

little time out and enjoy some 

of the sweeter things in life. 

One Chaldean entrepreneur has 

dedicated her life’s work to helping 

us do just that. 

Lauren Roumayah started 

her Ferndale-based Detroit 

Cookie Co. in 2015 out of a 

need to be creative and a love 

for baking. 

Prior to that, she was on a 

completely different career path 

which she found to be less than 

inspiring for her. Roumayah 

was studying fashion merchandising 

at Wayne State University 

and already had a job in her 

field. But she just wasn’t happy 

and it showed. 

“My husband, Anthony 

Sevy, who was my then fiancé 

asked me, ‘In a perfect would, 

what would you want to do?’” 

explained Roumayah. “I looked 

at him and simply said, ‘I just 

want to make cookies.’ And he 

said, ‘Then, let’s do it.’” 

And, that’s how the sweet idea 

for Detroit Cookie Co. was born. 

Roumayah’s love of baking came 

from fond memories of precious time 

in the kitchen with her beloved 

mother. 

“I grew up baking with my mom. 

We always baked around the holidays. 

And, one of the first things that 

I ever made was cookies. Being from a 

Chaldean family, we gathered around 

food. It’s the way that everyone shows 

their love,” said Roumayah. “It’s my 

therapy. It’s my happiness. It’s my love 

language,” she continued. 

The couple found a shared use 

kitchen space in Southfield, with the 

help of Roumayah’s father, Steven, 

who owns a commercial refrigeration 

company, and began baking the 

night away. 

“I was working full-time, so we 

would bake all night long and sell 

them online and through wholesale 

catering. We literally worked 

around-the-clock to try to get our 

cookies out to people,” Roumayah 

explained. 

As a determined Chaldean business 

woman, Roumayah didn’t stop 

there! She wanted her own Detroit 

Cookie Co. storefront and one eventually 

found her. 

The couple had their sights sets on 

a specific Ferndale location, but it was 

not available as the owners had passed 

away and the building was in probate. 

After a year of calling for updates, 

Roumayah finally got a call back informing 

her that the building had 

been purchased by an investor and 

was available for lease. When she and 

her then fiancé walked through, they 

found that the kitchen contained all 

of the large and small baking appliances 

and work tables that they needed 

to take their next step. 

“Without the exact building that 

we have now, we literally would not 

have been able to open. We didn’t 

have a ton of money for renovation,” 

said Roumayah. 

With some cosmetic renovation, 

the couple eventually was able 

to turn 23421 Woodward Ave. into 

a sweet looking — and smelling — 

oasis of “Cookies, Coffee and Carbs” 

that now employs 20 people. 

Detroit Cookie Co. also offers 

ice cream, croissants, brownies and 

more as well as vegan and glutenfree 

options so those with dietary restrictions 

can also enjoy the sweeter 

things in life. 

In fact, just about all of her original 

recipes came from her bonding 

time with her mother in the kitchen. 

“We would take bits and pieces 

from different recipes and make a 

batch. If we liked something, we’d 

keep the recipe. Over time, we 

evolved all of these different recipes 

that we have now,” Roumayah explained. 

“I always try to think what 

the kid in me would like,” she added. 

Detroit Cookie Co. offers 25 

cookie flavors and Roumayah is always 

developing new, gourmet recipes 

that incorporate Detroit and 

Michigan-made products that many 

of us know and love and some that 

we may have never heard of before. 

“We do a lot of collaboration. We 

like to partner with local businesses 

and small businesses just starting 

out and release three different Detroit/Michigan 

inspired flavors every 

month,” explained Roumayah. 

She even developed a sweet and 

salty cookie with her favorite Better 

Made potato chips! Detroit Cookie 

Co. also sells some of those locally 

made products at its Ferndale store. 

Some of Roumayah’s cookies, 

meant to be a temporary flavor of the 

month, are so addictively delicious 

that customers have requested they 

be made standards. 

“One of our best-sellers is a raspberry, 

Oreo, cheesecake cookie. We 

actually take an entire cheesecake 

and put it in our cookie dough with 

fresh raspberries and chunks of Oreo 

cookies. People love that cookie so 

much that when they found out that 

we were going to take it off of the 

menu, they started stocking up, freezing 

them and kept asking us when 

we’d offer it again,” said Roumayah. 

We decided that we can’t take that 

away from them,” she added. 

Detroit Cookie Co. now produces 

anywhere from 50,000 to 65,000 cookies 

per month and Roumayah’s quest to 

make the world a little bit sweeter has 

her looking for a bigger, commissary 

kitchen space to allow for even more 

dough production in order to increase 

online offerings and open two or three 

more local stores next year. 

“We’re going to continue to expand 

our online ordering by offering 

care packages and more gift baskets 

for the holidays. We’re even going 

have a food truck that will be in service 

sometime next year,” Roumayah 

explained. “We’ll eventually look 

into franchising. But first, our goal is 

to take on Michigan!” she concluded. 

To feast your eyes on the latest 

delicacies that Detroit Cookie Company 

has to offer both online and 

at its Ferndale location, visit them 

online or follow their social media 

pages. 


classified listings 

Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C. 

Attorneys and Counselors at Law 

BUSINESS FOR SALE 

GREAT LOTTERY AND 

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 

Prime business location. 29450 West 

10 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, MI. Price 

$699,000 – Business/building. Land/ 

lease to buy – 300 for business with 

good lease term. Call Marvin for details 

(248) 388-9767. Hours: 10 am – 10 pm 

Monday – Saturday, 12 – 8 pm Sunday 

Ronald G. Acho 

racho@cmda-law.com 

Robert L. Blamer 

rblamer@cmda-law.com 

Strength AnD exPerienCe to 

fight for your rightS 

• Automobile accidents 

• Wrongful death claims 

• Truck accidents 

• Motorcycle accidents 

• Insurance claims 

• Dog bites 

• Pedestrian accidents 

• General negligence 

• Liquor liability injuries/ Dram Shop 

• Construction site accidents 

• Burn Injuries 

• Slip-and-fall injuries 

• Social Security Disability claims 

• Workers’ compensation claims 

A TTORNEYS & C O UNSELORS AT LAW 

(734) 261-2400 • www.cmda-law.com • racho@cmda-law.com 

Promoting Wellness and Breast Health 

Clinical Services: High Risk Consultations | Genetic Risk | Surgery 

Clinical Trials | Multidisciplinary Care | Imaging & Diagnostic 

Our Mission 

Comprehensive Breast Care is a surgical practice with 100% 

dedication to the care of the patient with breast disease. Whether 

benign or malignant, coordinated and efficient care plans are critical. 

Our mission is to navigate patients via evidence based 'care plans' 

to achieve a diagnosis and treatment plan. 

Drs. Linsey Gold and Eric Brown 

4967 Crooks Road Suite 210 

Troy Michigan, 48098 

248-687-7300 | Fax: 248-687-7305 

www.compbreastcare.com 


PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS 

Your Home 

Guaranteed 

or I’ll Buy It! 

844-SOLD-BY-Z • SoldByMarkZ.com 

Phone: (248) 851-2227 

(248) 851-BCBS 

Fax: (248) 851-2215 

rockyhpip1@aol.com 

ROCKY H. HUSAYNU 

Professional Insurance Planners 

Individual & Group Health Plans 

Medicare Supplement Plans 

31000 Northwestern Hwy. • Suite 110 

Farmington Hills, Ml 48334 

Over 40 years of experience. 

Palladium 

Financial GrouP, llc 

MOrTGaGE brOKEr NMLS 128686 

GabE GabriEl 

NMLS 128715 

30095 Northwestern Hwy, ste. 103 

Farmington Hills , Michigan 48334 

Office (248) 737-9500 

Direct (248) 939-1985 

Fax (248) 737-1868 

Email MortgageGabe@aol.com 

www.palladiumfinancialgroup.com 

Safaa Macany 

VP of Mortgage 

Lending 

o: (248) 216-1255 

c: (248) 229-4422 

smacany@rate.com 

www.rate.com/SafaaMacany 

50 W. Big Beaver Road 

Suite 320 

Troy, MI 48084 

Guaranteed Rate NMLS: 2611 • NMLS ID: 138658, LO#: MI - 138658 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

Experience • Knowledge • Personal Service 

TOP 1% OF REALTORS 

TOP 

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1% OF 

1% IN OAKLAND REALTORS 

OF REALTORS 

IN 

COUNTY IN OAKLAND 1993 – 2015 

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ESTATE 

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HOUR MEDIA ALL ALL STAR STAR - – 

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Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Bloomfield, Proudly Farmington serving Birmingham, Hills, Bloomfield, 

Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, the 

Proudly serving Birmingham, 

Each office is independently 

West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Bloomfield, Lakes and Farmington surrounding areas. 

Owned and Operated Brian S. Yaldoo and surrounding areas. Hills, 

Each office is independently Associated Broker West Bloomfield, the Lakes 

Owned and OperatedBrian BrianS. Office (248)737-6800 • Mobile Yaldoo 

(248)752-4010and surrounding areas. 

Toll Associated Free (866) 762-3960 

Broker 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Office Office (248) www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

(248)737-6800 • Mobile (248)752-4010 

752-4010 

Toll Free (866) 762-3960 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.net Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

Email: brianyaldoo@remax.com Websites: www.brianyaldoo.com 

www.BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com 

Each office is independently 

Owned and Operated 

HealtH Insurance 

& MedIcare specIalIst 

stephen M. George 

office 248-535-0444 

fax 248-633-2099 

stephengeorge1000@gmail.com 

Contact me for a free consultation 

on Health Care Reform, Medicare 

and Life Insurance 

Alaa Herfi, 

Owner 

Property inspection 

Mold & Radon Testing 

(734) 692-3900 

www.americana-home.com 

James H. Kakos ABR SFR 

Residential & Commercial 

Sales Executive 

Cell: 248-425-8832 

Phone: 248-419-3196 

Fax: 248-851-9965 

Email: JHKSold@gmail.com 

www.JHKSold.RealEstateOne.com 

“17 Years Experience” 

ANGELA KAKOS 

Ranked In The Top 1% Nationwide! 

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 FOUR YEARS IN A ROW 

Call to get PRE-APPROVED now! 

248-622-0704 

2456 Metropolitan Pkwy, 

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(16 & Dequindre) 

MARKET SQUARE STORES IS 

NOW HIRING 

FOR ALL POSITIONS! 

• KITCHEN-PREP COMMISARY 

• DELI ASSOCIATES 

• OTHER POSITIONS ALSO AVAILABLE 

PLEASE CONTACT LAURA NAMIN AT 248-978-8995 

Jaguar Land Rover Troy 

Sammi A. Naoum 

1815 Maplelawn Drive 

Troy, MI 48084 

TEL 248-643-6900 

MOBILE 248-219-5525 

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event 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 6 7 

Stride for Seminarians 

PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA 

On Sunday, September 23, the Alexander and Gabrielle Mansour Memorial Fund hosted 

their sixth annual Stride for Seminarians charity walk in memory of Alex and Gabby 

Mansour. Hosted at the Detroit Zoo, many showed up to support the memorial fund and 

participate in an array of activities, including crafts, face painting and rose petal intentions. 

Eventgoers settled under the zoo’s pavilion for Mass following the walk. 

1. Hannah Konja, 

Madison Kajy 

& Lana Kinaya. 

2. Kayla Kamposh 

& Klara Kamposh. 

3. Jack Abbo. 

4. Kyle Kamposh. 

5. Reta Kakos 

& Soad Kakos. 

6. Brenda Bakkal 

& Val Natso. 

7. Sanya Jabero, Wiran 

Shina, Summer Satam 

& Washam Attisha. 


Now Open! Offering Special Move-In Pricing 

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WHERE INSPIRED LIVING HAPPENS. 

Discover a 

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approach to 

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aging. 

Beautiful, larger studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments along with an 

intimate movie theater, bistro, salon, and spa. 

Licensed professionals offering 24-hour specialty care in addition to physical, 

occupational, and speech therapy in our state-of-the-art fitness center. 

Specialized memory care with structured social activities to promote 

neurological health, engage critical thinking, and stimulate good memories. 

Certified Masterpiece Living® provider, offering a holistic lifestyle dedicated 

to each resident’s physical, intellectual, social and spiritual needs. 

Contact Renee Fein | 248-282-4088 | FirstAndMainBloomfieldTownship.com 

100 W. Square Lake Road | Bloomfield Township, MI 

Simply delicious food served 

by the finest Professionals 

CUSTOM 

PRICING 

SHELF 

MINIMUM 

LIQUOR 

SCANNING 

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Authentic Italian style restaurant featuring cut to order steaks, fresh seafood, homemade pasta and pizzas and several salad options. 

Spacious Banquet rooms available perfect for corporate events and meetings, family celebrations, weddings and showers. 

• Choose Retail Pricing 

• Order Confirmation (emailed) 

• Review Previous Orders 

• Scan, Type, or In-Put Vendor Number 

• UPC Scanning 

• Customize Tag Pricing (labels) 

5600 Crooks Road, Troy, Michigan 

248.813.0700 ◆ www.loccino.com 

ANDROID AND iPHONE APP DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE 

Liqord LITE 

Liquor ordering & shelf tags made easy 

David Arafat 

Founder / CEO 

248-277-2554 

www.liqord.com 


events 

Honoring Matthew 

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY SHOUNIA FAMILY 

In an effort to honor their late son Matthew, who passed away from a form 

of children’s kidney cancer, Maher and Evon Shounia hosted a golf outing to 

benefit refugee children dealing with cancer. Created as a way to help others, 

this event has allowed the Shounia family to heal while they help others. 


Awake My Soul 

PHOTOS BY MAJD DENHA 

The Eastern Catholic Re-evangelization Center hosted their annual spiritual conference 

on Saturday, September 7. The annual event was hosted at Holy Martyrs 

Church in Sterling Heights. With an English and Arabic program, speakers 

included Fr. Joe Krupp, Fr. Pierre Konja, Fr. Niaz Toma, and Raymond Nader. 


event 

1 

2 3 

Introduction of the 

Blessed Solanus 

Casey Section 

PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA 

The Holy Sepulchre Cemetery invited guests to join in the introduction 

of the Blessed Solanus Casey Section and Endowment Fund on Friday, 

September 13. Hosted at the cemetery, guests enjoyed wine tasting and 

a reception that included special guests Most Rev. Donald Hanchon, 

Capuchin Friars, and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen Choir. 

1. Bishop Don Hanchon. 

2. Veanna Cortese. 

3. Capuchin Soup Kitchen Choir. 


SECOND ANNUAL 

AWARDS GALA 

THE PALAZZO GRANDE, SHELBY TOWNSHIP 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 • 6 PM 

SPONSORED BY

OCTOBER 2019

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