FEBRUARY 2023

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GUEST COLUMN The Suraye Declaration of Unity: Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syriacs, & Maronites Unite There is a tale of a oncefractured group of people with thirteen different identities, thirteen flags, thirteen different currencies, and thirteen states. They were all once divided, yet they were all one people. The British army exploited their differences and used their divisiveness to oppress them. One day, the divided group of people decided enough was enough. They gathered in a hot room on a summer day—July 4th, 1776, to be exact—and decided to focus on their similarities and ignore their differences. They made a long list of everything they agreed on, which became the Declaration of Independence. With their newfound unity, the thirteen colonies had the strength to overwhelm the might of the British military, which was the strongest military in the world at that time. Eventually, the thirteen colonies transformed into the fifty United States. While our Middle Eastern ancestors for the last five centuries were busy complaining about different identities, young nations like America became united and powerful. The division brought us to the point of near extinction. Every generation before ours focused on our differences and ignored our similarities. On December 16, 2022, we reached a turning point. Four names, four flags, and five patriarchs united under a single identity: Suraye. Suraye can be defined as a group of Middle Eastern Christians linguistically rooted in Aramaic. Aramaic consists of two major subgroups, Eastern Aramaic and Western Aramaic. These subgroups split further into different dialects. The Eastern subgroup consists of the Chaldean (Sureth) dialect and Assyrian (Surayt and Urmian) dialects. There are also southern dialects of Aramaic spoken by Mandeans, who are followers of John the Baptist. The differences between the dialects lie in pronunciation and loan words from surrounding majorities, CHRIS SALEM SPECIAL TO THE CHALDEAN NEWS Suraye in Eastern Aramaic looks like this: such as Kurds, Turks, Arabs, and Persians. Every subgroup in the Eastern dialect uses the word “Shlama” to greet people, although it technically means “peace.” In the Western subgroups, the general rule is to pronounce almost every letter ‘A’ like it is the letter ‘O’. As a result, they greet people by saying “Shlomo” instead of “Shlama”. For more than 500 years, the Chaldean and Assyrian churches were at odds with one another. One thousand years before that, the Syriacs were the first to splinter off. Shortly after, the Syriacs were further divided into Catholic and Orthodox subgroups. For the first time in at least five centuries, the five Patriarchs from these groups came together and jointly declared five “issues of common interest” that we are one people with one history, language, heritage, and shared identity. They plan to use their combined power to save and protect our identity. The five “issues of common interest” are: (1) Syriac spirituality; (2) the Syriac presence in the Middle East and pastoral challenges; (3) the Syriac presence in the diaspora; (4) partnership in testimony; and (5) the common Syriac heritage. The diaspora is any land inhabited by a group outside their original homeland. These five Patriarchs have made history. The last generation that could not set aside their differences will forever be remembered as the last generation that failed. Notably missing were the Patriarchs of the Melkite Church and the Ancient Church of the East, both of whom are linguistically rooted in Aramaic. The Patriarchs emphasized the importance of the ancient Suraye heritage that unites us and constitutes a rich sacred historical inheritance stemming from their historical unity, single Sureth language, and common church and liturgical rites. They established a committee to help preserve the language at an academic level worldwide. The Patriarchs reaffirmed their commitment to preserving and spreading this heritage and emphasized the importance of cooperation among the churches at various levels. They also made plans to establish a committee to work out church and liturgical differences, which could pave the way for one united Church. The statement also touches on the ongoing challenges faced by the Syriac community in the Middle East, particularly the issue of migration caused by conflicts and difficult living conditions. The Patriarchs expressed their determination to continue to support and care for their spiritual children in these regions and to work towards reducing the negative effects of migration. The statement also highlights the concerns of the Patriarchs regarding the dispersion of their flock in diaspora countries and their determination to continue to support and care for them, despite the distance. The Patriarchs further emphasized the importance of transmitting the Syriac heritage and culture to future generations and stressed the role of the churches in providing spiritual guidance and support to the communities. They outlined a specific plan of action in a joint statement and called for cooperation and collaboration among the churches. Working together to support the presence of our communities in the Middle East, and working together to preserve and spread our culture and heritage. Our ancient culture and heritage are our anchors, rooted in the very soil of our ancestors. It is a legacy that must be cherished, protected, In Western Aramaic, it is written like this: and passed on to future generations. Through unity, our culture and heritage will stay intact. We must work together to preserve and spread it, to keep the light of our faith bright. This heritage shapes us, it is the glue that holds our communities together and our birthright. But without cohesion, this heritage is at risk of fading away, lost in history. Together, we must work to nurture it, amplify its message, and keep the light of our faith shining. The Patriarchs have pointed the way by calling for cooperation and collaboration among the churches. They remind us that our heritage is a precious inheritance that must be defended and passed on with care. Chris Salem and his wife Ranna are cofounders of Nineveh Rising, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the culture of people that live in the Nineveh Plain, Iraq, and helping Christians worldwide survive and thrive. 8 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2023
PROFILE Amanda Elias Helps Revitalize Detroit BY PAUL NATINSKY It was a marketing professor at Wayne State University that lured Amanda Elias away from her private sector job to her current home as a Senior Advisor to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “The way he talked about Detroit changed how I look at the city,” said Elias. She wondered why people were spending all of their money in the suburbs and wondered if Detroit could capture these dollars. Lured from private sector Elias had not planned to leave her job with International Outdoor Inc., a metro Detroit billboard company, but when the offer from the City of Detroit came, she saw that “Duggan was about to do some cool stuff.” She was intrigued. “The mayor was building the city back after bankruptcy,” said Elias. She was attracted by Duggan’s ambitious revitalization plans. When she joined Detroit’s economic development team, Elias started off overseeing all of the federal funding opportunities coming out of Washington, D.C. Elias said the federal Infrastructure bill was taking center stage at the time she started. She is now focused on the Inflation Reduction Act and has been assigned to manage opportunities emerging from Lansing. “My job is to oversee all of the spending that is coming down the pipe in the form of competitive grants and making sure that the city has positioned itself to be the most competitive to go after that funding,” said Elias. “The strategy is don’t leave a dollar on the table; we have to go after everything.” Duggan’s ambitions haven’t ebbed, and Elias’ interest hasn’t waned as Detroit sees new opportunities and faces further challenges. “The mayor’s biggest focus this term is the physical landscape of the city. I think what people will start to see even more of is funding infrastructure projects—anything that changes the physical landscape of the city.” Detroit as an event venue In addition to rebuilding the city’s infrastructure, Duggan has his eye on making Detroit an attractive venue for events, which will bring money and jobs to a city long in need of both. “We’re focused on pouring money into commercial corridors and cleaning up the corridors, we’re getting ready for the NFL Draft in 2024—that’s a huge focus right now—the mayor is obsessed with the 500,000 people that the draft will attract to the city and making sure people want to come back here and are excited to come back here,” said Elias. Elias’ career has evolved in the same timeframe as Detroit’s comeback. She started with the mayor in June of 2014 on the economic development team as executive assistant to Tom Lewand, who ran economic development for the mayor. She then worked her way up to workforce development manager in 2018. After doing that for a year, she decided she didn’t like it and came back to the economic development team as an economic advisor. That was her last stop until a year ago when she landed at government affairs. Overcoming frustration Her work at the mayor’s office opened Elias’ eyes to how frustrating the processes and protocols of big city regulations and operations can be, even to veteran businesspeople. “I really enjoy the operational part of it and how to streamline it, navigate it. To get people to their end goal, whether that’s opening a business or putting a shovel in the ground,” said Elias. She enjoys helping people navigate the city process. Business owners and developers need apartments, right of way, zoning changes, business licenses. “No one really knows what to do next or where to start,” she said. In addition to her economic development duties, Elias has become a de facto Director of the “office of development services,” her term for the yet-tobe-established position and department she envisions. She is frustrated that people face so many barriers when they try to get projects done in the city. “There is no website or guidebook to go to that is intuitive. It’s the most important job in the city and we don’t have it.” A bright future Elias is the most senior level Chaldean employee in the Duggan Administration. She grew up in Madison Heights as the oldest of three children; she has a younger brother and sister. This suburbanite who has been charmed by the City of Detroit sees a bright future for her adopted city. “A new Detroit, different than what people remember from bankruptcy. More money coming into the city for infrastructure projects. That’s a huge focus for us.” Onward and upward, Amanda. FEBRUARY 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 9
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