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Chaldean families in Jujuy, Argentina in the mid 20th century.<br />
Those families had a strong Catholic<br />
identity and since they were only<br />
about 60-80 people, they fully integrated<br />
into the Roman Latin parishes,<br />
losing their liturgical tradition. However,<br />
they still remember the Sign of<br />
the Cross and Our Father in Syriac.<br />
Further Research<br />
Correspondence and photographic evidence<br />
show contact with other Chaldean<br />
families who remained in Iran.<br />
“We can reconstruct the relationships<br />
based on some photos and testimonies<br />
of the families,” said Botta.<br />
Some members of the community<br />
have visited Iran, remaining there for<br />
months with their families. In 1965,<br />
when the Shah of Iran visited Argentina,<br />
they met with him in Buenos Aires.<br />
Contact between the two groups<br />
remained constant until the Islamic<br />
Revolution in 1979; the war between<br />
Iraq and Iran (1980-1988) made it even<br />
more difficult to remain in touch. By<br />
the beginning of the nineties, there<br />
was no more contact.<br />
Those in the family know that in<br />
some cases their surnames where<br />
changed (mainly Russified) or misspelled<br />
when they arrived to Argentina,<br />
but they still can identity the<br />
members of that community as the<br />
following families: Abraham, Acop,<br />
Begzadeth, Chalabe, David, Dávida,<br />
D’Jallad, Guibarguis, Isayo, Kamandaro,<br />
Khallov, Kuryakus, Malik, Mastaram,<br />
Nathanielof, Pabloff, Sarquiza,<br />
and Slivon.<br />
“These families were very happy<br />
to know that there is interest in their<br />
history, and they would love to contact<br />
other members of the Chaldean community<br />
abroad,” said Botta. “Unfortunately,<br />
they live in a very small town<br />
and the new generations don´t speak<br />
foreign languages.”<br />
This research has encouraged<br />
Safarov to study and to understand<br />
more about the history of his family<br />
and where they came from. “It would<br />
be great to connect with Chaldeans<br />
around the world to make people<br />
aware of this part of the diaspora in<br />
Argentina, which welcomed these immigrants,”<br />
said Safarov.<br />
<strong>MARCH</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 25