The Light of the Gozarto: The Epic of Joseph Bahdi Keryo

In the land of Gozarto (Jazra), in northeatern Syria, where the Khabur River flows as a lifeline and the winds dance through golden wheat fields, Joseph Bahdi Keryo arrived in Rish Ayno (Ras al-Ayn) as a two-and-a-half-year-old child, his eyes shimmering with hope amid the shadows of exile. Born in Viranşehir, southern Turkey, Joseph endured the horrors of massacres that ravaged his family from his earliest days. His father, Bahdi, lost his four brothers in a night of betrayal, when a governor lured them to a deceptive dinner that turned into a slaughter. Yet, the blood spilled did not sow hatred in Joseph’s heart. Instead, it ignited a flame of forgiveness and determination to build a new life. 

A Childhood of Fire and Hope 

In the desperate escape from Viranşehir following the Sayfo Genocide of 1915, Joseph’s father, Bahdi, carried the young boy alongside his cousins, George and Saeed, to Rish Ayno in Syria. The journey was steeped in fear, but young Joseph’s eyes gleamed with a spark of hope. In Rish Ayno, his life began anew within a resilient family that tilled the land and dreamed of a brighter future. Bahdi Keryo, a local leader with a vision for the region’s revival, passed his wisdom and ambition to Joseph. 

At the age of nine, Bahdi sent Joseph to a Syriac boarding school in Beirut’s Atchaneh District. There, the doors of knowledge swung open. Joseph mastered French, crafting plays in the language of Molière, and fell in love with Arabic, weaving stories and essays that captivated the heart. He devoured world literature, from Dickens to Tolstoy, and immersed himself in capitalist and socialist philosophical texts, as well as French, Russian, and global literature. But he was no mere reader — he was a dreamer who saw art and literature as bridges to connect people. In that school, his character took shape: a cultured Syriac youth, passionate about theater and cinema, and convinced that culture was a nation’s greatest weapon. 

A Youth of Resistance and Giving 

Joseph returned to Gozarto in the early 1930s, a young man carrying the faith of Christ and a spirit of tolerance in his heart, and a vision for region’s renaissance in his mind. He became the right-hand man of his father. Together, they contributed to founding a Syriac school in the town of Hasakah, where Joseph took on the roles of administrator and teacher. He was more than an educator, he was a mentor, planting seeds of ambition in his students’ minds. Under his guidance, doctors and engineers emerged, carrying Hasakah’s name to distant horizons, and Joseph never sought payment, for he believed education was the greatest investment. 

During that era, the French Mandate cast its shadow over Syria, but Joseph refused to submit. He joined the ‘Steel Shirts,’ a nationalist youth group that raised the banner of resistance against the Mandate. Dressed in dark gray uniforms adorned with a flaming torch emblem, a symbol of freedom, Joseph trained with them in sports and combat. Yet, he brought something unique to their strength: a spirit of forgiveness. His smile and kind words turned adversaries into friends. Even when he worked as an accountant for the French army in Hasakah, he earned universal respect, for he was a man of truth who knew no hatred. 

A Man of the Land and the Arts 

Joseph was not merely a resistor or a teacher. He was the trusted steward of his family’s agricultural wealth, managing vast lands with wisdom and fairness. By day, he toiled in the fields — by night, he delved into the world of literature and art. His passion for cinema inspired him to convince his father to open theaters in Hasakah and Amuda. These venues became windows to the world for the people of Gozarto, showcasing Hollywood dreams and Arab cinematic masterpieces. In Amuda, Joseph personally managed the theater, and it was there that he met the love of his life, the daughter of the Syriac intellectual Hanna Abdelki. Their marriage in 1948 was a story of intellectual and spiritual love, uniting two hearts devoted to culture and patriotism. 

In 1936, when his father Bahdi established the State of the Gozarto region with Elias Marsho, Joseph was a participant, advisor, and sometimes executor for his father. He stood by Bahdi’s side during Charles de Gaulle’s visit to Hasakah, translating with finesse and wisdom to every conversation. He was a voice of sagacity, blending diplomacy with sincerity. Even after that experiment ended, Joseph remained a man of unity, resolving tribal disputes and building bridges of love between Arabs, Kurds, and Circassians. 

A Lifelong Journey of Giving 

In Rish Ayno, Joseph owned a village with the Aroyan family and built a grain mill within it. When the agrarian reform came and the state seized much of the land, Joseph did not despair. With his ingenuity, he leased the lands back and cultivated them, preserving his family’s legacy. Simultaneously, he served as the director of a grain silo construction project in Rish Ayno. 

In 1975, Joseph collaborated with Father Noah, a Syriac Church monk, to reopen a Syriac primary school in Rish Ayno, reviving it after years of closure during the Syria-Egypt union era. This was a monumental achievement, breathing new life into his people’s cultural and linguistic identity. Joseph’s giving never ceased: he was a man of peace, settling disputes among tribes, and a mediator who brought adversaries together at one table. He possessed the charisma of a leader but chose humility, honoring his father’s legacy even after his passing. 

Every summer, Joseph drove from Rish Ayno to Holeb (Aleppo), returning with a suitcase brimming with books: global and Arab novels, plays, and texts on capitalist and socialist philosophies, as well as French, Russian, and world literature. He shared them with his children, nourishing their minds and instilling a love for knowledge. He was no traditional father who imposed his authority. He acted as an enlightened friend, responding to those who threw stones with roses, always smiling, always forgiving, as if his heart knew only love. 

Farewell to a Legend 

On 28 September 1989, Joseph’s light dimmed after a long battle with illness. Yet, he left behind a legacy that continues to illuminate Gozarto. At his funeral, hundreds gathered from every corner of Syrian society: Syriacs, Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Christians, Muslims, dignitaries, farmers, political parties, and tribal leaders. Over 300 cars followed his procession to the cemetery, a remarkable sight in an era when cars were scarce. It was a farewell befitting a man who lived for others, a man who knew only giving. 

Joseph Bahdi Keryo was not just a man, he was a living epic. His life was a tapestry of sacrifices, resisting injustice with love, ignorance with knowledge, and division with unity. He was a model of humanity, carrying the gospel of love in his heart and a vision for a thriving homeland in his mind. His name still echoes in Hasakah as a symbol of dignity and humanity, a beacon reminding generations that life is worth living with an open heart and an enlightened mind.

In this series

Mayada Bselis: The Authentic Syriac Voice and Pioneer of Syrian Art

Selim Hanna: The Journey of a Syrian Syriac Artist in the World of Theater and Drama

Iskander Aziz: An Icon of Syrian and Syriac Art

Nouri Iskandar: Ambassador of Syriac Eastern Music and Chronicler of Its Heritage

The Syriac Asfar-Najjar Family: pioneers of Syrian agriculture in a journey through time

Youssef Abdelké: A Visionary Syriac Artist Blending Creativity and Commitment

Yaqub Keryo: The Syriac Journalist and Thinker Who Carried the Torch of Nationalism and Culture

Saeed Ishaq: The Silent Statesman Who Left His Mark on History

The Saga of Bahdi Keryo: A Leader Forged in Fire

Hanna Yaqub Abdulki (1877-1955): The Life of a Man Who Shaped History