Bethnahrin National Council institutions commemorate 1915 Sayfo Genocide in Germany and the Netherlands

PULHEIM, Germany / HENGELO, Netherlands — This year marks the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, carried out by the Ottoman Empire during World War I against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people. To commemorate the victims, the Bethnahrin National Council (MUB), the European Syriac Union (ESU), and the Bethnahrin Women’s Union (HNB) organized a series of events across Europe. 

In Gütersloh, Germany, a memorial event will take place on 14 June at 6:00 PM in the city’s cultural center, featuring a candle-lighting ceremony in remembrance of the victims. Similarly, in Hengelo, the Netherlands, the MUB Syriac Cultural Center will host a gathering the same evening, with candles lit from 9:00 to 10:00 PM. 

A vigil is planned for 14 June at 10:00 PM in Giessen, Germany, at the Sayfo Genocide memorial in Pulheim. The event will include speeches honoring the martyrs. 

On 15 June, the MUB institutions will convene at 9:00 AM in “Yarco della Pais” in Locarno, Switzerland. The program will feature a combination of candle and torch lighting, prayers, and speeches, symbolizing the enduring light that guides the community in preserving its heritage. 

The ESU and HNB have called on the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) community and allied organizations to participate in these events, emphasizing unity in commemorating the past and standing against the forces that sought to erase their history and identity.