CULTURE

BANDAWAYA, Iraq – In an effort to build community and strengthen cultural identity, the Beth Nahrain Youth Organization hosted a recreational youth trip to the scenic region of Bandawaya, a valley north of Mosul, this week. The event drew young Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian men and women from various towns and villages, united…

TEANECK, New Jersey / WORCESTER, Massachusetts — The documentary film Souls in Transit, which examines the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, will be screened this month in New Jersey and Massachusetts in the United States. Directed by Aida Schlafer, the film explores the atrocities committed against Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) communities under the Ottoman…

Beirut — In a moment steeped in the sanctity of Pentecost and filled with joyous spirit, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launched the pilot broadcast of its new satellite television channel and radio station on Monday. This landmark event marks a significant milestone in the journey of the…

PARAMUS, New Jersey, USA — A solemn memorial prayer service was held on Friday at the St. Mark’s Syriac Orthodox Cathedral in Paramus, New Jersey, USA, to honor the memory of the Syriac martyrs of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, during which hundreds of thousands of Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), Armenians, and Greeks…

BETH KERKE, Lebanon — During the Pentecost Sunday sermon at Beth Kerke (Bkerké), Syriac Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Butros al-Rai called for the Lebanese people to embrace the Holy Spirit’s transformative power to renew civic energy and foster a deeper sense of national and social responsibility.  “The occasion is not…

Malfono Shabo Shimun Zaito, widely known as Shabo Bahé , was a distinguished Syriac poet and nationalist whose legacy profoundly shaped Syriac literature and cultural identity. Born in 1927 in Midyat, Tur Abdin, his family relocated to the Gozarto (Jazeera) Region during his early childhood, setting the stage for a remarkable…

WEST BLOOMFIELD (Michigan), U.S. — This week saw the official inauguration of the Mar Ibrahim Library at the new facility of the Chaldean Community Foundation in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The opening ceremony was attended by a number of bishops, priests, clergy, financial donors, and members of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian community in…

BETH NAHRIN — In a significant contribution to contemporary Syriac literature, poet Joseph Gawrieh, originally from Beth Zalin (Qamishli) in Syria’s Gozarto (Jazira) region and now residing in the Netherlands, has published a new poetry collection titled Letters Beyond Borders in Syriac, Arabic, and English.  The collection, released by Ramina…

BEIRUT — In a remarkable career achievement, Lebanese Syriac Maronite actor and director Georges Khabbaz has been awarded Best Actor at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival for his leading role in Younan, directed by Amir Fakhreddine. The film also earned the prestigious Best Film award at the festival. This marks…

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — The institutions of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB) in Syria and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) extended heartfelt Eid al-Adha greetings to Muslim communities in Syria and around the world, expressing prayers for peace…