Metro

Friendship from page 29

dealings. It's important to be friends, too."
"It's more than geography," says Dr.
Adhid Miri, president of the Chaldean -
Iraqi-American Association, an organiza-
tion that roughly corresponds to the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
in the Jewish community
"So many things connect us. We both
have the historical and cultural experi-
ence of swimming upstream against the
odds. We are both Semitic peoples.
Chaldeans speak Aramaic, which is the
language of so many Jewish prayers.
"When I visit a Jewish home, go to a
wedding or a bar mitzvah, I see so much
that is familiar to me. This sense of link-
age to everyone else in their community,
that you share the same goals and hopes.
Even Jewish people who have been here
for two or three generations still have the
flavor of the Middle East. They may not
see it because it is so familiar to them, but
I do."

Shared History
Detroit is unique in.America as the place
where Jews and Chaldeans live and work
together. Mention "Chaldean" in the rest
of the country and you'll get a blank look,
so strongly are the Christian Iraqis con-
centrated here. Community leaders esti-
mate that their population,in this area is
around 100,000, or just a bit higher than
the estimated Jewish figure, which is now
in the midst of a formal population study.
But while they had to make each other's
acquaintance here, the two groups have a
long shared history
"There were many instances of Jews
and Chaldeans reaching out to each other
in Iraq;' says David Gad-Harf, former
director of the Jewish Community
CounCil here and a leader of the organiz-
ing committee for that first dinner.
"They were both minorities in an
uncertain Muslim world. There were
many instances of business partnerships
and Chaldeans sheltered Jews in danger-
ous times. We heard stories of Jews turn-
ing over the keys to their homes and busi-
ness to Chaldeans when they had to flee,
the trust was so great.
"That bond, the shared memories were
a strong part of the foundation we built
upon here."
But even in this country the stories
converge. "It's as if they've accelerated the
Jewish experience in America;' says Gad-
Harf. "They've gone from small-business
owners to professionals one generation
faster."
"The old stereotype isn't valid. This
isn't your dad's party store anymore," says
Manna. "Now Chaldeans are more than
likely to own the mall where the party

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December 8 • 2005

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store is located. Or they are developing
the property.
"We think that about 10 to 15 percent
of the businesses in downtown
Birmingham are Chaldean-owned. About
70 percent of the cellular stores. We're still
a major presence in Detroit supermar-
kets, but we're also devel6ing downtown
lofts. And our children are going into the
professions, not into the stores!'

Breaking Stereotypes
The groups had eyed each other warily as
Chaldeans began moving into Jewish
neighborhoods in Southfield and West
Bloomfield in the early 1980s.
But when the plans for expanding
Shenandoah ran into problems with
township zoning, officials, clergy and lay
leaders of Temple Israel spoke out in sup-
port. That seemed to open the way to
closer bonds.
The primary impetus for bringing the
groups together, though, was the children.
.Throughout the 1980s, there had been
tension building at Southfield-Lathrup,
then at West Bloomfield high schools.
Certain hallways were known as
"Chaldean" or "Jewish," and interlopers
were not welcome.
"We knew that this is where future
communities Were being built:' says Rabbi
Bennett, "and we had an obligation not to
let it fall apart. We needed to bring these
kids together and break down the stereo-
types, end the name-calling, stress the
shared values. The adult get-
togethers were. a means to that
end."
The name chosen for the orig-
inal bridging project was JACOB
(Jewish and Chaldean
Opportunity Builders). It was
selected carefully as a powerful
acronym, a name that echoes
shared religious and cultural
values.
"Did you know that the place
where the priest stands for read-
ings in our churches is still
called a `bimah'?" asks Father
Kalabat."It's unique among all Catholic
churches. But it's not just similarity in
language.
"The first generation here wanted to
speak only English and not make them-
selves too noticeable. But that's not what
our young people want anymore. We see
in the Jewish people a group that has suc-
ceeded in maintaining a strong sense of
who they are while being able to blend
into American life. That is a beautiful' way
for us to follow"
"I think our community institutions
have become a model for them:' says

Above: Dr. Adhid Miri, president of the Chaldean Iraqi-American
Association, at the local brewery he founded

Left: David Gad-Harf, former JCCouncil executive directOr

Horwitz. "Federation,
Commtinity Council,
the Jewish News.
Whether by design or
by circumstances, the Chaldean commu-
nity has put similar organizations in
place. Even the Cultural Center at
Shenandoah in a way is like Franklin Hills
or Knollwood or Tam ... a place where
business gets done!'
•
Manna says that is an accurate percep-
tion.
"We look at what the Jewish communi-
ty has achieved and that is what we want
for our community, too. You know, we've
even reached the point where we share
the concerns about our young people
moving out. of the state. We are both com-

munities where family ties come above
everything!"
"I think there has been a reticence to
pursue some formal parts of our relation-
ship since 9-11," says Rabbi Bennett. "The
Chaldean community suffers because the
outside world identifies them as Arabs,
even though that's not how they think of
themselves. Iraq has now been the enemy
[of the U.S.] in two wars and there is con-
fusion about that.
"There is also the fact that diversity
issues are out of vogue right now. So
they may have chosen to become more
insular for a while. But I think the need
to come together is still there, maybe
more than ever:'

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