Robert Sklar

Editor I Detroit Jewish News

Vanessa Denha-Garmo

Editor I Chaldean News

First of a nine-part monthly series

haldeans have more in common
with the Jewish community
than with any other nationality:'
declares Chaldean American philanthro-
pist Mike George, a local entrepreneur.
"And in the five years since the
Chaldean Cultural Center at Shenandoah
Country Club was created across the street
from Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, we
have interacted even more with the Jewish
community.
"Jews understand our culture;
they can relate to us," said George,
whose family built Livonia-
based Melody Farms into a
dairy products powerhouse
before selling it in 2003.
For years, Chaldeans, who

24

April 1 • 2010

are Catholics, have been victimized by the
turmoil and terror instigated by warring
Muslim factions in their native Iraq.
"Now, for the first time, we are having
our own refugees," George said. "Jews,
too, came to Detroit as refugees and were
forced to go into business for themselves.
Many ended up in the food business, like
we Chaldeans years late
The organized Chaldean community, in
fact, has patterned its communal struc-
ture after the Jewish community with,
for example, a Federation as the central
planning and fundraising agency. The
Chaldean community is also develop-
ing its version of Project Chessed — the
referral network of health-care providers
and institutions that partners with Jewish
Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit to
provide pro-bono care to medically unin-
sured Jewish adults.
Now, the two Semitic peoples have
launched a joint project — "Building
Community" — a groundbreaking initia-
tive of the weekly Detroit Jewish News and
the monthly Chaldean News, both based
in Southfield. Today's newspaper package,
appearing in both publications, is the first
installment in the ambitious series.
Sponsors from the business, govern-
mental and academic world have pledged
more than $150,000 to fund the project.
Additional support is anticipated as the
venture moves forward.
The impetus for "Building Community"
was a lunch meeting two years ago where
JN Publisher Arthur Horwitz lis-
tened as Joe Kassab, executive
director of the Southfield-
based Chaldean Federation
of America,
described the
Mike
dismantling of the
George

ancient Christian presence in Iraq and the
plight of Chaldean refugees.
Aside from relief efforts within the
Chaldean community, Kassab said a major
supporter was the Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society (HIAS).
"My mother is a Holocaust survivor:'
Horwitz said, "and HIAS played a signifi-
cant role in helping her come to
America and rebuild her life.
"It was at that moment that
I realized we needed to do
something to better educate
and inform our respective
communities about our simi-
larities:'

Ancient Roots
Detroit has the largest concentration of
Chaldeans outside of the Middle East.
Originally attracted by opportunities in
the automobile industry, they also were
drawn by the substantial Middle Eastern
presence already here.
Together, Jews and Chaldeans in
Metropolitan Detroit number 193,000
— 121,000 Chaldeans and 72,000 Jews.
But while the two communities have lived
side-by-side here for years, many know
little about each other's history, faith and
traditions.
The two Semitic ethnicities share com-
mon roots: Jews in biblical Israel and
Chaldeans in the historic lands to the
northeast. The two ancient peoples also
share a similar language and alphabet;
Chaldeans converse and recite their
Catholic prayers in Aramaic — the
Hebrew-like dialect of so many Jewish
prayers. Strong family ties remain the core
of both cultures.
And while both groups are committed
to safeguarding and strengthening their

ancestral homelands, both are important
players in the economic, philanthropic,
political, cultural and religious life of
Southeastern Michigan.
As many Jewish shop owners left inner-
city Detroit after the 1967 riots, Chaldean
immigrants helped fill the void. While
still maintaining their Detroit businesses,
Chaldeans soon followed the Jewish
community's residential pattern
and settled northwesterly into
Oakland County.
The relationship between
the Jewish community and
the Chaldean community in
Metro Detroit has never been
better, said the Chaldean
Joe
Federation's Kassab. But he said
Kassab
it is important to promote the
idea-exchange that "Building
Community" offers to further elevate that
level of understanding.
"Partnering and jointly working for a
humanitarian cause, like helping the refu-
gees, is essential for both of our communi-
ties," Kassab said.

Laying The Groundwork
JN Publisher Horwitz and Chaldean News
Co-Publisher Martin Manna first strat-
egized about the "Building Community"
initiative more than a year ago.
"We realized that the Chaldean and
Jewish communities have a history of
entrepreneurship, building businesses and
creating jobs in Southeastern Michigan:'
Horwitz said.
"Yet, because of a lack of information
and understanding, entrepreneurs in these
communities rarely partnered with each
other. With many of the Jewish commu-
nity's younger members leaving the area
because of a shortage of employment