III Chaldean News J T "r4"1""k community Noim IN ITIATIV E is being adapted from a local Jewish model. A pair of $10,000 • Left ancient homelands to cross the Atlantic. foundation grants support mentoring by administrators of • Thrived through refugee resilience and entrepreneur- Project Chessed — a Hebrew word for kindness — to guide ial skill. counterparts building Project Bismutha — Aramaic for mercy. 'We have a lot of things in common," says Joseph T. For Kaufman, who moved into Jewish Federation's top Kassab, executive director of the Chaldean Federation of job last October, interfaith relations stretch back to Berk- America, based in Southfield. "That's why we relate well ley High. "My friends were first-generation and feel close to each other." Chaldeans," recalls the 1984 graduate, who The closeness brings cooperation to address We have a lot of grew up in Huntington Woods. current challenges. things in common. Now he explores ways for the communi- 'We've worked with the Chaldean commu- ties to help create opportunities that will keep nity on refugee issues," notes Robert Cohen, That's tv/i y we executive director of the local Jewish Commu- relate wel I and feel young Chaldeans and Jews in Metro Detroit. 'A lot of influential movers and shakers are from nity Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit. close to e a eh other the Jewish and Chaldean communities. We can "Chaldean leaders spoke twice to our board --Joseph T. Kassab, help reinvent Michigan," Kaufman suggests. about their concerns." His council has joined Federation Chaldean "We all must embrace new risks because three dozen prominent Jewish organizations business as usual isn't cutting it. We're com- from around the country in urging Washington of America fortable with risks and bold visions because our policymakers to ease entry quotas for Chaldeans This is the first in people got on a boat or a plane to leave home and other religions minorities fleeing Iraq — an a series of monthly — risk-takers by definition." exodus that resonates in the Jewish community. installment s that will Indeed, these Metro Detroit neighbors rep- Gideon Aronoff, an East Lansing native who explore par allels of Jewish and Chaldean resent the continuity of centuries and the re- heads the national Hebrew Immigrant Aid So- cultures,. N ext month sourcefulness of modern strivers. "These are two ciety (HIAS), spoke in February with commu- we will foe us on unusual groups with a 3,000-year history," says nity leaders at the Chaldean News about ongo- the geogra phis Professor Mary C. Sengstock, a Wayne State so- ing assistance for new arrivals and support for concentrat ions of ciologist who has studied Chaldean Americans Jews and C haldeans refugee policy reforms. Kassab of the Chaldean in Metro D etroit. since 1962. "How many other groups can tie Federation credits the society with "helping themselves together that long? None." open doors for asylum for refugees persecuted Their unity is an inspiring bridge between two religions for religious reasons." He adds: "HIAS and our other Jewish born in a distant place and time. community partners have worked side-by-side with us." Other exchanges involve health care. "Jewish Family Ser- Alan Stamm, a longtime Detroit journalist, is a vice gives us a lot of guidance and support," says Kassab. A communication consultant in Birmingham. pro bono medical care program to help uninsured Chaldeans Detroit arrival: Chaldeans begin settling here around 1910, drawn by automotive factory jobs and a community of Christian immigrants from Lebanon. Earliest arrivals came from Te.lkalf, a Christian farming town in the northern Iraqi province of Mosul, near the ruins of ancient Nineveh. Nearly 50 percent of local Chaldean Americans trace roots to that town, also known as 'Telkeppe ("hill of stones" in Aramaic). Parish to diocese: This nation's first Chaldean Church was founded in 1947 in Detroit as Mother of God Parish. Dramatic changes: The local Chaldean American population triples from 1943 to 1963, reaching about 3,000 persons. ■ building PRESENTING SPONSOR Bank of America. GOLD SPONSORS WAY N E STATE UNIVERSITY meijer MC DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER SILVER SPONSORS Exodus continues: U.S. immigration changes let more Iraqis conic during the mid-1960s, boosting the community to about 45,000 in 1986 and approximately 75.000 by 1992. And since the U.S.-- led invasion of Iraq in 2003, tens of thousands more have arrived. n County Robert .1. flentio Wiple Eucutise Lawrence Tec 11E7: of oppression, attack and dis- placement, creating refugee migrations that enlarged the population of Metro Detroit in modern times as Jews and Chaldeans sought better economic, social and reli- gious opportunity — as Iraqi Immigrants: A "Great Migration" from Eastern Europe expands Detroit's Jewish population to nearly 35,000 in 1920 and 85,000 in 1940. Industrial jobs draw families who had settled in other U.S. cities. Chaldeans continue to do. • 'Chain migration': Like some other immigrants, each group has helped rela- tives and friends relocate by providing money for pas- sage, jobs, lodging and oth- er support. Each also has Wartime impact: Detroit Jewish News is founded in 1942. Massive downtown rally in May 1948 celebrates Israel's creation. Jewish community absorbs Holocaust refugees. generally stab e, decades- long ties to Detroit and its northwestern suburbs. • Careers: In ancestral lands and as first-generation immigrants, each minority group faced education and career barriers that led New influx: Jewish Welfare Federation coordinates and finances resettlement of Soviet emigres. Jewish Community Center campus in West Bloomfield, second- largest in the world, reflects suburban population shift. many to eve op se -suffi- cient business skills as mer- chants and entrepreneurs. Younger generations are represented more heavily in law, medicine, dentistry, accounting, education and other professions. 114 VEAR BO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Challenges: 2005 population study shows downward trend over a decade and a half, but highest per-capita charitable giving among any Jewish community in North America. Activism and involvement levels also are highest of about 20 comparison communities. April 1 • 2010 29