Special Report

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Forging A New Era

Jewish and Chaldean communities explore common roots, new opportunities.

Robert Sklar

Editor I Detroit Jewish News

Vanessa Denha-Garmo

Editor I Chaldean News

Second of a nine-part monthly series

B

can get involved in the initiative and
looking for ways to create new contact
points between our respective commu-
nities in business, health care, political
advocacy and education."
Chaldean News Co-Publisher Martin
Manna also has experienced an enthusi-
astic response.
"The initiative has garnered a great
deal of discussion and intrigue within
our community and an eagerness from
our subscribers of what's to come he
said.
Sponsors from the business, gov-
ernmental and academic worlds have
pledged more than $150,000 to fund the
project. Additional support is anticipated
as the venture moves forward.
Together, Jews and Chaldeans in Metro
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 residents know little
about each other's history, faith and tradi-
tions.
The two Semitic ethnicities share
common roots: Jews in biblical Israel
and Chaldeans in the Fertile Crescent
known as Mesopotamia. 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.

uilding Community is a
groundbreaking initiative of
the weekly Detroit Jewish News
and the monthly Chaldean News, both
based in Southfield. Today's newspaper
package appears in both publications.
The publications received substantial
positive feedback to the April 1 first
installment not only from the readership,
but also key leaders inside and outside
the Jewish and Chaldean communities.
The ambitious initiative will include
periodic inter-community events, includ-
ing roundtable discussions and social
gatherings.
"Overall, the initiative is
being applauded as a thor-
Sirnilarcontent
ough and thoughtful way to
educate our communities
Our second two-page monthly spread,
and also as a model of
developed by the Farmington Hills strategic
inter-group collabora-
communications firm Tanner Friedman, appears
tion," said JN Publisher
today on pages 12-13.
Arthur Horwitz.
Today's staff-generated stories as well as the
"Significantly," he
two-page spread are appearing in both the JN,
added, "a number of
published each Thursday, and the Chaldean News, a
organizations and indi-
monthly coming out near the first of each month.
viduals have reached out
Each month during the "Building Community"
to me — asking how they
initiative, the two-page spread as well

as related coverage about the two
communities will be similar in
both publications.

110

May 6 • 2010

And while both groups are commit-
ted to safeguarding and strengthening
their ancestral homelands, both also
are important players in the economic,
philanthropic, political, cultural and reli-
gious life of Southeastern Michigan.
The relationship between the Jewish
community and the Chaldean communi-
ty in Metro Detroit has never been better,
said Joe Kassab, executive director of the
Southfield-based Chaldean Federation of
America. But, he says, 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 [Chaldean] refugees, is
essential for both of our communities,"
Kassab said.
University of Michigan-Dearborn
researchers will gather credible data at
the start and at the close of "Building
Community." Horwitz and Manna antici-
pate findings that underscore statistically
significant improvement in what each
community knows and understands
about the other. The publishers also hope
to see the creation of new business part-
nerships, mentoring relationships and
lasting friendships as well as many other
fruitful interactions.
"We are hopeful there will be new
touch points after each monthly install-
ment of our 'Building Community'
initiative appears in the Chaldean News
and the Jewish News, and that existing
ones will continue to be strengthened,"
Horwitz said. ❑

Creative director, Deborah Schultz
Senior copy editor, David Sachs

What's
Your View?

As part of the "Building
Community" initiative, the
University of Michigan-Dearborn
College of Business is surveying mem-
bers of the Chaldean and Jewish com-
munities about their views. It takes just
three minutes to complete;
please weigh in –
http://tinyurl.com/BuildingComm
unitySurvey.

