Staying Alive

Chaldean youth keep traditions going.

Pr°

Crystal Kassab Jabiro
Special To The Jewish News

I

n an ever-changing society, young

Chaldean Americans are creating a
rebirth of their culture through initia-
tives including E'rootha and the Chaldean
American Student Association.
E'rootha, Aramaic for "awakening:' was
launched two years ago by college students
who wished to culturally connect the
Chaldean, Assyrian and Syriac communi-
ties. The three cores of their mission are
cultural awareness, community service
and education.
E'rootha (also known as the Chaldean
Assyrian Syriac Youth Union) consists
of an eight-member board of directors
and six executive officers who run the
nonprofit organization like a company
in order to be efficient. They do not seek
membership dues, but actively recruit vol-
unteers for their services and participants
for their programs. While considered a

"youth" group, the
union is geared
towards people ages
16-35.
Matthew Kalasho,
28, joined E'rootha
last year and is
now the director of
political affairs. He
views the group as
"a renaissance of our
culture:"
"I got involved
because I saw young, E'rootha volunteer Mike Gasso assists a child
committed students
with a photo album project.
and profession-
als doing things I
class equivalent to 12 university credits.
dreamed of doing for our community:'
E'rootha
has agreements with Wayne State
said Kalasho, a lawyer from Sterling
University
in Detroit and the University
Heights.
of
Detroit
Mercy
to accept the course
One of E'rootha's flourishing programs
as a waiver requirement. Two-hundred
is the Modern Aramaic Language course.
students signed a petition at Oakland
Students learn to read, write and speak
University in Rochester stating they would
the ancient language during a 25-week

take the class if it were offered there;
and they are currently in negotiations.
A new session of the $300 class starts in
September.
Also this fall, E'rootha is launching its
Dance Program with an instructional
expert teaching traditional Chaldean
dances like Bageeye and Shekhanee
through an eight-week class at the YMCA
in Royal Oak. The group also has a dance
troupe that performs locally.
E'rootha's Second Annual Evening of
the Arts on Oct. 16 is a fundraiser exhibit
by Chaldean artists at the Birmingham
Bloomfield Art Center. The strolling event
will feature a silent auction and an oppor-
tunity to meet the artists who showcase
Mesopotamian culture.
"We like to do cultural events where
people can get something real from it,"
said Kalasho.
E'rootha also maintains a thriv-
ing mentoring program in which high

Staying Alive on page 68

Connecting On Campus

From Hillels to sororities, Jewish students can keep the faith.

Don Cohen
Special To The Jewish News

I

came to campus with no intention of
reconnecting with my Judaism," said
David Zemon, a senior at Michigan
State University. "I thought it was kind of
a requisite order that I use the opportu-
nity to diversify myself."
But Zemon, like many of the thousands
of Jews who go to Michigan colleges and
universities, found it useful to connect.
For Zemon, it was the campus Hillel.
"It gave me a starting point, a presence
and a home on campus," he said.
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
Campus Life, commonly referred to
as simply "Hillel," was founded in the
United States 86 years ago and is now
international, providing opportunities for
Jewish students at more than 500 colleges
and universities. Named after a famous

Jewish religious leader who lived in
Jerusalem at the time of King Herod just
before the common era began, religion
is just one of Hillel's touch points to get
Jews involved.
Each Hillel is shaped by the character
of its campus, community and leadership,
aiming to be pluralistic and inclusive reli-
giously, socially and politically through
its network of regional centers, campus
foundations and student organizations.
Hillels provide a mix of social programs,
Jewish learning and study, arts and cul-
ture, sports and recreation, social activ-
ism, Shabbat (Friday night) dinners and
other kosher meals as well as a range of
holiday and regular religious services.
In Michigan, there are Hillels at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
Michigan State University in East Lansing
and Eastern Michigan University in
Ypsilanti. Wayne State University (WSU)
in Detroit houses the Hillel of Metro

Detroit (HMD),
which serves
WSU, Lawrence
Technological
University in
Southfield,
the five cam-
puses of Oakland
Community
College, Oakland
University in
Cindy Hughey
Rochester,
University of Detroit Mercy and U-M
Dearborn.
"We're multifaceted," said Miriam
Starkman, who has headed HMD for the
past 18 years. "We provide continuity for
our young Jews who come from the area;
we give them the opportunity to connect
with the larger Jewish community and
we create a Jewish presence on each cam-
pus."
A few years ago, Hillel: The Campus

Alliance of
Michigan was
formed. Headed
by Cindy Hughey,
executive direc-
tor of the MSU
Hillel, she and her
staff also serve
Albion College,
Alma College,
Central Michigan
David Zemon
University (CMU),
Grand Valley State University (GVSU),
Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan
University (WMU).
"We started finding more and more
Detroit-area Jews going to these other
campuses and they deserve to have the
same opportunity to create Jewish life
when they do," Hughey explained.
Each independent Hillel does its own
fundraising; support also comes from the

Connecting On Campus on page 68

September 2 • 2010

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