Jewish and Chaldean community members joined to provide backpacks for needy students. Jewish and Chaldean communities join for social action and fellowship. 0 n Monday evening, Aug. 18, years, mass was not celebrated in Mosul, about 100 Jews and Chaldeans Iraq, which used to be heavily populated came together for a potluck by Chaldeans, who have now fled or dinner and a social action project at St. been killed. As the Chaldeans and other Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church on Christians fled, their possessions were Maple Road in West Bloomfield. For the taken from them, their villages were fourth year, the Jewish and Chaldean shelled and their churches were des- communities have joined together as ecrated. part of the larger Jewish News Manna mentioned the web- and Chaldean News Building site www.helpiraq.org and asked Community Initiative. As part the audience to go there to of the initiative, the two com- find out how to write letters or munities reach out to each donate to the cause. The num- other, visit each other's holy ber of Chaldean immigrants to places of worship, participate in the Detroit area, which has been each other's cultural events and about 200 people a month, will bond with each other as human most likely double or triple due to the crisis in Iraq. beings with similar needs, wants and emotions. Father Andrew Seba then I kicked off the evening invited everyone to join him in Gail Katz with a welcome and a read- the sanctuary for a discussion Specia I to the ing of Naomi Levy's beautiful about the Chaldean Catholic Jewish News and meaningful "Prayer for religious practices. He explained Tolerance:' that St. Thomas Chaldean Martin Manna, editor of the Chaldean Catholic Church is the largest English- News, then addressed the gathering with speaking Chaldean parish in the world. some history of the Building Community There are five masses every weekend — Initiative, including an annual teen forum three in English, one in Chaldean and one in the Walled Lake Schools that includes in Arabic. The church serves more than Jewish, Chaldean and African American stu- 3,000 families and uses its social hall for dents to further understanding and reduce youth groups, socials, bingo and classes. bullying as well as networking opportunities Father Seba explained how the Chaldean church differs from the Roman for Jewish and Chaldean entrepreneurs to meet and share business ideas. Catholic Church. According to legend, the Manna provided an update on the ter- Chaldeans were converted to Christianity rible situation in Iraq and its impact on by the Apostle Thomas on one of his mis- the Chaldean community. Since 2008, sionary journeys to the East. In 1445, the Chaldean Community Foundation in Chaldeans were received into the Roman Southfield has been helping thousands Church, and they were permitted to retain of refugees and immigrants coming from their historic rituals and the Chaldean/ Iraq to the United States. But in the last Aramaic language for mass and other cer- few weeks, its phones have been ringing emonies. nonstop. Many Iraqi towns have been Before leaving the sanctuary, Father Seba run down by the terrorist group ISIS — pointed out the beautiful ceiling with the the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (the image of God and the Chaldean symbol Levant) — which is fighting to take over below the depiction of God that included the country. three dots for the Trinity, the Chaldean let- ISIS has killed thousands of Christians, ters Y and H, which stood for the Hebrew and the Chaldean community has suf- word for God, and one dot below the let- fered terribly. For the first time in 1,600 ters, which represented one God. 18 August 28 • 2014 Susan Kattula, Sandy Schwartz, Gail Katz, Barbara Kratchman and Sue Zoma Father Andrew Seba The ceiling of St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church Following Father Seba's remarks in the sanctuary, all went back to the social hall to enjoy the Chaldean and Jewish culinary delights that everyone brought to the potluck. People tried to sit at a table with folks they didn't already know so that they could make new interfaith friendships. The end of the evening was spent in an assembly line, filling the many backpacks that attendees purchased with the school supplies that each attendee brought to the potluck. Wisam Brikho, refugee and immigrant consultant for Oakland Schools, took the backpacks to deliver to needy elementary students when school starts in September. Everyone left with the wonderful feel- ing of having made new friends and having learned something new about Chaldean history, culture, faith and cur- rent challenges. Our interfaith initiative has made a difference in the lives of our local young students. We look forward to the next coming together of the Jewish/Chaldean Social Action Initiative. ❑ Gail Katz is the Jewish/Chaldean Social Action Initiative Chair.