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Assyrian Cultural Foundation

The Assyrian Cultural Foundation (formerly known as AUAF) is a non-profit organization inspired by Assyrian heritage, serving as a bridge between traditions and different generations in the hopes of building a stronger, more connected community through our various programs.

YouTube Video VVVCZS1iREN2dEZLZEdQWm9RV2xjZUFRLi1xeHdSNHozLTFR

In this lecture, we explore the life, works, and enduring impact of Binyamin Arsanis — a foundational figure in modern Assyrian nationalism. From Urmia’s missionary print presses to the formation of the Assyrian Socialist Party, Arsanis helped shape the intellectual, cultural, and political awakening of the Assyrian people in the 20th century.

Class Eleven topics include:
– The literary and nationalist revival in Urmia
– The Urmia Manifesto and Pan-Assyrian unity
– Arsanis’s critique of denominational division
– Founding of the Assyrian Socialist Party
– Proverbs, storytelling, and the call for cultural preservation
– The legacy of Arsanis in modern Assyrian identity

00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks
00:50 Who Was Benyamin Arsanis?
03:00 Authenticity and Western Influence
06:00 Language, Culture, and Assyrian Identity
10:00 Urmia and Its Historical Significance
13:00 Missionaries and Early Assyrian Publishing
16:00 Life and Education of Benyamin Arsanis
20:00 His Role in the Russian Orthodox Mission
23:00 Arsanis’s Family and Legacy
26:00 Literary Contributions and Books
30:00 Theoretical Framework – Benedict Anderson
32:00 Modern Assyrian Literature and Urmia's Role
36:00 Publications
38:00 Phases of Assyrian Nationalism
40:00 Formation of the Assyrian Socialist Party
42:00 Urmia Manifesto and Pan-Assyrian Vision
44:00 Arsanis’s Article: "We Are Assyrians"
46:00 Critique of Denominational Division
49:00 The Call for Literary Culture
51:00 Proverbs and Cultural Preservation
53:00 Fall of the Assyrian Kingdom
55:00 Short Stories and Moral Lessons
57:00 Legacy and Final Reflections

📚 Taught by: Rabi Robert DeKelaita
🎙️ Moderated by: Sarah Gawo & Pierre Younan

In this powerful session, we explore the emergence of modern Turkish and Kurdish identities and how they intersect with Assyrian history. From Ottoman reforms to modern revisionism, we examine nationalism, genocide denial, and the lingering impact of orientalist narratives.

What does it mean to be Assyrian in a region reshaped by imperialism, erasure, and myth?

Class Ten topics include:
– Turkic migration and national identity
– The rise of Pan-Turkism and secularism
– Kurdish origin stories and political autonomy
– Simko, Mar Benyamin, and historical memory
– Modern efforts to preserve the Syriac language
– Orientalism, propaganda, and historical revisionism

00:00 Introduction: Turks, Kurds, and Assyrians
01:42 Early Turkic Identity and Migration
03:08 Turkic Linguistic Presence in the Middle East
04:59 Ethnic Composition of Iran and Anatolia
08:04 Rise of Turkish Nationalism
10:35 Tanzimat Reforms and Print Culture
12:53 Pan-Turkism and Ethnic Unification
13:52 The Committee of Union and Progress
15:18 Secularism and Language Reform under Atatürk
16:26 Definitions of Turkishness by Ziya Gökalp
18:13 Three Circles of Turkish Identity
20:13 Modern Turkish Religion and Secularism
20:13 Modern Assyrians in Turkey
22:32 Efforts to Preserve the Syriac Language
23:42 Political Representation and Genocide Recognition
26:03 Disconnect Between Ancient and Modern Assyrians
27:33 Who Are the Kurds?
29:20 Kurdish Territorial Distribution
30:30 Origins of Kurdish National Identity
31:50 Muhammad Amin Zaki Bey and Elite Nationalism
33:03 Early Kurdish Political Sentiments
34:03 Kurdish Autonomy and Badr Khan Bey
36:52 Fall of Kurdish Emirates
37:52 Mehmet Isadi’s Kurdish Historical Claims
39:00 Critique of Isadi’s Anachronism
42:10 Christianity and Kurdish Identity
43:46 Simko and the Assassination of Mar Benyamin
45:54 Modern Glorification of Simko
46:21 Soran Hamarash and Social Media Myths
47:50 Sabriesh's Revisionist Blame on Assyrians
50:13 Ottoman Justifications and Propaganda
52:08 Conclusion: Legitimacy, Identity, and Power

📚 Taught by: Rabi Robert DeKelaita
🎙️ Moderated by: Sarah Gawo & Pierre Younan

Assyrian Art Exhibition — Save the Date!

Featuring the works of George Shamoun

Uncover the beauty of Assyrian heritage through the eyes of renowned artist George Shamoun. His works draw from ancient stories, sculptural traditions, and the enduring resilience of our people.

📅 Sunday, November 16
🕓 4:00 PM
📍 Assyrian Cultural Foundation
4343 W Touhy Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Have questions? Contact: Finearts@acf-us.org

Join us for an evening of art, history, and community — celebrating Assyrian creativity across generations.

#AssyrianArt #FineArtsExhibition #ACFChicago #AssyrianCulture #AssyrianHeritage #AssyrianArtists

On this episode of The Susan Show,

Susan Borto sits down with Rabi Robert DeKelaita, History Instructor at the Assyrian Cultural Foundation, to explore the origin and history of the Ashurbanipal Library—now located right here in Lincolnwood, Illinois, at the Assyrian Cultural Foundation.

#Assyrian #AshurbanipalLibrary #AssyrianHistory #AssyrianCulturalFoundation #TheSusanShow #Mesopotamia #AncientHistory #AssyrianHeritage #Lincolnwood #Chicago

Do you know the 5 original Assyrian Tribes?

Assyrian tribes refer to the sociopolitical organization of Assyrians in the Hakkari mountains. There were five tribes: Tyari, Tkuma, Jilu, Baz, and Diz.

These were later organized into allies known as Bazikkeh to balance power, Tkuma with Jilu, Tyari with Baz, and Diz remained neutral.

Other regions like Barwar or Noia (Shemizdin) are often mislabeled as tribes, but they did not have a Malik or semi-independent status like the five tribes did.

#Assyrian #AssyrianHistory #Hakkari #Tyari #Tkuma #Jilu #Baz #Diz

After the Simele Massacre of 1933, thousands of Assyrians were displaced. In 1935, the French Mandate in Syria, working with the League of Nations, resettled them along the Khabur River Valley.

At first, 16 villages were formed, with Tel Tamr and Tal Umran as the largest. Later, they expanded to 35 villages divided between the Tyari, Tkhuma, and a third faction under Leon Dinkha Shimunaya.

Life was harsh disease, famine, locusts, and poor harvests plagued the early years. But through collectivization and government support, the Khabur became an agricultural powerhouse.

Hasakah was uniquely diverse: Assyrians, Syriacs, Armenians, and Chaldeans coexisted in a multi-faith environment. In 1957, the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) was founded in Qamishli, uniting Assyrians across churches.

But in 2014-2015, ISIS destroyed many villages and displaced thousands, ending nearly 80 years of Assyrian life in the Khabur.

So the question remains, what would the Khabur look like if it had never been destroyed?

#Assyrian #AssyrianHistory #Khabur #Simele #TelTamr #Qamishli

In this interview, Rabi Ninos Nirari covers Assyian Poet, Emil Gharib from Australia where they cover various topics regarding writing.

What if Assyrians had settled in Brazil?

After the Simele Massacre of 1933, thousands of Assyrians were left displaced in refugee camps. The League of Nations sought a permanent home for them, and one proposal was to settle Assyrians in Paraná, Brazil.

The Brazilian government agreed under four strict conditions:
1️⃣ Assyrians must disarm
2️⃣ Brazil held no fiscal responsibility
3️⃣ Work only in agriculture
4️⃣ Settlement would be gradual

But media uproar in Brazil led to an immigration law banning Assyrians from entering. Other options followed, like British Guiana’s Rupununi Savannah, but those also failed.

In 1948, leaders like Leon Dinkha Shimunaya, Malik Daniel Ismail, Malik Loko Badawi, and Yusuf Malek revisited the Brazil idea, even meeting government officials. Yet, opposition from church leadership ended the plan.

Ultimately, Assyrians were resettled in Khabour, Syria, where they rebuilt villages and community life.

So the question remains, What if Assyrians settled in Brazil?

#Assyrian #AssyrianHistory #Simele #Brazil #Khabour

Did you know about the first Assyrian flag?

Before World War I, the Syriac Orthodox community of Tur Abdin designed the first national Assyrian flag . Purple, white, and red with three stars. Figures like Naum Faiq, Ashur Yusuf, and Farid Nazha made Tur Abdin an early hub of Assyrian nationalism.

The flag’s meaning:
🟣 Purple – Royalty and noble history of the Assyrian nation
⚪ White – Purity of the people and the land
🔴 Red – The blood of martyrs who died for faith and nation
⭐ Three stars – The Church of the East, The Syriac Orthodox, and the Chaldean Catholic

This flag was proudly carried at the Paris Peace Conference and by groups in America such as the Assyrian-American National Federation and St. Mary’s Assyrian Orthodox Church.

Later, it was succeeded in 1975 by George Bit-Atanus’s design, which many recognize today.

#Assyrian #AssyrianHistory #AssyrianFlag #NaumFaiq #TurAbdin

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Assyrian Cultural Foundation

The Assyrian Cultural Foundation (ACF) is a non-profit organization inspired by Assyrian heritage, serving as a bridge between traditions and different generations in the hopes of building a stronger, more connected community through our various programs.

Hours

Mon–Fri: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Sat: Closed Saturdays
Sun: Closed Sundays

Support our Fine Arts Program by purchasing artwork using our Fine Art America link. Click Here

Visit Us

Assyrian Cultural Foundation
4343 W. Touhy Avenue
Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Contact Us

Telephone: (773) 274-9262
Fax: (224)251-7620

General: General@acf-us.org

Art: Finearts@acf-us.org

Music: Music@acf-us.org

Tutoring: Tutoring@acf-us.org

Homecare-CCP-E-mail: info@homecare-aid.com

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