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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.

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0:00 – Introduction
1:24 – Why Assyrians Must Write Their Own History
3:04 – Fragmentation of the Assyrian People
5:20 – Continuous Assyrian History Explained
6:40 – Historians Denying Assyrian Continuity
7:19 – Michael Morony and “What Happened to the Assyrians?”
9:36 – Rejecting the “Post-Assyrian” Period
10:30 – Ancient Kurdistan and Assyrian Archaeology
12:57 – Claiming Assyrian History with Confidence
13:21 – Rashid Khalidi’s “100 Years’ War on Palestine”
14:50 – Malik Yaqo’s “Assyrians and Two World Wars”
16:21 – The Book “Gileana” and Preserving History
18:48 – Conversion, Identity, and Education in Iraq
20:14 – Modern Assyrian Struggles and Historical Continuity
21:33 – “The Assyrian Struggle for National Survival”
22:02 – Pierre Younan on Personal Narratives in History
24:40 – Bias in Historical Writing
27:10 – Assyrian Oneness and National Unity
30:24 – Language, Akkadian, and Aramaic
32:01 – Jonathan Valk and Aramaic as an Assyrian Language
34:16 – Aramaic, Mesopotamia, and Identity Debates
39:40 – Christianity as Part of Assyrian History
41:02 – Eyewitness Histories and Family Narratives
42:19 – Assyrians of Chicago and Community Archives
43:25 – Fred Aprim and Writing Assyrian History
44:20 – Fiction, Memory, and Historical Nuance
45:36 – Historical Personalities and Biography
47:04 – Family Histories and the Parad Family Story
48:26 – Poetry, ISIS, and Assyrian Expression
50:05 – “Fever and Thirst” and Misrepresentation of Assyrians
53:10 – Gordon Taylor and Orientalist Narratives
55:26 – The Meaning and Message of Assyrian History
57:10 – Writing Your Own History Today
58:07 – Sarah Gawo on Reclaiming Assyrian Narratives
1:00:25 – Undoing Historical Vilification
1:00:43 – Pierre Younan on Oral History and Historical Value
1:04:16 – Assyrians as Subjects, Not Objects, of History
1:05:26 – Filling the Void in Assyrian Historiography
1:06:29 – Preserving Assyrian Voices and Literature
1:07:04 – The Ashurbanipal Library as an Idea
1:08:06 – 40 Years of the Ashurbanipal Library
1:08:46 – Preserving Assyrian Literature for the Future

In this session of The Story of Assyria, Robert DeKelaita, alongside Sarah Gawo and Pierre Younan, explores why Assyrians must write and preserve their own history. The discussion examines who has the authority to tell history, the dangers of outsiders defining Assyrian identity, and the importance of firsthand narratives, oral histories, family records, literature, poetry, and eyewitness accounts in preserving the Assyrian story.

The class challenges concepts such as the “post-Assyrian” period, argues for the continuous historical identity of the Assyrian people from ancient to modern times, and discusses the relationship between Akkadian, Aramaic, and modern Assyrian language traditions. The lecture also highlights major Assyrian historical works, including Malik Yaqo’s Assyrians and Two World Wars, Gileana, The Assyrian Struggle for National Survival, and other important contributions that connect memory, identity, and survival across generations.

Throughout the conversation, we reflect on historical bias, nationalism, fragmentation within the Assyrian community, the role of Christianity in Assyrian continuity, and the responsibility of institutions like the Ashurbanipal Library in safeguarding Assyrian heritage for future generations.

Illuminations: Nahreen Odisho with Ninos Nirari

Qala Mhadyana Hosted By Ninos Nirari 05-09-26

The Assyrian Cultural Foundation brought the spirit of Assyrian New Year to the office with food, music, and dance!

We’re happy to celebrate 6776 with our community, and honored to celebrate with you all!

#Assyrian #AssyrianCulturalFoundation #ACFchicago #AssyrianNewYear

00:00 Intro
00:48 Topic: community + responsibility
01:15 Our obligations as Assyrians
02:43 Fragmentation + resilience
04:51 What “historical material” includes
05:43 Texts, archives, oral history, photos
07:15 Preserve + interpret + transmit
08:02 Access without ownership
08:40 Narratives written by outsiders
10:03 Identity, oneness, and continuity
10:28 Nineveh Plain roots + asserting rights
11:20 Responsibility is ours (not “experts”)
13:00 Books, manuscripts, archives
13:48 Syriac vs Assyrian: time-period framing
14:23 Reject “post-Assyrian” language
15:07 Politics of “layers” in history
17:30 Church/community records matter
18:06 Adiabene + Christian growth
19:10 Suraya vs Assyrian is a false split
20:35 Pierre’s family photo introduced
21:19 Greece 1923: flight and resettlement
23:23 Iraq 1932: return + hopes
24:01 Simele aftermath + missing great-grandfather
27:22 Long-lost friend + wallet photo
28:02 Reading the photo through history
30:27 Oral histories before they’re gone
32:22 Music as history (Harvard work)
33:48 Material culture: tools, flags, symbols
37:11 Digital projects + searchable texts
39:10 If we neglect it: big consequences
40:13 Assimilation examples + identity loss
45:17 Abandoned Hakkari churches
47:02 Politics of “Syriac not Assyrian”
49:13 Linking trauma + continuity
51:54 Final call: stand together

In this session of The Story of Assyria, Robert DeKelaita (with Sarah Gawo and Pierre Younan) lays out what historical responsibility means for a dispersed people: preserving, interpreting, and transmitting the materials that carry Assyrian identity—manuscripts, archives, oral histories, photographs, church records, music, artifacts, and modern digital collections. The class also challenges misleading frameworks like “post-Assyrian,” clarifies how “Syriac/Suryoyo/Suraya” relates to Assyrian continuity, and shows why neglecting preservation leads to shallow identity and outsiders defining our story. A major highlight is Pierre’s moving family testimony connecting Hakkari, Greece (1923), Iraq (1932), and the Simele massacre, demonstrating how one photograph becomes history once its context is recovered.

Nearly one month left until the Assyrian Renaissance Cultural Celebration comes to Chicago!

Join us for 3 days of entertainment spanning from Music, Art, & History.

Purchase Tickets:
• Online (Link in bio @assyrianrenaissance)
• Home Care Powered By AUAF
(7303 N. Cicero Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60712)
Student discount available only here — please bring a valid student ID
• Ashtar Food Market
• Arax Foods

No tickets required to attend live art demonstrations, art exhibitions, and lectures.

Questions & Contact: (224)-341-8026

#Assyrian #AssyrianRenaissance #AssyrianCulturalFoundation

0:00 Intro
1:03 Introductions
1:39 Modern “heroes”
5:31 Nation changes
8:07 Older literature
11:26 Early Assyrianism
12:58 Zionism comparison
14:13 Nationalism theory
15:43 Ancient nations debate
16:52 Continuity argument
19:42 Discontinuity view
25:21 “Chaldean” term
27:06 Unity emphasis
31:42 Millet to nation
36:49 Paris disappointment
40:48 William Daniel reshapes
42:15 John Alkhas pride
46:42 Hannibal critique
48:27 Key takeaways

In this lecture, Rabi Robert DeKelaita explores how modern Assyrian writers and thinkers “rewrote” history to strengthen national consciousness and unity. The discussion traces the shift from primarily religious self-identification (Suraya as “Christian”) toward a modern national framework, shaped by wider 19th–20th century currents of nationalism. Using examples from major Assyrian poets, storytellers, and intellectuals, the lecture examines how symbols, language, collective memory, and ancient heritage were reimagined to build legitimacy, pride, and cohesion across denominational lines.

0:00 Intro
0:12 Imagined Assyria: nation without a state
0:56 Are Assyrians “a nation” if there’s no state?
1:29 Iraq’s classifications: “minority” vs “nationality”
2:54 The real question: perseverance without sovereignty
4:29 Statehood vs strengthening peoplehood
5:30 Diaspora reality: homeland minority, global majority
6:11 1919–1933: political bids and the Simele tragedy
8:07 2003–2025: Nineveh Plain politics and Article 125
11:11 Exile as culture: literature, song, and “wandering”
15:31 Ethical frame: homeland, neighbors, and Christian duty
18:37 What a state does that a community can’t
31:16 Other diasporas: comparisons and outcomes
32:08 Benedict Anderson: imagined communities applied
33:27 Harari on “imaginary stories” and sacred space
38:46 Modern glue: media, dialect bridges, symbols, museums
43:04 Can there be a nation without a state?
51:03 Assyrianism: the ideology that sustains continuity

In Class 21 of The Story of Assyria, we explore “Imagined Assyria: The Making of a Nation Without a State” and ask a hard modern question: can Assyrians remain a nation without territory, sovereignty, or a state apparatus?

Using Benedict Anderson’s theory of Imagined Communities, we examine how shared narrative, memory, symbols, language, institutions, and media can produce real national belonging across distance and diaspora.

We also compare the powers of a state (coercion, borders, bureaucracy, citizenship, education, legitimacy) with what a dispersed community can and cannot do, and reflect on how exile reshaped Assyrian culture through literature, music, trauma remembrance, and modern transnational cultural life.

Last year, we reignited a flame that had long burned in our collective memory. This year, the Assyrian Renaissance Cultural Celebration returns to illuminate our heritage once more through powerful art exhibitions, stirring musical performances, and thought-provoking academic lectures.

Join us for a weekend where our shared identity takes center stage.

April 17,18,19, 2026

At Hyatt Regency Chicago

Stay in touch for more information.

#AssyrianRenaissance #CulturalCelebration #ACFChicago #AssyrianEvents #ARCC26

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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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