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1st Quarterly General Membership Meeting.

Sunday, March 4, 2012.

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Featured Articles

A Population Genetics Study in the Assyrian Population of the United States (Nineveh, Volume 35, Number 2)

This article is a population genetics study which included samples from 206 random, unrelated Assyrian volunteers.

Recent Developments in Recognition of The Assyrian Genocide by Governments and Scholars (Nineveh, Volume 35, Number 2)

Since the publication of, Gabriele Yonan’s Ein vergassener Holocaust in 1989 and Thea Halo’s Not Even My Name in 2000, a consensus has been building on recognition of the Assyrian genocide.

As we begin a new year 2012, I want to take this opportunity and reflect on the events of last year. Firstly I want to express my sincere appreciation to all our caring and generous supporters and volunteers who helped us successfully carry out our mission to help our suffering brothers and sisters around the world, and provide educational assistance to our students who carry the torch of Assyrian heritage and identity in the academic world.

As economies around the world have softened, people have been cautious with their spending, including donations to non-profit organizations. Simultaneously, we see the on-going suffering of our people around the world. The unsettled political situation and insecurity (especially for minorities who are victims of persecutions and ethno-religious cleansing) in Iraq is continuing to force increasing numbers of Assyrian to seek refuge in Syria and other neighboring countries. These refugees are stranded and living under challenging conditions, with lack of proper food and medical supplies, while waiting to be relocated. In Armenia the need is especially great for the elderly and mothers with children, who cannot work. In the face of these tough economic conditions, we are proud that the Assyrian Foundation of America has remained one of the key providers of help for Assyrians in need around the world. We provided funds to the Assyrian Medical Society to help with the medical needs of five Assyrian refugee children. We sponsored the Annual Children’s Christmas Party in Syria, and supported elderly Assyrians in Armenia.

In the area of education, we continue to see the fruits of our labor through the increasing recognition and positive awareness of the Assyrian name. We provided significant scholarships to Assyrian students in fields such as Assyriology, international law, political science, human rights, etc. We organized the first “Members and Friends Appreciation” event, during which Nineb Lamassu, one of the students we have been helping, delivered a magnificent presentation, showcasing Assyrian villages and churches in Southeastern Turkey, that have sadly been abandoned and vandalized. Through his research, Nineb has charted (using GPS/satellite equipment) and documented each finding and its location. The information gathered will be documented and recorded, preserving the region’s rich Assyrian. He also discussed the various projects he’s involved in, including the MARA project (The Modern Assyrian Research Archive) - a digital archive based at the Cambridge University in England. The aim of MARA is to locate, collect, and preserve source material and literature on the history, culture, and language of the Assyrian community from the 19th century onwards. The purpose of founding this archive is to ensure the preservation of the Assyrian language and culture and to promote and facilitate academic research on these. We also sponsored a presentation by Dr. Timothy Matney, who is involved in archaeological excavations of ancient Assyrian sites in Eastern Turkey. Additionally, we sponsored two Assyrian poets, who presented their poetry at an international conference. Lastly, we contributed to the “Defying Deletion” project, a film documenting the condition of Assyrians in Mesopotamia.

More widely, 2011 was a year that saw tragedies in our Assyrian community. I would like to pay a special tribute to some of the precious treasures that we lost this year:

Dr. Donny George Youkhanna 1950 – 2011. An Assyrian archaeologist and Professor. The world will always remember him as the hero who fought to recover over half of the 15,000 Mesopotamian artifacts, looted from the National Museum in Baghdad during the Iraq invasion.

Lina Yakubova 1976 – 2011. An Assyrian documentary film producer, writer, and human rights activist. We will always remember her as our angel whose life was not meant to be measured in years, but in the scope of her sincerity, courage, and unwavering faith in her nation.

Ramina Badal, Hormiz David, and Ninous Yacoub - The three Assyrian hikers who lost their lives in Yosemite (July 17, 2011). This was one of the greatest hits to our small and scattered nation, because they were the pillars to hold the Assyrian identity, language, and heritage through future generations. They carried the seeds of our continuity.

Looking ahead to 2012, it’s going to be another challenging year for our people. We can’t change tomorrow’s political and economic headlines, but we can focus on our priorities to help our people and preserve our culture and language. The Assyrian Foundation of America is a long established and respected organization that is dedicated to helping Assyrians in need and supporting education. The success of our organization is simply due to our devoted volunteers and our loyal supporters like you who are passionate about their nation. The continuation of our wonderful programs next year is entirely in your hands.

May 2012 bring joy, prosperity and good health to you and our entire nation around the world. God bless Assyrians!

Jackline Yelda

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