On Thursday 9 April 2015, the WCA and its partners provided 400 Aramean families in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria, with food packages as an Easter Gift (see photos below). Today, on Friday 10 April, this Aramean alliance sent the letter below (download the Arabic version below) to their people in need in Qamishli, stressing that they are not alone in their struggle for survival in the homeland and that this Easter Gift is only the beginning of more help to our people in need of both humanitarian aid and a political voice.
CLICK HERE TO READ THIS LETTER IN PDF AND IN ARABIC TRANSLATION.
Shlomo, hubo w-Iqoro to our dear People in Qamishli,
The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (“WCA”), its National Federations and Local Associations, and its partners mentioned below, extend their warm greetings to you and wish you and all our people of Syria and Iraq a Blessed Easter celebration with family and friends in the risen Christ, our life and our hope.
ܥܐܕܐ ܒܪܝܟܐ܂
ܡܫܝܚܐ ܩܡ ܡܢ ܩܒܪܐ܄ ܫܪܝܪܐܝܬ ܩܡ ܡܢ ܒܝܬ ܡܝܬܐ܂
ܡܗܝܡܢܝܢܢ ܘܡܘܕܝܢܢ܀
APPRECIATING OUR PEOPLE FROM QAMISHLI
This year in which we all commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Sayfo, we deemed it fit to donate food packages as Easter gifts to 400 Aramean families in Qamishli. It was this city that was built up by your and our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who escaped the aftereffects of the Sayfo in Tur-Abdin and its region in the newly founded Republic of Turkey in 1923. It was this city that became the new beacon of light of the Suryoyutho in the first half of the 20th century, defending, strengthening and developing our Aramaic (Syriac) language and identity. We cannot and we will never forget this fact.
During these difficult trials and tribulations of the past years, we have tried our best to help our people in need in Syria and Iraq as best as we could. We are dedicated to continue our service as long as needed. Since our foundation, we have been privileged to receive the trust and support of the Aramean people worldwide and we will make sure that this support will also reach our people in Qamishli.
OUR SYRIA AND IRAQ RELATED WORK
As you are aware, in these past years we have given various forms of aid to certain regions and families in Syria and Iraq, but also to our refugees abroad. That is why Arameans from Qamishli, who spoke on behalf of your churches, organizations and Sootoro, have contacted us for help in the past months. They expressed that they have a strong faith in the work, integrity and strength of our organizations to help our forgotten people in Qamishli. We are committed to not let them down for placing good trust and faith in us.
We have been and we continue to work on a number of things for our people in the diaspora and Tur-Abdin, but regarding Syria and Iraq we should briefly mention that, regarding humanitarian aid, we work with and through governments and NGOs. Our biggest achievement so far is that the WCA and its Member Federation in Germany have convinced the German Government to send more than 2,5 million euro from September 2013 until today to our Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus to help our people there in many ways. We continue to do the same for other regions in Syria and Iraq, and also in other countries like Switzerland.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We ask you to join us in commemorating these specific dates with us:
SIGNATORIES TO THIS LETTER