Dear fellow Assyrians:‎

During a meeting of the General Membership in January a team of new administration and the board of directors was elected  ‎as care takers of the Assyrian American Association of Southern California for the next two years. The elected people are:‎

• President: William Warda
• Vice president: Melis Lachin
• Treasurer: Victor Orshan
• Controller: Romina Arvakhi‎
• ‎Board of Directors are: Nahrin Lachin, Arbela Orshan, Jenny Badal, Beloos Bethishou, Edwin Afshalimi, Edwin Atniel and ‎Fredrik Ayoubkhan.

The extent of their success in helping the Assyrian Center and the community at large depends on how ‎much they will be supported by the rest of the Assyrians in the region.‎

From time to time every nation or community needs to asses its situation and find out which way it is headed, to  make proper ‎corrections, so that it will not  end up at a destination it does not want to be. There has not been such assessment of the ‎Assyrian situation or attempt to plan their future for lack of an effective national  leadership and the apathy of the general ‎population. Consequently we are scattered in all directions each living as an island disconnected and isolated form others, this ‎can hardly lead to a positive outcome. When things are left alone  usually they go from bad to  worst.‎

The most important function of the Assyrian center is to bring together all Assyrians and encourage their unity and solidarity. ‎There are many signs that the Assyrians community,  at least in the Southern California area,  is not doing well because its ‎members are scattered in  a vast region with long distances in between them impeding their social interaction. Such signs of ‎disintegration  are especially evident to the directors of the AAASC who monitor the state of our people. On average we send ‎about 1000 flyers twice a month to the Assyrian households inviting them to various events promoting social and cultural ‎activities such as: seminars, book exhibits, Assyrian choir, Assyrian language classes, parties and picnics but only a small ‎percentage of the population bothers to attend.  A scattered people who have no desire to come together at least once every so ‎often, to reassert their unity, solidarity, and interest in their shared  social and cultural heritage can hardly be assured of a ‎stellar future for their community. ‎

‎ Some attribute their non-participation to the fact that the Association hall is not  as beautiful as they want it to be or the ‎Association property is not in a wealthy  neighborhood . It is hard to believe that any Assyrian is willing to abandon his or her ‎community or culture for such reasons. This shows a lack of concern for the survival of their heritage which is  passed on to ‎the younger generation.  ‎

The survival of our people for the last 2500 years has been  due to their love and dedication for each other.  The 8th century ‎Givargis Bakht-Eisho who was a court physician for the Caliph al-Mansour and  family, after a long practice, decided to retire ‎and live the rest of his life  in an Assyrian village  in northern Iraq with his family and friends. The Caliph who appreciated his ‎services invited him to stay in Baghdad and become a Muslim so that he too can go to heaven. Givargis replied “I would rather ‎die with the religion of my fathers and go where they have gone. That is where I want to be, whether in paradise or hell.”   ‎

If the Association is not  beautiful or is not in a great neighborhood it means our community  has  neglected it for too long and ‎the solution to this problem is not to abandon it rather than helping to make it a better place.   The few individuals who have ‎been elected to administer the Association can not  invest in more expensive property without the support of the community at ‎large.  No people  can survive if they are not willing to  inconvenience themselves for the sake of their shared culture and ‎heritage. This was undoubtedly the message which President Kennedy wanted to express when he said: “Don’t ask  what your ‎country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”   In addition to our responsibility to our adopted country we ‎are equally indebted to our community if we are interested in its survival.  ‎

‎William Warda‎
President; Assyrian American Association of Southern California