LECTURE ABOUT ISRAELS RECOGNITION
OF THE ARAMEANS
Shadi Khalloul the chairman of Israeli Christian
Aramaic Association (ICAA), innovator and lecturure about the
historical decision about a recognition of the Aramean identity.
Shadi Khalloul
On
Sunday the 26th of February hundreds of interested
listeners gathered at the Aramean-Syriac Association in
Norsborg (a Stockholm suburb) of the Aramean elite,
mainly academics, to hear about the decision of that the
State of Israel that took place three weeks ago to
recognize the Christians of Israel as Arameans.
The same kind of lecture
was held on Monday at the Syriac Cultural Centre in
Örebro in Sweden.
The chairman of the
Aramean-Syriac Association of Norsborg Sami Rhawi
welcomed all the attendants on behalf of the association
and on behalf the Syriac Aramean Youth Assocation (SAUF)
for showing great interest for the latest events of the
Arameans in Israel.
This is something new that
has never happened and it is a historical moment, said
Rhawi.
When the lecturer and
innovator Shadi Khalloul from Israel had the word he
thanked Gabi Gallo who was the initiative taker of the
Aramean Democratic Organization (ADO) and Johny Messo of
the World Council of Arameans (WCA) for they will of
struggle to make this day a reality, and that he could
come and tell how he struggled until we got a
recognition. Shadi also encouraged the Aramean people to
struggle to get recognition in other Middleastern
countries as well.
Shadi Khalloul was at first
a captain of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Israel,
and afterwards he went to America to study at a
university. After his studies when he return back to
Israel in 2005, he founded the Israeli Christian Aramaic
Associaton (ICAA), an association that struggles to
preserve the Aramean identity for the Christians in
Israel, in order to be differentiated from the minority
pan-Arabists in Israel.
The members of the
organization began to study the Aramaic language which
is of great importance for the linguistic identity, and
when they had learned it, they in turn could teach it to
others.
Aftrwards the sought
contact through the Internet with other Aramean
organizations around the world and discovered the
Aramean Democratic Organization of Sweden, the School of
Edessa in Norsborg (Stockholm suburb) and professor
Assad Sauma, and strengthen their bonds.
Shadi Khallouls
organization with his brother Amir Khalloul started to
teach the Aramaic language at schools for 150 pupils
within 2 years. They even started to teach the pupils
about the Aramean identity and culture. Now they even
wanted to teach Aramaic at the public schools for the
Aramean children.
They started seek
connections and gave out information via the media about
their work. They wrote a letter to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs in Israel and told him about their work.
They were confronted with
jealousy and resistance by the Arab world when they
heard about the Aramean identity, history, language and
culture and about their cooperation with the Israeli
channels.
The big newspaper
Haaretz found out about them and visited them on a
regular basis especially on the holidays. And eventually
they began lobbying in the Israeli Parliament the
Knesset.
The Sweden based
Aramean-Syriac satellite channels Suryoyo Sat and
Suryoyo TV recorded Shadi’s lecture in Norsborg.
The organization teaches
Aramaic to pupils from the 1st up to the 8th grade in
Israel today, with 17 hours a week. Even students from
America contacted them in order to study Aramaic during
the summers in Israel. It has been voluntarily to learn
Aramaic, but there is a fear that when the Arabs hear
about that when one feels comfortable with the Aramean
culture, “when one leaves the primitive Arab culture”.
The next step is to show that we are Arameans and
struggled to get recognition in the Knesset, said Shadi.
He wrote a letter together with the inhabitants of the
Aramean Christian villages and sent it to the Israeli
Parliament Knesset in 2008, but didn’t receive an
answer. In 2012 there was a regime change in Israel and
it was easier to cooperate with the new Minister of
Foreign Affairs at the Knesset. We sent a copy of the
same letter and got an answer this time. We brought up
the identity issue with the Minister of Defense and with
the Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Shadi.
When we read up the name of
the Prime Minister loudly in Aramaic he began to shine
and we understood that there would be a green light
signal. Netanyahu said that there is no need to tell me
who you are. I already know who you are because I know
who you are and I know your people in history.
The former
Minister of Interior Gideon Saar could for the first
time acknowledge the decision at the Knesset regarding
the Aramean identity registration at the Jewish New Year
Rosh ha-Shanah (between 24 th to 26th September) 2014.
Shadi’s 3 year old son Yakoub became the first to be
registered as an Aramean in Israel. It would cost 850 US
dollars to change to the Aramean identity. We started to
search for every Aramean to apply to change their
identity as Arameans.
But it didn’t
stop there, said Shadi.
Wednesday 18 January 2017
we got the historical decision that the State of Israel
recognized the identity of the Aramean people, but this
time it was absolutely free without any cost. And the
registration applies for one’s entire family and is for
three generations in advance from now on. Now we began
once again search after – amongst the entire Aramean
people in Israel request from them to change their
former ”Arab identity” (which was their former one) into
their true Aramean identity. The decision to change the
identity into the Aramean one is only the Christian
citizens of within the borders of the State of Israel
and not those with another identity from other
countries, such as those living in West Bank (that are
under the authority of so-called “Palestinian Arabs” and
Mahmoud Abbas A.K.A Abu Mazen).
Because the Aramean people
are members of different ecclesiastical church
denominations apart from the Aramean identity one is
also to write down his/her church denominational
affiliation as well, such as Syriac Maronite, Syriac
Orthodox, Melkite Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Syriac
Catholic .The amount of all these together are estimated
to be 130 000. We enjoy the same rights as the Israeli
Jews. There is no other country in the region were one
enjoys as much freedom for the Arameans as in Israel.
The amount of Christians in the country has never
decreased, on the contrary it has only increased up to
130 000 after all despite the conflicts of the remaining
Middle East, said Shadi.
The person’s identity and
denomination is given in the registration. This
certificate shows (circle 1)
Aramean identity
(Arami/Aramean) and in (circle 2) the person’s
denomination (Notzri Maroni/Christan Maronite for
example)
Shadi encourages all Arameans to strive and struggle to
show that there is a will to strive after a homeland of
our own. We shouldn’t fight one another because of our
political opinions when we strive for a homeland of our
own, because it is our right. During the days of David
Ben Gurion 1948-1954 when the State of Israel was
founded one wanted also to create a State for the
Christians in the Middle East. The country in mind was
Lebanon to the north.
There is no need to strive
for a country of our own within the borders of Israel,
because Israel is a homeland to us. We don’t feel as
strangers in Israel, said Shadi. The joy was great in
the Aramean-Syriac Association building regarding this
historical decision about the recognition of the Aramean
identity amongst the listening audience who were present
there.
Shadi Khalloul lives in
Gush-Halav in Galilee, but is originally from the
Galilean village of Kfar Bir’am. This village has become
a tourist attraction for those who are interested in the
Aramaic language and culture, which is visited by
tourist from almost all over the world.
At the end Shadi finished
with encouraging words to the Aramean people all over
the world to strive and struggle for our rights without
fear and to spread and use our Aramean name and the
Aramean name only. We must struggle ourselves to create
a homeland for the Aramean people, and not to wait and
expect others to do it for us. Shadi showed great
gratitude for his invitation and presence.
Aramean
Democratic Organization
Gabi Gallo
We thank Shadi Khalloul from
the bottom of our hearts for his visit to Sweden and for
his lecture
Shadi had elevated
Arameanism into the sky during his visit to the Aramean
Association with his presence.
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Shadi Khalloul with the Aramean
MP Robert Halef of the Christian Democrats in Sweden
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At the old Swedish Parliament
hall |
At the Swedish Parliament |
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Shadi Khaloul and the Israel
Ambassador of Sweden Isaac Bachman |
Gabi Gallo & Shadi Khalloul at
Suryoyo Sat |
Gabi Gallo, Shadi Khalloul,
Shlemun Ego and Joseph Saouk at Suryoyo Sat |
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Shadi Khalloul & Sami Urhoyo at
the Aramean-Syriac Association in Norsborg |
Shadi Khalloul & Sami Urhoyo at
the Aramean-Syriac Association in Norsborg |
Aram el-Khoury translating the
lecture of Shadi Khalloul from English into Aramaic |
the listening audience of Shadi
Khalloul's lecture |
the listening audience of Shadi
Khalloul's lecture |
the listening audience of Shadi
Khalloul's lecture |
the listening audience of Shadi
Khalloul's lecture
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the listening audience of Shadi
Khalloul's lecture |
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A pro-Israeli Swede using his
Shofar at the end of the lecture |
Shadi recieved flowers and
gifts after his lecture |
Shadi recieved flowers and
gifts after his lecture |
Gabi Gallo & Noura Gallo are
taking memorable photo with Shadi |
Chairman of the World Council
of Arameans (WCA) Johny Messo with Shadi Khalloul |
Chairman of the World Council
of Arameans (WCA) Johny Messo & Gabi Gallo with Shadi
Khalloul |
Chairman of the World Council
of Arameans (WCA) Johny Messo and Joseph Saouk with
Shadi Khalloul |
Antoine el-Khoury the chairman
of the Aramean satellite channel Suryoyo gives Shadi a
Suryoyo logo pin as a gift of honor |
Antoine el-Khoury the chairman
of the Aramean satellite channel Suryoyo shaking hand
with Shadi thanking for the lecture and future
cooperation |
Antoine el-Khoury , Shadi
Khalloul and Gabi Gallo |
families taking photo with
Shadi |
families taking photo with
Shadi |
Amir Hikmat, Samir Abdelahad,
Shadi Khalloul and Suheyla Sawme |
families taking photo with
Shadi |
one of the organizers of the
lecutre's Aday Bethkinne his father and uncle with Shadi |
photo of persons who are
struggling for the Aramean national cause |
Ghabi Shamoon, Shadi Khalloul,
professor Assaad Sauma, Afrem Sauma and Ninos Sauma
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Amir Hikmat, Roni Doumit, Shadi
Khalloul, Nabil Asso, Michael Nassar |
photo with friends with Shadi |
Aday Bethkinne and Gabi Gallo
who struggle a lot organize this lecture |
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Talia Besidski Jewish woman
from Sweden with Shadi |
Gabi Gallo, Talia Besidski
Jewish woman from Sweden, with Shadi |
Dani Hadodo a passionate
Aramean nationalist with Shadi |
Joseph Abdelahad, Shadi
Khalloul and Nabil Asso passionate Aramean nationalists |
Johny Messo & Mourad Pano with
Shadi |
Shadi's lecture in Örebro in
Sweden |
Shadi and Habib Dilmac the
chairman of the Syriac Federation of Sweden |
Shadi and Habib Dilmac and Gabi
Gallo |
Habib Dilmac, Shadi Khalloul
and Amir Himat in Örebro |
Shadi is encouraging the
Aramean in Israel to register as Arameans |
David Dag is helping Shadi with
his power point presentation during the lecture in
Örebro |
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the lecture in Örebro is
finished and Habib Dilmac the chairman of the Syriac
Federatrion of Sweden is giving Shadi flowers and gifts |
Bassim Barsoum and his wife
Hanna Barsoum and Said Baran and his wife with Shadi
holding the Aramean flag |
father Yacoub Kasselia with
Shadi |
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the translator from English to
Aramaic with Shadi |
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malfono Andrawos with Shadi |
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The lecture went good the
audience is hearing for first time about the Aramean identity in Israel
and its success
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