Documentary screening: The Wait
On Wednesday 28 March 2018, a special screening of the documentary The Wait will be organised in London. The documentary, by Susie Attwood, follows several Aramean families from Syria, who have found temporary refuge at the Syriac Orthodox Saint Gabriel Monastery in Beirut, Lebanon. Many of these refugees are awaiting visa approvals for, what they hope, will be a chance at a better life in the West.
WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL YOU ARE BACK HOME! (abducted on Monday 22 April 2013)
SYRIA’S KIDNAPPED CHURCH LEADERS STILL MISSING AFTER ONE YEAR
Over one year ago, on 22 April 2013, the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, H.E. Gregorius Hanna Ibrahim, and H.E. Boulos al-Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo and Iskenderun, were abducted by a rebel group near the Turkish-Syrian border. Their car was intercepted and the Aramean driver was shot dead, during or after the attack.
Support Turabdin by Attending and Enjoying WCA's Open Air Parties
Get ready to dance under the stars of Turabdin in Southeast Türkiye at the picturesque village of Ehwo and the plaza of the enchanting Turabdin Hotel in Midyat. Let the vibrant Aramaic melodies fill the night as we come together to celebrate our ancient Aramean cultural heritage!
Genocide of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East perpetrated by ISIS: Music as the Bridge to Peace
ADF International and the World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (“WCA”) are inviting you for a side event on Thursday, 17 March 2016, at the United Nations Office in Geneva that aims at raising awareness about the threat of extinction of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including Yezidis and Aramean Christians, who are victims of genocide.
Genocide constitutes the most horrific of human rights violations, leading to the total or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The European Parliament already reacted and approved a resolution on 4 February 2016, condemning the ongoing atrocities in the aforementioned countries and recognizing them as genocide.
The investigations, reports and conclusions from the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and other efforts are also important steps. Resolutions by the Human Rights Council and the Security Council recognizing the acts committed by ISIS as genocide are of urgent importance in order to end the violence. Therefore, your participation and support would be greatly appreciated.
Speakers:
• Ms. Mariela Shaker, Syrian Refugee and professional classical violinist
• Ms. Jacqueline Isaac, Lawyer, Vice President of Roads of Success
Moderator:
• Mr. Johny Messo, President, World Council of Arameans (Syriacs)
Conclusion and Geneva Declaration on Genocide of Religious and Ethnic Minorities:
• Mr. Rubén Navarro, Senior UN Counsel, ADF International
In addition, Ms. Mariela Shaker will give a 15-minute violin concert. Ms. Shaker is an Aramean Christian refugee from Aleppo, Syria, who was named a “Champion of Change” by President Barack Obama and honored at the White House on World Refugee Day last year. A DePaul University graduate student working toward a master’s degree in musical performance, she also is the WCA Ambassador of Peace, using the power of music to highlight the plight of refugees from her homeland and to provide inspiring ways to healing and reconciliation in Syria.
Ms. Mariela Shaker (center)
RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 March, if you do not have an entry badge to the UN.
Refreshments will be provided. French interpretation will be available.
Click here to download the Press Release in PDF
Sponsorship Packages: Package Names and Benefits
Celebrate our 40th anniversary with us and be a crucial part of our mission! Your support helps shape the future of the Aramean people. Explore and choose one of our sponsorship packages, showing their significance and amounts, in:
ENGLISH DEUTSCH SVENSKA
NEDERLANDS FRANÇAIS ITALIANO TÜRKÇE
Feiere unser 40-jähriges Jubiläum mit uns und sei ein entscheidender Teil unserer Mission! Deine Unterstützung hilft dabei, die Zukunft des aramäischen Volkes zu gestalten. Entdecke und wähle eines unserer Sponsor-Pakete, die ihre Bedeutung und Beträge zeigen:
Fira vårt 40-årsjubileum med oss och bli en avgörande del av vår mission! Ditt stöd hjälper till att forma framtiden för det syrianska (arameiska) folket. Upptäck och välj ett av våra sponsringspaket, som visar deras betydelse och belopp:
Vier ons 40-jarig jubileum met ons en wees een cruciaal onderdeel van onze missie! Jouw steun helpt bij het vormgeven van de toekomst van het Aramese volk. Ontdek en kies een van onze sponsorpakketten, die hun betekenis en bedragen tonen:
Célébrez notre 40e anniversaire avec nous et faites partie intégrante de notre mission! Votre soutien contribue à façonner l'avenir du peuple araméen. Découvrez et choisissez l'un de nos packages de parrainage, montrant leur signification et leur montant :
Festeggia con noi il nostro 40° anniversario e diventa una parte fondamentale della nostra missione! Il tuo supporto contribuisce a plasmare il futuro del popolo aramaico. Scopri e scegli uno dei nostri pacchetti di sponsorizzazione, mostrando il loro significato e importo:
40. yıldönümümüzü bizimle kutlayın ve misyonumuzun önemli bir parçası olun! Desteğiniz, Süryanice (Aramice) halkının geleceğini şekillendirmeye yardımcı olur. Sponsorluk paketlerimizden birini keşfedin ve seçin, anlamlarını ve miktarlarını gösterin:
Celebrating 35 years WCA, live on SuryoyoSat
This year, WCA is celebrating its 35th anniversary since its establishment on 16 July 1983. To celebrate this joyous occasion, WCA will host an exclusive reception with former and present members of WCA, its federations and its lifelong benefactors! After the reception, the anniversary celebration will continue LIVE on SuryoyoSat and we invite you to join us!
CHRISTIANS FROM SYRIA SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE: HISTORIC CONFERENCE IN GENEVA ON 8 MAY 2014
Click here to download the Press Release in PDF
Tomorrow, on 8 May 2014, a historic conference will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, where seven senior religious and secular leaders from Syria’s largest Christian churches will speak in a unified voice on the situation in their homeland, which is the cradle of civilization and Christianity. In addition, significant meetings at the United Nations are scheduled for Friday.
Tomorrow’s conference, titled “Christians in Syria: The Challenge of Speaking with One Voice,” will start at 8 pm at the Espace Fusterie (18, Place de la Fusterie) in Geneva and is open to the public.
Events Update: Ehwo Party Cancelled, Midyat Party Continues as Scheduled
We are truly saddened to announce the cancellation of our WCA Youth Party tomorrow evening, August 16th, in the village of Ehwo (Güzelsu). Recently, the Mardin Governorship declared a security operation in this region (Turizlo). Ehwo is one of nine villages that is part of the “Temporary Special Security Zone” until this Friday, August 18th.
The Third Aramean Congress, 7 March, Sayfo 1915-2015 and the Aramean Identity
The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) (WCA) and the Federation of Arameans in Germany (BVDAD) cordially invite you to The Third Aramean Congress titled "SAYFO 1915-2015 and the Aramean Identity." It will be held on Saturday, 7 March 2015, at the Suryoyo Sat Studio in Gütersloh, Germany.
This year, we all honor the 100th Anniversary of the Sayfo. The WCA, its Member Federations, local associations, Suryoyo Sat, SAUF and SAAF have initiated a Sayfo documentary in cooperation with a Dutch Christian channel, a Sayfo logo and the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/1915sayfo.
We all have more initiatives in the pipeline, just like each of you is now preparing various Sayfo events. Therefore, we see the necessity to bring together all our organizations and leading intellectuals in order to exchange ideas and dates for our Sayfo activities to create a SAYFO 2015 Agenda. For it would be good to be aware of each other’s agendas so that we can cooperate and attend each other’s events.
Besides the WCA’s Member Federations and Associations, we cordially invite Suryoyo Sat, the Sweden-based Syriac Aramaic Youth Federation (SAUF) and Syriac/Aramaic Academicians Federation (SAAF), Kreis Aramäischer Studierender Heidelberg (KrAS), Nisibin – Stiftung für Aramäische Studien, Stiftung zum Erhalt und zur Förderung des Aramäischen Kulturerbes, Kifa Magazine, the Aramean Movement for Human Rights (ABM), the Aramaic Democratic Organization (ArDO), Lebnon, our predecessors in the Aramean organizations and influential intellectuals.
For this event, we have also invited the well-known German genocide scholar, Dr. Tessa Hofmann, to give a presentation of one hour about the destruction of the Aramean people in 1914-1918.
We request each one of you to inform ALL of your members and inform them about the importance of this Congress. Kindly distribute this letter to your members via email and hang it in your offices. You(r delegates) can sign up until Friday 27 February 2015, by emailing their (family) name, position and contact details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (only registered persons can attend for only 25 euro per person!).
We strongly believe that this historic Congress has the power to bring us all much closer to each other, increase our activities and make us individually and collectively stronger. Therefore, we look forward to receiving you at the Congress and hope to see you soon in Germany!
PROGRAM: SATURDAY, 7 MARCH 2015
SAYFO 1915-2015 AND THE ARAMEAN IDENTITY
09:30 – 10:00 Breakfast: Tea/Coffee & Sandwiches
10:00 – 10:30 Welcome & Opening Remarks by Mr. Daniyel Demir (7 min.),
Chairman Federation of Arameans in Germany
Speech by Mr. Johny Messo, WCA President (20 min.):
Sayfo and our People: Creating a Global Aramean Force
10:30 – 12:00 Statements by Organizations (5 min.) & Individuals (3 min.)
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 14:15 Questions and Answers & General Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Gabriel Hanne
14:15 – 15:15 Lecture by Dr. Tessa Hofmann, Genocide Scholar
Persecution and Destruction of the Arameans in the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman Occupied Iran (1914-1918) – A Forgotten Genocide?
15:15 – 16:00 Questions & Answers
16:00 – 16:15 Break
16:15 – 17:45 Synergizing Thoughts and Initiatives: The SAYFO 2015 Agenda
Moderator: Dr. Gabriel Hanne
17.45 – 18.00 Presenting a DRAFT Joint Declaration to the German Government
We will translate and send it to our various Parliaments and Media
18:00 – 18:15 Final remarks by Mr. Daniyel Demir & Mr. Johny Messo
18:30 – 19:30 Dinner
20:00 – 22:30 Live Tahrazto on the 3rd Aramean Congress & The SAYFO 2015 Agenda
If you would like to attend it, email us at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
