Major Assyrian-American Groups Express Solidarity with Embattled American Jews

December 20, 2019

Los Angeles

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a leading Jewish NGO expressed deep gratitude for an unprecedented statement of solidarity against anti-Semitism from leading Iraqi-American groups. This in reaction to continuing anti-Semitic hate crimes in the US including last Saturday’s desecration of a synagogue in Southern California.

The declaration read in part, “ We, the Assyrians know the footprint of harassment and persecution for we too have suffered for our faith and continue to face ethnocide. Our generational and collective experience with similar heinous crimes and our long kinship with the Jews has moved us to feel the pain of this ancient community not just in America, but throughout the world. We strongly condemn these heinous crimes and see these attacks not only against our Jewish-American brethren but against all of us. There is no place for bigotry and hate of any kind in this country we call home….” (Click here to read full text)

“We are deeply moved by this public display of empathy and solidarity by Iraqi refugees who themselves were victims of religious ethnic cleansing in their historic homeland in Iraq”, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper the Center’s Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action.

The statement of solidarity was forwarded to the SWC by Juliana Taimoorazy, Iraqi Christian Relief Council Founder and President. Other organizations included American Mesopotamian Organization Assyrian American National Federation Assyrian American Association of Illinois Assyrian Media Center, Assyrian Yellow Pages, Assyrians for Justice, Mona Khoshaba Show Power of Three, Restore Nineveh Now and the Seyfo Center.