HELEN TALIA

Zeena Yonkers, born Zeena Tawfik, was a child when her journey around the Middle-East began with her benevolent parents, between Iraq, where she was born, Lebanon and Kuwait, before making the United States her home. 

Her unique story of activism began rather early in life, when she sought to reform social injustices to bring balance to communities.  A clever onset that has led to an awakening of an enriched life of education and experience, combined with empathy and grace. 

Zeena earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut with a major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology.  Her graduate work was completed at the joint UCLA/ Loyola Marymount program, majoring in Clinical Psychology.  But somehow, her career in the Assyrian community has always been in the making all the while she was pursuing her education.  As a teen, she started a youth group at her local church, and later set-up a refugee support group to facilitate cross-culture transition. 

Within the walls of the Assyrian American National Federation (“A.A.N.F.”), a non-profit humanitarian organization that was originally started in 1933 to respond to the casualties of what became known as the Simmel Massacre, where “an estimated 3,000 Assyrians were massacred,” Zeena’s finger prints are everywhere. 

For ten consecutive years, Zeena was the Director of the Youth Initiative Program, where she co-founded the Youth Camp Lamassu, and currently serves on the National Committee of the Youth Excellence Contest.  She has also served as the Eastern Regional Director, assisted the president, chaired last year’s convention, and now Zeena holds the second highest executive office seat, the Executive Vice President. 

Among her noteworthy professional accomplishments are the publication of thirty-some articles, papers, and poster presentations in various medical journals in the American Psychological Association and Neuropsychiatric Association.  Some of Dr. Yonkers’ publications and presentations include “Momentary Pain and Coping in Temporomandibular Disorder Pain,” “Youth and Spirituality,” “The Relation of Criminal Justice and Minority Status to Adolescent Reporting of Substance Use,” “A Comparison of Problem Gambling and Non-Problem Gambling, Youth Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Abuse,” and “Clock Drawing in Schizophrenia. A Qualitative Analysis.” 

Currently, she is a researcher and teaches graduate courses in the field of Behavioral Science at the University of Connecticut Health Center.  She is also co-authoring two manuals “Prevalence of Depression During Pregnancy and The Postpartum,” and “The Effects of Lithium on Cognition in Bipolar Disorder,” currently in press. 

She appreciates her ancestor’s journey to the new world while admiring their dedication to protecting one another and preserving their culture and history. Her grandfather, Zackaria BetBabaZaya, migrated with his family as a small child from Northern Iraq to the Republic of Georgia and forced back out of there to Northern Iraq where he was a decorated Assyrian Levy and protected his people.  Her grandmother Maria Issa Petrous was born into a religious family from the line of Mar Yousip. Her healing abilities handed down to her enabled her to take in people with ailments and cure them. Her grandparent’s combination of soldier and healer and parent’s generosity and love is imprinted in her.

Together with husband Dr. Paul C. Yonkers, Zeena is also busy raising two sons, Josef Antonious and Tomas Constantine where they have made Farmington, Connecticut their home.

This year at the 76th Annual Assyrian American National Convention in Chicago, Dr. Yonkers was honored with one of the most prestigious awards in the Assyrian community ~ “Assyrian Woman of The Year.” 

The Assyrian Medical Society shares in congratulating Dr. Zeena Yonkers, also the Director of the Assyrian Medical Society in the East Coast, for her accomplishments. 

Dr. Zeena Yonkers has set a marker in the history of Assyrian feminism, an inspiration to her peers, a celebrated doctor, and a gifted mother ~ congratulations!  

Source: Malek, Y. (1935). British Betrayal of the Assyrians. Chicago, IL: Assyrian American National Federation and Assyrian National League of America.

September 20, 2009

In observance of father’s day, every woman will be thinking back to her memories of her father, beginning with her childhood ~ the first male role-model in her life, those sacred moments, and the band-aid he’d placed on her knee when she’d fallen off her bicycle.

Thoughts like these are magical, and nothing can persuade me to think of another time in my life in which I felt more innocent and loved at the same time.

Flash forward into the next two decades, I was married and had become a mother myself.  And thus, this became my opportunity to put those very same values into action. 

By nature, we are each gifted with the instinct to love our offspring.  But the treasure which I am speaking of is the lessons that were freely given to us ~ Quietly observing my father’s behavior as he’d walk in the door from work, silently detecting his mood before I could muster-up the courage to walk up to him and ask if I could go out, or how he treated my mother, even on a rough day.  When in a tough spot, did he react, or was he a quiet spectator before taking action.

These are some of the samples of the many experiences that I shared with my father on his earthly life.  Today, I can attest to the fact that they have helped me in my own journey of parenthood.  That perhaps the journey is one in the same, a continuation from one embodiment into the next, and that in time, we do become the true sons and daughters of our parents.

At the end, no matter our differences, our parents become a greater part of our consciousness, and our perception to lead our families, judge our thoughts, and compensate for our shortcomings ~ yielding to our devotion as parents.

Happy Father’s Day!

Today’s woman is far more trained, focused, and career-oriented, but far more frazzled in juggling to keep both, the house and the office frontiers happy.

Some of the common duties we all share are struggling to keep the family and the boss happy.  The rewards are great, but just the same, the pain is even greater.  And it’s usually not until we stop and tune in to our bodies, do we realize that we have been neglecting the most important person, ourselves. 

Coming to ourselves can be tricky, however.  It is both, scary and rewarding.  Scary because when we look into the mirror, we see bags under our eyes, gray roots, and eyebrows that have not been plugged for the past two weeks.  Rewarding because the biggest homecoming is coming to us.

Nurturing the woman inside takes us through different levels within ourselves.  We bring peace to our souls, focus to our minds, and gentleness to our bodies.  Responding from an exhausting day is never an easy thing to do.  Especially after you are just finished satisfying the family – feeding the children, putting away the dishes, taking the trash out, walking the dog.  It leaves you with virtually no time for yourself.  But having that place ‘you’ to go to can, at times, be your only sanctuary.  So, go ahead and indulge yourself in a nice relaxing bath.  Better yet, ask your husband to draw the bath for you while you tuck the kids into bed.

Featured in Innana Magazine 2007 

I suppose growing up in a Western society, I viewed rape as an act limited to gang crime, committed by someone that had been psychologically and emotionally disturbed.  But in light of the war in Iraq, hearing of our own being raped, simply because they are Christians, or more accurately put, non-Muslims, rape takes on a whole new meaning; a very deeply absorbed emotion.  Oftentimes, I wonder if these girls, the rape victims, will go down in history, and how, as Martyrs?  Or will their names slip between the pages of history, simply because they are the weaker gender, especially since an act of shame has been brought to their families, not by their own accord, but because they are born, more or less... forgotten.  Will our communities, however disbursed geographically they may be, living in a free society, claim these young innocent girls who were abducted against their will. Or will we wash our hands from them and move on?  I am speaking of something that would come in a form of a humanitarian project.  I am speaking very frankly about a team that would travel to Iraq and document these young lives in films that could be utilized to initiate some sort of a movement, something that would help our stories to be told to the world.  Departed, they may be, but not forgotten.

Featured in Innana Magazine 2007 

It is not everyday that you meet your counterpart in name from another continent. Prior to this interview, I had no idea who Helen Denkha was, but thanks to modern technology, the two of us were connected. In researching Assyrian women writers, the name Helen Denkha came up as a search engine result, and so I sent the author an e-mail inviting her to grace Innana with an interview; the rest is history...

Background
I am the eldest of three children. I have a sister Madeline and a younger brother Ramin. Though younger than me they are both my harshest and most honest critics and at the same time my best friends. We were all born in Tehran Iran and came to Australia thirty two years ago. My father’s job in Iran involved a lot of travel and we got to see a lot of cities at a young age.

My mother’s greatest wish (she is now deceased) was that of a typical Assyrian woman, she wanted her children to become doctors or lawyers. My decision of spending all my free time reading novels and magazines was not exactly what she had in mind. But in hindsight the three of us will always be grateful to our parents for their exceptional broadmindedness, given the times they lived in, their background and their culture.

Despite the fact that what we wanted was not always in line with their wishes, they gave us a lot of freedom in choosing our own path, which of course goes hand in hand with making our own mistakes. But we were never pressured into doing anything simply because it was their wish or worse, because it would have made them look good in the community.

Personal Status
I am not married, not because I couldn’t find the right man but unfortunately George Clooney is not Assyrian. I’ve spent the last eighteen years working in various financial institutions.

I’ve lived most of my life around Fairfield and the surrounding suburbs in Sydney. These areas are heavily populated with people of different ethnic backgrounds. That in addition to the numerous people that I have met in my line of work have provided me with a rich smorgasbord of characters which I have from time to time used in my books. Of course the same as any smorgasbord I pick and choose what I want, sometimes it could be just a phrase or a gesture or a particular way of walking.

The Beginning
One of the first questions that I get asked is what made me start writing. If I had known that this question would pop up so often I would have had the foresight to come up with something interesting. Unfortunately the truth is rather boring. What in fact happened was that having read my 547th murder mystery I was a bit disappointed that the plot was given away so quickly and I had the audacity to think that I could have done a better job. I decided I would write a murder mystery. When it was finished I wanted to shred it but it had taught me a valuable lesson. It made me realise just how difficult it was to write, especially a murder mystery where you have to be careful with your times and dates and working out the alibis and making sure if a character is in Sydney at three p.m., you don’t accidentally put them in Melbourne a few pages later. My next attempt was a serious one and that is how Private Purgatory came about.

On Writing
One of the other questions that I am asked frequently is simply how do you know what to write, where do you start. This is yet another difficult question to answer but recently I came up with an analogy for a work colleague and he seemed happy with the answer. I told him it is like building a house. You know in advance that you want a two storey house with a swimming pool and the main bedroom has to have an en-suite. I have to know in advance who will be killed, who will kill them, how and why. As you start building the house, you realise that the en-suite will either have to go completely or be made smaller and you realise the kitchen needs an extra window. This is how additional characters come about. The wallpaper, the carpet and the tiles are decided on as you continue building the house (dialogue, twists in the plot, etc).

There are two incredible aspects to writing fiction. You can make up anything you want. You can make someone really nasty or very rich or have them sit at the breakfast table in a clown’s outfit or a tuxedo. You can decide who falls in love with whom. The other great aspect is the ability to have your characters says whatever they want. Whilst there are a certain number of ill-mannered people in the world, as a rule we live in a polite society. There are several phrases just on the tip of our tongues every day but manners and etiquette restrain us from saying what we mean. How cool would it be if we could say whatever we wanted in real life (and how few friends we would have)?

On aspiring female authors
What would I say to aspiring female authors? Basically what I’ve said to some in person or by email (those from overseas). For someone like me who is an extremely private person, this was a very public step. Publishing a book, cutting a cd, making a video clip is not the issue. What we all fear is people’s reactions, rejection, lack of appreciation, lack of support. I am not in the habit of preaching or giving advice but all I can say is that in forty-fifty years time (assuming I’m still around) I would rather look on the bookshelf and see published work with my name on them, then look on the same bookshelf where my books may have been and give a deep sigh of regret.

Critique
People’s reaction to my books: I had assumed that everyone that comes up to me and writes to me will give an informal review on the book. Of course they usually start with ‘I really enjoyed the book (what else can they say to my face, remembering we live in a polite society?) but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of their questions and the impact that these imaginary characters have on them. One gentleman wrote to me to say he really enjoyed Private Purgatory but he was not happy with the ending. He has taken an extreme dislike to one of the main characters. I replied that I’m very sorry but it was necessary for that character to behave that way. I hope the character can redeem himself in the next book.

A young lady asked me if I could please, please put the character of Christian in my next book (she said he’s really hot). I’ve already put him in the third book, so you don’t need to worry.

A number of girls have asked me if I can interpret their dreams, like the character of Cassandra. I don’t interpret dreams and for the purpose of the books, I decide what visions Cassandra will have and of course their meaning is whatever is necessary for the plot. But I do believe in dreams and I have over the years learnt to interpret my own.

Negative Reaction
Mainly from a number of Assyrians who immediately ask me if I was intent on writing a book, why didn’t I write about Assyrian history?

Firstly because there are over 100 hundred books already written on that subject and by historians and professors much more qualified for the task than I am. Unfortunately I don’t think all of these books have been read by every Assyrian. Secondly as I mentioned recently in a radio interview, to quote Abraham Lincoln, “I do not know who my grandfather was, I am much more concerned in who his grandson will be.

I do of course know who my grandparents were and I am extremely proud of my heritage. But the harsh reality is that we cannot expect the world to continue praising us for what our ancestors achieved thousands of years ago. If we want to have a place in the history of the world two hundred years from now, we need to do something worthwhile today, something that will merit a mention in future chapters of history.

Inspirations
The two authors that have influenced me greatly are Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie. I have always been a great admirer of their work but it’s only since I started writing that I truly appreciated their incredible talent. Between the two of them they wrote over one hundred murder mysteries.

Future Goals
I hope to continue writing the series of Ryan Gregorian Mysteries until such time that I feel the characters have said and done all they possibly can. I don’t want them or the plots to become stale or repetitive. My ultimate dream would be to see these books on small screen. I have already earmarked Tim Daly for the character of Ryan, Brian Dennehy as Superintendent Donovan and Josephine Byrnes, a very talented Australian actress for the part of Rosemary.

The staff of Innana would like to thank Ms. Helen Denkha for sharing an in-depth interview with its readers.

Featured in Innana Magazine 2006 

Born Agnes Youkhana, Venus was born in Basra, educated in Fao and Baghdad.  She began singing while in grammar school during school functions.  Turning her singing act into a professional career in 1973, she chose the name Venus.  The name, much to her liking, is of the Island of Venus – Cyprus, once conquered by the Assyrian Empire in 709 B.C.

Venus has enjoyed the onset of her career at the height of Iraq’s modern musical and theatrical glamour – stardom at the renowned Baghdad Culture Clubs - Nadi Al Thaqafi, Nadi Al Athouri, Nadi Babel Al Chaldani.  A rarity among her peers, achieved only by a few select Assyrian artists, Venus has attained Bi-Cultural fame, crossing into mainstream art, becoming nationally known in her native Iraq, where she has been bestowed with an Honorary Award from The Iraqi Union of Artists.

Did you know?  That Venus was the voice behind the radio personality and TV Kirkuk – aired from Baghdad in 1973?  She was also very athletic in Volleyball and Track & Field.  In fact, she considers the Assyrian woman in Iraq to be much more active than in the United States, adds Venus “the Assyrian woman in the States is preoccupied with the office and home.  But that is all!  This, to me, is no more than an excuse.  If a woman wants to achieve something, she can do it.”

On Iraq - “No one can feel for the Iraqis what they have endured,” shares Venus, who has sold her own stage wardrobe and house furniture to feed her children.”  “But the Iraqis are strong-willed, and they have high moral expectations, and so we survived, not one, but two wars.”  Turning corners, “among many other families we took refuge into neighboring Jordan,” where Venus began a second chapter in her singing career, enjoying many concerts (umsiyat) during the latter years in Jordan.

On goals – Venus does not calculate time with age.  Personally, she feels that she has not had the break she’s longed for, that at the appropriate time the right opportunity will present itself and she will grab it.  In the meantime, she wants to work on projects that are in line with modern Assyrian timeline.  In fact, she looks for distinguished projects; even in lyrics for her songs she prefers material that is particular with current circumstances.  Venus’ recent projects have been the release of her two CD’s ~ one in Assyrian “Parouqy Maneeleh” and the second Iraqi Folklore.  Additionally, she took center stage at the production of “A Bride from Baghdad,” (currently on DVD and VHS) a sold out show in Michigan and San Diego.  Venus graced the stage with her acting abilities, mesmerizing her audience, some who were fans from Iraq’s 70’s, and others, the younger generation, who opened up to her Iraqi dialect, and were very receptive of her as an Iraqi woman having achieved great strides in stardom. 

Throughout her singing and acting career, Venus feels that she is still sailing smoothly.  She has lived for art, not used art as a means to live.  She is true to her colors, and in the Chicago community, she has been very active, oftentimes spotted in rallies and demonstrations.  In her last album, Venus wanted to express to her audience the effects of the orchestrated mistreatment of Assyrians in Iraq during the 2004 Iraqi National Elections, depriving thousands from receiving ballots, and from exercising their constitutional rights to vote, a first in Iraq’s history.  Like a trooper, Venus set the motion in gear and recorded “Basoree Bemenyana“ singing about the injustice that was served during the elections, recorded in bi-lingual Assyrian and Arabic.

On Lyrics - Venus prefers women writers because only a woman can reach the depth of another woman’s heart.  A male lyricist oftentimes describes the human feelings in lyrics from a man’s perspective while a woman sings his songs.

On Stardom - In her community, Venus has remained faithful, delivering a message to her all-around torn nation these days.  Oftentimes as an artist she has suffered the backlash of losing fame at a cost?! But to this artist, success that comes in fast lanes and signed contracts is worth risking for one’s national honor.  Rarely have artists taken such long and narrow paths, sacrificing monetary glory.  This, without a question, places Venus in the stature of other international female artists who are famous for being proactive and outspoken during times of war and have been directly responsible for uniting the people ~ Fairouz and Majida El Roumy are two such artists who have delivered the message, greater than just a song, an awakening to one’s national cause.

Among her prized accomplishments are her two sons – Ronnie and Rami.  The younger, Rami, is a well-known violinist to the Chicago-Assyrians and surrounding communities.  “But parenting, Venus shares did not come overnight, and by no stretch of the imagination was it easy, especially after the war tore Iraq – its economy, communities and the luxurious lifestyles that its people were accustomed to.” 

During the interview, Venus often spoke about her relationship with her father Mr. Youkahna, whom she considers to be the most complete man in her life, one who’s had a primal affect on her life choices of integrity, teaching her valuable lessons about maintaining vigil in times of hardship and remaining true to her Classical style.

 Featured in Innana Magazine, Zinda Magazines and Qeenatha December 2006 

Her face is not one that is unfamiliar to the viewers of Ashur Television – Cable, it is rather a calm face to sit across from and watch as prolifically serious, yet her subtle eyes – tell the viewers that her news are genuine and her demeanor is one that has compassion for the people – telling their stories, one by one, bringing the audience closer to the stories.

To the audience reading this article, we give you Mrs. Khawa Warda, an unforgettable interview that took place at the 73rd Assyrian National Convention in Chicago.

Background – Khawa was born in Nohadra (Dohuk), Iraq. Like many Assyrian families that have fled Iraq at some point, hers evacuated in the latter years post Gulf War in 1993, when thousands of Assyrians took refuge into neighboring Turkey, after being uprooted from their cities and villages per Kurdish persistence. But prior to that, Khawa was well established, having earned her education in her birth country. She is literate in four languages – Assyrian, English, Arabic, and Kurdish.

Ashur TV – Khawa’s career with Ashur TV has spanned for two years. She began as an intercessor between the Elections of 2004 and the general public. She simply asked questions, which summed-up to voicing the opinion of Iraqis within her community who were partaking action in the elections for the first time in Iraq’s history. Khawa, as a mediator, helped to unbury the sounds and frustrations that had been depressed for all of Iraq’s history.

Among Ashur TV’s achievements, Khawa has launched the production of Rapeh Rameh, a program featuring old singers and poets. Rapeh Rameh is in its second episode, with ten episodes (khalaqyateh) remaining.

Her message to the young and upcoming women in our community is simply to become involved. In her words “Ashur TV is recruiting female personalities, both in broadcasting and filming (camera).”

Khawa’s personal achievements are her four shining starts – her children. Along with her husband, she has nurtured her children to prosper in their education. Her oldest daughter is a recent graduate of nursing school, while her son is attending police academy. Meanwhile her youngest two daughters are in high school and elementary.

Featured in Innana Magazine September 2006 

On the East Coast of United States, we’d become familiar with a high pitch soprano voice of Shamiram, known as ‘Yimma D’Zamaryateh.’  And on the West Coast stood Jermain Tamras, singing about love’s deception and celebrating love’s anniversary, calling to our multi-named nationality to unite in ‘Atourayeh, Siryanayeh…’ with a deep, rich voice.

But from East to West, there is Midwest, and Chicago gave birth to a young starlet  – Elizabeth Oshana, famous for her soft alto voice and charismatic melodies.

The Midwest, precisely Chicago, has been the birthplace and nurturer of many big stars, and Elizabeth was at the onset of that stage, bringing her unique Assyrian style from Iraq in collaboration with musicians Ashur Baba, Tony Atto and Sweet Band to center stage.  She was at the recipient side of embracing fame within her community – celebrating New Year’s, Christmastime, Mother’s Day, Weddings.  In fact, her song ‘YEMA’ from her second album remains an icon, as it has left a residual impression on many hearts from generations past, and those upcoming.  The Assyrians of Chicago have domiciled on the North Side of the city, now for over three decades, are rich culturally, second to Iraq in population, and have preserved their language.  Elizabeth Oshana has taken permanent residence in shaping the traditional song in the Assyrian culture within a vastly progressive pop culture that has been up and coming for the past …  years. 

Featured in Innana Magazine and Qeenatha August 2006