Assyrian Podcast

Episode 169 - Henry Wooster is the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan; he also happens to be an Assyrian! In this episode, you’ll hear about his life and upbringing, his work as a diplomat, and how he and and his family have honored his mother and her legacy through the “Rita's First-Gen Scholarship”; a scholarship that is intended to change the life of a student who will be the first in their family to attend and graduate university. https://jo.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/ambassador/  https://bold.org/scholarships/rita-scholarship/  This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com  

Episode 168 - Poulyana Pazand-Srouji is a Partner for a Healthcare Organization, Children’s Book Author and Adoption/Fertility Coach. She is a mother to a sweet little boy that she and her husband adopted when he was just a few hours old. Her struggles with fertility over the years encouraged her to be an advocate for couples who are struggling with fertility and to raise awareness around a topic so many shy away from especially within the Assyrian community. In 2020, she returned to school to work towards becoming a Psychotherapist to help support couples and women who are struggling with fertility. She is also the author of the following books; I prayed, GOD ANSWERED which is a children’s story centered around faith, hope and love and My First Assyrian Color Translation Book which offers individuals and families an opportunity to read in Assyrian with an English translation. The book will encourage the younger generation who may not have an opportunity to learn the Assyrian language instantaneously. Website: www.poulyana.com IG: poulyanapazandsrouji 

Episode 167 - This week's guests all recently went on a remarkable journey :  a journey to the Assyrian homeland in Iraq. Esther, Dylan, Roxanne, Alan, Stephanie, and Sargon share their feelings and experiences traveling through their ancestral homeland and describe how this journey has changed their Assyrian identity.  This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 166 - Aril Brikha was born in Tehran, Iran, before migrating to Jönköping, Sweden as a child. He grew up in Sweden and inspired by his parents, Depeche Mode and a keyboard, found himself making electronic music. He got signed onto the famous Detroit techno label Fragile, associated with Detroit legend Derrick May. He found himself regularly touring in front of thousands, with a long list of future releases, remixes and productions. Despite his success in the world of electronic music, Aril remains a passionate Assyrian – and we talk about his family history, his career, and his thoughts on what his Assyrian identity means to him. Aril Brikha - Wikipedia Aril Brikha (@arilbrikha) • Instagram photos and videos Aril Brikha live @ Fuse-In Detroit - YouTube SECRET WEAPONS with ARIL BRIKHA (EB.TV) - YouTube ARIL BRIKHA ▪ FULL LIVE SET at 909 FESTIVAL 2018 | remastered audio - YouTube This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 165 - Evelyn Anoya was born in Baghdad, Iraq. Her parents immigrated to the United States in early 1980. She graduated from DePaul College of Law in 2001 with a Juris Doctor and Certificate in International Law. Since graduating from law school, Evelyn spent 20 years as an international civil servant employed with international tribunals in The Hague, Netherlands. She is specialized in international justice with a focus on judicial administration, capacity strengthening and governance of international organizations.  From 2017 to 2021, she led the Division of Judicial Services at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (“STL”). Ms. Anoya initially joined the STL in 2009 to serve as the Registry’s Senior Legal Adviser. Ms. Anoya worked at the United Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (“ICTY”) since September 2001, holding various positions within the Registry. She was the Registry Court Officer at the ICTY on the Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milošević case and during the defense phase of the case was assigned as the Registry Pro se Legal Liaison Officer, acting as a conduit between the Court and the self-represented Accused. She is currently an international consultant with Axiom International Limited supporting a counter-terrorism justice project in Iraq. Due to the nature of Evelyn’s work and sensitive information, you may notice some fade outs and fade ins between her recollections. Thank you for your patience.  This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 164 - David A. Armstrong is an Assyrian-American cinematographer, film producer and director. He is best known for his work on the first six installments of the Saw franchise, and has also directed the films Pawn and The Assassin's Code. David is also the author of Dragons and Violins, a memoir of war and music. Dragons and Violins tells the story of his grandfather’s journey through life, which covers the Assyrian Genocide, immigrating to American, World War II, and much more.  Instagram: assyrian_memoir  Website: https://www.dragonsandviolins.com/  This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 163 - This week’s guests all have something in common: they’re all from different cultural backgrounds and married to Assyrians. In this episode, Nick, Atsushi, Lundi, Celia and Dylan reflect on their experiences marrying into the Assyrian culture. We discuss everything from their first impressions to their challenges and everything in between. This episode is not one to miss! This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 162 - Making Room for Atheism with Mathew Sharif Mathew Sharif is a first generation Assyrian-American. He was born and raised in the technologically and culturally rich city of San Jose, California. Mathew’s parents met and married in America and raised Mathew in an Assyrian household.  Even though Mathew was raised in an Assyrian church, he went the unconventional route of choosing atheism as his truth. Mathew took his questions beyond the church walls and discovered a more authentic explanation for our existence. He was able to read from like free thinkers and find like minded individuals who helped form and refine his perspective. Having taken Philosophy courses at California State University Stanislaus, Mathew’s understanding of the world continued to evolve and today he is a proud atheist.  Mathew loves traveling the world while learning about different cultures and perspectives. Mathew’s mindset is to live for today, plan for tomorrow. He hopes there will be more after this life, but he isn’t counting on it. He claims it isn’t easy to embrace life without belief in the divine, but it just makes more sense. Lastly, Mathew loves taking his dog, “Lucifer” out for long walks at the park.  This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

Episode 161 - Robert Noghli is a drummer who began his musical career in Iran before the Islamic Revolution. Under the tutorage of an Armenian drummer, he worked on his craft and began playing with some of the giants of Persian pop music like Ebi, Googoosh, and Dariush. After moving to the United States, he worked with various Assyrian singers like Linda George, Walter Aziz, Shamiram Urshan, and Ogen Betsamo to record some of their most legendary albums in the 1980’s, as he continued to perform and record for various Persian singers as well. In this episode we discuss how he came to play the drums, how his knowledge of Assyrian music has helped shape him into the musician he is today, and what he thinks of the current state of Assyrian music. This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com ANB SAT Documentary: https://youtu.be/ASDwHGbsaHw 

Episode 157 – Nineb Toma is best known as Nineb Lamassu. Born in Kirkuk, his family and him fled to Iran in 1986 and later settled in New Zealand. His hardships as a refugee and the culture shock he experienced as an immigrant in New Zealand had a deep impact on him, inspiring him to take pen to paper and write poetry.  Poet, organic academic, politician and peace builder, Nineb’s passion is to work for the Assyrian people; a work that was recently put into question by, what Nineb calls, an attempt at character assassination. Tune in to hear more!  This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana’s at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com