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May 3, 2009 (El Cajon)—Over 1,000 people turned out to sample Middle Eastern cuisine, dancing and wine-tasting at the third annual Chaldean Food Festival . Held at St. Michael’s Chaldean Catholic church in El Cajon, the event celebrates the culture of San Diego County’s 15,000 to 20,000 Chaldean Christians. Most are refugees from war-torn Iraq—including Monsignor Polis Khammi, who escaped after enduring death threats.
“He was threatened by terrorists. They sent him text messages threatening to kill him,” said Keith Michael Esshaki, past grand knight for the Knights of Columbus Martoma Council #1098, sponsor of the event. “He had to leave in secret,” he said, adding, “Our Bishop, Archbishop Faraj-Rahho, was killed.”
Archbishop Paulos Faraj-Rahho was kidnapped by gunmen in 2008 and later found dead in Mosul. His murder drew international condemnation from the Vatican and nations around the world. Before his death, he had spoken out against Sharia law. After he was kidnapped, he managed to use his cell phone to call out and tell church officials not to pay a ransom, which he believed would be used for “killing and more evil actions.”
Knowing his life was on the line, Monsignor Khammi bought time, then arranged his escape. “I paid them some money, but they wanted more--$50,000. So I had to leave,” the Monsignor told East County Magazine. “I went to Jordan, and I came here for visit.” A Bishop here invited him to stay, and Polis now makes his home at the parish here. Funds from this year’s festival will help build a new Chaldean Catholic seminary , a school to teach new priests, in East County.
There are about 10,000 Chaldeans in East County, Esshaki estimates. “Mostly they are from northern Iraq, the Aramaic speaking towns and the Nineveh Plain, but also some from Iran, Syria, the countries of the Middle East—Turkey, even Georgia in the former Soviet Republics. A lot of the people were persecuted and displaced.”
The transition from a small village of 4,000 people to a major metropolitan city has meant adjusting to many changes, though East County’s climate has much in common with Iraq. But overall, the Monsignor echoes the sentiments of many Chaldeans who have made a new life here after leaving war-torn regions. Asked about his new life here, he concludes,, “It is good.”
View of video of Middle Eastern dancing at the Chaldean Food Festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loWnCSoVkNY
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