“There is a certain urgency about gathering the memories and putting them down to show what was a lively and very deep, very intricate community with a 2,000-year history,” Dr. Robin Young said. “There’s a tremendous amount of labor and creativity and beauty in that tradition, which, if it isn’t recorded, will just be lost.”

Chaldean Heritage Foundation is partnering with St. Fabian Elementary School and several other schools to support the Chaldean community for teach the Chaldean (Neo-Aramaic) language. St. Fabian Elementary will offer an after-school Chaldean language course available to all students.