Declare Assyrian Memorial Day

August 7, 2020, as Assyrian Memorial Day in the State of New York WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim August 7, 2020, as Assyrian Memorial Day in the State of New York, as it is observed by Assyrians worldwide, celebrating the Assyrian cultural identity; and WHEREAS, During the Assyrian Genocide of 1915-1918, 750,000 men, women, and children of Assyrian descent lost their lives at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in its attempt to systematically eliminate the Assyrian race, while hundreds of thousands became homeless and stateless refugees; and WHEREAS, August 7, 1933, is recognized by the International Association of Genocide Scholars as the date on which 3,000 Assyrians were killed at the orders of the Iraqi government in an event known as the Simele Massacre, which continued the legacy of persecution exemplified by the 1915 Assyrian Genocide; and WHEREAS, August 7th, globally observed by the Assyrian community as Assyrian Memorial Day, is in remembrance of the Simele Massacre and of all persecution the Assyrian people have faced as a result of their distinct and ancient ethnic and religious identity; and WHEREAS, Starting in 2014, following ISIS' takeover of the Iraqi government, the Assyrians have suffered persecution at the hands of ISIS which has been recognized as a genocide by the European Parliament, the United States Department of State and House of Representatives; and WHEREAS, Between the years of 2003 and 2018, the Assyrian population in its ancestral homeland of Mesopotamia, where it has existed for over

6,000 years, dropped from 1,500,000 to under 250,000 people, due to the genocide committed against it by ISIS; and WHEREAS, The crimes against humanity committed by ISIS against Assyrians have not only resulted in the killing and displacement of disturbing numbers of innocent people, but have also had the consequence of the enslavement and rape of countless women and children, and the destroying of ancient churches, artifacts, and cities that were bastions of the Assyrian cultural heritage; and WHEREAS, The Assyrians living in their homeland of Mesopotamia speak the Assyrian-Aramaic language, practice their distinct and ancient rite of Christianity, and celebrate their cultural customs regularly; and Assyrians in diaspora cannot practice, and in effect preserve, these cultural bastions to the degree that the homeland population does due to the effects of cultural assimilation; therefore, the Assyrian homeland population is the foundation that keeps the Assyrian identity alive; and WHEREAS, With the Assyrian population in Mesopotamia having been nearly destroyed by the genocide committed by ISIS, Assyrians in diaspora are losing hope for the future of their venerable and storied ethnic identity, as it is now quickly fading away; and WHEREAS, The State of New York endeavors to champion human rights and the recognition of diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious identities, and to uphold the support that constituents have shown for underserved and persecuted minorities; and WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Assyrians, honoring the cultural identity of this suffering group, and calling for action to aid them in their struggles, we can provide the American public with a greater awareness of their plight, and provide the Assyrian diaspora community with a symbol of hope for the future, which can in turn spur efforts to enact justice on their behalf; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim August 7, 2020, as Assyrian Memorial Day in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York; and the Assyrian American Association of Yonkers.