Assyrians refer to Jews as "Qareewi", meaning "Brothers-in-law".

I don't know why, perhaps it stems from Senaccherib's wife Naqia who is thought to have been Jewish. In any case, Assyrians and Jews share a parallel history which links us from antiquity through to the present day. 

At the recent Limmud-Oz Festival of Jewish Ideas in Sydney, we presented on the relationship between Assyrians and Jews. Azadoota's manager and chief cat-herder Elle was the 2nd of 3 speakers on this topic. Lynda Ben-Menashe explained the historical parallels between Iraqi Jews and Assyrians, and Ninos Aaron examined the common challenges our nations face. Elle spoke about the everyday reality of living in two cultures, and Azadoota closed the session with a performance.

"Robin's mum came down the hallway, caught a glimpse of my parents in the lounge room, turned around to her husband who was behind her, and said to him in Assyrian: It’s Ok. They look just like us."

Watch the video of Elle's presentation.