Senate Resolution No. 2101

BY: Senator MAYER

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
August 7, 2019, 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, 2019, 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 thousand
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, The Assyrian community continues to struggle in the face of
adversity to maintain its distinct identity and its connection to its
ancestral homeland of Mesopotamia; and

WHEREAS, Assyrians living around the world speak the over
two-thousand-year-old Assyrian-Aramaic language and practice their
distinct and ancient rite of Christianity; and recognition of their
unique cultural identity and storied history, which has its roots in one
of the world's first civilizations, helps keep the Assyrian identity
alive; 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, New York State is a leader in terms of progress and social
justice; we acknowledge that this Resolution makes New York State the
first state to recognize Assyrian Memorial Day, and to recognize the
Assyrian Genocide as a distinct historical event; it is our hope that
other states will follow this model and recognize these two important
events; and

WHEREAS, By consistently remembering and forcefully condemning the
atrocities committed against the Assyrians and by honoring their
cultural identity, we can provide the American public with a greater

awareness of their struggles, and provide the Assyrian diaspora
community with a symbol of hope for the future; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim August 7, 2019, 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.