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Meltha Magazine Online

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1995, Volume 1, No. 3-4, pages3-4

OUR INTELLECTUALS

RABBI MARONA ARSANIS

Marona Veniaminovich Arsanis was born in Urmia (Iran) in 191&. In the previous issues of the Bulletin we highlighted two prominent Assyrian intellectuals, the father and the elder brother to M. V .Arsanis. He definitely belongs to his brilliant line of characters as one of the ardent and oldest activists of the Assyrian national culture in Russia. Up to now his tireless enthusiasm and deep concern in national affairs as well as his ability to foresee the future for the nation have always been a good example for all generations of Assyrians in the former USSR. It can be pointed that the revival of the Assyrian national movement in Russia (without any exaggeration), is in the hands of a small group of intellectuals with the Arsanis brothers at the helm.

After finishing school in Teheran in 1937 Marona Arsanis went along with his brother to study in the USSR. That was their father's will who believed in the communistic ideals all along and hoped for the better life for his people with the coming of the era of "universal comrade- ship and equality" but, alas, the children of Rabbi Benjamin became only the victims or even hostages taken by the communist regime. Therefore Rabbi Marona could not leave for his homeland to pay tribute to his ancestors until 1995.

in 1939 Marona Arsanis was called up for service in the Red Army, and he was on the battlefield with Finland then. After the war was over he was commissioned to stay and watch over the border between Finland and the USSR. In 1941 Marona Arsanis was sent to a military school where he finished with a junior lieutenant rank profile, after the second world war M. Arsanis took over as a Farsi language editor in the foreign literature publishing house. At the same time he proceeded to continue his education at the Marxism-Leninism university and then in a journalistic school. In the late 1950s M. Arsanis took a job of announcer and translator alike in the USSR state committee for national telecasting and broadcasting systems. All along he took active part in social life becoming a member of the Moscow union of journalists as well as of the editorial board for the news- paper "Moskva is on the air" , then a local trade union leader, and eventually the chairman of the society for army, aviation and navy at the Gosteleradio world broad- casting branch ( on the USSR state committee).

His overflowing energy seemed to have met what it was to be called for. But nothing could shatter him as he had one wish that took a hold on him. Therefore in the early 1960s Rabbi Marona began to organize small study groups of the Assyrian language in Moscow. Some three hundred people, adults and children, came to attend his classes in people's homes at the beginning and then in clubs. In the 1970s the Arsanis brothers launched a mass compain to raise Assyrian literacy not only among Assyrians in Russia, but also in Armenia and in the USSR republic of Georgia.

During 15 years Rabbi Marona made frequent trips to Armenia and Georgia spending his vacation time there. There he and his brother taught the Assyrian language and literacy to over 2,000 Assyrians and trained about 30 language instructors. As a result the Armenian Ministry of Education decreed that the Assyrian language could be taught in school in 4th through 9th forms. By that time there was a great demand for a text-book of the Assyrian language which was then prepared by G. V .Arsanis. At the same time Rabbi Marona pioneered in Russia the Assyrian type and diacritic marks for the type-writing machine. Then he came to invent the Assyrian print as well. This printing ma- chine may still be found in Moscow N~3 printing house. It is a great pity that the contribution of the Arsanis brothers remained unknown in those years for the leaders of the USSR were not interested in a small nation like Assyrian.

Some special focus should be placed on the diversity of the talent of Rabbi Marona. He is very good at painting and piano music as he has been spending a lot of his spare time on both disciplines during his lifetime. But reading books is his favorite pastime any way. His philosophical mood and broad speculations brought him over to the creation of over 15,000 aphorisms, part of them Rabbi Marona published in his own book "Aphorisms and Thoughts". Currently M. Arsanis has published another book, selected stories for children entitled as "The Adventures of Asarchaddon".

For his long years of work in Gostele Radio Rabbi Marona was awarded both with "the most valuable contribution" prize and "veteran of labor" status.

And now that he is retired, Rabbi Marona set about to launch a new broadcasting program "Kala Atturaya" with his tremendous vigor just like he did before. Also, he is the editor of the program. Besides, Rabbi Marona Arsanis works both on "The Moscow Assyrian news-paper" editorial board and in the public bulletin "The Word".

From now on his energy and industry will obviously draw in many Assyrians who will want to keep their national identity.