We are friends of the Aramaean village Maaloula, who have either lived and researched there for a long period or are closely connected with the Aramaic culture and language. Our group has been joined by friends who have visited Maaloula or who know it from books and tales and thus feel a strong affection to this unique village.
The expulsion of the Aramaeans from Maaloula by Islamist rebels saddened us deeply. Maaloula had lived from the sparse harvest of its agriculture and from the modest spending of the tourists who visited Maaloula to hear the language of Jesus Christ. Today the refugees live with relatives or at monasteries in Damascus and have no income whatsoever.
It is our heartfelt wish to contribute to the livelihood of the Aramaeans of Maaloula as long as they still live as refugees in Damascus. We hope that one day they will be able to return and that we will have the means to help them with the reconstruction of their village. Only in this way can the Aramaic culture and language be preserved where it has existed for thousands of years.
