A youth hostel in Berlin, on a blustery day in late December, looks unremarkable from the outside. But inside, this space has transformed into a forum where young Assyrians debate the future of their nation.
That conversation was at the heart of Camp Dolabani, an annual retreat that gathers Assyrian youth from across Europe to grapple with topics often dismissed as “too controversial” — from independence and autonomy to questions of identity and self-governance. By placing these issues in a serious, structured setting, organizers hope young people in the diaspora will feel better equipped to preserve their culture and resist the pull of assimilation.
“These topics have been perceived as unrealistic and that’s why young Assyrians aren’t interested in them,” said Ninos Hermez, president of the Bavarian youth association. “But the moment you make it more serious and make it more concrete, you see them getting interested in the subject. It gives them hope, it gives them a sense of community, a sense of seriousness.”
Camp Dolabani launched in 2010 in honor of Mar Dolabani, a Syriac Orthodox bishop who founded an orphange for children who lost their parents during Seyfo, the Assyrian genocide beginning in 1915. A prolific writer and translator, Dolabani became a major cultural figure who championed Aramaic literature and identity.
The camp is organized by the Assyrian Youth Federation of Central Europe, a network of 20 groups dedicated to preserving identity in the diaspora. Their ranks have swelled in recent years as migration from Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria has increased. The Bavarian chapter alone now counts roughly 400 young members.
“Our main work is to try to catch these younger Assyrians and create a bond with their identity so they don’t get assimilated,” an AJM representative told the Journal.
This year’s retreat, held Dec. 15-20, was the camp’s first international version. Forty-five young Assyrians traveled to Berlin, mostly from Germany, but also from Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Organizers hope future camps will draw participants from even more corners of Europe.
Each day followed a rhythm: morning presentations, afternoon workshops, and an evening program. Assyrian was chosen as the language of debate. Because participants spoke different dialects, small groups of three were formed — typically two Western dialect speakers and one Eastern. They were encouraged to communicate entirely in Assyrian, not German or English.
Discussions were led by Dr. Nicholas Al-Jeloo, a historian specializing in Syriac studies and Middle Eastern minorities.
“A lot of the participants had no idea how close the dialects were and a lot of them had no idea actually that it was the same language,” Al-Jeloo said. “They started learning the differences between the dialects and started understanding the other dialect more. It was like throwing them into the deep end.”
Organizers leaned into sensitive conversations. Alongside sessions on autonomy and self-governance were workshops on identity, including “Are all Christians of the Middle East Assyrians?” and “Can you be Muslim or Jewish and still be Assyrian?”
These topics rarely get the attention they deserve, Hermez argued. Though he sees assimilation and the erosion of language and culture as the diaspora’s greatest challenge, he also sees promise in the energy the retreat has sparked.
“We have to admit the majority of our community is hopeless,” he said. “But we see that the camp is mobilizing youth. We have to dream, but we have to be realists in our approach and how to approach them with these subjects. We propose a realist perspective for their future.”