A virtual memorial tribute on Saturday honored the late Assyrian leader and president of the Assyrian Aid Society of Iraq (AAS-I), Ashur Eskrya.
Organized by Iraqi Christian Relief Council, the event featured recorded testimonials from Eskrya’s friends, family, colleagues, and delegates from around the world.
Eskrya passed away on April 9 due to complications from the coronavirus. Born in 1974, he graduated from Baghdad University and became a civil engineer. In 2003, he joined AAS-I and was named president in 2010, leading the humanitarian nonprofit through some of its most challenging years during and after the ISIS genocide.
“He steered our nation in the midst of incessant crisis and provided a disenfranchised people with, for all terms and purposes, a de facto government,” wrote Joseph Danavi, a board member at the Assyrian nonprofit Gishru.
Through AAS-I, Eskrya spearheaded reconstruction projects, built and maintained medical facilities, provided specialized coronavirus care and refugee relief, organized rural initiatives such as building irrigation channel construction, and advocated for educational opportunites for Assyrian youth. In total, 27 Assyrian Aid-funded schools offered K-12 education in the Assyrian language, serving over 2,600 students.
“Rabi Ashur’s spirit remains in the Assyrian schools in the Homeland as he strongly worked for their maintenance and development,” wrote Savina Dawood, President of the Etuti Institute. “As students of these schools, we will keep his memory alive for as long as we live.”
In 2016, AAS-I was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
“He was a consensus builder who reached across the table to find common ground,” wrote historian Alda Benjamen.
Mikhail Benjamin, Vice President of the Nineveh Center for Research and Development, wrote that Eskrya was “one who would ‘agree to disagree’ when it was possible for all to accept and understand that our main goal must be protection of the existence of the Assyrian nation.”
Eskrya traveled the world advocating for Assyrians in Iraq. For example, as ISIS advanced on the Nineveh Plains, he visited Ottawa to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Foreign Minister John Baird, and the Canadian Cabinet to share the plight of the Assyrian people.
“He also came with solutions,” wrote Shuvaloy Majumdar, a former director of policy to Canada’s Foreign Minister. “He moved mountains through sheer force of will, connected easily with anyone who encountered him and gave me the privilege of learning more about ancient and contemporary Assyrian life.”
In 2015, Eskrya oversaw the AAS-I distribution of humanitarian aid to Assyrian villages funded by the Estonian government.
“He became my guide to Iraqi society, my teacher and my friend,” wrote Estonian journalist, independent researcher, and humanitarian Hille Hanso.
Eskrya is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.
Rewatch the global memorial tribute here: