Northern Iraq’s Assyrian communities converged in Duhok last week for a soccer tournament honoring the late Ashur Eskrya, a revered community leader who steered the Assyrian Aid Society of Iraq (AAS-I) to a Noble Peace Prize nomination.
Sixteen teams competed, representing towns and villages including Mangesh, Dawodiya, Malabrwan, Hazargod, and the Simele region.
“The tournament is meant to be a celebration of Ashur’s life,” said AAS of America Vice President Renya Benjamen, who, alongside her husband Dr. Joseph Danavi, supported the Duhok branch of Khoyada and AAS-I in organizing the event.
The championship match on Aug. 23 opened with a moment of silence, followed by remarks from political and community leaders. Sennacherib Ashur, the son of the late Eskrya, welcomed the players by kicking the ball from midfield.
Brewer defeated Hazargod 3-2 in the final. Trophies and medals were awarded to the top teams, along with individual honors.
Fouad Touma received the award for best player of the tournament, Fadi Iyad was recognized as top scorer, and Artin Khoshaba won best goalkeeper.
Eskrya passed away on April 9 due to complications from the coronavirus. Born in 1974, he graduated from Baghdad University and worked as a civil engineer before joining AAS-I in 2003. He became president in 2010, leading the humanitarian organization through some of its most difficult years during and after the ISIS genocide.
Under his leadership, AAS-I carried out reconstruction projects, built and maintained medical facilities, provided specialized coronavirus care and refugee relief, and spearheaded rural initiatives such as irrigation channel construction. He also championed educational opportunities for Assyrian youth: in total, 27 AAS-I-funded schools provided K-12 education in the Assyrian language and served more than 2,600 students. In 2016, AAS-I was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
A virtual memorial tribute in May honored Eskrya’s legacy.
“He was a consensus builder who reached across the table to find common ground,” historian Alda Benjamen wrote.
