On 7 July 2019 the European Syriac Union festively opened its new Netherlands office building in Hengelo. ESU Nederland and Stichting Bahro Production will be the main occupants of the new office. ESU and Stichting Bahro Production welcomed more than 120 guests and representatives of Syriac associations, foundations and Syriac-Orthodox and Chaldean churches to the festive opening. The day was ushered in with a musical performance by the Sint Georges scouting band.
The red ribbon was then cut jointly by priests Gabriel Kaya and Samuel Dogan, the chairman of ESU Netherland Yilmaz Ergun, Mushe Mutlu (chairman of Bahro Production ) and Gunar Ergun (chairwoman of the Beth Nahrain Women's Movement / HNB) to officially open the the office & building.
In his speech the chairman of ESU Nederland Yilmaz Ergun expressed his great thanks to all volunteers who helped renovate the building during the last year: "without their help and effort we would not have come this far". Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of unity and that ESU NEderland will do its best to bring different parties within our Syriac community together. Chairman Yilmaz Ergun called the Genocide of 1915, Sayfo, the most important topic where different parties can find common ground and work together - irrespective ideology. Although, the building is in the name of ESU and it affiliates, the new office is open to all parties within our community.
Bahro Production chairman Mushe Mutlu was very satisfied that "finally after years of searching for a bigger office, in July 2018 we were able to obtain this building. In our new building we are independent and have more freedom to do our cultural activitities". Mushe Mutlu also expressed his happiness about the fact that in the new office all Dutch components of the Beth Nahrin National Council are now united in one building.
Plaques were presented to the volunteers and financiers who contributed to the building: Père Samuel Ozdemir (Belgium), GGM Gastro (Gronau-Epe), Abdo Fidan, Nuri Gok, Yusuf Kahraman, Sabri Saado, Yusuf Abrohom, Huseyin Yilmaz, Abboud Shuri and our hawrone from Giessen. On behalf of the ESU, stichting Bahro Production and HNB: thank you all very much for your hard voluntary work and effort!
We thank the following guests for their presence, donations and presents: Stichting Sint Georges, Syriac-Orthodox St. Mary Church Hengelo, Assyrian Democratic Organization, Stichting Mor Aho, Chaldean church community of Mor Touma (Thomas) the Apostle Hengelo, Syriac-Orthodox Mor Augin Church Hengelo and the Syriac-Orthodox John the Apostle Church in Hengelo. And of course we thank all Suroyo TV members from Twente, Amsterdam, Roosendaal, Gronau, Giessen and Paderborn for their presence.
