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Sheem Michael (1894-1979)

by Frederick A. Aprim ― activist, author, historian. | profile | writings | website

Posted: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 06:41 PM UT

Assyrian School in Mosul, Iraq in 1924. In the center is the school principal, Rev. Yousip DeKelaita. Rabi Sheem Michael is seated second from the right with the rest of the faculty. Photo courtesy of Rev. Nenos Michael.

Assyrian School in Mosul, Iraq, circa 1934. Rabi Sheem Michael is standing second from right. Rabi and Levy Officer, Minashe Aprim, Frederick Aprim's paternal grandfather, is seated first from left with his daughter, Bahija Aprim, standing next to him.

1318-1975 Mar Shimun Patriarchal Tree by Sheem Michael | PDF: 1MB | 63 MB high-res

Biography of Deacon/Teacher
Sheem Michael (1894-1979)

Deacon Sheem was born in Qudchanis, Hakkari, modern Turkey in 1894. At that time, Turkey as we know it today, did not exist, it was rather the Ottoman Empire.

He is Sheem, son of Mishail (Mikhael), son of Shamasha Sheem, son of Qasha Marcus, son of Awraham, son of Qasha Sheem, son of Shamasha Awraham, son of Shamasha Hormizd, son of Abdulmasikh (1653-1690). His mother’s name was Yasme Esho. He was married to Nazeh of Barwar Seweneh and had 3 sons Shamasha Mishail, Mikhail and Archdeacon Nenos and 3 daughters: Rakhi, Yasme, Nina and adopted daughter Berishwa.

From childhood, Sheem’s father taught his son Aramaic, church liturgy and history in the village. He then studied in the missionaries’ school in Van, north of Qudchanis. When the Assyrians fled Hakkari during World War I in 1918, he and the roughly 50,000 Assyrians were stationed in Baquba Refugee Camp, northeast of Baghdad. Deacon Sheem was one of the first teachers to teach in the camp. When Baquba Camp was closed in 1920, he moved to Mosul.

In 1924, Rabi Sheem started teaching at the Assyrian School in Mosul. He taught Assyrian language and Bible studies beside Deacon Yosip D’Kelaita (later Rev.) who was the principal of the school along with Rabi Youkhanan, son of Eskharia D’Baz. Then in 1934 he was ordained Shamasha (deacon) by His Holiness Patriarch Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII. He was asked by His Holiness to be a priest but he respectfully declined. He also had taught the Assyrian language in Duhok for 2 years as a volunteer. He then moved to Habbaniya where he taught at the church school for 14 years and was an active deacon in the church, in the Motwa (church committee) and in church activities.

Rabi Sheem as he was called often was very much respected among the people and had a good reputation of being honest and a good Christian. He was very religious who loved the Lord and his church. It’s also worth mentioning that he had in his position a handwritten Aramaic language Gospel of John that has been kept in the family for 400 years.

In 1960, he moved with the family to Baghdad to join his elder sons Mishail and Nenos and settled in the Assyrian quarters of Dora. In 1979, he and his wife immigrated to the US to join their two sons who had left Iraq earlier and settled in California. While he and his wife were staying in San Francisco with their son Archdeacon Nenos, he assisted him in the Liturgy as a deacon and when the service was over he gave a speech at the fellowship hall about fasting and caring for each other. He used to accompany his son Archdeacon Nenos to church service in Campbell near San Jose. One time he gave an emotional speech in which he urged the congregation to love the Lord, serve their Assyrian nation, be united and faithful.

In 1979 he worked on the Patriarchal Mar Shimun family tree. He compiled data and information from 1690 to 1979 and when he finished it he told his son Archdeacon Nenos to pass it down to all family members. Rabi Sheem passed away at home in San Francisco on December 22, 1979 from a heart attack. He is laid at the Turlock Cemetery in California. May God bless his memory and be counted with righteous ones and rewarded by the Almighty God. Amen.