Salah Choheili | |
|---|---|
صلاح چحیلی | |
 Salah Choheili in 2016 | |
| Title | Rishama |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1952 (age 72–73) |
| Children | Shadan Choheili |
| Parent |
|
| Citizenship | Iranian, Australian |
| Other names | Salah al-Kuhaili |
| Occupation | Head of theMandaean community in Australia |
| Relatives | Najah Choheili (brother) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Mandaeism |
| Initiation | Tarmida 1976 Dora, Baghdad byAbdullah bar Sam |
| Initiated | Waleed Khashan |
RishamaSalah Choheili (Persian:صلاح چحیلی;[1] also known asGanzibra Ṣalah Jabbar Ṭawus Choheili;[2]Arabic:صلاح الكحيليSalah Al-Kuhaili; born 1952,Ahvaz, Iran) is an IranianMandaean priest in Australia.[2]: xxvii–xxxii He is the head priest ofGanzibra Dakhil Mandi inLiverpool, New South Wales, Australia, as well asWallacia Mandi inWallacia, New South Wales.[3]
Salah Choheili was born inAhvaz, Iran in 1952 into theKuhailia (Persian pronunciation:Choheili) family. Hismalwasha (baptismal name) isSam bar Sharat Simat (Classical Mandaic:ࡎࡀࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡔࡀࡓࡀࡕ ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ,romanized: Sam br Šarat Simat; full baptismal name:Sam br Šarat Simat br Mhatam Yuhana br Yahya br Zihrun, surnameKuhailia).[4] His father was GanzibraJabbar Choheili.[5] Salah Choheili's brother isNajah Choheili (Persian:نجاح چحیلی),[6] who is currently the head of the Mandaean community in Iran,[7][8] while his sister is Nargess Choheili.[9]: 30
In 1976, he was initiated as atarmida by GanzibraAbdullah Ganzibra Sam at theMandi ofDora, Baghdad. He spent 5 months in Baghdad and subsequently returned to Iran to serve the Mandaean community ofKhuzestan.[5]
In 1992, he attained the rank ofganzibra. In 1996, he emigrated to Australia.[10] During the early 2000s, his priestly assistants were thetarmidas Haithem Saeed (now arishama who is more widely known asBrikha Nasoraia) and Alaa An-Nashmi (now more widely known asYuhana Nashmi).[2]
On June 13, 1999, Ganzibra Salah Choheili, together with TarmidaTaleb Doraji fromAhvaz, performed the first-evermasbuta on a university campus and at an academic conference, the ARAM 13th International Conference atHarvard University. The masbuta was performed in theCharles River, withSalem Choheili and his brother assisting asshgandas. A 52-minute film of the 1999 ARAM conference masbuta was also made by Jesse Buckley, the stepson ofJorunn Jacobsen Buckley.[11][9]
In 2004, Ganzibra Salah Choheili copied theMandaean Book of John. Hiscolophon has been translated into English by Gelbert (2017).[4]
Salah Choheili became arishama in 2010[5] and is commonly recognized as the head priest and leader of theMandaean community in Australia.[2] In Australia, he worked on publishing a new version of theGinza Rabba with various members of the Mandaean community, includingCarlos Gelbert, Qais Al-Saadi, and others.[2]
He has initiated several priests, including Ganzibra Waleed Khashan, who also currently resides in Australia.[12][5]
As the religious head of theSabian Mandaean Association in Australia, Salah Choheili is currently supervising the construction and expansion ofWallacia Mandi (also known asMendi Wallacia), a mandi located by the banks of theNepean River inWallacia, New South Wales.[13][14][15][3]
Salah Choheili has several children. One of his sons is Shadan Choheili, aMandaic language teacher.[16]
I am the copyist; I am ganzibra [sic] Sam br Šarat Simat[h] br Mhatam luhana br Yahya br Zihrun, surname Kuhailia. They call me (ḏ-mqarilai) Salah br Jabbar br Ṭauus [sic] br Saeid br Faraj br Dihdar Rajab br Karam br Faizia br Karam br Īidia br Sheykh Īabdala [sic] br Rajab br Īabud br Sheykh Bihram br Sheykh Zihrun br Sheykh Yahya br Sheykh Zihrun br Riša ḏ-ama sheykh of all the people. I stayed twenty six years in the house of the ganzibra Īabdala in the country of Iraq under the authority of my father (atutia īda ḏ-ab dilia), the great and high and venerated ganzibra, who was steadfast and a possessor of [holy] books, and Riš-ama of the Mandaeans in Iran: they call him Jabbar, I was consecrated [by him] and stayed ten years with my grandmother Šarat the daughter of Šarat Simath whose name was Makiia in the city of Ahwaz.
