Chaldean fundraiser brings in $500,000

The first major fundraiser in San Diego for persecuted Iraqi Christians has raised a half-million dollars for the Iraqi Christian Relief Fund. National Chaldean spokesperson Mark Arabo joined us on Good Morning San Diego Thursday to talk about the cause.

“The community came together,” said Arabo. “There are angels in the community that came in. It shows how extraordinary San Diegans are, and how extraordinary Americans are.”

Arabo said most of the money will go towards humanitarian aid and helping people resettle.

“If people could realize this is still a full-blown genocide, a Christian holocaust lays within our midst. The atrocities that are occurring haven’t been seen for generations.”

Arabo says the Jewish community has been extremely supportive of the cause.

“The (Jewish) community knows of the nightmares of a holocaust. They’ve been holding our backs.”

Arabo is compiling a list for the Obama Administration and other officials with nearly 10,000 names of Iraqis that are begging to be rescued from the country, as well as people with family in Iraq and Syria, both Chaldean and non-Chaldean.

“This is an ongoing solution, the problems aren’t going away.”

To see the full interview, click on the video above.