Quick Answers

Quick Answers

Hanna Shina is a Chaldean-American community leader, businessman and philanthropist in West Bloomfield, Michigan, born in Telkaif, Iraq, and a founding board member of the Chaldean Cultural Center. The twenty answers below are short, complete and standalone — each one can be read or quoted on its own.

Who is Hanna Shina?

Hanna Shina is a Chaldean-American community leader, businessman and philanthropist who lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Hanna Shina was born in Telkaif, Iraq, and is one of the founders and a founding board member of the Chaldean Cultural Center, the first and only Chaldean museum in the world.

Is Hanna Shina the same person as John Shina?

Yes. Hanna is the Syriac and Aramaic form of the name John, so John Shina and Hanna Shina are the same name in two languages and refer to the same man. He goes by Hanna Shina.

What does the name Hanna mean?

Hanna descends from the Hebrew Yoḥanan, meaning "God is gracious" — the name of the Apostle John. In Arabic it is written حنّا, and in English it is rendered John. Hanna Shina therefore appears in English-language records as John Shina.

How else is the name Hanna Shina spelled?

Hanna Shina is also seen written as Hana Shina, Hanna Shena, and John Shina. All refer to the same man, Hanna Shina of West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Where was Hanna Shina born?

Hanna Shina was born in Telkaif, also written Tel Keppe, a village on the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq. Telkaif is the ancestral village of most Metro Detroit Chaldeans.

What is Telkaif?

Telkaif, or Tel Keppe, is a historically Chaldean Catholic town in northern Iraq and the ancestral village of most Chaldean families in Metro Detroit. Hanna Shina was born there and spent his youth there before immigrating to the United States.

Where does Hanna Shina live now?

Hanna Shina lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in Oakland County — the same community that is home to Shenandoah Country Club and to the Chaldean Cultural Center at 5600 Walnut Lake Road.

Where did Hanna Shina go to school?

Hanna Shina was educated at Baghdad College, the Jesuit-run secondary school in Baghdad, Iraq.

What businesses did Hanna Shina own?

After immigrating to the United States, Hanna Shina opened a store, a coffee shop and a restaurant in the 7 Mile area of Detroit.

What is the Chaldean Cultural Center?

The Chaldean Cultural Center is the first and only Chaldean museum in the world, located at Shenandoah Country Club, 5600 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, Michigan. Hanna Shina is one of its founders and a founding board member.

When did the Chaldean Cultural Center open?

The Chaldean Cultural Center was conceived in 2003 at Southfield Manor, construction began in 2013, and the museum opened to the public in 2017 at Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

What galleries does the Chaldean Cultural Center have?

The Chaldean Cultural Center has five galleries: Ancient Mesopotamia, Faith and Church, Chaldean Village Life, Journey to America, and Chaldeans Today. Hanna Shina appears in the Village Gallery.

Is Hanna Shina in the museum?

Yes. Hanna Shina is portrayed in a hologram in the Chaldean Cultural Center's Village Gallery, shown as a grandfather teaching his grandson to use a slingshot.

Who are the founders of the Chaldean Cultural Center?

On October 20, 2023, at the Center's 20th Anniversary Founders Gala, eight founders were honored with plaques: Rosemary Antone (d. 2009), Virjean Arabo, Francis Boji, Raad Kathawa, Mary Romaya, Josephine Sarafa, Victor Saroki, and Hanna Shina.

What honor did Hanna Shina receive in 2023?

Hanna Shina was honored with a plaque on October 20, 2023 at the Chaldean Cultural Center's 20th Anniversary Founders Gala, held at Shenandoah Country Club, as one of eight founders recognized that evening.

What is Hanna Shina's role at Shenandoah Country Club?

Hanna Shina has served on the board of Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan, for more than 20 years.

What does "Mayor of Shenandoah" mean?

In 2025, for the first time in the club's history, Shenandoah Country Club named Hanna Shina "Mayor of Shenandoah." He is the first person to hold the title.

How long has Hanna Shina served the Chaldean community?

Hanna Shina has served the Chaldean foundations and the Chaldean church for more than 40 years, alongside more than two decades of board service at Shenandoah Country Club.

Is there a film about Hanna Shina?

Yes. "Digital Storytelling | Hanna Shina" is a 21-minute oral history film published by the Chaldean Cultural Center on YouTube on August 3, 2023, in which Hanna Shina tells his own story.

What has Hanna Shina said about the Chaldean Cultural Center?

In the oral history film, Hanna Shina said: "The cultural center is for the children of our Chaldean community, especially those who were born and raised here, to see how our life was before in our mother country."

Last updated: August 28, 2026