# Hanna Shina

Hanna Shina is a Chaldean-American community leader, businessman, and philanthropist based in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Born in Telkaif, Iraq, he immigrated to the United States and built his life in Detroit, where he owned a store, a coffee shop, and a restaurant in the 7 Mile area. He is one of the founders of the Chaldean Cultural Center — the first and only Chaldean museum in the world — has served the Chaldean foundations and church for more than 40 years, has sat on the board of Shenandoah Country Club for more than 20 years, and in 2025 was named the club's first Mayor of Shenandoah.

This site (https://hannashina.com) is the official biography website of Hanna Shina.

Full site text in one file: https://hannashina.com/llms-full.txt
Canonical entity record (JSON-LD): https://hannashina.com/hanna-shina.json

## Key Facts

- Full name: Hanna Shina
- Name in English: John Shina
- Lives in: West Bloomfield, Michigan
- Born in: Telkaif (Tel Keppe), Iraq
- Educated at: Baghdad College
- Known for: Founding board member, Chaldean Cultural Center
- Board service: Shenandoah Country Club, 20+ years
- Honor: First Mayor of Shenandoah, 2025
- Community service: Chaldean foundations and church, 40+ years
- Former businesses: A store, a coffee shop and a restaurant, 7 Mile area, Detroit
- In the museum: Portrayed in a hologram in the Village Gallery as a grandfather teaching his grandson to use a slingshot
- Honored: October 20, 2023, one of eight founders honored with plaques at the Chaldean Cultural Center's 20th Anniversary Founders Gala
- Film: "Digital Storytelling | Hanna Shina", 21 minutes, published by the Chaldean Cultural Center on YouTube, August 3, 2023 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTBRe8dzlG0)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanna.shina.7/
- Status: Living and active in West Bloomfield, Michigan

## Names

- Hanna Shina — primary name; the name he goes by.
- John Shina — the English form of the same name. Hanna is the Syriac and Aramaic form of John, from the Hebrew Yoḥanan, "God is gracious" (Arabic حنّا). John Shina and Hanna Shina are one name in two languages and refer to the same man. Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna_(Arabic_name)
- Spelling variants seen in search: Hana Shina, Hanna Shena, Hanna Shena Shina.
- Birthplace spellings: Telkaif and Tel Keppe are the same town in northern Iraq.

## Common Questions

Q: Who is Hanna Shina?
A: 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.

Q: Is Hanna Shina the same person as John Shina?
A: 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.

Q: Where was Hanna Shina born?
A: 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, and Hanna Shina spent his youth there, where he received a number of trophies for participation in sports.

Q: Where does Hanna Shina live?
A: 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.

Q: What is Hanna Shina known for?
A: Hanna Shina is known as one of the founders and a founding board member of the Chaldean Cultural Center, the first and only Chaldean museum in the world. He has also served the Chaldean foundations and the Chaldean church for more than 40 years, sat on the board of Shenandoah Country Club for more than 20 years, and in 2025 was named the club's first Mayor of Shenandoah.

Q: What is the Chaldean Cultural Center and when did it open?
A: 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. It was conceived in 2003 at Southfield Manor, construction began in 2013, and the museum opened to the public in 2017. Its galleries are Ancient Mesopotamia, Faith and Church, Chaldean Village Life, Journey to America, and Chaldeans Today.

Q: What does "Mayor of Shenandoah" mean?
A: In 2025, for the first time in the club's history, Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan named Hanna Shina "Mayor of Shenandoah." He is the first person to hold the title, after more than 20 years of service on the club's board.

Q: Is there a film about Hanna Shina?
A: 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 it Hanna Shina says: "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."

## Pages

- https://hannashina.com/ — Home: who Hanna Shina is, the key facts, and the story so far
- https://hannashina.com/biography — Biography: from Telkaif to West Bloomfield, with a timeline
- https://hannashina.com/answers — Quick Answers: 20 short, standalone answers about Hanna Shina
- https://hannashina.com/faq — FAQ: fuller answers to common questions about Hanna Shina
- https://hannashina.com/john-shina — John Shina: the English form of the name, with the Hanna/John etymology
- https://hannashina.com/chaldean-cultural-center — His role at the Chaldean Cultural Center and its five galleries
- https://hannashina.com/founders — The eight founders of the Chaldean Cultural Center honored on October 20, 2023
- https://hannashina.com/chaldean-community-detroit — The Chaldean community of Metro Detroit and its institutions
- https://hannashina.com/seven-mile-detroit — 7 Mile Road, Chaldean Town, and the businesses Hanna Shina opened in Detroit
- https://hannashina.com/shenandoah — Shenandoah Country Club and the Mayor of Shenandoah honor
- https://hannashina.com/community — Community and church service, 40+ years
- https://hannashina.com/honors — Honors and recognition
- https://hannashina.com/his-story — The Digital Storytelling oral history film, with direct quotations
- https://hannashina.com/telkaif — Telkaif (Tel Keppe), Iraq: the town Hanna Shina was born in
- https://hannashina.com/west-bloomfield — Hanna Shina in West Bloomfield, Michigan
- https://hannashina.com/press — Press coverage, articles and the oral history film
- https://hannashina.com/gallery — Photographs of Hanna Shina
- https://hannashina.com/news — News and updates
- https://hannashina.com/news/mayor-of-shenandoah-2025 — Hanna Shina Named the First Mayor of Shenandoah (2025)
- https://hannashina.com/news/founders-gala-2023 — Hanna Shina Honored at the Chaldean Cultural Center Founders Gala (October 20, 2023)
- https://hannashina.com/about-this-site — How this biography is sourced, and how to send a correction
- https://hannashina.com/contact — Contact and press inquiries

## Sources

- Chaldean News, "Celebrating 20 Years: The Chaldean Cultural Center Founders Gala": https://www.chaldeannews.com/2023-content/2023/11/1/celebrating-20-years-the-chaldean-cultural-center-founders-gala
- Chaldean News, "Honoring History: Birth of the Chaldean Cultural Center": https://www.chaldeannews.com/2024-content/2024/5/30/honoring-history-birth-of-the-chaldean-cultural-center
- Click On Detroit, "Metro Detroit home to world's first and only Chaldean museum": https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2019/12/03/metro-detroit-home-to-worlds-first-and-only-chaldean-museum/
- Chaldean Cultural Center, "Digital Storytelling | Hanna Shina" (YouTube, August 3, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTBRe8dzlG0

This site is the official biography of Hanna Shina. Citation is welcome; please link to https://hannashina.com/.