Arab-American Faces and Voices: The Origins of an Immigrant Community

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

ARAB-AMERICAN FACES AND VOICES The Origins of an Immigrant Community Elizabeth Boosahda UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS, AUSTIN Copyright © 2003 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2003 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas Press, Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.  The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso 39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication-Data Boosahda, Elizabeth, 1926– Arab-American faces and voices : the origins of an immigrant community / Elizabeth Boosahda.— 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0-292-70919-6 (alk. paper) — isbn 0-292-70920-x (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Arab Americans—Massachusetts—Worcester— History. 2. Arab Americans—Massachusetts— Worcester—History—Sources. 3. Arab Americans—Massachusetts—Worcester—Interviews. 4. Immigrants—Massachusetts—Worcester— History. 5. Immigrants—Massachusetts— Worcester—History—Sources. 6. Worcester (Mass.)—Ethnic relations. 7. Arabs—Migrations— History. 8. Arab countries—Emigration and immigration—History. 9. United States— Emigration and immigration—History. 10. Latin America—Emigration and immigration—History. I. Title. f74.w9 b67 2003 974.4'3—dc21 2002015039 To my father, Kalil, a kind and gentle person who preferred silence to mindlessconversationandcharacterization ;mymother,Nazira,aloving,strongwilled , and in-charge person; and my immigrant aunts and uncles who also favorably influenced my life. And to my brothers, Michael K. Boosahda and Leo S. Boosahda, who are always there for me. Marriage, Kalil A. Boosahda to Nazira Mishalanie,1916. Kalil A. Boosahda,1985. (Deceased1987, aged 97.) All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others. Blessed is he who knows why he was born. DANNY THOMAS, 1989. Founder of American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities/Aid to Leukemia Stricken American Children (alac) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Our early immigrant history in America could be lost forever if my generation [the first American-born] fails to pass on its treasury of memories. We must write our own history and have the history accurate, in all its complexity. LILLIAN GEORGE SHOUCAIR, 1988. Humanist, active in the preservation of ethnic heritage and immigrant history, and daughter of Simon George and daughter-in-law of Said Shoucair. ...