The Final Installment of a 28-Part Personal History
Our Brooklyn community is about to celebrate the centennial anniversary of its first landing on the shores of the United States, the most powerful country, the most protective, the most welcoming refuge of the oppressed. There were never better hosts than the Americans for the Jews, not even Spain in its glorious periods of the 12th and 13th centuries, prior to their eventual expulsion. Almost all Jews in America are prospering.
In this context, the Syrian Jewish community’s development has been—and is—phenomenal. It will be recorded in history as unique.
I am excited to attempt to describe its growth, accomplishments and success in carving itself a niche in America. Actually Syrians began immigrating to America circa 1905/10. The homes of those arriving were in Damascus, the capital, and Aleppo. Aleppo was famous going back to Biblical days as the commerce center for the caravan trade because of its location. It was also known as a magnet for scholars having in its midst, Jewish Sages. It housed the grand synagogue built millennia before the hub of Torah studies.
The compelling reasons to surrender and depart from this proud background were: Syria, as part of the Ottoman Empire at this time, was poor with a sluggish economy and deteriorating power. To shore up its status, it introduced a compulsory military draft, which the Jewish population could not tolerate. Day to day life was peaceful but could not compare to America, a country reputed to offer religious freedom, liberty and work opportunities with potential financial success.
Realistically travelling to America was costly, especially for the ‘not-well-to-do.’ With ingenuity some found an interim solution. Men opted to travel alone, leaving their families behind, hopefully for a short duration. Some managed to travel in pairs for moral, practical support. Some managed to break up their trip by attending a World’s Fair in some location, as sellers or exhibitors of miscellaneous products, hoping to make some money to subsidize the expenses of the trip and have some left over to sustain them in America until, hopefully, they would become self-sufficient.
The wave of these pioneers continued for several years. Once in America they confronted difficulties. Lacking professions, hardly speaking the language, opportunities were scarce. They started as peddlers on the subways, at the beaches and knocking on doors in residential areas. Hard as it may seem they were successful at what they were doing. They sent encouraging reports back home to Syria. Before long they were ready to bring over the families they had left behind. Often they relied on the new wave of immigrants to accompany their dependents on the trip to the new world. Few of the newcomers, feeling success, opted to make the trip back to Syria to fetch their families themselves.
The early newcomers tried, not always successfully, to work and live next to each other for mutual support, psychological, social and business ethics. It took some 10 to 15 years for them to find a common base. The East Side of New York City, the area of Ludlow, Hester and Orchard Streets was the home of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Russia and other Eastern European countries. It offered little comfort because these immigrants spoke Yiddish in addition to their native tongues while unfortunately, the Syrians spoke Arabic. Because of this, they were stigmatized and not recognized as Jews. These circumstances made it crucial for the Syrians to stick together more and more. This closeness became dominant, surviving to permanently remain a significant aspect of the life of the community.
This factor helped newcomers gel into a recognized community, in as much as families with wives and children were reunited. To survive and prosper, a community needs a strong foundation with basic elements to care for the common good. To maintain its Orthodox background, the first community synagogue was built in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn on 67th Street between 20th and 21st Avenues. Its name: Magen David Congregation was to become synonymous with the community. It opened its doors in 1928. The cost to build the synagogue and its budget were supported by one and all. Even though the community continued to move from neighborhood to neighborhood and expand, Magen David synagogue is still in use, for daily and Sabbath services, and also funeral services. Isaac Shalom, a community leader and a man of vision, spearheaded many ambitious projects and was the first president.
During the early days of the community, the leaders, out of necessity, formed the “Near East Aid Society.” Its purpose was to assist the newcomers through their struggle to survive and to help families in Syria left without breadwinners. Eventually this organization was merged with, and taken over by, Bikur Holim.
Also in the early days, a burial society “Rodfeh Zedek” was founded to ensure all community members a resting place irrespective of their ability to pay for burial expenses. Its budget was supported by charitable contributions. Its first president was Joseph Sultan, aided by a large committee.
Lacking officially recognized rabbis with semichas (rabbinic certificate), some learned retired businessmen filled the void and conducted adult Torah classes. With time, Ashkenaz rabbis were hired.
In the early 1930s, an emissary of the well-known “Porat Yosef” Yeshiva of Jerusalem came to town on a fund-raising mission. Due to the need for a Chief Rabbi, Isaac Shalom offered the job to this rabbi. Though he could not accept the offer on the spot, he took it into consideration. Sure enough, he came back the following year with his family, having obtained the blessing of his mentors in Jerusalem. It was Rabbi Jacob Kassin A”H who filled the position for life until his passing at the age of 94 in 1995.
The following events had conflicting consequences on our community, some positive and some negative.
Rumors of an impending new immigration law in Congress, limiting the numbers of immigrants pushed the new arrivals to higher levels.
The world economic depression in the late 1920s reduced travel, thus resulting in fewer immigrants.
Many of our compatriots who were not granted entry into the US for one of many reasons, ended up in other destinations. The biggest numbers went to Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Panama. Fewer settled in Columbia, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. In fact, at one time Buenos Aires, Argentina boasted that its community had a larger population than Brooklyn.
After World War I and during the 1920s and 1930s, there was a huge exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe that emigrated to America. The vogue among them was to assimilate into the American society, adopting and mixing with the general population. This liberal attitude produced substantial numbers of intermarriages between Jews and gentiles. This epidemic of assimilation started to infiltrate into our community, infuriating our rabbis. To combat this trend the rabbis published a resolution, a commandment, and edict (Takana). They declared categorically that intermarriages were not acceptable, were forbidden and not to be recognized. The rabbis would not perform them, even if a spouse converted. Essentially, the couple would be excommunicated from the community. The purpose of this edict was to preserve our faith, our religion and our traditions. This edict dated from 1935 is reconfirmed for each successive generation. Its effect was and is magical.
Our intermarriage rate stayed miraculously low while the national rate climbed to 40% or 50%. Some of our families who moved permanently to live out of town were more vulnerable and likely to succumb to the national epidemic.
In other areas, our community achieved staggering statistics for the relatively short one century. Our physical number went from zero to 75,000. We took in Egyptians, Lebanese, Israelis, Moroccans and some Ashkenaz. A big spike in immigration came after 1948 at the time Israel was created as an independent state, which prompted discrimination and a defacto expulsion of the Jewish citizens of Arab countries, whose governments, took the official policy that all their Jewish citizens would betray their own country and side with Israel and therefore should not be trusted, nor did they deserve their natural rights.
In the area of education, a big catalyst took place in America. One of the shortcomings of the public school system is that it did not address the religious aspect of a child’s education. This situation led the community to follow the concept of parochial, private schools, already in existence in some Ashkenaz communities. In fact Mirrer Yeshiva, originally from Poland and shut down by World War II and the Holocaust, transferred to Brooklyn and took in some of our boys. Ohel Moshe was another home for some of our youth.
Another school started in Brooklyn within the center of our community is Flatbush Yeshivah. Initially comprised of an all Ashkenaz student body, it slowly became the school par excellence, the most prestigious, accepting only applicants with high IQs. Gradually, the make-up of its student body shifted, the majority coming from the community. Many of the parents of the children attending are very active in the affairs of the yeshivah. Presently Jack A. Rahmey is its president.
Magen David Yeshivah began due to the overflow of many, many students. Very quickly its growth made it our biggest school, with over 1,000 students: boys and girls of all grades from nursery to high school. It is very efficiently run. At its helm are solid, devoted community members. Its present president is Eddie Joe Esses.
Magen David just completed a state-of-the-art building. It is about to open an annex exclusively for art classes. In fact, it just published a book exhibiting the art of 100 community artists.
Irwin Leon Shamah, a very bright chemical engineer turned successful businessman, retired at an early age and is devoting all of his time to the Ateret Yeshiva administration. Recently he was at the helm of a financial arrangement for a brand new building, which ended successfully.
Shaare Torah is a 25-year-old yeshivah started by Rabbi Hillel Haber, supported by his family. It is very successful. Eight hundred students attend and that number is still growing. They are presently planning a very ambitious new project. Shaare Torah has a girls’ seminary for its postgraduates.
Growing in numbers and becoming affluent, the community made Bradley Beach, NJ its summer home for some 20 years. With more affluence, many chose to summer in Deal, NJ. To avoid the necessity of owning two homes, one in Brooklyn for most of the year and another in New Jersey for the summers, more and more families bought homes to live year-round in the Deal area. The existing Hillel Yeshiva, originally totally Ashkenaz, became our community’s. Its biggest support came from our very own Sol and Elie Ashkenazi families. The school experienced a meteoric growth reaching an enrollment of approximately 800 children.
Ilan High School was the brainstorm of Eddie Missry and Saul R. Tawil, both residents of the Deal community. It is well thought of and prosperous.
Barkai Yeshivah was the dream of Joe Murray Mizrahi, who made Aliya to Israel, then came back to put all his efforts into introducing a curriculum entrenched in Judaism and strong support of Israel. The yeshivah is making its niche in the community with its rapid growth.
As a matter of fact, with the population explosion, the community needs every yeshivah and the good-hearted people who devote their resources to start them.
Ahi Ezer Yeshiva’s initial focus was to care for the part of the community originally from the city of Damascus, Syria at a time when the origin of its citizens mattered. Nowadays, this fact is no longer relevant.
Kings Bay has shifted its focus gradually, to the children of new immigrants who have arrived since the early 1990s, when the government of Syria permitted the remnants of its Jewish population to emigrate, creating a serious need for a school for these foreign kids.
Other yeshivahs, such as Mikdash Melech and Torah Academy of Brooklyn, are also part of the education system.
There are two other worthy elements of major importance; Lakewood NJ is the center of very Orthodox yeshivahs. The Kollels sprang up all over Brooklyn, Deal, and Lakewood. Students, some single, some family men, financially supported, devote their entire time to Torah study. They also apply themselves to serve the community’s needs.
Ezra Ashkenazi, Saul’s son, started The Sephardic Rabbinical College, to perpetuate our traditions and customs, and to train and graduate candidates as future rabbis to serve our community.
These students are hand picked for their highest potential. In fact, they are paid a living wage as they go through their training. Some are married with families. Many graduates are already serving in various capacities. Rabbi Shimon Alouf heads the college.
The success of this college prompted the Ashkenazi and Franco families to duplicate its concept for women. Saul and Elie Ashkenazi are married to two Franco sisters. They started The Allegra Franco Sephardic Women’s Teachers College. The modest number of students attending is growing steadily.
The Imagine Academy is for autistic children. Autism is a neurological spectrum disorder that inhibits the ability to communicate and develop social relationships. Parents of such children, frustrated by their inability to find proper placement, started this school, requiring highly specialized teachers and staff. Unfortunately, autism has reached epidemic proportions. Approximately 1-in-160 children is afflicted. In fact, almost immediately another school opened, Reach for the Stars, which takes younger children.
Care, compassion and hesed are prime motivations for our people. Thus, children or people on the fringes, for whatever reasons, are not ignored. For instance, Gesher Yehuda is a special school for children with learning disabilities who are unable to cope with a double curriculum, the norm of a regular yeshivah. Gesher, with specialized teachers and relatively small sized classes, has as its main goal, to build-up their students to qualify to mainstream status.
SEAD (Special Education Academy of Deal) is a similar type of school. Morris Alfred Sutton is its prime motivator, having twin boys requiring such attention.
OTSAR is another specialized institution, with dormitory facilities, whose enrollment is the handicapped.
All educational community entities have exorbitant tuitions for an average family. Not to leave any children out, all schools grant scholarships to many, relying on grants, income producing events and generous private contributions to cover their budgets.
The community does not have colleges or universities it can call its own. Our youth attend, as a preference, Brooklyn College, NYU, Baruch College in New York City, Yeshiva University in the Bronx, and Brandeis in the Boston area. All of these have a Hillel, or Jewish campus by some other name, and Jewish faculties with some focus on Jewish courses.
As the community grows in physical numbers, its residential areas keep expanding, stretching in all directions from its center, known as the “S & T area” of Brooklyn. This is where the ‘mother’ congregation Shaare Zion is located, its existence going back to the 1960s.
Within the same geographical area, within walking distance are the various synagogues whose congregants come from specific, common origins.
Ahi Ezer Congregation is for the shawam, hailing from Damascus, the capital of Syria.
The Lebanese have two synagogues around the corner from each other. One is called Har Halebanon; the other the Sephardic Lebanese Congregation.
Ahava Ve Ahva is composed of Egyptians. They just completed a magnificent new home.
All the congregations differ slightly in their liturgy and tunes.
Sonny and Al Gindi’s families started Bnei Izhak, located at the corner of East 8th Street and Avenue T. Its head Rabbi is Harold Sutton.
Being Orthodox means our synagogue must be within walking distance for Shabbat and holidays. As our areas expand and stretch synagogues proliferate. Beth Torah is for the Avenue J section. It goes back to the late 1960s. Rabbi Zevulum Lieberman has been senior rabbi for over 40 years and is assisted by younger Rabbi Aaron Azancot.
The area’s population has grown by leaps and bounds. Two young rabbis, one the product of Beth Torah, Rabbi David Sutton, joined Rabbi David Ozeiri, moved across the street to open Yad Yosef, attracting a younger crowd. It is growing rapidly and planning a big expansion, having major supporters: the Adjmi’s, the Cohen’s, the Sutton’s and others.
Kol Israel is the home of the Bedford section, located on Avenue K and Bedford Avenue (it is equivalent to East 25th Street). For many years its spiritual leader was Rabbi Raffoul. At present Rabbi Raymond Harari is at its helm.
Many other synagogues surface as new areas, attract some populations. Two are located on Avenue O, between Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue; two are on East 21st and 22nd Streets and Avenue S.
As I mentioned before, as the community gained affluence, it made the Jersey Shore its next expansion spot. Bradley Beach NJ was the resort of choice for summer getaway. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean, some 50 miles away from Brooklyn and Manhattan. A group of families rented houses for the summers; husbands would commute daily or for weekends while their family stayed at the shore. Once Bradley Beach was recognized as the permanent community base, families went on a house-buying spree. A synagogue was built, which was also as a community center. Being a close-knit community, following an established vogue is a matter of fact. The popularity of Bradley Beach came to an end by the late 1960s, having lasted some 20 years.
Having reached another plateau of affluence, the next prestigious location was Deal, NJ, some 10 miles further north from Bradley and a bit closer to New York. The exodus from Bradley Beach was in full swing by the 1980s, leaving behind a tiny number of diehard families in Bradley Beach, who fortunately continue to maintain its synagogue, Magen David.
Of course, the move to Deal necessitated the building of synagogues. The first was completed in 1974. It is The Synagogue of Deal.
Paralleling the growth of Brooklyn, the Deal population exploded, spreading its wings in all directions.
Deal is tiny, as are the neighboring and adjacent towns. They are like a strand of pearls strung together. Collectively they are shared by the community, all recognized by the new, modern, elegant, majestic synagogues.
Second to the Synagogue of Deal, came the Magen David of West Deal. The well-educated, energetic, dynamic, much admired Rabbi Labaton is its spiritual head rabbi.
The Hathaway Synagogue is located at the southern tip of Deal with Rabbi Isaac Farhi. Its growth and expansion is spearheaded with the continuous support of philanthropist Joe Jack Cayre.
At the northern end of Deal is Ohel Yacov of Lawrence Avenue, named after our Chief Rabbi Jacob Kassin A”H. His grandson, Elie Ben Haim is its rabbi.
Park Avenue Synagogue Ohel Simha, named after a matriarch of the Mamiyes, is in the next town north, Rabbi Choueke is at the helm.
Cedar Avenue Synagogue, known as Rabbi Ezra Hamway Congregation, is in the West End section. Rabbi Nahem is its rabbi.
Magen Abraham Congregation is in West Long Branch, where Rabbi Semah officiates.
The latest expansion is the next town, south of Deal, in Allenhurst, headed by Rabbi Shamah.
Rabbi Solomon Diamond has a Kollel in Long Branch.
Rabbi Isaac Dwek’s Kollel is located in an annex to the Synagogue of Deal.
A newcomer is a small congregation close to the Synagogue of Deal, supported by Abe Chehebar and his friends. It was named after his father Charles and is about to expand its capacity.
The affluent of the community, looking for more leisure time, adopted vacations as a routine. Florida has become a home away from home from October to the spring.
Here also, the parallel of the Bradley Beach and Deal evolution was duplicated.
Initially, families would vacation in Florida staying in upscale hotels. The next step was renting apartments followed by buying. Aventura was the selected location. Once the base was permanent, a very elegant beautiful synagogue was built in Turnberry in the very heart of Aventura, located within walking distances of the five apartment buildings of Turnberry, flanked by the other five buildings of Mystic Pointe. The synagogue attracts Sephardics from all over the world; permanent immigrants from Latin America, Israel and Mexico flock there. Further duplicating the pattern of Bradley Beach and Deal, some of the community is upgrading and moving to the Porto Vita group of buildings. Because it is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the Safra Synagogue, the residents of Porto Vita are constructing their own synagogue.
A small group has opted to move away to luxurious buildings on the ocean. Needless to say, a new congregation will emerge there sooner rather than later. Our vacation trips have become community standards—admittedly putting financial pressures on those who can hardly afford the expense.
I am referring to intersession vacations. It is the time in our yeshivahs that the students are given time off between semesters. It is around the end of January.
Another precedent has been established for some 20 years.
The Magen David Yeshivah sponsors a trip to some southern vacation spot such as Florida, Puerto Rico or a Caribbean island. This Passover trip has grown in popularity. Some 400 persons take this trip annually. At times, this number has exceeded 700. Frequently entire families including grandchildren travel together.
This concept of creating family vacations is gaining momentum. Sukkot is gradually being added to the list. For this holiday, the favored destination is Florida though some go to Israel to perpetuate the Biblical obligation to visit Beit Hamikdash in Jerusalem for any of the three festive holidays of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.
As our population was—and is—exploding, we as close-knit people, do not stand still for a minute. We aim high in all aspects of life.
We create avenues and institutions for one and all.
Our biggest single development is our Bikur Holim. Its beginning was simply its definition, taking care of the sick. Gradually it enlarged its roles to become an all-inclusive community wide welfare organization. These are some of its activities: It delivers food to the poor on a regular basis. It supports (financially) the ill and underprivileged. It lends mental and psychological help to the depressed and the bereaved. It gives medical referral to the sick and their dear ones. It lends gowns and dresses to brides in need. It has an employment service, and on and on. Its budget is in the millions.
SAFE stands for Sephardic Addiction Family Education. Its goal is to fight, control and cure all addictions. At the helm is Eddie Sonny Gindi; Ike Dweck became its devoted professional and Rabbi Abraham Twerski, noted psychiatrist, its consultant.
Sephardic Link is comprised of some 40 solid citizens who volunteer their time to match single adults with the hope of marriage. It is a very successful program considering we have some 10,000 singles of all ages in the community. Computer technology is an aid for the matches.
The Sephardic Community Federation is our lobby; our liaison to local, state, and federal governments to protect our community’s rights and welfare, and to solicit grants for worthy causes.
The Sephardic Voters League influences the community to vote for the best candidates.
Our Sephardic Community Center is our most important community social institution. Its programs and activities are for every age group. The building is busy and occupied every day and evening. Its functions include physical exercise of all sorts, swimming, basketball, concerts, theatre performances, lectures, trips for senior citizens, summer camps for the underprivileged, health fairs, a support group for Alzheimer’s care givers, bridge games and tournaments. It is in the midst of multi-million dollar expansion adding a whole new wing. Its budget runs into eight figures and is partially supported by Jewish Philanthropies, state and or city grants. But the most important source of funding is community contributions. The Center’s present president is Jack Joe Cayre.
The Sephardic Food Fund’s committees consist of volunteers who interview the needy to assess the level of help each applicant will be granted. Help is given in the form of a credit card for food purchases in certain pre-arranged supermarkets, thus it is very private and discreet. This is a very successful method, working well.
The Sephardic Angel Fund helps businesses with problems or funds new business ideas. Volunteers in the same ‘lines’ give recommendations and help. Some of the remedies include sometimes granting loans, suggesting closing a business that has no chance of survival and finding the candidates paying jobs or mergers.
In summary: How did we progress as individuals, parents, businessmen, and community leaders? In a nutshell we had phenomenal accomplishments. We arrived on these shores penniless, did not speak the language and had no professions—although it is true that in later years in the US, in the second half of the century some of our immigrants had money, professions and/or recognized positions.
We went from peddlers to salesmen, business owners, importers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, real estate developers, and capitalists.
We try to take care of the poor through the Sephardic Food Fund, Deal Kuppot, and of course Bikur Holim. In addition, our community is known all over the world for its charity. We support many, many Israeli causes, yeshivahs, Kollels, hospitals, cancer research and so on.
The women in the community were the shining stars in times of need. World War II brought huge changes in communications, technology, human relations and social behavior. Our younger female generation, having graduated American schools, was emancipated. The fact that men were serving in the armed forces created shortages, propelling our young women into the workforce. They adapted with zest, aggressiveness and flourished. Suddenly we had store owners, Sallee Bijou A”H and her partner Gladys Shabot were among the first. Before long, more and more women opened new businesses, from homes, stores and showrooms, carrying all sorts of products and providing services of varied nature.
We discovered quickly that we had many, many talented community members: In painting, highly recognized Altoon Sultan; Susan Menashe in photography; Norma Haddad Cohen, superb party planner; Nurse Leslie Mahawa Sultan; Lois Sutton, attorney at law. A smart enterprising Rachelle Matsas taught in public schools, is also editor and co-publisher of IMAGE Magazine with her husband Ben-Gurion. The list of women with high levels of accomplishments is huge. It suffices to say they elevated our community standards by many notches.
A personal note: born a Jew growing up in Syria, I became very quickly, one of approximately a million Jews living in Arab countries stretching from Yemen across the entire Middle East all the way to Morocco; a refugee in search of a new home, a country willing to adopt me, give me comfort, and an opportunity to strive for basic human desires and possibly the audacity to dream for liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While in Syria, the best I could wish for was to be an alien at home. As such, my lot is among the luckiest. In fact, the expulsion of some 50,000 of our Jewish compatriots from Syria took over two decades with only minimal loss of life. Jews from other Arab countries did not fare as well; particularly the Iraqis who suffered the most. Essentially, our losses were primarily financial, aggregating over $1 billion, besides breaking up families with serious consequences.
These Syrian expatriates found refuge in these countries: Israel (they were smuggled out of their home base), Milan (Italy), Mexico City (Mexico), Brazil, Argentina, Canada, the US and other destinations.
None of these refugees ever became a public charge, nor relied on charity to survive. Sooner or later, they adapted very well to the community, becoming productive members of society, taxpayers and charitable contributors. Some achieved prominent positions within their new communities.
There is no doubt that great injustice was inflicted on the million refugees from all the Arab countries.
In fact, in the last decades many organizations sprung up to document their suffering and their staggering losses. These statistics should be used to counter the other side’s argument and debate in settling the so-called Palestinian refugees displaced during Israel’s War of Independence.
My travels took me to Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Panama. I have observed the lifestyles of these very same countrymen of mine, who were victimized and became refugees after they were declared persona non grata in their own homelands. They carried themselves and followed the same pattern as their brethren who settled in the US; their beginnings were humble, they are clannish as we are, traditional as we are. Their synagogues and their yeshivahs are duplicates of ours. They adapted our Takana, the edict of 1935 with some minor variations dictated by their local circumstances.
Their drive to the top also duplicated ours— sometimes even faster and higher—which is possible in some countries. Particularly in a small community, in a small country like Panama, they climbed to the highest level in opulence, in hesed, in charitable support of institutions in Israel and the world over. Much credit is bestowed to their Rabbi Sion Levy for over 50 years of service. He nursed, guided, and transformed the community from a totally secular state to a regimented Orthodoxy. Bankers, real estate developers and holders of international trademarks are some of their accomplishments. Their hospitality, their homes, and their unselfishness are unparalleled.
Acknowledging that Americans are made up of immigrants, many success stories are recorded, but I dare say, ours are unique.
I personally spent some four years in China and a short time in Japan before settling permanently in New York. My immediate family was split, some settling temporarily in Lebanon and Israel. We lost two young brothers, one in Syria in his early twenties, one in Lebanon in his teens, and our father in Israel. The rest of our family succeeded in reaching and living in New York. We feel very fortunate and grateful for our good luck. Having spent four years in China, living among a very secular group of friends, most not Jewish, I look back with gratitude that, despite my natural vulnerability, I escaped the strong temptation to marry a non-Jewish girl from among my various friends of international origins. I am very lucky that my circumstances brought me to Brooklyn where I found a community whose values, traditions and customs are identical to those I grew up with in Syria and had to leave behind.
Moreover, with time I felt I belonged. I was embraced and made friends easily. I was counted upon as a regular fellow community member in good standing. I was eager to reciprocate by volunteering my time and services to various communal affairs. These commitments were further enhanced by the virtue of the fact I married into a well-respected family with these very same goals. These traits are perpetuated in our children and, hopefully, to later generations.
