Aug 17, 2020

Letters from Afar: New Khayrallah Center collection of letters from West Africa to Lebanon

Introduction In 1936 Nadim Attallah, a Lebanese immigrant living in Conakry, Guinea (West Africa), wrote an exasperated and desperate letter to his father, Maronite Rev. Tobia Attallah of Bayt Shabab village . He chided him: “I am astounded that after […]

May 19, 2020

Announcing the Angele Hobeiche Kmeid-Ellis Collection

The Khayrallah Center is excited to announce a three part project centered on an extraordinary collection of over three-hundred letters received by Angele Ellis from friends and family in Lebanon, Cuba, Canada, Chile, and France. They are written in Arabic, […]

Feb 26, 2020

The Second Jabbour Immigrant: Albert Jabbour and His Courtship Story

This blog was written by Folklorist, Sabra Webber. Webber is a professor emerita at The Ohio State University in the Department of Comparative Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. She visited the Khayrallah Center in the […]

Nov 6, 2019

Announcing “The Romey Lynchings” Website

On May 17th, 1929, two Lebanese immigrants in Lake City, Florida were murdered in a tragic tale of racial violence against Arab immigrants. Hasna Romey was killed by police while defending her husband and business, and her husband, N’oula, was […]

Sep 15, 2019

Teaching Public History: Interactive Program Paves The Way For Lebanese Teachers

A program hosted by the Khayrallah Center is transforming the way Lebanese teachers educate students about their country’s history. 

Aug 28, 2019

Passing a Camel Through Ellis Island: Arab-American Press and the Immigration Act of 1924

This post was written by Diogo Bercito, a Brazilian journalist who worked as a foreign correspondent in Jerusalem, Beirut, and Cairo. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in Arab Studies at Georgetown University, where he researches Arab migration to Latin America. He […]

Jun 25, 2019

A Waking Dream: Syrian Migrants’ Journey to the Americas

This post was written by Randa Tawil, a PhD candidate in American Studies at Yale University. Tawil’s dissertation focuses on early 20th century migration routes from Syria to North and South America, and explores how constructs of gender and race […]

Apr 26, 2019

“A Boatload of Horses”: Alan Jabbour’s Family Immigration Saga

This blog was written by Folklorist, Sabra Webber. Webber is a professor emerita at The Ohio State University in the Department of Comparative Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. She visited the Khayrallah Center in the […]

Mar 25, 2019

Fighting Injustice: The Story of Herbert Nassour

Far too often, the complex history of Lebanese immigration is collapsed into a few “success” stories, measured by accumulation of fame and fortune. Such tales are certainly real and admirable, but fall short of telling the whole story of immigration. […]

Feb 6, 2019

“Like a wolf who fell upon sheep”: Early Lebanese Immigrants and Religion in America

For some early Lebanese immigrants, religion was a source of comfort. Its rituals, language and congregations provided a sense of home in an alien environment, and stability amid the fast-paced changes they experienced in their new lives. For others, it […]