When my grandfather first arrived in Allentown he lived in the Ward, on 2nd. Street. It was around 1895 and the neighborhood was full of immigrants. Some groups came from the same area in the old country, most noticeably the Syrians, from the village of Amar*. They were Antiochian Orthodox, a minority in a Muslim country. The congregation of St. George's Church on Catasauqua Ave., largely is descended from those immigrants. Well known names in Allentown, such as Atiyeh, Haddad, Hanna, Makoul, Koury and Joseph are among their members. They were among one of the first groups to organize, and those organizations still exist. The photo above was organized by the Syrian American Organization in 1944. Note that Jewish, on the left, is treated as a nationality.
click on photo to enlarge
UPDATE APRIL 12, 2023: The above post is reprinted from March of 2010. I have repeated the post several times since over the years, and have written other posts concerning Allentown's historic Syrian Community as well. Although I didn't grow up in the Ward, I grew up with their children, who had by then also lived in other sections of town. Throughout the 1950's and 60's, the organized Syrian community wielded considerable strength in local Democratic politics. On Sunday Allentown recognizes the Syrian community with a flag raising at city hall.
ADDENDUM DECEMBER 9, 2024: This was a dramatic weekend for the Allentown Syrian community mentioned above. The Assad regime, both father and recent son, had provided protection for the Christian minority in Syria, and were generally well regarded by the local community here in Allentown. The local Syrians, here since about 1900, came because of religious persecution in their homeland. Although the new rebel leader has indicated tolerance toward minorities in Syria, the Christians and other minorities are understandably nervous.
The history and origins of these new leaders in Syria does not offer much assurance of their tolerance. We can expect that they will be now portrayed as the new democrats of Syria.
ReplyDeleteI still recall the celebrations and parades in New York when Castro marched into Havana. The evil Batista was overthrown. It was a short lived rejoicing.
Such a great point. And the New York Times, as well as Ed Sullivan, were calling Castro 'Cuba's George Washington." Don't expect to read such commentary in the mainstream press.
DeleteBased on what has happened in the rest of the entire region (except Israel),If I was a Syian Christian I'd be getting out if I could.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again... depending on who you listen to, they are the devil or the best thing since sliced bread. I was under the impression Assad was one of the good guys and now I read he's a POS... who do you believe??? Yeah, well... we are told both opinions of Trump, so I'll assume everything I hear is a big fat crock no matter what!!!
ReplyDeleteBy their fruits you will see who is lying.
DeleteAssad was never a “good guy”. He, like his father Hafez, killed tens of thousands of Syrians to consolidate their family’s power. He was essentially Saddam with a smaller country and less oil. Unlike Saddam, he befriended Iran but he was never a virulent supporter of any ideology beyond clinging to power. Any acceptance by the West was due to his secular approach to governance and his wife’s PR allies.
DeleteComparing HFT and Castro is not apt. Syria needs allies, but is ambivalent about Russia and somewhat hostile towards Iran. Both of whom supported Assad. Displaced Uighurs are part of HFT’s militia posing issues for China. Iran might oppose a Chinese move too. Turkey definitely would. The biggest immediate issue will likely be HFT’s relationship with the Kurds, who are enemies of Turkey, not local Christians or Shiites whose support they need.
HFT still does not control large swaths of the country and is beholden to Turkey, not Russia for its success. Syria attempted to join the EU but the application stalled over human rights issues under Assad. Aggressive suppression of minorities now will seriously damage any Syrian recovery or Western assistance and lead to further instability. It might even affect EU agreements with Turkey and ultimately Turkey’s application for membership.
Ideological or expansionist movements like Castro’s, Iran’s or even Russia’s are failing to deliver prosperity and peace. With the cancer of Hezbollah in remission I’m cautiously optimistic on this regime change.