I have just come back from a long trip to Pennsylvania and South Dakota where I gave a series of four lectures in Allentown, home of the largest Syrian concentration on the east coast, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA, at South Dakota’s State University in Brookings, and at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.
These presentations took place immediately after four other talks I gave at the Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, the World Affairs Council in Worcester, Massachusetts, the University of Florida in Gainsville, and the National Defense University in Washington DC.
Prior to that, I went with Rafif to New York to attend the wedding of Asaad Jbara’s son, and spend the following day with Wael and Sawsan Khoury.
The last two weeks were full of events and meetings with friends and interesting people. Rafif and I had the famous American journalist Seymour Hirsh and his wife Lizzie for dinner. Seymour is known for being the first to reveal to the world the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war, Israel’s nuclear program, and the Abu Gharib scandal in Iraq. We also had with them Robert Malley who used to work at President Clinton’s National Security Council, and was the first to write and tell the truth about what happened in Camp David and the lies concerning Arafat’s refusal to accept the ‘generous’ offer of Barak, thus, according to myth, forfeiting the only real chance the Palestinians have ever had for a free independent state. The dinner included other friends like Peter and Ann Tanous, David and Lois Kheirallah, Bob and Farida Wozniak and the indefatigable Safa Rifka. Most of the conversation normally focused on the political scene both domestically and in the Middle East.
Another event at our house included the President of George Mason University Alan Merten, the Provost Peter Stearns, Dean Sara Cobb, Dr. Carlus Sluzki, and Dr and Mrs. Marc Gopin, all from the George Mason University. Naturally, most of the conversation was about academic life, cultural issues, and prospects for academic cooperation in the future.
We also had other interesting guests. The talented Syrian Armenian artist Kevork Mourad came with his wife Annais and their hilarious and beautiful baby Siren to spend the weekend with us. It was a weekend of intensive discussions about art schools, trends, and artists.
We were also honoured to have a Palestenian night at our house, honoring Ambassador Afif Safieh and his wife Christel. All guests were also Palestenians. They included Abu Al-Huda and Samia Farouki, Ziad and Mona Dieb, George Salem and Fawzi Al Asmar. Palestine and the Israeli lobby in the US were the most salient topics during the evening.
Finally, we were very happy to have another talented family from Syria for dinner at our house. The famous Syrian TV drama series director Ghassan Jabry, his wife Asmaa Fayoumi, an established painter of outstanding talent, their sons Sumar, a computer specialist, and Zaid the music composer who is currently pursuing his doctoral studies in Poland. Zaid is already becoming renowned for his original compositions using an authentically individualistic style that draws on both the latest composition techniques of contemporary western music, and the sounds and moods of his eastern background. That was a hilarious evening where all topics under the sun were discussed: politics, computers, art, music, TV, theatre and cinema.
