ADC New Jersey Honors Foundation
On Saturday,
May 2, 2009, the Palestinian Heritage Foundation was
graciously honored by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, New Jersey Chapter, at the Chapter's Annual
Banquet.
In the presence of over three hundred ADC members and friends, Foundation
co-founders Hanan Karaman Munayyer and Farah Munayyer received the
The Leila Haddad Memorial Achievement
Award for 2009 in appreciation of their work
to promote Arab art and culture in the United
States and around the world through lectures and
exhibitions. This recognition comes on the twenty-second
anniversary of the commencement of this cultural activity
and twenty years after the establishment of the Palestinian Heritage Foundation.
In a letter
addressed to the New Jersey ADC Chapter on this occasion,
the Honorable Jon Corzine, Governor of the State of New Jersey, congratulated Farah and Hanan Munayyer
for having "lead by
generous example and demonstrated exceptional leadership
through their unwavering commitment to others."
In an April 11,
2009 letter
addressed to Farah and Hanan Munayyer,
Salah Mustafa, ADC New Jersey Chapter President wrote:
Dear Farah and
Hanan,
On behalf of the ADC New Jersey
Chapter and its Executive Board, we are honored by your
acceptance of our Leila Haddad Memorial Achievement Award.
We very much look forward to bestowing this honor upon you
and extend an invitation to your family, friends and
colleagues to attend the Annual Banquet.
Your tireless efforts on behalf of
our community are already legend. We are fortunate here in
New Jersey because we have been able to witness and in many
cases participate in the groundbreaking work that you have
both made a life’s mission. Through your efforts, the
Palestinian Heritage Foundation has become one of the
preeminent cultural institutions promoting the proud and
rich heritage and history of the Palestinian people and the
wider Arab world. Your work has been recognized the nation
over and has touched so many people from within our
community and even more significantly from the diverse
communities that make up the tapestry of our nation.
We of course would also be remiss
if we did not also thank you for the foundational work that
you put together with this very organization. We still have
a steep hill to climb here in New Jersey but we have made
tremendous progress. And much of that progress is based on
the foundation that you put together years ago.
We are truly indebted to both of
you and of course your family for your tireless efforts and
the sacrifices that you have made on behalf of our
community.
Respectfully,
Salaheddin Mustafa
President - ADC NJ
Governor Corzine Appoints
Hanan to the Arab-American Heritage Commission
Mrs. Hanan Karaman Munayyer was
recently appointed by the Honorable Jon Corzine, Governor
of the State of New Jersey, to the State's Arab-American Heritage
Commission.
Foundation Adopts New
Arabic Logo
“Splendor of Damascus:
Textiles and Artifacts of Traditional Syria”
Curated by
Hanan Karaman Munayyer
"The Splendor of Damascus: Textiles and Artifacts of
Traditional Syria", curated by Mrs. Hanan Munayyer, will
be on display at the Antiochian Heritage Museum in Bolivar,
Pennsylvania. The exhibit will be open to the public from
June 1, 2009 through March 2010. The display includes Syrian
bridal costumes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century covering all regions of Syria, brass, inlaid
mother-of-pearl antique and contemporary furniture from the collection of Farah and Hanan Munayyer,
with a selection from the permanent collection of the Antiochian Heritage Museum.
Click images to enlarge
For more images of the exhibit
go to "exhibits" and click "The Splendor of Damascus"
Syria has been
known since antiquity as a center of arts and crafts, and
the center of a
very important textile production industry. Since the 6th
century, Syria and Lebanon have been silk-producing areas,
relying on the mulberry trees that grow well in that area to
feed the silkworm. To this day, silk is still produced and
woven locally in Syria on Jacquard looms, but on a lesser
scale than at the beginning of the 20th century.
Cotton had for centuries been grown, and wool from sheep was
easily accessible. Situated on the Mediterranean
coast, Syria was a crucially important part of
the ancient Silk Road, serving as an end point for the long trip across the Asian continent from
China and the Far East. From Syria, valuable trade goods
were shipped to Europe, especially to Venice. The Syrian
cities of Damascus and Aleppo were famous textile
centers. The economic importance of this industry to
this area was so great that some historians have labeled it a “textile culture”. Syrian textiles were highly
valued in Europe, and many fabric names in Europe were
derived from their Syrian origin, like “damask”.
The metal and
wood crafts of Syria have for centuries been famous in
Europe for their high quality, and were important trade
items with Venice in medieval times. Numerous museums all
over the world contain silver decorated brass pieces made in
Syria from the 13th century onwards. Although
the transition to modernization has rapidly destroyed the
economic basis of these industries and many skills are
disappearing with time, Syria remains one of the best
sources of these arts and its craftsmen, to this
day.
Mail..........
The following
correspondence is in response to
Arabesque: Arts from the Arab World an all Arab
festival
held
for three week at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Dear Hanan and
Farah
wonderful work....I would have loved to see the Arabesque
festival! thanks for all the hard work.
Sandra, Montreal, Canada.
Congratulations! I missed
reading this email and viewing this marvelous amazing work
of the two giants: Farah and Hanan! Just so
fulfilling to see this when so much else is going wrong in
Palestine, at least some can see the aesthetic of our
culture and how beautiful it is!
Love
Samia Costandi, UAE
Congratulations for a successful exhibit at the Kennedy
Center!
Sincerely
Nadia Sawabini, Lebanon
It was beautiful and made us very
proud!
Albert Mokhiber, DC
Great job Hanan and Farah
Best regards
Reema Ali, DC
Mabrook.
This is a great achievement!!
May Seikaly, DC
Dear Farah and
Hanan,
We visited
Washington, DC last weekend and were so very impressed with
the beautiful exhibits which were a part of "Arabesque."
Congratulations to the Palestinian Heritage Foundation for
having a part in this important cultural event.
Raymond and
Diane Barsa, NJ
Congratulations
! Bravo !
M. Hilmi, NY
Very nice display. Congratulations,
you always do a nice job and your commitment and dedication
are commendable.
Keep up the good work.
Regards
Dean Hamdan, NJ
You guys
make us proud and cheerful during these troubled times.
Keep up
the good work and hope to see you soon.
Kind
Regards
Hadi & Suzan Barghash, Belgium
Our Dear Hanan and Farrah,
You make us all so proud to be Palestinians. God bless you
and Alf Alf Mabrouk.
Khalil & Samar
Sakakini, CT
Ammo Farah and Aunti Hanan,
This is a breathtaking extra special production... it's very
moving and literary made me cry with pride. Thank you for
the important role you're playing in preserving our culture
and history
love you both,
Manal Hazzan, Nazareth
Very nice
work. May God grant both of you and your family many years
of good health and happiness. Keep up the wonderful work.
You make us all so very proud!
Ziad and
Claudia Barghash, NJ
As usual, you
and Hanan are doing the best for the cause by keeping the
Palestinian heritage alive.
Bishara El
Masri, NJ
You do not
fail to amaze and mesmerize us by the beautiful display to
show the world our rich heritage. You nurture pride in every
Palestinian.
Ya'teekom Alf Afieh
Najat El Khairy, Montreal, Canada
عزيزي فرح
كل الاحترام على ما تقومو به من اجل الحفاظ على الاتراث العربي
العريق
تحياتي
د. رياض اغبارية - ام-الفحم
It is very
moving as it shows the heritage of this region, The Arab
World....!
Hussein
Ibrahim, Jordan
Thanks a lot
for forwarding the newsletter, I was looking forward to it.
Amazing, as usual!!
Juman Feidi,
UAE
