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2007 Articles
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Bridge to Our Roots
The Lebanese American Foundation, Inc. (LAF) is a Non-Profit Public Benefit
Corporation established and organized under
the laws and regulations of the State of California. LAF mission is to build the
House of Lebanon that would include a
community and a cultural center in the Los Angeles area or vicinity.
Executive Director: The Executive Director is responsible for developing
and executing a comprehensive plan for fundraising activities including prospect
identification, corporate and individual giving, foundation grants, other major
gift fundraising,
and increase membership and contributions to the LAF.
The Executive Director will work closely with the Board of Directors, the
Chairman, and the President to insure the success of the fundraising plan. The
Executive Director will be responsible for the success of the fundraising plan
and will report quarterly to the Board of Directors on the progress of
fundraising.
The Executive Director will:
1. Maintain official records and documents, and ensure compliance with federal,
state and local regulations.
2. Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the
field.
3. Publicize the activities of the organization, its programs and goals.
4. Establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with
community groups and organizations.
5. Represent the programs and point of view of the organization to agencies,
organizations, and the general public.
6. Jointly, with the president and secretary of the board of directors, conduct
official correspondence of the organization,
and jointly, with designated officers, execute legal documents.
Qualifications:
Lebanese American, U.S. citizen or legal resident. Business/marketing degree
with 3 years of progressively responsible experience in resource development,
fundraising, donor development, and community relations. Strong written and
verbal communication skills. Highly motivated and a self-starter in order
to take full advantage of the incentives that we offer based on the level of
fundraising amounts.
Compensation: $50, 000 - $60,000 depending on experience, plus percentage
incentives of new funds raised, for an annual earning potential exceeding
$100, 000. Send resume including three references via email
to:
E.D.position@houseoflebanon.com
MIT Honors Lebanese Club as “Agent of Change”
Cambridge, May 21— At its
annual Student Leader Awards ceremony, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) presented the 2007 Agent of Change award to the
Lebanese Club at MIT (LCM). In announcing the winner, an MIT spokesperson
described how “during the July 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict, the LCM moved
swiftly into action, organizing the ongoing Boston to Lebanon
grassroots fundraising campaign to raise public awareness and funds for
Lebanon”.
“At a time when the local Lebanese community needed the most support, [the LCM] found a way to positively channel the community's energy into a productive, proactive effort on behalf of Lebanon”, she added. The LCM was also officially credited for making “the highest deposit ever by a student group after a single event fundraiser”, in reference to a benefit concert held by the club during the 34-day conflict.
The annual Agent of Change award honors the MIT student organization that best displays commitment to and passion for justice and activism to create positive change in and beyond MIT. The Lebanese Club received the award because of its “dedication, resourcefulness, and professionalism in spearheading this Boston-wide campaign”, according to MIT. The Institute hosts over 300 student-run groups and organizations.
“This prestigious honor is a powerful endorsement by MIT of our efforts to bring justice, awareness, and aid to Lebanon”, said Loai Naamani, President of the Lebanese Club at MIT. Naamani dedicated the award to “the memory of Lebanon’s lost ones; to the countless innocent victims of the savagery we call the July 2006 Conflict and to the statesmen and leaders of thought & action who have been cowardly eliminated through political assassination in Lebanon’s recent history.”
Anchored at MIT and managed by the Lebanese Club, the Boston to Lebanon fund offers donors tax exemption and ensures direct transfer of all proceeds to local NGOs in Lebanon at 0% overhead. The campaign is apolitical and sheds light on the massive need for economic and humanitarian aid in Lebanon. Activities supported by the campaign and conducted by local beneficiaries, such as Bahr Lubnan, Offre Joie, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and the Lebanese Red Cross include cleaning up the Ramlet El Baida beach from the oil-spill by paying the daily salaries of 20 fishermen, reconstructing 4 households in the widely demolished Qaouzah village, removing unexploded mines in South Lebanon by supporting 7 skilled technicians, and purchasing the equipment for a new blood bank in Jbeil.
LCM member and former Secretary, Mesrob Ohannessian, a PhD Candidate in the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was also
recognized at the 2007 awards convocation with a Distinguished Dedication
award for his “selflessness and dedication, which was most evident during
TECHLEB|06”, according to MIT.
TECHLEB|06 is the 1st International Conference on Technology Development in Lebanon, held at MIT in May of 2006. The 3-day conference attracted registrants from 15 countries and 20 US states, representing 168 unique companies and organizations. Bringing together the stakeholders of Lebanon’s technology sector in one place for the first time, the conference proved to be an ideal vehicle for defining and building consensus on the pressing requirements for developing Lebanon’s technology sector and for transitioning Lebanon towards a knowledge-based economy. The outcomes of TECHLEB were officially endorsed by Lebanon’s Council of Ministers and mandated by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to a newly founded Coordination Unit responsible for supervising their implementation.
###
The Lebanese Club at MIT (LCM) is a
nonprofit, nonpartisan MIT-based organization established in 1970 to
foster a sense of community among the Lebanese students at MIT and to
promote Lebanese culture and concerns at the Institute and the Greater
Boston area at large. For more information about the LCM and its members,
events, and programs:
http://web.mit.edu/lebanon |
lebanon-exec@mit.edu | +1 (617) 452–5380
LCM President, Loai Naamani (left), and LCM Treasurer, Fadi Kanaan (right), receive the Institute’s Agent of Change Award for 2007
University shooting leaves two Lebanese dead
By DPA
Apr 17, 2007, 19:23 GMT
 | Age: 18 |
| Class: Freshman |
| Major: University Studies Major |
| Hometown: Centreville, VA |
| High school: Westfield High School (Class of '06) |
| Parents: Joseph and Mona Samaha |
| Blacksburg residence: Slusher Wing |
Family Vigil At VA Tech Reema and Randa Samaha, Jackie and Jennette tahhan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
subject: PLEASE READ: Your help for my
sister, Jessica Abood
From: "Lily Brook Abood" <lilybrook@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, March 19, 2007 12:18 pm
To: info@cedarsusa.com
Hello,
I apologize for the anonymity of this email. I am trying to reach out to
Arab-American communities to help raise awareness about the need for bone marrow
donors with our ethnic background.
I've never imagined writing an email of this sort, so please bear with me and
read this all
the way through. And, when you're done, please share it with your friends and
family, and
help me push it get the word out.
I am writing to ask for your help and your good wishes. My sister, Jessica Cody
Abood, was originally diagnosed with leukemia in January 2006 and spentthe
majority of last year
fighting the disease. She put in a good fight though and in March 2006 the
cancer went
into remission. But, the cancer came back and the treatment this time around
needs to be different.
The doctors have recommended that Jessica receive a bone marrow transplant as
soon as the cancer is in remission, but because of our unique ethnic heritage
(primarily Lebanese and German), she does not currently have adonor match.
If you could reach out to your communities and families to help raise awareness
and recruit donors, I would greatly appreciate your help.
For those of you who are interested, I've pulled together some more information
about getting tested and the process of donating marrow or blood. To summarize
the attached pdf: it's really, really easy. To be tested (and added to the
registry) all you need to do is get a cheek swab. That's it. One Q-tip rolled
around and you're done. (The process of donating marrow/blood to a patient is a
bit more complicated, but you always have the choice to donate or not, and they
make the process very simple for the donor.)
I cannot overemphasize my plea for individuals from racial or ethnic minority
groups to be tested. Of the 4,000,000+ donors in the Registry, there is not one
single match for Jessica. So, please please please reach out to people that you
know who may have Lebanese/Arab ancestry, or help me locate community
organizations or church groups that may have access to Arab-American
communities.
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has made great strides in its efforts
to provide matches for more patients. Yet, even with millions of potential
donors and tens of thousands of cord blood units on the Registry, patients from
some racial and ethnic groups remain less likely to find a suitable match than
others. In addition, some patients are unable to find a suitable match because
of the rarity of their tissue traits. Some tissue traits are more likely to be
found among people of a particular racial or ethnic heritage. That is why a
pressing need remains for more people who identify themselves as American Indian
or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native
Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or multiple-race to volunteer as donors.
Jessica completes her chemotherapy treatment today and we will know in a few
weeks if the treatment was successful. If her cancer is in remission, she will
need a bone marrow transplant. Please help us improve her chances at life by
getting tested, sending this email far and wide, and sending all the love in the
world her way.
Thank you.
Lily B. Abood email lilybrook@gmail.com
If you'd like to find out more about my leukemia, please visit
The National Cancer Institute <http://www.cancer.gov/ > or The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society <http://www.leukemia.org/>
For more information about bone marrow registries, or getting yourself tested,
please visit The National Marrow Donor Program<http://www.marrow.org/>
, or the American Bone Marrow Donor Registry <http://www.abmdr.org/
Prime Minister of Lebanon, United States Secretary of State, American Business Leaders Offer Path to a More Stable Lebanon
PARIS-(Business Wire)-January 25, 2007 - Today, the Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad Siniora, the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a group of American business leaders announced progress in an effort to spur economic growth and stability in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Siniora, Secretary Rice and the business leaders met at Paris III, an international donor conference in the French capital aimed at identifying ways to build a more promising future for the people of Lebanon. There, they discussed the crucial role of public-private partnerships in helping to rebuild Lebanon for a better future through expanding the reach of education and workforce training, job creation and building technology infrastructure.
Four of the business leaders, Craig Barrett, Chairman, Intel Corporation; John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Yousif Ghafari, Chairman, GHAFARI, Inc.; and Dr. Ray Irani, Chairman, President and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, formed the U.s.-Lebanon Partnership in September, at the request of United States President George W. Bush.
Additionally, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was introduced as a new member of the Lebanon Partnership leadership group today.
"Lebanon faces real and substantial challenges in the wake of the recent conflict, with damages to homes, schools and other critical infrastructure costing billions of dollars. The U.S.-Lebanon Partnership is a great friend to the people of Lebanon, and a leader in the effort to marshal international support for the rebuilding efforts. We will continue to work with the leaders of the Partnership to find a more stable and prosperous future for the Lebanese people," said Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister of Lebanon.
"The United States is deeply concerned about the people of Lebanon and is committed to finding enduring solutions for the challenges they face," said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "The U.S.-Lebanon Partnership is making important progress towards that goal, helping to lay the foundation for sustained economic growth and long-term stability. "
Today, the Partnership announced initiatives in five key areas critical to creating sustainable economic growth in the region, which include crisis relief and response, information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, workforce training, job creation/private sector revival and connected government.
Crisis Relief and Response
The Partnership is working with proven non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Lebanon to help address the immediate needs of adequate housing, education and worker training. Today, the Partnership announced a series of steps being taken by the NGOs which are funded by the Partnership, including:
- Habitat for Humanity (HFH) will assist approximately 50 families to repair damaged homes and will establish a new Habitat Resource Center to help with ongoing disaster response programs, directly and indirectly helping more than 3,500 people.
- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will accelerate efforts to return normalcy to children and families, with a focus on improving health and nutrition, child protection and education. As part of this, UNICEF will rehabilitate 10 schools in southern
Lebanon, relying in part on youth volunteers brought in from affected areas and across the country.
- American Near East Refugee Aid (AN ERA) will distribute Partnership funds among 10 southern Lebanese community-based organizations to link the neediest populations to educational and worker training materials through leT.
- Mercy Corps will rehabilitate 10 schools, expand their extra-curricular offerings, provide IT access and computer training and encourage school engagement among parents and other community members.
leT Infrastructure
Currently, Lebanon is burdened by a nascent and inefficient leT infrastructure. The Partnership has pledged to support development of an International Gateway and an Internet Exchange Point to Lebanon which will help develop Lebanon's economy by enabling open communications in a competitive environment. This support may include donation of equipment, training and consulting. The International Gateway will offer improved international Internet connectivity for Lebanon, and the Internet Exchange Point will strengthen local infrastructure to stimulate local economic development. This project has the potential to improve the speed and efficiency of Internet traffic flow throughout Lebanon and help decrease costs.
Assistance also will be made available to the Lebanese Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in establishing an enabling environment for leT in Lebanon that can promote innovation, investment and infrastructure development.
Workforce Training
Sustainable economic growth in Lebanon requires a skilled workforce and businesses built to compete in a global marketplace. The Partnership is working to identify and place 500 Lebanese interns in Lebanon and the United States over the next three years. Members of the Partnership have initially committed to placing 115 interns within their own companies.
In addition, Cisco has pledged to double the number of its Networking Academies in Lebanon. The Networking Academy program prepares students for IT jobs through a combination of online, e-Iearning curriculum and hands-on lab work.
Job Creation / Private Sector Revival
Growing Lebanon's private sector is the linchpin to creating jobs for the Lebanese people. Over the past two months, the Partnership has conducted extensive outreach and worked with local stakeholders to identify private sector projects that could be accelerated through injection of capital and joint ventures with companies worldwide. The result of this outreach is an initial list of more than 100 promising projects in six key industries - technology, tourism, banking and finance, agribusiness, health care and manufacturing - which will contribute to job creation in Lebanon.
The project acceleration phase will start in mid-February, and the Partnership will work with the United States Chamber of Commerce, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Near East Consulting Group to create joint ventures between Lebanese businesses and compatible foreign business partners and provide needed funding and insurance incentives. This will be done with the help of key Lebanese business development organizations including Kafalat, IDAL and the AmCham.
Connected Government
Technology has an increasingly important role to play in the delivery of government and social services to the Lebanese people. For this reason, the Partnership will enable online community access in Lebanon by providing on-line access points that offer social resources such as job training, healthcare information, on-line education, global resources such as on-line libraries and other rich media content and government services to Lebanese citizens.
"Microsoft has been working with Lebanon's government and NGOs for years, collaborating on education projects, on efforts to expand technology access, and on egovernment solutions," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "So we're pleased to be involved in the U.s.-Lebanon Partnership Fund. This builds on our ongoing efforts to help foster stability and promote development across the Middle East."
Microsoft supports access to technology and IT skills training for schools and communities through its flagship citizenship programs Unlimited Potential and Partners in Learning. In Lebanon, Microsoft works to help students, orphans, elderly and people with disabilities, and to help small and medium businesses thrive.
"Lebanon will only be rebuilt through actions focused on improving the educational and economic infrastructure," said Craig Barrett, Chairman, Intel Corporation. "The first $1 million in grants from the U.S.-Lebanon Partnership Fund will enhance the existing relief efforts. By collaborating with proven NGOs, our goal is to accelerate meeting the immediate needs of adequate housing, education and worker training."
"Only occasionally do you have an opportunity to make a difference in a person's life, much less in a community. Through this partnership, we have a chance to make a difference in a country and perhaps even a region," said John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco. "After visiting Lebanon, I have seen first-hand the serious challenges facing the country. Through the efforts of this Partnership, we can make a meaningful contribution not just for rebuilding Lebanon but to help position the country for leadership in the future. Through the unique combination of public-private partnerships and the support of the global community, together we can accomplish what none of us can do alone. We cannot underestimate the challenges associated with this endeavor, nor can we afford to ignore the great needs facing this country and all of its citizens. The time to act is now."
"It is my personal goal to help Lebanon return to the country I knew growing up," said Yousif Ghafari, Chairman, GHAFARI, Inc. "Lebanon used to be called the Switzerland or the Paris of the Middle East, there was commerce and tourism: people of different religions lived as peaceful neighbors. We were hospitable and we were entrepreneurs and our small country welcomed the world to its sophisticated night life, its beaches and its mountain resorts. The world has changed, and Lebanon has lost its luster, but its people have not lost their will to live in peace, tolerance and prosperity. I firmly believe that with our human capital, outstanding educational institutions and the Lebanese entrepreneurship we once again can make Lebanon an example for the region where different faiths and cultures can live together in peace and harmony, an oasis of tolerance and prosperity in a volatile and increasing intolerant region of the world. We cannot lose this generation to ignorance, lack of economic opportunity and a loss of hope, if we do, we have lost Lebanon. We cannot have peace without the hope of a future for the young people, they have no comfort in the memory of Lebanon as it was, they need education and opportunity and they will make a new Lebanon. The Lebanon they make, however, is up to us, they can move to the light, or they can move to the darkness of religious and cultural intolerance, and blind and violent hatred of all things
Western. They can work for peace, or make war; my wish, and the reason I am participating in this effort, is to work for peace. Every small step toward peace is a ste~ away from war."
"There has never been a more important time for the American people to show their support and generosity to those in need in Lebanon," said Dr. Ray Irani, Chairman, President and CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. "I continue, along with Occidental, to very actively support a wide range of educational, health care and charitable organizations throughout the Arab Middle East, including Lebanon. It remain my hope that the work of the U.s.-Lebanon Partnership, coupled with the important contributions of numerous other non-governmental organizations throughout the Unitel States and across the globe, can assist Lebanon in achieving a more rapid recovery am help in promoting lasting peace and stability in the region."
For more information about the partnership and contributing to the effort, visit www.lebanonpartnership.org
What kind of a man is Monk?
By Lynn Smith
Times Staff Writer
January 1, 2007
BEFORE Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective
Monk, the Lebanese American actor had compiled a long list of supporting
characters with widely diverse names: Haddad ("The Siege"), Kwan ("Galaxy
Quest"), Scarpacci ("Wings"), Reyes ("Primary Colors") and Riedenschneider
("The Man Who Wasn't There"). Now it's the talent, not the ethnic look, that
people notice. This year, he has again been nominated for a Golden Globe,
and he won his third Emmy for "Monk,"
USA
Network's highest-rated show, which will start Season 5 1/2 in January.
Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has been adding to his resume not only as an actor but
also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab American roots.
One of his projects, an upcoming independent film called "American East,"
tells about ordinary Arab Americans in
Los
Angeles whose everyday lives and plans have been altered by 9/11.
"Spike Lee had his agenda and his vision. It's been done in the Hispanic
American community," Shalhoub said. His own 1996 film with Stanley Tucci,
"Big Night," dealt with Italian American restaurateurs who had nothing in
common with underworld stereotypes.
"If ever there was a time for it to be done for the Arab American community,
it's now," he said. "It's now or never as far as I'm concerned."
If he hadn't succeeded as Monk, an everyman character of indeterminate
ethnicity, it might have been more difficult for him to be a successful
advocate, said Hesham Issawi, director of "American East." "People don't
even realize he has a Lebanese background. He has the money, the artistic
power and the influence in Hollywood to make some change in the image. And
he's not afraid of doing it."
Yet Shalhoub had already helped improve the public image of Arab Americans
simply by being himself, Issawi said. "He's an inspiration," he said. "You
can see it on the set. They all look up at him. He's a generous guy. He
doesn't walk in as a star."
In a modest neighborhood near Hollywood and Vine, lights and cameras were
trained on the star, standing nervously on a cracked sidewalk. Dressed in
his detective's trademark buttoned-to-the-throat shirt, he squinted and
blinked, his mouth struggling in vain to form words to defend himself from a
barrage of verbal abuse from a fellow actor playing his part.
Beaten, he turned and shuffled off, a sad shadow of the usually sharp-eyed
detective.
It's the sort of physical performance that stage actors like Shalhoub are
trained to do and one reason Emmy voters like him. This year, they surprised
him with his third honor for comedic acting despite expectant buzz
surrounding Steve Carell ("The Office").
Critics admire his ability to shift moods on a dime, a trait the show's
writers like to exploit. "Writing for Tony Shalhoub's voice is like writing
for Bob Newhart," said co-creator and executive producer Andy Breckman.
"It's all about pacing, timing, the pauses."
He said that after five years the writers try to come up with situations
just to see how the actor will handle them. "We throw different pitches at
the plate to see if he can hit it. It's like a game for us. We did an
episode where he went through all five stages of grief in 30 seconds."
In "star math," the relationship of an actor's ego to his talent, Shalhoub
also comes out on top, said Jeff Wachtel, USA's senior vice president of
original programming. "Tony has the best ratio I've ever seen," Wachtel
said. "It's so little about his ego and so much about the quality of the
work and his fellow actors, it just makes people want to vote for him."
Shalhoub said he's never considered himself a comedian. "The beauty of
'Monk' for an actor is that it presents the ideal challenge, which is doing
comedic stuff and dramatic stuff all together," he said. Monk's humor comes
from his being a tragic clown along the lines of Charlie Chaplin, Shalhoub
said.
Sometimes, Shalhoub thinks viewers aren't sure why they're laughing or even
if it's OK to laugh. "Like Chaplin too, he's kind of alone. He has his
assistant and people he works with, but he doesn't have that soul mate that
completes him. He feels incomplete."
In recent years, Shalhoub branched out from acting to direct ("Made-Up" with
his wife, Brooke Adams) and produce (as a creative force in casting, writing
and editing on "Monk"). Still, he said, he can't quit acting. "I just love
it," he said.
During a break in shooting, he spoke in a normal voice but carried on
Monkish characteristics as he shifted on his tall director's chair, hugged
his chest and twitched. Was he, perhaps, uncomfortable? "No … no," he said
in Monk's hesitant, half-polite, half-shy manner. And then, "Yes."
Almost every actor with an ethnic background has stories about being cast
early on as a negative racial stereotype. Shalhoub said actors must assume
some responsibility in whether to accept those parts. "It's about your
choices and your willingness to turn things down, or branch out and initiate
your own projects," he said later over the phone as he was being driven home
after work.
The good thing about cable, he said, is that an actor isn't overexposed. The
other thing, at least in his case, is extra time. Because "Monk," a
16-episode series, is broken up into two half-seasons, one airing in summer,
the other in winter, Shalhoub is free for other ventures.
In 2003, he took a small part in a short satirical film, "T for Terrorist,"
about a young actor who goes berserk after being cast one too many times as
an Arab terrorist and turns the tables on the director.
In 2005, he helped establish the Arab-American Filmmaker Award Competition
along with the Network of Arab-American Professionals, Zoom in Focus
productions and Zahra Pictures. In the contest, established Arab American
filmmakers submit their screenplays; the winner gets his or her film
produced.
"It's important," he said. "There are so many great stories that need to be
told to offset the negative images in the media — not just the news, but
in other television and film."
In "American East," Shalhoub plays a Jewish Egyptian American who agrees to
start a restaurant business with an Islamic Egyptian American — to the
consternation of both of their relatives. Issawi said he and co-writer Sayed
Badreya pitched Shalhoub the idea for the film in a coffee shop near his
home. "He loved the idea.
He ended up paying us to go write the script." Later, Shalhoub traveled with
them back East to shop the script to other producers.
"Once people heard his name, they would read the script," said Issawi, whose
only other notable project was "T for Terrorist." Shalhoub also helped shape
the film itself.
"Tony always said let's shake the boat, show them things they've never seen
before. Let's put Jews and Muslims in one movie and see what happens. Sort
of like the
Middle
East in America."
In production, a problem arose with the Islamic character. "We were trying
to say certain things through him," said producer Ahman Zahra. "Sometimes it
would end up being preachy or too documentary-ish.
"Tony's character would say things not necessarily nice to Arabs and the
Arab cringes when he says it. Tony says you've got to hear what other people
are saying about these guys. That balancing between what other people say
and what we want to hear brings both sides out. It makes it appealing to
everybody," he said.
The film also stars Kais Nashif ("Paradise Now"), Sarah Shahi ("The L
Word"), Ray Wise ("The West Wing," "24") and Sayed Badreya in his first lead
role. Zahra said, "We're hoping this could be the start of a new wave of
expression, not just for Arab Americans but other minorities … to give
them a voice."
Shalhoub was "No. 9" in a family of 10 children whose father emigrated from
Lebanon
at age 10, and whose mother was a second-generation Lebanese American. He
was raised in
Green
Bay, Wis., where his father ran a sausage company from a truck. "He
wanted to expand that into a family-run company and mail-order business,"
Shalhoub said. "He opened a little shop. His idea was that the company would
sustain all of us and keep us close in the same area. Even though that
didn't happen, we stayed close." Every summer, the family gathers in
Wisconsin for a vacation.
Shalhoub was raised as a Christian; he doesn't speak Arabic. According to
Issawi, Shalhoub was not involved in Middle Eastern culture as a child. "It
happens a lot. The first generation wants the child to be part of the
melting pot. They're tired of the politics back home and don't want them to
go through their own experience. Then the person grows up and wants to find
their roots. It happened to Tony later on in his life," after his father
died, Issawi said. "He was lucky to have found the medium of film and cinema
to help him explore.
"That's the beauty of it. He succeeded as an American, now as an Arab
American going back to reach into his own history. The
Middle
East is now very much a part of America. It's important for Americans
to understand what the
Middle
East is about. He's one of the people building that bridge."
As for his next roles, Shalhoub says he's not avoiding ethnic characters,
nor is he seeking them out. Though Monk has no particular ethnicity, even in
his back story, Shalhoub said it just hasn't factored in the stories so far.
"But you never know."
lynn.smith@latimes.com