More than 2,000 people meet in Houston for family reunion
Largest event of its type held by 5 Palestinian clans
To the average American, Ramallah is a distant place in the West Bank known for turmoil between Palestinians and Israelis.
But for more than 2,000 people who converged Saturday in Houston in the largest family reunion of its type, it’s home.
Members of five Ramallah families who have since moved to the United States travel to different cities each year for a convention organized by the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine. The reunion is marked by events that highlight the centuriesold history of Ramallah, including folklore music, Dabke dance and traditional clothing covered in Palestinian stitching known as tatreez.
This year’s theme was launching a new generation.
“We want to let the younger generation get more involved and to stick together and continue to evolve this huge 59-year family reunion,” said Linda Zayed, events chair for the convention. “It’s a family reunion that’s so huge you can’t host it in your house.”
While the convention travels to a different state each year, the board plans to host its 2018 event in their hometown of Ramallah, which was founded in the mid-1500s.
Ram is an Aramaic word that means “hill” and Allah is the Arabic word for God, which makes Ramallah translate to “the hill of God.” In the heart of Ramallah is a roundabout marked with the sculptures of five lions, known as Al-Manara Square. Each lion is dedicated to one of the original families that founded the city, Haddad, Ibrahim, Jerias, Shqair and Hassan.
The early inhabitants of Ramallah consisted mostly of Christian families with only eight Muslim Palestinian families. Today, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics estimates a weekday population of 120,000.
A survey by the American Community Survey shows 85,186 Palestinians living in the U.S., including
30,000 from Ramallah.
The families enjoy reuniting, organizers said.
“We want to keep the family tight,” said Jerry Zaid, entertainment chair.
Organizers said the mission is to emphasize the importance of preserving heritage.
“It’s really important to keep the culture alive, seeing all the families coming together especially from all over the States, and getting to know everybody that’s from Ramallah is really fun,” attendee Dena Dahu said.
The convention wrapped up its celebratory weekend with a formal banquet that included the presence of Houstonian Farouk Shami, a prominent PalestinianAmerican businessman and founder of the hair care product CHI, and a performance by the Kashaf Palestinian Scouts group from Ramallah.