Editor-in-Chief Georges Mghames English Editor Kenneth Mortimer ...

Dr. Monika Ghattas, American Historian from New Mexico
On Friday, 8th April, LERC was
visited by Dr. Monika Ghattas, a
historian based in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, currently working on
a history of Lebanese immigrants to
New Mexico, entitled Los Arabes de
Nueva Mexico: Compadres from a
Distant Land. Dr. Ghattas examined
material from the LERC archives
of value to her understanding of
those immigrants who settled in the
territory (later, in 1912, the State)
of New Mexico. Dr. Ghattas gained
her PhD in Modern European
The Ghattas family at the museum: (from left
to right) Mr. R. Ghattas, Dr. M. Ghattas, Mr. N.
Ghattas (Apr 2011).
History from the University of New
Mexico and lectured widely in her
field of specialization. Dr. Ghattas
was accompanied by her husband
Robert and her brother-in-law,
Mr. Nazih Ghattas, In a meeting
with LERC’s Acting Director Dr.
George Abdelnour and LERC’s
Chief Indexer, Mrs. Liliane Haddad,
Dr. Ghattas explained that New
Mexico had been annexed by the
United States in the mid-19th
century and that the population
was mostly Hispanic, living in small
and somewhat isolated villages as
farmers, shepherds and ranchers as
there was little industry. Lebanese
first came in the late 1880s. Most
of them worked as peddlers
initially, but soon established dry
Issue 52
June 2011
goods and grocery stores. These
immigrants came upon a culture and
lifestyle much like the one they had
left behind in family/village life, the
centrality of the Catholic Church, and
food preferences. Dr. Ghattas further
explained that many immigrants
came from Roumieh and Zahleh,
while a few were from outside
Tripoli. Dr. Abdelnour commended
Dr. Ghattas on the novelty of her
work, saying that previous studies
had concentrated on Lebanese
immigration to and from the
American east coast. In a departing
statement, she thanked LERC for the
opportunity to visit its facilities and
commended the work and efforts
made to collect and archive important
parts of Lebanese emigrant history.
Mexican-Lebanese Mrs. Martha Trabulse de El Khouri
Mexican-born Lebanese, Mrs.
Martha Trabulse de El Khouri
paid a visit to LERC on Thursday,
28th April. She is the daughter of
film maker, author and poet, Mr.
Antonio Trabulse Kaim, honored
with the LERC Acknowledgement
Award in December 2009 for
outstanding service to the
Lebanese community in Mexico and
endeavors for relations between
Mexico and Lebanon especially on
a cultural level. Mrs. Trabulse de El
Khouri graduated from Universidad
The Trabulse de El Khouri family
members at the Lebanon Migration
0Museum at NDU (April 2011).
Anāhuac in 2007 with honors in
International Administration, then
working at Pepsico International,
Mexico. In 2010, Mrs. Trabulse de El
Khouri became General Manager
of the new NGO, the Lebanese
Archives of Mexico.
Mrs. Trabulse de El Khouri is
married to another Mexican-born
Lebanese, Mr. Nizam El Khouri
Nader, who accompanied her to
the Center. Mr. El Khouri studied
International Relations, worked
with the Mexican government in
the tourism sector and then joined
his father, Nizam Mikhael El Khouri,
in the child garment industry.
Both the Trabulse de El Khouri
family members met with LERC
Director Ms. Guita Hourani. Mrs.
Trabulse de El Khouri explained that
the first collection of her new NGO
will be that of her father’s, i.e. the
materials of the Mexican-Lebanese
Cultural Institute, which will be
funded mainly by Mr. Alfredo Harb
Helou. LERC offered to act as an
expert and a verbal agreement
was reached to exchange digital
material.
Before leaving, Mrs. Trabulse de
El Khouri presented to LERC as
gifts from the author the script
of EL-VUELO, a play by her father
Antonio Trabulse Kaim, performed
at the Lebanese Club Theatre in
Mexico City, Mexico, in 1993, and
a beautifully illustrated hard-cover
book Dos Pueblos, Un Espíritu
Libaneses en México.
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