2001

JULY 26 - 29

ORLANDO

FLORIDA

Despite an anxious few weeks before July 26, with our Convention Chair Linda Handal wondering how many people were actually going to attend the Bethlehem Association convention,  our members and their families attended with anticipation, joy and enthusiasm another beautiful convention. The three day reunion at the elegant and comfortable Orlando Airport Marriott was a great success.
The program had something for everyone. Trips, Haflehs, Speeches, Meetings, Banquets, Fund raising, Dancing and most  importantly reunions of every kind: young and old, families and clans, quarters and towns. People came from everywhere: East Coast and West Coast, Canada and Mexico, Honduras and Brazil, Jamaica and Salvador.

About three hundred guests listened appreciatively to Dr. Afif Safieh Palestinian Delegate to the Holy See and the United Kingdom on Saturday evening. He spoke eloquently about American policy in the Middle East as the art of delaying the inevitable.

Dr. Afif Safieh and President Dr. Edward Hazboun

After a short fund raiser everyone enjoyed dancing to Tony Mercho and his band. We were especially impressed and touched by people's generosity at the fundraiser.  They were encouraged by MC David Handal and his wife Michelle for our Spanish members. With pledges and donations just before the convention, our members and friends gave a total of $65,000 of which a little less than half is for the Scholarship Capital Fund.  Contributors obviously realize how desperately help is needed in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour.

Saturday MC David Handal and wife Michelle.

Throughout the convention, we had a TV running in the registration area showing with pictures, charts and  short sentences how the money we send to Bethlehem is used.  We gave short accounts of Bethlehem University and the charities in Bethlehem that we help.  We showed some of their letters and receipts and photos of their different activities.
 

Miss Carmen J. Lama and friends.

             Mr & Mrs Andre Katura.

While there were quite a few old friends at the convention including the extended Handal families, we welcomed some newer members the Dabdoub family from Jamaica and some from our new Texas chapter notably Dr. Abraham Frech and his charming and capable daughter Kathy.  Our loyal Hazboun families came from Natal, Brazil and California, and a few Bethlehemites came from Honduras.  We also welcomed two families from Bethlehem, Yacoub and Carmela Handal and daughters  and  Khalil and Maha Hazboun and son.

Most people went on a Casino Cruise ship trip on Friday while others spent a few hours touring the Kennedy Space Center.  This was an excellent updated tour with lots of little dramatic movie presentations at various stopping places.  A tour bus takes you to the various sites and buildings which are miles apart.   The technology, size, complexity of the equipment, and teamwork needed are so impressive.  The courage of the astronauts was highlighted by candid interviews with some of the famous ones.  The casino cruise was an  enjoyable sea excursion with a buffet lunch and fun at the casino.
 

Board member Nina Bazouzi-Cullers & Mary Baboun from Haiti 
 

Robert Dabdoub and family from Jamaica. 

The guest speaker at  Friday evening's hafleh was Charley Reese, a Southern columnist, just retired from the Orlando Sentinel.  After an eloquent and enthusiastic introduction by MC Muna Handal who also knows his work, he gave a very sympathetic and outspoken speech on the need to tell the truth about what Israel and her supporters have been getting away with regard to the Palestinians.  We first read Charley Reese's article through various e-mails sent us by others so we felt extremely lucky to have him as our guest speaker.  It is cheering to hear an American speak so forcefully and persuasively on the whole issue.  He urged us to keep writing to the media who will listen in the end.  We will print the article he wrote a few days later on the situation which will give you his point of view.

Charlie Reese on Friday Evening.

On Friday also, four members: Nina Bazouzi, George Saca, Marie-Helene Dabdoub and Jane Abu-Threide  read aloud in turn a moving letter from  Dr. Simon A'raj Head of the Beit Jala Al-Ihsan Society that was listened to with hushed attention. It gave everyone a real sense of the practical hardships of the people in Beit Jala and the Bethlehem Area but also their feelings of

abandonment and despair.  It was an intense cry for help: 
" The people of the Bethlehem region as well as most of the Palestinian people ...are unable to fulfill their commitments, to get married, to support their families, to continue building, to pay back their debts to the banks. They are leaving Palestine to nowhere... It is painful that the people of Bethlehem

are leaving or thinking to leave We want to stay in our houses, in our land, in the land of our ancestors, to keep our roots forever. We depend on you to carry our cause, your cause, throughout the influential decision-making people in the United States, through the churches, through your local communities. We need your support. We need to know we are not alone. We thank you for your generosity and continuous financial and moral support.  We look forward for peace. We look forward for independent Palestine. We look forward to see you coming back to visit and stay among us. We look forward to raise our children In free Palestine."

Jane AbuThreide delivering part of
Dr. Simon A'raj letter from Beit-Jala.

We also heard  wonderful young and beautiful singer Marina Sami  El-Aly one of our members from Brazil who treated us to some of  her repertoire.   On Saturday evening our Texas chapter Issam Bandak organized a dabke performance by a few  young members who trained in the morning for the first and then made a beautiful short performance in the evening.  Another talented member,  Bassel Sakkab with his wife Mervat took professional photos of families and guests on Friday and Saturday evenings.  They were excellent and people enjoyed picking them up on Sunday morning. Lily Handal and Florence Fersa Handal put together a  whole lot of prizes for a free children's raffle that was a big hit.

Marina Sami El-Aly singing a great repertoire on Friday evening.

Relaxing in the jacuzzi :  L-R: Jad Handal, Abraham Frech Jr., Miray Handal, Ramie Faris, Sanielle Handal, Ezelda Yacoub, Francis Handal.
 

Pool party on Saturday. L-R:  Kristina Handal, Renee Faris, Jad Handal, Abraham Frech Jr., Miray Handal, James Yacoub, Ramie Handal, Ezelda Yacoub, Sanielle Handal.

The Saturday morning panel discussion went very well with Albert Hazbun moderating Afif Safieh and Victor Jaar from Montreal.  They all had thoughtful and worthwhile suggestions about what we can do to spread the truth and to keep better informed ourselves.  Afif Safieh has an impressive command of Palestinian history and recent  events so he was fascinating to listen to. One detail was his suggestion that young people in Bethlehem might get more training in Art and Design which could be used in combination with traditional craft work and other arts.  This may seem unlikely at the moment but in the future it could be worthwhile.

The membership meeting was dominated by the request from the present executive committee to find its replacement.  Nobody has volunteered to take over despite publicizing the need for change for almost two years on the website and in the newsletter.  A nominating committee was set up and a more personal seeking out of candidates should be fruitful.  We had previously received only two nominations to the executive committee; one from Jean Pierre Nasser and the other from Michel Lama. In their separate meeting the Board later voted Michel Lama as Convention Chairman to  help Linda Handal our Social Secretary.

Jean-Pierre Nasser and wife Sana

Members from San Francisco agreed to find out more about why membership there has lost steam and to try to revive it.  Board member Joe Dibsy from Los Angeles agreed to see how the Nativity Club might work with us.  The feeling now is that local groups should manage more of their own affairs.

The problem in the past has been that the central office is responsible for tiresome details relating to income tax returns required for nonprofit tax exempt organizations. We agreed to find a compromise that will allow local chapters more autonomy while giving the responsibility of meeting the requirements of tax exempt organizations.

The Sunday afternoon Board meeting resolved among other issues to send $30,000 dollars to Bethlehem next month.  We welcomed two new board members,  Adel Bandak and Katy Frech from Texas. We also discussed with George Mubarak appointing  someone to represent our Mexico members.  Future convention locales were proposed but not too seriously yet - Houston, New York, Las Vegas, Jamaica, Brazil and Honduras!

Three belles - no  I mean board members - Convention Chair Linda Handal, sister Lily Handal ,New Jersey, with Maro Hazou, Washington D.C. in the center.

The convention ran fairly smoothly thanks to the experience now and organizational skill of Linda Handal, helped by her supportive husband, Domingo, her spreadsheet expert son David and grandchildren Sanielle and Johnny.  Eddy, Joan and  Ramsey Hazboun  had the time consuming task of doing most of the paperwork, mailings and website.At the convention itself  Mary Hazboun Warra was an unexpected godsend helping out at registration.  Her brother Elias Hazboun was our man in Orlando and helped with so many details. Tania Soufia and husband Nasser were very

L to R:  Monty Hazboun, Nasser Hazineh, Nadia Hazineh, Ramsey Hazboun, Joan Hazboun, Elias Hazboun, Mary Hazboun Warra, Lydia Hazine.  In Front:  Mary Nasri Hazboun, Claudette Eadeh.

helpful soliciting great raffle prizes and helping at the convention.
In the end, we must thank all the members and guests who made the effort to come to Orlando and meet up with old friends and relatives.  A reunion like this gives us a good time but also makes us remember our roots and our Christian heritage which survived for centuries but is now so sorely jeopardized right under the noses of supposedly Christian countries.

Photographer Bassel Sakkab & David Handal 

Rita and Salim A. Saba with children Tania, Natalie,Tiffany and baby ?