Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Accession Number |
2004.74.00 |
Catalog Number |
2004.74.08c |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
Ahmad Ibrahim |
Description |
Color photo of Ahmad Ibrahim wearing Palestinian hatta and igaal (headscarf and band) in a living room with a bowl of apples on a table on the right. Ahmad Essa Ibrahim was born in Jimsu (also spelled Jimzu,) Palestine in 1922. In 1948, he and his family were forced to leave their home and farmlands following the declaration of the State of Israel. They left behind their wheat mill and groves of fruit and olives and fled to the West Bank, where they lived in a tent near Ramallah. As the weather grew cold, they moved from town to town seeking shelter and work. Because of these hardships, Ahmad decided to immigrate to America. His wife Aisha had a cousin in Brooklyn who agreed to sponsor Ahmad as part of the Refugee Relief Act of 1953. Aisha sold her jewelry to pay for her husband's travel to America, except for a necklace she received as a wedding gift. She sent the necklace with Ahmad as a gift for her cousin's wife in appreciation of their help. After arriving in Manhattan, Ahmad took a taxi to the Brooklyn home of Moussa, his wife's cousin. Moussa and his wife helped Ahmad start his work as a peddler of linens, tapestries, and blankets. Ahmad worked hard to support himself and send money to his family back home. In 1962, Ahmad returned to his family for 10 months and brought two of his children back to the United States with him. In 1966, the whole family reunited in America. All of Ahmad and Aisha's children went on to receive advanced degrees; four of them became medical doctors. |
People |
Ibrahim, Ahmad |
Search Terms |
Palestinian Americans |
Subjects |
Apples Living rooms Plants |
Lexicon category |
8: Communication Artifact |