User:Lillian.Zami

From The Peopling of New York City

Jump to: navigation, search

Lillian Zami



How I became a New Yorker
I was lucky to be able to grow up in New York my entire life. An outsider might think that being raised in New York I was exposed to all types of different cultures, but that is not true. My family is proud of where we are from, it is something the entire community boasts about, we know who we are and who we come from.

My father’s side is what is called Egyptian. While it is true he was born in Egypt that is not the true place of his ancestry. My Great-Grandparents were mostly born in Aleppo, Syria; they immigrated to Alexandria, Egypt in the beginning of the 20th century. In Egypt they lived a very prosperous life. They were wealthy, healthy and happy. In 1954 my grandmother married her uncle (yes, my grandfather is her uncle) they started a good life together. They were fortunate to have a car, maids and many other symbols of the successful life they lived. As time went on the economic situation in Egypt declined. The government took control over the businesses and it was difficult for my grandfather to make a living. In 1961, when my father was four months old, my grandparents decided to was time to make a change and leave. After spending seven months in France (while waiting to get papers approved) they moved to New York, into the existing Syrian Jewish Community in Brooklyn.

My Mother was born and raised in Brooklyn, while her mother was too raised in Brooklyn, the same cannot be said for her father. My grandfather was born in Syria. At the time of the move he was the youngest of 10 children, the eldest child was married with children. In Syria the Jewish community was being treated very roughly. The community members were faced with blatant displays of anti-Semitism in all aspects of life. My great Grandfather could not support his rapidly growing family and decided to move to America. He left his family behind as he set up a life for them in America. When he had made enough money, he brought his family over. They landed in Ellis Island when my grandfather was a year old. They moved into an apartment in Brooklyn, New York. While some of the family dispersed as far as California and Israel the majority of the family still lives and prospers in the same area in which they first moved.


ME!