Syrian Culture in Early Twentieth-Century Nebraska

Many groups made their way to the American Plains during the wave of immigration that lasted from approximately 1880 to 1924. Many of these immigrants were not the traditional groups from the Northern or Western European regions. There were immigrants of all types, including Italians, Greeks, Irish, Polish, and Russians—as well as many others. Syrians from the Ottoman Empire made the journey to the United States, too. These immigrants have received little attention historically, especially those who settled on the American Plains.

Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Syrian immigrants who came to Kearney, Nebraska, at the turn of the twentieth century were a very determined group that eventually became successful entrepreneurs and farmers in Nebraska. As they settled down, Syrian immigrants educated their children, learned the English language, bought their own homes and businesses, and established themselves in their new community. Pressure to assimilate to their new community was strong, so there were few areas where these immigrants could continue their old-world lifestyles.

While there were Syrians throughout the country that did hold sentiment for their homeland, most of Kearney’s Syrians wanted to be American. What little they held on to from their home, they were usually willing to change their public appearance and keep their practice of Syrian traditions in their homes or in the company of other Syrians. Here they continued to speak old-world languages, eat Syrian foods, and worship in their own church. They balanced their new lives as Americans with their old life as Syrians.

One lasting legacy of the Syrians in Kearney is the St. George Orthodox Christian Church. Here, like in the home, many traditions of the homeland continued to be practiced. While many Syrian communities in the United States were more or less forced to join local parishes of Methodist and Lutheran faiths, many of the Syrians in Kearney continued their Eastern Orthodox faith. They formed their own church and installed one of their own to be their first priest.

Until the creation of the Orthodox church in Kearney in 1903, there were only four others in the United States. The first was in Brooklyn; two others were in Massachusetts, and one was in Toledo, Ohio. There was also an Orthodox church in Montréal, Quebec. Having the westernmost branch of Orthodox church in Kearney made Syrian transition in the United States easier on the plains, and by 1914, there were thirty Orthodox churches the U.S. and Canada.^[1] 

In the mid-1920s, the Orthodox church in Kearney was well organized and held meetings for several groups, including weekly services. While the church drew upon a small minority of Syrian immigrants, it also serviced many in their religious needs, and for a group of immigrants that would have likely lost much of their identity, the Orthodox church helped to preserve that identity for much longer than if they had joined another local parish. It should be noted that all services were done in a traditional Orthodox manner: Whether it was a marriage, a baptism, or a funeral, churchgoers could continue their practices from Syria. 

Source: St. George Orthodox Christian Church

Special events tended to be large family affairs that attracted Syrians from distant cities and towns. Baptisms were important celebrations, much like weddings are celebrated today, bringing family members from all areas of the country. One notable event occurred when Syrians from as far away as Iowa and Michigan came to celebrate the baptism of Bobby Shada. During this event, upwards of one hundred and fifty people gathered for the celebration. Church services were held afterward, as the entire community congregated at the Shada Farm, east of Kearney. At the farm, the women gathered to prepare the meal, while the men set up picnic tables and chairs. The children played games with family and friends who had traveled great distances for the occasion.^[2]

The Syrian immigrants who lived in Kearney were a tight-knit group. After finding a place to settle, Syrian men brought their entire families to the United States. Therefore, family homes were filled with several generations until they all purchased homes of their own. Many families lived in the same house. In 1900, all of the Syrian families rented their homes, and these nine Syrian families in Kearney lived in five different houses. For example, there were fourteen Syrians living together at 3417 Avenue A in one apartment (2C). Other residences had as many as eight people living at the same location. In these five homes, there were eleven heads of the house, nine wives, fourteen sons, six daughters, five boarders, a son-in-law, a brother-in-law, and a mother-in-law.^[3] 

Eventually, Syrian families bought their own homes, and the days of living among extended families were over. By 1910, virtually all of Kearney’s Syrians were living in their own homes, yet those homes were still the place where Syrian identity continued to survive. In many cases, women helped to preserve that identity. Many women, especially those who were born in Syria, kept their old-world traditions much longer. They continued to speak in Arabic, especially to their husbands and older Syrian friends. For many of their children, this was the only exposure to their native language they received. For the generations of Syrian Americans that were born in Kearney, what few words they did learn from their parents were profanities, and the meaning of most other words were lost. 

Separate from the church community, Syrians kept much of their culture intact in the home. Many of the customs they brought from Syria came with them to the United States. While much of their life revolved around learning a new language and picking up American ways of life, in the privacy of their homes they continued old-world traditions. From the moment they walked in the front door, they returned to their own corner of the world. Many Syrians continued to remove their shoes before they entered the house, a practice that still survives in some of these families today. The smells of the house were also different than neighborhood homes, from the aroma of the Syrian foods to the scent of incense used throughout the Arabic world.

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Women also were the preservers of traditional Syrian food. For many Syrians, food is one of the only cultural traditions they still hold. Dishes like kibby, lucamishua, hummus, tabuli, tahini, and kobaz are still family favorites. These tasty tidbits were made with old-world recipes and adapted when specific ingredients were unavailable. Lamb were not as prevalent in the United States as in Syria, for example, and living in central Nebraska meant beef was more readily available. However, Syrian immigrants carried herbs and spices with them on the voyage to America or grew home gardens, so they could preserve certain cultural and food traditions in the States.

Syrians and non-Syrians alike enjoyed visiting these immigrant homes because of the generosity and the abundance delicious fare. Food to Syrians was more than necessity of life: It was also a means of socialization. Everyone who entered a Syrian home was greeted with something to eat, from a warm meal to dessert cookies. Friends and families would gather for the entire experience of cooking, eating, and cleaning up.^[4] Syrian women, especially in Kearney, were the makers of the food. Kitchens were a lively place of conversation and taste testing. Young girls picked up family gossip, usually in Arabic, yet tempting, nonetheless. They also learned the recipes they would eventually teach to their own children and grandchildren. 

In many Syrian-American families, these traditions of the church, food, and the home are what little survives of their culture in the United States today. In most cases, other aspects of their identity are long lost. After a hundred years of transition, marrying into other ethnicities, and Americanization, these traditions of language, dress, and even religion (in some cases) are foregone. Food remains to be a tradition that far outlasts all others, although the St. George Orthodox Christian Church in Kearney remains a representative symbol of Syrian immigration in the heartland of America as well. 

About the author: Aaron Jesch is a second-year Ph.D. student from Kearney, Nebraska, where he attended the University of Nebraska, earning his bachelor's degree in 2000 and his Master's degree in 2008. He continues to research the issues of immigration, labor, and labor radicalism in the Pacific Northwest under the supervision of Dr. Laurie Mercier.

[1] The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Our Father Among the Saints Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn (Antakya Press, 2000), 69.

[2] Rev. Nicholas A. Nahas, The Story of St. George Orthodox Church in Kearney, Nebraska, 1903-1953 (2000), transcribed by Marci Duryea.

[3] United States. Bureau of the Census, Nebraska State and Federal Census, 1900. 

[4] Elizabeth Boosahda, Arab-American Faces and Voices: The Origins of an Immigrant Community (University of Texas Press, 2003), 172-173.