The History of The Salaam Club of New
York
The
history of The Salaam Club of New York reflects the
heritage of our great forefathers from the Middle East who
brought their dreams and families with them to America.
These pioneering individuals settled here and excelled in
their professional or business fields. In June 1945 the
Salaam Club was formed as a dedicated cultural fraternity
of men of Middle Eastern descent. The first elected
president was Dr. Fouad Akl, an eminent surgeon,
Vice-President was prominent businessman Mitchell Hadad. An
executive committee was appointed and the by-laws were
drawn. The charter members were Aziz Atiyeh, Abdallah
Barsa, Shikri Couri, Brahim Corhan, Abdul Wassh Hadad,
Henry Hadad, Milham Hawie, Fayad Jabara, Wadih Kadri,
Abraham Lian, Saloum Makarzel, Rafic Rasmony, Elias Sayour,
and George Sayour. To raise their visibility in the
community, The Salaam Club sponsored a banquet in September
1945. At this gala reception at the Ritz-Carlton, Dr.
Bayard Dodge, President of the American University of
Beirut, was feted. Since then many other notables have been
honored as “Man of the Year” for their outstanding
accomplishments and their dedicated work with our people.
Over the years, the Salaam Club has had many distinguished
guests at many functions including His Excellency Camille
Chamoun, former President of Lebanon, King Faisal of Saudi
Arabia, as well as leading American families such as the
Vanderbilts, the Dodges, the Dulleses, and the Whitieys.
Among the distinguished members in the early Salaam Club
years was Faris Bey Khouri, former Prime Minister of Syria,
who helped draft the charter of the United Nations and
later became president of the United Nations Security
Council.
In 1978, in honor of Father Albert Gorayeb and desiring to
fill a great need , the Salaam Club sent a 15-passenger
mini-bus to St. Paul’s Orphanage in Damascus.
Since 1981, The Salaam Club and the St. Nicholas Home have
held joint annual meetings and enjoy a special
relationship.
In recognition of the Salaam Club’s commitment to higher
education, a scholarship was awarded to an outstanding
student of the community.
In 1994, the Salaam Club Community Fund was established.
The Club holds various fund raising functions.
Our main events are:
•
The
Annual Christmas Dinner Dance
•
Ladies
Night Out
•
The
Annual Golf Outing
•
Annual
Youth Career Day
The Club’s general membership meetings are held on the
3rd
Wednesday
of the month at the historic Fort Hamilton Officer’s Club
in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
