The Syriacs began to arrive on the Eastern shores of the United States during the mid-late 1800s and began to form a “society” of some sort by the turn of the century. By the first decade of the twentieth century, some reached California (Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Francisco) and mingled with the Armenians. This talk will explore their journey, describe the sub-culture they built to retain their identity, and how they had to fight for their identity during the mid-twentieth century when they were joined by a larger number of coreligionists who had a different identity notion of the nation and self.

About the Speaker