HISTORY
ARABIC NEIGHBORHOODS PAST
ORIGIN
EARLY MOVEMENTS TO NY
I
by Michael Sayegh, Elias Taouli and Tarek Amro
GROWTH OF ARAB POPULATION IN MID 20TH CENTURY
n the late 1930s, Little Syria began to go into decline due to the construction of skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan. In the name of urban redevelopment, the era of high-rise buildings began prior to the demolition of an ensemble of five-story apartment buildings that the Syrian people called their hometown.
B
However, what really sprouted Little Syria began in 1940 with the
etween 1880 and 1930, over 300,000
construction of the battery tunnel in Brooklyn.
Arabs immigrated from lands of the eastern Mediterranean. At the time, the
Most of the community has moved to the downtown area of Brooklyn. A large percentage established
region they came from was part of the
business and shops on Atlantic Avenue. St. George's Syrian Catholic Church is the last physical reminder of
Ottoman Empire known as Greater Syria
the Syrian and Lebanese-American community that once lived in Little Syria. In Brooklyn, there are still two
(which encompasses today's Lebanon,
well-established stores on Atlantic Avenue. Damascus Bakery has been in operation since 1936 and Sahadi's
Syria, Jordan and Palestine). Therefore,
has maintained neighborhood success since 1948. In addition, in the 1960s, this community moved again;
they were identified as Syrians. They
this time to Park Slope and Bay Ridge. Although Western culture has been adopted by so many of these
settled
and
immigrants, they have retained key elements, visible in their day-to-day lives. We interviewed Halima Sifi, a
especially in New York City, which was
Moroccan immigrant and student advisor living in Manhattan. Halima Sifi, living between East Harlem and
called the Syrian Colony and it was the
the Upper East Side, says her neighborhood is "a place with many ethnicities. You can find Latinx, Asian,
biggest hub of Syrian culture. The heart
Moroccan [...] , and Turkish people. It's very diverse. [...] It's an amalgamation of everything." It appears that
of this ethnic enclave was the lower
overtime, New York's Arab population has scattered more and more, becoming more widespread across the
Manhattan, Washington streets, and in
boroughs. You can still find the concentrated neighborhoods formed in the mid 1900s, but as Halima Sifi
this
mentioned, Manhattan's neighborhoods are very diverse.
throughout
neighborhood,
America
which
was
very
influenced by Syrian culture, you could find many: Syrian households, businesses etc… This community thrived until the 1900’s, where many residents of the Syrian colony started their movement to Brooklyn. Many factors were the reason for
this
move
from
Manhattan
to
Brooklyn. First of all, for many the living conditions were terrible: the apartments in Manhattan were expensive and small, they were very dark and dirty. Meanwhile in Brooklyn, the houses were cheaper and much more spacious, it soon began to be a symbol for the middle-class Arab. There were also some ethnic tensions between the Syrians and the Irish. By the early
1900’s
Brooklyn
south
Ferry
neighborhood became a burgeoning ethnic enclave for Arabs and mirrored Manhattan Washington street. Finally, by 1930, Arabs expanded through Brooklyn and created many new communities, these
communities
included:
Park,
Park
Bay
Slope,
Bensonhurst.
Lingua Franca| 8
Sunset
Ridge,
and
NOW
21ST CENTURY ARAB POPULATION AND CULTURE
here are now around 160,000 Arabs in NYC. Brooklyn however, has now the most distinct T According to the Arab American Institute, the community of Arabs in the city. Atlantic Avenue has population of people who identify themselves as historically been known to have a big Middle Eastern Arab, grew by 23% between 2000 and 2008. There
presence, with famous shops such as Sahadi’s located
are Arabs in all 5 boroughs of New York City. In the on it. However, more recently, The Arabs of Brooklyn Bronx, there is a recently named area located on
have moved to Midwood, Brooklyn and Bay Ridge,
White Plains Road in Morris Park called “Little Brooklyn. Especially Bay Ridge has had a dramatically Yemen", due to the growing population of Yemenis
growing
in this area. This area contains Yemeni delis,
nationalities in Bay Ridge are Palestinians and
pharmacies, and supermarkets that surround the
Yemenis. Finally, Staten Island has also had a growing
intersection. Astoria, Queens, is another place
Palestinian community in the New Springfield Area.
with a lot of Arabs. It has an Egyptian American
There are also a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants in
community dubbed “Little Egypt,” located on
Manhattan. However, the higher cost of living in NY
Steinway Street between Broadway and Astoria has Boulevard. It has many Arab cafes, restaurants, and
population
recently
of
pushed
Arabs.
Arab
Most
common
communities
shops, as well as other businesses with owners from find many Lebanese and Moroccan grocery stores. countries like Algeria, Lebanon and Syria.
to
surrounding suburbs like Paterson NJ, where you can
