Maintaining Jewish Identity & Values in America in the 1930s

“The Syrian homes are all known for their hospitality.  By being hospitable, by having Shabbat, by having holidays; this is what suffeh is about. Suffeh in Arabic actually means orderliness, but it’s so much more than that.  It’s about having a sense of peace in the home.  So that never changed.”

– Poopa Dweck

“The weddings were such a different thing.  You were at the hall.  At the end of the ceremony, everybody got either a little box of candy or a little package of lebes, you know, lebes is the little hard candy, and “Good luck everybody and good-bye.” And that was it- received every package at the door. Nothing else- no food.  If you were having a party, it was in a home.  Very nice weddings.  Simple, easy.  No problem.”

– Gitta Sultan