The History of Druze in America Between 1971 and 1974... and the Beirut Conference

The American Druze Society maintained its annual conference schedule, and here is the history of these conferences between 1971 and 1974 and their minutes:

The American Druze Society celebrated its twenty-fifth annual conference at Pipestem Resort State Park from June 27 to July 1, 1971. The Society President and Chairman of the Organizing Committee was Raymond Hamdan, and the Vice President was Adel Najjar. Responsibilities were as follows: Registrar: Sharon Hamada; General Committee Chairman and Treasurer: Bahij Abu Hassan; Secretaries/Translators: Mona Hamdan and Nadine Masri; Secretariat Responsibility: Sami Masri. Correspondence: Kamal Abu Hassan; State Correspondents: Bobby Jaber. Advisors: Harry Hamdan, Jack Hamada, Henry Fleihan, Joe Hamdan, Bill Hamada, Fouad Masri, and Hon Higginbotham. Conference Committee: Nadine Masri, Mrs. Jimmy Masri, Mrs. Jimmy Singed, Ajaj Andari, Hussein Abu Hassan, Norman Hamdan, Nabil Hamdan, and Mrs. Harry Hamdan. This distinguished conference was attended by hundreds of Druze from all parts of the United States, in addition to international visitors, making this conference exceptionally successful.

The 1971 conference raised awareness about the need for a formal organizational structure at the national level. A special meeting of previous conference chairs and founding members was called to discuss two main issues.

The first issue: reorganizing the American Druze Society under the umbrella of a national association and drafting a new constitution and bylaws that meet legal requirements for incorporation.

The second issue was about the steps required to obtain tax-exempt status for the Society itself.

This historic meeting was attended by members such as: Nafi Kater, Jimmy Salman Sr., Jimmy Salman Jr., Fayez Bashir, Harry Hamdan, Raymond Hamdan, George Raffi, Jack Hamada, Rafiq Rassamny, Abdullah Najjar, Wade Hamad, Jihad Al-Khatib, Ajaj Andari, Floyd Seeley, Henry Fleihan, Adel Najjar, David Najjar, B.A. Hassan, Kamal Abu Hassan, Bill Hamada, Norman Shaar, Dr. Richard Baz, Dr. Ali Ali, Mickey Singed, and Dr. Sami Singed.

After reaching a consensus on the common goals and aspirations of the American Druze community, Jihad Al-Khatib and Ajaj Andari were appointed to draft a new constitution for the American Druze Society and to seek the assistance of a lawyer to ensure the Society’s certification as a charitable and religious organization by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Society members present at this historic meeting committed to donations to cover legal costs to ensure incorporation and obtaining tax-exempt status with the IRS. Immediately after the 1971 conference, the Khatib-Andari committee began work on drafting the American Druze Society constitution and bylaws. Guided by Jack Hamadi and the advice of his personal attorney, the committee was able to draft a constitution containing the text and wording accepted to meet the strict conditions of the IRS without compromising any of the essential Druze beliefs.

The “Preamble” to the new national constitution of the American Druze Society stated that “We, the Americans of the Druze faith and/or of Druze origin, in the United States, and wherever the Druze people may be found, resolve and establish this constitution for the American Druze Society.”

The national constitution of the American Druze Society was designed to promote the charitable, educational, and social work of the Druze community. This intent was emphasized while drafting the Society's main purposes, explicitly stating that “The primary purposes of the Society are to preserve the universal teachings of the Druze faith, foster communication between Druze and Druze descendants, promote Druze religious, literary, and cultural knowledge through education and research, and improve the conditions of all Druze through charitable work.”

The organizational structure adopted the establishment of chapters and branches subject to policies and guidelines set by the national organization, with a focus on centralized policy-making, the national centralization of its activities, and an organized relationship between the national organization and local branches. The final wording of the national constitution emerged after many reviews and revisions. The American Druze Society was established on October 27, 1971.

1972 Conference at Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia:

The twenty-sixth annual conference was held from June 25 to July 1, 1972, at Pipestem Resort State Park. The Society President and Chairman of the Organizing Committee was Bahij Abu Hassan, and his deputy was Adel Najjar. Responsibilities were as follows: Registrar: Sharon Hamada; Society Treasurer: Raymond Hamdan; General Committee Chairman: Jawdat Abu Hassan; Secretaries/Translators: Najat Hamdan and Nadine Masri; Chairman of Trustees: David Najjar. Advisors: Harry Hamdan, Joe Hamdan, Bill Hamadi, Norman Shaar, Jim Nasr, and Henry Fleihan. Conference Committee members: Kathy Altizer, Mrs. Jimmy Singed, Mrs. S.M. Masri, Mrs. Woody Abu Hassan, Ajaj Andari, Frieda Soub, Ambassador and Mrs. Bahij Abu Hassan.

The first step for the General Assembly was to adopt the new constitution and bylaws of the American Druze Society presented by Jihad Al-Khatib and Ajaj Andari. The second step was to mandate Dr. Abdullah Najjar and the Religious Committee to seek help and assistance from Dr. Sami Makarem in writing the first English manuscript on the Druze faith. The third step taken at this conference was the decision to hold the 1973 conference in Lebanon. The fourth historic event was the election of the first officials and members of the National Board of the American Druze Society with consideration of the conference scheduled for 1973 in Lebanon.

The officers and board members were elected as follows: Bahij Abu Hassan – National President and Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee; Abdullah Najjar – National Vice President; Adel Najjar – Assistant Vice President for Finance; Ajaj Andari – Secretary General; Floyd Saleh – Assistant Secretary; Frieda Soub – Assistant Secretary; Edna Joseph – National Treasurer; Raymond Hamdan – Director of International Relations; Board members: Rafiq Rassamny, Ray Hilal, Nancy Naeem, Sami Masri, and Ghazi Abu Hassan.

Immediately after the 1972 conference ended, the Society’s National Board of Directors began preparations for the conference in Lebanon. Bahij Abu Hassan, the National President and Conference Committee Chairman, and his team succeeded in gathering support from the Druze community, private charter companies, travel agents, and commercial airlines. Field investigations were carried out to select the ideal conference site, hotel accommodations, and conference activities.

1973 Conference in Beirut, Lebanon:

The twenty-seventh conference of the American Druze Society was held at the Mirador Hotel from July 15 to 22, 1973.

On July 9, 1973, 250 members of the American Druze Society and their friends from across the United States and Canada boarded an OAW flight from Detroit Metro Airport to Lebanon. Officials from the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism and other government agencies met the members on the plane, showering them with flowers and Lebanese flags. A committee from the Druze Religious Council was also present to welcome the members. In the VIP lounge, Rafiq Rassamny, Mack Joseph, Bahij Abu Hassan, and Ajaj Andari met with Lebanese journalists for newspapers, television, and radio. Finally, after a long wait, the American Druze Society arrived in Lebanon to be with the relatives they love, cherish, and admire.

On July 15, the official opening ceremonies of the conference began. Hundreds of immigrants, relatives, government officials, and leaders of the Druze and Lebanese community attended. Fouad Naffah, Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, participated.

The ceremony began with Raymond Hamdan and Nancy Naeem performing the Lebanese and American national anthems. Rafiq Rassamny, the ceremony host, welcomed the attendees and introduced the Society President, Bahij Abu Hassan, who delivered the opening remarks. Ajaj Andari introduced the American Druze delegation and expressed their feelings as American Druze returning to Lebanon. Mr. Sam Amin (Abbas Abu Ghanem) received a standing ovation for returning to Lebanon for the first time in 55 years. Jimmy Salman and Raymond Hamdan expressed their happiness at returning to Lebanon and reconnecting with their families. Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fouad Naffah, welcomed the attendees and praised the positive role of the American Druze Society and the importance of relations between Lebanon and the United States.

Many events and activities were held during the conference, including lectures, participation in discussions, and social excursions. Cultural and entertainment events reflecting Druze and Lebanese heritage were also held.

At the end of the conference, the American Druze Society launched a new project to support education in Lebanon by offering scholarships to Lebanese students. This project was announced during the closing ceremony and saw generous donations from members and attendees.

After the conference in Lebanon concluded, the American Druze Society members returned to the United States with precious memories of their visit to Lebanon, meeting their families, and strengthening ties between the American Druze community and their friends and relatives in Lebanon.

These are some of the most notable events and developments that occurred for the American Druze Society from 1971 to 1973.