The first Arab Community Bazaar was held on Sunday February 25 in North Olmsted. Sometimes events are not very successful in their first year but the first Arab Community Bazaar was a huge success. The room was packed with dozens of vendors and information resources.
Dr. Mohammad Alhawawsha, President of the Jordanian Community of Ohio, said the event aimed to support small businesses, especially those led by women working from home to support themselves.
There was some delicious food (the shawarma chicken wraps were great) at the Arab Bazaar and I had a dessert called kunafah for the first time. There was a food trucks from The Kunafah Guy.
Kunafah (also called Knafeh and other variations) is a sweet cheesy dessert from the Middle East. The Kunafah Guy includes pistachios and syrup with the cheese. Follow him at https://www.instagram.com/thekunafahguy/ Sorry about the wind during the interview. This was my first taste of kunafah and it was delicious.
2023
Middle Eastern Heritage - World on Stage in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation presented a World on Stage event to showcase Middle Eastern Heritage on July 22, 2023 at the Centennial Peace Plaza in the Cultural Gardens. The plaza was full and the crowd enjoyed musical performances from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Lebanon and Syria.
Dancing in the Plaza at the Middle East Heritage event
Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization Annual Picnic
The Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization (CAMEO) has been in existence for 53 years. C.A.M.E.O. is designed to articulate the political interest of more than 275,000 Northeastern Ohio residents of Middle Eastern Heritage, Arab Americans.
At their annual picnic on Sunday July 16, 2023 CAMEO welcomed friends and dozens of politicians running for office and/or there to show support for the Arab American community.
Members of the Cleveland Jordanian community gathered to celebrate Independence Day. Here are a few photos from the event.
2022
Jordanian community at One World Day
The Cleveland Jordanian community demonstrated their ud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 40,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2022.
The Jordanian community participated in the Parade of Flags
Jordanian community in Parade of Flags
Here is a video of the entire Parade of Flags.
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During the month of April, Arab America formally recognizes the achievements of Arab Americans through the celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM). Across the country, cultural institutions, school districts, municipalities, state legislatures, public servants, and Arab Americans will engage in special events that celebrate the community's rich heritage and numerous contributions to society.
Arab Americans have roots in 22 countries located in the Middle East and North African regions: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. And within all those countries, there are various languages, religions, traditions that are now part of our American story. There are nearly 3.5 million Arab Americans in the United States, according to the Arab American Institute. Establishing Arab American Heritage Month was critical in combatting post-9/11 anti-Arab sentiments, and while Arab Americans still face prejudice regularly, acknowledging their fight for recognition and equality - and becoming better allies - is something we can all contribute toward.
CAMEO president Pierre Bejjani receiving Arab American Heritage Month Proclamation
Cleveland Jordanian community at Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration
The Cleveland Jordanian community was represented at the 8th Annual ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland.
Cleveland American Middle East Organization 47th anniversary
The Cleveland American Middle East Organization (CAMEO) is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian political action organization established in 1970. They celebrated their 47th anniversary and induction of new officers at a dinner event at St. Elias Cultural Center.
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and CAMEO Board
Cleveland Jordanian community at Cleveland Multicultural Event
The Cleveland Jordanian Community was represented at the 7th annual International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) holiday party on December 14, 2016.
120 people participated in the fashion show and each walked the runway to music from their country. Click on the white arrow to watch the short video of the Jordanian models Raidah, Ali and Ahmed Al-Ramadan.
Fashion of Jordan at Cleveland Multicultural Event
A representative from the Cleveland Jordanian community participated in the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network's (ICC-WIN) 5th annual multicultural holiday celebration at the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland Ohio. He modeled his Jordanian attire at the International Fashion Show which featured traditional costumes of dozens of countries.
Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The country's long-time ruler, King Hussein (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
King Hussein in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King Abdallah II, King Hussein's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements.
In January 2014, Jordan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
Profiles of Jordanian Americans in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio
If you know of a Jordanian American who should be profiled, please let us know.
ClevelandPeople.Com - Jordanian Ambassadors
Read more about the Guinea and other Ambassadors. If you are interested in being considered to be an official ClevelandPeople.com Ambassador to the Cleveland Guinea community, please contact us.