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Oral History Interview with Ahmad Jaber, January 24, 2018

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Ahmad Jaber discusses his early life, including his mother's struggle to support the family following his father's death, his immigration to the United States following Israel's occupation of the West Bank, and his medical education. He also talks extensively about the role of his faith and ethnicity in his professional life, especially regarding co-founding the Arab American Association of New York, his advocacy for a dedicated Muslim prayer room at the Lutheran Medical Center, and his efforts to support women's education and health in culturally sensitive ways. In addition, he speaks in depth about his ongoing involvement in New York's Muslim and interfaith Arab American communities, especially the Islamic Mission of America (also known as the State Street Mosque) and the New York Chapter of the National Arab American Medical Association. Interview conducted by Liz H. Strong.

Biographical / Historical

Ahmad Jaber was born in 1947 in the city of Jenin in Palestine during a period of changing political boundaries. He earned a medical degree from Mosul University in Iraq in 1972. When political unrest prevented him from returning to Jenin, he practiced medicine in Jordan and then immigrated to the United States. Following successful completion of his post-graduate studies and residency, he married his wife and began a private OB/GYN practice in Brooklyn. He also maintained a strong presence in several religious and cultural institutions in Brooklyn, including co-founding the Arab American Association of New York and taking on a leadership role in the Islamic Mission of America (also known as the State Street Mosque).

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at the Center for Brooklyn History's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201