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July 26, 2002/Av 17 5762, Vol. 54, No. 45
Instructor recounts travel, war and roots
JESSICA BARBER
Editorial Assistant
A group of travelers enjoy lunch at an outdoor Parisian café. Travelers are, from left, Judy Ferguson, Sherryl Wilder, Linda Abed, Lisa Tordaro and Josephine Yancy.
Photo courtesy of Linda Abed
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In one lifetime, Linda Abed has learned four languages, had four nationalities and survived the chaos and confusion of the Middle East during the Six- Day War. Abed, now a French instructor at Paradise Valley Community College and a private tutor, spends her time exposing others to international cultures and ideas.
The instructor, along with seven students, recently returned from a trip to southern France.
"The point of the trip is to live like French people, eat French food, shop in the French market and do everything the French way," says Abed.
The trip, which included visits to wineries, the ocean, Avignon and historical sites, was the third excursion Abed has taken with students.
To prepare students for the trip, Abed has devised her own method of teaching French called "French for Travelers," which focuses on conversational skills as opposed to heavy amounts of grammar instruction.
"French grammar is horrific and it can really turn you off, especially if you're older and all you want to know is how to converse on a trip," says Abed.
Abed's knowledge of language and cultures stems from a lifetime of diverse experiences, beginning with her birth in the Middle East in the 1950s.
Abed was born in Lebanon to Jewish parents; her father was from Baghdad, Iraq, and her mother from Nice, France.
"It's kind of unusual because I am an Arab Jew," she explains. "In Lebanon, you have to learn Arabic, not Hebrew. I was more familiar with Arabic food and we went to French schools because Lebanon was like a French colony then."
The family attended synagogue and Abed's brother celebrated his bar mitzvah in Lebanon. However, she recalls being uncomfortable at times on account of her Jewishness.
"If you had an identity paper, like a passport, you had to put your religion on it," she remembers. "If you were Jewish, people knew you were Jewish."
Because Abed's father was a banker, the family enjoyed some status that other Jews did not.
"Having more money, we lived outside the Jewish area," she remembers. "We always went to private school. But in a way it made it like we didn't belong in the Jewish neighborhood or the Christian and Muslim neighborhoods."
Abed remembers her childhood in Lebanon favorably; however, the tensions brought about by the Six- Day War encouraged the family to relocate.
"It was awful for my parents because they didn't know ... what was happening (during the war)," she says. "You only heard one version of events - the Arabic version. Every foreign magazine and map would have Israel scratched out. We decided that we weren't going to stay."
Although the family decided to leave, they left behind many friends and carried away fond memories, as well as hopes that Jews and Muslims could live in harmony.
"Honestly, we had fabulous Muslim friends - at the peril of their own lives," recalls Abed. "You see both sides and you know how similar both cultures can be, and maybe they could have lived together. I don't think so anymore. I'm pessimistic because a lot of blood has been shed."
The family relocated to Montreal in 1967. Abed attended school in France and Switzerland but also spent time with her family in Montreal.
"The minute we moved to Canada, it was an eye-opener," Abed recalls. "That's when we found out the extent of the victory (in the Six-Day War) and about Jewish soldiers. In Canada, there were so many Jews and you were not embarrassed to say you were Jewish."
After completing finishing school in Europe, Abed attended McGill University in Montreal and earned a master's degree in education. In 1976, she married a Canadian contractor, Sydney. The same year, she also served as an official interpreter at the Montreal Olympic games.
The couple relocated to Arizona in 1977, following conflicts between French and English-speaking Canadians.
"(The situation) created a lot of animosity between both cultures and a lot of English-speaking people started leaving," remembers Abed.
Abed's father-in-law, who had traveled through Arizona more than 50 years prior to the couple's relocation, had purchased a plot of land in the Phoenix area. The young couple was given the plot to develop and began a new life in Arizona.
"I must admit that I did not like (Phoenix) in the beginning," Abed says. "But now I absolutely adore it."
While her husband concentrated on building and development, Abed enjoyed various careers in fashion and art before beginning her teaching career.
Abed has been teaching French at Paradise Valley Community College for about five years. "Some of those students become friends," she says.
Abed enjoys Phoenix and the feeling of community it provides.
"Phoenix is growing but you still have the feeling that it's a small town," Abed says. "It's a very helpful community and there are so many people from everywhere."
Abed became an American citizen in 1983.
"That was one of the proudest moments of my life," she remembers.
The Abeds reside in Scottsdale and have a 15-year-old daughter, Arielle. They are members of Temple Solel.
"I feel that living here is a privilege," says Abed. "Being here is wonderful."
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