Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 1999, page 135

Bulletin Board

Compiled by Janet McMahon

Viewings

“Royal Persian Paintings: The Qajar Epoch, 1785-1925,” an exhibition of more than 100 works of art depicting imperial and daily life in 19th century Iran and characterized by rare life-size ceremonial wall paintings, is on view through Jan. 24 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Eastern Parkway and Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY, (718) 638-5000.

A retrospective of films by “An Iranian Master: Darjush Mehrjui,” whose films have been banned by both the shah and the Islamic Republic but who was recently voted one of his country’s greatest filmmakers by Iranian critics, will be screened at the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery in Washington, DC. Mehrjui’s latest film, The Pear Tree, will be shown Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.; The Cycle, Feb. 12, 7 p.m.; The Cow, Feb. 14, 2 p.m.; Hamoon, Feb. 19, 7 p.m.; The Tenants, Feb. 21, 2 p.m.; Sara, Feb. 26, 7 p.m.; The School We Went To, Feb. 27, 2 p.m.; and Leila, Feb. 28, 2 p.m. All films are in Persian with English subtitles; admission is free, with screenings in the Meyer Auditorium at the Freer Gallery of Art, 12th and Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington, DC 20560, (202) 357-1300.

Callings

The Friends Boys School and Girls School, Ramallah/el-Bireh, Palestine, are compiling information for an alumni directory and request all graduates and former students to provide their name (including maiden name or other names used in school), address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address. Information should be submitted by mail or fax to: Friends Schools, P.O. Box 66, Ramallah, Palestine, fax 011-972-2-295-6231. In the U.S., contact M.S. Ladah, 8807 Big Bluff Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89113, fax (702) 368-0699, e-mail ladah@compuserve.com

The Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA) announces a call for original essays on any aspect of Middle East banking and finance for its Second Biennial Essay Competition. Professionals in banking and finance, academics and researchers, economists, legal professionals and other writers are invited to submit original essays on such topics as The Middle East as a Frontier Emerging Market, and Impact of Globalization on Middle East Capital Markets. Prizes to be awarded include a first prize of $10,000, second prize of $5,000, third prize of $3,000 and four honorary mentions of $500. Essays must be submitted in English and must not exceed 40 double-spaced typed pages. Submissions should be sent to ABANA, 380 Lexington Ave., Suite 1700, New York, NY 10168. Deadline is June 30, 1999.

Deaths

Abraham Feinberg, a businessman, philanthropist and supporter of Israel, died Dec. 5 at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center at the age of 90. A graduate of City College of New York and the Fordham and New York University Law Schools, he worked his way up in the clothing industry, eventually becoming chairman of the New York-based apparel manufacturer Kayser-Roth Corp., then chairman of American Bank and Trust Co., bought in 1978 by Israel’s Bank Leumi. Following World War II, he helped displaced European Jews migrate to Palestine, and became president of Americans for Haganah, for which he was active in obtaining weapons. According to his family he played an important financial role in President Harry Truman’s 1948 whistle-stop re-election campaign, and accompanied Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, to his first meeting with President Truman, which resulted in a substantial loan to Israel. Feinberg was chairman of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science for 40 years, and president of the Development Corporation for Israel (Israel Bonds) for 17 years. In 1960, he was named B’nai B’rith’s Man of the Year.

George Saade, head of Lebanon’s Maronite Christian Phalange Party, died Nov. 17 of cancer at his home in the Beirut suburb of Nakkash at the age of 67. A member of parliament for 24 years, he led his party in fighting Muslim militias and Palestinian guerrillas when Lebanon’s civil war began in 1975, and welcomed Israel’s 1982 invasion. In 1989, however, he led Christian lawmakers in negotiating the Taif agreement ending the civil war, and was criticized by some Maronites for ceding too much power to Lebanon’s Muslims. He later abandoned his party’s pro-Israel stance and acknowledged Syria’s influence in Lebanon.

Selwa Jeha Khalidi, mother of American Committee on Jerusalem president Dr. Rashid Khalidi, died Nov. 12. The wife of the late Dr. Ismail Ragheb Khalidi, she was also the mother of Idriss and Raja Khalidi.

Agha Babur, whose literary career spanned some six decades, died in New York at the age of 84. Born Sajjad Husain in Batala, East Punjab, he worked in India’s government service and the Punjab Arts Council before moving to Pakistan following the partition of India in 1948. There he joined the army’s Inter Services public relations department and worked as assistant editor for its publication Hilal, later becoming a director of the Rawalpindi Arts Council. A contributor to numerous literary magazines, he was the author of more than 10 books, including a novel. In 1996 he began writing a popular column for the Pakistan Link, which reported being deluged with calls of shock and sorrow over Babur’s death.