Women’s History Month Edition March 2014 THE CEDAR CONNECTION Published by the Lebanese-American Club of Michigan (LACOM) www.lacom.org

Happy Women’s History Month from LACOM! “Behind every great man there's a great woman.” This month’s edition honors every great woman for her sacrifices, resilience, and hard work.

OSCAR PERFORMERS CROON IN SPARKLING LEBANESE DESIGNS

Bejeweled dresses by Lebanese designers Reem Acra and Elie Saab sparkled on stage Sunday night at the 86th annual .

In addition to dressing their usual clientele of A-listers for both the red carpet and the after parties, Lebanese designers’ looks also featured on several of the night’s performers. Community Events Pink gave a spine-tickling ode to Judy Garland during the awards show March 7 ACCESS Domestic with a rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” In an unusual look Violence Awareness for the singer, one of Saab’s billowing, flower-covered gowns in scarlet Fundraising Banquet. Visit gave the punky pop star a hint of old-time glamour. accesscommunity.org for more info. Acra made an appearance on stage when Broadway-turned-movie star March 14 Global Fridays with Victor Idina Menzel performed “Let It Go,” the chart-topping song from the Ghannam & Friends. Visit animated film “Frozen,” in one of her gowns. arabamericanmuseum.org for more info. Among those who donned Acra for the red carpet was Bette Midler, who March 21 Ali El Deek & Bassam arrived in a nude sheath covered with snaking red embroidery. Middler Saleh perform in told E! Television host Ryan Seacrest that Acra went to her house Dearborn. Visit personally for the fitting. petraentertainment.com for tickets. Continued on Page 4 Submit your event for next month’s edition! [email protected]

 Justice Viviano launches re-election campaign (Page 2)  Married man becomes Maronite Catholic priest (Page 3)  visits (Page 5)

Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

Lebanese-American Justice launches re-election campaign

Michigan Supreme Court Justice David F. Viviano recently launched a re-election campaign to keep his seat on Michigan’s highest court. Governor Rick Snyder appointed Justice Viviano to the court on February 27, 2013. He previously served as Chief Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit and Macomb County Probate Courts. Justice Viviano, whose mother is of Lebanese descent, received the 2013 Lebanese-American Club of Michigan Trailblazer Award.

For more information about his campaign or to learn how you can get involved, visit VivianoForJustice.com or Facebook.com/JusticeDavidViviano.

FEATURED BOOK OF THE MONTH

BEIRUT KNIGHTS By Jasmina Najjar

Published in December 2013 Softcover - 180 pp ISBN 978-9953-0-2790-6

“ Knights” pokes fun at Lebanese dating disasters. The book follows several interconnected short stories of a fictional character named Nadia and her closest friends. Illustrating some of the challenges women face, the book offers insight on catastrophic, yet amusing dating stories. Author Jasmina Najjar has worked as a journalist, managing editor, and copywriter since 2002. She currently works as a Communication Skills Instructor at the American University of Beirut. To order the book, visit tpbooksonline.com. 2

Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

Married Man Becomes Maronite Catholic Priest in US When Wissam Akiki was ordained as a Maronite Catholic priest in St. Louis, he was welcomed by hundreds of supporters, including his wife and daughter. For the first time in nearly a century, the Maronite Catholic Church in the United States ordained a married priest in a ceremony at St. Raymond's Maronite Cathedral near downtown St. Louis. Maronites are among more than a dozen Eastern Catholic church groups in the U.S. Eastern Catholics accept the authority of the pope but have many of their own rituals and liturgy. Akiki, 41, speaking at the end of the two-hour ceremony, called it a "historic day" and said he had been given two great blessings - marriage to his wife of 10 years, Manal, and "the dream to serve the Lord and church as a priest." Pope Francis gave permission for Akiki to be ordained. "He'll be a wonderful priest," Linda Hill, 54, said. "The fact that he's married will be exciting for the church. It's tradition in the old country. I guess we're finally catching up to the old country." It was about a year-and-a-half ago that he and the church petitioned the Vatican to allow him to enter the priesthood. Akiki completed seminary studies at Holy Spirit University in Lebanon, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary in Washington, D.C., and the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. He and his wife have one daughter, 8-year-old Perla. She read a brief prayer at her father's ordination. Peters said that in the most recent Maronite Patriarchal Synod, the church reaffirmed its position in support of allowing married priests, a tradition that, worldwide, dates back centuries. In a statement, the Archdiocese of St. Louis congratulated Akiki. "The Archdiocese of St. Louis values its strong relationship with the Maronite community in St. Louis," the statement read in part. Those attending the ordination applauded the new priest several times, which clearly left him moved. "It is a day of grace and of joy," he said.

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Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

Continued from page 1 “Just about to hit the Red Carpet, courtesy of Reem Acra, the most adorable designer. Thank you, Reem! (She actually came to my house!) #Oscars,” Middler tweeted.

Angelina Jolie was back in Los Angeles after a trip to Lebanon last week, where she met with local leaders and toured Syrian refugee camps in the country. The actress opted for a metallic silver sequined gown by Saab, which she wore on stage to present alongside Sydney Poitier.

Saab, best known for his high-waisted gowns, was featured on the uncustomary silhouette of actress Elsa Pataky, who is seven months Lebanese-American pregnant with twins. To accommodate her baby bump, the aquamarine dress was given a drop waist. of the Month Reem Acra is a renowned Also dressed in sparkling Saab couture was Sarah Paulson, who starred in Lebanese fashion designer best “12 Years a Slave,” winner of best film of the year award. known for her use of silk and Rising Lebanese designer Rani Zakhem has had a successful awards embroidery in her gowns. Acra studied fashion in both and season this year. He wrapped it up with a billowing, wedding-ready white New York where she won several gown worn by retired Olympic ice skater Tara Lipinksi. awards, and began creating custom Lebanese designers also starred on the sidelines of the award ceremony. wedding gowns in 1995. Acra combines detailed needlework with Kate Hudson wore spring couture from Zuhair Murad to the Vanity Fair Swarovski crystals and seed pearls Oscar Party. The designer showed the black and nude sheath dress mere to create beautiful, highly detailed weeks ago in Paris. Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika also dressed designs on the bodices and skirts of several stars for postshow parties. her wedding gowns. Many of her gowns are constructed using silk- satin, though she also incorporates taffeta, chiffon, charmeuse and organza in her gowns as well to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind gowns for brides. The beadwork on Reem Acra’s gowns complements wide variety of dress styles that she has created. The delicate detailing and rich fabrics used by Acra have attracted a large number of celebrities to her gowns, including , Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Her gowns are available to the general public at her Madison Avenue boutique in New Photo: Lupita Nyong'o, left, is embraced by Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt York, as well as at a variety of embraces Chiwetel Ejiofor as they celebrate in the audience after ”12 stores internationally such as Years a Slave” was announced the winner for best picture during the Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

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Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

Angelina Jolie visits Lebanon TOP OF THE MONTH

. @LucimaraSa: @LACOMNews Thank you!! Extremely happy for my picture being selected! Cheers!

. @DowntownBeirut: @LACOMNews Beautiful photograph. Thanks for sharing! #LebanesePride

. @LACOMNews: The UN Refugee Agency Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited Attendees at Lebanon and held talks with President Michel Sleiman and @TEDxBeirut fill in the Prime Minister Tammam Salam. blank on the question, “All we need is ______.” Jolie also visited children living in harsh conditions at a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon, calling it Also, a special thanks to “a heart-rending Michigan Supreme Court experience.” Justice David Viviano, the Arab American The “Mr. & Mrs. Museum, comedian Smith” star and George Khabbaz, United Nations Downtown Beirut, and special enjoy spent TEDX Beirut for three days touring tweeting with us. a camp of 3,500 children who were either orphaned or separated from family as they fled the Join the Conversation! bloody civil war in neighboring Syria. @LACOMNews “The generosity and solidarity shown by Lebanon and Lebanese to its neighbor serves as an example to the world for which we should all be grateful. We all need to help them bear #LebanesePride this burden,” Jolie said.

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Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

RECIPE CORNER Leftover Tabouli Quiche Recipe courtesy of Bethany Kehdy Ingredients . 2.5 cups strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting . 1⁄2 tsp sea salt . 1 tsp sugar . 4 tbsp olive oil . 2 tsp dried active yeast . 2 cups of parsley leaves, washed, and dried . 1 tbsp finely chopped mint . 150g or 2 tomatoes, very finely chopped . 1 spring onion, very finely chopped . 1/4 tsp allspice . 1 lemon, juiced . 4 eggs

1.) Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt and sugar and pour in the oil, then mix well with your hands. 2.) Add the yeast to 150ml/5fl oz/scant 2/3 cup lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Pour the water and yeast mixture into the flour and oil mixture, little by little, combining it with your hands as you go, until a ball is formed. Depending on the age and brand of flour, you may find that you need more or less water. 3.) Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and continue kneading it until it is smooth and elastic. Return the dough ball to the mixing bowl, then score the top with a knife to loosen the surface tension. Cover with a damp, clean kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draught-free place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. 4.) Slice the parsley into super thin threads using a very sharp knife. Put in a salad bowl along with the mint and tomatoes. Season the chopped spring onions with the allspice and then add them to the salad bowl. Add a little of the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave it to sit for an hour or so and then strain the tabouleh well of its juices and reserve them for serving. The salad should be quite sharp to contrast with the bland dough. 5.) Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knock it back, then knead gently before rolling it into a log. Divide the log into two balls of equal size, each weighing about 220g or 7 3/4 oz each. Lightly flour the work surface once more and use a rolling pin to roll out each ball. Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes. 6.) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F̊ and place a baking sheet in the oven to warm up. Baking one loaf at a time, spray a loaf lightly with water and bake for 1.5 minutes just until a pocket of air has formed but not until the top and edges are lightly golden as you’ll need to be able to work with a pliable and not a brittle bread. 7.) As soon as you remove the first loaf from the oven, use a damp tea towel and go around pinching the edges of the bread to create a wall or rim. Once the quiche wall or rim has been shaped then very gently begin removing the top layer of the Arabic bread pocket making sure you don’t tear the base layer. Set aside the flatbread quiche and repeat the same process with the remaining loaf. 8.) Crack and beat two eggs for each quiche in a separate bowl. Once you’ve whisked two eggs into each flatbread quiche, sprinkle the strained tabouleh over each flatbread quiche. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set and the edges are golden and crisp. Serve immediately!

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Women’s History Month Edition March 2014

NEWS IN PHOTOS THE OSCARS

Sarah Paulson in Elie Saab. Jenna Dewan-Tatum Catherine Zeta Jones in in Reem Acra. Zuhair Murad.

PHOTOS BY OUR FANS ON

Photo by Jack Keilo -- @Centrici Photo by Lucimara Sa -- @LucimaraSa

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Women’s History Month Edition March 2014 LACOM salutes strong & hardworking women in celebration of Women’s History Month.

“No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed.” -Godfrey Winn

Write for us! Send your article or editorial to [email protected] on or before the 1st of the month!

Thank you! Cedar Connection Published by LACOM The Lebanese-American Club of Michigan Dr. Wissam Shaya – President P.O. Box 1452 Elias Yammine – Vice President Warren, MI 48090 Maurice Farah – Secretary [email protected] Tom Sokol – Treasurer

Naji Chidiac – Board Member PRESS RELEASES: Dr. Wissam B. Malouf – Board Member [email protected] Pierre Rechdan – Board Member 248-924-4854 Charlie Kadado – Editor 313-744-3498