S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 To celebrate the 25th of March, Arab Immigration Day in Brazil, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/b> promoted a dinner this Friday in honour of two of the most prominent figures in the country\u2019s Syrian-Lebanese descendent community: the honorary president of the Beneficent Ladies Society, which maintains the Syrian Lebanese Hospital (HSL), Violeta Jafet, and cardiologist Adib Jatene, who was formerly the minister of Health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is yet another acknowledgement of the capabilities [of these two people], of their contribution to our community and to Brazilian society,\u201d claimed the Arab Brazilian Chamber president Salim Taufic Schahin prior to the start of the event held at Clube Atl\u00e9tico Monte L\u00edbano, in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n
In his address, Schahin stated that both are leading figures in healthcare who have \u201cequipped our country with world-class organizations.\u201d Violeta headed the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital for many years, starting in the 1950s, when she replaced her mother, Adma, who originated the entity. Jatene, in turn, is the CEO of Hospital do Cora\u00e7\u00e3o (HCor), another institution established by the community of Arab origin.<\/p>\n
To the Arab Brazilian Chamber president, Violeta and Jatene \u201cdignify our community. They are examples of love. We shall pay them back with much love for everything that they have given us,\u201d said Schahin, before showing two videos on the lives of those honoured and handing them medals and commemorative diplomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel very honoured, especially for being paid tribute alongside Mrs Violeta, who is an extraordinary person. I even feel small [next to her],\u201d stated the former minister in an interview. Jatene has been very active in the formulation of public policies for the healthcare sector, and has been secretary of state and minister twice.<\/p>\n
At age 81, he is one of the top cardiologists in Brazil. He regards himself as an optimistic man and explains how he has always maintained this state of mind. \u201cOnce, in the Roda Viva TV show [on Cultura network], I was asked how I manage to keep such a positive outlook, and said: \u2018I was born in [the state of] Acre, my father died when I was two and my mother fought bravely [to raise us]. Now I am the minister of Health. How do you expect me to be pessimistic?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
A son to Lebanese parents, Jatene was born in Xapuri, the hometown of other famous Brazilians, such as rubber tapper leader Chico Mendes and journalist Armando Nogueira. His father, like many immigrants from the Middle East, was a merchant who made a living out of selling goods at rubber tree plantations. After his passing, his mother also resorted to trade to raise her four children, with the aid of her grandmother. <\/p>\n
He was born and raised in the Amazonian region, but came to S\u00e3o Paulo to study, where he earned a degree from the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP) and pursued a medical career.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother used to have a saying: \u2018Write on the sand the evil you were done, but on marble the good that you were done,\u201d he claimed. \u201cI would like to share this honour with her, and with so many other people in our community who put their families first,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Violeta, in turn, gave thanks to \u201call of the Syrians and Lebanese who have worked for these entities,\u201d meaning the HSL and the HCor. She stated that the community is comprised of \u201cmany honest workers.\u201d \u201cWe must not think in terms of Syrians and Lebanese, but in terms of brotherhood. God is one and we must unite,\u201d said she, who is 104 years old. <\/p>\n
Pioneering runs in Violeta\u2019s family. Her mother had the initiative of creating a hospital that is now a reference in Brazil. Her father, Bas\u00edlio Jafet, was part of the first generation of Lebanese immigrants who arrived at Brazil. Like many others, he made a fortune out of business.<\/p>\n
The Brazilian vice-president, Michel Temer, who attended the event, is also a son to Lebanese parents and claimed that all of the Arab immigrant families bear a common trait: solidarity. \u201cHence the benevolence,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
He added that he used to believe the Arab Brazilian Chamber was concerned solely with trade, but was glad to learn that the organization \u201chas the grandeur to acknowledge those who enrich our country,\u201d in other sectors, and quoted a saying of his father\u2019s: \u201cYou must be proud of your origins and set roots in your country.\u201d By which he meant Brazil.<\/p>\n
The mayor of S\u00e3o Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, himself a descendent of Arabs, praised the Chamber\u2019s initiative of \u201cpaying tribute to two icons of the Arab community, and more than that, two Brazilian heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schahin stated that the organization \u201cseeks to fulfil its role\u201d of promoting trade between Brazil and the Arab world, but that it also works to attract investment, foster tourism and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n
In the field of healthcare, for instance, he highlighted that the Chamber supports a medical exchange programme between the HSL and Syrian institutions, aiming to establish a liver transplant centre in the Arab country, an effort that he hopes will expand to other countries in the future. Schahin added that he is working on a similar agreement with the HCor.<\/p>\n
The Arab Brazilian Chamber president also discussed the organization\u2019s project of establishing the House of Arab Culture in S\u00e3o Paulo, a centre for documentation and diffusion regarding the contribution of Arabs to humanity, and of Arab immigrants to Brazil. He emphasized that the community of Arab origin goes on contributing to the development of the country.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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