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Oral history interview with Hazar Jaber

 Collection
Identifier: SR 12354

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Hazar Jaber was conducted by Sankar Raman, Nancy Dollahite and Hannah Kendall on May 29, 2020. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the interview was conducted using Zoom video conferencing software. Only an audio recording of the interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

In this interview, Jaber discusses her family background and early life in Marrakesh, Morocco, and in Damascus, Syria, including her father’s experiences as a refugee from the Golan Heights. She talks about her education in Damascus, and shares her reasons for attending dental school. She discusses her involvement in the Syrian Red Crescent Society. She talks about her marriage to Hani Eid, and about moving to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1999. She discusses working as a dental assistant, and establishing permanent residency in the United States. She also describes discrimination she and Eid experienced after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She shares their reasons for moving to Portland, Oregon, in 2002. She speaks about opening Happy Kids Dentistry in Longview, Washington, with her husband in 2004, about getting a U.S. dentistry license, and about expanding the business. She discusses her work with Syrian refugees in the Pacific Northwest, and speaks at length about her work with the Syrian American Medical Society. She closes the interview by sharing her plans for the future, and by sharing her thoughts about the humanitarian crisis resulting from civil war in Syria.

Dates

  • Creation: 2020 May 29

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Hazar Jaber was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1976. During her early childhood, her family lived in Marrakesh, Morocco, then returned to Damascus. She attended dental school and volunteered with the Syrian Red Crescent Society, officially known as the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. In 1999, she married Hani Eid, and they later had three children. The same year they married, the couple moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where Jaber worked as a dental assistant. In 2001, she became a permanent resident of the United States. The next year, the couple moved to Portland, Oregon, and in 2004, they started Happy Kids Dentistry in Longview, Washington. Jaber also helped organize dentistry missions to Syria through the Syrian American Medical Society.

Sources: Information provided by Jaber in her interview; “Hazar Jaber: Advocating for oral health so poverty does not make sugar into a poison for children,” by Lee Matz, Milwaukee Independent, February 15, 2023, accessed December 17, 2024, https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/articles/hazar-jaber-advocating-oral-health-poverty-not-make-sugar-poison-children/

Extent

331 Megabytes (2 audio files (WAV, MP4, 2 hr., 12 min., 55 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Hazar Jaber, conducted by Sankar Raman, Nancy Dollahite, and Hannah Kendall on May 29, 2020, for The Immigrant Story. Jaber discusses her work with the Syrian Red Crescent Society; her immigration to the United States; and her experiences running a dental practice, Happy Kids Dentistry, in Longview, Washington.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, June 2023 (RL2023-081).

Publication note

An article about Hazar Jaber, "Helping Others as a Lifelong Mission" by Hannah Kendall, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/helping-others/.
Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Hazar Jaber
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240