Oral history interview with Sam J. Kahl and Zaki J. Kahl

Collection

Identifier: SR165

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Sam Kahl and Zaki Kahl was conducted by Robert J. Gassner in Portland, Oregon, on September 6, 1988. The interview was one of a series conducted in 1988 by Oregon Historical Society volunteer Robert Gassner with members of the Syrian and Lebanese community in Portland, Oregon.

In this interview, the Kahl brothers discuss their family background, including their distant relation to Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh and the life of their uncle, S.A. Kahl. They describe the experience of immigrating to the United States and how they came to settle in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-20th century. They talk about the Syrian and Lebanese community in Portland, including the activities of the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Syrian Lebanese American Club. They speak about the religious faith of people in Syria. They also briefly discuss how the independence of Lebanon in 1948, and the creation of Israel, affected the Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian communities. They close the interview by talking about Syrian- and Lebanese-owned businesses in Portland.

Dates

Creation: 1988 September 6

Creator

Kahl, Sam J. (Slieman Joseph), 1926-2006 (Interviewee, Person)
Kahl, Zaki J. (Zakhour Joseph), 1925-2017 (Interviewee, Person)
Gassner, Robert J. (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Slieman “Sam” Joseph Kahl was born in Amar, Syria, in 1926. He attended the College of Journalism in Cairo, Egypt, graduating in 1949. In 1951, after he immigrated to the United States, he changed his first name from Slieman to Sam. He ran a carpeting business, Kahl International, with his brothers in Portland, Oregon. He died in 2006.

Biographical note

Zakhour “Zaki” Joseph Kahl was born in Amar, Syria, in 1925. He immigrated to the United States in 1963. He ran a carpeting business, Kahl International, with his brothers in Portland, Oregon. He died in 2017.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (45 min., 31 sec.) + index (4 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Sam J. Kahl and Zaki J. Kahl conducted by Robert J. Gassner on September 6, 1988, as part of the Portland's Syrian/Lebanese-American Community series. The Kahl brothers were immigrants from Syria and business owners in Portland, Oregon.