Washington, DC | www.adc.org | January 25, 2018 – It is with deep sadness that the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announces the passing of Joseph R. Haiek, 85, in Cairo, Egypt on the morning of January 25, 2018. Haiek was a longtime ADC member and former board member. Haiek was the author of the Arab American Almanac, the most comprehensive history of Arabs in America.
ADC President Samer Khalaf hailed Haiek as a “pioneer in the Arab-American community whose life’s work will be a torch for generations to come.”
Joseph Haiek was born in Jerusalem, Palestine in 1932. After Israeli forces occupied Jerusalem following the 1967 War, Haiek along with his wife Teresa immigrated to the United States where he studied marking at Los Angeles City College and earned a degree in journalism from Californian State University in Los Angeles. In 1972, Haiek founded The News Circle Publishing House, which publishes the Arab American Affairs Magazines.
In 1978, he established the Arab American Historical Foundation, which became our community’s first leading research center dedicated to preserving Arab-Americans history and culture. “We must perpetuate the legacy of our Arab-American culture and acknowledge our history and perspectives before we can expect others to respect and recognize our achievements and contributions in America,” Haiek said.
One of his greatest accomplishments was the seminal Arab American Almanac. The 1974 edition had less than a hundred pages. When Haiek published the sixth edition in 2010, the Almanac had grown to 608-pages.
For his years of service, Haiek received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2011 in recognition of his contributions to the nation. The award is recognized by the U.S. Congress and recipients are listed in the U.S. Congressional Record.
ADC sends its deepest condolences to Haiek’s family. May God have mercy on his soul.