About This Item

  • Call NumberBJHP_0292
  • Summary(00:35) Family of Annette is from Aleppo, Syria, settled in Brooklyn. Parents married, moved to Oklahoma City where her father had a store. Family returned to Brooklyn in 1945 -- (07:00) Father became very religious, decided to keep store closed on Saturday (shabbat) -- (09:15) Annette attended public school up to 7th grade. Mother, a painter, involved in artistic world of New York City. Mother became more progressive. Parents divorced -- (12:00) Father involved in Syrian Jewish community. Annette and sister went to progressive private school in 1954 in Greenwich Village, then college. Annette became a teacher, husband a teacher, Jewish but not Syrian -- ( 17:00) Growing up, family observant, grandfather was a revered rabbi and a scholar. Annette discusses Syrian community, strong family ties -- (28:40) Jewish Syrian wives learn to cook after marriage. Annette became a prolific cook after marriage. Only later became interested in Syrian food, learned Syrian cooking from old cookbook, mother and grandmother. Annette and her sister wanted to record these recipes so they would not get lost. Started a cook book. Later Annette passed project to her daughter Jennifer, a graphic designer. Jennifer wrote a family memoir that incorporates food.
  • Date2020-02-05
  • Physical Description1 audio file (48 minutes) : digital, MP3
  • CreatorHidary, Annette
  • CollectionBrooklyn Jewish History Project
  • Cite AsBrooklyn Jewish History Project, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
  • Formatsound recording-nonmusical
  • Genreinterviews
  • NoteTitle supplied by cataloger. Audio interview conducted on 2020 February 5, by Ariane Loeb. Collected through the Brooklyn Collection Jewish History Project of Brooklyn Public Library. This project is funded by the David Berg Foundation.
  • SubjectJews--Identity ; Cookbooks ; Cooking, Syrian
  • PlaceBrooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
  • LocationAleppo (Syria)
  • RightsThis work is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Users are free to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given to the source and new material created with this work is shared under the same conditions.
  • TitleThe Hidary and Abadi families. The Abadi and Hidary family collection. Oral history interview with Annette Hidary conducted on February 5, 2020.
  • Biographical NoteThe Hidary and Abadi families arrived from Aleppo, Syria in the early 20th century, first lived on Lower East Side, afterwards in Bensonhurst. Parents of Annette, Frida Abadi and Abraham Hidary, married and moved to Colorado, then to Oklahoma City where Abraham had a store. Returned to Brooklyn in 1945, later got divorced. Frida moved with daughters to the Chelsea Hotel. Mother involved in the artistic scene in New York City. Annette became a teacher. Later, when ethnic food came into fashion, Annette become interested in learning Syrian Jewish cooking from her family. She gathered recipes and later passed on the project to her daughter Jennifer, a graphic designer, who created a book.