Elias Mikhail Daoud Ayyoub Yusef Jeries Faddoul Jeries Yusef Srouji

Elias Mikhail Daoud Ayyoub Srouji and his wife Farideh Mikhail Bahhouth on the balcony of their house in Shiah (Beirut, Lebanon) in the 1960s

Elias Mikhail Daoud Ayyoub Srouji and Family in 1947 before the Nakba and being forced to move to Lebanon. His Son Daoud is sitting on his lap, George standing in front, and Michael (Michel) standing on the left. His second wife Farideh Mikhail Bahhouth is seated next to him.

Place of Birth

Nazareth
Place of Death

Beirut
Wedding Date & Place

1929-01-27, Haifa
First Wife name

Ratibeh Bishara Shibli Srouji
Wife Death Date & Place

1930-01-27, Nazareth, Ratibeh died while delivering her first child Terese.
More Info

Elias Married Farideh Mikhail Istfan Bahhouth from Shafamr on 25/12/1938 Elias migrated from Haifa with his family to Beirut early in 1948 as a result of the war in palestine. Elias was an extraordinary man. He was a hard-working person and a good provider to his family. He was kind, friendly and compassionate. He never met a stranger. He lost his father when he was 4 years old. He faced very difficult times after he left Palestine as most Palestinians did. Early 1948, before the fall of Haifa to the Jews, he and three other families chartered a boat to escape the war and take them to Lebanon where Elias and his family remained until his death. Elias was an upholsterer and a cobbler by trade. He used both trades and worked long hours to provide for his family. In 1959, he obtained a Lebanese citizenship for himself and his family. He suffered from various maladies throughout his later years but endured and kept working to the end. He died in the Spring of 1975 from dryness of the arteries (Atherosclerosis). During his lifetime, Elias believed strongly in his faith. He walked for more than half an hour each way to attend mass every Sunday at the Greek Catholic Church. Shiah, where he lived, had only a Maronite church which he also attended at times. His funeral service was held at the Maronite church in Shiah. The Greek Catholic priest along with the 2 Maronite priests of the church, together performed the funeral service in both faiths. The sermons and readings were done in Greek and Syrian. The Church was full with people standing in the isles. This shows how much he was loved by the community. To them he was known as Abu Michel the Palestinian. He was buried in the Maronite cemetery in Shiah.