Anera Mourns Death of Anera Supporter Aref Jabr
May 24 , 2010 | Washington, DC Anera announces with great sadness that long-time friend and Board member Aref Jamil Jabr died in Minneapolis, MN on May 17 at the age of 86.
Mr. Jabr was born in Jaffa, Palestine and studied law at the Jerusalem Law School. After the fall of Palestine in 1948, he moved to Jordan and, in 1950, was asked to help establish the first Jordanian mission in Washington, DC. He also represented Jordan at the United Nations.
For 34 years, beginning in 1957, Mr. Jabr worked at the West Publishing Company in St. Paul, MN, where he rose to the position of Manager of Statute Planning in the Editorial Department.
Mr. Jabr was long-time supporter of Aneras education programs, in particular sponsoring the education of children at the orphanage Dar El Yateem in Tulkarem, West Bank. In the 1990s and 2000s, he served as a member of the Anera Board and Advisory Council. In 1997, he went with several other Anera Board members on a trip to visit projects in the West Bank and Gaza.
Despite a tremendous success in the States, said Anera President Bill Corcoran, Aref never forgot his roots in Palestine. His generosity to schools there is inspiring and has pushed many youth closer to their dreams.
Mr. Jabr is survived by wife Barbara, children Jamil and Nadia, and grandchildren Jennifer and Gabriel.
*** Parts of this announcement have been excerpted from the St. Paul Pioneer Press obituary.