Greater Syrian Diaspora at 78RPM: Metropolitan Samuel David
posted on: Dec 23, 2020
By: Richard Breaux/Arab America Contributing Writer
What do you do when you find several dozen 78 rpm records all in Arabic and you can neither read, nor speak the language? You research the musicians and record labels and write about them.…at least that’s what Arab America contributing writer, Richard Breaux did. The result is bound to teach you something about Arab American history and heritage in the first half of the 20th Century. Arab America highlights some of the well-known and lesser-known Arab American musicians profiled in this series. This week’s article features Arab American music legend, Metropolitan Samuel David.
Metropolitan Samuel David was the youngest of six children and was born on Aug. 26, 1893, to David and Gazaly Haddad in Aita, Greater Syria (now Lebanon). In the tradition of people like Metropolitan Germanos Shehadi, he studied to become a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate and believed music could be an essential component of the ministry. As an ordained deacon, David mastered Byzantine chanting and in 1920, he was elevated to Archimandrite.
After World War I, he was appointed as pastor of St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio. The combination of the Bolshevik Revolution and the death of Archbishop Raphael Hawaweeny created a crisis of faith and leadership among the Orthodox faithful in the Syrian-Lebanese diaspora settled in the United States. Communities largely divided themselves into two factions: 1) the Russy faction and 2) the Antaky faction. The Russy faction argued to remain affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, while the Antaky faction pushed for affiliation with the Antioch. Adding fuel to the fire, the Russian Orthodox Church selected Bishop Aftimios Ofiesh to succeed Hawaweeny; although some in the Atacky faction looked to Metropolitan Germanos Shehadi (Chehde) as the rightful successor.
While some communities resolved this issue, others remained split on the question of leadership. The Syrian-Lebanese community in Toledo was one such community that remained divided.
In 1935, Samuel David, Agapios Golam, and Antony Bashir represented those who were candidates for the Archbishop of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America (a fourth candidate Ananias Kassab withdrew his name from consideration). Eventually, in 1936, Antiochians in America were split between two archdioceses: those of New York and North America; and of Toledo, Ohio, and Dependencies.
At the heart of this split lay the debate of whether the Patriarchate of Moscow or the Patriarchate of Antioch should hold the place of the Mother Church. This separation of the Arab American faithful resulted significantly from the division in loyalty to the bishops who would come to govern them: Metropolitan Antony Bashir of New York, and Metropolitan Samuel David of Toledo.
Disagreement ran deep and split Arabic-speaking Orthodox Church members in Toledo. Saint George’s Church traced its roots to Saint George Syrian-Greek Orthodox Church Association in 1913. It was the only church to serve Greater Syrians emigrants and their families in Toledo. Those who supported Samuel David’s selection remained at Saint George; those who favored Antony Bashir established the Saint Elias Men’s Club and Ladies Society. This became Saint Elias Orthodox Church by 1938 (both eventually moved out of Toledo’s north side in the 1970s).
On April 19, 1936, Samuel David was consecrated Archbishop of Toledo, Ohio, and Dependencies. He traveled across the US and tirelessly labor for the Antiochians. According to his son, the golden-voiced David rivaled the late Germanos Shehadi. His work in Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey helped to enlarge the rolls of Orthodoxy and his influence and financial sponsorship attracted numerous deacons in his Parishes to the priesthood. He also led the campaign for rebuilding the St. George Church in Aita, Lebanon.
Between 1945 and 1953, David published several Arabic-language prayer books and distributed them to a host of Arabic-speaking Orthodox churches around the globe. Metropolitan Archbishop Samuel David died in 1958. He recorded at least seven discs, 11 song-set recorded for Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana.
Richard M. Breaux is an Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse from Oakland, California. His courses and research explore the social and cultural histories of African Americans and Arab Americans in the 20th Century.
