Lebanese Americans open wallets and hearts as war rages back home

Mirvet Makki, a Lebanese immigrant in Michigan, uses her catering business earnings to help those displaced by the war in her homeland. Makki, who moved to the U.S. in 1990, feels a deep connection to her village in southern Lebanon, now heavily impacted by the conflict.

“

I was thinking, 'What can I do for other people?' So I used my business.

The current fighting has displaced over a million people in Lebanon, with more than 3,500 deaths. This marks Israel's most significant incursion into Lebanon in over 25 years. Makki, like many in the Lebanese diaspora, grapples with guilt and a sense of hopelessness, finding it difficult to communicate with family facing worsening conditions.

“

the money I can spare personally, I've been sending it to family.

"Honestly it's hard. Like, what do you say?" Makki said. "They're going to ask me what I'm doing. Let's say I'm at work. They lost their jobs. Let's say I tell them I'm home. They lost their homes."

“

Honestly it's hard. Like, what do you say? They're going to ask me what I'm doing. Let's say I'm at work. They lost their jobs. Let's say I tell them I'm home. They lost their homes.

The Lebanese diaspora, estimated between 625,000 and 1.4 million in the U.S., has a long history in the country, dating back to the late 1800s. This global community remains vital to Lebanon, sending billions of dollars annually and often rallying around shared causes, such as the "uncommitted movement" during the 2024 U.S. presidential election or condemning attacks. "When they see suffering in Lebanon, people's immediate reaction ... is for the community to come together, raise funds, raise money, and try to help everybody as much as they can," said Akram Khater, director of Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University.

“

There is really no Lebanese homeland without the Lebanese diaspora.