Who are some of the other actors or artists of
your aims in writing this book? Was there a
Lebanese heritage that you admire?
message you wanted to impart to children?
Tony Shalhoub. My friend of years, the late
Michael Ansara. Danny Thomas, Selma Hayek,
and of course, Paul Anka, Omar Sharif, and many
of the wonderful writers of music and shows and set
designers we have had the good fortune to produce.
I cannot remember their names at this time but they
made an impact on me when I was growing up.
Emil Kuri, I believe was one that just came to my
mind. He was an award winning set designer, I
believe.
Have the traditions of Lebanese culture
remained an important part of your life?
I go to church every Sunday and take Communion. I
love my Arabic food. I try to speak a bit of it here
and there just to keep the memories of my
childhood fresh. I love all of our holidays. All of the
We thought it would be an entertaining idea to bring
traditions that go with my Orthodox Easter and our
the imaginary camel Habibi that Klinger used in
Christian Christmas. I enjoy a glass of Arak now
MASH to life. We thought it would make a fun
and then. I think of my grandparents on both sides
children’s book. So we came up with the idea that
of the family and the love I have for them. The get-
Habibi had a wife named Habeeba and had a baby
togethers I experienced with the Arabic music,
named Hababy. We thought using the camels in the
instruments, food and dancing. It is a rich culture
story of the birth of Christ was a good way to
and one I keep close to my heart.
highlight their importance in the life of the little
camel. We used other animals who were being told
In 2003 you wrote a children’s picture book,
the story and made them important in the story
Hababy's Christmas Eve, with your wife Joy, and
itself, and we gave them the names of some of my
illustrations by Alice io Oglesby. This tells the
childhood friends. It was a work of fun. Alice did a
Christmas story from the point of view of the
superb job with her illustrations.
camels carrying the three wise men. What were