CANTON, Mich. (AP) 鈥� Every week, Mirvet Makki sets aside earnings from her catering business to help people in displaced by the war between .
Makki, 47, who cooks Lebanese dishes like couscous stews and traditional kibbeh balls in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn Heights, immigrated to Michigan in 1990. But her heart never left her childhood village of Bint Jbeil, now in .
Nearly every Lebanese American has felt the impact of the , which has displaced more than 1 million people 鈥� roughly one in every six Lebanese 鈥� and killed more than 3,500 people. It鈥檚 Israel鈥檚 into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.
鈥淚 was thinking, 鈥榃hat can I do for other people?鈥欌�� Makki said. 鈥淪o I used my business.鈥�
Even with the rising cost of living in the U.S., she said, 鈥渢he money I can spare personally, I鈥檝e been sending it to family.鈥�
In areas like metro Detroit, where Arabic signs adorn restaurants, coffee houses and bakeries on bustling suburban avenues, a sense of grief has blanketed the war-weary community as they watch thousands of miles away.
Like Makki, many grapple with guilt and hopelessness. It鈥檚 not easy to help loved ones who are unwilling or unable to leave their country and face a worsening economic crisis.
鈥淗onestly it鈥檚 hard. Like, what do you say?鈥� Makki said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to ask me what I鈥檓 doing. Let鈥檚 say I鈥檓 at work. They lost their jobs. Let鈥檚 say I tell them I鈥檓 home. They lost their homes.鈥�
The global diaspora has shaped Lebanon
Lebanese immigration to the U.S. dates to the late 1800s. Roughly 625,000 Lebanese Americans live here now, according to census data, though some estimates put the number closer to 1.4 million.
Opinions about the Lebanese government, Hezbollah and Israel vary among the diaspora as they do in Lebanon, where views are heavily influenced by religious affiliation. The population there is about equally split between Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim and Christian denominations, along with a smaller Druze community.
Despite their differences, the global diaspora remains deeply connected to their home country, in part through billions of dollars sent back each year.
鈥淭here is really no Lebanese homeland without the Lebanese diaspora,鈥� Edward Curtis, director of Arabic Studies at Indiana University, said.
A population who relies on each other
Lebanese Americans often rally around common causes, like during the 2024 U.S. presidential election for the 鈥� 鈥� protesting U.S. support for Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza, or to condemn the carried out by a Lebanese man in March.
鈥淲hen they see suffering in Lebanon, people鈥檚 immediate reaction … is for the community to come together, raise funds, raise money, and try to help everybody as much as they can,鈥� Akram Khater, director of Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University, said.
Most rely on one another, rather than looking to Washington for help.
Curtis said many Lebanese Americans have grown disillusioned with U.S. politics, instead seeking to 鈥渃elebrate Lebanese life when other peoples are threatening its death.鈥�
Maya Attoui, whose parents still live in Beirut, is organizing a metro Detroit fundraiser to support Lebanon and raise awareness about the conflict. She said she doesn鈥檛 have enough money to spare to support her numerous relatives, but hopes an event with activities and speakers will generate far more funds.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 feel like talking, we don鈥檛 feel like cooking in our houses,鈥� Attoui said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just 24/7 on the phone or on the news. Our heart is really melting and breaking because of whatever we see.鈥�
A financial lifeline
Although people send remittances to countries all over the world, Lebanon is particularly dependent on its vast diaspora. The country鈥檚 economy has been shredded in recent years, to the point where the U.S. dollar is gradually becoming the de facto currency.
Makki visited Lebanon in February and saw how much prices had risen. Where $200 used to cover a car rental and a hotel room, this time it barely paid for a dinner out.
Some people crowdsource funds online. There are established relief organizations, but most prefer to send money directly to loved ones.
Makki doesn’t want to send more than $10,000 in total, to avoid appearing suspicious. After that, she laughed, 鈥淢aybe take it there myself?鈥�
Nadia Bryant, 37, of Troy, Michigan, has been sending money to her half sisters in Lebanon, who are in temporary housing after their village of Ayta ash-Shab was invaded by Israeli forces.
Rather than spending the money on themselves, Bryant said, her sisters used it to help orphaned children.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e such righteous people,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淭hey are not even trying to take the money and get themselves a better house or anything. They鈥檙e like, 鈥極h, we have shelter, but this person needs a mattress.鈥欌��
Over WhatsApp, her sister sent her a photo of a steaming teapot over a fire amid the strewn debris of what had been their home. The caption read: 鈥淏est cup of tea since 9 october 2023.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even ask, 鈥楬ow are you?鈥� That feels so stupid to me,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淚 ask, you know, 鈥榃hat does today look like,鈥� or 鈥榃here are you today?鈥欌��
Attoui, the fundraiser organizer, has tried to convince her family to move to the U.S. multiple times since she came in 2006. They don’t want to leave. Regardless, the U.S. to Lebanese nationals in late January.
鈥淚 have all my aunts and my cousins over there,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o like, how many people can you bring here?鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
