United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE), Northeast Region
5 Hill Street, Taunton, MA 02780
(774) 264 0110
office@uenortheast.org
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE), Northeast Region
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Ali Hebshi of Bethany, Connecticut passed away at home on June 7, 2005 at the age of 65 from pancreatic cancer. His wife, Carol Lambiase, and son, Aaron Hebshi were by his side.
Ali was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the oldest of seven children of Hussein and Maimona Hebshi. He attended the University of Texas in Austin and received a BA in Political Science from San Diego State University. He did post graduate work in sociology at UCSD. A committed activist for peace and social justice, Ali worked as a union organizer for various labor organizations for twenty-five years, most recently for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE).
His warmth and passion for life were contagious as was his belief that a more just and peaceful world is possible. To him, justice and peace were practices of daily life and not abstract principles. He cared deeply about the environment and was active in the struggle against pollution and the privatization of public water. He worked to end the war in Iraq and in support of the rights of Palestinians.
He leaves his wife, Carol Lambiase, and his three children: Leila Hebshi, her husband, Peter Udovch and their son Frank, of Tucson Arizona; Aaron Hebshi and his wife Sandi Hebshi of Honolulu, Hawaii; Shoshana Hebshi-Holt and her husband Kurt Hebshi-Holt of Oakland, California. He leaves three brothers, Mohsin, Ahmed and Alowi and three sisters, Heriya, Fadeela and Amal and their families in Saudi Arabia.
A private burial service was held Thursday June 9, 2005. A Celebration of Ali's life will be held on July 2, 2005 at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden, Connecticut and on the West Coast on July 17 at 11 a.m. in Roberts Park in the Oakland Hills. In honor of Ali's life and commitment to justice the family shares his favorite quote "philosophers interpret the world, however the point is to change it" and urges that others continue Ali's work through activism on behalf of social justice and the environment.
Donations can be made to the American Friends Service Committee for the "Ali Hebshi Water for Life Memorial Fund" (send to AFSC, 4 Park Street, Ste 209, Concord NH 03301) or Connecticut United for Peace through CTUnitedforPeace.org, or to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund through PCRF.net