Badie Nijim

1936 - 2005

Badie Nijim was born on September 13, 1936, in Tulkarm, Palestine. He lived with his family in Jerusalem,

In 1948 his family lost their home when they fled for the safety of the strong walls in the old city of Jerusalem.  His mother and little sister were killed there when their refuge was bombed during a cease-fire.

After graduating from St George’s School at the age of 16, he went to Augustana College in Rock Island, IL were he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in history. Upon graduating in 1957, Badie returned home to Ramallah were he taught at the Friends Boys School. During summer months, he often gave tours of the Holy Land to visiting ministers.

In 1962, he married Leila Dibuni after meeting her at an ecumenical work camp in Lebanon. After the birth of their first daughter, Samar, Badie started with a new job working with ARAMCO in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. His other two daughters, Sahar and Samia were both born there. His position was with the Current Affairs department.

In 1968, Badie moved his family to the United States when he enrolled in the Hartford Seminary Foundation for post-graduate studies. After he finished his studies in 1971, he took his family to Ohio where he taught at Kenyon College. He taught Islam and Arabic.

After his teaching position ended, Badie returned to Saudi Arabia where he worked in Government Affairs - Translation -  for the remainder of his career. Before moving back to the United States at his retirement, Badie and Leila met their three daughters in Amman, and they took a trip back to Palestine together. Badie showed his daughters all the significant places he had often spoken about. These places included the home his family lost in 1948, the convent where his family hid during the war, the spot where his mother and sister were killed, St. George’s School and many other places that had impacted him at a young age. In addition to seeing a lot of family, this was a very emotional trip for him and his family. 

Upon retiring in 1996, Badie and Leila moved to Madison, Wisconsin to be close to their daughters. Badie passed away painlessly on May 28, 2005.

One of Badie’s greatest joys was teaching, both at the Friends Boys School and at Kenyon College. His other great passion was playing bridge, which he did regularly for over 40 years. Badie will be most remembered for his generosity, kindness and great sense of humor.

Many of the friends of the Ladah Foundation knew Badie Nijim from the Friends Schools in Ramallah or from Aramco/Saudi Aramco - Government Affairs - in Dhahran as educator, historian and orientalist.

Memorial services will be held for Badie in Madison, Wisconsin, in Amman, Jordan, and in Ramallah, Palestine on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, 2005.

Memorial Services in Amman will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2005 at 5:00 pm at the Episcopalian Church of the Redeemer (Kaneesat al-Fadi al-Injeeliyyah) in Jabal Amman.

Memorial Services in Ramallah will be held on Sunday, June 5, 2005 at 10:30 am at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope.

Badie's final internment will be on Saturday in Wisconsin, marked by a private family ceremony.

Badie Nijim is survived by his wife Leila and three daughters.   The Nijim family has requested that donations be made in Badie’s name, in lieu of flowers, to one of the following tax-exempt charitable organizations:

Doctors Without Borders USA

P.O. Box 1856

Merrifield, VA 22116-8056

Our prayers go for Badie’s soul and for the Nijim family. 

With sympathy and respect,

The Ladah Foundation

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