Thermos

Thermos Aladdin Industries Steel, plastic
Maker Aladdin Industries
Title Thermos
Date of Creation 1950s
Location Made in Nashville, TN
Materials Steel, plastic
Institution Arab American National Museum
Credit Line Husain Mohamed Muflahi
Accession Number 2004.72.05
Photo Credit Arab American National Museum
Category Folk Art, Tools, and Instruments

Husain Muflahi took this thermos filled with Arabic coffee to work at Bethlehem Steel Company every day, sharing it generously with his coworkers. In 1951, at the age of 21, Hussein Muflahi left his home in Yemen, eventually making his way to the United States in 1953. In 1955, he moved to Lackawanna, NY, to work in the Bethlehem Steel Company. He worked there until his retirement in 1983. Many Arab Americans found employment in the steel industry in cities such as Birmingham, AL, Buffalo, NY, and Pittsburgh and Allentown, PA. While many Lebanese and Syrian immigrants worked in the steel mills of Alabama and Pennsylvania since the early 1900s, Yemeni workers, who immigrated in more recent years, are still found in large numbers at Bethlehem Steel in Buffalo, NY.