The story behind
Bayt Emme
Allow me to tell you a tale, from a land far away, of a woman who lived in a village, above a deep valley, on the edge of a mountain, which lay still above the clouds.
The village was Blaouza and her name was Zmerod.
A woman who crossed the oceans and seas with her 5 children at hand in search for a life better than that of which she left, where the loss of her beloved husband Toufic saw her home torn away from her from the very people that were entrusted to protect her.
With her unwavering willingness to endure any hardship for her family and her resilience to fight the struggles life threw at her, she landed on the shores of a country so far away from what she called home, with nothing but faith, that God alone will see her through this journey, this mother hauled her children and took her first step on the sunburnt country of Australia.
Let me tell you about this lady, this lady who conquered the essence of unconditional love whose energy would draw those far and wide toward her only to cower in the safety of her arms, the selflessness of her soul and the strength of her faith. There are very few people I can say truly empower the wisdoms of this life, but I can say she was one of them.
A woman who had very little, she did not see wealth in materialistic possessions but rather in the smiles, laughter and joys of her children. A woman who had conquered the duties of being a mother, and even more so, as time went on, a grandmother, great grandmother and a great great grandmother.
Zmerod’s youngest son Antoun, was always grateful to Australia for the opportunities it gave them but always felt drawn back to the same village he was ripped out from at the age of 14, his heart never left the land where their mother once fought to protect them.
So over 50 years later he returned as a devoted child determined to Honor the woman who gave them everything. He reclaimed the very land they lost and built Bayt Emme — “My Mother’s House”— a tribute to her love, sacrifice, and the strength she instilled in them.
Bayt Emme is more than a home; it is a story of resilience, of a family that rose from ashes, and of a mother whose unwavering love shaped a legacy that will never fade. Bayt Emme is a monument of gratitude, a tribute to a mother’s strength, and a testimony to the unbreakable spirit of a family that rose from struggle to greatness, only to return home, once again.
