Just World Educational joins in mourning the passing of Gabe Huck, who entered into the Light of God on June 30, 2026. Gabe was, along with his wife Theresa Kubasak, the co-author of Never Can I Write of Damascus, published by Just World Books in 2016.
The book was a lovely memoir of the time they spent in Damascus, 2005-12. They had gone there with the mission of giving what support they could to some of the million-plus citizens of Iraq who’d found refuge in Syria from the lethal chaos that engulfed Iraq in the aftermath of the United States’ 2003 invasion of their country.
What Gabe and Theresa did, specifically, was to establish an organization called the “Iraqi Student Project”, through which they held regular tutoring sessions in their small apartment in Damascus for young Iraqis who sought to further their education at universities in the United States. Gabe and Theresa meanwhile also worked to build a broad network of supporters in university communities across America who lobbied for local universities to take in these students and then provided continuing “home away from home” support to the students when they came came.
Later, as civil conflict also came to engulf Syria, they moved their operations to Turkey and expanded its scope to also cater to Syrian young people fleeing the carnage in their country, too. They built a strong community that Theresa still describes as a family: the students who became their children, and the support group members who became their siblings in the shared work of peace.
Never Can I Write received a warm response from readers. The revered international lawyer and peace activist Richard Falk described it as, “A gift to the world, a captivating love letter to the culture and people of Syria.” International-affairs analyst Stephen Kinzer described it as: “Both heartwarming and heartbreaking… a wonderfully refreshing counterpoint to the crude stereotypes most outsiders hear.”
And reviewing it for The Catholic Worker, Glen Lawrence called it “a laudable description of a land and people that may well be shattered permanently by recent wars,” and praised the authors for their “ceaseless energy for doing admirable works for peace and justice.”
Those who knew Gabe remember a life lived with simplicity, integrity, and generosity, values that shaped both his writing and his teaching. That spirit of collaboration across backgrounds, countries, and faiths ran through everything he and Theresa built.
As Theresa put it, “From the many, we are one.” That phrase was also the title of a song that Gabe wrote with Dr. Tony Alonso, published by GIA Publications in Chicago. The song became a nightly ritual at their family table in Harrisonburg, Virginia, sung in blessing and remembrance of Gabe by family and friends.
Honoring Gabe’s Legacy: The Gabe Huck Scholarship Endowment
Two years ago, Theresa began work on a final project to honor Gabe’s legacy: establishing the Gabe Huck Scholarship Endowment at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Alongside this effort, she has been sending Gabe’s archival materials, including his writings, lectures, and journals, to the Pitts Theology Library at Emory.
Her current goal is to raise $100,000 to establish the endowment in perpetuity, after which scholarships can begin to be awarded in Gabe’s name. The fund is currently halfway to that goal.
Emory has set up this fundraising page open to contributions from anywhere in the world. For those who knew Gabe through ISP/ISSP, through his writing, or through the wider community of people working for justice and peace in the Middle East, this endowment offers a way to carry his legacy of education as peacebuilding forward for future students.
Just World Educational extends its condolences to Theresa Kubasak and to all who were part of Gabe Huck’s extended family of students, colleagues, and friends.