Most people know Steve Jobs as the person behind Apple. But very few people talk about his biological father, Abdulfattah Jandali.
Even though most don’t know his name, Jandali’s life was full of big dreams, tough choices, and determination. His story is also about the struggles many immigrants and families face.
Grow Up in Syria
Abdulfattah Jandali was born on March 15, 1931, in Homs, a busy city in Syria. He grew up surrounded by old traditions and hopes for a better future. The city was full of life, with busy markets and strong family ties.
Jandali was the youngest of nine children. His family was wealthy and owned a lot of land. His father made all the important decisions at home.
He expected his children to follow his rules and traditions. Jandali’s family practiced the Sunni Muslim faith and were close-knit.
Because his family had money and rules, Abdulfattah learned discipline at a young age. He also wanted to see what life could be like outside Homs. He grew up hearing about independence and change as Syria struggled with its future.
School and Early Dreams
Jandali did very well in school. His teachers noticed how smart he was. He dreamed of being a lawyer. He wanted to study at Damascus University.
But his father thought there were too many lawyers already and told him to choose another path. Jandali listened, but he still wanted to chase big dreams.
Even though the family stayed out of politics, Jandali saw how important freedom and progress were. He watched his father build success from nothing. These experiences taught him about working hard and believing in yourself.
Move to Lebanon
When he was eighteen, Jandali left Syria and went to the American University of Beirut. This was a well-known university in the Middle East. Beirut was a lively city filled with ideas from different countries.
While there, Jandali studied political science and economics. He also became active in groups that spoke up for Arab identity and independence. Once, he even spent a short time in jail for joining a protest.
Being in Beirut changed his views. Jandali was proud of his roots but also interested in new, Western ideas. He got to know people with different backgrounds and started thinking about moving to the West for further studies. Luckily, he had family connections in America who could help him with this goal.
Start Over in America
Jandali moved to New York City in 1952. He first lived with his cousin, who worked as a diplomat. That made life easier in the beginning. He signed up for classes at Columbia University.
Later, he moved to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Jandali worked hard and earned his master’s and PhD degrees in political science and economics. Scholarships helped make this possible.
Life in America was not easy. Sometimes he ran out of money and had to get used to a new culture. But Jandali did not give up. He made friends and got support from teachers. He liked the freedom in America, and because he never stopped working hard, he found many new opportunities.
Meet Joanne Schieble
While studying at Wisconsin, Jandali met a woman named Joanne Schieble. She came from a Catholic family in the Midwest. Their backgrounds were very different.
He was from Syria and followed Muslim traditions. She grew up with German-Swiss roots and Catholic beliefs. Even so, they fell in love.
Joanne’s father did not approve of the relationship. He was uncomfortable with Jandali’s background and religion. Things became even more stressful when Joanne became pregnant in 1954.
Her father refused to let them marry. Joanne went to San Francisco to have the baby and decided to give her son up for adoption. That baby would grow up to be Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs’ Adoption
At that time, adoptions were kept secret. Joanne wanted her baby to have a good life with parents who went to college.
Her first choice fell through, but Paul and Clara Jobs, a loving couple from California, adopted the baby. Jandali agreed with this decision because he thought it was what was best for his child.
Steve Jobs knew little about his birth parents for many years. When he was older, he decided to find out the truth. He met his birth mother and his half-sister, Mona. But he never formed a relationship with his birth father, Jandali. Jobs often said that Paul and Clara Jobs were his real parents.
Family Changes and New Beginnings
After Joanne’s father passed away, Jandali and Joanne got married. They had a daughter, Mona Simpson, in 1957. But their marriage did not last. They moved around a lot and had their own troubles. In 1962, they got divorced. Jandali went back to Syria for a while, and Joanne took Mona to Los Angeles.
Later, Jandali tried to have a relationship with his daughter Mona. Over time, they got close again. Mona became a well-known writer. She and Steve Jobs became close as siblings, even though they were raised in different families.
Jandali remarried and moved to Nevada. He did not have any more children. He still tried to stay connected to his family.
Work and Success in America
After finishing school, Jandali became a professor. He taught at the University of Michigan and later in Nevada. Many students liked his teaching because he understood both Middle Eastern and American cultures.
But eventually, Jandali wanted something different. He started running restaurants and then worked in the casino business in Nevada. He became vice chairman of Boomtown Casino and Hotel in Reno.
Ironically, Jobs had unknowingly eaten frequently at Jandali’s restaurant in San Jose in the 1980s and early 1990s, and Jobs tipped generously, but neither knew their relation at the time.
Jandali worked hard and built a successful business life. He never talked much about Steve Jobs in public. His achievements were his own, not connected to his famous son.
More About Steve Jobs and Abdulfattah Jandali’s Relationship
Steve Jobs found out about his birth parents after his adoptive mother died in 1986. He became curious and wanted to thank his birth mother for choosing adoption. Jobs built a close relationship with Joanne and his half-sister, Mona. They often met and even spent holidays together.
Even though Jobs knew about Jandali from Mona, he deliberately chose never to meet or contact his biological father, even as Jobs battled pancreatic cancer from 2003 until his death on October 5, 2011. Jobs also worried that Jandali might ask for money or talk to the press, since Jobs was very rich and famous.
Jobs explained in his biography that he did not trust Jandali and felt hurt by the abandonment. He thought Jandali would not treat him well and decided to stay away.
For a long time, Jobs also did not look for his birth parents out of respect for Paul and Clara Jobs. Privacy mattered a lot to Jobs, so he let Mona keep in touch with Jandali instead.
On the other hand, Jandali found out that Jobs was his son much later, in the 2000s. He hoped to talk to Jobs, but was afraid Jobs would think he wanted money. Jandali sent a few emails and small birthday wishes, but never pushed for a meeting. He stayed in contact with Mona and respected Jobs’ wishes for distance.
As he got older, Jandali said he regretted giving up Jobs for adoption, but he did not try to force a relationship. After Steve Jobs died in 2011, Jandali felt sad they never met but accepted that it was too late.
