Latest news with #SyrianJews
France 24
29-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Syrian-American Jews visit Damascus synagogue
The trip comes after local community leader Bakhour Chamntoub said unknown assailants broke into and desecrated the tomb of a 17th-century rabbi in Damascus last week. Visiting Rabbi Henry Hamra led prayers at the Faranj synagogue in Damascus's Old City. His father Yusuf Hamra was reportedly the last rabbi to leave Syria, one of thousands of members of the Jewish community to depart in the 1990s. They had both visited from the United States in February. Victor Kamil, a Syrian Jew from New York, said the latest trip sought to "prepare the synagogues, to prepare the community here for people at least to start visiting", expressing hope that an improvement in the situation in Syria would encourage returns. "We are very proud Syrian Jews -- our kids know we are very proud and they will definitely love this heritage and this history," he added. Syria's centuries-old Jewish community was able to practise their religion under former president Hafez al-Assad, but the strongman prevented them from leaving the country until 1992. After that, their numbers plummeted from around 5,000 at the time to just a handful now. On Monday, the group prayed at the Damascus tomb of 17th-century Rabbi Chaim Vital, Kamil said. Community leader Chamntoub said Friday that unidentified individuals "dug up the ground next to the grave in search of antiquities", adding that local authorities had inspected the site and vowed to find those responsible. The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States said over the weekend it was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the desecration. "We urgently call on the Syrian government to immediately secure Jewish holy sites, synagogues and cemeteries and ensure their safety" and security, the statement added. Kamil said that "we are trying to figure out if... the bones of the rabbi were touched or moved", adding that the incident would not affect the importance of the site. After Islamist-led forces overthrew Assad in December, the new authorities have sought to reassure minorities that they will be protected. But last month saw sectarian massacres on the Alawite coast, and tensions were high on Tuesday after deadly sectarian clashes in a Damascus suburb. On a recent visit to New York, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with members of the Syrian Jewish community, discussing "the importance of strengthening bridges of communication and understanding", Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Arab News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syrian-American Jews visit Damascus synagogue
DAMASCUS: A group of Syrian-American Jews prayed in a synagogue in Damascus on Tuesday, an AFP photographer reported, the latest such visit following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad. The trip comes after local community leader Bakhour Chamntoub said unknown assailants broke into and desecrated the tomb of a 17th-century rabbi in Damascus last week. Visiting Rabbi Henry Hamra led prayers at the Faranj synagogue in Damascus's Old City. His father Yusuf Hamra was reportedly the last rabbi to leave Syria, one of thousands of members of the Jewish community to depart in the 1990s. They had both visited from the United States in February. Victor Kamil, a Syrian Jew from New York, said the latest trip sought to 'prepare the synagogues, to prepare the community here for people at least to start visiting,' expressing hope that an improvement in the situation in Syria would encourage returns. 'We are very proud Syrian Jews — our kids know we are very proud and they will definitely love this heritage and this history,' he added. Syria's centuries-old Jewish community was able to practice their religion under former president Hafez Assad, but the strongman prevented them from leaving the country until 1992. After that, their numbers plummeted from around 5,000 at the time to just a handful now. On Monday, the group prayed at the Damascus tomb of 17th-century Rabbi Chaim Vital, Kamil said. Community leader Chamntoub said Friday that unidentified individuals 'dug up the ground next to the grave in search of antiquities,' adding that local authorities had inspected the site and vowed to find those responsible. The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States said over the weekend it was 'deeply shocked and saddened' by the desecration. 'We urgently call on the Syrian government to immediately secure Jewish holy sites, synagogues and cemeteries and ensure their safety' and security, the statement added. Kamil said that 'we are trying to figure out if... the bones of the rabbi were touched or moved,' adding that the incident would not affect the importance of the site. After Islamist-led forces overthrew Assad in December, the new authorities have sought to reassure minorities that they will be protected. But last month saw sectarian massacres on the Alawite coast, and tensions were high on Tuesday after deadly sectarian clashes in a Damascus suburb. On a recent visit to New York, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met with members of the Syrian Jewish community, discussing 'the importance of strengthening bridges of communication and understanding,' Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Express Tribune
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
American Jews who fled Syria urge White House to lift sanctions for rebuilding in Damascus
Listen to article A group of American Jews, including Henry Hamra, who fled Syria decades ago, appealed to the White House on Wednesday to lift sanctions on Syria, which they say are hindering the restoration of some of the world's oldest synagogues and the rebuilding of Syria's Jewish community. Henry Hamra, who fled Damascus in the 1990s, expressed his concerns about the condition of Syria's Jewish heritage. "The old synagogues, the old cemetery, what's going on, who's taking care of it?" said Hamra, whose family now lives in New York. In December, with the fall of Bashar Assad's regime, Hamra and his father, Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, along with other community members, visited Syria for the first time in decades. The Hamras briefed US State Department officials and members of the White House about their plans to restore Syria's Jewish landmarks. Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian American Task Force, joined them, advocating for the lifting of sanctions to allow investment in Syria's reconstruction. "If you want a stable Syria... even if it's as simple as rebuilding the oldest synagogue in the world, the only person that's able to make that a reality today is, frankly, Donald Trump," Moustafa said. Syria's Jewish community, one of the world's oldest, has faced severe challenges. The once-thriving Jewish population, estimated at 100,000 in the early 20th century, has dwindled to only seven known members remaining in Damascus. The country has been devastated by civil war since 2011, leading to the destruction of many historical sites, including the Jobar synagogue, which Hamra visited. Despite efforts to protect and salvage artifacts during the conflict, much of the structure was destroyed in the fighting. Asserting that Syrian Jews abroad wish to help restore their heritage, Hamra said, 'My main goal is not to see my Jewish quarter, my school, and my synagogue fall apart.' The Hamras, alongside Moustafa, are urging the U.S. government to lift sanctions on Syria to facilitate investment and restoration efforts, which they believe will aid the revival of Syria's Jewish community, similar to Morocco's thriving Jewish presence in a Muslim-majority country.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian Jews hope for revival of ancient heritage
Syria's tiny Jewish community and Syrian Jews abroad are trying to build bridges after Bashar al-Assad's ouster in the hope of reviving their ancient heritage before the community dies out. This week, a small number of Jews living in Damascus, along with others from abroad, held a group prayer for the first time in more than three decades, in the Faranj synagogue in Damascus's Old City. "There were nine of us Jews (in Syria). Two died recently," community leader Bakhour Chamntoub told AFP in his home in the Old City's Jewish quarter. "I'm the youngest. The rest are elderly people who stay in their homes," the tailor in his sixties added in a thick Damascus accent. After Islamist-led rebels finally toppled Assad in December last year after nearly 14 years of conflict, the country's dwindling community has recently welcomed back several Syrian Jews who had emigrated. Syria's millennia-old Jewish community was permitted to practise their faith under Assad's father, Hafez, and had friendly relations with their fellow countrymen. But the strongman restricted their movement and prevented them from travelling abroad until 1992. After that, their numbers plummeted from around 5,000 to just a handful of individuals, headed by Chamntoub, who oversees their affairs. AFP correspondents met with Chamntoub, known to neighbours and friends as "Eid", after he returned from burying an elderly Jewish woman. "Now there are seven of us," he said, adding that a Palestinian neighbour had looked after the woman during her final days. - 'Tree uprooted' - The 1967 Arab-Israeli war cast a heavy cloud over the Jewish communities in several Arab countries. Syria lost most of the strategic Golan Heights to Israel, which later annexed them in a move never recognised by the international community as a whole. Chamntoub said the community did not experience any "harassment" under Bashar al-Assad's rule. He said an official from the new Islamist-led administration had visited him and assured him the community and its properties would not be harmed. Chamntoub expressed hope of expanding ties between the remaining Jews in Syria and the thousands living abroad to revive their shared heritage and restore places of worship and other properties. On his Facebook page, he publishes news about the community -- usually death notices -- as well as images of the Jewish quarter and synagogues in Damascus. He says nostalgic Syrian Jews abroad often make comments, recalling the district and its surroundings. At the Faranj synagogue, Syrian-American Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, 77, led what he said was the first group prayer in decades. "I was the last rabbi to leave Syria," he said, adding that he had lived in the United States for more than 30 years. "We love this country," said Hamra, who arrived days earlier on his first visit since emigrating. "The day I left Syria with my family, I felt I was a tree that had been uprooted," he said. - 'Family ties' abroad - His son Henry, travelling with him, said he was happy to be in the synagogue. "This synagogue was the home for all Jews -- it was the first stop for Jews abroad when they would visit Syria," the 47-year-old said. When war erupted in Syria in 2011 with Assad's brutal suppression of anti-government protests, synagogues shuttered and the number of Jews visiting plummeted. In the now devastated Damascus suburb of Jobar, a historic synagogue that once drew pilgrims from around the world was ransacked and looted, with a Torah scroll believed to be one of the world's oldest among the items stolen. Chamntoub said his joy at publicly worshipping in the Faranj synagogue again was "indescribable". He expressed hope that "Jews will return to their neighbourhood and their people" in Syria, saying: "I need Jews with me in the neighbourhood." Hamra said that like many emigrants, he was hesitant about returning permanently. "My freedom is one thing, my family ties are another," he said, noting that many in the 100,000-strong diaspora were long established in the West and reluctant to give up their lives and lifestyles there. Chamntoub said many Jews had told him they regretted leaving Syria but that he doesn't expect "a full return". "Maybe they will come for trips or to do business" but not to stay, he said. He expressed hope of establishing a museum in Syria to commemorate its Jewish community. "If they don't return or get married and have children here, we will end soon," he said. mam-kls/lg/kir
