Syrian Jews urge US sanctions relief to revive ancient community
For Syria's Jewish diaspora, the country's economic crisis stands in the way of restoring their ancient heritage.
DAMASCUS/WASHINGTON — When Henry Hamra returned to Syria for the first time after three decades spent living in the United States, he found a country that no longer resembled the one he left behind.
The historic Jobar synagogue lies in ruins and the school he attended as a boy stands abandoned. The city's kosher butchers have vanished and the Jewish cemetery, after decades of neglect, is in disarray. Few traces of Syria’s once vibrant Jewish community exist today within the Jewish Quarter of Damascus.
“I hate to see my synagogue, my school, my childhood just disappear like that,” Henry said.
The Syrian civil war, decades of state persecution and waves of immigration during the 20th century have pushed the country’s Jewish population to the verge of extinction. Only seven Jews are believed to remain in Syria, all of them elderly.
