JOBAR, Syria (AP) – In this Damascus suburb, the few Jews still living in Syria can once again make pilgrimages to one of the world’s oldest synagogues, where people from across the region once came to pray
Syria’s 13-year civil war has left the synagogue largely destroyed.
Its walls and ceilings have collapsed, and some artifacts are missing.
A marble plaque in Arabic at the entrance indicates it was built 720 years before Christ.
With the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, people can now safely visit the suburb of Jobar, which was heavily shelled by government forces while under rebel control.
Syria was once home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities.
However, those numbers have declined dramatically, especially since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and due to anti-Jewish unrest and persecution.
Today, only nine Jews live in Syria, according to the community leader, most of them elderly.
It is believed that within a few years there will be no Syrian Jews left in the country.
On Thursday, one of the visitors to the Jobar Synagogue, also known as the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, was Bakhour Chamntoub, 74, the head of the Jewish community in Syria.
He told The Associated Press that the synagogue means a lot to them, during his first visit in 15 years.
Chamntoub was shocked to see that part of the synagogue had been reduced to rubble.
He said that Jews from all over the world have contacted him, offering to help with the reconstruction.
He never left Syria during the war, unlike his 12 siblings who emigrated.
Chamntoub is happy in Syria, where he says he is respected by the community.
He has never faced discrimination, although other Jews avoid identifying themselves openly due to the climate of hostility towards Israel and the fear of being considered spies or collaborators.
The Jewish presence in Syria dates back to the visit of the prophet Elijah to Damascus almost 3,000 years ago.
After the First Crusade in 1099, when Jerusalem was conquered by Christian armies and its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants were massacred, many Jews fled to Damascus.
Another wave of Jews arrived from Europe, fleeing the Spanish Inquisition that began in 1492.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish community in Syria numbered about 100,000 people.
With the creation of Israel, tensions and restrictions increased, leading many to emigrate to Israel, the United States and other countries.
Under the Assad dynasty, which lasted 54 years, Jews were able to practice their religion freely, but with travel restrictions until the early 1990s.
When those restrictions were relaxed following Arab-Israeli peace talks, many more left.
Before the Syrian conflict in 2011, Chamntoub and other members of the community would hold prayers at Jobar on Saturdays.
He recalls Torahs written on gazelle hides, candelabras, tapestries and carpets, all likely stolen during the war.
Barakat Hazroumi, a Muslim who grew up near the synagogue, recounted how he would help Jews light lights or candles on Saturdays, since they are not allowed to do physical work on that day.
He described the site as a beautiful religious space that needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
After Jobar was retaken by Assad forces in 2018, security was tightened, limiting access.
Under Syria’s new rulers, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, everyone was promised freedom of religion, although there have been sectarian attacks, particularly against Assad’s Alawite minority.
On his way home to Damascus, Chamntoub passed the Maimonides Jewish school, which has been closed for decades, where Hebrew posters still hang on the walls.
The area is known as the Jewish Quarter, with many old houses closed by the state.
The Jewish community struggles to find kosher food.
Chamntoub gets meat from the United States through relatives and friends who visit Syria.
He prepares vegetarian meals and cares for an elderly Jewish woman, Firdos Mallakh, who lives alone with no relatives in Syria.
Chamntoub hopes that with Assad’s fall, there will be greater economic and social freedoms in the country.
He can now speak openly about his faith without needing permission from the authorities.
However, with so few Jews in Damascus, synagogue services have ceased, and Chamntoub celebrates Hanukkah, which began on Wednesday, alone at home.
Published in 12/30/2024 10h54
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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