Jews of Damascus spared from upheaval in Syria – for now

The tiny Jewish community in Damascus was not targeted during the overthrow of the Assad regime by rebel groups last week, one of its members told Israeli broadcaster Kan on Saturday.

He stated that on the first day following the takeover, significant upheavals took place in the city, including car thefts and burglaries. Despite all of this, the Jewish community was not affected, he assured.

"I am here in Damascus and no one has entered the Jewish properties and synagogues," said the source. According to him, the Jews of Damascus are not afraid of the new government despite its Islamist orientation. "These past few days, I was walking in the street and one of the rebels said hello to me. Everything is going on as usual. In fact, it might be better than before," he said.

The man, however, did not express any antipathy towards Assad's regime, telling Kan that the Jews were "satisfied with both" regimes. He also expressed optimism about the possibility of the new government embarking on the path of peace with Israel.

While there were about 100,000 Jews in Syria at the end of the 19th century, according to the World Jewish Congress, estimates put that number currently at four. Before 1947, Syrian Jews consisted of three distinct communities: the Kurdish-speaking Jews in the northeast, the Jews of Aleppo, and the Jews of Damascus.

When Syria gained its independence from France in 1944, Jews in the country were forbidden to teach Hebrew or Judaism in schools and to immigrate to Palestine. In 2020, nearly half of the Jewish sites in Syria had been destroyed, according to a report from the Foundation for Jewish Heritage.