Syrian Jews visit Damascus for the first time in 30 years

This is the first time the father and son have set foot in Damascus since fleeing in the 1990s, when Hafez al-Assad lifted the travel ban on the country’s Jews.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

After leaving Syria 30 years ago, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son Henry returned to Damascus, where they read from a Torah scroll in a local synagogue.

This is the first time the father and son have set foot in Damascus since fleeing in the 1990s, when Hafez al-Assad lifted the travel ban on the country’s Jews.

Before then, Syria’s Jews faced severe persecution, with restrictions on the professions they could pursue, land ownership, and travel.

Although tens of thousands of Jews once lived in Syria, almost all of them left after the travel ban was lifted, leaving only ten Jews in the country.

After they left, Joseph and his son Henry settled in New York.

“Weren’t we in a prison? So we wanted to see what was on the outside,” said Joseph, now 77. “Everyone else who left with us is dead.”

When Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown in December, the father and son, with the help of the U.S.-based Syrian Emergency Task Force, pursued their dream of visiting Damascus again.

They met with the Syrian deputy foreign minister at the Foreign Ministry in Damascus, which is now under the control of interim authorities appointed following the fall of the Assad regime late last year.

The new Syrian government has promised to protect the Jewish community. In response, Rabbi Hamra says, “We need the government’s help, we need the government’s security, and it’s going to happen.”

During their trip to Damascus, the father and son met old friends and neighbors, including Palestinian Arabs they had known.

At present, only seven Jews live in Syria.

“I want to see my kids return and experience this beautiful synagogue. It’s a work of art,” said Henry.