Syria's Jews return to Damascus after decades in exile

DAMASCUS,— For the first time in three decades, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son, Henry, read from a Torah scroll inside a synagogue in the heart of Damascus, their fingers tracing the ancient Hebrew script as they took in the moment of returning to their homeland.

The Hamras fled Syria in the 1990s after then-President Hafez al-Assad lifted long-standing travel restrictions on the country’s Jewish community.

For decades, Syrian Jews had faced restrictions on property ownership and employment, prompting nearly all of the few thousand remaining Jews to leave. By the time the family resettled in New York, fewer than 10 Jews remained in the Syrian capital.

“Weren’t we in a prison? So we wanted to see what was on the outside,” said Joseph Hamra, now 77, reflecting on their decision to leave. “None of the others who left with us are still alive.”

Their return became possible after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024. With the help of the U.S.-based Syrian Emergency Task Force, an advocacy group, the Hamras arranged a long-awaited visit to Damascus.

During their trip, they met with Syria’s deputy foreign minister, part of the caretaker government installed by Islamist rebel factions that took power following Assad’s ouster.

The new authorities have pledged to include all communities in Syria’s future, though reports of religious intolerance and conservative Islamist influence have raised concerns among secular Syrians and minority groups.

Henry Hamra, now 48, said Syria’s foreign ministry has assured them that Jewish heritage sites will be protected.

“We need the government’s help, we need the government’s security, and it’s going to happen,” he said.

Syrian US-based rabbi Joseph Hamra in a Jewish synagogue in Damascus, Syria February 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters

As they walked through the narrow alleys of Damascus’s Old City, a UNESCO-listed heritage site, the Hamras encountered former Palestinian Syrian neighbors and admired Hebrew inscriptions inside several synagogues.

“I hope my children will return one day to see this magnificent synagogue—it’s a true masterpiece,” Henry said.

However, some artifacts were missing, including a golden-lettered Torah once housed in a Damascus synagogue. According to reports, it is now stored in a library in Israel, where thousands of Syrian Jews sought refuge over the past century.

While synagogues and a Jewish school in the Old City remain relatively well-preserved, the historic Jobar Synagogue, once Syria’s largest, was destroyed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.

Jobar, an eastern suburb of Damascus, was home to a significant Jewish community until the 19th century. The synagogue, built in honor of the biblical prophet Elijah, was looted before being reduced to rubble in the conflict.

(With files from Reuters)