Sharaa, Syrian FM meet with Syrian Jews during trip to New York

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with members of the Syrian Jewish community in New York City yesterday, the Ynet news site reports.

Hundreds of people attended the meeting, including 11 members of the Syrian Jewish community in New York.

Joseph Jajati, a Syrian-American Jewish businessman, tells Ynet that the issue of Israel was not raised at all during the meeting, as the two countries advance toward a security agreement.

“Two kippa-wearing Jews stood up to speak, and said they were proud Jews. One of them, David Shelly, even offered to donate $100,000 to help rebuild Syria. The president laughed and said it wasn’t enough, but you could see on his face how moved he was by the gesture,” Jajati says.

“Also, the Syrian foreign minister who sat beside him was very happy. They don’t need money, but they were moved to see this support,” he says.

Sharaa is in New York to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, the first time in six decades a Syrian leader has attended the annual summit.