Syrian chief rabbi in Israel writes to Syria’s new leader asking to restore, preserve Jewish community

The chief rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in Israel, Rabbi Binyamin Hamra, has written to the head of Syria’s new government Ahmed al-Sharaa to congratulate him on his victory over the toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad, and stress the importance of preserving Syria’s historic Jewish community.

Hamra’s father, Rabbi Avraham Hamra, served as the last chief rabbi of Syria from 1976 until 1994.

“For thousands of years, the Jewish community in Syria, despite being a small minority, has been an integral part of the rich and diverse fabric of the Syrian people,” Hamra writes to al-Sharaa. “Throughout Syria are historical sites, ancient synagogues, and tombs of great Jewish leaders, which constitute cultural and religious heritage for Jews throughout the world.”

Recalling the many years of “persecution and dispossession” experienced by Syria’s Jews, Hamra asks al-Sharaa to “protect the precious Jews who remain in Syria and to order the strict preservation of these Jewish historical sites.”

He notes in particular the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in the Jobar suburb of Damascus, which was destroyed during the course of the 12-year civil war.

“Its destruction caused great sorrow to millions of Jews and Muslims around the world who believe that a great blessing flows from this place to all of Syria,” Hamra writes. “The restoration of the cave would be an act of great kindness and symbolize the unity of the peoples and their respect for a common heritage.

He ends with the hope that under al-Sharaa’s leadership, Syria will become a “multicultural, tolerant and inclusive country, where every religious group and ethnic minority can live in peace and safety.”

“I hope that we can cooperate to restore the Jewish community in Syria to come and visit our homeland and preserve our shared heritage.”

While Syria was once home to one of the world’s oldest and largest Jewish communities, today, there are only nine Jews left.

Last week, a representative of al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group met with Bakhour Chamntoub, the head of the tiny Jewish community, and promised “peace and security” for the country’s Jews, and called for those abroad to return.