In this Damascus suburb, the handful of remaining Jews in Syria can again make pilgrimages to one of the world’s oldest synagogues where people from throughout the region once came to pray.
Advertisement
Syria’s 13-year civil war left the synagogue partially destroyed. Walls and roofs have collapsed. Some artefacts are missing. A marble sign in Arabic at the gate says it was first built 720 years before Christ.
Since insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in early December, people have been able to safely visit the widely destroyed Jobar suburb that was pounded for years by government forces while in the hands of opposition fighters.
Syria was once home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities. Those numbers have shrunk dramatically, especially after the state of Israel was created in 1948.
Today, only nine Jews live in Syria, according to the head of the community, almost all older men and women. The community believes that no Syrian Jews will remain in the country in a few years.
Advertisement
One of the people visiting the Jobar Synagogue, also known as Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue, on Thursday was grey-haired Bakhour Chamntoub, the head of the community in Syria.