Two of the few remaining Jews in Syria describe the antisemitism of the Assad regimes ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, March 03, 2025

Two of the few remaining Jews in Syria describe the antisemitism of the Assad regimes

Turkey's Anadolu Agency interviewed two of the members of Syria's tiny remaining Jewish community.

There are less than 10 Jews in Syria.

One interviewee, Bahour Shemtob, described in chilling detail how bad Syria treated Jews under the Assads.

“In the 1970s, during the rule of Hafez al-Assad, there were severe restrictions on Jews. We were not allowed to travel or own property. At that time, no one was allowed to talk to Jews, and our identity cards had the word ‘Moussawi’ in big red letters.” [It means "of Moses." - EoZ]

According to Shemtob, “During the 1980s, Jews were forbidden from leaving the country, but in the 1990s, the United States reached an agreement with Hafez al-Assad, under which Jews who wanted to leave Syria were allowed to leave.”

“We were like birds trapped in a cage, and as soon as the door was opened, everyone flew away,” he continued. “Many Jews left, leaving their homes and businesses, while others managed to sell their possessions before leaving.”

Shemtob explained that "after the mass exodus 33 years ago, about 30 Jews remained in Syria, but today this number has decreased to only 7, including 3 women."

Regarding the pressures they were subjected to during the Baath regime, he said: “In my youth, if I spoke to a girl, I would be summoned for investigation to the security branch called Palestine.”

“Four years ago, three of my (non-Jewish) friends were arrested for three months, just because they talked to us. Talking to foreigners was forbidden, but now we can talk to whoever we want. During the (Baath) regime, we were under pressure, and that is why our young people left the country,” he added.

Shemtob pointed out that the fall of the Baath regime changed everyone’s lives, including his own, and said: “We now have more freedom. We can speak frankly. There are no longer security barriers in our way, and no one from the intelligence services is monitoring us. In short, I feel that I have become free. Things are better now than they were before.”

Another Syrian Jew, Salim Dabdoub, said his family left in 1992.

“I stayed here to run my business,” said Dabdoub, who was born in Damascus in 1970. “I travel constantly for work, and this also allows me to see my family in the United States. Thank God, things are good for us. There is no discrimination here, everyone loves each other.”

Dabdoub noted that expectations had increased that many Jewish families would visit Syria after the fall of the regime, saying: “Before 1992, there were about 4,000 Jews in Damascus. We had a rabbi, the merchants were here, everyone was here, but everyone emigrated that year.”

He added: "Some of the properties of the Jews who left are still there, but some of them were seized illegally. Some of those involved in the seizure were connected to the regime, as they forged documents to seize the properties."

“In the past, we faced security difficulties. We were under constant surveillance by the security forces, and there was constant fear. Thank God, there is no longer fear today. God willing, the future will be better, and peace will prevail among peoples.”

The headline of the article emphasizes how the remaining Syrian Jews are not Zionist. However, their families definitely were.

In 1992, when Hafez Assad allowed Syrian Jews to leave, he expressly forbade them to go to Israel. Most went to the US - but of those, most soon moved to Israel anyway, as this 1994 article shows.

Notice that the headline writer (for The Age) recognized that of course, the natural home for Jews is Israel.

The article makes it sound like Arab antisemitism is a thing of the past, but it clearly isn't.

When a tiny group of Jews visited Damascus last month, Egyptian magazine Rosa el-Youssef said that this was "a new line in the Greater Israel project: the beginning of Jewish migration to Syria."