Uncovering Syria’s Ancient Jewish Legacy: From Biblical Times to Modern-Day Rescues

For thousands of years, Syria was home to a rich and multifaceted Jewish community.

Syria often appears in the headlines today for conflict and upheaval. However, its storied past includes a centuries-long Jewish presence. This presence is deeply interwoven into the region’s cultural and religious tapestry.

From Biblical origins and medieval scholarship to modern-day rescue efforts, the legacy of Syria’s Jewish community tells a compelling story. It is a narrative of faith, perseverance, and cultural exchange.

FUN FACT:

Did you know that, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., was born to Abdulfattah “John” Jandali, a Syrian immigrant, and Joanne Carole Schieble, an American of Swiss and German descent. Due to familial pressures, particularly Schieble’s father’s disapproval of her relationship with Jandali, Jobs was placed for adoption shortly after his birth. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and raised in California.

Wikipedia

Although Jobs’s biological father, Jandali, hailed from Homs, Syria, Jobs did not have a relationship with him. Interestingly, Jobs frequented a restaurant managed by Jandali without either party realizing their biological connection at the time.

Yahoo Finance

In summary, while Steve Jobs’s biological father was Syrian, Jobs himself was raised in the United States by his adoptive parents and did not maintain a connection with his Syrian heritage.

Biblical Origins and Ancient Roots

The Jewish connection to Syria stretches back to ancient times. One of the earliest focal points lies in Aleppo, a venerable northern city whose Hebrew and Arabic name, Haleb, is linked by tradition to the Jewish patriarch Abraham. According to centuries-old local lore, Abraham—while journeying with his flocks—distributed sheep’s milk to people living in the region. The Hebrew term for milk, “halev,” is said to have inspired the city’s name. Whether apocryphal or authentic, such stories highlight the perceived ancestral footprints of Jewish patriarchs on Syrian soil.

Syria also appears prominently within the Hebrew Bible.

The land known as Aram in Biblical texts included areas that would later become Syria. Damascus, now the Syrian capital, served as a vital hub on ancient trade routes.

The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) recounts how King David briefly conquered Damascus (II Samuel 8:5-6). He established governors there, forging early Israelite ties to the region.

During King Ahab’s reign over the northern Kingdom of Israel, the Syrian King Ben-Hadad sought to dominate Jewish territory. The outcome, however, favored the Israelites, and following their victory, Jews enjoyed trade privileges in Damascus (I Kings 20:34). Such episodes reveal a longstanding interplay of commerce, conflict, and cooperation that shaped the region’s tapestry of cultures and religions.

A Flourishing Jewish Presence in Ancient Times

Over the centuries, Jewish life in Syria expanded in cities and villages. Communities took root near centers of trade and learning. The Mishna, the foundational text of Jewish oral law compiled by Judah haNasi in the early 3rd century CE, references numerous Syrian locales, including Kefar Karinos, Rom, Aratris, and Beth-Anath. These mentions testify that by the rabbinic period, Jewish settlements were well established throughout Syria.

Judah haNasi himself is said to have owned land near Damascus. Influential Jewish sages and merchants passing through the region over the centuries solidified Syria’s place as a center of Jewish religious and economic activity. Given Syria’s proximity to the Land of Israel, Jewish residents often maintained close scholarly and spiritual ties. As trade caravans traversed the routes between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean, communities flourished, absorbing cultural influences from Jews of different lands and contributing to a dynamic exchange of ideas.

Aleppo: A Pillar of Jewish Scholarship and Spirituality

By the medieval era, Aleppo emerged as one of the most spiritually vibrant Jewish communities outside the Land of Israel. The esteemed Jewish philosopher and legal authority Maimonides (Rambam), writing in the 12th century, praised the piety and devotion he encountered in Aleppo. He considered the Jewish community there unusually dedicated to religious observance and Torah study. Notably, Maimonides addressed his magnum opus of Jewish philosophy, “The Guide for the Perplexed,” in the form of a letter to a Syrian rabbi, Joseph ben Judah ibn Shimon. This scholarly link underscores Aleppo’s stature as a hub for intellectual discourse and rabbinic scholarship.

The Sephardic Influx: After the Spanish Inquisition

The character of Syria’s Jewish communities evolved over time. One major demographic shift occurred following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Sultan Beyazid II of the Ottoman Empire famously welcomed these Sephardic refugees, who dispersed throughout Ottoman lands, including Syria. Initially, these Spanish-origin Jews preserved their distinct Ladino language and customs. Over generations, however, they integrated with the more established Jewish communities, resulting in a richly blended tradition. By the 18th century, the various Jewish communities in Syria—comprising original Middle Eastern Jews, Sephardic arrivals, and others—had coalesced into a unified Syrian Jewish identity.

The Aleppo Codex: A Priceless Treasure of Jewish Heritage

One of the most significant and cherished Jewish cultural treasures ever housed in Syria was the Aleppo Codex. This remarkable manuscript, completed in the early 10th century, was the work of the renowned scribe Aaron ben Asher in Tiberias. Unlike standard Torah scrolls, the Codex included precise vocalization, punctuation, and cantillation marks, making it a cornerstone for understanding the correct reading and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

The Codex’s journey is as dramatic as its contents. After the Crusaders violently sacked Jerusalem in 1099—an event so brutal that chroniclers describe the streets running with blood—precious religious artifacts were seized and held for ransom. Jewish communities banded together to redeem these treasures, ensuring their survival. By 1375, the Aleppo Codex found a home in Aleppo’s magnificent Great Synagogue. For centuries, it was revered by the Jewish community as a symbol of collective heritage. According to local tradition, as long as the Codex remained in Aleppo, the Jewish community would endure.

This prophecy faced a dire test in 1947.

Following the United Nations vote to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, anti-Jewish riots broke out in Aleppo, killing dozens of Jews and destroying community property, including parts of the Great Synagogue. Amidst this chaos, the Codex was smuggled out of the country and eventually brought to Jerusalem. However, nearly 200 pages were missing by the time it resurfaced in 1958.

Today, the surviving Aleppo Codex is housed at the Israel Museum. It represents not only a masterpiece of religious scholarship but also a testament to the resilience and determination of Jewish communities under duress.

The Damascus Blood Libel: A Sinister Imported Myth

In 1840, the infamous “blood libel”—the baseless accusation that Jews murder non-Jews to use their blood in ritual bread (matzah)—took root in Damascus. Previously prevalent in Europe, this anti-Jewish trope made its first non-European appearance when a Franciscan friar and his servant vanished. Local authorities, influenced by French colonial officials, arrested prominent Jews. They tortured suspects to elicit false confessions and fueled public hysteria.

The Damascus Affair, as it became known, sparked international outrage. Various Western governments, including the United States under President Martin Van Buren, condemned the barbaric methods employed by the local authorities. Eventually, due to diplomatic pressure and global Jewish solidarity, the charges were dropped. Yet the incident left an indelible mark on the community, demonstrating that European-style antisemitism could easily mutate in the Levant, threatening the very fabric of Jewish life in Syria.

Rising Antisemitism and the Exodus of Syrian Jews

By the mid-20th century, regional politics and rising Arab nationalism brought new waves of persecution upon Syrian Jews. In December 1947, following the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, violence erupted in Aleppo’s Jewish quarter. The riots claimed lives, destroyed property, and shattered centuries-old communal security. Similar outbreaks in Damascus and elsewhere signaled that the Jewish presence in Syria—once so integral and longstanding—had become precarious.

Over the following decades, increasing harassment, travel restrictions, and intimidation led many Syrian Jews to seek refuge abroad. While some managed to emigrate immediately, the bulk of Syria’s Jewish community remained trapped until the late 20th century. Before the mass exodus began, around 40,000 Jews called Syria home in 1947. By 1967, only a few thousand remained, living under severe restrictions and frequently denied the right to leave the country.

Eli Cohen: The Spy Who Infiltrated Damascus

Amid these shifting political sands emerged one of the most dramatic episodes in Israel-Syria relations: the story of Eli Cohen. Born in Egypt to Syrian Jewish parents, Cohen immigrated to Israel, where he volunteered for a perilous espionage mission. Posing as a Syrian émigré returning from Argentina, Cohen ingratiated himself with the highest echelons of Syria’s ruling Ba’ath Party in the 1960s. Handsome, urbane, and resourceful, he secured the trust of generals, politicians, and top officials.

Cohen’s intelligence gathering proved invaluable to Israel. He famously urged the Syrian military to plant eucalyptus trees at their bases on the Golan Heights to provide cover from the sun—unwittingly giving Israeli forces precise markers of Syrian positions. When the Six-Day War broke out in 1967, Israel’s swift victory over Syria’s Golan defenses owed something to Cohen’s meticulous reporting.

In 1965, Syrian counterintelligence discovered Cohen’s covert radio transmissions. He was arrested, tortured, and publicly executed. Syria refuses to this day to return his body. Eli Cohen’s story remains a poignant example of sacrifice, courage, and the high stakes of Middle Eastern geopolitics. His life inspired numerous books, documentaries, and most recently, Netflix’s “The Spy” (2019), ensuring his legacy endures.

The Council for the Rescue of Syrian Jews: A Grassroots Movement

As conditions worsened for Syria’s remaining Jews in the 1970s and 1980s, activists in the United States began rallying to secure their freedom. In 1989, a group of Syrian-American Jews formed the Council for the Rescue of Syrian Jews. This organization—comprising lawyers, community leaders, and human rights advocates—dedicated itself to lobbying American politicians, international diplomats, and the global media.

They organized protests and demonstrations in major world capitals, purchased full-page newspaper ads pleading “LET MY PEOPLE GO,” and harnessed the power of public opinion. By keeping Syria’s Jews in the spotlight, the Council increased diplomatic pressure on the Syrian government to lift travel restrictions.

Finally, in 1992, Syria relented. It allowed Jews to emigrate—though often with little more than the clothes on their backs. Consequently, some 4,500 Jews seized the opportunity and left, primarily for the United States and Israel. Furthermore, wealthy Jewish philanthropists, including the Syrian-Brazilian banker Edmond Safra, funded airline tickets. At the same time, Jewish agencies in Brooklyn, New York, worked tirelessly to help these new arrivals settle into new lives. By doing so, they ensured that an ancient community, though uprooted, could survive elsewhere.

Judy Feld Carr: The Canadian ‘Mother’ of Syrian Jewry’s Rescue

One of the most extraordinary rescue stories emerged not from major organizations or intelligence agencies but from the quiet dedication of a Canadian Jewish musicologist, Judy Feld Carr. In the early 1970s, upon learning of Syria’s draconian measures against its Jewish community, Judy felt compelled to act. While the plight of Soviet Jewry was widely publicized, Syria’s Jews often suffered in silence and isolation.

Judy began by sending religious materials to Syrian synagogues and corresponding with community leaders. In 1975, a clandestine letter from Syrian rabbis reached her in Toronto, begging for help. Spurred by the urgency of their plight, she started fundraising discreetly. Step by step, Judy developed secret channels and personal contacts. Through a network of intermediaries, bribed officials, and delicate negotiations, she managed to smuggle individual Jews out of Syria, often risking her own safety.

Over 28 years, Judy Feld Carr facilitated the escape of an estimated 3,228 Syrian Jews—one person at a time. Operating largely in secret to avoid jeopardizing lives, she never visited Syria herself. Only after the community had safely left did her identity and role become publicly known. In 1995, Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin wrote to Judy, expressing profound gratitude for her extraordinary efforts. Her story stands as a testament to how individual resolve and compassion can make an astonishing difference—even in the face of oppressive regimes and daunting international politics.

A Community Reborn Abroad

With few Jews left in Syria by the mid-1990s, the community reinvented itself elsewhere. Today, large communities of Syrian Jews thrive in cities like New York and in Israel. They maintain distinctive traditions—culinary, liturgical, and cultural—that evolved over centuries in Aleppo and Damascus. Ancient customs, such as chanting prayers with unique melodies, savoring traditional Syrian-Jewish dishes, and preserving community bonds, continue to flourish in their new homelands.

In Brooklyn’s bustling Syrian Jewish neighborhood, synagogues, schools, and restaurants reflect a transplanted heritage. The diaspora community has also taken pains to document and preserve its past. Oral histories, scholarly works, museums, and digital archives help ensure that new generations understand their profound roots in Syria.

Israel’s Modern Humanitarian Aid to Syrians

In a historical irony, Israel—portrayed as an enemy by Syrian authorities—has quietly provided humanitarian aid to Syrians. This assistance has occurred during Syria’s ongoing civil war, which began in 2011. Nevertheless, despite the formal state of war between the two countries, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale humanitarian operation. Codenamed “Operation Good Neighbor,” the initiative aimed to assist Syrian civilians near the Golan Heights border.

Over the course of the civil war, thousands of Syrians have secretly crossed into Israel seeking medical care. The Ziv Medical Center in Safed, among others, has treated wounded Syrians—men, women, and children—regardless of their nationality or religion. Medical staff remove Hebrew labels from equipment to protect patients upon their return, shielding them from accusations of collaboration.

Private Israeli citizens have also contributed. The Israeli businessman Moti Kahana, through his organization Amaliah, facilitated the transport of food, medicine, and educational materials into southern Syria. He even worked to bring Syrian women out for empowerment workshops. Nonprofit organizations like Israel Flying Aid have trained Syrian first responders known as the “White Helmets” and supplied them with equipment, providing lifesaving support in the midst of devastation.

These humanitarian efforts echo a deep tradition of Jewish ethics—centuries after Jews fled Syria, members of the Jewish state are offering succor to Syrians. It’s a remarkable full-circle moment that underscores the complex and often surprising ways that history unfolds.

Documenting Syria’s Jewish Past

Today, Syria’s once-thriving Jewish community has nearly vanished from the land of its ancestors. Scholars, historians, and organizations work to document and research this legacy. Efforts include digitizing ancient texts, collecting oral histories, and conducting international scholarship. These initiatives aim to piece together fragmented records, letters, photographs, and religious documents scattered across the diaspora.

Institutions like the Ben-Zvi Institute in Jerusalem and the Jewish Virtual Library, for instance, preserve resources on the history of Jews in Arab lands, including Syria. Academic works, such as Matti Friedman’s The Aleppo Codex (Algonquin Books, 2012), also provide detailed insights into key episodes.

Meanwhile, historians work diligently to ensure the memory of these communities remains alive and accessible.

As the world grapples with the ongoing tragedy of Syria’s civil war, these scholarly efforts serve as a reminder. Syria’s cultural mosaic once included a significant Jewish dimension that shaped its history and character.

Conclusion: A Resilient Legacy of Faith and Identity

The tale of Syria’s Jewish community is one of remarkable resilience, adaptation, and faith. Its story spans biblical associations, medieval grandeur in Aleppo, and the trauma of European-imported blood libels. It also includes harrowing modern struggles under oppressive regimes. Communities that once thrived in Damascus and Aleppo were forced to uproot and rebuild elsewhere. They carried their traditions, religious texts, and cultural practices to new lands.

Yet, this legacy lives on.It endures in the vibrant Syrian Jewish communities of New York and Israel. It also lives on in the preserved echoes of medieval scholarship and the rescued fragments of the Aleppo Codex. One can trace an unbroken chain of identity through these elements.

The lives of individuals like Eli Cohen and Judy Feld Carr illustrate how courage and moral responsibility shape history. In recent years, Israelis have provided humanitarian aid to Syrians in need. This act has forged an unexpected modern chapter in a deep, ancient connection.

Scholars and descendants are researching and revitalizing Syria’s Jewish heritage. In doing so, they reaffirm the importance of cultural continuity and compassion. This tapestry of resilience reminds the world of an enduring truth. Even in the face of cruelty and displacement, the human spirit—and the traditions that define it—can survive and thrive against all odds.

Citations & Online Sources:

• King David and Damascus (Tanakh reference): https://www.sefaria.org/II_Samuel.8.5-6
• King Ahab and Ben-Hadad’s Treaty (Tanakh reference): https://www.sefaria.org/I_Kings.20.34
• Aleppo Jewish Community Background: Jewish Virtual Library: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/aleppo
• Maimonides and Aleppo: Encyclopaedia Judaica via Gale Digital Collections
• Ottoman Empire and Sephardic Jews: Jewish Encyclopedia: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13964-turkey
• Aleppo Codex Official Website: http://www.aleppocodex.org/
• Damascus Blood Libel (1840): Jewish History resources: https://www.jewishhistory.org/the-damascus-affair-of-1840/
• Matti Friedman’s “The Aleppo Codex”: https://www.algonquin.com/catalog/?title=the+aleppo+codex
• Rescue of Syrian Jews and Edmond Safra’s Support: The New York Times archives: https://www.nytimes.com/ (search “Rescue of Syrian Jews”)
• Judy Feld Carr’s Rescue Efforts: The Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-canadian-grandmother-who-secretly-rescued-3000-syrian-jews/
• Eli Cohen’s Story: Israeli archives and Mossad official releases: https://mossad.gov.il/ (Hebrew), also BBC coverage: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48667539
• Israeli Humanitarian Aid in Syrian War: The Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/ (search “Israeli aid to Syrians”)
• Ziv Medical Center Treatment of Syrians: The Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/ziv-medical-center/
• Amaliah and Moti Kahana: http://www.amaliah.org/
• Israel Flying Aid: https://www.israelflyingaid.org/

These diverse sources and stories highlight the rich legacy of Syria’s Jewish communities. This legacy is a tapestry woven from centuries of tradition, scholarship, and resilience.

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