Syria, Jewish and Damascus

How a small delegation of US Jews got to Syria for the first time in decades
(JTA) — Even as tensions between Israel and Syria ramped up in recent days, a small group of Syrian Jews recently celebrated a milestone that once seemed unthinkable: a return visit to their home country.
Syrian Jews return to Damascus for the first time in decades, hoping to build bridges
Thousands of Jews left Syria in 1992, when they were allowed to emigrate. The visit by a small delegation of U.S.-based Syrian Jewish religious figures last week was their first time back since then.
After decades in exile, Syria's Jews visit Damascus
For the first time in three decades, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son Henry read from a Torah scroll in a synagogue in the heart of Syria's capital Damascus, carefully passing their thumbs over the handwritten text as if still in awe they were back home.
Syrian Jews return to Damascus hoping to rebuild a community
The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria paved the way for a historic visit, with Syrian Jews returning from the U.S. to Damascus for the first time in three decades, hoping to rebuild community.
Syria's remaining Jews join Americans for first prayer in Damascus synagogue in 30 years
Over the past decades, the number of Jews in Syria decreased from about five thousand to seven elderly individuals.
Exiled Jews Return to Damascus To Reclaim Lost Heritage
After decades of exile, a group of American Jews with deep roots in Damascus has returned to Syria to rediscover their long-lost heritage. Organized by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, the four-day visit took participants on a moving tour of historic synagogues,
Fewer Than 10 Jews Live in Syria. A Diaspora Is Edging Back.
Émigrés hope the battered country—sometimes a haven, sometimes a persecutor—can again be home under the new government.
The Times of Israel3d
Days after Assad’s fall, Israeli reporter explores Iran’s ‘nerve center’ in Damascus
War reporter Itai Anghel finds piles of classified files, speaks to Syrian soldiers, and meets a Syrian Jew in 'Uvda' ...
Northcountrypublicradio.org3d
While sanctions still cripple a shattered Syria, one Jewish leader returns from exile
During the Assad regimes, Western nations placed crippling economic sanctions on the country. Some have been lifted, but most ...