A visit by American Rabbi David Saperstein to the Syrian capital of Damascus has brought renewed attention to efforts aimed at preserving the country’s Jewish heritage sites and restoring connections with members of the Syrian Jewish diaspora after decades of emigration, conflict, and government restrictions.
Saperstein, who served as the United States ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom during the Obama administration, led an American delegation that toured significant Jewish historical sites and held meetings with religious and civic figures in Damascus. The trip comes as some Jews of Syrian descent living outside the country have started making short return visits, looking into property matters, and working to document and protect communal landmarks since the fall of the Assad government.
The group visited several of Damascus’ most notable Jewish sites, including the Jobar Synagogue — regarded as one of the oldest synagogues in the entire region — along with the Al-Franj Synagogue and the city’s Jewish cemetery. Delegates were given briefings on the current state of these sites, including damage caused during years of war, and received presentations on the history of Jewish life in Syria and the community’s contributions to the country’s economic, social, and cultural development.
Syrian-Australian journalist Johnny Abo told The Media Line that the visit held special meaning because of who was involved and the meetings that took place with Syrian officials and religious leaders.
“The meetings were positive, productive, and focused on Syria’s rich religious and cultural diversity,” Abo said. “The delegation received a warm welcome from religious authorities, including Christian patriarchs and clergy, who engaged in open discussions with the rabbi and other members of the group.”
Abo said participants highlighted the historical presence of the Jewish community within Syria’s broader social fabric and discussed the importance of protecting Jewish religious and cultural landmarks, including historic synagogues and communal properties.
“Syria has historically been a land of civilizations, diversity, and coexistence,” he said. “The Jewish community was once an active part of public life, including parliamentary representation and a prominent role in commerce and trade.”
While characterizing the visit as primarily religious and cultural in nature, Abo noted it also carried wider symbolic meaning. He said the involvement of a rabbi with prior diplomatic experience signaled an effort to encourage dialogue among Syrians, members of the Syrian Jewish diaspora, and American groups with an interest in Syria’s future.
“The visit ultimately conveys a message of coexistence and peace,” Abo said. “For centuries, the peoples of this region lived side by side despite their differences, and that legacy remains an important foundation for building a more stable future.”
Joseph Jajati, a Syrian American Jewish activist originally from Damascus, was a central figure in organizing the visit. Jajati has been involved in multiple efforts to strengthen ties between Syrians living inside the country and those in the diaspora.
“The delegation received full cooperation throughout its visit to Damascus,” Jajati told The Media Line. “Members were able to access Jewish religious and historical sites, observe their condition firsthand, and meet with individuals from different backgrounds.”
Jajati said the trip gave participants a direct look at current conditions in Damascus and the changes taking place across Syria. He said the level of support the delegation received reflected what he viewed as a genuine commitment to safeguarding the country’s religious and cultural heritage.
“The most important message of this visit,” he said, “is that Syria is more than a geographic space or political borders. It is a long history of coexistence and diversity among the communities that have lived here and contributed to its civilization.”
Jajati also noted that many members of the Syrian Jewish diaspora in the United States and other countries maintain deep emotional and cultural ties to their homeland, and that visits like this one can help reconnect younger generations with their Syrian roots.
Syria’s Jewish community was once concentrated primarily in Damascus, Aleppo, and Qamishli. Unofficial estimates put the Jewish population in Syria during the 1950s at between 30,000 and 35,000 people. That number dropped sharply over the following decades as waves of emigration were driven by rising Arab nationalism, growing insecurity, and underground networks that helped Syrian Jews relocate to the United States, Latin America, and Israel.
Jajati was born in Damascus and is the grandson of Yusuf Jajati, who led Syria’s Jewish community during the presidency of Hafez Assad. He and his family left Syria for the United States after restrictions on Jewish travel were lifted in April 1992, following the start of the Madrid Peace Conference. Around 4,000 Jews departed Syria during that period, leaving only a small community behind. After the Syrian uprising began and violence escalated, most of the remaining community also left. Today, only a small number of elderly Jews are believed to still be living in Damascus.
Since the fall of the Assad government, Jajati has organized several visits by American delegations — including Jewish groups — to Syria. He has also worked to obtain licensing for the Syrian Mosaic Foundation, an organization that promotes Syria’s multicultural history, interfaith engagement, and cultural diplomacy. He additionally coordinated with the management of Damascus’ Semiramis Hotel to establish what is currently the country’s only kosher restaurant.
Under Syria’s new authorities, some Jews of Syrian origin living abroad have been able to return to former neighborhoods, homes, and places of worship. Some have started pursuing claims to reclaim property or launch investment projects, particularly in the textile and garment industries. Others continue to encounter legal and administrative obstacles related to properties belonging to Syrian Jews who emigrated, including cases handled through Syria’s Office of Absentee Jewish Property.
Susan Al-Akhras, one of the visit’s organizers, said the trip demonstrated openness and cooperation on the part of Syrian authorities toward efforts to preserve Syrian Jewish heritage and strengthen communication with community members living abroad. She described the visit as official and well-organized, with the delegation given access to multiple Jewish religious and historical sites in Damascus and the opportunity to evaluate their condition directly.
Al-Akhras noted that the delegation’s tour of the Jobar Synagogue, the Franj Synagogue, and the Jewish cemetery in Damascus made clear that these sites are an important part of Syria’s historical memory, though many still require restoration, maintenance, and protection following years of war and neglect. Participants stressed that preserving these landmarks goes beyond being a Jewish concern — it is part of a broader effort to protect Syria’s national heritage across all its religious and cultural dimensions.
Bikhor Shemtov, a representative of the Jewish community in Syria, told The Media Line that the visit reflected a positive atmosphere of welcome among many Syrians, who saw it as a step that honors Syria’s tradition of diversity and coexistence. Those involved affirmed that the country’s future should be grounded in respect for religious and cultural pluralism and in the preservation of the heritage of all communities that have contributed to Syrian civilization throughout the centuries.
Researchers and community activists say the work of preserving Jewish sites in Syria is part of the country’s broader historical memory — one that was nearly erased by years of war, authoritarian rule, official restrictions, and the near-complete emigration of one of the Middle East’s oldest Jewish communities.
