The latest event took place when Syrian-American Rabbi Henry Hamra, president of the Syrian Jewish Heritage Foundation, led prayers at the historic Frank Synagogue in the Old City of Damascus.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has also met with several Jewish figures, bringing the issue of Syria’s Jews — their history and their modern role — into focus.

For centuries, Jews were an inseparable part of Syrian society, mainly in Damascus and Aleppo. After the Islamic conquest, they lived as “dhimmis” — protected but restricted subjects. Many held administrative roles during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Conditions worsened under the Mamluks, who struggled with all minorities.