Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, left, and his son Henry take pictures as they visit the Al-Raqi synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)2025-02-20T14:51:10Z DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) As Rabbi Yusuf Hamra and his son Henry were visiting Damascus this week for the first time since emigrating from Syria to the United States more than three decades ago, they were met by former neighbors offering embraces and gossip . The Syrian-American Jewish family returned as part of a delegation organized by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, in the wake of the fall of the government of former President Bashar Assad.Although they had not met in more than 30 years, the familys Christian neighbors spotted Yusuf on the street and remembered him from when he was a teacher in the local school. An excited exchange of reminiscences ensued to catch up on the decades, with gossip about who had married who, who was still living and who had emigrated. Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, right, is greeted by neighbours in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, right, is greeted by neighbours in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More I left from Syria, but Syria never left us, said Henry, who was 15 when his family left for New York. During the visit, the Hamras prayed in the long-neglected al-Franj synagogue where Yusuf used to serve as a rabbi, in what is still known as the Jewish quarter, in the old city of Damascus, although only a small handful of Jews remain. They also visited the historic synagogue in the suburb of Jobar, which was heavily damaged and looted during Syrias nearly 14-year civil war.May God help us, this wont be rebuilt for decades, Yusuf said as he surveyed the destruction. Syrian-American Rabbi Yusuf Hamra visits a synagogue destroyed during the war at the Jobar district in the outskirts of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Syrian-American Rabbi Yusuf Hamra visits a synagogue destroyed during the war at the Jobar district in the outskirts of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Travel restrictions lifted in 1992 Even before mass anti-government protests in 2011 were met by a brutal authoritarian crackdown that eventually spiraled into a civil war, Syrias once-sizeable Jewish population had dwindled to almost nothing. The community in Syria numbered about 100,000 at the start of the 20th century. A wave of emigration had already begun at that time and accelerated in the years surrounding Israels creation in 1948, Syrian Jews faced increased tensions and restrictions. Many emigrated to Israel, the United States and other countries.Under the Assad familys 54-year authoritarian rule, Jews in Syria were free to practice their religion, but community members faced suspicion of being Israeli spies or collaborators and were banned from traveling outside the country to prevent them from going to Israel until the early 1990s. Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, right, and his son Henry lookout an old scripture at the Efranj synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, right, and his son Henry lookout an old scripture at the Efranj synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, center left, prays the Al-Raqi synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, center left, prays the Al-Raqi synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Once travel restrictions were lifted in 1992 after Arab-Israeli peace talks started, most of the remaining population of about 4,500 left - including the Hamra family - with many of them landing in New York, where they formed a close-knit community.Henry Hamra recalled that his family had lived in constant fear of the draconian Syrian intelligence services - a common experience for Syrians of all religions during the Assad dynastys rule, but even more so because they were Jewish and subject to extra scrutiny. At the same time, he remembered the familys close bond with their Muslim and Christian neighbors. Syrian-American Henry Hamra takes pictures at a synagogue destroyed during the war at the Jobar district in the outskirts of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Syrian-American Henry Hamra takes pictures at a synagogue destroyed during the war at the Jobar district in the outskirts of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Plans for rebuilding and reconstructionMouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said he hoped that the Jewish delegation would encourage more Syrian Jews to return - and would help make the case for Washington to lift sanctions that had been imposed during Assads era. Moustafa said he also hoped that the visit would also show that the countrys new authorities - led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly the leader of the Islamist insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS - are serious in their public statements about inclusivity and protection of minorities and would lead the U.S. and others to remove the terrorist designation from the group.The Jewish delegation met with Syrias deputy foreign minister, and Yusuf Hamra sent a letter to al-Sharaa in which he said that the Syrian Jewish community abroad continues to cherish its deep-rooted connection to Syria, its motherland. American-Jewish visitors hold Torah scrolls at a synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) American-Jewish visitors hold Torah scrolls at a synagogue in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Throughout history, this community has been an integral part of the Syrian national fabric, Hamra wrote. We look forward to rebuilding bridges of communication and to actively participating in the reconstruction of our homeland, standing side-by-side with our fellow Syrians. The return of the Syrian Jews was widely welcomed in Damascus but some questioned the delegation political motives and whether it was meant as a precursor for normalization of relations with Israel. Moustafa said that was not the case. The goal of this visit has no relationship to any country in the region except for Syria, he said. Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, left, leaves after visiting a Jewish school in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Rabbi Yusuf Hamra, left, leaves after visiting a Jewish school in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hard to move back hereAs emotional as the homecoming was, the Hamras said they are not ready to think about a permanent return to Damascus, where more than a decade of war has left the infrastructure battered.You cannot stay with no electricity, you cannot stay with no water, and when youre living in New York and you have 24 hour electricity and internet... its very, very, very hard to move back here, Henry said. Rabbi Yusuf Hamra prays at the al-Franj synagogue where he used to serve as a rabbi in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Rabbi Yusuf Hamra prays at the al-Franj synagogue where he used to serve as a rabbi in the old city of Damascus Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ABBY SEWELL Sewell is the Associated Press news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She joined the AP in 2022 but has been based in the region since 2016, reporting and guiding coverage on some of its most significant news stories. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site