The Jewish Community of Syria
Syria
سوريا / Suryia
الجمهورية العربية السورية / Al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah - Syrian Arab Republic
A country in the Middle East.
21st Century
Estimated Jewish population in 2018: less than 100 out of 18,000,000
HISTORY
The Jews of Syria
66 | Identical Twins
The year 538 BCE was a formative one in the history of the Jewish people. Cyrus, King of Persia, granted the Jews the right to return to Judea and establish a national autonomy there. Following the “Cyrus Proclamation” some 50,000 Jews returned to Judea, from where they had been exiled 70 years prior to Babylon. The political and spiritual leadership in the country was assumed after a while by Ezra the Scribe, who was appointed by the Persian monarch “to hold a court of law in all of Syria and Phoenicia”.
Indeed, the timeline of Jewish settlement in Syria stretches back to biblical times. Later on, under the Seleucid empire (200-142 BCE) the Land of Israel and Syria were a single political unit, under the control of the Syrian-based dynasty which ruled from the city of Antioch, the administrative center of the Seleucid Empire (now known as Antakya in southern Turkey).
Proof of the demographic spread of Jews in Syria can be found in the words of Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria in the first century CE, who noted that the Roman governors of Syria were influenced by the multitude of Jews living in Syria. Another testimony is to be found in Josephus, who wrote that “The Jewish race […] is numerous there due to the proximity of both countries. It was in Antioch that they congregated in particular […] because the successors of King Antiochus (175-164 BCE) allowed them to live there in safety.”
The Romans, who conquered the eastern Mediterranean in the 60s BCE, gave the Jews in Syria fully equal rights, on par with the Hellenistic residents, and allowed them to send offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Josephus further tells that many Hellenistic women living in the Syrian city of Damascus were drawn to the Jewish lifestyle, and that some of them kept the Sabbath and the ritual purity laws.
But all this did not prevent the Hellenistic population of the city to massacre the Jews upon the outbreak of the Jewish Great Revolt. According to various estimates, thousands of people were slaughtered then, almost the entire Jewish community of Damascus at the time.
630 | The Umar Laws
Some 20 years passed between the moment Muslim tradition holds that the Archangel Gabriel revealed himself and the Quran to Muhammad in a cave on Mt. Hira until Islam spread through the countries of Eastern Mediterranean coast by late 630 CE.
The Umayyad Caliphate, which led the Muslim world in the early days of Islamic conquest, chose the city of Damascus as the capital of its empire, and according to various sources, treated the Jews living there with relative tolerance.
Around the year 750 CE, when Syria was conquered by the Abbasid Caliphate, the treatment of the Jews changed. The burden of taxation was increased, and many of them were forced to convert to Islam. Eventually the legal status of the Jews was settled throughout the Muslim world under the “Pact of Umar” which defined Jews and Christians as “protected minorities” (“dhimmi”). Alongside freedom of religious practice the Jews were required to pay a poll tax and obey a series of humiliating rules, including the wearing of special shoes and dress to identify them, and the prohibition on riding horses and camels, limiting them to donkeys only.
As the Abbasid dynasty crumbled, Syria passed from hand to hand between various Muslim rulers, and their fortunes oscillated with each turn. In 969 the Fatimid dynasty conquered the Syrian lands and brought a positive approach to the Jews. The reason for this, according to various opinions, is that the first grand vizier of the Fatimids, Ya'qub ibn-Killis, was a Jew who converted to Islam but remained loyal to his people.
Ibn-Killis appointed a Jew, Menashe Ben-Abraham, to head the Syrian administration. Under his rule the Jews enjoyed prosperity and thrived, many of them abandoning traditional crafts for banking and trade.
The Jewish communities in Syria converged in several central cities, including Aleppo, Damascus and Tyre (now in Lebanon). During this time, the Jews of Syria held continual contact with the sages of the Land of Israel, who maintained exclusive authority over religious and lifestyle matters. Concurrently great Jewish scholars began to emerge in Syria as well. Most notable among these was Rabbi Baruch Ben Yitzhak, who served as the Chief Rabbi of Aleppo and composed enlightening commentary on the Talmud.
1170 | Impressions In A Travel Log
Traveler Benjamin of Tudela is considered one of the most important chroniclers of the Jewish communities of his time. His travels did not fail to lead him to the Jewish community of Syria.
According to his report, the main source of livelihood among the Jews of Syria was textile dyeing and glass manufacturing. Benjamin of Tudela also mentions that during this time a small group of Jews formed who engaged in international trade with considerable success. In addition, the great traveler tells us, following the conquests of the Turks and Seljuks who migrated from Central Asia, and then those of the Crusaders from Europe, the Rabbinical center of gravity also migrated from Israel to Damascus. But despite the honored presence of the new elite, the scholars of Damascus continued to adhere to the traditions of the Gaonim of Babylon.
In 1179 Syria was conquered by the great Muslim general Saladin, who instituted a tolerant approach to the Jews, allowing them in 1187 to return to Jerusalem upon his conquest of the holy city, ending 88 years of forced exile. The improved status of the Jews is also reflected in the notes of Hebrew-Spanish poet Yehudah Alharizi, who visited Syria in 1210. Alharizi meticulously documented the names of many Jewish physicians and government officials, especially in the communities of Damascus and Aleppo.
1400 | Going Native
Tamerlane (whose original name was Timur Lang, meaning “Timur The Lame”), is considered the father of the Uzbek nation and also one of the cruelest conquerors in history. His wrath was felt keenly by the Jews of Syria around the year 1400, when Tamerlane and his army invaded Syria, burned Damascus to the ground and took many of the Jewish community captive.
The community's recovery was slow and hard. Jewish travelers who visited Syria in the years after this catastrophe, such as Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura, reported that the Jewish community of Syria numbered only around 1,200 families at the time.
Upon the Spanish Exile, Jews began to migrate east, mostly to Italy and Turkey, but also to Syria. The encounter between the Spanish exiles led to a cultural and religious clash. The Spanish Jews called the Syrian ones “Musta'arab”, as they found them too similar in culture to their Arab neighbors and were essentially accusing them of having “gone native”. Disputes between the two groups centered on language (the one spoken by the Spanish exiles being Ladino, of course), the customs, the dress, the form of prayer and more. As a result of the schism the Spanish Jews established separate synagogues and cemeteries in the large cities.
1516 | Church And State Relations
In 1516 a new era began in the history of Syria, following the conquest of most of the Middle East by the Ottoman Empire. This power ruled Syria for some 400 years, shaping its cultural, economic and social character.
As Ottoman society in all its various stripes was a religious one, it was run by the dictums of the various religions. This dictated the Ottoman urban organization, including the model of the Jewish community.
The community's chief rabbi (the Hakham Bashi) was appointed by a committee, which also appointed the members of the religious court. This last was in charge of most aspects of Jewish life – divorce, marriage, money disputes, building regulations and more. The members of the committee were appointed by a key based on wealth and status in the community, and positions on the committee were hereditary. This can be seen in the last names of the committee members, which remained unchanged for generations. The means by which the rabbinical verdicts were enforced were varied: from excommunication and fines to corporal punishment. Thus for instance we have the story of a father whose son's feet were caned by his teacher (the “Hakham”) and when the father protested to the “Hakham” about the caning, the latter sentenced the plaintive father to the same punishment.
Syria was home to many Jewish communities at the time, from the large ones in Damascus and Aleppo to those of Hama, Tripoli, Beirut, Sidon, Baalbek and Banias. During this time the ties were tightened between many Jewish communities throughout the Middle East, including those of Israel and Syria, as they were all under the same regime.
1666 | Messianic Pangs
In the 16th and 17th centuries Damascus became an important center of the Kabbalah teachings of Rabbi Isaac Lurie of Safed, mostly through the work of two highly influential figures who lived as neighbors in the city: Rabbi Hayyim Vital, Lurie's most prominent disciple, and poet and musician Rabbi Israel Najara.
Vital, who left Safed after Lurie's passing, settled in Damascus where he lived until his death. Vital attracted many students from Israel and other countries, and his tomb in Damascus was a pilgrimage site until the end of the 20th century. Vital began a Hasidic/Kabbalist tradition whereby a student commits his teacher's sayings to writing. He was followed in this by Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonne, who documented the words of his teacher the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Nathan, who spread the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and later Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, who published the works of his father, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. The songs of Rabbi Israel Najara, which spread throughout the Jewish world, had an immense impact on the development of liturgical music and poetry and are considered a cornerstone of the supplication and Sabbath song repertoire to this day.
During this period Jewish communities all around the world suffered a severe crisis of faith due to various pogroms, chief among them those of Khmelnytsky in Ukraine in 1648. Against this backdrop of breakdown various messianic cults cropped up. One of these was founded by an eccentric young man from Izmir, Turkey by the name of Sabbatai Zevi, who presented himself as the fruition of messianic yearnings handed down for generations. The messianic cult of Zevi spread in 1666 to many countries, passing en route through Aleppo in Syria as well, where it gained numerous converts.
1740 | The Francos Foreigners' Colony
In the year 1740 a Jew by the name of Hillel Ben Shmuel Pijotto moved from Livorno in Italy to Aleppo in Syria. Many historians mark this as the moment when the Jews of Syria were exposed to the modern world and the changes it brought with it. The store established by the Pijotto family thrived and soon became one of the leading businesses in the area. Following his success other European Jews thronged to Damascus, earning the honorific “Sinioris Francos” from the local Jews.
The Francos, who mostly came from Livorno in Italy, established a traders' colony in Aleppo. As foreign subjects of a European power, the Francos were not beholden to the Ottoman discriminatory laws, and at first did not see themselves as part of the Jewish community, living instead in the European colony along with all the other foreign subjects. Slowly, however, the Francos integrated into the Jewish fabric of life, took part in the religious ceremonies, married local women, built families and settled in.
The Francos served as “carriers” of sorts of European culture to the Middle Eastern Jews. Their dress was different, the men shaved their beards and their approach to the status of women was more liberal than was usual in Syria. Their successful establishment laid the foundation for the penetration of modernity into the Jewish communities of Syria. This penetration took many forms, from changes to the community structure of the yeshivas, through the integration of local Jews in the international trade business, and finally the introduction of modern European education into Jewish institutions of learning in Syria.
1840 | The Damascus Libel
Many believe that the “Damascus Libel” was another expression of Western values penetrating the east. Indeed, alongside scientific progress and Enlightenment the Europeans also brought along with them prejudices rooted in ancient Christian stereotypes. The background and details of the affair are reminiscent of blood libels from Europe: A Christian monk and his Muslim servant had disappeared, and the Jews were accused of murdering them and using their blood to bake matza. Due to the libel senior figures in the Jewish community were arrested and tortured, and 63 children of age three to ten were abducted and tortured in an attempt to wring a confession from their parents. Among the figures to raise an outcry against the blood libel were Jewish-born poet Heinrich Heine and the Minister Moses Montefiore, who demanded that the Ottoman Sultan act to squash the blood libel.
Eventually it was the Rothschild family that ended the sad episode: The Rothschild's exposed documents detailing the affair and disseminated them through the international press. The exposure caused an uproar in global public opinion, and soon the seven prisoners still left alive after long months of severe torture were set free.
The “Damascus Libel” continued to influence Jewish-Arab relations in Syria until the end of the 20th century. In 1983, as the initial phase of the Lebanon War was winding down, the Syrian Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlass published a book titled “The Matza of Zion”, in which he repeated the Damascus Libel. The cover of the book carried a typical anti-Semitic drawing of a Jew eating a child, and the foreword stated that the “historical” events were still relevant. Tlass went on to argue against making peace with Israel and accused Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who had done so, of having “sold his soul to the devil”.
1869 | Haves And Have-Nots
Had someone made a list of “The 100 richest in Damascus”, it is more than likely that it would have prominently featured several Jewish families. The wealth of around ten of the city's Jewish houses was immense by any measure. A traveler who visited their palatial homes wrote that “the beauty of the houses is beyond imagination, such as I had not seen even in England, the houses are coated in gold and each and every yard has water pools and trees”. Other travelers noted the unique dress of the upper class women, the plethora of diamonds and gems they wore. Another visitor refers to the daily excursions favored by the wealthy Jews, who rode through the city upon perfectly white asses (the equivalent of today's luxury cars).
However, the majority of the Jews in Damascus lived in great poverty. This is attested to by Karl Netter, the emissary of the Alliance Israelite Universelle network to Syria, who wrote in 1869 that “as opposed to a few very rich men, there are thousands of poor people who for lack of work and income are literally dying. Those wealthier than them sit in marble halls, surrounded by all delights, and the poor live in holes and hovels, a horrifying sight”.
The gaps between rich and poor in the large Jewish community of Aleppo were not so blatant, thanks to a broad middle class, and yet Aleppo too had displays of opulent living. Rabbi Avraham Antibi gives an amusing, if bitter voice to this phenomenon: “And we are witness to the phenomenon that even he who is not wealthy spends more than his means on fine clothing and jewelry for his wife. He is forced against his will to fulfill all of his wife's desires, for each woman is jealous of her neighbor. When she sees her neighbor wearing handsome garments she is seized by a fit of jealousy and desires to wear clothes as nice and fights with her husband, screaming at him night and day.” (citations from “By Ships of Fire to the West” by Yaron Harel.)
Average Population between 1840-1880 (from “By Ships of Fire to the West” by Yaron Harel)
City Muslims Christians Jews Jewish % of City Population
Damascus 110,000 16,000 6,500 5%
Aleppo 65,750 18,000 6,850 8%
1900 | A People Who Dwell Apart
In the early 20th century the Ottoman Empire grew constantly weaker, a result among others of corrupt sultans, bureaucratic decay and technological backwardness, as well as battlefield defeats. “The sick man of the Bosporus” the European powers disparagingly called it. These established the system of “capitulations” throughout the Ottoman Empire which granted special rights to their subjects, encroaching on the authority of the regime.
This development, alongside many Ottoman reforms in favor of the Jewish and Christian subjects, aroused hostility among Muslim society, reaching a fever pitch in 1860 in a massacre of the Christian population by their Muslim neighbors.
The extensive European economic activity in Syria, pushing out Muslim traders, as well as the regime's resistance to meaningful economic reform, led to the formation of Syrian national movements, which sought in the late 19th century to create an Arab state under the Sharif of Mecca.
Unlike their fellow-minority Christians, who sought to take part in the Syrian national awakening, the Jews chose to remain separate and maintain their communal identity, thus proving the biblical observation: “A people living apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.” (Numbers 23:9)
In the mid-19th century an emigration wave began, leading Jews out of Aleppo. These emigrants established communities in Manchester, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paolo and in the United States as well, particularly in Brooklyn, New York. Others made their way to Beirut and to Cairo. The main reason for this was the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, which boosted sea-borne commerce with Asia at the expense of the age-old land routes, upon which many Aleppo Jews depended for their livelihood.
At the same time the traditional structure of the Aleppo community grew weaker due to the inroads made by winds of secularism and Enlightenment from Europe. Some quintessential examples of this process were the establishment of an Alliance chain of schools, the attempt to establish a Reformed community in Aleppo and expressions of contempt towards the local rabbinical leadership. Most prominent among those defying the rabbinical hegemony were the wealthy Farkhi family of Damascus, of whom Rabbi Chaim Maimon wrote: “Indeed they do not obey the laws and they are extremely difficult.”
1925 | No Zionists Wanted
In 1908 the “Young Turks” revolution took place in Syria. Driven by a desire to assimilate the peoples of the empire into the Turkish nation, a military conscription duty was passed into law for non-Muslims as well in 1909. The law and its implication, as well as the disillusionment following false promises of equality and the alluring opportunities overseas, led to a second wave of emigration by Jews leaving Syria. Over the first decade of the 20th century some 2,000 young Jews departed from Syria, leaving their communities without a vanguard that was supposed to lead them into the modern age.
After the end of WW1, as part of the global game of Monopoly of Risk between the great powers, France received a mandate to rule Syria. The Syrian nationalists were not pleased, to put it mildly, and organized incitement campaigns that included mass demonstrations and violence. These reached a peak in 1925, with the revolt that broke out on Mt. Druze near Damascus. The revolt spread throughout the country, inevitably striking at the weakest link: the Jewish minority. An incited Arab mob entered the Jewish quarter in Damascus, caused immense damage to property and murdered passers-by. One of the causes of the violent outburst of hatred was opposition to the Zionist movement, which was growing stronger in the next-door Land of Israel, or Palestine. The Syrian nationalists identified with the Palestinian Arabs, and all proclamations of support by Jews in Syria were in vain: They were repeatedly accused of being Zionists.
1942 | Immigrants or Pioneers?
In 1932 some 10,000 Jews immigrated to the Land of Israel from the countries of Central Europe. At a January 19th, 1933 meeting of the governing council of Mapai, the leading worker's party which controlled the Jewish political scene, David Ben-Gurion said that Zionism had turned overnight “from a movement of pioneers, exemplary individuals, who made aliyah out of vision and faith, into a broad movement of rescue-seekers, a mass immigrant movement”. The barb directed by the labor leader towards the Jews of Germany, who moved to the Land of Israel out of self interest rather than ideology, was aimed equally at the Jewish immigration from Syria in those years.
However, although moving from Syria to the Land of Israel was easier than from most other places, only few seized the opportunity. It is estimated that the number of Syrian Jews who made aliyah until 1931 was about 1,250 people. The main reason for this was the benevolent treatment they enjoyed under the French mandate. This trend changed between 1932-1936, during which period every single year saw more immigrants than all preceding years combined. The reason for this was the global economic depression, which severely hurt the Syrian economy, whereas the situation in Palestine at the time was relatively good. “No bus leaves Damascus without Jewish passengers,” reported Eliyahu Cohen, a delegate from the Zionist leadership, in late 1934. Ironically, those responsible for the economic boom in the Land of Israel were the very German-Jewish immigrants whom Ben-Gurion disparaged, due to the industrial development they initiated and led.
Between 1936-1939 the Great Arab Revolt raged through the British mandate of Palestine, and did not go unnoticed by the nationalists in Syria. In 1942 the Jewish quarter in Damascus was attacked following false rumors that Syrian territories were to be annexed to a future Jewish state. Between 1938-1942 some 7,000 Jews made aliyah through the clandestine “Aliyah Bet” organization. The census held at the time in Syria lists about 30,000 Jews.
2000 | The Jewish Refugees of Syria
On November 29th, 1947 the UN approved the partition of the Land of Israel. Two days later an Arab mob set upon the Jewish quarters in the cities of Syria, torching synagogues and crying for vengeance against the Jews. Many of the Jews of Aleppo and Damascus fled to Beirut that very night, including many community leaders. From this year on the condition of Syria's Jews grew steadily worse. They became a persecuted and defenseless minority, deprived of basic civil rights, at the mercy of the Syrian regime and citizens.
On February 17th, 1949 the government of Syria sent a memo to the Arab League suggesting the confiscation of Jewish property throughout the Arab countries. Following the flight of the Jews hundreds of homes in the Jewish quarter in Damascus were abandoned, along with public buildings, schools, community structures and more. The Alliance schools, crown jewel of Jewish education, was impounded, and the palaces of the wealthy Damascus Jews were seized by the state.
On September 28th, 1961 the Syrian government was overthrown by military coup. At first the Jews enjoyed improved conditions under the new regime, but after about a year the restrictions, arrests and official harassment resumed. In 1965, after the capture and execution of Israeli undercover agent Eli Cohen, hostility towards the Jews of Syria increased. International organizations, including the Joint, assisted the Jews of Syria with financial aid and securing visas to the United States. The Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Jewish Agency appealed to international bodies and friendly nations requesting help to rebuild the lives of Syria's Jews. Between 1955-1962 some 2,500 Jews made aliyah from Syria.
In 1970 Hafez al-Assad ascended the presidency in Syria, inaugurating the rule of the Alawites in Syria. Towards the end of his reign, at the turn of the century, the remaining Jews in Syria were allowed to leave the country, and most migrated to the United States. By the beginning of the 21st century there were only a few dozen Jews left in Syria.
Raphael Kazin
(Personality)Raphael Kazin (1818-1871), rabbi of Baghdad, Iraq, born in Aleppo, Syria (then part of the Ottoman Empire). When his father died he visited Eretz Israel and then Persia. He was an accomplished scholar and persuasive preacher.
His arrival in Baghdad and his announcement that he was an envoy from the Holy Land, caused a split in the community with many of the wealthy members of the community supporting his appointment as head of the local Beth Din instead of the incumbent Elijah Obadiah. Without a resolution of the dispute, Kazin left Baghdad in 1847 and went to Constantinople where he persuaded the Sultan who gave him a letter of appointment as 'Chief Rabbi' of Baghdad, an office which has not existed previously. He served in this position until 1852, when Rabbi Obadiah was chosen in his place and Kazin was forced to return to Aleppo.
He published an appeal to the Jews of Europe to come to the aid of the Jews of Persia whose position was often very difficult and who were often persecuted by the Moslems. He also produced polemical works against Christianity.
Eli Cohen
(Personality)Eli Cohen (1924 - 1965), Israeli secret agent.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt. He was an outstanding student and an Egyptian patriot, working for the Egyptian nationalist movement. He began to study electricity at Farouk University in Alexandria, but had to leave with other Jewish students following the establishment of the State of Israel. Cohen became involved in underground Zionist activities and was imprisoned by the Egyptians and then expelled from Egypt. After going to Israel in 1957 he joined the Mossad and was sent to Syria to infiltrate the higher ranks. His cover was so successful in Damascus that he was even proposed as a cabinet minister. All the time he was relaying crucial military information back to Israel. In 1965 he was apprehended by new tracking equipment which detected his illicit transmitter and a search of his room revealed a photography laboratory. Initially the Syrians thought he was an Arab but under torture he revealed his identity. He was publicly hanged in Damascus.
TAWIL
(Family Name)The surname Tawil is derived from the Arabic word Tawil, which means "tall" or "long". According to the Tawil family from Aleppo, Syria, who are considered to be descendants of Eli the priest (the 'cohen'), the origin of the surname is the blessing Yitwal Omrac ("may you live a long life"). Since Eli's biblical sons were sinners cursed by God, the congregation used to greet the family members Yitwal Omrac Tawil, which then became their nickname, and eventually a fixed, hereditary family name.
SAFRA
(Family Name)Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from Jewish communal functionaries or titles.
Safra, literally “the book”, in Aramaic, is a title for "scribe", "writer" or "scholar".
This family name may also derive from an occupation, profession or trade (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade). Safra stems from the Arabic term for “yellow” and could be a nickname for a trader in saffron (“zaafran”, in Arabic). Originally, this family name may also have been a nickname for a person with a pallid, colorless (“yellow”) face.
Distinguished bearers of the family name Safra include the 4th century rabbi called Rav Safra, a prominent amora who lived in Babylon and traveled to Eretz Israel. He is mentioned in the Talmud as a great sage. In the 17th century, Safra is recorded as a Jewish family name with Jacob Levi Safra from Tomaszow Lubelski, Poland, who was his community's representative to the Council of Four Lands. A Safra family also lived in Aleppo, Syria, during the 19th century. In the 20th century, their descendants became successful business men in a number of countries in Europe and South America. .
DAMESHEK
(Family Name)Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
The Jewish family name Dameshek is based on Damascus, the capital of Syria, whose history is closely linked to that of Israel.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Dameshek include the Polish rabbinical writer and scholar Abraham Elezer Ben Yosef Dameshek (1772-1847) and the 20th century Russian-born American physician and educator William Dameshek.
ATTIA
(Family Name)Attia is a variant of Attya, an Arabic male personal name, which means "gift/present of God". As a Jewish family name Attia has several forms, most of them found among Jewish families whose origin is in the Mediterranean area. Athias is documented in the 16th century in Eretz Israel and Italy; Attia in the 18th century in northern Syria ; Attias in 1792 in America; and Atias, also in America, in 1793. In the 19th century, Attia is recorded as a Jewish family name on the 'ketubbah' dated October 15th 1845, of Moise son of David Attia from Tunis, and his wife Reine, daughter of Daniel De Pas.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Attia include the author and rabbi of Aleppo, northern Syria, Jesaya Ben Chajim Attia (1732-1780).
SAFDIE
(Family Name)SAFDIE
SAFDIA, TZFADIA, TZFADIE
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birthplace, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
This name is derived from Safad, the Arabic name of the Tsfat (Tzfat), known in English as Safed, a city in northern Galilee and the highest city in Israel. According to family traditions, the name Safdie originated from an Arabic language nickname given to a group of Jews who moved from Tsfat to Aleppo in northern Syria probably as early as the 17th century. Places, regions and countries of origin or residence are some of the sources of Jewish family names. But, unless the family has reliable records, names based on toponymics cannot prove the exact origin of the family.
Distinguished bearers of the family name Safdie includes the internationally renown Israeli-born Canadian architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author Moshe Safdie (b. 1938).
BAHUABE
(Family Name)BAHUABE
BAHUABA
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birthplace, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
This name is derived from bawwaba (بوابة), the Arabic for "gate". According to family traditions, the name originated from an Arabic nickname given to a Jewish family who lived close to one of the gates of the ancient city of Aleppo in northern Syria. Places, regions and countries of origin or residence are some of the sources of Jewish family names. But, unless the family has reliable records, names based on toponymics cannot prove the exact origin of the family.
Distinguished bearers of the family name bahuabe includes the Aleppo-born Haham Moise (Moshe) Bahuabe Safdie (d. 1950, in Israel).
Jews in Arab Lands Today - Photographs (English) 1996
(Video)Documentation of a photo exhibition, shown at Beit Hatfutsot in 1996, depicting Jewish life community Arab lands: Syria; Yemen Morocco; Tunisia; Kurdistan; Egypt; Iraq.
Beit Hatfutsot sent photographers to four countries: Egypt – Shlomo Taitz; Tunisia – Micha Bar-Am; Morocco – Alex Levac and Syria – Robert Lyons.
The Oster Visual Documentation Center, Beit Hatfutsot
Denise Amon recounts her life in Syria, Lebanon, and USA
(Video)Denise Amon nee Nahmad, a resident of Chicago, IL., (deceased), was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1926. In this testimony from 2011 she recounts the life of her family in Syria and Lebanon before immigrating to USA.
Denise Amon worked in the Chicago garment industry for many years. She is now retired. Born in Aleppo, Syria on November 16, 1926 Denise was the daughter of a banker, Hillel Nahmad and her mother was Matilde Safra. Her parents were married very young, they met when an aunt introduced them to each other. Her mother was 16 and spent four years trying to have a child after which Denise was born. She remembers her grandfather was a Rabbi based in Aleppo and her grandmother loved playing cards. Her childhood contains many happy memories growing up in the Jewish area of Aleppo. She lived in a big apartment building with her grandparents.
At the age of 12, she could no longer attend school because World War II started in Syria. Her family moved to Beirut shortly thereafter where her brother and sister were born. She recalls her family being religious, separating meat from milk and strictly keeping kosher. As she grew up she modernized and followed Jewish practices less carefully. In her home in Beirut the family would speak Arabic and French. She made friends with Lebanese from all different religions. She attended the Lycee Francais in Beirut, the girls American School and Nursing school in Beirut. She remembers attending religious services at a few different synagogues, although her grandfather was a Rabbi who studied torah at home.
Shabat dinners were special occasions in the Nahmad house. She would enjoy eating Friday night salmon with parsley as well as Kibbeh and Ajine. During the holidays she would go to resorts while others would come to her house to be with her grandfather. Friends would always bring along a Sefer Torah to read from when they celebrated holidays at her house. She remembers her grandfather being particularly popular with Jews from Iraq and Iran who settled in Beirut. Having non-Jewish friends was just as important to Doris'' family as their Jewish friends. Different Muslims and Christians would come to the house and visit or do business with her father. One of her father''s Jewish friends bought his business from a Muslim in Aleppo. She remembers having a Muslim neighbor who had a Jewish grandmother.
As a youth Doris was involved in the Maccabi Youth Jewish organization. Her family was Zionist and supported the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Due to the "Israel problem" the situation for Jews in Beirut began to get difficult in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Talk of an impending war with Israel scared many Beirut Jews. In 1952 she left to Istanbul, where her Uncle had a position as a banker. Her family left behind a nice chandelier in Beirut, donating it to the local synagogue in memory of her brother. Now the Chandelier has disappeared. No one knows where it is, she believes it was stolen. Her last visit to Lebanon was in 1957.
She lived in Istanbul for 6-8 months, a period during which she met her husband at a wedding. The Lebanese allowed her family to leave with all their possessions. Her uncle and brother still live in Istanbul. In the late 1960s, her family immigrated to Milan, Italy where her brother was studying in 1968. She remembers her father bringing the family''s oriental rugs, silver and other precious goods to Milan, Italy.
After Milan, Denise came and settled in Chicago for work. She was employed in the designer clothing department of Marshall Fields on State Street. She had no experience in designer clothing prior to coming to Chicago but they hired her because she could speak five languages. Her management was generous and gave her everything she wanted, she needed to leave at 3PM to be with her children, she had to take Saturdays off for Shabat and they agreed to that arrangement. In the course of her work, Denise met many American stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and John Travolta.
Reflecting on her experience in the United States, Denise says that she never faced discrimination or fear in the US. She loves keeping up with her Lebanese traditions through food. She does not like eating Ashkenazi foods such as Gefilte Fish. In Chicago she has her independence. Looking back, it was a great thing that her family never bought a house in Beirut because she did not have to worry about losing any assets. She keeps in touch with many Muslim Lebanese friends in Chicago and feels like she is a part of the greater Lebanese community. She visits Israel on occasion because she has both her parents, brother and uncle buried in Jerusalem.
This film is part of the Testimonies produced by Sarah Levin for JIMENA's Oral History and Digital Experience. JIMENA - Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa - is a San Francisco, CA., based non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of culture and history of the Jews from Arab Lands and Iran, and aims to tell the public about the fate of Jewish refugees from the Middle East.
The Oster Visual Documentation Center, Beit Hatfutsot, courtesy of JIMENA.