Jewish traveler recalls unexpected warmth toward Jews in Syria

The Jewish Israeli traveler Avi Gold revealed that he experienced surprising warmth towards Jews and Israel during a recent trip to Syria. He described Syrians of all walks of life as "incredibly welcoming."

"To almost everyone, I openly stated that I am Jewish and Israeli, and I received only positive reactions," Gold said in an interview with the Israeli news outlet Walla. He recalled that the Syrians he encountered “radiated with so much love for Israel" and described his Syria experience as "the trip I will never forget."

There are currently no official diplomatic relations between Syria and Israel. Syria attacked the Jewish state in 1948, 1967 and 1973. Most Syrian Jews have long left the country due to antisemitism, political oppression and financial hardships. Most Jews of Syrian descent currently live in Israel and the United States. 

However, Gold says that people in Syria hugged him and offered him sweets during his visit to the country. He also revealed that people in Syria reportedly called for Jews of Syrian descent to return to the country. Gold recalled that some Syrians became emotional when they for the first time met a living Jew. 

Like in much of the Muslim world, most contemporary Syrians only know Jews through stereotypes of antisemitic propaganda. Gold compared his experience in Syria with his trips to other Muslim states like Pakistan and Afghanistan where most people have never met Jews and "perhaps imagine them with long noses, dirty clothes, and a bag of gold coins."

Gold who visited the ancient synagogue in Damascus, met Bechor Sinmentov, one of the last Jews who still reside in the Syrian capital. 

"It was clear [the locals] understood I was Jewish because I was with Sinmentov," Gold told Walla. He recalled that some locals chanted “Am Ysrael Chai” (meaning the people of Israel live in Hebrew) when they saw Sinmentov. Despite the many hardships in Syria, Gold described Sinmentov as an "optimistic and positive" individual. 

However, he revealed that once they were inside the synagogue, the few remaining Jews in Syria were "visibly distraught” and recalled how they used to celebrate Jewish holidays. When speaking about their parents, the Syrian Jews "were simply crying when they told me about it," he said.

In December 2024, Bakhour Chamntoub, the leader of the Syria’s tiny Jewish community visited a 2,700-year-old synagogue in Damascus that was destroyed during the Syrian civil war. 

“This synagogue means a lot to us,” Chamntoub said in an interview with the Associated Press. 

In February, a delegation of American Jews of Syrian origin, were surprised to receive a welcome back home reception during a visit to Syria. 

“Kids, adults, the security people, they were excited that Jews are coming back, because what it means to them is that there’s this vision of a new Syria that is unified, and everyone is Syrian,” Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, Michigan said.  

“Everyone that we met that found out we were Jewish was so excited. It was warm,” he recalled.