Head of NY Syrian Jewish Community to Testify in Favor of Lifting ‘Caesar Sanctions’

WASHINGTON (JNS) – A prominent Syrian-American rabbi is reportedly set to testify at a congressional hearing next week in favor of lifting sanctions on Syria.

Rabbi Yosef Hamra, chief rabbi of the Syrian community in New York, is the brother of the late Avraham Hamra, who served as Syria’s last chief rabbi before the oppressed community was allowed to emigrate.

According to the Jewish Heritage of Syria Foundation, Yosef Hamra will testify on the Hill, marking a “milestone not only for Syria’s Jewish community, but for all Syrians who believe in a future built on reconciliation, coexistence and respect for every faith.”

The subject of the hearing next Thursday morning, hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is the revocation of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, better known as Caesar sanctions, which were levied on the regime of then-president Bashar Assad and his supporters for human rights abuses.

Those backing the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have called for those sanctions to be lifted, claiming that they impose a crippling economic effect on the Syrian economy and hamper the country’s ability to recover from years of civil war.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive waiver suspending enforcement of the sanctions for six months, but only Congress can permanently annul them.

Noting that Hamra is trying to revitalize Jewish life in Syria under the al-Sharaa regime, the foundation says he will “highlight the severe consequences that the Caesar sanctions continue to have on this mission.” The sanctions “obstruct the restoration of religious and cultural sites and impede efforts to preserve what remains of Syria’s Jewish heritage,” per the foundation.

Al-Sharaa met with Syrian Jews during his visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September. Hamra gave him a blessing on stage during an event during Sharaa’s trip to Washington earlier this week.