Damascus — Syria has granted an official license to the country’s first organization dedicated to protecting Jewish heritage, the government announced Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse.
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The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor said the new Syrian Jewish Heritage Organization will soon be formally introduced on its official channels. Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat said the decision reflects the state’s commitment to supporting Syrians of all backgrounds and “not discriminating between one religion and another.”
Founded by members of the Syrian Jewish diaspora, the group aims to survey Jewish-owned property, pursue restitution for assets confiscated under previous regimes, and restore synagogues and shrines for visitors worldwide, according to its organizers.
Henry Hamra the president of @JHS_Foundation meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Damascus (one of my dearest friends and one of my favorite Ministers on earth) thank you to the @syrianetf for continuing to do incredible work for a peaceful, prosperous,… pic.twitter.com/dItRoOMlgd
— Mouaz Moustafa (@SoccerMouaz) December 10, 2025
Delegations of Syrian Jews have visited Damascus this year, including Rabbi Henry Hamra and his father, Yusuf Hamra, the chief rabbi of Syrian Jews in New York, who left Syria in 1992 after long-standing travel restrictions were lifted. Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa also met a Jewish delegation in New York during the UN General Assembly in September.
Syria’s Jewish community once numbered around 5,000 but dwindled sharply due to the Arab-Israeli conflict and decades of movement limits under Hafez al-Assad.
Advocates say dozens of Jewish-owned homes that were seized under Bashar al-Assad’s rule are now being documented as part of efforts to secure possible legal restitution. Local Jewish leaders have also reported the takeover of properties in Damascus’ al-Amin neighborhood, prompting renewed appeals for government review.