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Syrian Jews in Aleppo had predominantly two origins: those who inhabited Syria from early times and the Sephardim who fled to Syria after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 CE.

Timeline of Judaism in Aleppo

- 1000 BCE: Jews are found living in Aleppo (Halap) and Damascus

- 950 BCE: Great Synagogue of Aleppo was built

- 200 CE: East-West trade routes link through Damascus to central Asia where silk and Spices are sold. These caravan routes become an important source of commerce for Syrian Jews. The silk road rises between (618 – 907) - In 636 CE Islamic Caliphate rule the region.

- 896 The Aleppo Codex is written

- 10th century Jews from Iraq move to Syria

Phases of Mobility

Forced Migration; Mobility as the only choice.
Mobility as a right; Jewish Merchants as “Cross-cultural Brokers”.
Exiled in their homeland.
Current distribution.

Jewish Motifs

Jewish Motifs Despite the fact that the Star of David is considered one of the most popular Jewish motifs used to symbolize Judaism worldwide, a similar design is also known in Islamic art as Khatim Sulaiman. Khatim, or the Seal of Solomon, carries specific ideological meanings in Islam and is a very popular motif in mosques worldwide. Therefore, other symbols have appeared to show particular resemblance to Jewish people or Judaism, including the shape of the temple and the snake in different Jewish properties throughout the Jewish Quarter. While the temple usually represents a private synagogue if present at a Jewish home, a snake is believed to protect the owners of the building from all evil. This symbol is a special feature of Jewish homes. The lintel is a marble plaque with a Hebrew blessing from the Torah (Deut 28:6) at the front entrance of the house of the Moussa Khaski family. The family moved from Damascus to Brooklyn in the early 1990s. The lintel was covered with clay by the owners in 1948, after more and more Palestinian refugees settled in abandoned houses in the Jewish quarter. During this time, many Jews who still lived in the Jewish quarter feared that conflicts between them and the new arrivals could arise. Therefore, the Khaskis decided to remove any reference to their Jewish origins. In the winter of 2019, heavy rainfall in the city of Damascus exposed the lintel again (Jewish Quarter and Shamaya-Palace, n.d.).

During the Ottoman Empire: Jewish people of Aleppo - Who are they? - How they lived - Religion - Aleppo Codex - Education - Occupation - Immigration

If we look at those Syrian houses in comparison we can see Jews, Christian and Muslims are all using the same artistic languages in conveying their faith, affluence and their lives.

How did they live

They describe themselves as Arab Jews. A lot of them are very religious However, it is in the Quran, that they are not equal to Muslims. They could self-govern, autonomous community but if they were a civil action between a Jew and a Muslim they had to go to a Muslim Court. This was also the same for Christians.

After the preceding two decades the Ottoman Aleppo city had attracted some of the most commercially talented Sephardic young men from Livorno and Venice and occasionally from Amsterdam. Few in number they acted as agents and partners of their fathers and uncles and exerted considerable influence in the trade with Europe, especially France. The new comers (Silvera family ) soon emerged as a leading figure amonge merchants residing in Aleppo.

Jewish Merchants as “Cross cultural brokers”

Using women as a tool to create connection and enhance their commercial activity. - Marriage alliances helped business. - In Aleppo they had firm footing in trading in precious stones - Jewish merchants controlled over half of the trade with England (Harel, 1998). (Trivellato, 2009).

Aleppo Codex

A thousand years ago, the most perfect copy of the Hebrew Bible was written. It was kept safe through one upheaval after another in the Middle East, and by the 1940s it was housed in a in Aleppo, Syria, and had become known around the world as the Aleppo Codex.

Very important document, considered as a talisman for the community

The apiontment of Hakham Bashi or the Rabbi under the Ottman rule Was a goverment official and wore a finer robe with cermonial orders ad medels

Education Limited to boys Hebrew and Arabic Religious subjects A minor amount of math needed for trade Girls had limited education

Immigration

- Begins in the late 1890S, to Jerusalem, Egypt, Manchester 1906– 1913 Large emigration. (bad economic situation after opening of Suez Canal and death of the caravan trade route)

- 1907 (Ottoman Empir fall) Men escape the military conscription

- After WW1 – another large emigration

- US, Panama, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil all have Syrian Jewish communities

- Largest in Brooklyn, NY

- In 1947, there were 15,000 Jews in Syria. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations approved a Partition Plan for Palestine, which included an independent Jewish state. Problems broke out in Damascus and Aleppo. In Aleppo in particular left the community devastated; 75 Jews were killed, hundreds were injured, and more than 200 Jewish homes, shops, and synagogues were destroyed.

1950 to 2010, The destruction of the Jewish quarter in Aleppo, only the yellow synagogue is still standing and abounded

Resources

1. Esref, S., Fuat, G., Supervisor, U., & Chizzoniti, P. D. (n.d.). The Reconstruction of Aleppo’s Historic Center.

2. Harel, Y. (1998). The First Jews from Aleppo in Manchester : New Documentary Evidence. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for Jewish Studies, 23(2), 191–202.

3. Jewish Quarter and Shamaya-Palace. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://minor-kontor.de/jewish-quarter-and-shamaya-palace/

4. Kataf, R. (2021). Hidden Stories of Damascene Jews A collection of the cultural memory of the last generation of Jews in Damascus.

5. Neglia, G. A. (2020). The Cultural Meaning of Aleppo: A Landscape Recovery for the Ancient City. Intellect LTD. https://books.google.it/books?id=OKwWEAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

6. Trivellato, F. (2009). The Familiarity of Strangers: The Sephardic Diaspora, Livorno, and Cross-cultural Trade in the Early Modern Period. In Yale University Press.

7. Zenner, W. P. (2000). A global community : the Jews from Aleppo, Syria. 233. https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Global_Community.html?id=WpbKxrYZ4G0C

External links

History: The Jews of Aleppo
Ritual: Sephardic Pizmonim Project
Bible: Aleppo Codex Website
Synagogues: Robert Lyons, Silenced Sacred Spaces
Jewish Virtual Library, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/aleppo