Sunday, October 5th, will see Syrian–American Jew Henry Hamra run for a seat in Syria’s first legislature since the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. If elected in the indirect polls, Hamra—whose father was reportedly the last rabbi to leave Syria—would be the first Jewish representative to enter parliament since the 1940s.
Local committees are to select two–thirds of the 210–seat legislature, with the rest appointed by Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, under a selection process criticized as undemocratic.
Since Sharaa’s Islamist–led forces toppled Assad in December last year after nearly 14 years of civil war, the country’s dwindling community has begun welcoming back Syrian Jews who had emigrated, while the new authorities have made gestures towards accommodating the minority group.
A flyer published on Hamra’s campaign account on X reads:
Towards a flourishing, tolerant and just Syria!
Meanwhile, his program sets out pledges including efforts to reunite Syrian Jews and to protect Syria’s heritage and cultural identity.
Community Leader Bakhour Chamntoub also stated that
the return of Syrian Jews to parliament is positive, particularly with a new government.
As Hamra was campaigning to restore Jewish representation in Syria, a Syrian-born British citizen conducted a lethal attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England.
