JIMENA
Syria
Abraham is said to have stopped in Syria on his journey to the land of Canaan, sharing his goat’s milk with the poor. Haleb or Aleppo, means “he milked” and it’s said the city was named after Abraham’s visit there. Jews are believed to have had a continuous presence in Syria since the days of King David (1000 BCE), when Judea’s military commander Joab, took control of the ancient town of Aleppo. The indigenous Jewish community who lived in Syria since biblical days where known locally as must’arabia, or “would-be-Jews.”
Photos
See AllClick on the photos to enlarge and discover the stories behind them.
Culture
See AllThe Jews of Syria make up one of the most ancient Jewish communities in the world. According to Jewish legend, King David built the first Jewish synagogue in Aleppo in the 10th Century BCE. While the Jewish communities of Aleppo and Damascus differ in culture and history, the Jews of Syria are revered for their strong family and communal values, business acumen, powerful spiritual leaders, mouthwatering cuisine, unique liturgy and for protecting the crown Jewel of Jewish manuscripts, the Aleppo Codex, for over 500 years.