A Jewish rabbi announces his candidacy for the People’s Assembly in Syria

Syrian-American Rabbi Henry Yosef Hamra has officially announced his candidacy for the Syrian People’s Assembly for the Damascus district, making him the first Jewish candidate to participate in parliamentary elections since Syrian Jews were barred from running following the June 1967 war.

Hamra announced his candidacy via his social media accounts, under the slogan “Towards a Prosperous, Tolerant, and Just Syria”.

In his statement, he emphasized that his campaign aims to achieve justice, preserve Syrian heritage, and work to lift sanctions imposed on the country, according to Syrian media reports.

Hamra said, “I believe in a unified Syria for all Syrians, from Hasakah to Sweida, from Dara’a to Latakia, and from Damascus to Aleppo”.

He added that he will continue his efforts with the Syrian community in the United States to repeal the Caesar Act without preconditions.

Hamra’s electoral platform focuses on strengthening national belonging and connecting members of the Jewish community, both at home and abroad, to their homeland through cultural and educational initiatives aimed at restoring their status as an integral part of the Syrian fabric, which spans thousands of years.

His promises also include supporting reconstruction and economic development efforts by seeking to lift the Caesar Act sanctions and launching investment projects in partnership with businessmen from the Jewish community around the world.

Rabbi Hamra also aspires to establish funds and small and medium-sized projects that will provide job opportunities for Syrian youth.

He stressed the need to consolidate Syria’s image as a tolerant state based on pluralism and coexistence, while protecting the national heritage with all its Islamic, Christian, and Jewish components.

Hamra also pledged to support the principle of equal citizenship and social justice through a modern constitution that guarantees the rights of all Syrians and ensures the protection of victims’ rights within the framework of national reconciliation.

Hamra, (48), is the son of Yosef Hamra, the chief rabbi of Syrian Jews in New York, who left Syria in 1992 after the travel ban on Jews was lifted under the late President Hafez al Assad, and since then, fewer than ten Jews have remained in Damascus.

Earlier, Henry Hamra visited Damascus as part of a delegation of Syrian Jews in the United States, nearly 33 years after they left the country.

During the visit, he met with government officials, including the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, who emphasized that all sects in Syria will play a role in the country’s future.

Hamra affirmed that the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pledged to protect Syria’s Jewish heritage, emphasizing that Syrian Jews need government support, and that government security is a vital necessity for them.

The High Elections Commission announced the date for Syria’s first parliamentary elections since the departure of Bashar al Assad’s government, scheduled for October 5.

In a special comment to Sputnik, Dr. Ahmed Abdel Majeed Qanout, head of the Legal Committee for Elections, confirmed that the People’s Assembly election system is based solely on citizenship, regardless of ethnic or sectarian considerations.

He pointed out that members of the People’s Assembly are elected by an electoral college, with legal mechanisms allowing voters to challenge candidate lists through specialized judicial committees.