History of Judaism in Lebanon

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The history of Judaism in Lebanon has its origins in biblical times .

history

Early history

The Bar Kochba uprising against Rome in AD 132 resulted in various Jewish communities establishing themselves in what is now Lebanon. Caliph Muʿāwiya I (642–680) anchored his power in Tripoli in Lebanon . Academies were founded in Tire in 1071.

Judaism in Lebanon in modern times

The restored Magen Abraham Synagogue

Lebanese Jews are Mizrachim by origin . They formed a community that mostly lives in and around Beirut , especially Sidon and Baalbek . Almost all of them are returnees to the Promised Land . In 1948 there were around 20,000 Jews in Lebanon; in 2008 there were fewer than 100.

Around 1911 around 5,000 Jews from countries such as Italy , Greece , Syria , Iraq , Turkey , Egypt and Iran moved to Beirut to settle there. The Lebanese constitution of 1926 guaranteed them freedom of worship and also granted the Jewish minority the right to exercise their civil affairs in self-government, which also included education. The Jewish community enjoyed state protection under constitutional law. Such circumstances did not benefit established Jewish communities elsewhere in the region. The Jewish community flourished under the League of Nations mandate for Syria and Lebanon and the “State of Greater Lebanon” and also exerted considerable influence outside the country. It allied itself with Pierre Gemayel and his right-wing Phalange party , which was based on the Spanish model of the Falange . The young party became an important political Christian movement, especially of the Maronites in Lebanon.

In the mid-1950s there were nearly 7,000 Jews in Beirut. As in all Arab states, however, they had no legally secure status, which is why the majority left the country in 1967. During the beginning of the Lebanese civil war in the years 1975-1976, which raged around the Jewish quarter in Beirut, domiciles, workplaces and synagogues were destroyed. Most of the 1,800 remaining Jews then left Lebanon in 1976 because they feared the growing military presence of Syria , which would deprive them of all remnants of their freedom. Most emigrated to Europe, especially France , otherwise to the United States and Canada . In the mid-1980s, Hezbollah kidnapped various prominent Jewish citizens of the city, which it murdered, which is why only Jews remained in Beirut. They got involved in a committee to protect their interests, which took place in secret. In 2004, during the preparations for the local elections, out of a thousand Jewish citizens in Lebanon, only one was able to stand because all potential participants had either been killed or fled.

The Jewish cemetery in Beirut was extremely dilapidated and was tended by an old Shiite woman. The tombstones , regularly inscribed in Hebrew and French , bear testimony to a once stately Jewish diaspora in the country.

The Arab-Israeli conflict , the Arab boycott of Israel and Israel's long military presence in Lebanon created a strong anti-Semitic mood in the country. Travel from Lebanon to Israel has been completely cut off. Meanwhile, Hezbollah set up base camps in the south of the country for terrorist attacks against Israel.

In September 2008, Isaac Arazi , leader of the Beirut Jewish community, announced that he planned to restore the Magen Abraham Synagogue . He also announced that he was planning to restore the Jewish cemetery in Beirut in the annex. This cemetery, laid out in 1926, was increasingly destroyed between 1975 and 1990. Looters had stolen the Torah shrine and prayer benches in the synagogue , and shut down and destroyed the cemetery electrical system. Work began in August 2009 after the Lebanese government gave its approval. In particular, the project found support from private donors.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Maariv, June 21, 1991; Jewish Telegraphic Agency, (July 22, 1993)
2. ^ David Singer, Lawrence Grossman (Eds.): American Jewish Year Book 2003. NY: American Jewish Committee, 2003
3. ↑ Kirsten Schulze, The Jews of Lebanon: Between Coexistence and Conflict , p. 33
4. ↑ Lebanon commemorates Patriarch Hazim at Mass
5. ↑ Stephen Talbot, The ocuppier and the occupied - Did the Syrians murder Lebanon's billionaire developer and former prime minister Rafiq Hariri? -
6. ↑ Lebanon Jews to rebuild Beirut's Maghen Abraham Synagogue ( Memento from July 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
7. ^ Renovation work underway at Beirut's main synagogue; Magen Avraham synagogue was badly damaged during 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War