Syrian Jews Say Held First Group Prayer In Decades In Damascus Synagogue

Syrian-American Rabbi Youssef Hamra leads the first Jewish group prayer in Syria since the 1990s, in the Ifrange Synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Damascus's Old City. (Credit: AFP)

Syria's tiny Jewish community said they held their first group prayer in decades Wednesday, in a synagogue in Damascus's Old City, expressing joy at the long-awaited return to public worship.

In the Faranj synagogue, Syrian-American Rabbi Yusuf Hamra led the prayer for the first time since arriving this week from the United States, where he has lived since the 1990s.