A long-standing Israeli saying, “eating hummus in Damascus,” expresses not only the aspiration for a Middle East peace in which Israelis could visit their neighbors freely, but how distant the idea seems.
Yet during a September 15-17 goodwill mission to Syria, a group of Jewish academics, rabbis, and community leaders – that included Israeli passport holders – lived out the adage by eating hummus in the capital.
The mission, which participants said sought to explore the prospects of a new chapter of Jewish-Muslim relations after a regime change in Syria, was organized by Syrian Mosaic Foundation founder Joe Jajati and Anne Arbor Jewish Federation community relations director Rabbi Asher Lopatin. Lopatin connected with the Syrian Foreign Ministry to cooperate on the delegation.
Jajati explained that he wanted to show Jews, in particular those of Syrian Diaspora heritage, that the country is safe for them. He told The Jerusalem Post that he would be willing to help anyone, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, come visit the country. The American-born Syrian Jew had been visiting Syria since 2018, and from the first visit felt that he was at home.
“I have this real connection with Syria, I’m just attached to it, whether it comes to Judaism, to the food, to the hospitality of the people,” said Jajati.
A Syrian-Jewish connection
Jajati established the Syrian Mosaic Foundation three months ago in New York to better facilitate the hosting of Jewish people, including securing kosher food and other needs that the Syrian government wouldn’t be aware of. He was inspired to create the foundation during his trips, when people in Damascus would hear his last name and regale him with stories about where his family had lived and where their store had been.
Geopolitics should be set aside, especially since many of the dynamics are new. Jews lived alongside the Syrian people for thousands of years, said Jajati. There were many ancient Jewish sites in the country, testaments to the long footprint in history left by Syrian Jews.
This was Lopatin’s second trip to Syria. He had long worked in the field of Jewish-Muslim relations, and was told by colleagues that there was a new opportunity with the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. The Detroit rabbi first visited Syria in February, when, he said, there was still a celebratory mood about the regime change. He was advised not to bring up Israel, and to ensure there were no Israeli stamps on his passport.
The trip on September 15 was different, with the rabbi walking in the streets with his kippah. The mood had moved on from celebratory to the feeling of “a country trying to revive itself.”
Lopatin was worried because of clashes with Israel since his last visit, and often in the Middle East Jews were seen as agents of Israel, yet there wasn’t any bitterness. There wasn’t any bitterness about the clashes with Israel in general, according to the rabbi. Lopatin assured that soldiers, police, and government officials, from the young to the old, treated him with respect. In the end, the rabbi felt safer in Damascus than in New York City.
Syria is a country of “mensches” and a “very special place,” said Lopatin. The delegation gained access to the Damascus National Museum, and the group prayed at the Al-Franj Synagogue, which Lopatin said had been remarkably well preserved. The synagogue saw a prayer quorum for the first time in 30 years.
“I was very touched by the warmth, the warmth of people to Jews returning to Syria,” said Lopatin.
The mission was about goodwill from the Jewish community, with Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States chairman Mendy Chitrik explaining that the members of the delegation wanted to extend a hand to the “new Syria” and see if there is room for discourse.
“It was a Jewish goodwill trip. We went together to extend a hand of friendship – friendship between Jews and Muslims, a friendship that has existed for many, many years despite ups and downs,” said Chitrik. “When someone wants to shake your hand, you shake their hand back.”
The first day, Chitrik walked the streets of Damascus with other members of the delegation, but the last day he said that he felt comfortable enough to walk by himself. People would stop to take pictures with him.
“The friendship I felt from the people felt genuine,” said Chitrik. He was repeatedly told that “they’re tired of wars, and they want to move on.”
THE DELEGATION met with officials from the administration, including the commerce minister, labor and social services minister, and the head of the Foreign Ministry US desk. They spoke about a variety of issues, about warming ties with Israel. The ministers received talk of peace with Israel positively, at least outwardly. One of the ministers reportedly told one of the Israelis “I love Haaretz [newspaper].”
Yet a major issue for the State of Israel and Israelis is the status and safety of Druze in Syria. Since early 2025 there have been massacres of Druze populations by militias affiliated with the regime.
Some of the delegation members raised the issue of the Druze and the status of other minorities. The officials reportedly assured that they are concerned about the issue.
Lopatin said that treatment of different minorities is important, but engaging with a government that wants to be part of the international community creates better conditions to help protect minorities. To him, it is important to think strategically. He understands Israel doing what it needs to do to defend itself, and its hesitancy to trust the new Syria, but “you can make peace with tanks on the border.”
“I care for Israel so much, and I think this is a great opportunity for an ally,” said Lopatin. “It’s sad when people are trying, and people aren’t giving them a shot. I hope it’s changing.”
In Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Lopatin sees a unique figure, an Arab leader who is not continuously harping on about Gaza, Palestinians, or the Golan Heights, but instead talks about restoring his country.
He wishes that people in positions of power and influence could see the opportunity, but also what it was like to speak to the people of Damascus.
“I think this is a real opportunity for rebuilding relations with Jews and Muslims after October 7.”