Culture

The 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.

Today members of Syria’s ancient Jewish community are scattered around the world. The largest concentration of Syrian Jews live in New York and there are smaller communities are in Buenos Aires, Panama City, Mexico City, and Tel Aviv. The Jews of Syria have clung tight to their heritage and have successfully passed down their deep rooted spiritual traditions, legendary cuisine, and ancient culture to younger generations. JIMENA works to preserve and share the cultural heritage of all Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews and we are proud to present a small sampling of Syrian Jewish culture here.