Syrian-American Rabbi Henry Hamra has announced his candidacy for the People’s Council representing Damascus, becoming the first Jewish candidate since 1967.
His platform focuses on supporting reconstruction, economic development, and efforts to lift the Caesar Act sanctions.
Hamra emphasized his belief in a united and tolerant Syria, and pledged to work with the Syrian community in the U.S. to achieve these goals.
Henry Hamra, 48, is the son of Youssef Hamra, the Chief Rabbi of Syrian Jews in New York. Youssef Hamra left Syria in 1992 after President Hafez al-Assad lifted the travel ban on Jewish residents. At that time, fewer than ten Jews remained in the Syrian capital.
