Syria launches restoration of historic Jewish cemetery in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Restoration work at the largest Jewish cemetery in Damascus begins marking a new effort to revive the legacy of the country’s dwindling Jewish community following the fall of the al-Assad family rule, the head of Mosaic Foundation said on Tuesday.
Joseph Jajati, head of the U.S.- and Damascus-based Mosaic Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving Syria’s cultural heritage, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that restoration efforts have begun with cleaning the cemetery and reinforcing deteriorating graves.
The cemetery, located on the road leading to Damascus International Airport, contains hundreds of burial sites.
Jajati said work scheduled for later this month includes restoring the cemetery’s outer wall and installing lighting and surveillance cameras to help preserve the site.
During a visit to the cemetery, AFP reporters observed numerous historic graves, most bearing inscriptions in Hebrew, while others were engraved in Arabic.
Jajati noted that the cemetery was not damaged during Syria’s civil war, despite years of conflict.
He added that the most recent burial took place around a year and a half ago, but visits to the cemetery had largely ceased over the past three decades before resuming following the collapse of the al-Assad regime.
In February 2025, members of the Jewish community living in Damascus, together with visitors from the United States, held a communal prayer service at the historic Al-Franj Synagogue for the first time in more than 30 years, according to media reports.