Could Jews From Holocaust Era Enter Syria?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

                                                 Jewish family in Damascus 1901

I have a friend whose mother lived on Jew Street in Damascus, Syria with her family.  She parents were Cohens, a Jeweler.   Could they have been immigrants? Could this be their family? The family was Halabi.    

No, it was generally not possible for Jewish refugees from Holocaust Germany to legally enter Syria during that period. Syria was under French Mandate authority at the time, and its immigration policies, much like those of many other nations and the British Mandate in neighboring Palestine, were highly restrictive toward Jewish refugees. 

During the 1930s and 1940s:

• Widespread Restrictions: Most countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, significantly restricted Jewish immigration due to a combination of antisemitism, economic depression, isolationist policies, and national security concerns. The British, who controlled the Palestine Mandate, severely limited Jewish entry there as well, particularly after the 1939 White Paper, making it nearly impossible for many to find safe haven.
• Syria Under Mandate: Syria was under French control until 1946. There is no evidence of a specific policy by the French Mandate authorities to accept Jewish refugees from Germany. In fact, within Syria itself, there were periods of heightened anti-Jewish sentiment and violence in the late 1930s and early 1940s, leading many local Syrian Jews to seek escape to Palestine.
• Illegal Escape Routes: Some European Jews attempted to escape via the Balkans and Turkey toward Palestine, often through clandestine operations, but this was a difficult and dangerous process, not a legal immigration channel into Syria.
• Post-Independence: After Syria gained independence, the situation for its Jewish population deteriorated further, with the government explicitly banning Jewish emigration to Palestine and imposing harsh penalties for those who attempted to leave illegally. 
In essence, during the Holocaust, the overwhelming majority of countries closed their doors to Jewish refugees, and Syria was no exception to this global pattern of indifference and restrictive policies. 

                                        Aleppo Syria Jewish wedding in 1904
  1492 When Columbus (a hidden Jew (anusim) sailed the ocean blue

The history of the Jews in Syria goes back to ancient times. They were joined by Sephardim who fled after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492 CE. There were large Jewish communities in Aleppo, Damascus, and Qamishli for centuries. In the early 20th century, a large percentage of Syrian Jews immigrated to British Mandate-Palestine (Israel), the U.S. and Latin America.  

However, following the Syrian Civil War, some of the remaining Jews of Syria left the country. In 2022, it was alleged that only four Jews remain in Damascus. As of April 4 2025, there are approximately six remaining Jews in Damascus.

• Sephardic Haven: Following the 1492 expulsion from Spain, many Sephardic Jews settled in Aleppo, enriching its intellectual and commercial life. 

The community, known as Halabi (from Aleppo), maintained a strong, distinct, and influential presence until most left following anti-Jewish riots in 1947. 

                                 



Model of the Central Synagogue of Aleppo in The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot:  Is it still there in 2026?  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Syria