Nadene Goldfoot
Alhalabi and Halabi; they are simply different ways of transliterating the same Arabic surname. Both indicate that a person or their ancestors originate from the city of Aleppo (known in Arabic as Halab) in Syria. This is the surname of my friend, Omran, I met him online before 2014. I am Jewish. Omran was raised by a stepmother. Both parents were Muslims being he was born in Damascus, Syria. Aleppo was said to be the hub of Jewish business.
Right now, Aleppo has been suffering with the presence of Terrorists. Aleppo has a significant terrorist presence. The city and its surrounding region remain a volatile battleground involving multiple organizations designated as terrorist groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the PKK/YPG, and splinter factions of the Islamic State (ISIS), all of which have recently been involved in armed clashes, shelling, and suicide bombings.
Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, leader of the rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led a surprise offensive that captured Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, in late 2024. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, he visited the historic Aleppo Citadel, where he was mobbed by supporters, and issued public assurances protecting the city's diverse communities.
Aleppo has such an interesting history: It was called by the Jews living there-Aram-Zobah, (found in Psalms 60-2) and its Jewish community is one of the oldest in the world. Aleppo is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, tracing its origins over 5,000 years to the 3rd millennium BCE. Located in northern Syria at a strategic crossroads of Silk Road trade routes, it has been governed by numerous empires, including the Amorites, Hittites, Romans, Byzantines, and Arabs. Aleppo was a major cult center for the storm god Hadad. Alexander the Great conquered the city in 333 BCE, and it subsequently flourished under Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine rule as a Macedonian colony named Beroea.
Captured by Arab armies in 637 CE, Aleppo regained its ancient name and developed into a vibrant cultural and intellectual center. It was fiercely contested during the Crusades and later experienced immense prosperity under the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties, building the iconic Aleppo Citadel and the city's labyrinthine souks
Serving as a key western terminus on the historic Silk Road, Aleppo connected merchants from China, Persia, India, and Arabia with their European counterparts. The heart of this mercantile activity lies within the labyrinthine alleyways of the Al-Madina Souq, which historically housed over 4,000 shops. The market complex features dozens of khans (historic caravanserais) that originally served as trading houses, workshops, and resting places for traveling merchants.
The Al-Hayyat Mosque was formerly a synagogue ! It dated from the 6th century. Benjamin Tudela found 1,500 Jews there in 1170 CE, and later during the Middle Ages the community assumed some importance, being the home of many men of learning.
Aleppo is home to a rich concentration of historic Islamic architecture, with the Ancient City of Aleppo housing numerous landmark structures. Prominent historic examples include the Great Mosque of Aleppo, the Mamluk-era Al-Otrosh Mosque, and the Ayyubid Al-Sultaniyeh Mosque, many of which are undergoing restoration following damage during the Syrian Civil War.
Spanish Jews settled there after 1492 and reinvigorated the community.
Before 1914 there were 14,000 Jews living in Aleppo. Emigration to the USA and England dwindled the population.
After the UN's decision of November 1947 to partition Palestine, anti-Jewish riots took place in Aleppo and many Jews again fled this city.
By 1991 there were all of 400 Jews remaining in Aleppo. with the main occupation trading and peddling.
The Jewish Quarter still held many different synagogues, with the oldest, Mustaribah, destroyed in 1947 riots that took place. The main part of this synagogue dated back to the 4th century. It was here a famous 10th century masoretic codex of the Bible was found, now finding a new home in Israel.
In fact, my friend's mother was from Jew Street in Damascus, but maybe originally from Aleppo.
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