History of the Jews in Lebanon

The Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Mizrahi community living in the present-day country of Lebanon, mostly in and around the city of Beirut. Almost all of the community has emigrated to Israel, France, and North America (mostly to the latter two)Fact|date=October 2007, with around 1500 Jews now living in the country, compared to 24,000 in 1948cite web
url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3292543,00.html
title=Beirut’s last Jews
accessdate=2007-05-22
last=Hendler
first=Sefi
date=August 19, 2006
publisher=Ynet] . Aliyah did not begin in ernest until the civil wars of 1958 and 1975, as Lebanese Jews were tightly integrated into society and felt no need to abandon their homeland.

Early history

In pre-Biblical times, the region between Gaza and Anatolia (essentially modern day Lebanon and Israel) was a single cultural unit. Despite the lack of any central political authority, the region shared a common language (various dialects of the Canaanite language, including Phoenician and Ancient Hebrew), religion and way of life. This included some of the world's first permanent settlements arranged around early agricultural communities and independent city states, many of which maintained a wide network of trade relations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.

By the time of the Israelite Kingdoms, Lebanon and Israel could be recognised as distinct entities, although they remained close allies, experiencing the same fates with changing regional developments. During this period, parts of modern Lebanon were under the control of Jerusalem, and Jews lived as far north as Baal-Hermon on the slopes of Mount Hermon (sometimes identified with Hasbaya, which once again became an important centre of Jewish life in the first half of the 20th century [ [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?m=200610 Bienvenue à www.thejewsoflebanon.com : un mouvement pour la coexistence » 2006» October ] ] ). According to biblical accounts, these Jews were members of the tribe of Manaseh, from a Hebrew root meaning "those who forgot (they are Jews)". The Christian Bible also includes accounts of Jesus' sojourns around Mount Hermon and Qana which appear to take for granted Jewish presence in these locals.

Following the Bar Kokhba Revolt, in or around 132 BCE several Jewish communities were established in Lebanon. Caliph Muawiya (642-680) established a Jewish community in Tripoli. Another was founded in 922 in Sidon. The Jewish Palestinian Academy was established in Tyre in 1071. In the 19th century hostilities between the Druze and the Maronites led many Jews to the depart Deir al-Qamar, with most moving to Hasbaya by the end of the century.

Early 20th century

In 1911, Jews from Greece, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey moved to Beirut, expanding the community there to nearly 5,000. The Jewish community prospered under the French mandate and Greater Lebanon, exerting considerable influence throughout Lebanon and beyond. They allied themselves with Pierre Gemayel's Phalangist party (a right wing, Maronite group modelled after similar movements in Italy and Germany) and played an instrumental role in the establishment of Lebanon as an independent state.

During the Greater Lebanon period, two Jewish newspapers were founded, the Arabic language "Al-Alam al-Israili" (the Israelite World) and the French "Le Commerce du Levant", an ecomomic periodical which still publishes (though it is now owned by non-Jews).

1948 to present

The Jewish community was traditionally centered in Wadi Abu Jmil and Ras Beirut, with smaller numbers in the Chouf, Deir al-Qamar, Aley, Bhamdoun, Saida and Hasbaya. [ [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?m=200705 Bienvenue à www.thejewsoflebanon.com : un mouvement pour la coexistence » 2007» May ] ]

Lebanons Jews had previously rejected approaches by the Yishuv (a Zionist organisation active prior to 1948), sending fund raisers away empty handed. In 1948 Lebanon's Jews donated to the fight against the establishment of Israel. [The Jews of Lebanon: Between Coexistence and Conflict, by Kirsten E Schulze]

Lebanon was the only Arab country whose Jewish population actually increased after the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. [The Jews of Lebanon, [http://www.time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/02/the_jews_of_lebanon.html Time - The Middle East Blog] ] However, after the 1958 Civil War, many Lebanese Jews left the country, largely for Europe, the United States. In 1971, Albert Elia, the 69-year-old Secretary-General of the Lebanese Jewish community was kidnapped in Beirut by Syrian agents and imprisoned under torture in Damascus along with Syrian Jews who had attempted to flee the country. A personal appeal by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan to the late President Hafez al-Assad failed to secure Elia's release. The Lebanese Civil War, beginning in 1975, proved worse for the Jews, and around 200 were killed during pogroms in that period. In 1982, during the Israeli invasion, 11 Jewish leaders were captured and killed by Islamist radicals.

Jewish infrastructure suffered as well. During the advance of the Israeli Defense Force into Beirut, Yasir Arafat assigned Palestinian gunmen to stand guard at the Maghen Abraham Synagogue, an important symbol of the Jewish community, located within sight of the Parliament. The synagogue was then heavily damaged by Israeli Air Force bombing, perhaps in the presumption that it was being used as a Palestinian weapons storehouse [The Jews of Lebanon, [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?m=200606] ] [Pity the Nation, by Robert Fisk] . Further damage resulted from Arab rioters. Wadi Abu Jamil, Beirut's Jewish quarter, is now virtually abandoned and the synagogue dilapidated. Promises to rebuild the synagogue, made by former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, who bought up the surrounding land, were left unfulfilled. [ [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?m=200608 Bienvenue à www.thejewsoflebanon.com : un mouvement pour la coexistence » 2006» August ] ] Around 1500 Jews remain in Beirut today however not more than 60 are registered officially; others have converted to Christianity or Islam for marriage, heritage or security .. The most recent community representative, Joseph Mizrahi, lived in Beirut until 2003, when he left for France.

Lacking a rabbi, Lebanon's Jews find it difficult to continue their religious traditions and tend to keep a low profile to protect themselves from attacks related to the common misperception that they are agents of Israel. Deir el Qamar is home to one of the few remaining synagogues in Lebanon. This synagogue, although still in good condition, is not in use due to security concerns. Dany Chamoun, mayor of Deir el Qamar and son of former Lebanese president Camille Chamoun has offered occasional support to members of the Jewish community.

Jewish Community Presidents

*Ezra Anzarouth Prior to 1910
*Joseph. D. Farhi 1910-1924
*Joseph Dichy Bey 1925-1927
*Joseph D. Farhi 1928-1930
*Selim Harari 1931-1934
*Joseph D. Farhi 1935-1938
*Joseph Dichy Bey 1939-1950
*Joseph Attiyeh 1950-1976
*Isaac Sasson 1977-1985
*Elie Hallak 1985- ?

=Chief rabbisHistory of the Jewish Community, [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?page_id=124 The Jews of Lebanon] ] =

Between the years of 1908 and 1978, a series of Chief Rabbis led the Lebanese Jewish community.
*Rabbi Danon 1908-1909
*Jacob Maslaton 1910-1921
*Salomon Tagger 1921-1923
*Shabtai Bahbout 1924-1950
*Benzion Lichtman 1932-1959
*Jacob Attiyeh 1949-1966
*Chaoud Chreim 1960-1978

ee also

*Jewish exodus from Arab lands
*Maghen Abraham Synagogue (Beirut, Lebanon)
*Deir el Qamar Synagogue (Mount-Lebanon)

References

External links

* [http://www.thejewsoflebanon.org The Jews of Lebanon]
* [http://www.maghenabraham.com Jewish Lebanese community in Canada]
* [http://www.maronite-heritage.com/html/lebanese_jewish_community.html Lament Lebanon's lost tribe] , The Daily Star (Lebanon).
* [http://www.time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/02/the_jews_of_lebanon_the.html?xid=rss-mideast Time Blog:The Jews of Lebanon]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/lebjews.html Jewish Virtual Library: The Jews of Lebanon]
* [http://thejewsoflebanon.org/me/?m=200610 Review of the book, "The Jews of Lebanon" by Kirsten E. Schulze]
* [http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/history/kehilot/bibel-2.htm A Biobliogrpahy on Lebanese Jewry (In Hebrew and English)]