Jewish history in Lebanon

Lebanese Jews are traditionally Mizrahim . Mostly live in Beirut and its surroundings, as well as in Sidon and Baalbek . Almost the entire community emigrated to Israel and countries with already well-developed Lebanese diaspora, such as France , Switzerland , USA , Canada , Argentina , Brazil , Venezuela , Australia , Central and Eastern Europe (in particular, Russia and Bulgaria , where students married to locals). Some of these Lebanese Jews who emigrated to Israel would later return as occupying troops in 1982 ^[1] .

Currently, only 50-100 Jews live in the country ^{[2] [3]} . Emigration from Lebanon was not widespread, even after the first civil war in Lebanon in 1958 , since Lebanese Jews were closely integrated into society and did not feel the need to abandon their homeland. But emigration increased after the beginning of the civil war in Lebanon in 1975, and increased even more after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 ^[2] .

In pre-biblical times, the region between Gaza and Anatolia (the territory of modern Lebanon, Israel / Palestine, Jordan and Syria) was one cultural unit. Despite the lack of central political power, the region was united by the closeness of languages ​​( North-Western Semitic languages , in particular Phoenician , Hebrew and Aramaic ), religion and way of life. Here were some of the world's first permanent settlements located around early agricultural communities and independent city-states, many of which had a wide network of trade relations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.

During the time of the Kingdom of Israel, Lebanon and Israel (including modern Jordan) can already be recognized as completely separate, although they remained close allies. During this period, parts of modern Lebanon were under the control of Jerusalem, and Jews lived far north in the Baal-Hermon area on the slopes of Mount Hermon (sometimes identified with modern Hasbaya , which in turn became an important center of Jewish life in the first half of the 20th century ^{[ 4]} ).

According to the Jewish Bible , the territories of the Israeli tribes of Asher and Naftali included a number of territories of modern Lebanon, reaching Sidon in the north. These tribes were part of the United Kingdom of Israel , and then the Northern Kingdom under the same name. Around 732 BC. e., the Assyrians deported the Naftali knee, the fate that befell the rest of the Northern Kingdom in 723 BC. er The New Testament also refers to the presence of Jesus in the region of Mount Hermon, near which, as a matter of course, there is a Jewish presence. Sometimes, the area of ​​Cana is mentioned in this aspect (near Tire in Lebanon), but the Bible clearly avoids confusion by pointing to the location of Cana of Galilee .

After the revolt of Bar-Kochba against the Romans in 132 AD e., several Jewish communities were created in Lebanon. Caliph Mu'awiya (642–680), created a Jewish community in Tripoli , Lebanon. Another community was founded in 922 in Sidon. The Jewish Yeshiva was established in Tire in 1071. In the 19th century, the hostile attitudes of the Druze and the Maronites forced many Jews to leave Deir el Qamar, while the majority moved to Hasbayya at the end of the century.

In 1911, Jews from Italy, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and Iran moved to Beirut, increasing the city’s Jewish community by more than 5,000 members. Articles 9 and 10 of the Lebanese Constitution of 1926 guaranteed freedom of religion to any religious community, including the Jewish community, the right to manage its civil affairs, including education, and thus the Jewish community was guaranteed by the constitution, which did not apply to others Jewish communities in the region ^[5] . The Jewish community flourished under the French mandate in Greater Lebanon , exerting significant influence throughout Lebanon and beyond. Jews were supporters of the Phalangist party Pierre Gemayel (right-wing party representing the interests of the Maronites and borrowing organizational forms from the National Fascist Party of Italy and the Phalanxist Franco movement in Spain). Jews played an important role in creating Lebanon as an independent state.

Two Jewish newspapers were founded in Lebanon, in Arabic, “Al-Alam al-Israili” (Israel’s World) and the French-language “Le Commerce du Levant”, an economic publication that is still published (although now it belongs to non-Jews).

The Jewish community of Beirut in its development went through three stages ^[6] . Until 1908, the Jewish population in Beirut grew due to migration from the Syrian region and from other Ottoman cities, such as Izmir, Thessaloniki, Istanbul and Baghdad. Commercial growth in a thriving port city, consular protection, and relative security and stability in Beirut all contributed to Jewish migration. Thus, from a few hundred at the beginning of the 19th century, the Jewish community grew to 2500 by the end of the century, and by 3,500 before the world war . While the number of Jews increased significantly, the community remained largely unorganized. During this period, the community lacked some fundamental institutions, such as communal charters, elected council, security mechanisms, and taxation. During this period, the most organized and famous Jewish institution in the city was probably the private boarding school Tiferet Israel (Glory of Israel), founded by Zaki Cohen in 1874. The Jewish school attracted students from affluent families such as Shlush (Jaffa), Moyal (Jaffa) and Sassoon (Baghdad). Its founder, influenced by the Ottoman reforms and local cultural trends, sought to create a modern, but Jewish school. He introduced the study of both secular and purely Jewish subjects, as well as the study of seven languages. He also introduced the study of commercial subjects. The school was closed at the beginning of the 20th century due to financial difficulties.

The Young Tur revolution (1908) launched the process of community organization. Six years later, the Beirut community convened a general meeting, which elected a community council of twelve members, prepared a community charter, appointed a chief rabbi, and established committees to administer taxation and education. This process was associated with tensions and even conflicts within the community, but in the end, a community council was created and adopted in society. The chief rabbi received a salary from the community, and de facto the power of the Council.

With the creation of Great Lebanon (1920), the Jewish community of Beirut became part of a new political entity. The French rulers of the mandate, according to the generally accepted local political tradition of separation of powers, recognized the independence of various religious communities. Thus, the Jewish community was one of the sixteen communities of Lebanon and enjoyed a greater degree of autonomy, more or less according to the previous system of the Ottoman authorities. At the third stage of its development, the community establishes two main institutions: the Magen Abraham synagogue (1925) and the Torah public school (Talmud-Torah) Selim Tarrab (1927). The community also provides social services, such as the maintenance of public charitable organizations Bikur-holim , Lakes-Dalim and Matan-Basseter. Funding for all of these institutions came from contributions from wealthy members of the community, who also contributed to the organization of Jewish holidays and celebrations, by subscribing to wealthy members, collecting events and lotteries organized by the community. In general, the community was financially independent and did not rely on the charity of European Jewry.

The development of Jewish Yishuv in Palestine influenced Jewish leaders, who expressed sympathy and active support for Zionism . Interestingly, the Jewish leadership in Beirut at this time ideologically united with the US-based organization B'nai B'rith and created its local lodge (Azrey Lodge Ha Levanon), which was staffed by local community leaders. The B'nai Brit Lodge in Beirut attracted social and economic elites. It influenced the Jewish community through the development of social activity, increasing the role of Jewish solidarity and charity. Unlike the Alliance, which mainly sought to expand the capabilities of individual Jews through their modern education, Bnay Brit sought to expand opportunities as an individual and the community as a whole. In Beirut, unlike other Jewish communities, most of the members of the municipal council were also members of B'nai Brit, therefore, there was a strong connection between the Council and the lodge. Of course, the Alliance School was popular in the community because it taught in French and prepared students for higher education. Until there was no Jewish high school in Beirut, many Jewish students studied in schools of other religions (mostly Christian) or secular schools. The Jewish community was one of the smallest religious communities in the country, and, therefore, did not have the right to guaranteed representation in parliament. Being excluded from Lebanese political life, Jewish leaders sought to improve the social status of the community through the consolidation and development of the community as a whole. In general, the period of the French mandate was characterized by the growth, development and stability of the Jewish community in Lebanon.

In the 20th century, the Jewish community in Lebanon took little part in politics and showed no interest in it. Jews have traditionally not been involved in the feuds of large religious groups in the country. Generally speaking, the Jews were not inclined to maintain Lebanese nationalism and felt close to France. The French authorities were negative about all expressions of Zionism (in which they saw the political instrument of their British rival), and the community was mostly indifferent to it. Several community leaders, such as Yossif Farhi, strongly supported the Zionist movement, and sought to strengthen the level of support for the concept of the Jewish state in Palestine. Jews in Lebanon had good contacts with the Yishuv in Palestine and made regular visits from Beirut to Jerusalem. The Zionist Jewish Agency lamented the lack of national feeling among Lebanese Jews. The World Zionist Organization was also disappointed by the lack of more active support; the community did not even send a delegation to the World Zionist Congresses.

The Maccabi organization was officially registered by the Lebanese authorities and was an active center of Jewish cultural life in Beirut and Sidon. Maccabi taught Hebrew and Jewish history, and was the focus of attention of a small Zionist movement in the country. There were also pro-Zionist elements in the Maronite community of Lebanon.

After the unrest in Jerusalem in 1929 , the great mufti of Jerusalem was expelled from Palestine and decided to settle in Lebanon, he continued provocative speeches against the British and the Zionists. During the riots, some Muslim nationalists and editors of the main Greek Orthodox newspaper (who saw the future fate of the Lebanese state in the general context of the Arab world) sought to provoke pogroms in Lebanon. It also seems to have led to evasive answers given by Interior Minister Habib Abi Shahlah Joseph Farhi, when he, on behalf of the Jewish community, raised the question of obtaining seats in the newly expanded Lebanese parliament .

Anti-Zionist demonstrations began in 1947 and 1948, but initially did not cause any harm to the Jewish community. As the Arab-Israeli conflict continued, hostility toward Jews increased, especially from the Muslim population. The main synagogue in Beirut was blown up by terrorists in the early 1950s, and the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies became the site of heated debates about the status of Jewish officers in the Lebanese army. The result of discussions was the unanimous decision to resign and expel them from the Lebanese army ^[7] . Two Jewish officers were fired, but some Jews continued to work for the government.

Most Lebanese Jews had Zionist views and looked favorably on the creation of Israel, but nevertheless they did not want to interfere in politics and did not discuss issues related to Israel, so that their Arab neighbors would not accuse them of treason ^[8] .

Until 1958, when the first civil war broke out in Lebanon, the number of Jews in Lebanon remained at around 9,000, which made Lebanon the only Arab country in which the Jewish population increased after 1948. Only after 1958 began a mass exodus of Jews from Lebanon, as a result of political unrest in the country. Several hundred repatriated to Israel, and many others moved to the United States and Europe.

At the beginning of 1967, the number of Jews remaining in Lebanon was estimated at about 5,000-6,000, but after the Six Day War , emigration increased and the community decreased by about half. By that time, almost all Lebanese Jews lived in Beirut , along with several families remaining in Sidon (the community in Tripoli ceased to exist until 1947). There were two Jewish banks in Lebanon, Safra Bank and Société Bancaire (formerly Zilkhah Bank). Only after the 1967 war, restrictions were imposed on Lebanese Jews, who were supposed to turn to the authorities for work permits and not every applicant's request was granted. This was one of the reasons for the increase of Jewish emigration. Another reason is the partial paralysis of the Lebanese economy, especially in the field of tourism, since Christian pilgrims no longer needed to pass through Lebanon in order to visit the Old City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Some Jewish immigrants, especially young people, were leaving for Israel.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Jewish community in Beirut still maintained synagogues and other community institutions, and there were synagogues in Sidon and in the summer resorts of Bhamdun and Aley . During this period, Jewish schools in Beirut and Sidon were still working. Jewish pupils also studied in Christian schools, especially in colleges and institutes, since Jewish schools did not conduct studies at the level of all classes of secondary schools, and because of the preference of Lebanese Jews to study in French. Even in Jewish schools, emphasis was placed on learning French. Arabic was studied to a lesser extent, and Hebrew even less, although the study of Hebrew was not restricted by the authorities. The network of Jewish and Christian schools successfully fought illiteracy among the younger generation, but very few people continued to study in higher educational institutions. Most of the younger generation went into business. By 1970, the community was reduced to about 1000-1800.

In the early stages of the second civil war in Lebanon (1975–1990), and especially after the paralysis of the state institutions in 1975–76 and the Israeli invasion in June 1982, most of the country's Jews emigrated. Those who remained, especially in war-torn Beirut, were hard hit by the fighting in and around the Jewish quarter. The Israeli-Palestinian struggle in Lebanon, which reached its peak in 1982, and the struggle between Shiite armed groups and the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, also contributed to the decline in the number of the local Jewish community. By 1980, only about 200 Jews remained in Lebanon, and by the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, their number dropped to less than 100. In mid-2002, it was reported that 67 Lebanese Jews immigrated to Israel from 1990-2001. In 2004, the number of Jews remaining in Lebanon is estimated to be no more than a few dozen. According to the report, in 2004, the Jewish community in Lebanon had only a few dozen members, mostly elderly. All of these Jews lived in Beirut and its surroundings.

In 2010, work began on the restoration of the old synagogue in Beirut, the synagogue of Magen Abraham . The synagogue fell into disrepair. Крыша рухнула и деревья и кусты выросли под ней. Антисемитские граффити покрывали стены синагоги, и там сильно пахло мочой ^[9] . Хотя Солидер согласился предоставить средства на реконструкцию, потому что политические деятели полагали, что это покажет Ливан как открытое общество, терпимое к иудаизму ^[10] , ни один из евреев, участвующих в проекте, не согласился быть идентифицирован, не нашлось и строителей, готовых назваться или сфотографироваться. Международные средства массовой информации и даже некоторые члены еврейской общины (в и вне Ливана) сомневаются, что кто-то будет молиться там ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} .

Среди глав еврейской общины Ливана были: ^[15]

Казначеем общины в 1920—1932 годы был Иосиф Балайла

Между 1799 и 1978 годами, ряд главных раввинов стояли во главе религиозной жизни ливанских евреев ^[17] :

• Сидонская синагога (Сидон)
• Вади Абу Джамиль

• The official site of the Lebanese Jewish Community Council
• Jewish Lebanese community in Canada
• Lebanon Jews Tap Diaspora to Rebuild Beirut's Shelled Synagogue By Massoud A. Derhally of Bloomberg News-Sept. 18, 2008
• Restoration of Beirut's Synagogue Begins With Help of Diaspora By Massoud A. Derhally of Bloomberg News-Aug. 5, 2009
• Lament Lebanon's lost tribe , The Daily Star (Lebanon) .
• Time Blog:The Jews of Lebanon
• Jewish Virtual Library: The Jews of Lebanon
• Review of the book, «The Jews of Lebanon» by Kirsten E. Schulze
• A Biobliogrpahy on Lebanese Jewry (In Hebrew and English)
• Lebanon — Jews Library of Congress Country Studies
• Beirut's Jewish community faces slow decline AFP Jul 20, 2008