Khaberni - Syrian-American Rabbi, Henry Youssef Hamra, announces his candidacy for membership in the People's Council representing the Damascus constituency, to be the first Jewish candidate since Syrian Jews were relegated from running for council membership following the June War in 1967.
Henry Hamra, aged 48, is the son of the Chief Rabbi for Syrian Jews in New York, Youssef Hamra, who left Syria in 1992 following Hafez al-Assad’s lifting of travel restrictions on Jewish residents. By then, less than ten Jews remained in the Syrian capital.
In announcing his candidacy via social media, Hamra confirmed his campaign for a seat in the Syrian People's Council under the slogan "Towards a prosperous, tolerant, and just Syria," aiming for "justice, preservation of Syrian heritage, and lifting sanctions."
Hamra stated, "I believe in a unified Syria for all Syrians, from Hasakah to Sweida, from Daraa to Latakia, and from Damascus to Aleppo," assuring his ongoing collaboration with the Syrian community in the United States to abolish the "Caesar Act" unconditionally.
Regarding his campaign program, candidate Hamra shared his vision to enhance national belonging and identity, emphasizing the importance of connecting Syrian Jewish community members at home and abroad to their homeland through cultural and educational initiatives, and restoring their status as an integral part of the vast Syrian tapestry across thousands of years.
His electoral program promises contributions to reconstruction and economic development, through efforts to lift the sanctions of the "Caesar Act," launching investment initiatives in partnership with business people from the Jewish community worldwide, in addition to establishing funds and small and medium-sized projects that create job opportunities for Syrian youth.
Candidate Hamra emphasized the necessity of establishing a new image of Syria as a tolerant country founded on pluralism and shared living, and working to protect the national heritage in all its Islamic, Christian, and Jewish components. He also committed to supporting the principle of citizenship and social justice through a modern constitution that equates all Syrians and guarantees the rights of victims within the framework of national reconciliation.
