Syria's small Jewish community has struggled to maintain kosher traditions after it dwindled in size, relying on imported meat and individual effort to keep centuries-old practices alive in Damascus.
Fewer than a hundred Jewish people are estimated to remain in Syria, scattered across a country where their community once numbered in the tens of thousands.
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In the narrow stone alleys of Damascus's ancient Jewish Quarter, the question of how to maintain religious tradition with almost no one left to sustain it has become urgent — and nowhere is that more visible than in the search for kosher food.
Bakhor Shamntoub, head of Syria's Mussawi or Jewish community, sat down with Euronews to explain how a tradition that once sustained an entire community now depends on individual effort, occasional imports from Turkey, and packages sent by relatives in the US.
Kosher law, Shamntoub explained, permits lamb, beef and chicken — but only under strict conditions.
The butcher must be "exclusively" a Jewish person holding official certification. That requirement alone has become the central obstacle in Damascus.
"In the past, there was a Jewish man working alongside a Muslim butcher in the Al-Qassaa district of Damascus. But the Jewish butcher left the country," while the other butcher stayed, Shamntoub recalled.
"Regardless of how correctly the Muslim (butcher) performs the slaughter, it is not considered kosher, because the condition is that the butcher must be Jewish," he said.
The knife used in the process must be made of pure diamond rather than an ordinary blade, Shamntoub said, enabling a cut swift enough that "the animal does not feel pain".
Afterwards, the butcher is expected to inspect the animal for signs of disease following a specific set of rules.
"They blow into it in a specific way to determine whether it is diseased. If it is sick, its meat is not eaten," he explained.
An animal injured before slaughter is also disqualified. "If a sheep fell from a truck and broke a leg — we do not eat it."
Where the meat comes from
Before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syria's Jewish community imported kosher meat regularly from Turkey. That supply chain broke down after December 2024.
Shamntoub now sometimes brings meat from Turkey himself, and relatives in the US send packages. Members of the Jewish community visiting Damascus on short stays occasionally arrive with supplies, which are stored in refrigerators.
Shamntoub said he was planning to revive local kosher meat production in Damascus. "Again, we will bring a Jewish butcher to Damascus to do it according to Jewish tradition, and we will store the meat in refrigerators," he said.
Asked about the prospect of kosher restaurants opening in Damascus, Shamntoub was sceptical.
"I would not prefer opening full Jewish restaurants because there are very few Jews. By chance, perhaps 15 or 20 people come and stay for a month before leaving again. There are simply not enough to sustain restaurants."
The Semiramis Hotel in the Old City has sought to fill the gap by opening a section dedicated to Jewish cuisine.
Meat is brought from outside Syria, while cooking is done on site. But Shamntoub was precise about the requirements.
"The plates, pots, pans — everything — must be 100% new and specially prepared." Previously used cookware cannot be used in kosher food preparation.
A viable future would require tourism to grow significantly. "It could become possible to have proper slaughterhouses and certified butchers if tourism increases and members of the Jewish community from around the world begin coming regularly," he said.
In the meantime, those without access to kosher meat can eat fish, which is not subject to the same strict rules.
When eating in ordinary Damascus restaurants himself, Shamntoub opts for vegetarian dishes — hummus or ful, a fava bean stew — for the same reason.
Restaurant owners divided
Restaurant owners in the Old City expressed mixed views to Euronews. Some objected to the concept of specialised kosher restaurants on principle, arguing that restaurants should serve everyone.
Others focused on economics: the small Jewish population and low tourist numbers do not justify the investment in specialised slaughterhouses, dedicated chefs, and sterilisation equipment required for kosher preparation.
Several raised security concerns. The Semiramis Hotel's announcement of its Jewish restaurant section drew an immediate wave of hostile comments and threats online.
"The security situation does not allow us to open such a door," one restaurant owner told Euronews, warning that extremists could target any establishment that did.
Others took a different view, saying kosher dining could attract members of the Jewish diaspora from around the world and help rebuild a connection to a community that has been almost entirely absent from Damascus for decades — but acknowledged that this remained very difficult in practice.