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Vandals desecrated the gravesite of Rabbi Chaim Vital, a prominent 16th-century Jewish mystic and disciple of the famed kabbalist known as the Ari, near Damascus.
A picture shared by Bakhour Chamntoub, head of the small Jewish community in Syria’s capital, shows a hole dug next to Vital’s grave, who died in 1620.
Chamntoub wrote on his Facebook page that on Wednesday, vandals broke into the Jewish cemetery in Damascus, smashing the main gate and forcing entry into the room containing Vital’s grave. "They dug into the ground beside the grave in search of remains, as shown in the photo," he said.
A complaint was filed with local authorities, Chamntoub added. "We informed the authority responsible for the area, which came to inspect the damage and promised to search for those responsible and monitor the situation," he wrote.
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The Association of Rabbis in Islamic States condemned the incident. "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the desecration of the holy grave of Rabbi Chaim Vital," the statement said. "Jews have lived in Syria for thousands of years and are an inseparable part of its history. We urgently call on the Syrian government to immediately secure Jewish holy sites, synagogues and cemeteries, and to ensure their safety, security and wellbeing."
Born in Safed in 1542, Vital became one of the leading students of the Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria) after his arrival in the Galilean city. Following the Ari’s death in 1572, Vital considered himself his successor, though this was not universally accepted. Vital later lived in Jerusalem and Damascus, briefly returning to Safed before moving back to Damascus in 1595. He authored several works, including the Book of Visions.
At the start of the 20th century, Syria’s Jewish community numbered around 100,000, with large communities centered in Damascus and Aleppo and smaller ones elsewhere. Over time, due to antisemitism, violence and economic hardships, most Jews left Syria, particularly after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Many emigrated to Israel, the United States and Mexico.
Under the Assad family's rule, Jews in Syria were permitted to practice their religion but barred from leaving the country to prevent them from emigrating to Israel. Restrictions eased in the early 1990s, leading many more to depart. Today, only a handful of Jews are believed to remain in Syria, reportedly no more than seven individuals.