Kosher Cuisine Returns to Damascus: A Historic Moment for Syrian Jewry
In one of the most unexpected developments in the kosher food world, Damascus, Syria, now has its first kosher kitchen in decades, a remarkable turn of events following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024.
The Royal Semiramis Hotel in the heart of Syria’s capital has established a dedicated kosher operation, marking a significant milestone for a Jewish community that once numbered in the tens of thousands but has dwindled to just half a dozen individuals remaining in Damascus today.
A Vision Brought to Life
At the center of this historic development is Joseph Jajati, a 32-year-old businessman who left Damascus with his family when he was just 2 years old. Through his Syrian Mosaic Foundation, which organizes trips for Jewish visitors to Syria, Jajati has become the driving force behind efforts to restore Jewish life in the country, starting with the most fundamental need: kosher food.
The initiative began in September during a foundation-organized visit that included Rabbi Asher Lopatin, an Orthodox rabbi from Michigan. After being invited to dinner at the Semiramis by hotel owner Mounzer Nazha and government officials, Rabbi Lopatin found himself limited to eating only fruit from the elaborate Syrian spread.
“We had a wonderful dinner,” Rabbi Lopatin recalled. “But all I could eat was the fruit.”
That dinner sparked a conversation about what it would take to establish a kosher kitchen at the hotel, which quickly turned into action.
From New York to Damascus: 50 Pounds of Kosher Meat
When Jajati returned to Syria in December with another tour group, he brought 50 pounds of kosher meat from New York. The hotel invested in new equipment: dedicated meat skewers and grills, separate plates and utensils. Jajati personally trained the chefs and staff on the intricacies of kosher food preparation.
Days later, the restaurant hosted its first kosher dinner for Hanukkah.
In the hotel’s white-tiled kitchen, a specially designated counter now features signs in English reading: “Only for kosher food. Don’t touch.” Plates and serving dishes sit behind layers of plastic wrap, and staff carefully avoid mixing between kosher and non-kosher equipment, even changing gloves between preparations.
Chef Abd Alrahman Qahwahji, who fled Syria during the civil war and worked in restaurants across Lebanon and Iraq, embraced the new challenge. “It’s nice to see new ideas and new cultures,” he said. “I was in Lebanon. I was in Iraq. And I saw different things. But this is the first time I see kosher.”
The Certification Question
It’s important to note that for now, the kitchen at the Semiramis is “unofficially kosher,” according to Rabbi Lopatin, who inspected it. At some point, it will need to be inspected by a rabbi who specializes in kosher certification. This means while the food is prepared according to kosher standards, it hasn’t yet received formal certification from a recognized kosher agency, a distinction that matters to many observant Jews.
Classic Syrian Cuisine, Kosher Style
The menu showcases traditional Syrian dishes adapted for kosher requirements. Diners enjoy muhammara (roasted red pepper dip), hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and eggplant salad as starters, followed by grilled rib-eye steaks and lamb kebabs.
For Syrian Jews, keeping kosher means that some classic Syrian dishes combining meat and yogurt were off the menu due to the prohibition on mixing meat and dairy. Now, Syrian Jews visiting Damascus can enjoy their heritage cuisine while maintaining their religious observance, lamb-stuffed zucchini, yes; yogurt sauce, no.
Growing Interest from Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish Community
The development comes at a time when trips from Brooklyn’s Syrian Jewish community are being planned to visit Syria. For a community of over 150,000 Syrian Jews living in the Americas, with large concentrations in Brooklyn, New Jersey, Mexico City, Panama, and Argentina, the availability of kosher food removes a significant barrier to visiting their ancestral homeland.
The Hamra family, including Rabbi Yusuf Hamra and his son Henry, made headlines in February 2025 when they led the first official Jewish delegation to Syria in over three decades. The warm welcome they received from locals has encouraged others to consider visiting.
Broader Efforts to Restore Jewish Life
Jajati’s vision extends beyond restaurants. His plans for the Syrian Mosaic Foundation include establishing a cultural center in Damascus’s old city focused on traditional handicrafts that Syrian Jews were once known for producing.
Meanwhile, other efforts are underway to restore Syria’s Jewish heritage. In December 2025, Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor granted a license to the Jewish Heritage in Syria Foundation, headed by Henry Hamra, who even ran for a seat in the Syrian legislature. This marked the first time Syria has ever permitted a Jewish organization to operate in the country, with plans to restore synagogues and return confiscated properties to the community.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, met with Syrian Jews and World Jewish Congress head Ron Lauder at the UN General Assembly, signaling the new government’s openness to the Jewish community. In April 2025, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with a delegation of Syrian Jews in New York to discuss the role the Jewish community could play in Syria’s reconstruction.
The Challenge of Property and Access
But the path forward faces significant challenges. Syrian Jews seeking to reclaim homes, shops, schools, or other property left behind decades ago confront a complex situation. While the government states that any Syrian who can prove ownership has the right to recover property, many buildings were taken over by the former regime or other citizens.
The old city of Damascus once boasted more than a dozen synagogues, but none are in regular use today. During a January visit to the historic Elfranj synagogue, where Jajati’s parents were married, he encountered a government official overseeing cleanup work who denied him entry until refurbishment was complete.
“We are not guests. We are owners of this synagogue,” Jajati said, frustrated by the echo of how Assad regime officials used to control access to the sites.
Keys to the synagogues, once held by security agencies under Assad, are now controlled by a government committee under the Foreign Ministry, a change in custodianship but not necessarily in accessibility.
A Delicate and Dynamic Moment
It’s crucial to recognize that this is an extremely dynamic and sensitive time as Syria seeks direction amid the tumultuous post-regime-change period. While the establishment of kosher food options represents hope and possibility, the situation remains fluid and uncertain.
The new government, led by a former al-Qaeda commander who has renounced militant Islamist ideology, has made encouraging gestures toward minorities. But Syria has also experienced sectarian violence in the post-Assad period, and Syrian minorities both at home and abroad remain cautious.
For Syrian Jews both in Syria and abroad, these developments are being watched carefully. The question isn’t just whether they can visit, but whether they can truly come home.
Promises Made, Promises Kept
Yet at a recent dinner at the Semiramis, as waiters served plates of muhammara, hummus, and perfectly grilled steaks on dedicated kosher plates, Jajati seemed cautiously optimistic. Nearly a year after his first post-Assad trip to Syria, he had vowed to organize at least one place where Syrian Jews could eat kosher food.
As he popped a piece of kebab into his mouth, he reflected on the milestone: “Promises made. Promises kept.”
Whether this represents the beginning of a broader Jewish return to Syria or remains a small gesture in a complicated landscape, only time will tell. But for now, Damascus has kosher food again, and that alone is historic.
For a community that has maintained its distinctive identity and deep connection to Syria through generations of exile, the ability to visit their ancestral home while maintaining their religious observance is more than just a culinary convenience. It’s a bridge between past and future, between memory and hope.
