Jews in Syria are an integrated community. In our last September issue, you have Syrian Jews and Palestians speaking about co-habitation in Syria, while Syrian Jews living in the US confessing to feelings of pride stemming from the fact they are “Yehudi-Arabi”. Photo by Carole al-Farah, Forward Magazine (Damascus, Syria)

Syrian Jews living in Syria and USA say they are proud to be ‘Arab Jews’

Damascus (October, 2009) – Syrian Jews living in Syria and the US told Syria’s leading monthly, Forward Magazine, their Arab roots are a source of identity and pride – amid speculations about the reality of Syrian Jews at the time when Turkish intermediation is taking place between Syria and Israel towards a possible peace scenario.

According to media analysts, Syrian Jews are seldom mentioned in the media, having distanced themselves from the Arab-Israeli conflict due to their natural integration into the Syrian society’s fabric. They do enjoy, contrary to misconception, full citizenship rights in Syria, with many Jewish Syrians refusing to relocate into Israel if a peace treaty takes place.

A peace scenario between Syria and Israel doesn’t mean Syrian Jews might leave their homeland Syria

 “We are Jews of Arab culture, and we are proud to be Yehudi Arabi (Arab Jews). It is in our veins,” Carlos Zarur, an Oriental Jewish researcher from Boulder, Colorado, told Forward Magazine. Like many third generation American-Syrian Jews, Zarur’s grandparents hail from both Damascus and Aleppo. He echoes similar sentiments by Jewish Syrians residing in Syria.

Abdulsalam Haykal, Syrian media entrepreneur and CEO/publisher of Forward Magazine, says the time is ripe to communicate to the world the reality of the Syrian Jews community. “They have synagogues, exercise religious freedoms, have a community leader whom we featured in our magazine, and are fully naturalized,” Haykal said.  “When we were children we used to accompany my grandfather for a weekly visit to his Jewish friend, Abu Jamil, a shop keeper in Old Damascus. Jewish, Muslim and Christian friendships are a natural part of Syrian life, no question marks raised.”

In their two articles – “Culturally Syrian, Religiously Jewish” and “He is not my enemy” – Brooke Anderson and Julian Weinberg, two of Forward Magazine’s senior writers, recounted how historians believed that Jews have inhabited Syria since before Roman times. According to legend, King David built the area’s first synagogue in Aleppo. Dura-Europos, a Greek colony on the Euphrates River in eastern Syria, built in 300 BC, is considered to be the site of the earliest known Jewish Diaspora synagogue. The ruins can be visited on the road between Deir ez-Zor and Abu Kamal (which was bombed early this year by American war planes flying crossing from Iraq).

The report also shows that from 1919 until 1949, there was always a Jewish deputy in the Syrian parliament. To read the full text of the Jews-in-Syria report, you can visit www.fw-magazine.com:

• He is not my enemy: Jewish and Palestinian Syrians living in peace in Old Damascus
• Culturally Syrian, Religiously Jewish: Jews who call Syria home
• Syrian Jews role in the anti-French movement

Syrian students denied academic access to IBM supercomputer at KAUST due to US sanctions

• Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) honors US political restrictions over internationally-set academic freedoms and integrity

Damascus (October, 2009) –  The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the new world-class research university in Saudi Arabia, has denied 15 students access to cutting-edge technology inside its premises due to sanctions against Syria.

Accordingly, KAUST’s breakthrough IBM supercomputer, called Shaheen (Arabic for falcon), will be allowed for all students from all nationalities except for Syrians. The Shaheen, one of 14-systems around the world and the largest in Asia by far, will be off-limits to Syrian students and researchers in what can be seen as a breach of academic freedom.

In a scoop editorial by Abdulsalam Haykal, CEO and publisher of Forward Magazine in Syria, the writer revealed: “It’s a shame that the 15 Syrian KAUST students are not allowed to use the Shaheen. Why? American sanctions had to be observed in the agreement between KAUST and IBM. Syrian students were told that it was not a KAUST decision, rather one that related to the state of affairs between the US and Syria.”

Haykal continued to say, “KAUST is then forced to bend to politics, and act against academic freedom.”

KAUST breach of academic integrity comes from the fact the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled on several occasions that, “[A university] can determine for itself on academic grounds, who may teach, what may be taught, how it should be taught, and who may be admitted to study.”

Forward Magazine, Syria’s leading English monthly and an offshoot of Haykal Media, announced early October it will be lobbying in US and Saudi circles arguing against such “unacceptable academic discrimination.”

By Abdulsalam Haykal, for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). The original article can be viewed at http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=26077&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1#.

I spent summers as a young boy in Damascus, while my fellow Syrians were flocking to my coastal hometown of Tartous to savor the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the heat of Damascus, my summers there were always special.

The Damascene diversity was riveting. Every Friday morning, my grandfather let me tag along during his weekend ritual of shopping for antiques. We would stroll along Medhat Pasha, better known as the biblical Straight Street, moving slowly from one shop to another, eyeing the colored-glass vases, rubbing smooth brass plates and ogling intricate pearl-inlay chests.

Grandpa and I laughed a lot as we shopped for antiques. Some of our biggest belly laughs were with Jamil, an elderly Syrian Jew whose shop was near the Al-Efranj Synagogue, an active place of worship even today. We would stop by the monumental Umayyad Mosque, where the faithful gathered for Friday noon prayers. Inside the mosque, Grandpa once lifted me up to peer through the bars of a shrine said to contain the head of John the Baptist, known to Muslims as the Prophet Yahya.

My grandfather, Faisal Sabbagh, loved Damascus’s history. But he was not stuck in the past. When he was not out searching for antiques, Grandpa was a neurosurgeon who had trained at Columbia University and later established Damascus University’s neurosurgery department in 1949. The generations of medical doctors he taught still remember him as their role model.

My other grandfather is still vibrant at 93. A celebrated entrepreneur and a long-time community leader, I’m proud to be his namesake. He articulates his wisdom through witty poetry and fascinating stories, looking down at the prevailing patronizing attitudes. He teases my father about his passion for high-tech photography. Grandpa bought his first camera in France in the late 1920s, long before the era of digital cameras, and took photos of the National Boy Scouts, which he led in Tartous. He rejoices in his memories of the Scouts demonstrating against the French occupation more than 75 years ago, reminding me that all adversity comes to an end sooner or later.

Talk to young Syrians today and you will find that they often have similar family tales of history, tradition, resistance and innovation. Many have roots in far-flung corners of the world. Similarly, people around the globe can trace their roots to Syria, which was considered by some to be the geographic centre of the world, as well as the heart of the historic Silk Road connecting the Asian continent to Europe.

Many visitors confess that they feel “at home” in Damascus. That sense of belonging is due to an amusing anomaly: any visitor can find a Syrian who looks like them! We are a blend of cultures that triumphed over our ethnic and religious identities to form one nation. Yes, we have a distinct Arab identity and a rich Islamic culture. But we also have a powerful Christian heritage, a Mediterranean character, and a proximity to Europe.

Syria and its capital, Damascus, are sometimes themselves thought of as antiquities, remnants of an illustrious civilization that never quite made it to the present. But for the thousands of us born in the 1960s and 1970s, Syria is a very different nation than even a decade ago. We often feel we have an unprecedented opportunity to flourish.  We are committed to the rebirth of the “Syrian Dream”, empowered by a distinct sense of belonging and sense of duty.

Syria is an ancient nation propelled by a new, technology-savvy generation of young entrepreneurs. We have a vision of what we can be and have set the course to implement it. Countless people in government, civil society, business and the quiet heroes among ordinary citizens work hard against all odds, as we seek to be makers—and not only seekers—of peace. In a world as unstable as ours today, it makes sense to buy shares in this Syrian Dream!

At a recent World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea in Jordan, I, along with 200 young adults from around the world named as Young Global Leaders, shared our stories and plans for a better world. I had an opportunity to tell government officials, entrepreneurs and activists about the contemporary global perspective that now thrives in Syria, nurtured by a heritage that gives Syrians the confidence to advance into the 21st century.

At the Dead Sea, I also realized I was not just a proud citizen of Syria, but also a proud citizen of an ever-changing world–just as my grandfathers intended me to be.

###

* Abdulsalam Haykal is a Damascus-based media and technology entrepreneur and a social activist. In 2009, he was selected to be one of 200 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Launch of Syria Banker '09 at the Dedeman Hotel on August 2, 2009 (Sunday), by Haykal Media's Forward Magazine

Damascus, (SANA) – Haykal Media launched on Sunday at Dedeman Hotel the Syrian Banker ‘09 guide by Forward Magazine. The supplement provides services to the market and clients such as retail loans, loans for companies and commercial facilitation in order to help finance trade and industry.

The supplement also contains information on Syria, banking activity and economic changes. The guide is written in English by Syrian writers, in addition to interviews with Syrian economists.

AUGUST 02, 2009

H. Sabbagh

When our team of writers and editors started working on Syria Banker ‘09 some 6 months ago, the preassure of producing a comprehensive guide on Syria’s new economic landscape  – and the role of private banks in changing the face of Syrian economy – was a great challange for all of us.

“While several banks around the world
have closed down in the wake of the
crisis, more banks are going to open
in Syria before the end of 2009. Since
private banks made their successful
comeback in 2004, after more than 40
years of absence, they have been working
very hard to provide comprehensive
services to the Syrian market. They
succeeded in many aspects, and failed
in others. All in all, their performance
was satisfactory to their shareholders.”

– excerpt from op-ed by Abdulsalam Haykal, CEO and group publisher of Haykal Media, mother company of Forward Magazine/Syria Banker ‘09.

We started out with creating a thought map for the guide – we successfully released early August (as evident from a previous post) – by identifying what really needs to be emphasized. We decided for the guide to be hefty and rich we needed to have the following elements:

• Interviews with pivotal policy makers whose vision and work is promising a great change for Syrian economy (Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Dardari, Finance Minister Mohammad Hussein, and Central Bank Governor Adib Mayaleh). These people are the ones with visions for opening up the Syrian market, drawing strategies to attract foreign investment and inacting laws to prevent money laundering.
• Interviews with bankers and testimonies about their journey in the Syrian market… what challanges lie ahead, what’s been achieved and what is planned down the pipeline.
• Inteviews with thinkers and economists who can analyze the current trends growing in Syria in commercial, corporate retail and Islamic banking.

By speaking to all of these people we covered every turf possible related to banking reforms in Syria, we also wrote up an interesting report about the financial landscape of all of the operating banks in Syria, with focus on the ones that are slated to open in the near future.

The people who have so far asked for copies of Syria Banker 09 include economists, entreprenuers and professionals who are interested in keeping up with their country’s fastest growing industry.

To order your copy inside and outside Syria

• call 00963 (0) 991996664,
• email fw@haykal.com

For more details on Syria Banker ‘09…
Forward Magazine
PO Box 28, Damascus, Syria
T +963 (11) 2245200
F +963 (11) 2223465

To order online click here

 Text by Syria Banker ‘09 editor, Ruba Saqr

On Version Magazine with presenter Reham Rifai

Ouais al-Sharif, Forward Shabab's cool student at Forward Magazine, is the guy in green, standing in the back...

, today’s main topic is “Blood Donor Day” that happens to be this Sunday 14th of June. World Health Organization chose this day as a day to recognize the millions of people who save lives and improve the health of others by donating blood. Version Magazine radio program will be talking to a representative of the SRC “Syrian Red Crescent” about SRC Blood Donating Program.

Also at 5p.m and as part of giving Syrian Youth a chance to express themselves, Version Magazine radio program will have a special guest, Ouais al-Sharif a second year computer science student at Damascus University who is currently ranked the third on the faculty, Ouais was featured in Forward Magazine June issue, in Forward Shabab section as “Crazy haired genius…”. Ouais nurtures his curiosity to learn about new philosophies and methods with research and internet surfing, but he’s most interested in business and scientific matters.

• Program name: Version Magazine
• Time: every Sunday at 5 pm
• Frequency: 94.4 MHz
• Radio station: Version FM Radio Station
• For live comments SMS number: 1944

In the cab an hour ago, we couldn’t help but recall the famous Syrian saying: “The doors of hell are wide open” (Bwab jhannam mfatta7a el youm shi?).

We had an interview with a young man for an article in July, and so we hopped into a yellow cab, which had all its windows wide open. As the cab drove off, it felt like sitting under a hair drier. The streets were obviously a layer of cheese melting over a cooking pot. You could see faint steam camouflaging vision as you looked out of the window.

Damascus was suntanning, maybe she’ still is… I can’t tell, since I’m sitting under my AC.

Compared to Dubai, here is a piece of Heaven. No matter how hard-staring the sun is in Damascus, it still is a breeze of fresh air compared to the Gulf. I still can afford wearing long-sleeved shirts without feeling that lingering sensation of suffocation.

But what’s interesting to observe is that… when it’s hot, time moves slowly, it seems. In the business of magazines and publishing, it is well known that the first few days of the month – after a hectic production period – feel very relaxed, in comparison to concentrated days of magazine creation. But today is particularly slow. Everyone in the office is working hard to finalize things here and there related to our media group (Haykal Media), but after hours of meetings, writing, going out to meet people, writing briefs, contacting people over the phone, organizing editorial matters…. Time is still swooning under the scotching Damascene sun. It’s not six yet!

That’s why I decided to commit the legitemate act of blogging… in hopes of letting a few more very heavy minutes pass without me further feeling the weight of Time. Writing this post took me less than 10 minutes, which is quite quite disappointing in light of the day’s circumstances

Khaled al-Azem (Died: 18 November, 1965)

Responsible for an economic boom from 1941 onwards, late Syrian PM Khaled al-Azem will be remembered at an event on June 1 (today) at the Rida Said Hall (University of Damascus). Economist Ghassan Kalaa will be delivering a lecture about al-Azem along with editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine, Sami Moubayed.

Organized by Forward Magazine’s sister magazine, Aliqtisadi, the event will take place at 6pm.

Al-Azem is one of Syria’s leading figures in contemporary history.

Forward Magazine is now on Twitter, bringing Twitter-ers the latest news from Syria: Inside information and scoops you can’t find anywhere, stories from the homeland that only journalists have access to, untold stories from the nooks and crannies of Damascus and beyond.

Read Syria’s daily headlines on http://twitter.com/ForwardMagSyria

Syria scoops now on Twitter

Syria’s comprehensive banking guide is on its way out… very soon. A special guide by Forward Magazine, “Banking in Syria 2009″ is your guide to financial reforms and everything related to banks in Syria.

For more information, visit www.fw-magazine.com/node/1380