The Jews of Lebanon Project

Hi,

I grew up in Beirut in the sixties and seventies. I spent a lot of time in the Jewish Quarter of Wadi Abu Jmil since my school (Al-Ahliyyah) was there. My mom attended it before me and she remembers being called, on her way to school, from a balcony by a Jewish lady who needed help turning her lights on or off because it was the Sabbath. There was always at least one Jewish kid in my class. I remember one by the last name of Lizmi. My grandmother who was Turkish always boasted that her best friend was Jewish, Gracia, and she was very upset when she left Lebanon with her family and migrated to Brazil, in order to marry off her daughters. My dad was friends with a Jewish lawyer whose last name was Mughrabi. Your website brought back lots of memories. I am a practicing Muslim and I pray to God that my first country Lebanon upholds the tradition of peaceful coexistence between all its citizens, regardless of their religions. I am really sorry that your numbers have dwindled in Lebanon, but I hope you pick up again. If you love Lebanon, don’t give up. I pray for peace among all the children of Abraham.

Peace/Salam/Shalom.

Amal Darwish

Exclusive and Current Pictures of the Maghen
Avraham Synagogue in Beirut Coming Soon!

The blog will be back in 2007 with new content, new information, and most importantly, more ambition and determination. We are making more intensive efforts to make this project successful and more recognized. We must thank our visitors and contributors for helping us make this a success, the amount of emails we received in addition to the comments posted here were unimaginable when we first started this project. I have to particularly thank the hundreds of people who contacted us privately with their heartfelt words and comments; you provided us with such a deep sense of happiness -you really kept us going.

Our dear Lebanon is experiencing troubles, something we have become accustomed to but never accepting of, the republic of true democracy and true liberty must and will be founded so as to set an example for the entire world. To our brethren in Lebanon and around the world, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim, speak up and work for the cause of Lebanon. Lebanon gave our ancestors a home, gave our parents pride, it’s our turn to give back and give our children a place to live where they can call home. Lebanon WAS and IS our home.

The political prostitution of Lebanese leaders must be acknowledged by political partisans, no nation in the world willingly or voluntarily “helps” without a commission in return. We have watched Lebanon tear apart in this tug-of-war between the polarizations of international politics for decades, 2006 was no different and 2007 doesn’t look promising. National unity, national unity, national unity- in society, in governance, and in reality.

We are a free people, an intelligent people who have made countless and immeasurable contributions to the world, we have been supplying the respective nation’s of the world for decades with the indispensable brains and skills except our own. Lebanon needs us at this time, to reaffirm our rights and our national unity.

Lebanon needs us… what will you do?

Finally, we want to wish all our visitors a safe and blessed holiday season. We hope all your goals were fulfilled in 2006 and 2007 is a healthy and even more prosperous year for you!

God Bless Lebanon and all Lebanese.

Administration