Henry Hamra.. The First Candidate from Syrian Jews for the People's Assembly Since 1920
The Syrian political scene recorded a historical precedent with the announcement of businessman Henry Hamra, his candidacy for membership in the People's Assembly for the city of Damascus. He is a Syrian Jew holding American citizenship, and this marks the first step since the establishment of the state in 1920. Hamra's electoral program carries the slogan "Towards a Prosperous, Tolerant, and Just Syria".
The candidate's vision is based on his belief in what he describes as "a united Syria for all its children, from Hasakah to Sweida, from Daraa to Latakia, and from Damascus to Aleppo". His program focuses on several axes aimed at enhancing national identity and contributing to reconstruction and economic development, alongside establishing the image of a new Syria as a tolerant country. The program also includes protecting heritage and cultural identity, supporting Syrian communities abroad, and striving for social justice and equal citizenship.
On the foreign front, Hamra expressed a clear stance on international sanctions, affirming that he "will continue his efforts with Syrian communities in the United States to lift the Caesar Act unconditionally," describing these sanctions as "affecting the Syrian people first and hindering the path of development and reconstruction".
Hamra's candidacy has a symbolic dimension as he hails from the Syrian Jewish community in New York, from which he left Damascus in his youth. His candidacy was preceded by a historic visit he made to Syria last February, accompanied by his father, Rabbi "Yusuf Hamra", which included a visit to the "destroyed Jobar Synagogue and the historical Jewish cemetery in Damascus".
This visit, organized with the support of the "Syrian Emergency Team" and facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was seen as an indication of "the state's readiness to open a new page with various components, including the Syrian Jewish community that has been distant from the national scene for years".
