By: Fern Sidman

In the labyrinthine alleys of Damascus’s ancient souq—where history clings to stone walls and commerce has flowed uninterrupted for millennia—an arrest has sent tremors through one of the Middle East’s most endangered communities. The detention of Saleem Hamdani, an antiquities dealer and one of the last visible figures of Jewish life in Syria, has cast a pall of anxiety and uncertainty over a community that now numbers fewer than ten souls. As Israel National News has reported on Tuesday, the episode is more than a legal dispute over artifacts; it is a stark reminder of the precarious existence of Jews in a country still grappling with authoritarian governance, regional isolation, and the long shadows of war.

Hamdani was arrested during a raid on his shop in the ancient marketplace of Damascus, according to information cited in the Israel National News report from Syrian officials and community representatives. Local security forces reportedly entered the premises, seized several antiquities on display, and took Hamdani into custody for interrogation. Since then, he has been held by authorities while investigators examine allegations that he was involved in the illegal trade of archaeological artifacts—a charge his defenders insist is unfounded.

For Syria’s remaining Jewish community—elderly, isolated, and accustomed to navigating life under intense scrutiny—the arrest has been both alarming and deeply personal. Hamdani is not merely a merchant; he is widely regarded as a custodian of Jewish heritage in a land where Jewish history stretches back more than two thousand years. His detention resonates far beyond the narrow confines of a criminal investigation.

Over the weekend, Ala’a a-Din Harub, Syria’s plenipotentiary for Jewish Community Affairs, sought to calm mounting fears. Speaking to Syrian media, Harub stated that it is estimated Hamdani would be released within three to four days, pending legal proceedings and the posting of bail. If that timeline holds, Harub suggested, Hamdani would be able to return to his shop and resume his life.

Israel National News reported Harub’s insistence that attempts to attribute criminal wrongdoing to Hamdani are baseless and that the matter would ultimately be resolved by the courts. Harub also noted that the case is currently being handled by an investigating judge in Damascus, underscoring that the legal process is formally under way.

Yet such reassurances, while welcome, have done little to dispel the sense of vulnerability felt by the Jewish community. In Syria, where the legal system operates under the watchful eye of state security and political considerations often eclipse due process, promises of swift resolution are treated cautiously. Israel National News has repeatedly highlighted this dynamic in its coverage of minority issues in authoritarian states, where legal outcomes can hinge as much on discretion as on evidence.

In the face of uncertainty, the tiny Jewish community of Damascus has mobilized with remarkable determination. Harub confirmed that following efforts by community representatives, Hamdani’s family appointed a private lawyer to work in coordination with the community’s legal counsel. Requests were also submitted to authorities to take into account Hamdani’s medical condition—a detail that has heightened concern, given the age and health vulnerabilities common among Syria’s remaining Jews.

Bakhur Simantov, the head of the Damascus Jewish community and himself a symbol of Jewish persistence in Syria, has been at the forefront of these efforts. According to the information provided in the Israel National News report, Simantov has stressed that the community is working “through all channels” to ensure Hamdani’s safety, protect his rights, and secure his release as quickly as possible. His words convey both resolve and an acute awareness of how fragile their position truly is.

For a community reduced to single digits, every individual matters immensely. The arrest of one member reverberates through the entire group, threatening not only personal well-being but the continuity of communal life itself.

Syrian officials familiar with the arrest told Israel National News that the stated reason for Hamdani’s detention was suspected involvement in the illegal trade of archaeological artifacts. During the raid on his shop, several items on display were confiscated for examination. In a country rich with antiquities—and plagued by years of looting during civil war—such allegations are not uncommon.

However, members of the Jewish community categorically reject the implication that Hamdani was engaged in illicit activity. On the contrary, they describe him as a seasoned professional who dedicated years to preserving Jewish heritage in Syria. Israel National News has emphasized this point, noting that Hamdani’s work was widely seen as an effort to safeguard artifacts and traditions that might otherwise disappear amid neglect or destruction.

This distinction is crucial. The line between preservation and illegal trade can be perilously thin in conflict-ravaged states, where regulatory frameworks are opaque and enforcement often arbitrary. For minority figures like Hamdani, that ambiguity can become a trap—especially in an environment where political vulnerability compounds legal risk.

To fully grasp the gravity of Hamdani’s arrest, one must understand the context of Jewish life in Damascus today. Once home to a vibrant Jewish population numbering in the tens of thousands, the city now hosts fewer than ten Jews, most of them elderly. Israel National News has chronicled this demographic collapse, driven by decades of repression, emigration, and regional upheaval.

Those who remain do so under constant surveillance and with limited freedom of movement. While Syrian authorities in recent years have made symbolic gestures toward religious tolerance, the reality on the ground remains fraught. Jewish communal life is largely dormant, sustained by tradition rather than numbers, and heavily dependent on the goodwill—or at least the restraint—of the state.

In this context, Hamdani’s arrest is not an isolated legal matter but a stress test for the community’s already tenuous existence. Even temporary detentions can have chilling effects, reinforcing fears that Jewish visibility carries inherent risk.

A central question hovering over the case is whether Hamdani’s arrest reflects routine law enforcement or something more troubling. Syrian officials insist the matter is purely legal, rooted in allegations related to antiquities. Yet skepticism persists, fueled by Syria’s track record and the disproportionate impact such actions have on a microscopic minority.

Israel National News has been careful to distinguish between verified facts and speculation, but its reporting also places an emphasis on the broader implications. In authoritarian systems, legal proceedings can serve multiple purposes: enforcing regulations, signaling control, or reminding vulnerable communities of their dependence on state tolerance.

The promise of release within days may indeed be fulfilled. If so, it would represent a rare moment of restraint—and perhaps a recognition by authorities that the optics of detaining a Jewish antiquities dealer carry international resonance. But until Hamdani walks free, concern and suspense continue to dominate the mood among Damascus’s Jews.

Though the Jewish community in Damascus is tiny, its plight resonates far beyond Syria’s borders. Israel National News has highlighted how cases like Hamdani’s draw attention from Jewish organizations, human rights advocates, and observers of Middle Eastern minorities worldwide. They serve as stark indicators of how ancient communities fare in modern states shaped by conflict and authoritarian rule.

For Israel National News, the story is emblematic of a broader narrative: the gradual erasure of Jewish life from lands where it once flourished, punctuated by moments of crisis that expose the fragility of those who remain.

As the days pass, the community waits. They wait for confirmation that legal assurances will be honored, that Hamdani’s health will be safeguarded, and that he will return to his shop in the souq—a modest but powerful symbol of Jewish continuity in Damascus.

Whether the case ends quietly or leaves lasting scars will depend not only on judicial decisions but on the intentions of the state itself. For now, the arrest of Saleem Hamdani stands as a reminder that in Syria, even the most ancient communities live at the mercy of forces far beyond their control.

In the narrow streets of Damascus’s old city, history has a long memory. For the Jews who remain there, every arrest, every interrogation, and every promise of release is etched into that memory—another chapter in a story of endurance under relentless uncertainty.