Six-Day War: Impact on Jews in Arab Countries

SYRIA

Following the 1967 Six-Day War, according to some sources, 57 Qamishli Jews were alleged to have been murdered in a pogrom. Curfews were imposed in Qamlishi and Aleppo where conditions for the Jews were worse than in Damascus. The Jews were confined to their homes for eight months. The community was kept as hostages. The police would prowl around looking for people to arrest and throw into Maza prison. During the 1970s the Jews were deprived of many basic civil and human rights and all means of communication monitored by the Secret Police. It would be another 25 years before the remnant of the Syrian Jewish community would be allowed to emigrate.

“After the Six-Day War many Jewish workers were laid off, myself included, leaving them with no income. At first the Jewish community aided their needy brothers with money collected from Jewish donations but when the government got its hands on the Jewish funds there was no point collecting more money for this purpose. Economic conditions are very bad for the Jews. Many are literally starving to death … The Syrian government distributes weapons to the mob and from time to time they run riot in the Jewish quarters, threaten Jewish lives, taking anything they can. To avoid outside interference the Syrian government published false reports on the supposedly good conditions for Jews.”

– Eyewitness report