Syrian Jews

This paper describes and discusses a complicated Halachic case. It begins with a quarrel between a husband and wife, who were members of the Jewish community in Damascus during the 16th century. Their marital row led to a serious argument between two rabbis in the city, namely Rabbi Yosef Ibn Sayaḥ and Rabbi Moshe Baruch. The ensuing Halachic dispute that erupted involved rabbis from the neighboring city, Safed. The paper reconstructs the series of events, and presents the complete version of one of the responsa, which was written at the time of the dispute, along with excerpts from additional responsa.
The case offers readers a vivid glimpse into the life of 16th century Jewry in Damascus. It sheds light not only on marital affairs, such as the age of marriage and the couple's relationship, but on other important aspects regarding the function of the rabbinic court within the Ottoman Empire, and the relationships and interactions between sages from different centers. Analyzing this case helps to better understand the rabbis' written correspondence, the nature of superiors-subordinate relationships, and the alliances and conflicts that existed among sages in the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, these responsa reveal an additional piece of the Halachic work produced by Rabbi Yoseph Ibn Sayaḥ, a highly respected Musta'rib posek (adjudicator), whose writings have yet to receive their rightful place among the history pages of Halachic literature

הפירוש לפרשת בשלח צד את עיני החוקרים זה מכבר, בשל הפרשנות המקורית והמעמיקה שבו. דיונים פילוסופיים, לשוניים וחיפוש אחר הפשט, וגם התבטאויות מעניינות על רב סעדיה גאון ודרך פרשנותו, ועוד.
לפני 13 עשורים פורסם ליקוט חלקי ממנו, בלי זיהוי המחבר. עלה בידי לזהותו לפי הגהה בגיליון, בכתב ידו המוכר של רבי דוד ב"ר יהושע הנגיד, המתייחסת לפירוש כפירושו שלו.
זהו איפוא חלק מחיבורו "כליל היופי" על התורה, שחלקו מצוי בכתב יד וטרם פורסם. הפירוש צועד בדרכם של הרמב"ם ושל רבי אברהם אבן עזרא, ומרחיב אותה.

Within the metropolitan city of New York lies a culturally intact and homogenous Syrian Jew community estimated to be 75,000 strong. Commonly classified as Arabische Yidden, Hebrew for Arab-Jew, the terminology provides a contradiction in connotation. Religiously Jewish and culturally Arab, the identity of this community is wavering. Using the necessary tools provided by linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, the Syrian Jew community roots its identity in their imposing Edict of 1935. This edict and issuing rabbis try to address all aspects of life in order to regulate internal affairs and any outside influence that may permeate through its nearly impenetrable walls. Semiologically analyzing the discourse of language present within the community and through Lacan’s notion of the “other,” a linguistic identity of the Syrian Jewish community is derived.

Deviance and anomie have a special place in my heart. When I was in my mid-twenties, I had developed a severe case of agoraphobia and dissociation to the point of catatonia. Overwhelmed by series of traumatic events came a tipping point where there was no room to compartmentalize a single thing. Involuntarily, I plunged into unknown territory with no sign of safety in sight. Is this pathology or is it a series of deception and blindness coming to light?

This paper examines the friendship between a prominent Muslim and Jew, both residents of Ayyubid Aleppo: Rabbi Yūsuf Ibn Shamʿūn (d. 1226), a philosopher, poet, physican and merchant, and ʿAlī b. Yūsuf Ibn al-Qifṭī (d. 1248), a Muslim scholar and leading Ayyubid official. The essay examines the various factors which led to what might have seemed an unlikely friendship while eschewing broader explanatory models. It provides a complete translation of Ibn al-Qifṭī's biographical entry on Yūsuf which is included in his History of Philosopher-Physicians (Taʾrīkh al-Ḥukamāʾ).

Review on:
1. S. Glick with D. Arad and Z. Stampfer et al., Seride Teshuvot, A Descriptive Catalogue of Responsa Fragments from the Jacques Mosseri Collection, Cambridge University Library, Leiden 2012
2. ש' גליק, בשיתוף ד' ארד וי' שוורץ, שרידי תשובות מחכמי האימפריה העות'מאנית, א-ג, ירושלים תשע"ג-תשע"ד

Within Jewish tradition there exist sources that express towards aspects of Muslim religiosity an attitude that extends beyond tolerance and reflects positive intellectual and religious respect and admiration. It is important for both Jews and Muslims to become acquainted with these sources, and to consider their implications. Here I consider one such source, found in the writings of rabbi Yitzhak Farhi of Jerusalem (1782-1853). It tells of a relationship between two outstanding men in late 18th century Damascus: a great Sufi sheikh and the Chief Rabbi of Damascus.

This article focuses on a tragic event: the destruction of the old synagogue in the
Jewish quarter of Damascus by the Muslim authorities, which probably occurred
in 1552. The sources for this event are diverse and not entirely in agreement.
This article tries, first, to recover the historical details. In so doing, it also seeks
to demonstrate that an earlier analysis of one of the main sources on the event,
which claims that the destruction took place in Jerusalem in 1542, is wrong.
The historical memory of this event in recent centuries took shape among the
Damascene Jews in various ways. Even though the event occurred close to the
spring holiday of Passover, the community commemorated it on the summer fast
day of
Tish’ah be’av
, to which were ‘attached’ many tragedies throughout Jewish
history, in addition to the destruction of the two temples. The Jews of Damascus
recalled the destruction of the old synagogue by reciting a lamentation describing
the event. This lamentation was preserved in two different versions, in Hebrew
and Judeo-Arabic. In addition, popular legendary accounts of the destruction were
transmitted from generation to generation. A close examination of these accounts
and their motifs illuminates the process of shaping a common memory within the
community. Some historical facts were forgotten, while various mythical elements
appeared in the legends. These legends, however, along with the lamentations,
ensured the transmission of the story to each successive generation.
The modes employed by Jews in Islamic countries to preserve and remember
their own history sometimes differ from the forms of collective memory employed
among the Jews in the Christian world. This article offers a possible starting point
for future research on this topic

Within Jewish tradition there exist sources that express towards aspects of Muslim religiosity an attitude that extends beyond tolerance and reflects positive intellectual and religious respect and admiration. It is important for both Jews and Muslims to become acquainted with these sources, and to consider their implications. Here I consider one such source, found in the writings of rabbi Yitzhak Farhi of Jerusalem (1782-1853). It tells of a relationship between two outstanding men in late 18th century Damascus: a great Sufi sheikh and the Chief Rabbi of Damascus.

Resiliency is explained in several different ways. “Counterbalance” or “Paradoxical Personality” are terms coined by Al Siebert, a psychologist who is best known for his research on psychological resilience and the inner nature of highly resilient survivors. To explain these terms, he created a list of some of these counterbalance or paradoxical personality qualities usually observed in highly resilient survivors:

• Sensitive and Tough
• Unselfish and Selfish
• Optimistic and Pessimistic
• Stable and Unpredictable
• Creative and Analytical
• Serious and Playful
• Hard-working and Lazy
• Impulsive and Thorough

The more pairs of traits, the more mental and emotional flexibility essential for resiliency. Many of these resilient survivors feel delighted when they hear that counterbalanced traits are signs of resiliency. Some highly complex individuals say that their paradoxical nature has drawn negative reactions from others. A few of these individuals have privately thanked Dr. Siebert after they learned that they are not borderline schizophrenic and that it is emotionally healthy to have many opposite feelings.

Furthermore, counterbalanced or paradoxical personality traits are not signs of emotional instability—just the opposite. Well-integrated inner complexities increase your psychological stability and give you greater mental and emotional flexibility for dealing with many circumstances. In work teams, for example, a quickly adaptable person might assume informal leadership when things are in turmoil, or quietly follow along if things are running well. They may initiate creative brainstorming when a group is stuck or be the conservative voice of caution if others are trying too many new ideas. If the group is overly optimistic, this person might add a pessimistic perspective, but then turn around and be optimistic if the group is too pessimistic. Being flexible in groups is a good sign.

On the flip side, there is a phenomenon called the “good child handicap” or the “good child syndrome” where individuals who have been raised with programming to be “good” wind up with rules that become limitations and handicaps in later life and may actually threaten their survival and the survival of those around them. At the core of “rule-based living” there is a defining of who you are and your worth as a person, what you deserve in life and the level of "safety" you feel about life by how well you have followed the system of rules you have adopted from your upbringing and culture. In this way of life, the rules become measuring sticks for your personhood and in many ways your identity is defined by rules—not only the rules you keep, but also the rules about the way you keep the rules. So the rules become a double handicap, you are limited and handicapped when you keep them and you are emotionally tormented whether you keep them or not since the very presence of the rules means you aren’t good enough or loveable enough just as you are.

My cultural background is first generation Syrian-American Jew. My parents immigrated to the United States shortly before I was born. I grew up experiencing both the American and the Syrian cultures in my household and community. This was both a blessing and a challenge. The journey my parents took to escape Syria to the United States was both grueling and perilous. This experience left traumatic scars that impacted their adjustment to American culture and impacted how they saw my own relationship to navigating the path between the two cultures. Empathy and adaptability are attributes that I acquired on the path of resiliency as well as having a tough yet sensitive approach to life among several other traits.

It is obvious what the advantages are in being a highly resilient survivor, but there are a lot of disadvantages that come along with these qualities. I often heard the phrase “It’s lonely at the top.” After thinking that through, I wondered why people choose sides, for example, the political pressure to group oneself in choosing the subjective “right” side to be on. It is not clear why these sides do not communicate with each other, it is clear that what one side lacks the other side possesses a solution. Damage or absence of the callosum commissure, a tiny thick band of nerves yet the largest single structure of the brain, results in the two hemispheres to cease the exchange of information of both sides. This results in a lack of coordination, instability, and overcompensation for what each hemisphere lacks akin to what our society today displays in this political arena. A birth of false self forms in labeling an individual as “Right” or “Left” for an underlying sense of belonging to the point that the meaning behind these ideologies dissipate; the origin of how our republic was formed is long forgotten.

It is comfortable to have a sense of belonging, it is comfortable to be in a group, it is comfortable to the point where you can lose your mind and not have to think any longer. Not only do I not know how to be comfortable, but I am also incapable of it, it is like cutting strings and not being able to put them back together—I am not wired that way. A disadvantage is that I am at a loss at not being able to have that secure sense of belonging, there is a small degree of it when I join an athletic team of some sort but there is always a sense of it slipping through my hands in ever so lingering impermanence. Several Social Psychology experiments that were carried out right after World War II proved time and time again that blind obedience and conformity in a group lies the root of malevolence. Compulsory counterbalance of groups enables freedom to think for myself and form ideas wherein this disadvantage turns into an advantage. Another drawback is that I am often bored, yearning for someone to challenge my thinking. A worthy contender who I crossed paths with combated me with an enlightening proverb, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Mishlei 27:17). When I thought that through, I began to question approach in terms of my interactions with an individual or a group. Open to pay attention, to pause and wait for someone to express something I do not know. This yearning for a worthy opponent leads me to publicly confront and expose acts of tyranny by corrupt authority. Freud and Jung drifted apart yet there was still this constant debate of ideas between them which gave birth to new ideas with several dimensions to conceptualize awareness for society to live better. There is a lack of building on top of ideas wherein a majority of society is stuck in a fixed mindset that hinders this drive for growth.

Today, technology is the opiate for the masses, not religion.

References

Siebert, Al (2005). The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from Setbacks. p. 129, 133.

Siebert, Al (1996). The Survivor Personality: Why Some People Are Stronger, Smarter, and More Skillful at Handling Li

Considerations of Jews in antiquity commonly emphasize the role of common institutions (such as the Jerusalem Temple) and shared traumatic experiences (such as exile) in generating distinctive modes of memory formation and memorialization. This paper takes a different approach. By drawing from recent discussions of memory and postmemory developed in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and visual studies, and by considering diverse data from wall paintings, ceiling decorations, inscriptions, graffiti, and mosaics, the ensuing analysis demonstrates how variegated were the practices and dynamics of memory among Jews living in Roman Syria and elsewhere. Asking different types of questions about memorial practices documented in synagogues and surrounding buildings in Dura-Europos and Apamea challenges regnant assumptions about commonalities in Jewish memory and argues for a more localized and spatial approach to Jewish memory practices, the dynamics of which were as personal as they w...

לאחרונה התגלה בס"ד חיבור נוסף מבית מדרשם של חכמי ארם צובה, לו השתייך גם ר' שת הרופא, בעל חמאת החמדה. הפירוש מקביל בפירושים רבים למובא בחמאת החמדה, וכאן מובאים הדברים בשם אומריהם. החיבור נשמר בכ"י לונדון - הספריה הבריטית 1/9932 OR, אלא שבידינו רק הפירוש מפרשת בראשית ועד אמצע פרשת ויחי.
בראש כתב היד מופיע הכיתוב "תוספות התורה", אך ברור מתוך סגנונו שאין מדובר בחיבור מבית מדרשם של בעלי התוספות באירופה. הוא גם מעתיק מדברי מפרשים שנכתבו בערבית – בשפת המקור, ומכאן שחי בארץ דוברת ערבית. הפירוש מלוקט ממדרשים ומפרשים אחדים. רובו מיוסד על העתקת "מדרש לקח טוב" לרבי טוביהו ב"ר אליעזר, וגם כשהדברים מופיעים במדרשים אחרים – לשונו של "תוספות התורה" קרובה ללשון ה"לקח טוב". כמו כן הוא מביא מ"רבי סעדיה ז"ל", והכוונה לרס"ג, וכן מרש"י. פעמים רבות מובאים דברי "ר' יהודה ז"ל", שאולי הוא "ר' יהודה הלוי השר ז"ל" המובא בכינויו זה פעם אחת (דף 34 ע"א). פירושיו של רבי יהודה זה דומים במקומות רבים בענייניהם לפירושי רמב"ן.

El derrotero seguido por algunos jóvenes y sus familias contradice las arraigadas presunciones sobre la supuesta homogeneidad de los judíos de origen sirio y de su total adhesión a pautas religiosas ortodoxas. Si bien, recientes trabajos han ido complejizando el estudio de la temática aún perduran los enfoques que tienden a simplificar los atributos identitarios de estos sectores, invisibilizando los procesos individuales e institucionales que transitaron en una nación que se construyó bajo el
imaginario del crisol de razas y políticas tendientes a uniformizar la sociedad.
De hecho, las diversas trayectorias que hemos seguido nos remiten a una época, en términos de Gilman, de un bloque con espesor histórico propio que abarca los 60` y los 70`, a valores, discursos y prácticas políticas y sociales que estos jóvenes compartieron con otros argentinos de distintas descendencias y credos religiosos. Pero también nos remite a un contexto comunitario dinámico con fronteras porosas, donde se combinaba el creciente proceso de ortodoxización religiosa transitado por los miembros ligados a las instituciones centrales con la desvinculación de aquellos que cuestionaban la legitimidad de los criterios ortodoxos que se estaban imponiendo en esos espacios.
Queda claro, que si bien estas trayectorias pueden considerarse como paradigmáticas, ellas no condensan el amplio espectro que abarcan los distintos procesos de “desafiliación” y prácticas políticas presentes en el grueso de los judíos de origen sirio que se fueron alejando de los marcos comunitarios.