Word: syrian
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...siege situation of Syrian Jewry is no different. While no one expects even a flinch from Assad--a man who had no qualms about bulldozing over the northern Syrian town of Hama in 1982, burying 20,000 of his own citizens in the process--in response to a student protest, possibilities for change are beginning to surface...
Congress has also taken up the cause. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.) is circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter this week on the Hill that, among other issues, pleads the case to Assad for allowing free emigration for Syrian Jews. The House of Representatives has come forward on this matter as well, forming the Congressional Caucus on Syrian Jewry two years ago. The caucus now claims more than 65 members...
...HIGHER PROFILE accorded to the plight of Syrian Jews is evident in its mention in international arenas. At the recent Middle East peace conference in Madrid, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir raised the issue, saying the Jews in Syria have "been exposed to cruel oppression, torture and discrimination of the worst kind." Turning to the Syrian delegates, he pleaded, "We appeal to you to let Jews who wish to leave your countries...
...response of Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa was far from encouraging: "Everyone knows that Syrian Jews live on full equality and with the same freedoms of other Syrian citizens who happen to have other faiths." The equal right to choose which method of torture to take is really a great way of establishing a level playing field...
Even less hopeful was the action of a senior Syrian diplomat at the February 1991 meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. He advised others to get a copy of the book at the top of his recommended reading list, The Matzah of Zion, an updated version of the infamous Damascus Blood Libel of 1840, which accused 16 Jews of murdering a Catholic priest and his servant in order to use their blood to bake Passover matzah. At least the issue of Syrian Jews is surfacing in the corridors of international meetings...