My husband chaired the packed evening in the Beth Sholom Synagogue. We sent letters to every member of the Parliament of Canada; no member came. (They could not get publicity as they could for Russian Jewry, so they didn't come.)
The Palestinians started screaming about Palestinian refugees in the middle of Friedman's speech, and because of that, the Toronto newspapers mentioned that the teach-in was to draw attention to the unhappy situation of the Jews in Syria - the first time Syrian Jews were mentioned in the press.
We then came up with the crazy idea of sending a telegram and that was the first opening to sending religious books and articles to the rabbis in Syria at their request.
JB: What exactly was "the unhappy situation" of the Jews in Syria?
JFC: The "unhappy situation" refers to the restrictions against the Jewish community, at one time living only in ghettoes in three cities: Damascus, Aleppo and Qamishli. Restrictions included: no emigration, not being able to vote or to sell property and businesses, being constantly watched by the Mukhabarat [military intelligence service] including the monitoring of synagogue services, not being allowed to communicate with relatives in Israel, restrictions on owning a telephone or car until the mid 1970s, being used as hostages, arrests, imprisonments, living in great fear, etc. etc.
JB: What do you mean by hostages, Judy? Is that hyperbole?
JFC: Jewish families were held as hostages in Syria to ensure that when a member of the family was allowed out e.g. for overseas business, that he would return. The word 'hostage' means that they could never try to escape and were always watched by the Mukhabarat.
Hostage means that the Jews were forced to stay in Syria and not allowed to emigrate, especially not to Israel. They were kept in Syria as hostages to make sure that Israel did not attack. All the Jews, who were living in the Jewish quarters could easily be killed [by the Syrians].
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