Argentine Lawyer Prays in Long-Shuttered Damascus Synagogue | WATCH
Carlos Gustavo Maslatón returns to Damascus to pray in a synagogue silent for 30 years. As the post-Assad era opens long-sealed doors, this rare visit offers a haunting and hopeful glimpse into the vanishing world of Syria's final six Jews and their enduring heritage.
In a rare and symbolic visit, Carlos Gustavo Maslatón, a 67-year-old Argentinian lawyer and former Buenos Aires city council member, traveled to Damascus and prayed in a synagogue that had been closed for over three decades.
The event highlights the shifting political landscape in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2025, which has allowed limited access to Jewish heritage sites in a city now home to only about six remaining Jews.
Maslatón, who is Jewish, described the experience as deeply moving, noting the synagogue's historical significance amid Syria's dwindling Jewish community.
This follows similar visits by Syrian-American Jewish groups in late 2025 and early 2026, including pilgrimages to sites like the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Jobar, one of the world's oldest, which had been damaged during the civil war but is now being restored under new initiatives.
These efforts include the registration of the first Jewish NGO in Syria to preserve heritage, signaling cautious optimism for cultural revival.