Damascus

Next Year in Brooklyn Adam Blitz, Aeon. "Should Damascus fall, as many of us believe it will, there remains the very real possibility that there will soon be no trace of a Jewish past in Syria at all."

Israel's New Rules Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom. For 20 years, Israel has avoided attacking Hizballah's Syrian supply line for fear of retaliation from Damascus.  Last weekend's strikes show that the rules of the game have changed.

Historic Damascus Synagogue Looted and Destroyed Yoel Goldman, Times of Israel. It is an unsurprising tragedy: The Jobar Synagogue, 2,000 years old, has been burned to the ground.  The rebels blame the government.  The government blames rebels and Zionist agents.

Whose Paradise? Oded Zinger, Geniza Blues. Among medieval Muslims, Damascus was famed for its fountains, fruits, and gardens.  But among medieval Jews, it was famed for the Jewish community’s piety.  

Prisoners of Yom Kippur Mitch Ginsburg, Times of Israel. Shot down over Damascus on the second day of the Yom Kippur War, Ori Shahak was captured and tortured in Syria; every Yom Kippur takes him back there. 

Losing the Shadow War Christopher Dickey, Daily Beast. Despite last month’s attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, Iran’s covert operatives are being foiled at virtually every turn by their Israeli and American counterparts.