The Greek philosopher Heraclitus tells us that you can never step into the same river twice. We often find ourselves returning to places we visited long ago, though of course those places have changed and so have we. At least that’s how it is for me with Syria.
I visited Syria with two friends way back in April 1990, when I was a student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. We left Israel during our Passover break, making the reverse commute, as it were, to Egypt, where we got new passports without Israel stamps (people with Israel stamps were not admitted to Syria–and they could be arrested). We then crossed Sinai and the Red Sea, spent some time in Jordan (where we further rid ourselves of evidence that we’d been living in Israel), and finally took a bus to Syria.
In those days, Syria was ruled by Hafez Asad, father of the current dictator. His Droopy-Dog image adorned buildings, money, walls, and calendars. This was eight years after Asad put down an uprising in Hama, killing thousands in the process. Syria in 1990 was repressive, but it was safe for tourists and very welcoming. I don’t remember what I expected before I went, but as a young Jewish student visiting Israel’s number one enemy and finding human beings–friendly ones at that–I found myself changed forever. I’m reminded of a line from Christmas in the Trenches, a song about World War I: “The walls they kept between us to exact the work of war / Have been crumbled and are gone for ever more.”
Aside from the friendly reception, Syria was a wonderful place to visit: the Old City of Damascus, the 1300-year-old Umayyid Mosque, the Citadel and covered souk in Allepo, the Crack de Chevalier (a medieval castle), the Roman ruins of Palmyra. Over the years, I had many occasions to think about my trip to Syria, and how it affected me. However, despite the repressive nature of the regime, I never had any Syrian clients.
That changed after the Revolution began in 2011. I started receiving cases from Syria, and I started thinking about the country in a new way.
Since then, some of my most tragic cases have come from Syria. Many of my clients have lost family members–siblings, parents or children. Others were detained and tortured during the early days of the Revolution (now, it seems, the regime no longer releases detained opponents–it kills them). Many have had their homes destroyed, their property looted, and their businesses seized. All have had their lives profoundly disrupted.
On one level, it is difficult to square the destruction and the terrible stories from Syria with my memories of the place. I was there during peace time, and I’ve come to view my time in the Middle East in 1990—and especially my trip to Syria—as a dividing line in my life. For me, it marks the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Maybe because my trip to Syria came at a significant time in my life, the difficulties of my Syrian clients has affected me more deeply. Or maybe it is because I became a father–with all the new emotions that entails–not long before the Revolution began. Or maybe it’s simply that the stories from Syria are so heartbreaking. I suppose the “why” doesn’t much matter. For anyone who deals with Syrians–even one so far removed as me–it is impossible not to be moved by the human tragedy that we are witnessing. And for those of us who have visited Syria, the loss is somehow more vivid.
It’s Passover again, and once again my family and I are celebrating the holiday of freedom. This year, I am remembering my trip to Syria a quarter century ago. I am also thinking of my clients, and the millions of others, who have been harmed by the current war. It seems impossible that the war will ever end, but one day it will. Until then, I hope we will continue to protect refugees from Syria. As we are reminded each Passover:
When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Chag Sameach. Happy Passover.
Jason;
One of my Syrian client tells me that he had Jewish friends living in Syria as last as 2010. In fact, one of his best friends was a Jewish boy that owned the farm next to my client’s. I never had the opportunity to visit the Middle East, I have only visited during a time of war. When I was in Afghanistan during 2012-2013 I had the opportunity to see much of the country. There were areas that I would close my eyes and imagine how beautiful they must have been. I cannot fathom what it must be like to visit a country and then see it destroyed years later. Thanks for this piece as it brought an interesting perspective on this subject.
Thank you. I always wanted to visit Afghanistan. Maybe one day…
I’m currently working as a translator for a Syrian who is trying to gain asylum status for he and his family. It’s a red tape nightmare but what he tells me about what is happening back at his home. I fear that his nationality is what is delaying the processing? I don’t know.
Certain nationalities are slower than others, though Syria is not the worst of those. Also, if he had any involvement with the Syrian Free Army, that often causes delay. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason,
Do you hear of any Syrians being granted asylum during the last 3 months?
Thanks.
I don’t specifically know of any in the last three months (I just don’t remember), but we’ve had many Syrian clients receive asylum over the last couple years. Many others are still waiting.
Thank you so much for your nice post,but let me take the chance and express our dissapointment as Syrians from the American government hesitation in accepting Syrian refugees and Asylees,they only granted asylum for few numbers while the majority are waiting for a very long time,meanwhile Europe had much more supportive steps towards the huge numbers of people who had to leave Syria because of the brutal war between the regime and the extremists.
This was not the case with Iraq,I heard that 120 thousand refugees were brought to USA because of the war there,bless you and happy passover.
Of course you are correct. There are big problems with the US asylum system, and we have accepted relatively few Syrians from the refugee camps. In the posting, I was expressing the hope that we would continue to offer asylum to the Syrians who are here now. We – and the rest of the world – can and should be doing more for the Syrians have been displaced by the conflict.
From your experience in Syrian asylum cases, can you provide a time frame for security check for both males and females whether they have involvement with Syrian free army or not.I am so desperate from waiting because as I told you before I have a special needs son with no family or friends here to help.When government once talked about welcoming Syrian refugees they provided a time frame between 18 and 24 months to vet information.However for some Syrian asylum seekers the waiting has exceeded two years.
My other question is. If I dropped my asylum case and left to a third country. Will that prevent me from coming back to USA. I can’t afford this option because of my child’s treatment .
Can’t thank you enough for your hard work to help.
Unfortunately, we have seen long delays (over one year and counting) for people with even a very small association with the Syrian Free Army. It is particularly frustrating because the US was basically supporting the SFA. For this reason, I can’t give you a time frame, since I do not know. As for leaving the US, the fact that you sought asylum does not block you from returning, but my suspicion is that it will make it harder to get a visa. I hope you can inform the asylum office about your problems and that they can try to assist you by making a decision more quickly. Good luck, Jason
Hi Jason,
My school was in the neighborhood where this photo is taken. I had many Jewish friends at school back then and they were very sad to leave.
Your remark about not having Syrian clients during that period in spite of the regime repression caught my attention.
I wish I could share your blog with all Syrians in their 21 century Diaspora to tell them that there is still hope in this cruel world.
Bless your noble soul and happy Passover!
Thank you for your kind words. I wonder if any Jews remain in Syria since the civil war began. I have not heard any reporting about them.
That’s because Jews left Syria in the early 90’s after they were tempted by the US. Although they enriched the Syrian society, were a major part and had no problems with the regime, as they weren’t politically active, it was far-sighted action from the US.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/mar/09/syria.guardianletters
Hi Jason,
Thanks for this great post, I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, and I gotta say that I’m really touched by this. I am from Syria, and my father’s house is less than a minute walk from where you were standing in the picture. I have a great admiration and interest towards the Jewish culture specially the communities that used to live in Syria no so long ago. There is also an outstanding synagogue in located in the old city of Aleppo called the “Central Synagogue of Aleppo” which is one of the oldest in the world, and it is just a couple of blocks from where I used to live, as there are plenty of other buildings and synagogues in Damascus as well.
It is very sad and unfortunate that some of these places are suffering from the ongoing destruction and war. And also the fact that the government and extremists were the cause that we lost such a great community, similar to what it is happening now.
Thank you and Happy Passover, Tony.
Thank you for the comment. I wish the best for you and your family. Take care, Jason
Jason, thank you for this touching article- it brings tears of joy knowing how dedicated you are to your clients as well as tears of sorrow for my Syrian friends’ families and friends who cannot leave the country.
Thank you. I just read that there are nearly 4 million Syrian refugees living outside the country, and another 7.5 million displaced within Syria. The total population of the country is only about 18 million, so the majority of Syrians are currently displaced due to the war.
Hello Jason,
I liked your article and your pic. It is in old Damascus, my school was very near to that area. I miss Damascus, and no one can imagine how we are treated from all the countries. We are not welcomed to any country. I want to come to the U.S and apply for asylum as i already have a visa there. However, the backlog happening in the Asylum process is not good for me as i can not afford staying 6-8 months without work and waiting for the work permit with no income. Anything i can do with this? BTW, I am an Electrical & Computer Engineer graduated last year from the American University of Beirut.
Thank you,
Daniel
Thank you for the comment. If you apply for asylum in the US, you will be eligible to apply for a work permit 150 days after you file (see my posting from last week for more about this). It sounds like you might be eligible for an H1B visa (a work visa), but that may be difficult to get as you need an employer sponsor and generally you need to apply by about April 1 (there are a limited number of visas and the are used up quickly). However, it might be worth looking at that option. Also, if you come here and then work without permission (assuming you can find a job), it will not affect your asylum application (but it might affect other types of visas you apply for – so you might want to talk to lawyer about that). Good luck, Jason