Jews of Lebanon
Lebanon’s Jewish population increased after the opening of the Suez Canal, as some families on the former east-west trade routes through Syria chose to move there. Wadi Abu Jamil was the Jewish quarter of Beirut.
In the video, Nagi Zeidan discusses his book Minority report: The Jews of Lebanon on the Jews of Lebanon.
The Lebanese national archives, the Centre des Archives Nationales, was offline in early 2021. I have not located an online catalogue of their collection but Salvatore Carbone wrote a book called Les Archives nationales du Liban: (période contemporaine) : guide-inventaire in 1983.
Lebanese Jewish Community Council – Conseil Communal Israélite Libanais
Patrimoine et Cultures des Juifs du Liban
International Jewish Cemetery Project page on Lebanon.
The Jewish cemetery of Beirut (cimetière juif de Beyrouth) is in the Ras el Nabaa district and has around 4 000 burials including Rabbi Moïse Yedid-Levi (died 1829), Rabbi Haïm Dana (died 1903) and members of the famous Safra banking family, now of Brazil. There is an online index of burials. Also see Histoire du Cimetière Juif à Beyrouth by Georges Zeidan
Information on the Lebanese Jewish cemetery of Sidon.
There are four major synagogues in Lebanon:
Bhamdoun synagogue (on the Damascus road from Beirut)
Deir el Qamar Synagogue. On Mount Lebanon, apparently built for Jewish followers of a Druze autonomous ruler.
Maghen Abraham Synagogue in Beirut. A view of the synagogue before restoration.
Sidon (Saida) Synagogue was reportedly built in 833CE on the site of an earlier synagogue dating from the time of the Second Temple. Starting during the economic crisis of 1908, many Jews from Sidon emigrated to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Israeli soldiers recovered a Torah scroll from the synagogue during the first Lebanon war. The synagogue is reported to be in a dilapidated state, and used as a home by Syrian refugees.
Al-Aalam al-Isra’iili [Le monde israélite, The Israelite World] was an Arabic-language Jewish newspaper published in Beirut.
Le Commerce du Levant, which is still published, started life as a Jewish publication.
The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem (CAHJP) collection includes “Various documents and registers (19th-20th centuries); letters from Lebanese communities to the Chacham Bashi [Chief Rabbi] in Turkey (19th-20th centuries).”
Archives du Ministère des Affaires étrangères
Archives de l’Alliance Israélite Universelle
Ottoman archives
There may also be data in Syrian archives.
Below is a list of family surname of Lebanese Jews buried in the Beirut cemetery:
Abadi, Abadi Mizrahi, Abaro, Abdalla, Abed, Abed Alambi, Abitbol, Abou, Abouab, Abouab Cohen, Aboud, Aboulafia, Abraham, Abramovitch, Acher, Achkar, Achkar Cohen, Ades, Adissi, Adissi Cohen, Adjami, Adjami Cohen, Adjami Mizrahi, Agassi, Aharon, Akad, Akchoty, Aknin, Albaranes, Albert, Alcalay, Ale, Alfandari, Alfie, Algazi, Alouan, Alpen, Altermann, Altstadt, Amanat, Amar, Amiga, Amon, Amram, Amran, Anavi, Anbar, Andibo, Angel, Anouna, Antar, Antebi, Anzarut, Arabad, Arabi, Araman, Arav, Arazi, Arazi Cohen, Arbil, Arditi, Argalgi, Arie, Armout, Armout Levy, Aronov, Aronovitch, Aroukh, Arwas, Askafi, Assael, Asseo, Attar, Attas, Attie, Attoul, Avi, Avigdor, Azar, Azar Cohen, Azir, Aziz, Aziza, Azrak, Azriel, Babay, Babli, Babor, Bacha, Bagdadi, Bagdadi Cohen, Bagdadi Levy, Baimoff, Bakal, Balaciano, Balastine, Balayla, Ballas, Barbuna, Barika, Barsloski, Baruch, Barzel, Basry, Bassal, Bassal Levy, Bassov, Batilion, Battat, Battish Levy, Baz, Becari, Becari Cohen, Behar, Beida, Beja, Bekhor, Bekira, Belilius, Belilos, Ben Bassat, Ben Ezra, Ben Ibgui, Ben Judah, Benhabib, Benhaim, Benisti, Benkiki, Bennoun, Benokhia, Benoun, Benozio, Benraji, Bensabat, Bension, Bensol, Benyamin, Berakat, Berakha, Berkoff, Berkovitz, Bessoudo, Bigio, Bikofsky, Birchan, Bissu, Bisyuz, Biyatta, Blanc, Blanga, Blum, Blumenthal, Bobo, Bobrovski, Bochi, Bodaria, Bondi, Bonfil, Boton, Bouaba, Boudik, Boudik Cohen, Boukai, Bouzaglo, Brasseur, Braun, Bulmengarten, Calia, Camiol, Canadi, Caneti, Carasso, Carbe, Cario, Catalan, Cazes, Chababo, Chabout, Chabout Levy, Chacho, Chahine, Chahuah, Chajkin, Chaki, Chakra, Chalan, Chalbos, Chalhon, Chalhoub, Chalom, Chalouh, Chama, Chamie, Chams, Chaoul, Charabati, Chattah, Chattouh, Chawah, Chawla, Chaya, Chaya Moghrabi, Chayo, Chehane, Chehebar, Chehouh, Chekha, Chekouri, Chello, Chemtov, Cherez, Chlomo, Choaril, Chochana, Choua, Choueke, Chouekh, Chouela, Chouery, Choukroun, Choury, Chtchukinski, Chweike, Claves, Cobrosi, Cobrosi Levy, Cohen, Corcos, Coriat, Cosi, Costa, Costo, Dabbah, Dabbah Cobeh, Dabbah Mamie, Dabbah Mizrahi, Daboul, Dahan, Dahan Moghrabi, Dana, Daniel, Danon, Darmon, Darwich, David, Dayan, Daye, De Picciotto, De Salomon, Delbourgo, Delmedico, Derman, Deutsch, Dichy, Dickstein, Diwan, Djedda, Dodo, Domani, Dorra, Dorra Cohen, Douek, Douek Cohen, Douer, Durzie, Eddi, Efraim, El Chabbar, El Kay, Elbaranes, Elia, Elicha, Elkayam, Elmaleh, Elstein Cohen, Epstein, Escapa, Eskenazi, Esses, Ezra, Faour, Farah, Farhi, Farjon, Fayena, Fedida, Felderbaum, Finkelstein, Flanze, Fnounou, Franco, Frank, Fuerte, Gabbay, Gadeh, Gagin, Galante, Galerberg, Gallilio, Garfunkel, Gerchon, Gid, Gindi, Gindi Cohen, Gold, Goldenberg Cohen, Goldenstein, Goldenthal, Goldmann, Gourgi, Grabstein, Grego, Grinspan, Grobesco, Grunberg, Grund, Gueron, Haber, Habib, Haboba, Haboba Gada, Haddad, Haddad Cohen, Hadefna, Hadid, Hai, Haim, Haimovitch, Hakim, Hakim Cohen, Halabi, Halala, Halala Cohen, Halfon, Halil, Hallac, Hallac Setton, Halouani, Hamaoui, Hanan, Hanano, Handelmann, Hara, Hara Levy, Harade, Harari, Harari Cohen, Harigmann, Hasbani, Hasma, Hass, Hasson, Hassouni, Hay, Hayat, Hayoun, Hazan, Hazan Cohen, Hefez, Hegg, Hekri, Heli, Heller, Helwa, Helwan Cohen, Heskel, Hillel, Hirschhorn, Hom, Honein, Houlia, Idy, Imamy, Jacobson, Jajati, Jaki, Jamal, Jamal Levy, Jamous, Juda, Kabani, Kabariti, Kabaya, Kadouri, Kaisermann, Kalach, Kamhine, Kamkhaji, Karaguila, Karoubi, Karoum, Kassar, Kassim, Kassine, Katri, Katri Chama, Kattach, Kattan, Khabenski, Khabieh, Khafif, Khalife, Khalife Cohen, Khalouf, Khaski, Khazoum, Khebzou, Khorgia, Kichik, Kichik Cohen, Kobi, Kobi Dabah, Krauser, Krischmann, Kruk, Kugel, Kuperberg, Kurlovsky, Kushinsky, Laham, Laham Cohen, Lalo, Landmann, Laniado, Latermann, Laterson, Lati, Lati Levy, Lazar, Lazari, Lazkani, Lederer, Leibovsky, Lemich, Leon, Levinbach, Levy, Lezmi, Lifschits, Lisbona, Lisbona (di), Litmann, Louvia, Lozia, Lozna, Lubelczyk, Maali, Maarabi, Machal, Machalagig, Madmoun, Makievsky, Maknouz, Malka, Mamie, Mandil, Maniz, Mankal, Mann, Marcus, Margaliot, Mariano, Masri, Masrieh, Matalon, Matatia, Matloub, Mattot, Mawas, Mayorcas, Mbazbaz, Mbazbaz Levy, Mechali, Menache, Mendelson, Merkado, Meskaron, Mevorakh, Meyer, Mimeran, Mina, Minda, Mintz, Minyan, Mitah, Mitchnik, Mitrani, Mittan, Mizrahi, Moalem, Moaralal, Mochi, Moel, Moghrabi, Moghrabi Levy, Moise, Molho, Morali, Morgenstern, Morgo, Moto, Mouadeb, Mouchon, Moukader, Moukhmal, Mourad, Moussali, Mouzain, Muskat, Naadia, Naanous, Nahmias, Nahon, Nahoum, Nakhutin, Namer, Nanous, Nardea, Nasr, Nathaniel, Negrin, Nehmad, Nesrie, Neustein, Nibba, Nigel, Niova, Nouskel, Novitch, Olschan, Olschansky, Orbist, Ouchkey, Ouzan, Ouzi, Panigel, Pariente, Pariente Cohen, Pauvrehomme, Penso, Perah, Perahia Cohen, Perez, Perlin, Perlmann, Pessah, Philipson, Philosophe, Piha, Pinhas, Pinto, Pitchon, Politi, Preciado, Quin, Rabah, Rabih, Rabinovitch, Rahamim, Rahmani, Raja, Raphael, Razouk, Regenstreif, Reismann, Renich, Reouben, Retbaum, Revah, Rofe, Romano, Rosenheck, Rosenkrantz, Rosenthal, Rosenzweig, Rosia, Rousso, Rubinstein, Saad, Saadeh, Saadia, Sabbagh, Sabban, Sabban Cohen, Sabetay, Sachs, Sadaka, Safadi, Safdieh, Safdieh Traboulsi, Safra, Sagnon, Sail, Sakkal, Salama, Salame, Salansky, Salas, Salata, Saleh, Salem, Salomon, Saltoun, Samikeh, Samoha, Samra, Sananes, Sankari, Sapir Henelbach, Sarik, Sarraf, Sasson, Sawaya, Sayagh, Scharf, Schechter, Schinkmann Levy, Schlafermann, Schneider, Schram, Schulzberg, Sehaka, Selig, Seligmann, Seroubia, Setton, Sfenzi, Sidi, Sigawi, Silberberg, Simantov, Sion, Sit, Smeke, Smiga, Sofer, Sol, Soli Cohen, Sonnenreich, Soued, Soukkar, Spigel, Spira, Srour, Stambouli, Starkilewich, Starkmann, Stein, Steingarten, Sukkar, Sultan, Sutton, Suzin, Tabbah, Tache, Tager, Tahan, Taraboulous, Taraboulsi Cohen, Taranto, Tarrab, Tarrab Cohen, Tarrab Maslaton, Tauber, Tauby, Tawil, Tawil Cohen, Tayar, Tebol, Teboul, Telio, Tesler, Torjman, Totah, Toubia, Toubia Cohen, Toubiana, Toussia, Tseimano, Tsetsul, Turquieh, Tweina, Urfali, Uzielshvili, Vaesche, Valido, Valido Khayat, Valter, Varadia, Ventsales, Wardeh, Wasserman, Weinberg, Weisel, Reissman, Wexler, Wile, Wolf, Yacot, Yahamin, Yahbez, Yalem, Yalouz, Yamboli, Yechaya, Yechoua, Yedid Levy, Yehochafat, Yehouda, Yehzekel, Yelela, Yihye, Yofe, Yossef, Zabara, Zafarani, Zagha, Zaghloul, Zakharia, Zalat, Zarhi, Zarkit, Zavaro, Zayat, Zeitouni, Zeitouni Khabie, Zelnik, Zerahia, Zerdok, Zerdok Levy, Zerhil, Zilkha.
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