The Jewish Community of Lebanon: History, Heritage, and Resources
History of the Jews of Lebanon
- Mainly a Mizrahi community, but with Sephardic members
- Jewish population increased after the Suez Canal opening
- Wadi Abu Jamil was Beirut’s Jewish quarter.
- Economic crisis of 1908 led to emigration, particularly to Rio de Janeiro
- Community declined after independence from France, from about 20,000 in 1948 to around 7,000 in the 1950s. Further emigration after the 1967 Six Day War. Most of the remaining community escaped after the arrival of the PLO and start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975-1976. Some of the remaining Jews were kidnapped and murdered by Hezbollah in the 1980s.
Synagogues in Lebanon
- Maghen Abraham Synagogue (Beirut) A view of the synagogue before restoration. Video of the synagogue after restoration.
- 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.
- Sidon (Saida) Synagogue. Reportedly built in 833CE on the site of an earlier synagogue dating from the time of the Second Temple. 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.
Lebanese Jewish Cemeteries
Beirut Jewish Cemetery (Cimetière juif de Beyrouth)
- Located in Ras el Nabaa district, and accessible through a gate on the Rue de Damas.
- Approximately 4,000 burials
- Notable interments: Rabbi Moïse Yedid-Levi, Rabbi Haïm Dana, Safra family members
- Online burial index available
- Histoire du Cimetière Juif à Beyrouth by Georges Zeidan
Sidon Jewish Cemetery
Sidon’s abandoned Jewish cemetery, next to the city dump, was restored in 2015 thanks to an anonymous donor.
- The Nabi Saydoun website covers the Jews of Sidon, including the cemetery. 200 of the burials are listed.
- IAJGS page
Genealogical Research Resources for the Jews of Lebanon
Good luck getting a reply to an enquiry on Jewish genealogy from an archive in an Arab country. One day it will happen.
Montefiore Census of Jews in Lebanon
Sir Moses Montefiore famously conducted censuses of the Jewish population of Eretz Israel. Less well known, is that he also reviewed the Jewish communities of Sidon (Saida) and Beirut. The original documents are held by the Montefiore Endowment in London, and have been transcribed by genealogical societies in Israel.
Mukhtar Records in Lebanon
In Lebanon, a mukhtar is an elected but unpaid local official who holds vital records, including:
- Birth Certificate (وثيقة ولادَة)
- Death Certificate (وثيقَة وفَاة)
- Marriage Certificate (وثيقة زواج)
- Proof of Residency (إفادة سكن)
LibanPost say they can help obtain records. You would likely need to first obtain a document from the mukhtar, and there is no guarantee that this document would be supplied to a Jewish applicant. See also the Directorate General of Civil Status website (in Arabic).
Where religion is marked on documents, it says “Israelite”, not “Jew”. You will understand the political connotations.
Civil Census of Lebanon
Demographics is a politically sensitive issue in Lebanon. The French had intended to create a Christian majority country in the Levant. Power was largely split between Christians and Sunni Muslims, but now the Shia Muslims have achieved dominance over the other groups.
It is reported that Lebanon holds copies of the Ottoman censuses (Tabu Daftari) for Mount Lebanon, excluding South Lebanon, Baalbek/Hermal and Akkar. FamilySearch reports that copies of the 1860 Ottoman census of Mount Lebanon can be found in serails (government offices) and at the Lebanese and Turkish Ministries of Interior. Mukhtars (village leaders) can request Ottoman documents. Copies of the 1913 census is in Lebanese serails and the Lebanese and Turkish Ministries of Interior. Census were also held under French rule, in 1921 and 1932. It is reported that the 1932 census can be found in the archives of Division of Personal Status at the Ministry of Interior in Beirut.
Immigration Records in Lebanon
Reportedly there are records of people who immigrated to Lebanon during the later Ottoman period (1882-1918). These include names, parents’ names, professions and names of sponsor and, if available, religion.
Lebanese Genealogical Society
There is a Lebanese Genealogical Society الجمعية اللبنانية لعلم الأنساب (Association Libanaise de Genealogie) but I have no details of their activities, or whether they will communicate with Jewish researchers. A National Society for Arab and Arab American Genealogy was formed in 2023. Again, I don’t know if they discriminate against Lebanese Jewish researchers.
If you need help with your research, the Cercle de Généalogie Juive in France can probably provide some guidance.
Archives and Libraries
- Lebanese National Archives (Centre des Archives Nationales). There is no online but Les Archives nationales du Liban: (période contemporaine) : guide-inventaire by Salvatore Carbone.
- France Archives
- Lebanese National Library
- Jafet Library, the American University of Beirut (AUB)
- 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
- Sharia Court Records. Archives of (Sunni) Islamic courts include cases involving non-Muslims
- Ottoman State Archives
Lebanese Jewish Organizations
- Lebanese Jewish Community Council (Conseil Communal Israélite Libanais)
- Patrimoine et Cultures des Juifs du Liban
Historical Publications
- L’Univers Israelite – العالم الاسرائيلي; העולם הישראלי
- Le Commerce du Levant (originally a Jewish publication)
Other Resources for Jewish genealogy in Lebanon
- International Jewish Cemetery Project – Lebanon page
- Les Fleurs de l’Orient website of Alain Farhi
- Ottoman Documents on Mount Lebanon, 1861–1918 from The Long Peace, Ottoman Lebanon, 1861–1920 by Engin Deniz Akarli
- Book: Juifs du Liban: D’Abraham à nos jours, histoire d’une communauté disparue by Nagi Gergi Zeïdan
- Book: The Jews of Lebanon by Kirsten Schulze
- Book: I found this Arabic language book online: وادي أبو جميل، قصص عن يهود بيروت ندى عبد الصمد. My Arabic is very basic. Please let me know if it is either useful or antisemitic.
- Video: “Minority report: The Jews of Lebanon” by Nagi Zeidan
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