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Since the late 1800`s, members of the community have emigrated from their homes in Aleppo & Damascus, Syria, to New York, via Ellis Island. Originally settling on Manhattan`s Lower East Side, the Syrians eventually found their way to Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, where they resided for approximately 50 years, surrounding the Magen David Synagogue, which they had built shortly after their arrival to the neighborhood.

In the early and mid 1950`s, having begun to achieve the first measures of their financial successes, and with their numbers beginning to increase substantially, many started re-locating, purchasing homes in the nearby Ocean Parkway area, which was later to become known as Flatbush.

Over this entire course of time the lifestyle being developed by these original families had become recognized and respected by other Middle Eastern & Sephardic Jews, including those from Lebanon, Egypt, Southern Turkey, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, & Israel. Many of them, upon arriving in the United States, chose to attach themselves to the community, -religiously, connubially, geographically, or occupationally, expanding its size even further. These newer members joined us for various reasons.

The social life held its own special attraction. By then the Syrians had been spending summers on the Jersey Shore, - in those days all the people headed to Bradley Beach, N.J., filling the Magen David Synagogue of Bradley Beach on Friday nights and Saturdays for Shabbos services, and lining up at the `Sand-Bar` on Sunday`s for snacks and cold drinks. Many of the marriages of that era were conceived amongst the relaxed atmosphere and casual setting that the beach, the boardwalk, and the sunshine provided.

One aspect of the community, which is considered an advantage by many, and is exclusive to us, is the powerful sense of permanency & stability. As a rule, a very small percentage of people leave the area, in contrast to other groups and cultures. A result of this behavioral pattern is that the friends that one develops at the earliest stages of their life become the friends that are maintained throughout their lives. There are few occasions that present themselves, wherein the knowledge of a family or individual is limited to a few years, or only the existing generation. We know the people we date, marry, conduct business with, invite to our celebrations and social events, and allow our children to play with, for multiple decades, if not centuries.

There have been many reasons to stay close to the nest. Normally, human nature is such that people usually feel a curiosity to explore the larger world, outside of their own. But our community members did not have to drift too far, to quickly realize that certain things we assumed to be universal or somewhat standardized, or may have felt could be taken for granted, were in fact unparalleled, not available anyplace else.

Many interviews were conducted in preparation for this informal and brief history. One middle-aged gentleman recalled how as a child, his entire family would visit his Grandmother for lunch every Saturday, including aunts, uncles, and cousins. Upon their arrival after Shul each week, his Father would stand on the porch, and looking up towards the second floor of the two-family house, he would whistle.

Seconds later, Grandma would appear at the front window, and toss the keys down so they could let themselves in. Once inside, the cold winter air was immediately replaced by the smell of fresh baked pastries and deserts. The sweet aromas of rose water, apricot, pistachio, coconut, dates, & homemade cheeses filled the rooms.

The conversation would shift back and forth from English to Arabic, depending on whether `the kids` were to know what was being said. The expressions were priceless and flowery, and the topics ranged from the international, to business, to each other, to recipes, outfits for upcoming celebrations, school, sports, health, extended families, the grandchildren`s dating, etc.

Old country tradition was everywhere, from the stages in which the food was served, to the accents and melodies applied to the prayers, the music that we heard & the games that we played. Backgammon was to us what Monopoly was to the rest of America. Everyone was taught `toleh` (backgammon) from a very young age, and its importance was stressed, since with the required fusion of skill and luck, it was said to closely resemble life itself.

The sense that most received from this unique upbringing was one of privilege, of attachment & belonging. Another interesting facet of the Syrian Community & their traditions has to do with the naming of the children. The first son is named after the father of the baby`s father, the second son after the father of the baby`s mother. The first daughter is named after her father`s mother, and the second daughter is named after the mother`s mother. In some cases, particularly in the third or fourth generations of the larger families, the potential for confusion due to having many cousins, all related, all about the same age, and all with the same first and last name, is very common, and the need to use middle initials or assign nicknames has been part of our history for as long as anyone can remember.

Syrians came to this land with the knowledge of being astute merchants. In the old country, the Arab run government restricted the choice of occupations for hundreds of years. The Jews in Syria were prohibited from entering in to the fields of medicine, science, engineering, law, or politics.

This regulation created an educational and occupational vacuum that required the group to seek outsiders, both in the Middle East and America, in order to fulfill certain specific societal needs. Only in the past 25 or so years have the people began to overcome this hereditary handicap, and start to produce an increased ratio of legal & medical professionals commensurate with the economic and social standing (and intelligence) of their group.

Upon arriving in New York and seeking their fortunes, two unforeseeable benefits resulted from the above-described preclusion. Firstly, these able minded and bodied men were relegated to industries that they would have otherwise been over qualified for. Secondly, seeking those careers produced a situation wherein the level of competition for them was below the level of other fields, considered more prestigious and desirable. In testament to their strong motivational qualities, the earlier gentlemen of our community went where they had to go, and did what they had to do, to succeed.

Today the Syrians have emerged as a leading force in the New York/Tri-State Metropolitan region in a variety of areas, including real estate and development, retailing, wholesale and distribution, importing, fashion design, technology, assorted service and financial businesses, and a wide variety of other economic venues. The percentage of general merchandise (including electronics, appliances, linens & domestics, toys, fashion accessories, sportswear & outerwear,) consumed in this country and globally, that on some level has the involvement of an S.Y., from the making of it to the selling of it, is absolutely astounding.

Very few in the political or economic spectrums today are unaware of the existence of the Syrian Jewish Community of Brooklyn, and its tremendous accomplishments. It is nothing less than remarkable, the level of recognition we have come to enjoy, how much influence and respect we have managed to command, in contrast to our relatively small numbers in terms of overall population.

Many changes have occurred in our lifestyles over the past hundred years. The pace has accelerated. It seems America has evoked more change in one century, than the way of life before America did in ten. At what cost is our community transforming itself for the new millennium. How is it possible to minimize the negative implications of this modernization while still achieving the positive effects.

To change is far less detrimental than to forget. Let us welcome the future with open arms, with prayer, and with eternal optimism. At the same time, let us record, reveal, and remember our wonderful history with all the glory that it deserves, and our ancestors are entitled to.