Is a Lebanese Jewish Revival Possible?

Lebanon once had a sizable and flourishing Jewish community. Unlike other Arab states, it did not immediately expel its Jewish population after 1948. But growing hostility toward Jews and Israel and sectarian conflict among Sunni, Shiites, and Christians led to a worsening situation. A community that in the 1950s counted over 12,000 members now has fewer than 200 families. Nonetheless, Lebanese Jews abroad, with the help of some wealthy Lebanese non-Jews, have restored Maghen Abraham, Beirut’s last remaining synagogue, which has been unused and in disrepair for the past 30 years. Its reopening is likely to be a mostly symbolic gesture.