Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa drew an ecstatic reception Sunday night at Manhattan’s Mandarin Hotel, where hundreds of U.S.-based Syrians — including a small group of Syrian Jews — gathered to greet the rebel-turned-head-of-state days before his landmark address to the United Nations General Assembly.
The gathering, organized by Sharaa’s officials and facilitated by the Syrian Foreign Ministry, marked the first time in decades that members of New York’s tight-knit Syrian Jewish community attended an official event with a sitting Syrian leader. Eleven Jews were present, part of a wider crowd that filled the ballroom with chants and applause.
“It was very emotional and inspiring,” said Joe Jajati, a Syrian-born Jewish businessman, who described the president as welcoming “everybody, including the Jews, very nicely.”
Two attendees wearing kippot took the floor. One, David Shelly, pledged $100,000 for Syria’s reconstruction. Sharaa laughed — “not enough,” he quipped — but by all accounts appeared moved. “They don’t need money, but it excited them to see this support,” Jajati told Ynet.
Sharaa’s New York visit underscores Syria’s abrupt reentry onto the world stage. On Wednesday he will become the first Syrian president in six decades to speak at the UNGA — a symbolic moment for a country still rebuilding after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.
The Syrian leader, once a jihadist commander with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, has tried to reposition himself as a pragmatic statesman. In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Sharaa praised Donald Trump for lifting U.S. sanctions after their May meeting in Saudi Arabia, calling it a “historic decision,” and signaled he hopes to meet the former president again during his trip.
“We saved the people from oppression,” Sharaa said, defending his record. “We expelled Iranian militias and Hezbollah from the region. All of these noble acts should have been the role of the international community.”
The outreach to diaspora Jews comes as Syria edges closer to a tentative security pact with Israel — talks that both sides say have made “certain progress.” Netanyahu said Sunday that discussions were moving forward, while a U.S. official told The Times of Israel the agreement was “99 percent done,” with a final deal expected within two weeks.
Optimism within the diaspora mirrors that mood. “We are feeling more optimistic,” Jajati said.
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I get that some Syrian Jews have affection for their former homeland. But come on. Don’t send any money to Syria. Get a grip. If you’re dissatisfied with your US life, move to Israel. Don’t place your bets on a “former” terrorist leader. These smart businessmen should be smart