Henry Hamra, a Jew of Syrian origin now residing in the United States, has announced his candidacy for a seat representing the Damascus district. The vote is set for October 5.

Hamra fled Syria in 1992 at age 15 with his father, Rabbi Yusuf Hamra.

Hamra returned to Damascus in February on a highly symbolic visit to the city’s abandoned Jewish quarter, where only a handful of Jews remain from what was once a thriving community of 100,000. His campaign announcement leans heavily on that symbolism, presenting him as both a bridge to Syria’s exiled diaspora and a political outsider with ties to Washington.