Oy Vey

I missed this article when it first came out, but the New York Times published a great profile of Syrian Jews living in Brooklyn, New York last week. Presumably many of the "Syrian" Jews come from modern-day Lebanon, as many arrived during the beginning of the 20th century, when Syria and Lebanon were still one country.

The Syrian Jews have worked very hard to maintain the insular community they must have enjoyed in the Middle East in modern-day Brooklyn. They are governed by a strict edict prohibiting marriage to non-Jews, including converts to Judaism. Even most American Jews can't marry into the community. The Syrian Jews require proof, going back three generations and confirmed by an Orthodox rabbi, that their ancestors were married according to Orthodox law. Try asking your typical Manhattan hipster for that sort of documentation, and see what sort of reaction you get.

Anyway, the author captures the Middle Eastern nature of this religious community nicely -- and doesn't ignore the fact that there is something deeply enticing about the close-knit society:

"It's a magical place," he told me. "You come home from school and there are 10 women in the kitchen, your mother and aunts and cousins, cooking special Syrian delicacies. Every celebration is large, full of relatives. The etiquette is what they call fadal -- just come over, don't be formal. Very Middle Eastern. Very seductive and sensual."

For the clearing house of information on Lebanese Judaism, check out The Jews Of Lebanon.