The Jewish community in Damascus and rabbinic leaders from Islamic countries issued a statement of deep shock and protest after the desecration of the kever of the famed mekubal Rav Chaim Vital zt”l at the ancient Jewish cemetery in Syria’s capital.
According to Bechor Simantov, head of Damascus’ small Jewish community, a formal complaint has been filed with Syrian authorities, demanding a full investigation into the incident.
Unidentified vandals reportedly broke into the historic cemetery, severely damaging the kever of Rav Chaim Vital, the talmid muvhak of the Arizal.
Simantov shared photos showing a gaping hole dug near Rav Vital’s grave, illustrating the extensive damage caused by the trespassers.
Rav Vital passed away in 1620 and has been buried in this cemetery for over 400 years.
In a post on his Facebook page, Simantov wrote, “On Wednesday, unidentified individuals broke into the Jewish cemetery in Damascus. They smashed the main gate and entered the room where Rav Chaim Vital alav hashalom is buried. They dug into the earth alongside the kever, apparently in search of relics, as shown in the photo.”
The Union of Rabbis in Islamic Countries issued a statement tonight condemning the desecration and urging the Syrian government to immediately secure Jewish holy sites.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the desecration of the sacred grave of Rabbi Chaim Vital. Jews have lived in Syria for thousands of years and are an inseparable part of its history. We urgently call upon the Syrian government to immediately secure all Jewish holy sites, synagogues, and cemeteries, and to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of all Jews,” the statement read.
Hidden within the narrow alleys of Damascus’ Old City lies a thousand-year-old treasure, the ancient Jewish cemetery. In recent years, amid Syria’s political upheaval and the weakening of the Assad regime, there has been a renewed interest in preserving and visiting these sacred sites, where many tzaddikim and Torah giants are buried.
Throughout generations, the cemetery served as the final resting place for Syria’s greatest tzaddikim. The most prominent among them is Rav Vital. There is a mesorah that his burial was intended to nullify the spiritual influence of a nearby church — which, according to legend, subsequently disappeared entirely.
The cemetery was carefully divided into distinct sections reflecting the composition of Damascus’ Jewish community: separate plots for the Musta’arabim (Arabic-speaking Jews), Sephardim, and Karaites. A special section known as the Midrash housed the graves of leading rabbinic figures, including Rav Yeshayahu Pinto (d. 1648), Rav Ezra HaKohen of the Salton Trab family (d. 1920), Rav Yaakov Harari Alna’am (d. 1937), and Rav Nissim Nadvo HaKohen (d. 1972).

{Matzav.com}