As Israel urged caution, these Syrian Jews lobbied the US to lift sanctions on Syria

Following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, a year-long campaign led by Syrian-American Mouaz Moustafa and Syrian Jewish cantor Henry Hamra successfully lobbied the US to lift the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act sanctions on Syria. This initiative placed prominent Syrian American Jews in opposition to Israel's government, which remained cautious of the new Syrian regime. The Caesar Act, enacted in 2019 due to Moustafa's efforts to expose Assad's atrocities, had severely impacted Syria's economy. Hamra, whose family fled Syria in 1992, joined Moustafa to advocate for the new transitional government, which they believed deserved "another chance." Their efforts included organizing three trips to Syria for Syrian and American Jewish community members to meet officials and visit historic Jewish sites. The sanctions were officially repealed on December 19, 2025, a year after Assad's fall.