History of the Jews in Lebanon
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Beirut | |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew, Arabic, French | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism |
Lebanon: 40
The history of the Jews in Lebanon deals with the presence of Jews in Lebanon, which stretches back to Biblical times. Following large-scale emigration following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and much more importantly the Lebanese Civil War, the vast majority of Lebanese Jews now live in Western countries. Many live in Israel, and there are still a thousand or so living in Lebanon. As the latest census in Lebanon was conducted in 1932, there are virtually no statistics available. The discrepancy between the number of registered Lebanese Jews and number often cited by locals and the Lebanese Jewish Community Council might be caused by the Lebanese registration policy relative to religion: a newborn's religion is that of his father, and this also applies to Jewish nationals despite Jewish customs.
The Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Sephardi (particularly Mizrahi) community living mostly in and around Beirut but also in Sidon and Baalbek. Less than 40 Jews live in Lebanon today Emigration was not great even after Lebanon's civil war in 1975, as Lebanese Jews were tightly integrated into society and felt no need to abandon their homeland. But emigration began to increase after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, when Jews began to fear "perpetual instability" in their country. Israel's 1982 invasion and its subsequent occupation of parts of Lebanon, and Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war severely exacerbated emigration. In Beirut, the Jewish quarter of Wadi Abu Jamil suffered devastation as it was situated along the dividing line between the warring Christian and Muslim districts.
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