Under Assad, Jews were officially banned from politics and government employment. “If you talk to my grandparents, they would tell you that there was no hatred among Syrians toward Jews or anyone else. Jews used to have jobs and trade, and that was very popular in Syria before the Assad regime came to power in the seventies, after which most Jews were forced to flee.”

Source: The Jewish Syrian who dreams of rebuilding his country – The Local Voices – 7/25/2016