Bibles rescued from Syria in secret Operation

Nearly a dozen ancient holy books have finally made their way to Israel from Syria, following a multi-continent, James Bond-style operation, reports Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

They traveled from Damascus to New York and finally to Jerusalem, where they are being kept at the National Library, according to blog.standforisrael.org in an update on their Facebook page.

The 11 holy books, some dating back 1,000 years, were written by copyist of the Scriptures around the world and arrived in the Syrian capital in different periods.

StandForIsrael says the Jewish community took pride in them and guarded them meticulously, helping them survive the political upheavals that took place in the city over the years.

The Damascus books are considered the world’s most ancient Bibles after the Aleppo Codex, which compared to them is torn and shabby.

According to StandForIsrael, the Yitzhak Rabin government decided to bring the books to Israel in 1995. The defense establishment, governmental organizations and immigrants from Syria took part in the secret operation.

“It was one of the most important operations we participated in,” says Eliyahu Hasson, chairman of the community of Damascus Jews in Israel, who served as director-general of the Transportation Ministry at the time.

Judy Feld Carr, a Canadian senior citizen who turned helping Syria’s Jewry into her life’s work, lauds the operation as well. “Out of all the things I have done in my life, this operation was the most brilliant,” she declared.