Israel-Lebanon deal spotlights historic Lebanese Jewish community

Rabbi Elie Abadie left Lebanon more than 50 years ago and has not returned, but his Lebanese roots remain central to his identity. He keeps 3,000 Arabic songs on his phone and speaks Arabic and French with his siblings.

The once-thriving Lebanese Jewish community has been largely forgotten since most members left the country. The latest Israel-Hezbollah war pushed Lebanon and Israel into direct negotiations, bringing the community back into the spotlight.

“It is unfortunately a sad reality that, since Lebanon and the Jews go back over 3,000 years from the time of King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre and their peaceful and friendly relations, the situation in the last 50 years marked such a decline in Jewish population and life in Lebanon.”

Last month, Israel agreed to release five civilians detained in southern Lebanon in exchange for Lebanon's help searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders abducted and killed in the 1980s during the civil war.

Abadie, 65, was born and raised in Beirut to parents from Syria. He left at age 10, lived in Mexico for some years, and now lives in Dubai as senior rabbi emeritus of the United Arab Emirates and Gulf states.

His family left as anti-Jewish sentiment rose after the 1967 war between Israel and Arab countries. Security fears have kept him away, though he hopes to return one day to reopen Beirut's long-shuttered central synagogue.

Lebanese journalist Nada Abdelsamad, author of two books on the community, said Lebanon once had between 18,000 and 20,000 Jews.