Assad and the Kabbalah

Mysterious invitation: Why was an Israeli journalist contacted by Bashar al-Assad? 

Shaul Meizlish recalls the dramatic proposal from Syria's ex-leader.

Chaim Vital's supposed burial site in Israel (Photo: Wikipedia)

Journalist and author Shaul Meizlish shared in an interview with Benny Teitelbaum on Kan Moreshet about the invitation he recieved from ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit his country, and added why he thinks Assad decided to invite him.

"Assad saw the possibilities inherent in the grave of Rabbi Chaim Vital [renowned Kabbalist of the 17th century, buried in Damascus, though some belive he is buried in Israel]. In order to garner points for his "humanity" and for being a "man of culture," he decided to renovate the place and invited 30 very famous Jews in France to the Hanukkah ceremony," he said.

He added, "He wanted to establish an international tourist site. He heard that there was also a relative of Baba Sali who was buried in the Jewish cemetery of Damascus. Therefore, he asked to invite the Baba Baruch, who leads the Kirya and the courtyard after his father. He was told he could take a journalist."

"The Baba Baruch approached me because I wrote the book about his father. We contacted security officials and the answer was negative. They said, 'You can go, but the responsibility is solely on you.'"

"I asked other people who told me that anyone who doesn't have another passport can be in danger. It was with great sorrow that we had to give up. We thought that through such a gesture we could also ask about the bones of the late Eli Cohen."

* Kikar Hashabbat contributed to this article.


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