Mimi Cohen: From Aleppo to Beirut and a New Life in America

Mimi Cohen was born in Aleppo, Syria, and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where her family eventually settled after leaving Syria amid growing antisemitism and political instability. Her memories reflect both the richness of Jewish life in Aleppo and Beirut and the uncertainty that ultimately forced her family to leave the Middle East.

Mimi remembers Aleppo's Jewish community as vibrant and prosperous, with many residents speaking French alongside Arabic. Jewish families maintained strong communal connections, religious traditions, and commercial relationships that extended well beyond Syria.

“Everything was nice,” Mimi recalls of life before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Following Israel's independence, however, conditions for Syria's Jewish population deteriorated dramatically. Antisemitic violence and growing hostility left many Jewish families fearful for their safety.

According to Mimi, Jews became “scared to stay,” and many began leaving Syria. While numerous families immigrated to Israel, Mimi's family relocated to Beirut, Lebanon, where they had business interests.

Her family's wholesale business operated internationally, with commercial connections extending across the Middle East to Hong Kong, Japan, Europe, and North America.

Despite the circumstances surrounding their departure from Syria, Mimi remembers her childhood in Beirut with tremendous affection.

“Life was gorgeous,” she recalls.

She particularly cherishes memories of spending her summer vacations in Lebanon's mountainous regions, where families escaped the heat of the city and enjoyed the country's natural beauty.

Beirut was a cosmopolitan city with diverse religious and cultural communities. Mimi remembers its lively atmosphere, international influences, and the presence of Americans and other foreign residents.

While her grandparents spoke Arabic, Mimi grew up speaking French at home and attended a French-language Catholic school.

Most of her classmates were Christian, but she recalls that the school was welcoming and did not pressure Jewish students to participate in Christian religious activities.

Although Mimi was raised in a religious Jewish household, she had limited knowledge of Hebrew. She remembers that Hebrew religious education was primarily available to boys, leaving many girls without the same opportunities for formal Jewish study.

For much of her childhood, Mimi enjoyed the opportunities and cultural richness of Beirut. Over time, however, the political tensions surrounding Israel and its Arab neighbors increasingly affected Lebanon's Jewish population.

Following 1948, Mimi recalls that being identified as Jewish could invite suspicion or hostility. People increasingly questioned others about their religious identity, and Jewish families became more cautious about their safety.

One particularly frightening incident occurred when her uncle, who lived in the United States, and several relatives from Syria visited Lebanon to attend a family wedding.

During their visit, anti-Jewish rioting broke out, placing the family in immediate danger.

Mimi remembers that a Muslim friend intervened and drove her relatives to the airport, helping them escape the violence.

The experience reinforced her family's growing fears about their future in Lebanon.

Eventually, Mimi and her family decided to leave the country. According to her recollection, they were unable to take their assets with them and were told that they would not be permitted to return.

They departed with only a small amount of clothing, leaving behind their possessions and the life they had built in Beirut.

Mimi initially traveled to Paris, where she spent several months living in a hotel.

Having learned English, she hoped to immigrate to the United States and begin a new life. After receiving a visa from the American embassy, she traveled to America.

There, she met her future husband, a Sephardic Jew originally from Egypt. Their shared Middle Eastern Jewish heritage provided a connection between their family histories and cultural traditions.

In 1956, Mimi returned to Lebanon to visit her grandparents.

The visit was deeply unsettling. She recalls that the Jewish neighborhoods she had known appeared completely transformed, with many former Jewish residents having departed.

The areas that had once been centers of Jewish communal life looked “completely different,” she remembers.

“Everyone has left,” she recalls thinking.

Mimi eventually settled in Chicago, where she became part of the city's Jewish community.

Although the American Jewish population was predominantly Ashkenazi, she remembers integrating into communal life without significant difficulty.

At the same time, Mimi continued to maintain elements of her Sephardic Jewish identity and traditions.

She still observes certain customs “in Sephardic ways,” preserving practices that connect her to her family's experiences in Syria and Lebanon.

Nevertheless, Mimi expresses concern about whether these traditions will survive among younger generations.

Her children and grandchildren speak only English and have become fully integrated into American society. She worries that the languages, customs, and cultural practices that defined her upbringing may gradually disappear.

Mimi's testimony reflects the experiences of Syrian and Lebanese Jews who maintained vibrant communal lives and international connections before political instability and antisemitic violence compelled them to seek new homes. Her memories also highlight the challenges of transmitting Sephardic Jewish traditions across generations, particularly as families adapt to new languages, cultures, and societies.