DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A group of Syrian-American Jews have registered a nongovernmental organization in Syria in a bid to restore Jewish heritage in a country where the once-sizable religious minority has shrunk to almost nothing.

“Jewish Syrians are an integral part of the Syrian fabric,” Syrian Minister of Social Affairs Hind Kabawat told The Associated Press Friday. “Our country is a mosaic of all sorts of civilizations, religions, sects, and nations.”

Kabawat said the establishment of the Jewish Heritage in Syria Foundation, the first Jewish organization ever to be officially registered in the country, “is a step for us to tell the world that Syria has room for everyone and is inclusive of everyone and that everyone is equal under the law.”

“We welcome Jewish Syrians to their count

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