International March of the Living expresses its deepest concern over the recent outbreak of violence in Syria affecting its Druze population. Many of the scenes reported in the media  are all too reminiscent of the attacks and pogroms that defenceless Jewish populations have faced over the centuries.

According to the New York Times, one resident of the southern Syrian city of Sweida emerged from hiding after barricading himself in his home for 5 days: Wherever he went, the smell of death lingered, he related.

Everywhere he looked he saw burned-out cars littering the streets. Storefront windows were smashed, their shelves looted. Pools of blood stained the streets.

“The smell of corpses in Sweida is unbearable,” he said. “The smell is everywhere.”

In the past 5 days, the violence in Sweida has killed more than 500 people, mostly Druze in “the worst sectarian violence to seize this corner of Syria since the height of the country’s civil war”, reported the New York Times.

In May of 2025, another spasm of violence outside Damascus killed more than 100 people, again mostly from the Druse minority.

Around 10 percent of the world’s Druze population  – some 150,000 live in Israel – making up approx. 2 percent of Israel’s total population. Israel’s Druze population  are highly integrated into Israeli society and feel a deep loyalty to Israel. Since the founding of Israel in 1948, Druze soldiers have been part of the IDF, and have played a vital and valiant role in defending the Jewish state.

We call upon all people of good will to demand that the Syrian government protect all of its citizens, especially its most vulnerable, including is Druze population. We commend the Israeli government for the actions it has taken in defending Syria’s Druze population. We call upon all governments of the world to pressure the Syrian government to act swiftly to end the violence and prosecute the perpetrators.

As Elie Wiesel so eloquently reminded us, we dare not remain indifferent when innocent people are targeted.

“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”