In the 20th century , the Jewish community in Lebanon showed little involvement or interest in politics . They were generally traditional as opposed to religious and were not involved in the feuds of the larger religious groups in the country . Broadly speaking , they tended to support Lebanese nationalism and felt an affinity toward France . French authorities at the time discouraged expressions of Zionism ( which they saw as a tool of their British rival ) , and the community was mostly apathetic to it . A few community leaders , such as Joseph Farhi , fervently supported the Zionist cause , and there was a level of support for the concept of a Jewish state in Palestine . The Jews in Lebanon had good contacts with those in Palestine , and there were regular visits between Beirut and Jerusalem . Accounts by the Alliance Israélite Universelle , which established schools that most Jewish children in the country attended , spoke of active Zionism while the Jewish Agency lamented the lack of national sentiment . The World Zionist Organization was also disappointed with the lack of more active support , and the community did not send a delegation to the World Zionist Congress . A young Lebanese Jew named Joseph Azar , who took it upon himself to advance the Zionist cause with other individuals in October 1930 , said in a report for the Jewish Agency that : " Before the disturbance of August 1929 the Jews ... of Lebanon manifested much sympathy for the Zionist cause and worked actively for the sake of Palestine . They had established associations which collected money for ( sic ) Keren Kayemeth and ( sic ) Keren Heyesod . " He said that after 1929 , the Jews " started to fear from ( sic ) anything having any connection with Zionism and ceased to hold meetings and collect money . " He also said that the Jewish Communal Council in Beirut " endeavored to prevent anything having a Jewish national aspect because they feared that this might wound the feelings of the Muslims . " Other sources suggested that such charity work was not so much motivated by Zionism as it was by an interest to help Jews in need . The Maccabi organization was recognized officially by Lebanese authorities and was an active center for Jewish cultural affairs in Beirut and Saida . The Maccabi taught Hebrew language and Jewish history , and was the focus point of the small Zionist movement in the country . There was also a pro-Zionist element within the Maronite community in Lebanon . After the 1929 riots in Jerusalem , the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was expelled from Palestine and he chose to settle in Lebanon , where continued to mobilize resistance against Zionist claims to Palestine . During the riots , some Muslim nationalists and editors of a major Greek-Orthodox newspaper ( both of whom saw the fate of the emerging Lebanese state as one within a broader Arab context ) sought to incite the disturbances in Lebanon , where until that point most ethno-religious groups were aloof to the forecoming conflict in Palestine . It also seemed to have an effect on the cryptic response given by Interior Minister Habib Abi Chahla to Joseph Farhi when , on behalf of the Jewish community , he requested that they receive a seat in the newly expanded Lebanese Parliament
disturbance of August 1929
1929 Palestine riots
History of the Jews in Lebanon