05/08/2025
Syria Recap 📸
I’ve wanted to visit Syria for years - and for those who know the behind the scenes, you know how long I've been trying to make this one happen. For the past month, we were in a holding pattern with the Foreign Ministry over press visas, bags packed and ready. Somehow, it all came together while I was already overseas. I still can't believe I packed enough socks.
This was a short trip (made shorter by 17 hours in customs... shoutout to everyone who followed with me over WhatsApp 🫡), but it was one of the most special filming experiences I’ve had. We covered a lot of ground: from buzzing street food stalls to quiet, sacred ruins; from interviews with government officials to conversations with former militia members. We also spent time with members of the Syrian diaspora - families who fled Assad’s regime decades ago to America - now returning to old neighborhoods, mosques, and synagogues for the first time since childhood.
But the most powerful moments came during interviews with people whose loved ones were “disappeared” or tortured during the war, including American Journalists like Austin Tice. Syria is still healing. There are ongoing efforts to locate missing persons, identify mass graves, and rebuild civil society - often against the odds.
What struck me most is this: the Syrian people are hungry for peace. They want pluralism. They believe their culture and country can thrive again if the world gives them the chance. That includes the US, which needs to begin rolling back sanctions that were meant to punish Assad, not cripple everyday Syrians trying to move forward.
