On October 18th, the Iranian Jewish Club of New York University hosted a screening of Ramin Farahani’s 2005 documentary Jews of Iran. Munching on authentic Persian deserts, attendees were exposed to a story of struggle, friendship, and, above all, loyalty to a country 100,000 Jews once called home.
A still from "Jews of Iran."
The film opens with a scene of an art student covered in a hijab, focusing on the strokes she paints onto the canvas. She respects her art instructor, who is Jewish; she acknowledges that her few Jewish classmates are nice. However, when asked if she, an Iranian teenage girl, has any Jewish friends, her response is terse: “no.” She explains that she is not fond of Jews “because of the atmosphere Israel has created.” When confronted with the point that the Jews in Iran are not Israelis, she demurely smiles and says, “I don’t know…it’s just their religion. I don’t really care to mix with them.”
Scenes such as this are plentiful in this revealing documentary, created with the permission of Iranian officials under restrictions. Farahani travels to the three different regions of Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. By witnessing his journey, the viewers are exposed to the everyday lives of the 20,000 Jews left living in this predominatly Muslim society.
Farahani captures the obstacles that Jews face due to the anti-Semitism that pervades Iranian society—a problem that has dramatically worsened since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
One Jewish student from Tehran left her school after being made to feel uncomfortable by her Islamic studies teacher. She says, “They’re very open with their insults. They say we’re impure—we’re filthy.” Fed up by the prejudices she faced, she decides to study abroad. When asked if she will miss Iran, she replies, “I’ll miss everything, even the bumps and holes on the streets.”
Also in Tehran, the viewers are introduced to an elderly Jewish woman who is being treated for free in a Jewish hospital. She explains that everyone she knew—including her family—fled Iran during the Islamic revolution when anti-Jewish sentiments hit a zenith. However, she was left behind. She knows no one and the once Jewish village in which she raised her family is now fraught with anti-Semitism and violence. Her eyes are empty, her body is frail, and she longs for the Iran of the past. Lying in her sterile hospital room, she repeatedly cries out “I am alone, I am all alone!”
Farahani also travels to Shiraz, where thirteen Jews have been accused of espionage and face the death sentence. Many believe the accusations have been contorted and a paralyzing fear lingers over the Jewish population. When Farahani asks a Jewish man working on a village street to comment on the trial, he smiles politely and shakes his head no. He fears the Iranian government might betray him just as they have betrayed his fellow Jews.
In Jews of Iran, accounts of prejudice and despair are sharply contrasted by tales of religious tolerance and a rich Jewish-Iranian culture. In Tehran, a Jewish woman and Muslim woman have been close friends since college. Now, their sons share a special bond. They listen to Persian music, go out to clubs, and talk about girls. The only time their religious differences come up is when they eat out at restaurants. The Muslim friend approaches his friends kosher diet regulations with levity. “It’s his choice. He eats what he wants.”
In Isfahan, the viewers meet Jewish artist Soleiman Sassoon, whose work is an amalgamation of Jewish symbols and Iranian culture. He uses Jewish motifs such as the Ten Commandments while simultaneously using classical Iranian art techniques. His work is symbolic of the deep love Iranian Jews feel for their nation, even though they now face a harsh reality.
Jews of Iran ends with footage of Jews in a synagogue embracing Rosh Hasannah, the New Year. As they pray for peace and tranquility, they also rejoice in their nationality. They chant, “We have been here for the past 2,700 years. We are essentially Iranian first and then Jews. This is our native land. We are proud to be Iranians!” They pray that the Iranian government and their fellow citizens will reciprocate the unwavering love they feel toward their country.
Ramin Farahani creates a film that embodies the complex situation of Iranian Jews. It is the bittersweet documentation of a people whose country has turned its back on them. However, Farahani makes sure to show that, just like the Persian music that lingers in the background of the film, hope and beauty still linger in this diminishing Jewish community.
It's quite amuzing to see the term Anti-semitism used in this article pertaining to the way Iranians feel about their Jewish brothers and sisters. Isn't it true that this term was coined by European anglo-saxon people and well describes the general feeling of the West towards Jewish people even in today's world of the Western countries ??!!!!
And so it goes! Misinformation and propaganda along with baseless hatred continues on and on and on!!!!!!! Shame on people who wish conflict and not for peace at all times....
I lived in Iran right after the revolution and I was there till 1986. I am muslim and I had Jewish, christian, zorastrian friends. I don't deny cases you described above doesn't exist in Iran but its much less than how you have described it. Majority of people in Iran don't turn their back on you because of your religion. there is no hate among people. people choose their friends based on how compatible their charactors are and not based on their religion. the amount of hate that people in north america are exposed to is much higher than inside Iran. In north america you are trained to hate muslims, Iranians since they learn how to speak...phrases such as muslim terrorist, movies and so on. I tasted it in high school here. I experienced insults that no jewish person went through back in Iran.
The Jews In Iran living under the same dictatorship as the other people, they are being discriminated not because they are Jewish, but because they are not like the small minority of thugs running the country. Just like many people who are being harassed on a daily basis by the thugs of IRI, they Jewish minority is being treated badly.
I really wonder if you could go to Israel and ask the same question of the students in that country if they have any "muslim" friends? how many of them would say yes?
I lived in Iran up until 1984, 2 of my best friends were Armenian Christians, our neighbor was Jewish and they had a very good relationship with my parents, I was not friend with their kid not because he was Jewish, but because he was dork and an idiot, something very unacceptable when you are a "cool" teenager as I was. Does that make me an anti-semite in your opinion?
Those who want a religious conflict in Iran are not the people who live in the country, but those who desire to portray Iran as the ultimate Evil to fulfill their goal of destroying Iran as a nation, with Jews, Christians, Muslims and Zoroastrians to be treated the same way when the bombs fall on the cities.
This is a big propaganda and a line that Zionist use
This is a shameless propaganda line.
To begin:
1) The Judaism is one of the main religions that are accepted in Islam and in their holly book.
2) Iranian Jews get an automatic seat in Iran Parliament.
3) All Iranian Jews can practice their religion freely and in their school they do not required to study Islam and they can study Judaism.
4) Iranian is mentioned in Jewish holly book as people who freed Jews from slavery and there has never been any prosecution against any Jew in Iran base on their religion.
5) During WWII, Iran used all its power to free as many Jews as it could from European prosecutions and this is documented and this is the time that Europe closed their eyes on Jews pain and suffering.
6) Iranian people are not Anti- Semitic and there is a huge different between the Zionism and Judaism.
7) Zionism is a theory that was created about 100 years and it believes that Jews must get united and have a country just for Jew and they believe that they can do anything to get that, including killing, raping, and forcing indigence people off their land to achieve their goal and they have been much more brutal than Partied in South Africa…
8) Do not spread lies and do not beat the drum for hate and wars.
So, Jews dont deserve their own country mate? Jews have yearned for Zion ever since the Romans crushed us almost 2000 years ago and kept that dream throughout ages of persecution in most of the lands that we lived in. If believing that we have a right to our own country then I guess that makes me a big bad Zionist. Oh well..Am Yisrael Chai!
The Jews were forced out of Hollyland 2000 years ago by Romans and not by the indigence people (Palastinian).
The Europian procecuted the Jews in Europ, where the Jews were living for few centuries, if not more.
What is the sin of those indigence people, who did not do anything against Jews?
When the British left the Palastin and when the "Leauge of Nation (Majority white, Europian, Chrisions)decided to allow Jews to have a Contry, they did not give Jews a part of Europ, they gave Jews someone's else's land but they left a law that that indigence must have the same right as Jews, but the Zaions did not respect that and they forced those indigence of their land and those indigence are living in refuges camps for last 60 years and we are talking about more than millions.
All human have the right and their right must be respected too.
Live where ever you want but not by destroying, killing and rapping others.
Jews should know that very well as they have been victums many times in their history.
For the record The Zion is only a century old and other locations that they had in their minds, include Argantina, North East of Egypt and also Australia.
The Zion also know that they can not justify their actions.
For a better days for all man kind.
This is from Jewish source in Isreal:
The word "Zionism" has several different meanings:
1. An ideology - Zionist ideology holds that the Jews are a people or nation like any other, and should gather together in a single homeland. Zionism was self-consciously the Jewish analogue of Italian and German national liberation movements of the nineteenth century. The term "Zionism" was apparently coined in 1891 by the Austrian publicist Nathan Birnbaum, to describe the new ideology, but it was used retroactively to describe earlier efforts and ideas to return the Jews to their homeland for whatever reasons, and it is applied to Evangelical Christians who want people of the Jewish religion to return to Israel in order to hasten the second coming. "Christian Zionism" is also used to describe any Christian support for Israel.
2. A descriptive term - The term "Zionism" was apparently coined in 1891 by the Austrian publicist Nathan Birnbaum, to describe the new ideology. It is also used to describe anyone who believes Jews should return to their ancient homeland.
3. A political movement - The Zionist movement was founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897, incorporating the ideas of early thinkers as well as the organization built by Hovevei Tziyon ("lovers of Zion").
(more Definitions of Zionism )
"Zionism" derives its name from "Zion," (pronounced "Tzyion" in Hebrew) a hill in Jerusalem.
Lets find a fair and just solution to all of these problem.
A fair solution that is accepted by law and by both side.
Why can these 2 people leave together?
They did for many centuries before, so why not now?
I really do not think that violence will be the answer for either side, but the palastinian have nothing left to lose.
They were illigaly and by extream force,were pushed out of their land.
They have been living in refuge camps for last 60 years.
They do not even have a basic right to move in their own area to go to school, hospital, work, etc.
They are very poor and do not even have a basic right as a human.
For the record, I do not care what the solution is as long as it is fare and acceptable by majority.
The last thing I want to say is that Iran is a country and Iranian Jews are as Iranian as me or as any other people with any religon that were born there in Iran.
Hope to see peace and love in this world.
If I am ignorant then please forgive me and educat me.
All the best to you too!
No reason to fight over words. Having lived half of my life in Iran and like 90% of Iranians inside or outside, hating the regime that has destroyed Iran and given it an ugly face we don't deserve, I can tell you that teh Jews of Iran are as Iranian as others and everyone under the regime is suffering. We all long for the day the regime changes and Iran will be free again and all Iranian people regardless of religion will live as before in love and harmony sharing their 5000 years of civilization.
parviz tehrani! i agree. so many iranians HATE the regim. we have been kipnapped. they stole our revolution,and its not many iranian loving them exept the mullahs themselves.
i am a person that fled my country. and as soon as the mullahs are out, i will go back and rebuild my land. rebuild the love. and we all suffer in iran right now. even shia muslims! imagine, there are no jobs, no future, no nothing! we all hate them.
Dor az to andisheye bandan! Payande maa i to javadan!
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