Iran is a vast country with many different ethnic groups. Most groups have been in Iran for centuries, and in some cases for thousands of years. The diverse peoples of Iran are separated by language, religion, and way of life. One such community that have existed for thousands of years and still exist today are the Iranian Jews. Judaism has a rich and millennial history in Iran including the era 2,500 years ago when the first Persian ruler declared religious freedom. But during the Islamic Revolution, as the last Persian monarch left Iran 35 years ago, thousands fled to the United States in search of a new home. Fewer than 30,000 Jews live in Iran today, compared with more than 100,000 in the 1970s. Despite the exodus from Iran and a dwindling
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The emergence of a secular, powerful government and a new constitution improved the material life and legal status of minority religious and ethnic groups. The success of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 had major detrimental effects on their welfare and legal status. Many were compelled to emigrate, and as a result their numbers have been reduced even further (Price, 2005). Within one year of the revolution of 1979, the number of Jews in Iran declined drastically from 80,000 to 50,000-60,000. By the mid-1990s, their numbers were estimated to be around 35,000 (Price, 2005). The Islamic Revolution had brought the clergy to unparalleled heights of power. A thoroughly clerical constitution with Islamic codes was created with conscious efforts to condemn Western concepts such as nationalism and democracy. In fact, such notions were regarded as heretical and incompatible with Islam (Price, 2005). Following the overthrow of the shah and the declaration of an Islamic state in 1979, Iran severed relations with Israel. The country has subsequently supported many of the Islamic terrorist organizations that target Jews and Israelis, particularly the Lebanon-based, Hezbollah (Ardalan, 2014). Anti-Zionist and anti-Israel ideologists and sentiments are central to the Islamic government in Iran. As a result, several prominent Jewish businessmen and community leaders were executed on the pretense “that they had collaborated with the enemies of God: imperialism and Israel,” (Price, 2005). Many Jewish teachers, professors, and government officials were expelled or were forced to retire early. Nevertheless, Iran's Jewish community is the largest in the Middle East outside
The emergence of a secular, powerful government and a new constitution improved the material life and legal status of minority religious and ethnic groups. The success of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 had major detrimental effects on their welfare and legal status. Many were compelled to emigrate, and as a result their numbers have been reduced even further (Price, 2005). Within one year of the revolution of 1979, the number of Jews in Iran declined drastically from 80,000 to 50,000-60,000. By the mid-1990s, their numbers were estimated to be around 35,000 (Price, 2005). The Islamic Revolution had brought the clergy to unparalleled heights of power. A thoroughly clerical constitution with Islamic codes was created with conscious efforts to condemn Western concepts such as nationalism and democracy. In fact, such notions were regarded as heretical and incompatible with Islam (Price, 2005). Following the overthrow of the shah and the declaration of an Islamic state in 1979, Iran severed relations with Israel. The country has subsequently supported many of the Islamic terrorist organizations that target Jews and Israelis, particularly the Lebanon-based, Hezbollah (Ardalan, 2014). Anti-Zionist and anti-Israel ideologists and sentiments are central to the Islamic government in Iran. As a result, several prominent Jewish businessmen and community leaders were executed on the pretense “that they had collaborated with the enemies of God: imperialism and Israel,” (Price, 2005). Many Jewish teachers, professors, and government officials were expelled or were forced to retire early. Nevertheless, Iran's Jewish community is the largest in the Middle East outside