Exodus of Iranian Jews

Last updated

Exodus of Iranian Jews [1] refers to the emigration of Persian Jews from Iran in the 1950s and the later migration wave from the country during and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, during which the community of 80,000 dropped to less than 20,000. [1] The migration of Persian Jews after the Iranian Revolution is mostly attributed to fear of religious persecution, [1] economic hardships and insecurity after the deposition of the Imperial government.

Contents

The Iranian constitution respects the rights of non-Muslim minorities, however the strong anti-Zionist policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran created an uncomfortable dilemma for some Iranian Jews.

Many of the formerly 80,000-strong Iranian Jewish community had left Iran by 1978. [2] Subsequently, more than 80% of the remaining Iranian Jews fled or migrated from the country between 1979 and 2006. [1] A small Jewish community of almost 10,000 still resides in Iran as a protected minority. [3]

Background

After the destruction of the first Temple in 586 BCE, thousands of Jews were forced into exile and began to immigrate to different parts of the world. Some Jews found their new home in Iran and began a flourishing Jewish community there. The Iranian Jewish community solidified the Jewish presence in the Middle East. In the year 642 CE, Islamic rule was established in Iran and religious minorities, including Jews, became second class citizens. Some Iranian Jews began to migrate to other parts of the world to escape the growing Jewish resentment in Iran. In the 16th and 17th century, Shiite Islam became the religion of Iran and tensions between the Shiite Muslims and Iranian religious minorities escalated. Iranian Jews became the subject of forced conversions to Islam and many social restrictions. [4] During the years between 1892 and 1910, some pogroms against Jews took place in Shiraz and other towns, culminating in the 1910 Shiraz blood libel, which resulted in thirteen deaths, injury, robbery, vandalism and near-starvation for the 6,000 Jews of Shiraz. [5]

Historian Ervand Abrahamian estimated that 50,000 Jews lived in Iran around 1900, [6] with majority of them residing in Yazd, Shiraz, Tehran, Isfahan and Hamadan. [6]

Post-1948 to 1950s

In 1948, Iran's Jewish population was approximately 150,000 people, the largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Israel. Most of the Jewish population was centered around Tehran, Esfahan, and Shiraz. [7] While many Jews in Iran lived peacefully after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, [7] there was increased Jewish emigration from Iran, similar to what was witnessed in other countries in the Middle East. [8] Anti-Jewish sentiment increased under Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh, and continued until the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, in part because of the weakening of the central government and strengthening of the clergy in the political struggles between the shah and the prime minister. [8]

There are conflicting estimates on the number of Jews who chose to leave Iran during those years. According to Trita Parsi, by 1951 only 8,000 of 100,000 Iranian Jews had emigrated to Israel. [9] However, according to Eliz Sanasarian, during 1948–1953, about one-third of Iranian Jews, most of them poor, emigrated to Israel. [8]

Stability in the 1950s, to instability in the late 1970s

After the deposition of Mossadegh in 1953, the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the most prosperous era for the Jews of Iran. Due to political instability in the 1970s and prompted by the Islamic Revolution, most Iranian Jews fled the country.[ citation needed ]

According to the first national census taken in 1956, Jewish population in Iran stood at 65,232, [10] but there is no reliable data about migrations in the first half of the 20th century. David Littman puts the total figure of emigrants to Israel in 1948–1978 at 70,000. [2]

Main exodus late 1970s to 1990s

The tensions between the loyalists of the Shah and Islamists throughout the 1970s initiated the mass-migration of Iranian Jews, first affecting the higher-class. Instability caused thousands of Persian Jews to leave Iran prior to the revolution—some seeking better economic opportunities or stability, while others feared the potential Islamist takeover.

While many Jews in Iran lived peacefully after the establishment of the State of Israel, the Iranian Revolution "radically altered the status of the country's Jewish community". In 1979, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini met with the Jewish community upon his return from exile in Paris and issued a fatwa decreeing that the Jews were to be protected. [11] Nevertheless, emigration continued. At the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, 60,000 Jews lived in Iran. [12] However, about 30,000 Jews left within several months of the revolution. [2]

When Shah Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and the new Islamic Regime under Ruhollah Khomeini was brought into power, the Jewish population in Iran began to look for routes out of the country. Although, Ayatollah Khomeini had proclaimed that the rights of Jews were to be protected, the new government would not issue Iranian Jews passports and barred them from leaving the country. The Jewish population began to fear for their lives because many Jewish leaders were killed in the revolution because of their support for Zionism and their disapproval of Jews being considered as second class citizens. Thousands of Iranian Jews began to look for ways in which they could smuggle themselves and their families out of the country. Most Iranian Jews had to leave their homes and possessions in order to leave Iran illegally as selling all of their possessions would alert to the authorities that they were trying to leave the country. Leaving the country was very dangerous as many of the roads out were being watched by the government and, if caught, one could face imprisonment or death. [13]

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish flight from Iran began in earnest after the May 1979 execution of Habib Elghanian, a philanthropist and leader in Iran's Jewish community, on false charges of spying for America and Israel. The execution of Albert Danialpour case on 5 June 1980, further encouraged emigration. According to activist Frank Nikbakht, Jews sought to escape the country's strict sharia laws, which were designed to humiliate and disadvantage the Jewish population. [14]

Some sources put the Iranian Jewish population in the mid- and late 1980s as between 50,000 and 60,000. [15] An estimate based on the 1986 census put the figure for the same time period, at approximately 55,000. [16] For the 1990s there has been more uniformity in the figures, with most sources since then estimating roughly 25,000 Jews remaining in Iran. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] Many Iranian Jews chose to immigrate to the United States and have built large communities in Los Angeles, Miami, Texas, and New York. According to the 2010 Foreign Born Population Survey, an estimated 100,000 Iranian Jews are currently living in Los Angeles. These new Iranian Jewish communities in the United States have thrived and have become great centers of Jewish learning and study for all Jews. The Iranian Jewish communities in the United States have kept many of their traditions alive through the teaching of Sephardic Jewish customs in schools and synagogues across the United States. Iranian Jews living in the United States have also helped to bring other Jews from Iran and other parts of the world into the United States so they can escape religious persecution and harassment as well. [22]

The migration of Persian Jews after the Iranian Revolution has generally been attributed to fear of religious persecution, [1] [23] economic hardships and insecurity after the deposition of the Shah regime and consequent domestic violence and the Iran–Iraq War.

Aftermath

Jews have their minority rights protected in Iran, though there is official discrimination. In order to prevent circumvention of emigration restrictions, the Iranian government prevents Jewish families from traveling abroad contemporaneously. [24]

The United States State Department estimated the number of Jews in Iran at 20,000–25,000 as of 2009. [25] The 2012 census put the figure of remaining Jewish community in Iran at about 9,000. [26] The Jewish population of Iran was 8,756 according to 2013 Iranian census. [3] [27] According to Iranian census, the remaining Jewish population of Iran was 9,826 in 2016; [28] while in 2021, the World Population Review website numbered the Jews in Iran at 8,500. [29]

The Persian Jewish community has further attempted to help by sponsoring or raising funds to help their Jewish brothers and sisters emigrate to the United States. Jewish leaders in the early twentieth century were focused on bringing working and healthy Jews out of Europe and into the United States. Then their philosophy changed, in response to the dire political circumstances in Europe, as they started to help Jews of all ages and health conditions to come to America and assist them to settle down and assimilate into American life whilst keeping their core principles and faith. [30] [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruhollah Khomeini</span> Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 to 1989

Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician, and religious leader who served as the first Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian Revolution, which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and ended the Iranian monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiraz</span> City in Fars province, Iran

Shiraz is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 people, and its built-up area with Sadra was home to almost 1,800,000 inhabitants. A census in 2021 showed an increase in the city's population to 1,995,500 people. Shiraz is located in southwestern Iran on the rudkhaneye khoshk seasonal river. Founded in the early Islamic period, the city has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Iran</span>

Iran's population increased dramatically during the later half of the 20th century, reaching about 80 million by 2016. As of July 2024, Iran's population is around 89.8 million. In recent years, however, Iran's birth rate has dropped significantly. Studies project that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilises above 100 million by 2050. Half of Iran's population was under 35 years old in 2012.

The constitution of Iran states that the country is an Islamic republic; it specifies Twelver Ja’afari Shia Islam as the official state religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Revolution</span> 1963–1979 reforms by the Shah of Iran

The White Revolution or the Shah and People Revolution was a far-reaching series of reforms resulting in aggressive modernization in the Imperial State of Iran launched on 26 January 1963 by the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, which lasted until 1979. The reforms resulted in a great redistribution of wealth to Iran's working class, explosive economic growth in subsequent decades, rapid urbanization, and deconstruction of Iran's feudalist customs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian Jews</span> Jewish community of Iran

Iranian Jews(Persian: یهودیان ایرانی Yahudiyān-e Irāni; Hebrew: יהודי איראן Yəhūdīm Īranī) constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran during the time of the Achaemenid Empire. Books of the Hebrew Bible bring together an extensive narrative shedding light on contemporary Jewish life experiences in ancient Iran; there has been a continuous Jewish presence in Iran since at least the time of Cyrus the Great, who led Achaemenid army's conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and subsequently freed the Judahites from the Babylonian captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian Americans</span> Ethnic group in America

Iranian Americans, also known as Persian Americans, are citizens or nationals of the United States who are of Iranian ancestry.

Baháʼís are persecuted in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Baháʼí Faith originated and where one of the largest Baháʼí populations in the world is located. The origins of the persecution stem from a variety of Baháʼí teachings which are inconsistent with traditional Islamic beliefs, including the finality of Muhammad's prophethood, and the placement of Baháʼís outside the Islamic religion. Thus, Baháʼís are seen as apostates from Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Iran</span>

The history of the Jews in Iran dates back to late biblical times. The biblical books of Chronicles, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia. In the book of Ezra, the Persian kings are credited with permitting and enabling the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple; its reconstruction was carried out "according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia". This event in Jewish history took place in the late 6th century BCE, by which time there was a well-established and influential Jewish community in Persia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persecution of Zoroastrians</span>

The persecution of Zoroastrians has been recorded throughout the history of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion. The notably large-scale persecution of Zoroastrians began after the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE; both during and after the conquest of Persia by Arab Muslims, discrimination and harassment against Zoroastrians took place in the form of forced conversions and sparse violence. Muslims who arrived in the region after its annexation by the Rashidun Caliphate are recorded to have destroyed Zoroastrian temples, and Zoroastrians living in areas that had fallen under Muslim control were required to pay a tax known as jizya.

<i>Jews of Iran</i> (film) 2005 Dutch film by Ramin Farahani

Jews of Iran is a 2005 documentary film by Iranian-Dutch filmmaker Ramin Farahani. The film examines the lives of Persian Jews living in Iran's predominantly Islamic society. Although they face discrimination, they choose to remain in their homes rather than leave the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trita Parsi</span> Iranian-American relations expert

Trita Parsi is an Iranian-born Swedish writer and activist, and the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, as well as the founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council.

Religion in Iran has been shaped by multiple religions and sects over the course of the country's history. Zoroastrianism was the main followed religion during the Achaemenid Empire, Parthian Empire, and Sasanian Empire. Another Iranian religion known as Manichaeanism was present in Iran during this period. Jewish and Christian communities thrived, especially in the territories of northwestern, western, and southern Iran—mainly Caucasian Albania, Asoristan, Persian Armenia, and Caucasian Iberia. A significant number of Iranian peoples also adhered to Buddhism in what was then eastern Iran, such as the regions of Bactria and Sogdia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Yemen</span>

Yemen is an Islamic country. Nearly all Yemenis are Muslims, The U.S. government estimates that more than 99 percent of the population is Muslim. with approximately 60% belonging to Sunni Islam and 40% belonging to Shia Islam (Zaidi). Amongst the native population, there were approximately 1,000 Christians, and 6 remaining Jews in 2016. However, Pew-Templeton estimates the number of Christians to be as high as 40,000, though most do not publicly identify as such, due to fears of religious persecution. According to WIN/Gallup International polls, Yemen has the most religious population among Arab countries and it is one of the most religious populations world-wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli support for Iran during the Iran–Iraq war</span> Overview of Israels role in the Iran–Iraq War

Israel supported Iran during the Iran–Iraq War. Israel was one of the main suppliers of military equipment to Iran during the war. Israel also provided military instructors during the war, and in turn received Iranian intelligence that helped it carry out Operation Opera against Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. The nuclear reactor was a central component of Iraq's nuclear weapons program.

The "alliance of the periphery" or the "periphery doctrine" refers to a foreign-policy strategy developed by Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion. It called for Israel to pursue exceptionally close bilateral ties with certain non-Arab nations throughout the Middle East and North Africa, with the ultimate goal of establishing a reliable counterweight to the large Arab military coalitions that had been fighting in the Arab–Israeli conflict. The policy was employed chiefly with regard to Turkey, the Imperial State of Iran, the Ethiopian Empire, and the Kurdish people living in Iraq and Syria.

The majority of the population of Iran consists of Iranic peoples. The largest groups in this category include Persians and Kurds, with smaller communities including Gilakis, Mazandaranis, Lurs, Tats, Talysh, and Baloch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad Mirfendereski</span> Iranian politician (1918–2004)

Ahmad Mirfendereski was an Iranian diplomat, politician and the last minister of foreign affairs of the Shah era in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Mosque (Tehran)</span> Historic mosque in Tehran, Iran

The Shah Mosque, also known as the Soltāni Mosque meaning "royal", renamed the Imam Mosque, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, is a principal mosque in the northern section of the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran.

Alliance school Tehran was the first Alliance Israélite Universelle school built in Iran. Located in the capital Tehran and founded in 1898, it was the first western style school in Iran, and is still open today.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mahdī ,ʻA.A. and Daniel, E.L. Culture and Customs of Iran. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2006: P60. ISBN   0-313-32053-5
  2. 1 2 3 Littman, David (1979). Jews under Muslim Rule, The Case of Persia.The Wiener Library Bulletin Vol. XXXII, New Series Nos. 49/50. London, U.K.: Institute of Contemporary History (The Wiener Library Limited). p. 5.
  3. 1 2 "Iran young, urbanised and educated: census". Google.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Bozorgmehr, Mehdi (1998). "From Iranian Studies to Studies of Iranians in the United States". Iranian Studies. 31 (1): 5–30. doi:10.1080/00210869808701893. JSTOR   4311116.
  5. ↑ Laurence D Loeb (4 May 2012). Outcaste (RLE Iran D): Jewish Life in Southern Iran. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN   978-1-136-81277-4. In 1892, several Jews were murdered in Shiraz (Alliance, 1892:52). Twenty Jews were murdered and three synagogues were burned down in 1897 (Alliance, 1897:87). Pogroms, forced conversion and expulsion swept Zarqon, Lar, Jahrom, Darab, Nobendigan, Sarvestan and Kazerun (Alliance, 1900—1910). Jews abandoned Lar and Jabrom, which were never resettled, and emigrated to Shiraz and thence to Palestine, where they joined the numerous Shirazis who had previously escaped. Just after the holiday of Sukkot in 1910, a pogrom organized by the apostate Qavam family resulted in thirteen deaths, injury, theft, vandalism and near starvation for the 6000 Jews of Shiraz (Alliance, 1910:229—245).
  6. 1 2 Abrahamian, Ervand (2008). A History of Modern Iran. Cambridge, U.K.; New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN   9780521528917. OCLC   171111098.
  7. 1 2 Rafizadeh, Majid (2017-06-29). "'I Want to Die in My Homeland': Why Some Iranian Jews Stay". Tablet. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Sanasarian (2000), p. 47
  9. ↑ Parsi, T. (2007). Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States. Yale University Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN   978-0-300-12057-8.
  10. ↑ Hourcade, Bernard; Balland, Daniel (15 December 1994). "Demography i. In Persia since 1319 Š./1940.". Encyclopædia Iranica . New York: Columbia University.
  11. ↑ Parsi, Trita (2007). Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States, Trita Parsi, page 8. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300120578 . Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  12. ↑ SCI (1986). "6. Followers of Selected Religions in the 1976 & 1986 Censuses". Tehran: Statistical Centre of Iran. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  13. ↑ Warner, R. Stephen; Wittner, Judith G. (1998). Gatherings in Diaspora: Religious Communities and the New Immigration. Temple University Press. pp. 72–78. ISBN   1-56639-613-1.
  14. ↑ Melamed, Karmel (2019-02-25). "The Iranian revolution was 40 years ago. Persian Jews in Los Angeles are still feeling the pain". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Sanasarian (2000), p. 48.
  16. ↑ Iran – Geography. Mongabay.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-09.
  17. ↑ Harrison, Frances (September 22, 2006). "Iran's proud but discreet Jews". BBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Iran Jewish leader calls recent mass aliyah 'misinformation' bid". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  19. ↑ "Iran Jewish MP criticizes 'anti-human' Israel acts". Ynetnews. Ynentnews.com. July 5, 2008.
  20. ↑ Harrison, Frances (2006-09-22). "Iran's proud but discreet Jews". BBC.
  21. ↑ "Jews in Iran Describe a Life of Freedom Despite Anti-Israel Actions by Tehran|csmonitor.com". The Christian Science Monitor . Archived from the original on August 30, 2005. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  22. ↑ Bozorgmehr, M. (1997). "Internal Ethnicity: Iranians in Los Angeles". Sociological Perspectives. 40 (3): 387–408. doi:10.2307/1389449. JSTOR   1389449. S2CID   145639860.
  23. ↑ Migration Information Source – Iran: A Vast Diaspora Abroad and Millions of Refugees at Home. Migrationinformation.org. Retrieved on 2011-05-29.
  24. ↑ Sontag, Deborah (1 October 2000). "Israel Seeks to Uncover Fate Of 11 Jews Lost Fleeing Iran". New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  25. ↑ Iran. State.gov. Retrieved on 2011-05-09.
  26. ↑ "AFP: Iran young, urbanised and educated: census". 2012-07-29. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  27. ↑ "Iran Urges Baby Boom With Population Aging | Persian Gulf News Bulletin". Khalije-fars.com. 2012-08-01. Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  28. ↑ "Iranian Census Report 2016" (PDF). Iranian Statistics Agency.
  29. ↑ Jewish Population by Country 2021 website
  30. ↑ Benton-Cohen, Katherine (2018). Inventing the Immigration Problem: The Dillingham Commission and Its Legacy. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0-674-97644-3.
  31. ↑ Cohen, Avraham (1986). "Iranian Jewry and the Educational Endeavors of the Alliance Israélite Universelle". Jewish Social Studies. 48 (1): 15–44. JSTOR   4467316.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.