Iranian Jews Leave Nightmare
By Simon Lev
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There are few countries in the world one thinks of as less friendly toward Israel than Iran. In the last few years, Iran’s firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made hostility to Israel a centerpiece of his wider war of words with the West, publicly denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” Because of this, the uneasy tension that has long existed between the two countries has escalated into open hostility.
Despite this fact, and despite their being a tiny minority in a largely Shi’ite Muslim country, there are still approximately 28,000 Jews living in Iran, mostly in the capital, Tehran.
But that number is slowly starting to dwindle as more and more Iranian Jews decide the time to leave has finally come. One silver lining to all the current political tension between Iran and America is that Iranian Jews are not making the U.S. their first destination. Over the last few years, there has been a steady trickle of Jews making Aliyah from Iran, but in 2007 the number jumped to over 200. Although that number is small compared to the number of Jews still in Iran, it is almost triple the number from 2006.
On December 25th of last year, a group of 40 came in one large group—an event that was widely publicized in the Israeli and international media. This is not the usual procedure, but the Jewish Agency wanted to send a strong signal to those Jews still living in Iran that making Aliyah is a viable option, and an equally strong message to the Iranian government that Iranian Jews have not been forgotten and will not be abandoned.
Yossi Shraga, an official with the Jewish Agency who was closely connected with the year-long project of bringing this group to Israel, told Israel Radio, “The anti-Semitism in Iran is getting stronger every day. Jewish schools are being closed down. It’s forbidden to teach the Hebrew language. The Jews feel the ground is burning under their feet.”
Although it’s always a happy occasion when Jews make Aliyah, this group is unusual and has many special needs. One of those special needs is anonymity. Because of the threat of persecution of family members still in Iran, the identity of those who came is being kept secret. Although the Iranian Constitution protects them, and the government of Iran has been very careful in the past to avoid violently persecuting the Jewish community, private citizens sometimes do take violent action against Jews and things can change very quickly. No one wants to take any chances.
A significant amount of the encouragement and money that has been used to assist in bringing Jews out of Iran has come from Evangelical Christians, through the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. [Editorial note: The IFCJ is against Messianic Jews.] Immigrants from this group of 40, for instance, are receiving large grants ($10,000 per person) from the Fellowship, because part of the plan was for them to leave without any notice and without selling their possessions. Most of them arrived with only small suitcases and the clothes they were wearing. The fear of arriving in Israel with no money and no way of supporting themselves is what’s keeping more Iranian Jews from coming, according to the IFCJ.
There have been charges from some quarters, including Jews still living in Iran, that bringing such a large number of immigrants at one time and making such a public spectacle of the event was done merely to get publicity for the IFCJ and the Jewish Agency. At least one leader of the community in Iran said that more harm than good would come from this, since it would increase persecution, make the Iranian authorities more suspicious of the Jewish community, and make it harder for others to make Aliyah. Perversely, that might be exactly what is needed to motivate others to take that step.
Even with all the persecution and fear in Iran, it is difficult for some families to leave. Many Iranian Jews are professionals, with a good income and a relatively high quality of life, and leaving the country often means abandoning years of hard work. If a Jewish family sells their home, they are usually taken advantage of, because the Iranian buyers know they have no choice. Beyond that, the simple fear of the unknown and of uprooting one’s family and life is enough to make many hesitant.
But still, a few at a time, they keep coming.
A website in Farsi for those who wish to leave Iran and make Aliyah has been established at www.israel-iran.org.
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