Rare footage from a synagogue in Iran shows dozens of Jews sitting on the floor reading the Book of Lamentations, observing the customs of Tisha B’Av and mourning the destruction of the Temples and Jerusalem from thousands of miles away.
1+Sarah Leah Zilberberg, an Iran researcher, explained in an interview with Oded Menashe that such footage helps the Iranian regime project an image of tolerance toward Jews. “The regime says: ‘We’re not antisemitic, we’re not against Jews, we’re against Zionists,'” she said.
But the reality is far more complex, she argued. Many Jews left Iran over the years not only out of Zionist desire to immigrate to Israel, but also because of antisemitism they experienced—both before the Islamic Revolution and after.
1+The researcher added that from the regime’s perspective, the very existence of a Jewish community in the country serves its interests: “It’s good for the regime to have a Jewish population, because it allows them to present themselves as not acting against Jews.”
Still, she said, that community lives under constant surveillance. Any suspicion of ties to Israel or cooperation with Israeli entities could endanger them: “They know they’re under the regime’s very sharp eye.”